I am writing this today straight from my heart, I am THANKFUL. Thankful for the beauty of family and the complexities of it too. I grew up in a small cluster, My Mom, Dad, Sister and myself. Even as I write this I find that my sentences are short and small. A symbol of the tight and tiny unity that we shared. Growing up on a farm in Idaho, far removed from the rest of the world, I was sheltered, protected, and nurtured. My sister grew up. I grew up. We left the safety of our parents and our home. I went on to marry and have a family. My sister moved away and married. My sister went on a boating trip, she never returned from that trip. Only one of the four people who went boating in Puget Sound that day did. He was not alive. That was 38 years ago. Naturally, there is not a day that goes by that Sandra is not in my heart and thoughts. I always wonder how different all of our lives would have been. I wonder who and what her children may have been like. I miss her. This tragic experience

I have been seriously thinking of giving some creative Christmas Jar's to some of my friends and family members this year. If you are finding that you are looking for an amazing way to use jars, all types of jars, mason, pickle, jelly or salsa. You might just discover that you are going to love these creative ways to incorporate jars into your Christmas decorating and gift giving agenda.  I know I did, I became smitten !                                                                         Source By adding a little greenery, cranberries, water and a candle to a mason jar an illuminating holiday jar is created.                                                                               Snowy Pinecone Candle Jars by  crafts by Amanda Such a cute, cute idea using a jar as a manicure set and then topping it off with a fabric bow. Lets not stop here, let's personalize it by adding the recipients name with a paint pen!                                    Peppermint Brownies in a

This Thanksgiving means so much to me because I am going to be preparing the traditional meal at our home for my children and their families. We might even have an outdoor Thanksgiving! This is the year we will all be together under one roof or star lit sky and my heart is singing. My theme for my outdoor Thanksgiving table is a combination of rustic and traditional. I have incorporated pine cones, burlap pumpkins and natural pumpkins into a rustic iron basket along with some ribbon and Fall leaves. I am  mixing some china and fall patterned dishes together along with some new porcelain dinnerware I just purchased, linen napkins and  yarn napkin rings . Reflecting on my childhood Thanksgiving I remember how my Mother prepared well in advance for Thanksgiving by using the bounty from many of the crops that were grown by my parents. We had the best, best,  russet potatoes ever,  which came from our farm, apple pie made from McIntosh apples from our apple tree. (yes McIntosh apples are be

The sweet simplicity of these vintage napkin rings is the key ingredient to their charm. My oldest daughter made them for me during her childhood days, one year for Thanksgiving. I have packed them all around the United States, for a minimum of 25 years, I think they have held up really well. I have gathered a few acorns from our old oak tree, picked a few last blooms of orange zinnias, just to add a little earthy zest to my Thanksgiving Table this year. I think it would be fair to say, that one could use twine, jute or burlap if they wanted to trade out the yarn for something else. The form of the napkin ring may be made out of any pliable cardboard. I would suggest Kleenex boxes, a cover to an old tablet, cover to a catalog etc... Cut the ring form into the size and shape you would like, securing the ends together with either craft glue or hot glue, then wrap the napkin ring form in masking tape. Use the material of your choice and wrap the ring until it is well covered securing with

Just seems nearly impossible that Thanksgiving is just a little over two weeks away. It seems to me we can become so busy, pressured, tired and even overwhelmed with the preparations to make the big day lovely for family and friends that it is very easy to loose focus on being Thankful. So, I have designed this little printable just for you, and for me. I have been so inspired, enlightened  recharged and thankful by a recent Bible Study class which lasted for 9 weeks over the  Book of Thessalonians 1 & 2. Did my heart good and my attitude too, sometimes we can become curmudgeons, especially when we don't stay focused on being  Thankful . So enjoy the printable, have hope always, give thanks and know you are loved. Dwellings xoxo

It is time, time to plant our Amaryllis bulbs so we will have gorgeous blooms just in time for                                                                  Christmas. I just planted my bulbs yesterday, and I am so thrilled - they are going to be pink! I am starting mine from scratch, here are some instructions on how it is going to work. It is so easy and so neat to see what happens in the upcoming weeks. I make no promises on success....winky...but after all of the reading I have done, I feel certain we can do this! So, lets get started. Soak Amaryllis roots in warm water for three hours prior to planting. This speeds up the growing process by softening up the roots, just soak the roots though, not the entire bulb as we don't want the roots to rot or the bulb to mold. I chose not to purchase a kit because I wanted to see what sort of bulb I was getting. It is important to choose bulbs that look clean, are disease free and have marginal leaf and stem growth. We want all of the

It seems I am always the last one to jump on the bandwagon of trends, just when they are fading out, I discover wonderful uses for whatever that trend may be. Burlap is one of those trends, I have gently creeped into using it, although I always loved the way everyone else has incorporated burlap into their homes. You know me and wreaths... I actually had an Etsy shop for awhile, and I certainly enjoyed working in my little shop. I was ever so fortunate to sell several wreaths, but sadly enough the shipping costs were too high. So, I am back to happily making them for myself and anyone in my family who requests one! Since this is a Thanksgiving wreath, I began to think what was on top of my list of being thankful for this year. ~Gentleness~ Gentleness of spirit, words, and actions. So, this burlap wreath represents gentleness with it's flowing lines, fringed fabric, muted oranges and browns, buds of burlap, frosted acorns. I will hang this Gentle Burlap Wreath on my front door. Wel