This will be the third Christmas without my parents. For some reason, this year is bothering me more than the previous ones. My Mom loved holidays... especially Christmas. She was like an excited little kid opening her presents. My Dad was the grumpy sort on holidays... even though he didn't show it, he liked opening gifts and having family there.
I managed to get my Christmas decorations up early this year. It's nice to come home and turn on the lights to the tree and mantle.
STITCHY STUFF
In my last post, I mentioned I participated in two ornament exchanges this year. I received the second one shortly after my post. Here's the one I received from Sharon S in NJ.
FREEBIE
Reindeer Card
by Lesley Teare
HERE
GIVEAWAY
I was hoping that my giveaway question would elicit creative responses, but alas ::sigh:: no one took the bait. As my readers may recall, I asked what does an Ott light, screwdriver, needle nose pliers, wire, and a lighter have in common.
They all assisted me with this problem:
The starter cord on the snowblower broke on my first pull during the first snowfall. Luckily, "Little Blow" caught and stayed running until I got the driveway and sidewalk clean.
According to Google, the starter assembly above isn't made to be repaired. The manufacturer would rather you buy a new assembly for $45. What's a girl to do? YouTube it, of course! The video wasn't quite as easy as the guy made it look. An hour later and a bit of frustration, I finally got it fixed. Saved $45 and I was so proud of myself! I'm my Dad's girl, for sure.
There was one winning guess to my giveaway question. Drum roll please.....
I managed to get my Christmas decorations up early this year. It's nice to come home and turn on the lights to the tree and mantle.
In my last post, I mentioned I participated in two ornament exchanges this year. I received the second one shortly after my post. Here's the one I received from Sharon S in NJ.
FREEBIE
Reindeer Card
by Lesley Teare
HERE
GIVEAWAY
I was hoping that my giveaway question would elicit creative responses, but alas ::sigh:: no one took the bait. As my readers may recall, I asked what does an Ott light, screwdriver, needle nose pliers, wire, and a lighter have in common.
They all assisted me with this problem:
The starter cord on the snowblower broke on my first pull during the first snowfall. Luckily, "Little Blow" caught and stayed running until I got the driveway and sidewalk clean.
According to Google, the starter assembly above isn't made to be repaired. The manufacturer would rather you buy a new assembly for $45. What's a girl to do? YouTube it, of course! The video wasn't quite as easy as the guy made it look. An hour later and a bit of frustration, I finally got it fixed. Saved $45 and I was so proud of myself! I'm my Dad's girl, for sure.
There was one winning guess to my giveaway question. Drum roll please.....
Pam in IL
"As for the screwdriver, pliers, lighter, wire and Ott light -- I think they were used for a snowblower repair project."
Pam -- I'll be getting something out in the mail to you soon!
Until next time...
22 comments:
Clever girl! Lovely decorations and stitching!
Your decorations are so pretty!
Great job on fixing the snow blower!
Amazing decorations and a lovely ornament.
Your table top trees look fabulous. Where did you get them? Lovely ornament!
Your Christmas decorations are beautiful. I'm so sorry that it's more difficult this year. I can't believe it's already been three years. :'( I hope that time with your family will help ease the pain. Congratulations to Pam in IL on the winning guess! I knew you were fixing something, just didn't know what!! LOL!!
Your decorations are lovely and the ornament is really pretty.
Lovely update! Well done on your repairs!
Deb
Oh Meari. A HUGE, BIG HUG for you. I am sorry for your hurt. That song made ME hurt.
I am proud of you fixing that snow blower! :D
Congrats to you, Pam - I never would have guessed.
Love your decorations - it's very hard to celebrate with a loved one absent. My father passed and he loved Christmas too.
Your place looks very Christmasy! I couldn't imagine what you were up to - you can fix anything!!
Meari, I love your Christmas decorations. So festive! And good for you for fixing your snow blower. You're a handy person to have around.
Patricia
good to see your place decorated for christmas...me too love this season...
Your Christmas decorations are lovely, Meari. Good job on the snowblower!
Karin in CA
So sorry you are having a hard time this year. I miss my Grandma and Grandpa so much this time of year. Your decorations look beautiful. We have so many things to turn on each evening. But I agree they are so beautiful and brighten the house so much. I'm not surprised you did something amazing. You are awesome!
What a cute ornament you have received for the exchange! I figured everything had something to do with a repair project of yours ;)
I think that sometimes we miss our parents more depending on the sort of things we are going thru that at that time or that year. It has been since 1995 and I still miss my Mom a lot! Hopefully you will get to spend some time with your family over the holiday season to help lessen your pain.
Meari,
Your home looks so cheerful and festive! I love the wreath outside.
I watched the video and cried. I'm missing my brother, but I feel his presence daily and it's truly comforting. I hope you felt your Dad at your side inspiring you to fix that snow blower! And, I know he was proud, a chip off the old block!
Marina
Your Christmas lights are beautiful, Meari! And I am blown away (pun intended, or course) with your repair abilities!!
Meari, your Christmas decorating looks beautiful! Way to go with fixing the snowblower!
I know it's hard without your parents, especially at Christmas. Hold close all those special memories and times shared with them. They're always a whisper away.
take care
Everything looks so bright and cheerful in your home. Great decorations for Christmas. And that lovely wreath just welcomes everyone for Christmas.
That's a lovely ornament that you received from Sharon. And thanks for the freebie by Lesley Teare - I love her designs very much.
I am always blown away when I read about your various home repairs and renovation projects, Meari--good for you! I think you would have made a fabulous engineer :)
Lovely decorating throughout your home--don't you wish you could keep those Christmas lights up all year? The snow on the wreath photo is so pretty. We had snow until yesterday's ice storm and then heavy rains and it is all gone now. I so wanted a white Christmas... sigh...
Meari, sorry that this is a hard time for you. Your decorations are beautiful. Love seeing the ornament you received too. You are amazing with the things you can fix! [[[HUGS]]]
Meari, you mantle looks great, the lights really add something special. The photos of the snow are just so pretty. don't see anything like that here in Texas. As always, I enjoy your blog. :-)
Jenn
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