If you have a Scrabble board handy, place all of the tiles in a bag and then let everyone who is doing the whole stocking stuffer thing, to reach in and take out five or whatever number of stocking stuffers needed. Each stocking stuffer needs to start with the letter on the tile that has been drawn.  For example, if you have drawn an S for example, your stocking stuffer must begin with that letter. Socks comes to mind as I sit here typing this, but as long as your stocking stuffer matches the letter on the tile, you are good to go. It could get quite interesting lol… to see what kind of items find their way into your stocking! [Read more]

I was chatting with a few friends about this dilemma… it’s the couple’s very first Christmas,  and there is very little money available for a Christmas tree. She wanted to know how one could decorate on a very limited budget. I remember how Mom and Dad decorated our tree when we were kids, but I want to hear from you guys. How would you decorate?? And don’t stop at the tree… if you have ideas for decorating anywhere in the house, leave a comment. We can all use a few new ideas. And does anyone do the ceiling decorations anymore?? My Mom always decorated our living room with tinsel and crepe paper… and then people seemed to stop doing it?? [Read more]

This week, I went looking for quick and easy, not to mention gorgeous decorating ideas that I can use at The Castle. I lucked out big time! Quick and Easy Christmas Wreath 50 Cute and Tasty Christmas Cookie Ideas Yoyo Christmas Tree Ornaments Cereal Boxes Into Gift Boxes Cherry Dot Cookies [Read more]

Did you notice the rims on these cups?? NO CHIPS! I don’t know when it happened, but just about every single one of my mugs have a chip of some sort  in them. I swear that it must be the way my dh stacks the dishwasher. He can get stack about twice as much as I can, but it looks as if it has back-fired. They must be rattling up against each other and as a result they are chipping. But, come to think of it, they have been with us for quite a while so maybe I can blame them on simply being old. So, do you have enough coffee cups to serve lets say… 6 people? And they all have to match. Hey, it’s the holidays. Even if they aren’t as cute as the cups that are featured, you are going to want them to be just a little bit Christmasy. Here... [Read more]

To be honest, I had no idea that so much would be involved with getting rid of most of the dust in a bedroom, especially if you suffer from asthma. Luckily for me I don’t, but just reading about what makes up dust, just gave me the willies. As I’m typing this, I’m feeling just a wee bit queazie, but the thought of breathing in mold, fibers, and tiny dust mites, is just plain horrible. Have you seen what a dust mite looks like when magnified. It’s almost enough to send me out in the yard to sleep… which isn’t an easy things to do when there’s an inch or so of snow on the ground. But, this morning, I think that I will definitely be doing a few of the things on the list. 1. Remove all traces of dust that... [Read more]