A little catch up...

Only one blog post so far this month?  And the month's nearly gone, too.  

It absolutely can't go too fast for me, though!  Larry will be HOME in 27 days!!  I am so ready.  This house is so ready.  I finished my to-do list months ago and these last days seem to be dragging for me.  Believe it or not, I don't do well with waiting.  I never once considered the last 25 years as "waiting".  I have always looked at it as it was, we just lived our life a little differently than most.  But these past few weeks have been brutal.  I'm ready for it to be ovah.  For good and forever. 

So, the list is done and most of my Christmas shopping is done, too.  I've had packages arriving all week and it's been exciting to see them every day!  I'm planning on spending next Friday (called Black Friday by millions, SLACK Friday by me) in my yoga pants surrounded by Christmas decorations and tufts of kitty hair.  Larry and I are going to get a tree when he gets home but everything else will be out and sparkly.  

I have never shopped on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  I think I may have gone with Mama and Aunt Gloria to the Macon Mall once in 1980 but since I was 13 at the time, that don't count.  I just hate the thought of it.  And, to be honest, the older I get, the more I hate shopping in general.  I didn't used to be that way, though.  I was a compulsive shopper when I was younger and I bought things for the sake of buying things, trying to fill a void in my life.  A void that will finally be filled for good and forever on December 21st!  I racked up quite the credit card debt, too.  Thank God that is all behind me, the compulsion and the debt.  Now what makes me happy is figuring out a way I can reuse this or make do with that.  Ami just did that very same thing this week, using the Christmas tree from her and Brian's first married Christmas together.  That little tree had been in storage, nearly forgotten, for years and now this year, it has new life and new lights!  I was so impressed and proud of her and I can't wait to see it all gussied up.

For several years now, I've bought the majority of my Christmas presents from local businesses or at least hardworking Americans.  I try very hard these days not to buy anything that was made in China.  If you don't think that's difficult, just try it sometime.  We are so dependent on China that it's disgusting and scary at the same time.  They and their cheap plastic crap pretty much own us and that makes me sad.

I've gotten most of my gifts for my family from Etsy shops this year, along with a few things from eBay sellers and some toys from Nova Natural and Magic Cabin.  

One of my very favorite Etsy shops is AuntSistersPicks, from Springfield, Tennessee.  They have so many cool vintage things (Pyrex and Fisher Price, squeee!) and their prices are very reasonable, too!  And if you want to sell me your vintage sheets and pillowcases, just take a picture of 'em hanging on a clothesline in the sunshine.  Yep.  Works every time.

They have some really ugly Christmas sweaters for sale right now, too.  :)

Threaded From Heaven made Lizzie a baby Butterbean doll last year for Christmas.  Courtenay Christian makes all kinds of handmade cloth dolls and sweet little girl dresses, too.  And she's right here in Georgia, in Suwanee.  I swannee.

I discovered go dotty go today while searching for felt Christmas tree garland.  I ordered several feet of this one.  I just love it!

 

Before you go spend all day next Friday at the mall or Walmart or Target or wherever, just sit down for an hour and give Etsy a look.  I promise you, you will find the most perfect gifts!  It'll make you feel good, too, knowing you're buying American, your money is staying right here in your country, you are helping to feed and clothe an American family and you're also buying gifts that are unique, some even one-of-a-kind, and are not cookie-cutter cut over there in China.