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It Is Begining To Look Like Christmas

Well hello!  It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  I finally got myself in gear and did a little decorating for Christmas. Which is fast approaching.  I am only showing a very few of the decorating.  It was a dark dreary winter day when I took these picture, so I apologize for them not being the best.  But, my heart is in it. . . Right?

Santa and Mrs. Clause are always ready to greet Christmas.

There is a little story behind these Mr. and Mrs. Clause.  But I will 

tell you the story in another post.  

And I love my little choir on the bottom shelf. . I can

almost hear the Heavenly Angels Singing.

My favorite thing to decorate no matter the holiday or 

any ordinary day. . .my Aunt Carol Hutch.

I love it.  At Christmas it is even more beautiful.  Mostly

because it reminds me of my Aunt Carol.  Every time I walk past it

I think of her and how much fun we had, and how much I loved her.

My Santa Tea Sets, and my Christmas plates, all decked out

and ready for the big event.  And isn't Christmas the

biggest event there is.  How can you not love the season.

I do. . .!

Well, can you see the Little Terrorists on neighborhood patrol?

I just have to laugh at them. . I am telling you nothing gets past

the Little Teddy. . Cash is just doing what Teddy does.

Teddy is always on patrol. . .Cash is much more obedient.

I am sure you heard about Teddy and the Alien in the neighbors yard.

Oh, you didn't?  Well, that will be for another post also.

It really is beginning to look like Christmas, and here in Utah we 

are suppose to get a big snow storm.  I hope so. . 

I hope wherever you are it is beginning to look like

Christmas.

Hugs,

Decorating - Oh Dear!

Well, I am a lost soul. I have not started the least bit of Christmas decorating. I am just beginning to put my fall decorations away. I am beginning to think all this changing of decor is a bunch of hooie! Now, I know Christmas is different but I am telling you decorating for every little holiday is wearing me out. I have done it for more years than I can count. I keep saying I am cutting back, and I really have considering how much I did when my children were young. But now I think I need to cut back a little more.

It could be I am just overwhelmed with everything. I have all these grandiose intentions and then I look realistically at my plans and I realize, oh no, I have too much on my plate.  So having said that, I think I will spend less time decorating and stressing over it all and enjoy the time and season.  It is really a wonderful time of the year.

So how about you.....do you go all out with decorating?   When do you begin your Christmas decorating?

A Few of My Interests

Well Hello my dear friends!  I hope you are doing well and happy.  Can you believe we are coming upon Thanksgiving?  Oh my, oh my, how the time goes by.  It is all good though.  We are expecting our first snow storm within the next few hours.  I am glad. . . Yip, I love the change of season, and I love the snow. . that is in the winter I love the snow. . we have had snow in the spring, and I don't want it then, I want it now. . November and it is time for good ole snow.

I thought I would show you a slice of my life. . a few of my interests.  I have posted a lot about my crocheting and sewing, and furniture painting.  But, I do have other interests. And one I have recently started to do again.

I have been going to "Paint Night".  This is my latest painting.

I am really enjoying painting again. In fact that is all I want to do is paint.

To go along my obsession with painting, I have started "coloring"  

in coloring book.  Can I just say it is so relaxing and fun.

I found this fun coloring book at Wal-mart.  Now remember I am a

colorful person, so my paintings and coloring reflect that.

This coloring book has a page with each picture and it asks questions

such as what emotions I felt coloring this picture, or it will ask

what memories I have connected to a particular picture.

It is almost like a window into my life.

Being the journal writer that I am this coloring book has been 

fun for me to do.  Oh, there are many more pages

and I have many more books of coloring .  

Speaking of Journals

I have stacks of journals.  I write in my journal almost every day.

Yip, I am a journal keeper.  

I will let you have a little glimpse, but don't read what I write.

I have told my children, not until I am dead and gone are they

allowed to read my journals.  

I draw and I play with my handwriting. Just to make it interesting.

Journal writing is actually good mental therapy.  I am able to write

my thoughts and feeling down and somehow it makes me feel good.

I don't know when I started, I know I wrote in a diary as a young girl.

For a few years I just jotted down thoughts and activities and then

I evolved into a full routine of writing my thoughts and my

activities in a book.  Now I am doing a thing they call

Bullet Journaling.  It is really fun.  I will show you once

I get going with it.

So there you have a little idea of what my interests are and

what keeps me busy.

Have a wonderful November!

Times Are Changing

Oh, my goodness, where does time go.  It is November 6th.  Halloween is long over, we haven't had Thanksgiving (the forgotten holiday) and we are now on to Christmas.  On Tuesday November 8th we Americans will be going to the election polls to vote for a new President.  I won't touch that subject on my blog.  I have plenty to say but not here.  As they say, "Time Marches On", and if you aren't going to march onward Time will leave you in dust and rubble.  It seems sometimes I wish my life away.  And I am too old to do that.  I think if I only had this or that, or maybe in a few months things will be better.  Huh!  I have found it is better to live in the moment and enjoy every second of it,  look to the future with hope, and remember the past with a thankful heart.  I read a little saying that said something like this. . .

Don't be sad it is over, be happy it happened. 

I have found that it is best for me to find the blessings of the present. . . There is so much to be thankful for.

Time is  the natural changer of things.  We are in constant change.  Believe me I have had my share of change. And I struggle with change.  I know, I know, I am changing my home decor all the time, but that is different.  I mean the real life changers.  I have a hard time.  I think that is why I like things left the way they are. . .Don't move me, don't change the way I do things, just let me be. . 

Now today I have to deal with the time change.  Daylight Savings Time.  I would like to know where the savings is. . .It throws me into turmoil.  Ya, a silly thing like changing the clock back or forward.  I don't like it.  Just leave the clock the same. . I prefer the natural time which is Mountain Time for me.  This time change is easier for me that the one in the spring.  When we spring forward.  At least today I get my hour back. 

There are times when change is good. 

The little picture on the bottom is a flea market find.  

The painting of the daisies is beautiful.  But the frame was ugly!

  So with some tender loving care, white paint and some gold paint 

I was able to change it to something beautiful.

I love it.  And it looks so pretty hanging in my living room.

So you see time and change can be good under certain circumstances.  Some of the reason I took my break from blogging was because I had lost interest in blogging.  I wasn't the same as when I started 6 years ago. In the beginning the bloggers were all so kind, and often we made friendships through our blogs.  To me it seems it is too competitive.  Too commercial. . The fun of meeting new people and learning of their life behind the blog has been lost.  I miss that.  I still have my blogs I follow regularly. They are real people.  I have watched as they have gone through joys and sorrows.  Not only have I seen their creative genius, and have taken advise from them, but I have found friends. . They may not even know how much I enjoy reading their blogs.  For me I want the feeling of community in the blog land.  The way it once was.  Brenda from Cozy Little House, recently wrote a post about the change.  I totally agree with what she said.  If you have a chance you can read it here.  

Well I think I am rambling now.  So I had better get back to my latest and greatest time consuming project.

Coloring.  I will tell you about it in another blog.  Please do come back. . .

  

Coming Back~~Harvest and October Decorating

Well, as I told you before, I had to take a little break from Blogging.  And I really wondered if I would be back.  But as I thought about it I realized I like it. . .a lot. . . and I like the people who visit my blog, and the blogs I follow. . .a lot. . .So here I am after several months of being away, I am back.  And I am so happy to return to something I like doing.
If you are wondering, I had a little "melt down".  It seems some things in life became too much for me.  It caused me to have not only stress mentally and emotional, but it has taken a toll on me physically.  Recommendations from my doctors is to cut back on things.  Stop trying to do everything, and be everything.  After a lot of inward soul searching and re-evaluating my life and my situation I decided I needed to take care of a few things.  I need to stop and enjoy my life.  I need to stop and enjoy the little things in life.  It is easy to see the big things, but it is the little things that make like so interesting and it makes me feel so blessed.  I feel I am a religious person, but most important I am a spiritual person.  I read from my scriptures every day.  I pay many times a day.  I spend time getting to know my Savior. . . But. . .was I letting the Lord help me when life became too much. . .sadly No! I thought I had to do it all, and then ask for His help.  I was wrong in thinking that.  I can only do what I can do and it is ok to turn to the Lord for His Divine help.  That is what the Atonement is about. . .His Grace is sufficient.  He will make up for what I can not do. . .and I am blessed to come to that realization.  He will even do it all if I can not. . What wonder and amazement. . He will do it for me.  His Grace is sufficient.  I love the great story of Paul in the New Testament.  Paul was a valiant servant for Jesus Christ.  He was imprisoned he was tortured for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He wrote some of the greatest sermons and epistles in all of Scripture, but Paul had a "thorn" we do not know what that "thorn" was, nor do we need to know.  It was between Paul and the Lord.  Paul ask numerous times if the Lord would remove the "thorn".  Then finally one day the Lord told Paul basically to stop asking.. . . He said "My Grace is Sufficient." Paul no long ask for the "thorn" to be removed.  In fact, he recorded in Romans Chapter 5, that  "he gloried in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience. and patience, experience and experience hope."
The Lord is not done with me. . .I will continue to have bumps in the road of life. . I will have times when I feel I can not continue on. . .I stumble and I may even fall. . .my constant prayer is that  His hand will always be there for me, He will life me up. . bind up my wounds and send me on my way.  I will accomplish what He has sent me to this earth to accomplish.  He will not let me fail. . .because of His Infinite Atonement, His Divine Grace, all things can and will work together for my sake.  "For who can be against us if Christ is for us?" " For I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Now having said that. . let me share with you some of my

October Harvest Decorating.

When I was feeling so down, and could hardly function, my friend said to me

"why do you do all this decorating? It is too hard for you."

My reply was . . . because it makes me happy.

When I can no longer decorate my home. . .you will know I have given up.

And I am not giving up.  I may not do as much as I one did.

But I still like to change things out.

Especially during the months of  with holidays.

I love the colors of the Harvest.

The oranges, the golds, the brown.

It gives me a "comfy homey" feeling.

Of course the little Terrorist Teddy. . is my photo bomber.

Actually he is on neighborhood patrol. . he watches out the

window for anything that may look suspicious. . Hahahaha!

The least little thing to him is suspicious.

My little obedient Terrorist, Cash is standing next to me.

Oh, how I love these two little babies of mine.

Animals give us so much joy.

I hope your day is filled with goodness.

Enjoy this time of year. . it is glorious. . and beautiful!

Hugs,

I Will Be Back

Hello my friends. Thank you for sticking with me. I have been away for a couple of months. I had a personal crisis. Just a little bump in the road of life. I am ok, I will be back blogging. Through this time period I have realized Karie's Chic Creations is good for me. I have made friends with people I have never seen. I follow your blogs and my blog friends inspire me, in many aspects of my life. I hope to share my life, my creations, my home just as you share with me.  So be patient with me. I will be posting real soon. Hugs to each of you.   Karie

Homes of the Old Western Frontier~ Kanab, Utah

My friend recently took a little road trip to Southern Utah to visit my friends and family.  Particularly my brother and his family who live in Kanab, Utah. What a great time we had.  The trip was short but full of memories.  One of the things I like to do is travel the back highways and see the little western communities.  I like to see old houses that were once cherished homes of strong and industrious families who lived in harsh elements and far from the growing cities of the West.  My imagination will wonder and search for what it must have been like for them. I have been to Kanab many times, but this time I stopped long enough to take pictures of two houses that have always caught my eye. They have been well taken care of over the century plus years they have existed.  Beautiful structures that are call Home.  "If only wall could talk."

Roses were easy for the early settlers to grow.  It seems there is always roses

that line the front fence, and a rose garden to the side of the house.

Old houses have multiple porches.  I love the big old front and side porches.

 Love this house with the unique architecture 

 The front steps and porch or situated at an angle.  I also love the 

front boy windows.

 Sandstone brick. . .remember this is red rock country.

Notice the colored spindles on the porch.

 There were lots of trees planted to cool the homes from the

hot desert summers in Southern Utah.

 Tree lined streets and large grassy areas.  I can picture a lot of

picnics and family and friend gathers on the large lots.

Beautiful homes of the long ago past. Well preserved and some restored

to their original beauty.  My imagination can go wild in picturing what it must

have been like for the people living here.  I know life was not easy, seldom is it even now

but no matter the day or the time or the century we live in we can cherish

and be thankful for our wood and stone houses that we call home

Home Sweet Home.

The Spirit Of A Home

Well, good morning to everyone. I hope you had a good weekend.  Not so good for me.  I don't know what is going on with me, all I can say is I am "out of kilter".  Something is just not right with me.  I had a migraine on Friday so that really put me "out of kilter".  Migraines are horrible.  If you have never had one be grateful.

 But that isn't what I want to talk about today.  

I like to take picture of old house.  Houses that are well taken care of.

Houses that have some character. . . Houses that are Homes.

Now remember there is a big difference in Houses and Homes.

As the poem goes,

"It takes a heap of livin to make a house a home."

I have found this to be true.

This is my childhood home.

My Aunt Diane lives in the home now.  But originally it belonged to my Grandma Dot.  My Grandma was a young widow. My Grandpa died of strep throat.  Long before we had antibiotics. They were living in Washington state at the time.  It was in 1930.  My Grandma was left with three young children and was expecting my Aunt Diane.  After my Grandpa died my Grandma returned back to Utah to be near family.  Her parents my Great-Grandparents were living in our families home town of Payson, Utah.  Basicly my Grandma was homeless. . .she lived with my Great-Grandparents for awhile until my Aunt was born.  Now remember this is 1938.  Not much opportunities existed for young widows. . especially in rural Utah.  They family knew they needed to get a place for my Grandma to live and raise her family.  So in the Old Mormon Family way, everyone worked together to build this home for my Grandma.  

My Great Grandparents Home.

Not long after my Grandma's home was completed the family helped build this home.  My Great-Grandparent home.  Soon after my Great-Uncle build his home on the other side of my Grandma.  

It was in these secure surroundings that I grew and matured.  Many of life lessons was taught to me in the confines of these homes.  Under the care and love my my Grandma, and my Great-grandparents, Aunt, Uncles and Cousins I learned life lessons.  Lessons that would carry me through the storms of my life.  Lessons that would help me see sunshine, when I was surrounded by darkness. In these homes I was taught strong Christian values, and standards.  Under the nurturing care of my Grandma, I learned how to face challenges with faith that I can be happy and at peace.  

Yes, it does take a "heap of livin" to make a house a home.  And it is the lessons we were taught in the home that we will carry forever in our hearts.  I believe that houses have a spirits. . .yes, Spirits.  The spirit of the home is created by the people who live there.  These houses I have shown you here have GOOD spirits.  You can feel it the minute you step in the door.  Housekeeping is just keeping a place. . .but Homemaking is making that place a home. A Home  with a Good spirit.  Maybe that is what has happened to our society today, there is not enough Homemaking.  It is just streets and cities with houses and not enough homes with Good spirits.  

My Home

It could be that if we all tried to bring back the Home in Homemaking, and thought less of the House we could change the world to a more nurturing and loving place.  Now by all means a Home should look nice and clean, for a good spirit can not reside in a messy cluttered house.  I truly believe the tide must change and more time and thought and action needs to be placed in the Home. 

Summer Time and I am Returning

Hello my friends!  Well, we are mid way through summer and I am finally returning to my blog.  I just needed a little break. . .I hope you understand, and I thank you for sticking with me during my absence.

During my break from blogging I was busy doing things I love to do, and learning new things to add to my creating spirit.  And of course there is always the day to day things that need to be done.  Summer brings an added joy . . . Something I love to do. . . . . Gardening. 

I have just a small little back yard.  Really is is the size of a postage stamp.  It seems to be just enough for me to take care of.  When I first moved into my condo, the little backyard was a mess. . really!  weeds, and hard rocky soil.  A nice little patio, but who wants to sit on a patio when the surroundings is a dry weeded patch of rocky dirt?

So with the help of my children and my grandchildren. . and a few good friends my little dry rocky yard is turning into a nice little paradise for me.  Oh, believe we there is still work to do, but I just do a little at a time and it is gradually turning into a space I love and enjoy.  

The flowers have grown since this picture was taken. . . I am amazed at how well shrubs and flowers can do when you water and fertilize and give them tender care.  Like I said it is a work in progress, a little at a time and soon it will be where I want it to be.  

I don't have to worry about the front of my condo or the surrounding grounds.  It is all taken care of my a lawn care service.  It is nice to not have to worry about mowing and taking care of the shrubs and trees.  For me living in a condo is a perfect fit.  I really love where I live too.  I have good neighbors close by, and I am centrally located in my community.  I like having the end unit. . . call me crazy but I like to hear the sound of cars passing on the road.  It assures me I am not alone.  I guess it is something with me being afraid of aloneness. It is not even a "word", but believe me it is a feeling.  It is different from loneliness.  It is hard to describe, and the only way I can put it is being alone for so long. . . you have the feeling even when you are with others and enjoying your time. . .the aloneness become part of who you are. ALONE.

I try to stay busy as a bee as much as I can.  I have so much to be thankful for.  I also have so much to do.

There is always a project or two going on at my house.  

You may wonder why I took a break from blogging. Well, I was a little tired of it.  Sometimes blogging made me feel I wasn't good enough. . .I wasn't content with who I was, and the things I do.  I read some fantastic blogs, very creative and beautiful.  But seldom did I read about the person behind the blog.  I don't expect people to bear their souls on social media, but it is nice to know that not everything is wonderful and beautiful all the time.  This is life, and life can be very hard at times.  In fact most of the time.  Not always do our homes look picture perfect, and not everyone has the money and the resources to have glamorous homes and yards, and cars and children. . . . .and blogs. So I had to decide what direction I wanted to take my blog.  I don't have nor never have had a glamorous life. . picture perfect is not me.  I consider myself a good person trying and trying every day to better myself in some way.  Some days it works and some days it doesn't but I keep trying.  So. . .I am taking Karie's Chic Creations in a little different direction.  I am going to be real. .. .I want to talk. . . I want to tell you my feelings and I want to write of my frustrations, and my hurts, and my faults. . .but I also want to talk about the good things in my life.  The things that make me happy and the things that help me get through each day. You will still see the things I am creating, and you will still see my home, but there will be a new look to Karie's Chic Creations.  It will be more about creating a life. . .I hope you will join me as I change the focus here . . .It will be an interesting journey.

I am sharing this post with the gals at

Share My Cup

Jann

Jo

Carol

I Am Taking a Short Break

A Day Junking With Cousins

Well, Hello everyone.

I am so glad you have come to visit.

I hope you are enjoying the Spring weather like

we are here in Utah.

It is gorgeous. . blue skies, sunny, and not to hot.

Just right!

A few days ago I met up with my Cousins.

Karma, Joan and Vickie.

Oh, how I love these gals.  We come from the same garden. . .you know.

We needed some time together and time Junking and being with our Aunt.

We were able to do it all in one day.

First we went to Reclaimology. . they were having a show.

What fun it was. . to wander through the many booths of reclaimed beauty.

I passed up buying so many things I would  like to have.

There was so much, that I couldn't decide. . and then when I 

went back to buy something. . .it was gone!

Story of my life.

There were some really cute ideas too.

I took a lot of pictures, and most of them didn't turn out very good.

Being the picture taker that I am you would have thought I would

bring my good Canon camera. . .Oh, no!

I left it home, so I was taking pictures with my phone.

And they just didn't turn out very good.

Needless to say it was a fun filled day.

After Reclaimology we went to visit my Great-Aunt Colleen.

She is 86 years old and still very active in-spite of some health challenges.

I know I have shown her beautiful yard before, but I

don't think I have shown her beautiful

Magnolia Tree when it is in full bloom

I didn't think we could grow Magnolia's in Utah

But my Aunt Colleen sure can.

Here she is sweet Auntie. What a sweetheart she is.

I have had some wonderful times with her. . .she has taught me so much.

We had lunch with her at her home, and we talked, and giggled and 

had so much fun.  She has taken up oil painting again.  I will show you some

of her paintings in another post.

I truly believe it is good for the soul to get together with family, and

friends often. It sure makes me feel good after I have been with

them.  Well this day was no different.

Love you Cousins and Auntie so much.

 Hugs to all.

BTW, our next Saturday together is in May. 

Fleaology is being held. . it is our favorite.