"Junkle" Bells All Year Round

My friend Jill over at Jill Ruth & Co is having a Junkle Bells All Year Round. Each month bloggers are invited to make a 'junk' ornament to share!

Today is my day off, and after running errands, painting the stairwell, I've decided to whip something up for her, and all of you! This only took me a couple minutes... but my goal for this year is to make a 'game' junk tree. Driving home I thought of these.


All you need is this...


Using a 1/16 drill bit, predrill holes into the blocks, checks, or dominoes and just put screw eyes in and add a bit of ribbon, ta-da! You're 1 month closer to Christmas!

Please check back at Jill's website monthly for more links with great ideas!

Peace

Well- winter in Iowa has been in full force. I believe this is the first day in a good week we've seen sunshine. I've been so busy and so full of winter blues I decided I needed to take time for myself.... Like I use too...

I've been wanting to go behind my Grandparents house to take pictures ever since I got my new camera. The flood took their home, then Grandpa started going downhill... and time flew by. In high school I would spend many days after school 'de-stressing' on the railroad bridge... or walking through the woods... or walking on the sandbars... so I felt it was appropriate to take one of our beautiful frost covered days walking the trail I use to take over 15 years ago.

The house sits on the Conservation Board's land, and they have decided to tear down the house that my 93 year old grandfather spent most of his life in now that he has passed away, before they do, I wanted some pictures... wiping a tear, I stepped into peacefully quiet house, and re-lived my memories of him, and the house.

So, I am here today, to share some peaceful pictures of my memories, of winter in Iowa, of a shack of a house that will be gone, of an much needed day I spend a couple weeks ago...

For the love of Dog...

O.k...looking though my Christmas pictures, I seem to think my in-law's dog is an important part of the family... each year I take a picture of her. Not my dog, just theirs... This slobbery, huge furry thing is a big part of our family. She knows it too as she was truly hoping to be invited in Christmas... The weather wasn't to nice for her this year...



After heading OUTSIDE to take pictures of her, I thought I'd get warm INSIDE and take some more...



"Do I get to come in?" *scratches at door*



"Hey you, will you let me in... please oh please oh please!"

If she wasn't so wet and dirty, we would have let her come inside for her annual "sit in the chair". Not an inside dog (OBVIOUSLY!) She is only allowed to come in and sit in her chair at Christmas... I say her chair, because she will run the grandkids over on occasion and sprint past them to jump into this chair. And no one can stop the 160 pound dog!



Ah- for the love of the Dog. You can see why we all love her, can't you?!?