Mr. Nobody

This is a poem I remember from when I was a child. I'm so happy that I found it again!

 
By Anonymous

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody's house!
There's no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody.

'Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pins afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don't you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody.

He puts damp wood upon the fire,
That kettles cannot boil;
His are the feet that bring in mud,
And all the carpets soiled.
The papers always are mislaid,
Who had them last but he?
There's no one tosses them about
But Mr. Nobody.

The finger marks upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blinds unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill; the boots
That lying round you see
Are not our boots -- they all belong
To Mr. Nobody.

Source: The Golden Book of Poetry (1947)

E-reader or Hard Copy?

Everyone has an opinion and a preference these days about whether it’s better to have an e-reader or to stick with the old fashioned hard copy of books… here is my take on the benefits of each. For the most part, it’s to be understood that if I list something as a benefit of one, it’s a disadvantage for the other one. 

Kindle Fire:
1.  It will hold a whole bookcase worth… heck… a whole library’s worth of books! All in one little device about the size of a regular paperback.
2.  If I run across a word I don’t know, all I do is touch that word and it will bring up a general definition, with options to go to a full definition.
3.  I can find hundreds of free books to download to it. Not just the classic masterpiece books like Tom Sawyer or Anne of Green Gables, or authors like Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. I mean new books, in all the genres I enjoy, by current well-known authors as well as new authors waiting to be discovered.
4.  I can listen to my music right from the Kindle while I read. No more carrying around a walkman, CD player, mp3 player or ipod along with (can you tell I’ve been reading for a lot of years? LOL). I just carry one device that has it all!
5.  The screen is lit for easy reading in the dark! No more reading at night in the car by the headlights from the car behind us, I don’t have to leave the bedroom light on and disturb the hubby’s sleep, or buy multiple cheap reading lights (and/or batteries) and then fight with it to get it to cover the whole page, only to bump it and move it out of place when I turn the page, or fall asleep reading, as I do so many times, leaving the lamp on all night or the reading light batteries to burn out before morning. The Kindle will shut off on it’s own after I’ve dozed off.
6.  If I highlight a sentence or paragraph, it’s not permanent. I can undo it without ruining the book.
7.  I can select a portion of a book and share it on Facebook or Twitter. This is a wonderful feature because so many times I find a powerful sentence or paragraph in a book that I wish I could share with the world.
8.  If I’m reading something and God speaks to me through it, I can add a note to the sentence or paragraph without writing all around the edges or making a mess of it.

Paperback Books (or hardbacks):
1.  When I’m browsing my bookshelves, I can pick up a book and read the back to remember what it’s about. This is really convenient when I don’t know what I feel like reading, or when I’ve acquired a lot of books that looked interesting when I first found them, but forgot what they were about by the time I go to read one.
2.  Sometimes when I’m reading, I will remember something I had read in a previous chapter. With a paperback, I can hold a finger where I am, and then flip back through and skim pages to find the piece I wanted to reread for clarification.
3.  If I fall asleep reading and it falls out of my hand,, no damage is done.
4.  I can use a pretty bookmark to mark my page.
5.  It’s easy to let someone else borrow a book I think they would enjoy, or just give mine away if I don’t want it anymore.
6.  Hard copy books don’t require a battery or charger.
7.  If I’m studying, I can lay out all the books open to the pages I need. I don’t have to close one book to open another, I can do side-by-side comparisons.

So from this, although I really like the benefits of both, my definite favorite is the Kindle Fire. I think that at least four of the paperback advantages will eventually be ‘fixed’ in the Kindle Fire, and when it is, I’ll own it!

Treetop Angel

Hurricane Sandy brought snow to our neighborhood, so I decided to do a page with a Christmas theme.
 Many years ago I created a treetop angel but as time went by and we moved several times, she got lost then found in very poor condition. Last year, I salvaged what I could and totally reconstructed her with a new dress, light blue this time instead of white, ruffled lace overlay, new wings, and holding a blue ribbon instead of green.
This is the third layout that is being entered in Crafting Marfa's Challenge for multiple images in a layout.

Another "Seeds of Kindness" Layout

I really didn't plan to do two different layouts using the same words.. it just happened to be these graphics that caught my eye. The graphics here are Hugware, formerly of pccrafter.com, however, that url will now take you to cricut.com. The template for the layout is from Marfa's Sunday Templates.
These photos are of my daughter, Jessi (in the teal) and her best friend, Alana (in the purple). Their friendship has bloomed to include Brittany (who is wearing gray).
This layout is also being entered in Crafting Marfa's Challenge for multiple images in a layout.

'Seeds of Kindness' layout

Sometimes you find odd pictures that beg to be done something with besides just sit in a folder on the hard drive. I took these at one of my best friends' house and was very pleased with the outcome. The scrapbook graphics are from Gina Jane Johnson's "Seeds of Kindness" kit.
This layout is being entered in Crafting Marfa's Challenge for multiple images in a layout.

My Christmas Traditions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I've always used paper… putting it off til Christmas Eve night to do it, then hating that I have to do it by myself because I waited so long. This year, since the kids are halfway through their teen years, whatever they don’t wrap will get put in gift bags or left out if it’s too big.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real! However, we’ve had some years where wer just couln’t afford a tree. Last year, the kids decorated the floor lamp for our tree, and about 4 years ago I used wooden crates (which turned out to be the prettiest ‘non-tree’ Christmas tree I’ve ever had).


3. When do you put up the tree decorations?
Growing up, it was always the day after Thanksgiving (which was NOT Black Friday back then!) And I’ve always tried to do the same since I started my own family. But it seems like every year I’m late for various reasons. Either we couln’t afford a tree yet, or because of moving, the decorations got lost… etc.

4. When do you take the tree down?
As late as I can get away with it! LOL I think the longest I think I’ve waited was til about the 3rd week of January.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Not really… that’s more my hubby and my brother’s thing.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
”The Sunshine Family” dolls that my brother got me when I was about 7 or 8. I carried the baby around everywhere and even slept with it in my hand.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
The only thing that stands out in my mind as a child was when I was really little, maybe between 4 and 6, we went to my cousin’s church for the Christmas Pageant and their ‘Mary’, for whatever reason, wasn’t there. I suddenly found myself standing in the basement of the church, wearing a little light blue dress with a white veil, and waiting in line to follow all the other kids upstairs to sit and hold the little baby doll Jesus in front of a crowd of people.. I remember that they were playing Christmas Carols, and our cue was “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” which (to my knowledge)I had never heard before that night. I felt so special to be Mary, but I was so scared because I was in front of so many people and din’t know what was going on.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Both of the kids…. and neither of them! LOL While it’s hard to figure out what Jessi really wants, she appreciates anything I get her, even if it’s just a notebook and cute pen. And with Drew, all he wants are video games… which is an addiction I don’t like to feed, but it’s hard to find non-game things for him.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, a small one. I cain’t find the really cute little “Precious Moments” type one I used to have.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Neither. I don’t do Christmas cards.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I don’t remember any bad gifts.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
I don’t have a favorite Christmas movie. I pretty much like to watch new Christmas movies… anything I haven’t seen yet (or don’t remember), not the traditional stuff.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Until recently, I’d wait til the last week before Christmas. The last few years I’ve tried to hit a few places for Black Friday sales.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Not that I can remember… I’m always afraid that the person who gave it to me would expect to see it when they come to my house or say something about it months later.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
No favorite foods… I just really hate a big traditional dinner. I much prefer cold cuts and finger foods.

16. Lights on the tree?
I’ve always used colored lights. This year I used 300 colored and 200 white just to lighten it a little.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Blue Christmas by Elvis

18. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Christmas morning at our house with the kids, then across town to mom & dad’s in the early afternoon.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
I always use the angel that I crafted years ago… but this year she got ruined, so I had to remake her. Here’s the newest version.


21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Carrying on a tradition from my childhood, We let the kids open one on Christmas Eve then the rest Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The attitudes people carry. We have lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas and the joy and happiness of the season.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I really like Light Blue & White… and snowflake/snowmen for a theme.

24. Favorite Christmas dinner?
A few years ago when my sister came up from NM… we mostly had cold cuts and finger foods. That was the first (and only) time we could get mom to not make a big dinner.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
A 10” Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire, Silhouette Cameo, gift cards from Hobby Lobby, Sims 3 Pets (got it), and Michigan Wolverines Stuff.

A few extra traditions that we have….
On the night that we decorate the tree, I always put the Christmas music on and we all have hot chocolate and popcorn while I put the lights on, and then the kids help with the ornaments.

When the kids were really little, I started our own tradition quite by accident. One year I bought them each a fleece blanket, and the next year they wanted another one. Since then, I have bought them one every year, usually designed according to what they liked that year. They now have a whole stash of their own blanket throws!

Christmas Eve has a tradition that I have carried over from my childhood,. We have a really old record… the Little Golden Library story of the Birth of Christ. (For a few years now it has had a crack in it from the outside all the way in to the middle, but it still plays!)
So just about bedtime, we turn all the lights off, get cups of hot chocolate, get comfy and listen to the record. After it’s done, we flip the lights back on and the kids get to open one Christmas present. At first, it was whatever gift they could have that wouln’t keep them up another couple hours… then it kinda ended up that we’d give them their Christmas blanket.