Simple Gifts

A Victorian Family Chooses A Turkey For Christmas
available at allposters

Christmas time is always busy with family, school, business, and other social occasions for most.   Ours have been from meager to much.  We have cut back on gifts since we first got married.  We both came from families that didn't  go to the excesses on Christmas and birthdays, although we do give more on birthdays as it is easier to find things that are useful for presents.

Christmas can become a very cluttered time with decorations, food making and taking,  shopping while avoiding crowds, dressing up and dressing--period,  balancing budgets, time, and energy, yet making sure the family is taken care of and keeping the perspective of  a good help-mate.  It can get to be a down-right frustrating time to end the year with.  Then...whizz, whirrr and we are starting the New Year with little on the calendar and we can RELAX, hopefully.

My suggestion for gifts this year is based on research of the coming slowing down of our economy and learning how to live with much less.  Jobs are at a premium now and who knows how many will retain jobs this next year.  At any rate,  make the best of what time and resources you have to work with.  Cut out non-essentials, extra gadgets, eating out, etc..  Become creative with your talents. Check out library books that have good and useful items that can be made by you.  There are lots of books with ideas for gift giving. You have choices of sewing, cooking, baking, gardening, wood projects, all kinds of crafty ideas, even books of how-to's.  If you live in rural areas check out internet sites for easy things to make.  Buy gifts online from others who have made items to sell.  Look on etsy for items to buy or ideas to make your own.  This is just a smattering of endless ideas available!

Just a precautionery note--since we are experiencing many kinds of natural disasters, you might make up some Smart Packs as outlined in NGJ Set.-Oct. 2009 for some unique gifts!

Remember it is our goal to serve the Lord in all our activities that He may be honored and glorified.

Minimal Wardrobing

Do you ever find that overlooking something for long periods of time, you can come back to it with a new inspired view?  I had a piece of grey to make a skirt just sitting on the stash pile.  While working my way through a thrift store I found a brand new grey sweater set and asked my girls if I could wear that color and they assured me it looked good on me so I proceeded to claim it for a new working color in a capsule wardrobe of greys.




I also found a grey plaid in my wool stash .  I plan to make a vest out of this as there is less than a yard.  I can use a red turtleneck sweater under it as well as a grey one.  I also have a corduroy print that I will make into a dress and can wear the grey button front sweater with it.  I found some grey geometric print at Walmart that matches the skirt of which I will make a blouse.  I noticed the quilt store had some grey and green prints in and will have to see if it matches when the road clears of snow.

Here are the fabrics and they don't look coordinated in the pictures.  I've had them in the sunlight and under the true Ott light to make sure they do match.   Artificial lighting can be difficult to determine good matches.  None of these look like they match!

My  fabrics:

These are the patterns: