The Christmas Spirit 2012 has arrived!

I've been busy cleaning and decorating and surfing the internet for cottage and farmhouse decorating ideas but my house is not conducive to the "cottage" or "country" look.  I cannot get my decorating "mojo" on in this house for love nor money.  But I keep trying...........I thought my trees outside looked nice until I looked at the photo and then they looked too small for the BIG garage door.

I found some battery operated lights at the Dollar Store and was able to put them around my mirror over the fireplace.....

I think I can safely say I will not be on Pinterest any time soon! LOL!  Back to the drawing board!
But below is what I wish my house looked like.............ahhhhhh.......perfect!








or even this.....sweet, small and doable.................

Well, maybe next year.  Of course if I was a REALLY GOOD decorator which it is obvious I am not....I would be able to take any house and make it adorable and cozy!  But honestly, how many brick ranch homes do you see featured as "cottagy and cozy".  I guess I'll be asking Santa for some decorating mojo for Christmas. 
I hope you are all doing well and getting everything done so you won't be too exhausted to enjoy your Holidays!

YOP Update

What a week!  I was on the road back to Mountain Home for the doctor again....different doctor this time! LOL!  I had banking issues, doctors and finally now I think I have things taken care of for the Winter except for Medicare appointment Monday and a few more phone calls.  Retirement is a full-time job!!!!
But I  managed to sit and knit a bit.....I was too tired to do anything else! Ha! Ha!  Here I go again............

 But this time it is not the first sock...............

It's the beginning of the second because I FINALLY finished my first one!   Tah Dah!!!!!  Drum roll please!
I had  no problem this time until the toe.....trying to get the needles with 10 stitches on each of them from the top and bottom position of the sock to the sides of the sock.  The instructions said to not pull the back needle long and to K5 and that would put the needles in the right position to start the Kitchener stitch and close up the toe.  Huh???  I emailed her and said that I end up with 15 stitches on the back needle and the working yarn 5 stitches  "in" on the back needle.  She didn't explain it any better so I fooled around and finally got the needles in the right position with 10 stitches on each needle but not sure how..... so next time I'll run into the same predicament! LOL!    My other issue is this pattern in for a short cuff sock with bigger needles and yarn for learning but now I want to make regular socks with sock yarn and smaller needles and every pattern I see uses DPN's.......now that I've learned Magic Loop.  I'll search some more and I do want to learn DPNs at some point too but for now I'd like to bask and enjoy my new skill and make a regular pair of socks before learning anything else.  I get easily confused! LOL!  Any advice or recommendations for Magic Loop sock patterns and/or good tutorials for DPNs would certainly be welcomed.
I also managed to do a little cross stitch since I still am afraid to knit and watch the telly simultaneously (I'm just asking for trouble when I do that).

     I hope you all had a great week and weekend!  Thanks so much for your comments and encouragement.  I know I would have given up on those socks if it hadn't been for all of you!  Thank you!  I need to play "catchup" once again this week!  Hugs to all!!!!