No Days of Christmas 2015

I'm feeling a little blue this Christmas. I'm doing the things I always do--watching Hallmark movies, making Christmas gifts, singing in the church choir--but I don't seem to have the spirit this year. I have only baked one batch of cookies, haven't made my Hungarian Cheese-filled Bread, haven't even gotten out my decorations! I feel so out of place without my decorations all around me.

I think the true problem is I'm not busy enough! For the last 4 years, I have been active on a website called Swap-bot. I've mentioned it before. It's a gathering place of artists and crafters who make stuff and swap it around. I have loved doing it and being a part of this amazing community, but I can no longer participate for a few reasons. 1 - I can't afford the postage anymore. 2 - I don't have room for all the supplies anymore. 3 - It drove my husband crazy because I was always busy! Anyway, I was always so busy at this time of year making swaps that I was rushing around trying to get everything done, along with all the other things I had to do, like making Christmas presents for the family. I don't buy my gifts. A few small things, or stocking-stuffers, but not actual gifts. I make them. And I usually procrastinate, but this year we had family come visit for Thanksgiving, so I made a real effort to have all my Christmas done by then, so I could send it home with them and not have to ship it. And I succeeded, but now I have nothing to do.

I've also been working on my 12 Days of Christmas for 2015, and all the projects are done, the photos taken and all, but I can't do anything with them! I think this is the biggest problem. I look forward to this event on my blog every year! I don't even know if people look at it, but I love doing it, so it doesn't matter, but this year I am feeling crippled. Here's why.

I got a new computer. My son gave me a really GOOD one, with lots of memory and RAM and anything else I could ever need except a TV card, and I will probably never need one of those, so I'm okay with that. It is really fast and has a lighted keyboard so I can see to type in the dark, which is something I've wanted for a while, because I work after my hubby is asleep and the computer is in the bedroom, so I can't turn on the lights. It also has a keyboard that makes noise. You know how the first keyboards made a clicking sound for every keystroke? Well, this one does, too, and I love it! Anyway, I installed the new Windows 10 before doing anything else, and then set about installing all my favorite software, and that's where the problem hit. Some of my favorite software is too old to work with Windows 10!!!! And my photo editing software is one of those programs! So I can't crop, fix color issues, etc. I can't re-size and do all the things I normally do to my photos. And I can't go back and re-take them because the projects are already done, so I'm between a rock and a hard place! I know, you say just go by another program! I can't afford to do that. On my VERY limited budget I can't afford to shell out $150 or more for a good photo editing program, plus I don't have the time to learn it before using it, so again......rock and hard place.

So now that I've boo-hooed you to tears, I will say that this year's 12 Days of Christmas will be posted in the new year, after I either get rid of Windows 10 (I don't know if I can, but I'm going to try) or I save up the money for a new photo editing program. It will be weird, but I haven't missed a year since 2010, and I'm not about to now!



It's not cropped, but here's one of the projects, the Rudolph JOY.

To end this post, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, with a wish for you to receive all the blessings you deserve for the new year!