What do you mean, the year is over????

Where the dickens did this year go? I am trying to believe it is New Year's eve. Why does one day turning to the next inspire such introspection in so many of us, I wonder. I know I have been doing a lot of physical and emotional cleaning recently. What do I want or need to change?

The last two weeks have been a blur, a few cases of the sniffles plus have run through the house. Have my Healthy Simmer going all day everyday right now. Got to get these germs under control! I long to open the windows but, baby, it's cold outside!

Did not want to let the New Year come in without sending you best wishes for 2010. I wish health, happiness and contentment to all of you.

Pat

Roses, Roses

It has been so wicked cold up here in the Lower Hudson Valley, add to that several snow storms and some freezing rain, I find myself longing for some flowers. Some Rose Mist yarn from Lion Brand Yarn Company was just the answer! I did up a pair of Irish crochet roses and did up a scarf. 60 inches of Roses in the Mist. I love you, a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. This is long enough to wrap in a warm hug around your neck or use as a sash. These roses don't smell as good as the garden roses but that can be easily remedied by storing with a beautiful rose fragranced sachet!

I am trying to get organized and get my Christmas decorations up over the next few days, so it will be busy, busy around the ol' homestead. Will definitely get some pictures when I finally accomplish this and share with you. I enjoy seeing how different families decorate and enjoy the holidays, hope you do too.Everyone stay safe and warm. See you in a few days.

Pat

17 More Days Until Christmas

The time has just flown by. I am such a procrastinator, am not at all ready for Christmas. Uh oh! I sure hope everyone has been over to the Shop Hop and found lots and lots of those shopping bags. Can hardly wait to see who has won The Ultimate Gift Basket. Talk about a spectacular win! The other prizes are pretty awesome as well, I'm particularly fond of the snow globe.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of our first real

snowfall that gave us a few inches to enjoy. So beautiful, there is something so magical about seeing the world transformed into a quiet white wonderland.

A reminder for all my friends, Friday is the last Make Mine Pink Friday of the year. This week's theme is Last Minute Gifts - sounds like it was made for me. Come on over and visit me at Patricia Rose and the rest of the participating boutiques. We will be back with our specially themed Fridays in January.

Once the holidays are over it will be time to hunker down and get through the winter with dreams of gardens in our heads. If you are in need of some essential oils for simmering or therapeutic uses, visit my friend Andrea at Aromatics International. She has some great sales going on right now. Good time to stock up! She has therapeutic grade oils so you can use these without a second thought. A drop or two of an essential oil can lift your mood, relax you, help kill those pesky winter germs. Please remember, do not use fragrance oils for aromatherapy, you will not get the therapeutic benefits you are looking for and some of the synthetics can cause an allergic reaction. I will share with you over the next few months what I am using to give you some ideas. Right now, it's all about balsam. What can I say, I love it and it has the added benefit of being antiviral.

And so, off I go to try and get some holiday into this house. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures for you next week.

Pat