Merry Christmas!!

Well, here we are five days before Christmas 2011. This is our Christmas tree. This year we went out and chopped this tree down in the forest down the road from us. I have to say it is my most favorite tree...since it is tall and wide and well lit..thanks to Chuck. Good job Chuck! As you can see there aren't many presents under the tree. We are still waiting for Santa to come. But, this year..we are keeping the stuff down to a minimum. It feels like we just get more and more stuff that we have to eventually get rid of. I am getting tired of it frankly.



Our stockings are hanging by the chimney with care. And, as you can see the sweet nativity scene on top of the fireplace has so many pretty lights..better in real life I would say.


Sophia my daughter asked me to help her bake some cookies for the neighbors tonight. Even though I am under the weather with a head cold and feeling run down from working long hours at the retail store.....this is what I love most about Christmas. I love making cookies with my little girl. She is just so sweet and happy ..and her cheerful attitude just makes me smile!



It is fun just getting cozy and looking at the tree. This year I have Sophia making more handmade ornaments for the tree. A lot of them have photo's of the kids in the past years. These are the best ornaments to me, the ones that bring all of the wonderful memories back.

Now that the store is slowing down, I am trying to get into the swing of Christmas with the family..and of course get rid of my cold I hope. I really want to enjoy Christmas, but I will tell you working retail can be very very tiring. I was honored with quite a few November jewelry orders which kept me plenty busy well into Dec. I have just one more custom order left, but frankly, I am exhausted with this cold. Although, I am looking forward to making the ring!

14k Gold Filled Stacking Rings, Mother's Ring, Birthstone Ring

Well; my dear blogger friends, I want to wish each and everyone of you a joyous holiday season!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I wish you all much joy, peace, happiness, and good health in the upcoming year! Enjoy your families, and friends and celebrate the goodness in your life.

Cheers!

We'll see you all soon!

A few things....

I NOW ACCEPT DWOLLA PAYMENTS!!!

Yes, Life is a bit hectic now.. I would say. I can't even sit around much to blog like the good ol' days.

I want to quickly share a new company with you, called "Dwolla". This company is going to change how we spend our money and of course I am sure a lot of you hear about the economy and so on. I never use to be a news kind of gal..but it is hard lately..trying to understand the future of our country.

Being in business for the last 10 years of my life, I realize how difficult it is to run a business and all of the cost it takes just to have an employee. The overhead of retail is extremely costly and many business' in America are starting to look overseas to lower cost.

One cost that is truly expensive and a brutal burden are merchant fees. Did you know that when you go into a store and use a debit or credit card there are all kinds of hidden fees that the merchant has to pay? There is a transaction fee, a merchant fee, and a percentage fee. If you have any type of rewards programs on your credit card, the merchant has to pay higher fees. Essentially, the merchants are paying for your "rewards". All of these fees are adding up...and it makes conducting business that much harder.

A new company called "Dwolla" is now allowing you to pay any merchant immediately with a transfer of cash..and it only cost .25 cents no matter the amount of transfer. So if you pay $1 or $500 it will only cost .25 cents. WOW! This is how it should be. I don't understand why credit card companies feel so entitled to a percentage of your transaction. But, we people don't seem to mind all of this debt and no one has really cared until now,.....when the banks are actually running out of money. I also hear credit card companies are furious about this..and all I can say..is it's about damn time!!


This little company called Dwolla is growing big like crazy. Younger people are realizing that they can not get credit cards so easily anymore and they have to pay "cash" for the things they buy. Frankly, I am glad to pay "cash" myself. The debt problem is seriuosly out of control in our country..and I am happy to support a business who is changing this for our youth especially.

Take a moment to learn about www.Dwolla.com. It is easy and simple and it saves business' money. The cool thing is you can also send money to anyone you need to for anything...it' extremely simple. Try it !! And, please considering supporting the movement away from credit cards!

Go Dwolla!