What Women Want?

It's Christmas night...time for women everywhere to reclaim their sanity after weeks of joyous exhaustion. Don't get me wrong...I love Christmas as much as the next person...but I think I like Christmas night even better. The frenzy of almost non-stop crafting, shopping, wrapping, baking, card-writing, cooking, dressing up, visiting, and eating is over for another year, but the best things, the peace and goodwill of the season, linger.

So, when we passed Santa leaving Maine in his big red pick-up truck tonight, I had very mixed emotions. The child in me didn't want to see him go, ever...but the exhausted woman in me wanted to open the window and yell,  "And don't let Rudolph hit you in the *** on your way out!"

Big, fat snowflakes were falling when we arrived home...a perfect end to a crazy-perfect day. With tummy and car uncomfortably full, I found myself thinking about what women (at least this one) really want as Christmas draws to a close for another year.

So, as the snow falls silently outside my window, and the house is finally still, here's my humble list:

1. I want to walk around wearing flannel, slippers, no make-up, and crazy hair for at least a week. I do not want to wear a sequined sweater or singing stocking cap for at least 51 more weeks.

photo from Mary Engelbreit website

2. I want my house back. I am ready to see every last pile of crumpled gift wrap gone. I want to wake up in the morning and fill trash bags to my heart's content. I want to walk from one end of a room to the other without tripping over bags, boxes, bows, candy canes, walnuts and elves. I want to walk into my craft room and not see this for 11 more months...

3. I want to gorge on salad and fruit. I do not want to be asked if I would like to try "just a little bit" of any of the following for at least 340 days: sugar cookies, egg nog, yule logs, baked brie, candied nuts, stuffed squid, chocolate-covered cherries, cheese balls, latkes, or pecan pie. It has taken me over a year on Weight Watchers to lose 37 pounds and I don't want one ounce of it back. I'm relieved that the annual holiday bacchanalia is over for another year...trying not to disappoint my (fantastic) WW leader, Mary Elizabeth,  is hard enough on a good week, a major challenge at the holidays.

4. I want to buy bins. I know it's crazy...I don't even need them...but when the Target flyer arrived in this morning's paper, there they were: colorful bins in all shapes and sizes, and, even, better, on Sale.  After saying I would never set foot in a store again after December 24th,  I have this insane compulsion to set my alarm for six a.m. (Target thoughtfully opens at 7:00 tomorrow for us after-Christmas women-on-a-mission-to get-their-homes-back), grab a Pumpkin Spice coffee on the road, and head the sleigh over to Target to load up on the latest accessories for the modern obsessive-compulsive.

5. I want my blogging time back. I have been so "wrapped up" in holiday preparations I've let my blog go and I miss it. I miss the creating, photography, and writing...but I especially miss my blog friends. I love nothing more than spending quiet time reading my favorite blogs, sharing comments, and being inspired by the amazingly talented women I meet in blogland. So I apologize to those Followers who wonder if I've dropped off the face of the planet (I haven't) and promise to do my best to reconnect with each of you in the coming weeks. My Sister's Cottage is here to stay.

Now that I've shared the Christmas Night confessions of a happy but holiday-weary woman, I'd love to hear from you. Are you sad that Christmas is over or anxious to get back into comfortable old routines?

This post is happily linked to :

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the Porch

10 New Uses for Old Clothespins

 OK, I'll admit it...I love clothespins...old ones, new ones. little and big...

 Those with clips...

 And the big fat round slotted kind...

I can't pass them up. at garage sales and flea markets. Here are a few ways I use them...

1. As a "Guest Book".
When we owned a camp on a lake in Unity, Maine (isn't that a great name for a town?), we were first introduced to this tradition. Two older men from the local area came to help us work on the camp and, when they left, they asked me for two clothespins...which each proceeded to sign and date.

They explained that along the lake, people who visit your camp sign a clothespin for you to hang on the wall for Good Luck. We loved the idea and enjoyed continuing the tradition when friends and family came to visit. A piece of twine with a loop at the top was hung on a nail and each visitor added their personal message on a clothespin. Although we no longer have the camp, we have saved our "Clothespin Guest Book" from Unity to remind us of the people we shared summer memories with there.

We've since adapted the idea for our Casita.  Everyone who visits our campsite signs a clothespin and these are strung just inside the camper door. Sharpies work great for this...I keep plenty on hand!

2. As a "Travel Journal".

My "clothespin guestbook" was pretty primitive, but it fit the rustic decor of the camp. For my more recent clothespin projects, I've added color to the clothespins with spray paint and rubber stamps...just be sure to use stamp  pads with permanent ink.

I plan to use these as a "Travel Journal" in our camper. I'll string them up along the soffit of the camper and add the name of each new campground we visit. Like this...

Here are some more uses...

3. As Personalized Gift Tags.

4. As Placecard Holders.

5. To Hold & Color-code Scraps of Yarn & Ribbon.

6. As Bookmarks.

7. To Turn any Shutter Into a Photo or Memo Board.

8. As Basket Markers.

Baskets are great for storage but hard to label. With just a clothespin and a Sharpie, I can now keep my office and craft supplies organized.

9. To Help DH determine whether the Dishes in the Dishwasher are Clean or Dirty.

I just used my Sharpie again and stuck a little magnet tape on the back of each clothespin.

 10. And those old clothespins still work to hang clothes outside on a late summer day.



What other uses have you discovered for old clothespins?

I am happily joining the following blog parties:

Rust-Oleum Projects Linky Party at Kissed By A Frog



Mason Jar Craft Storage

I purchased these vintage canning jars at a roadside flea market in Machias, Maine on our way home from Canada. Only $2.00 each and I loved the covers. There is a glass insert and then a metal top with an opening in it. I'll remove and save the glass insert from the top of each jar (never know when I might need one of those!).

This one will sit on the kitchen counter, next to the phone and right above my "junk drawer", to hold string.

You could do something similar with a Mason Jar with a regular metal top by just drilling a hole in the cover...

Or by  sliding the string out the side as was done in this photo, holding yarn, from Home Made Simple.

I'll use my taller jar to store dispense ribbons in the craft room.

Simple, useful and cute...what could be better?

While I was thinking about canning jar storage ideas, I came across this clever use of Mason jars at Epheriell Designs. I think that this would be a fun project to replicate on a craft room wall

I also love this idea for sewing room storage from Just Call Me Miss DIY.

What's you favorite use for canning jars?

This post is linked to:

Under $100. Linky Party at Beyond the Picket Fence

Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Thrifty Thursday at Tales From Bloggeritaville

Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors