Details. . .

On Black Friday, instead of shopping, the kids and I dragged all the Christmas decorations up from the basement and went for it. I love all the details around the house. . .and the memories. . .

I happened upon this in Little Man's room after quiet time. Yes, my kids are probably too big to still have quiet time. But this MOM needs quiet time. How I love quiet time. . .and see, you get this out of it. . .

 Even the American Girl dolls are getting in the spirit. . .

 Did you know that camels can fly? I kinda feel badly for that poor camel. . .

Big Girl was born just 10 days before Christmas in 1998. My pilot husband came home from the airport one night with this. It is completely out of character for him and not my taste at all. How did he know that the kids would just ADORE it from year to year? You push the hand and it bobs up and down singing "Frosty the Snowman". . .

Of course, I know they are too old for Little People, I don't care. . .

 The wall, I mean door of fame. . .

 Playmobile Christmas sets, 'nuff said. . .

 Memories of my mom. . .

 My stocking since I was wee. . .

Happy December to all of you. I hope you are making lots of bags and other gifts. Homemade is so much better. . . Teresa

Great video!

To read more visit Green Sangha. Thanks for sharing the video Harmony! Teresa

Black Friday FREEBIE! 25 WINNERS!

Are you stuffed? I am. I'm not going to eat for 8 days. We'll see how long that lasts! Anyway, it's time for a FREEBIE! How about some Christmas bags for wrapping presents? How about 25 WINNERS?

Remember we are doing the "Green Wrapping Year" and the Green Grocery Bag Challenge with Sew, Mama, Sew, we thought it would be nice to GIVE away some bags! 

Anyone can enter this freebie, if you already have a bag from us, that's ok, just tell us who you would like to gift it to instead! 

To enter the freebie, please do the following:

•LEAVE A COMMENT, IN THE COMMENT LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THIS FORMAT: name(at)something(dot)com it is important to spell out dot and at so you don't get spam, if you DO NOT leave an email address, we will not hunt you down to send you a freebie, thanks. 

•In your comment, share with us what you are doing on Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving, which was today, for our international friends).

•DEADLINE TO LEAVE A COMMENT FOR THE FREEBIE IS MIDNIGHT (CST) Monday, November 29, 2010.

25 Christmas bag winners will be chosen from the comments. But, EVERYONE who enters will get a shopping bag if you do not already have one from us. Good luck!  Teresa

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. CHECK YOUR EMAILS.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are having a good one! Our festivities will start about 4. I like doing dinner later as it gives me time to get ready without rushing. Truth by told, I am still in my jammies. Why cook and get good clothes dirty? I promise to change before company arrives!

Here is the dining room. Isn't my table cloth lovely? Fabric compliments of Harmony. Thanks Harm! I told her I wanted to get it made before Tday. Guess when I made it. Yes, an hour ago. hee hee. I took pics for you to see. Little Girl made the name tags.

Then I came upstairs to see all the American Girl and Madam Alexander dolls have a feast of their own. I like how it looks as though they are actually talking to each other. . .

We bought the tiny apples yesterday at Whole Foods and printed out the turkey from the computer this morning. . .

What are you thankful for today? I wish for you and yours many blessings. Teresa

Go sign! Please!

Dear Emma--

I LOVE what you are doing. Thank you for starting the Dear Subway campaign. I have been wanting to send a message to Subway for a long time now and I'm so glad you beat me to it in such a creative way. You are the best, I bet your mom and dad (my longtime friends) are very proud of you!

Love, Teresa

Everyone, GO RIGHT NOW and sign Emma's petition to get Subway Restaurants to stop using so much plastic. It really drives me nutty (just ask the people who go to there with me!) that they automatically stick your sandwich in a bag. Even for the people that are only walking 5 steps to sit down at a table. Uggghhhh! So frustrating! GO, make Emma's day and mine! Teresa

Recycle old ties. . .

Recycle an old tie into cool cell phone cases for your favorites peeps for Christmas! Make one yourself or buy one here. Yay! Teresa

10 bags

10 bags later I returned from the grocery store and began to cook. So far I have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, gravy and cookies done. More to do tomorrow.

Wishing all of you a fabulous Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading! :)  Teresa

More "Green Wrapping Year"

Here is another great green wrapping idea. . .

How cute is that? I bought these on Sundance after Christmas last year. They were on clearance. But, good news, they still have them this year. They are a great gift for 2 reasons, they are REUSABLE and can be "regifted" and they are a nice addition to a "consumable."

I like giving consumable gifts (and getting them). They don't require storage for the long term and they are fun to use/eat/drink! They are also a great gift for the person who has everything or is tough to shop for. Most people have a favorite treat like dark chocolate or a favorite wine or restaurant (gift card). Right up my alley and maybe up yours too.

So, I did some searching. Those of you who are actually gifted in the knitting department, you can make these, how to is HERE.

But, look what I just found at Lillian Vernon, how cute are these??????

Choose any 4 of them for less than $16. Horribly cute!

Or, how about buying a handmade one (below) from this great Etsy shop??

That's a wrap! he he Teresa

Do Something

Make 2010 "Green Wrapping Year"

Let's do it everyone. Let's make 2010 the year that we vow off paper gift wrap that just gets torn and tossed. Ugh. I'm going to do a FREEBIE along these lines beginning on Thanksgiving so check back later this week!

For now, how about some ideas?

First, remember that Sew, Mama, Sew is teaming up with us for the Green Grocery Bag Challenge, we want you to wrap your presents in fabric shopping bags! Go here for more details.

Second, how about some store bought fabric bags to supplement the ones you sew? Or, for those of you who don't sew. . .

I have gotten these from other people. The green one is from the Dollar Tree (I think) and the others are from my aunt a couple of years ago, they came as a set, yes they are fabric.

I went to Michael's the other day and these were in a big bin in the front of the store, they were around $2. Even if it would be an investment on the front end, think of how much paper this would save over the years! They were quite big too, about 2 feet in length.

I would have bought some except a couple of years ago I became obsessed with making enough fabric bags for all the gifts under my tree so now I have this. . .

A better photo of some of them. . .

 These are a few of my favs. . .

Tomorrow more on Green Wrapping. If we all do this, think of the trees, energy, time, etc we will all save! Even my husband is good at wrapping when it is in a fabric bag! Teresa

Happy Monday!

It is so fun to come into the office on a Monday morning and find this. . .

These lovelies are from one of our fabulous sponsors, Swavelle/Mill Creek. . .

And this pile of fun come from Michelle at Emmi Lee Designs. Check out her super cute Etsy shop HERE. . .

Thanks Meltem and Michelle, you ladies made my morning! Teresa

Busy Sunday. . .

The Bagettes and I worked hard today. . .

Leyla cutting handles. . .

 April & Ann ironing on labels and marking handles. . .

 Our mess. . .

And, the best part! A new BAGETTE! This is Rachel. We met her yesterday at the Farmers' Market. Isn't she darling? Welcome Rachel, thanks for joining!

 Have you had a productive weekend? Teresa

Watt's Up? Guest Post by Jillian Gile

Watt's Up?

GE knows that the only way to change our future is to create innovative alternatives to current automobile technology. This means that we can't expect consumers to switch, en masse, to electric vehicles you plug in at your home. There needs to at least be a gradual switch to electric charging stations. Until recently, we didn't have the technology to quickly charge a car - the large batteries required to run an engine required 12 or more hours at a charging station.

The GE WattStation promises to be the change we need, with the technology (and looks) that make charging an electric car quick and easy. Here's a run-down of exactly what the WattStation is, and how it works.

The WattStation is a module designed by Yves Behar, who realized that sleek design and user-friendliness just might be the push this technology needed. His LED and aluminum charger blends into urban landscapes, like a parking meter or sign. The display makes it easy to see which chargers are available, and should make them easy to find when driving around crowded city streets.

The location of these "meters" is another feature meant to make the WattStation popular. At first, these stations will appear in urban, downtown areas where the most electric vehicles are expected to be in use. GE is also pioneering the technology that will provide a module to be installed in owner's homes. They are being produced by ServiceMagic, which has a long history of providing reliable customer-service for users.

More importantly, how quick and simple will WattStations be? GE claims that they will be able to charge a car battery in four to eight hours, which is certainly an improvement over previous car charging technologies. This is the perfect length of time for individuals who drive to work and can charge their cars during the work day. However, if you're a road warrior and need a charge up that takes only as much time as a gas pump, you may have to wait for more technological developments for WattStations to be of any use to you.

WattStations should be appearing in parking lots and home garages in 2011, and GE claims that for every 10,000 adopters, there will be a 33,000 metric ton reduction in CO2 in the atmosphere. Only time will tell how popular WattStations really will be, but given the numbers, hopefully this is the technological breakthrough that electric cars need to become true replacements.

Jillian Gile is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on Online Schooling for Guide to Online Schools.

Today at Nashville Farmers' Market. . .

We had a fun day (as always) at the Farmers' Market. Fun people, beautiful weather and 100+ bags found good, caring homes!

Check it out. . .

 I was joined by the LOVELY Bagettes Barbara, April, Joanne and Kathleen.

 Busy busy. . .

This is Emily Blue (I want that name!) of Three Day Cure. Check it out, it is a great Holiday gift for any salmon lover!

 And Leah who sat right next to us, hope we didn't bother you too much!

 A great looking crew with some fun bags.

Quote of the day from one of the bag recipients, "To stop people from throwing plastic in the ocean, just throw those people in the ocean. The sharks will take care of them!"

Thanks for a great day everyone! Teresa

Join us Saturday!

Join us Saturday, November 19 at 10am at the Nashville Farmers' Market. We will be there giving out FREE bags while supplies last! See you there! Teresa