I'm getting there....slowly!

The decorating is almost finished.
Today, finally, I figured out how to put all of the addresses for Christmas cards on the computer to print labels.
This morning I wrote the letter that will go in with our cards and tonight, David & I can sit and finish them and get them in the mail tomorrow.
I am in the process of wrapping up the gifts to be mailed...yes, I know that Monday was the biggest postal day of the year...I hate crowds so I'll wait until tomorrow. I've done a lot of shopping on-line this year. Grown children are not easy to buy for when you don't see them very often....gift cards to their favorite shops are perfect I think.
I still have to shop for David. In some ways he's easy to buy for because he never...and I mean never, buys anything for himself. He wears black every day to work (he's a pastor) but he's a guy who loves color. I have some ideas....tomorrow is my day to shop for him. (After I go to the post office) When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, his answer was "I really need a good pocket comb...maybe 2." You can see why shopping for him is an adventure!
It is very cold here in Pittsburgh but today we had a few hours of sun which is pretty unusual. I ran around taking pictures of our Christmas decorations. I will share some today and some in another post.

First, I want to give a big shout out THANK YOU to all of the tag makers in Elizabeth's (Creative Breathing) tag swap. The tags everyone made were so fine with attention to each little detail. If you go to Elizabeth's blog and scroll down you can see  pictures of almost every tag. The artists who participated are all top-notch and I was honored to be included. (Paula Clare-personalized-WOW! that was so special!)
Elizabeth and I have been blog friends for over a year now. We write back and forth and share ideas and supplies. She is a source of great inspiration to me (and lots of other women too!) and I always love to see what she's creating. A year ago she posted pictures of ornaments that she made for her Christmas tree that were inspired by Jenny B. Harris of Allsorts. Elizabeth  made scottie dogs and star garlands out of felt in bright, happy colors. She fashioned peg dolls into bearers of good tidings of great "JOY". She made felt Christmas trees trimmed with buttons. They were pieces to behold. Several months ago Elizabeth decided to part with some of these decorations and I was a lucky recipient of some of these precious ornaments. I decided I wanted to use them in my kitchen....the room where I spend a lot of time. I hung the garlands from my valances...

The girls are on the windowsill so that I see them often during the day....

The felt tree was paired with a Swedish woodcutting Santa.....

The individual scottie dogs almost went up on the tree but I liked seeing them all massed together so I took this little bargain basket...

removed the tin label for now.....

and piled the puppies in! Elizabeth's beautiful decorations, combined with some things I already had....like a Goodwill (Poor baby store to you E!) find for $2.95.

Not really big enough for many cookies but perfect for these....

and some faux (I love the word faux...so much nicer sounding than FAKE) holly on my punched tin chandelier, make for a cheery place to sit and sip my coffee with Peppermint Mocha creamer or Susie's Chai Tea or even some sugar-free hot chocolate!

Thank you Elizabeth, for brightening up my home and my heart with your kindness!

Next we'll take a look at our Swedish diningroom!

Oh, I almost forgot! I have gotten ornaments from 3 of the gals in my swap group in the

Say It With Letters ornament swap....

A darling little clay gingerbread bouse ornament from Melanie Adey,(look at the tiny wreath!) a colorful Merry Christmas pillow ornament and tag from my sweet friend Laurie who has an Etsy shop called Trinkets  and a cute little wooden house door hanger from Deb, the owner of Say It With Letters. Look at one of the items from her shop...

She is a real peach and their products are great to work with.  Go-shop!

OK-that's all for now!

Thank you to all of you who posted well wishes and cheery words about my ugly black eye. Two weeks post-procedure today and it is still somewhat yellow and purple but not nearly as prominent as it was. It's healing and I feel fine. Please wear sunscreen and by all means, protect your face from the sun.