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This is the next in a series on ways to use left over Barbecued Chuck Roast. This recipe is perfect to make at the campsite because the ingredients are easy to store and the only thing you need to keep … Continue reading
Yes, I looked through the Black Friday ads. There were exactly ZERO things that caught my attention. That’s highly unusual for me. I can typically find something that could at least be useful. I’ve been asked for a Christmas list and I think it’s going to be even harder than usual to come up with something.
My goal this year is to find some trinkets that hold special meaning to me. Maybe remind me of someone or somewhere. Things that feel like they belong in my home.
The example of this that stands out the most to me is this:
Custom stained glass panel in the transom over the front door.
I had this custom stained glass panel made to go above the front door in our 1900 Folk Victorian home. There had been a transom window above the door at some point in the past but it was removed and the hole was covered over. I had a hunch that a window had been there. One day I decided to cut out the drywall above the door to find out. I was right and we put a window back in its rightful spot.
I had Tara Sawchuk create this beautiful piece of art to go in our new window. Every time I come down the stairs and see this, I feel like it is the perfect piece to go in that spot in this house at this time. It may very well be the best purchase I’ve every made!
I’d like to get the same feeling from anything I bring into my home. I’m tired of mass produced. I’m tired of cold and meaningless.
For Christmas this year, I want something special. If it doesn’t add warmth and life, I’m not interested.
What about you? Are you ready for a simpler giving season based on giving meaningful gifts? Are you ready to seek out gifts that express the value of your relationships?
When I worked in retail, from 1998 until 2008, Black Friday was my favorite day of the year to work. Seriously. I truly enjoyed getting to work at 4am and putting the final touches on the displays before opening the doors to a wave of people. It was exhilarating! Seeing so many people with smiles on their faces when they were able to buy what they had gotten up early and waited in line for was very satisfying.
Black Friday was the one day a year that all employees were focused on satisfying customers’ needs instead of just trying to check tasks off of a list. I’d hear stories about how much people were going to enjoy the gifts being bought.
Black Friday is not all about mass consumption (although, there is an element of that). It’s the retail Super Bowl. What other day of the year draws that many people out to participate in such a gathering?
These days, I like to go out on Black Friday to be a part of the hustle and bustle. It’s about a 50/50 shot as to whether I make a purchase or not, but I like being amongst the people. I think it’s fun.
With all the talk this year about the retailers choosing to open at midnight, here’s something else to think about. Every Thanksgiving, millions of Americans eat their dinner at a restaurant. They fill up their tanks at gas stations. They pick up last minute supplies at the grocery store. People are working ON THANKSGIVING DAY to serve you! Rather than being upset about opening at midnight, take some time to be thankful and show gratitude to those who are working to make your Thanksgiving a happy one.
I won’t be one of the people shopping at midnight, but I appreciate the business’ right to open then.
A few years ago we realized that Christmas usually falls on December 25th, so we started planning our giving starting at the beginning of the year. A small amount of money gets transferred into a checking account every week. I’m talking about a meal at McDonald’s for Liz and me each week — barely enough to notice. By the time we get to holiday shopping season, we have more than enough to give all we want. It has totally changed how we look at holiday shopping. Since we started planning our giving, every year we find that we have to keep going out shopping because we haven’t used up the money! It’s easy to have a cheerful holiday season when you don’t have to dread the credit card bill in January.
If you haven’t planned for giving to this point, it’s not too late to start! Christmas will come around again next year. Probably on December 25th.
May today bring warmth, happiness, and comfort to you and your family today as we give thanks for all that we have and all that we are!
In a couple of recent posts, I alluded to offering some products that I use and believe in. Today, I’m officially swinging open the doors on the new BackyardLifeBlog.com Shop. There are only a couple of products there so far, but they are worthy of my endorsement.
To help celebrate the season, I’m offering 10% off all orders by using coupon code thanks10 at the checkout!
Thanks and have a very blessed day!
Raun
In my post last Wednesday, “Rest is Part of the Creative Process,” I talked about a trip to Missouri. I thought it would be fun to share some photos and videos from the trip, so here you go!
This first video is a bit of a time-lapse going from St. Paul, MN toward Kansas City, MO. The battery died just past the Missouri border, but it’s pretty close. True story: The stop and go traffic at the beginning of the video was due to a slow-moving tree.
We took a walk along the Missouri River at Berkley Riverfront Park.
We had the opportunity to see the Armour Swift Burlington Bridge raise to allow a barge to go under it. This bridge is one of only two in the world with this type of design. The Bridge was originally built to allow rail traffic on the bottom and cars on the top. The bridge raises without affecting the car traffic. That’s some slick engineering!
Maramec Spring Park in St. James, MO was a really pleasant surprise. We saw the signs off the freeway and decided to stop there. Here’s a slide show of what we saw.
Here’s a walk along the stream that leads out of Maramec Spring itself. The spring puts out an average of 93 million gallons of 56 degree water every day.
Due to the constant flow of relatively warm water, the stream never freezes. This makes it perfect for raising trout to supply the ample recreational trout fishing industry. There are several holding areas for trout to stay until they are large enough to release downstream.
We made a trip to St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch and had an opportunity to watch a tour helicopter take off.
On the way back, Liz took a bunch of pictures of the many barns along our route back through Missouri and Iowa.
