New Camera!

I finally gave up on trying to nurse my old camera back to health and broke down and got myself a new camera! ...hence the lack of posts lately.

I couldn't wait to try it out and had to snap some pix despite the eye bags after a long day.

I am still unemployed and trying to figure out what I really want to do. Seriously, I don't know if I have what it takes to work for someone else. I am searching my soul to see if I want to work for myself again.

Until then, I'm trying to keep busy and positive. I got a new haircut and went blond. I'm slowly working my way to peroxide blond, hoping that the gray roots won't show as much.

I don't know why I insist on wearing horizontal stripes, but I do. I've porked out some since being home, but I'm working on being healthier. During Menopause, you gain weight when you eat too much, too little, the wrong thing or the right thing. I refuse to be defeated by my body rebelling! Besides, Peanut of MRTB has asked me to be in her annual "Ladies Night Out" Fashion Show held at Rillos Restaurant. Peanut would like me to dust off some of the old dance moves for the show, so I better get practicing. More on this later.

Community Aid had their Winter Clearance recently with all items for $1. I stocked up on frocks, thirteen in all. I've been leaning towards the Hawaiian and African prints lately. Now that I have my wonderful new camera, I'll be showing these lovelies off.

This red skirt is one of my $1 finds...

Thanks to my new followers and I'll be adding links to my Blog site!

If you haven't yet, check our my son's blog "Got Beard?". He is posting his artwork there.



Holly Inn

I am not a very good "stay at home" person. Maybe if I had a car, but my son has absconded with it until we can get his out of hock from the garage. I'm finishing some projects as I finally have my sewing machine. I mended some dresses and got around to fixing my curtains. The curtains were just a scarf which was meant to drape over a rod. I wanted to use them as cafe curtains so it had to be cut in the middle and put a hem in them.

I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

Fringes Good!

Over the weekend we got a chance to go to the world famous Holly Inn to a music fest with "The Hillbilly Gypsies", "Cabin Fever Project" and "Tuckahoe Ridge".

The lovely K and her BF "Bob" treated us to a night out.

I decided I needed a jean skirt and went to the local Charity Shop. I found one for $2.50. I already had the blouse that I found in one of Miss Ruth's $2.00 bin.

I didn't have a hair piece that matched so I dug through my sewing box and found some bits to make a hair clip.

My total outfit cost less than $10 including the red "Dingo" boots.

It was mostly just a relaxing night listening to music. K and Bob tried to dance but there was so much beer spilt on the dance floor that they just kind of stuck to it. But the music was pretty good, and three bands for only $10 per person was good too.

Hillbillies + clogging + holding beer = sticky floor.

Contemplating my Future

Hi all! It's been ages since I've posted. I am trying to get used to being home all day. I've been plenty busy trying to get my unemployment in place. I've put in dozens of resumes, but no response yet. I am really trying to figure out what I want to do. Winter in Central Pennsylvania can be pretty gloomy. With everything so brown and leafless, you can almost see the cold. Today the sun was shining so I thought this is a good day to get back into the blogosphere.

This is the view from my back deck. I think we have the best piece of property in the whole town.

I've been keeping busy, baking and attempting to finish the baby blanket I've been working on for a year. My crocheting skills are lacking but I am determined to finish it!

I don't have a lot of pictures of myself because I'm still trying to work out that schedule. I do make sure I dress everyday and not get lazy and fall into the sweat suit trap. That is way too easy to do when you are not going out every day.

I am doing well with my spirits although not so well with my weight. Despite exercising and walking, being home is packing on the pounds. I am going to a Wii party with K tonight. We try to do this at least once a week to have some "fun" exercise.

I did indulge in a "job hunting" haircut.

Andrew gave up his "Flock of Seagulls" haircut for a job hunting cut too...

Of course, I still think he is lovely with his haircut...but I am his mother.

All in all, things have been pretty boring. Which is why I really did not post anything for a while.

Christmas SWAP Goodies

I am just getting round to posting the treasures from the Christmas SWAP. I was partnered with Maya from 

gregueriasyparaphernalia. I had fun emailing back and forth trying to pick the perfect gifts to send her. We got our packages almost on the same day and Maya loved hers and I loved mine. How great is this blogging business that I can become friends with someone across the ocean that I would never have met otherwise!

For my vintage gift, Maya chose this gorgeous gold beaded purse. It is the most lovely little purse.

Inside the purse were these delicate little snowflakes that Maya made herself. I hung them on my tree immediately.

Maya must have laughed at my amateur knitted scarf I sent her! I knitted the scarf with love, so that makes up for lack of skill.

Also in the purse was a zipper rose pin. I don't know if she knew, but I already had a head band that matched it perfectly! Here is a picture of both.



I am off for my morning walk now that I am a lady of leisure. TTFN

Meet the rest of the family

I don't think I have introduced you to the rest of our family. This is Betty, or as we refer to her as Mrs. McPudgy. She also came to us via a former tenant. We couldn't have the dear sent to a shelter so she became ours.

...and this is Sundae, making herself at home on my tea towels. She fancies herself the alpha kitty and I have to remind her constantly that "I" am the alpha kitty! She came to us half starved from a local fruit farm. She is our mouser and one tough little girl.

Now that I have leisure time, I can take a walk/run. I don't have the endurance to jog the whole way round my little town, so I walk a bit then jog a bit. I can't say I am too sad about loosing my job. It was a corporate position where you were used as a punching bag for insecure middle management to justify their existence. Almost weekly I was demeaned and verbally abused. Who needs that? I will find something more suited to my nature and abilities.

Not exactly a fashion statement but it is pretty cold here right now!

Really?

Well, a great way to start the new year. I've been sacked! I am now a jobless statistic. A pawn of some corporate game. And what's more, I lost my Blog reading list! BUGGER!!! What else?

Am I bovvered?

Catching Up...

I have not been very good at keeping up with my Blog over the Holidays. What with moving and getting settled in, I've just been vegging in the evenings and not doing much of anything. Right when we were getting ready to move from the "white house" to the "blue house", which is what they have come to be known as, my hubby found a rose blooming, in Winter, at the blue house. I've claimed this as a promise of good things to come!

I did get to a Christmas Party with my ladies from Monday nights. I've cropped my friend out, not because I didn't want her in the picture, but she is very shy and made me promise I wouldn't show it to anyone. Of course, I am not shy and don't mind showing you the great beaded vest I found for $3 at the local charity shop.

...and I finally got some thrifting done. Here are a few of the goodies I found at Community Aid.

I am getting my things out  that have been stored for almost a year. I feel so much more comfortable.

My phonograph gotten at the auction from the old high school. I paid $3 for it. The record on it is "The Chipmunk Christmas song". My sister worked for WKBO radio station when I was a kid and whenever they need children's voices for commercials, she would take us in to record the commercials. They paid us in doughnuts and disc jockey plug records.

Here are my Snow Bear banks. The wooden plaque has our wedding invite on it. I keep it out because my memory is terrible and I am always forgetting when my anniversary is. My sister made the plaque. 

We managed to even get some Christmas decorations up as well as a tree (We found the tree in the basement courtesy of one of our previous tenants. At least we got something out of them.)

Our house is quite humble by most US standards, but it suits us just fine. I thrifted the sliding door curtains at the local charity shop for $3.

All in all...Christmas turned out very nice this year. Like the Whos in Whoville, it came without all the fanfare and over indulgence and we still had a great time.

'til next year...oh wait, it is next year.

Plaid wool skirt, Community Aid for $6

Black shell, Goodwill for $3

Blue wool sweater, gifted from Peanut of Miss Ruth's Time Bomb

Christmas present jingly earrings retail for $1

jingly snowman pin, gifted