Sunday, November 29, 2009

And a good time was had by all!

All the preparations were worth it! I've been working on the details for Hubby's 50th birthday party for months -- even enlisted the help of my nieces on Thanksgiving to help with decorations. You can see their paper chain on the fireplace mantel in the photo below:

I printed pictures of Doug and attached them to playing cards then stuck them on plastic forks and into each of the centerpieces. I had 100 red dice to use as confetti on the tables (this actually ended up being a functional centerpiece because our guests had a great time playing dice games). Everyone went home with a handful of dice, and we still have a ton of them left!

photo by Carrie

Oh. My. Gosh. We had SOOOO much fun!!! Everything was perfect...not one thing that I would change about last night. Family. Friends. Fun. Laughter. And I won the blackjack tournament. (Was that appropriate for me to do since I was the hostess? I felt a little embarrassed.)

Tonight I'm deliciously exhausted. I've done enough decorating and cleaning up to last me for several weeks and the thought of pulling out the Christmas decorations doesn't appeal to me at all. Don't worry, I'll get over that quickly!

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BTW, this is my 99th post! Watch for my first blog give-away on post #100! :o)

Saturday, November 28, 2009

A little quiet time in between other stuff...

Having my entire family here in Arizona for Thanksgiving has been wonderful this weekend! We always have so much fun together -- so much laughter and silliness that my face muscles hurt! What a great feeling.

Here we are on Thanksgiving Day. We took several group shots with the self-timer and this is one of my favorites. The "serious" shots caught at least one person doing something goofy (note my nephew Cris on the right in this one). I love the happy faces of these people. I love these people. My people. ♥

The morning after Thanksgiving was set aside for me to spend some one-on-one time with my 4-year old niece, Presley who is visiting from California. This child LOVES animals and all she wanted to do was "help" me walk Carrie's dog Marcus. So we did. Thoughts popped up for me: "I really don't have time...I have so many other things to do..." and I pushed them aside. Thank you, Presley, for coaxing me into taking some time out.
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Now I will post this and go into rush-mode. Hubby's party is tonight and there's lots to do! I'm thinking that later today I will be wishing that Presley was "helping" me walk the dog!
xoxox

Sunday, November 22, 2009

A new apron for the occasion...

This is another post about party prep for my hubby's casino theme party next week. I know, I know, I'll be glad when it's here and done too!
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Since the party is at our house, I know that I will be in the kitchen the hour before guests arrive and will already be dressed for the party [black cocktail dress :o} ]. I wanted a new apron to wear for the occasion ~ until I'm done putting out the hors devours ~ so I made this little goody last night:
Photos courtesy of Carrie.
(Do these ruffles make my butt look big? hehe)

Happy times already happening with this apron...
PS: My apron brooch this time has the suits of cards hanging from each ribbon end. :o)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Blog around the world

Here's something fun! Some fellow bloggers from the class I'm taking with Shimelle are doing a "blog around the world" post. Our assignment is to take a picture outside our window and then link to the next person on the list. Ruth, who lives in West London will be linking to me, and I'll be linking to LeaVon who lives in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Fun, right?!?!

The challenge
Create a post to "go live" at 10:00 a.m. New Zealand time - which ends up being about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning for me. :o} zzzzzzz And since a picture out my window at 3:00 a.m. will be very dark, here are some pictures that I took yesterday afternoon.When we bought this house over four years ago the backyard was one of the deciding factors. We love spending time out here this time of year. The weather is gorgeous (73 degrees today), and I almost feel guilty writing about it here on my blog - don't want to seem like I'm gloating or anything to those of you in much colder climates. Thing is, here in Arizona we are still rejoicing that cooler temperatures are finally here (down from 115 degrees all summer long!!!).

Now, head on over to LeaVon's blog and check her out. She's new to blogging, so leave her a comment and she will be very happy!!! (Actually, all of us bloggers LOVE comments!!!) For a new blogger, she's really got her act together -- lots of posts already and an adorable denim background design. From her blog you can continue clicking to the next one and join us on our blog-around-the-world journey.

Bon voyage!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Party Prep Continues...Party Prize Bags

"Big Kid" prize bags.

You can't have a great birthday party without some games and prizes, right? Right. Since Hubby's party next weekend is a casino theme, I made these treat bags to use as prizes for game winners. Each one has a deck of cards, mints, a small bottle of schnapps, and a scratch lottery ticket.

What kinds of games, you wonder? Name Tag Poker. See, I came up with this idea and I'm thinking that it can either end up being fun and a good idea, or it could be lame and kind of a disaster. Either way, I'm trying not to be too attached to the outcome (but I do want it to be a fun mixer!).

Here's how it will work (I hope): I printed sheets of stickers to use as name tags - each sticker has a different "card" printed on it (ex. queen of hearts is: Q♥ simple). The name tags will be handed out randomly as guests arrive. After dinner at some point, I will announce that it's time for name tag poker. Guests will have 5 minutes (or 3???...) to get into small groups to create the best poker hand, based on their name tags. (Does this make sense?) The team members with the highest "hand" get prizes - the goody bags shown above.

I also have a few extra prize bags. During the night I'll have my hubby draw a random card from a deck. If your name tag matches the card he draws you win a prize bag!

Those games, plus a blackjack tournament and poker at the end of the night for my hubby and his buddies - and probably daughter (Carrie likes to play poker). It's going to be so much fun!!!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

This time last year...

It's funny that today's prompt for the class I'm taking with Shimelle (Blogging for Scrapbookers) directs us to create a post and tie it to a post from a year ago. As a matter of fact, tomorrow is my one year blog anniversary!!! (Yay for me and my blog!!!)

My first post was simple. It was simply titled Learning to Blog and contained this picture:

Fun time with friends Kristi and Janae and daughter, Carrie.

Within a month of starting this blog I was a crafting and posting fool! Looking back at my posts from December 2008 I have to give myself a little pat on the back for all the craft projects I completed! Wow. Somehow I found the time for all that?!?! (Now I need to go back and add labels/categories to those posts -- who knew then that I would rely on those labels? Was that prompt 11?)

In fact, looking back over the past year of blog posts I can see how things have changed for me in just one short year. My blogging skills and style have definitely developed. In the beginning I posted pictures with captions, now I'm more likely to give an explanation or tell a story to go with it. My confidence level for sharing my written word has grown. My list of blog friends has grown (fun!), and my life is somewhat documented on this little blogspot.

Though I resisted in the beginning when my daughter was insisting that I start a blog, I can't imagine my life without it. It's my little corner of expression, and an avenue to my place of escape and inspiration.

Peace, love and gratitude to all of you who are sharing this journey with me. I love this ride!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

This boy...

- grew up to be the love of my life.


~ was a jolly happy little kid.



~ is the fourth son of Dave & PJ (that's him in front).


~ loved playing sports, now loves watching them
(McClintock High School - Arizona State Champs, 1978).

~ is an outdoorsman to the nth degree!

~ is the best husband a girl could ask for.
(2005)

~ turns 50 today.



Happy birthday, Doug!

50 years never looked so good!


PS: I love you!

Monday, November 16, 2009

39 days till Christmas...here are my goals...

As I was blog-hopping this morning I landed on my new blog friend, Sharyn's blog and found another online class to take. It's called Holidays in Hand, taught by Jessica Sprague.

The class starts today and our first assignment is to come up with a list of Christmas goals. That's easy, I have one: don't freak out!

Actually, my main goal this year is to really take it easy. I'm so over the hustle and bustle and running around -- this year will be different. This year I'm all about the joy and celebration of the holiday, rather than being caught up in the commercialism (really, I hit that point years ago). Gifts are going to be minimal, and handmade (well, for the most part...if I could make electronic gismos I'd be golden!).

And here's something handy to have, free planner printable from Organized Christmas. Check them out!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Today? Just photos.

These are pictures taken with a little point-and-shoot camera I've had for several years now. Here are a few that I always like to revisit...Carrie's hand, holding a melty M&M.


Whisky Jay comes RUNNING when he hears my hubby's cereal being poured. The front part of his body is on the newspaper/table, and his hind legs rest on the chair behind him. I love this picture. He is one happy cat!


The beach in Florida ~ this photo was taken on our honeymoon, 4 1/2 years ago.


LOVE sunflowers!

(and our flag)



and clouds in this beautiful blue Arizona sky...

(I have about a billion pictures of clouds in my collection. I should stop taking them, but continue just the same!)


Have yourself a glorious day!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Around our house...chalk blocks.

We have these little blocks of wood, made from scraps that I salvaged from our property up north. They live on a shelf on The Wall in our family room. The fronts are painted with chalkboard paint, and every month I change the word to fit the occasion. This month is hubby's birthday so we celebrate him and the chalk-blocks help. :o)

And the garland strung across the front is one I made a few months ago -- LOVE garland!!!

Sometimes the blocks just read: "HOME" or "LOVE." In October it was "BOO" with a spider drawn on block #4. December will be "NOEL" or maybe "SNOW" or...who knows. They are a fun addition to our house!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Honor our Veterans

Since today is Veterans Day, I would be remiss in not sharing my connection to one of the greatest Veterans I know: my father-in-law, Dave. His service to our country and his community is impressive to say the least. Here we are at the annual Marine Corp Birthday Ball this past Saturday night:

My father-in-law:

- served 22 years in the Army National Guard, the U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps
- flew 26 different types of aircraft, props, jets, multi-engines, and helicopters
- served two tours in Vietnam, flying 1080 combat missions
- was shot down four times
- earned 76 medals and decorations, including: 3 Silver Star medals, 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses, The Bronze Star Medal with Combat V, and 54 Air Medals
- received Alfred A. Cunningham Award as the "Marine Aviator of the Year"
- retired as Lieutenant Colonel after serving three years at the Pentagon
- inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
- inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
- is a sweetheart of a man with a heart of gold and a joy to all who know him.

I'm so proud to be Dave's daughter-in-law. I'm in awe of his bravery and the sacrifices he made to serve our country. Take some time today to thank a military person, and in the future when you see someone in uniform, thank them as well. We enjoy a lot of freedoms in the U.S. because of their service.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The party prep continues...

Last night I sat down and filled the favor boxes with mint M&M's Premiums. I think they made great fillers for these party giveaways. What do you think?
I ran out of ribbon with 7 boxes left to tie. ARGH!!! That means I need to make another trip to the ribbon store. Ribbons & Lace in Chandler is a FUN store that I love, but I'm not happy about having to add another stop to my list of errands to run for the upcoming party.


Have you tried these? They're a bit pricey - but yummy! I've only tried the mint ones -- no crunchy coating, just smooth yummy chocolate and mint.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Planning two parties at a time? What was I thinking?

I will not be a crazy woman.
I will not be a crazy woman.
I will not be a crazy woman.

That is my MAIN goal for the remainder of November!!!


We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year (26 guests) AND having a 50th birthday party for my hubby that same weekend (35 guests). I've been fairly well organized with my planning, keeping my main goal in mind so that I don't end up stressed out and overwhelmed in the end. eh-hm. yeah.


IT'S ONLY THREE WEEKS AWAY AND NEXT WEEKEND WE'RE GOING CAMPING SO OMG I AM SERIOUSLY RUNNING OUT OF TIME.


So. I spent a lot of time this weekend finishing up some projects for hubby's casino themed party. I strung some garland using sewing thread, hot glue, poker chips and cards. (Do you call it garland if it hangs straight down?) These will hang from the arch in our entry way the night of the party. For now it's hanging on a foam board that I'll store in the garage to keep from getting mangled between now and the party.

(always a cat in the action...)

And, I folded 36 origami box party favors to fill with candy and place on tables (my finger tips are sore!).



Bonus: I ended up with a bunch of white and red cardstock strips (scraps left over from invitations and favor boxes) that I'm saving to make paper chains to use on the fireplace mantel the night of the party. I think this will be a fun project for my nieces and me on Thanksgiving afternoon, and the red and white will work for the birthday party and carry over through Christmas. I'll definitely have some pictures to post of that. :o)

I'm not spoiled, just well loved! ♥

Remember the fireplace delemma I wrote about last week? I didn't like the brown, hubby (and daughter who always takes sides with hubby) LOVED the brown. Well, we met half way and here are some before and after shots:

Before:

During: ("Meow? A ladder? I MUST climb it!!!")

After: ~gasp~
I LOVE IT!

And, hubby likes it too -- says it makes the room look bigger. Daughter hasn't seen it yet...I wonder what she'll think...
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And, I was right! I'm really happy with the gratitude banner now too. It was a subtle change, but I think it made a big difference.
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Note to Connie: I need you to come visit me and help put a dark glaze on the brown that's left. I'm not crazy about the shade of brown, and I think a glaze would tone it down a bit and help bring out the texture. :o)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

35 things about me that you might not have known...

One of the prompts this week for the online class I'm taking was to make a list of things we like and put pictures in. Rather than completely follow the rules (yeah, I'm a rebel) I thought I'd do this list that I've seen here and there in my blog travels.


And so, I give you: 35 things about me that you might not have known...


1. Where is your cell phone: never far away! :o\ I'm addicted. What if I get a text and I don't know where it is?!?!

2. Your hair: needs to be cut and highlights touched up (next week!)

3. Your mother: is an amazing strong woman that I truly admire. I am who I am because of her.


5. Your favorite food: SPICY. I love Mexican food, Italian, and recently discovered Thai food that is amazing!
6. Your dream from last night: hm...don't really remember. Lately my dreams have been about climbing stairs or trying hard to run really fast but I can't. I'd rather have floating dreams!!!

7. Your favorite drink: I loves me some red wine, iced tea, and that first cup of coffee in the morning.

8. Your dream/goal: to earn a living selling handmade stuff so I don't have to work "for the man" anymore.

9. What room are you in: front room/den

10. What is your hobby: creating stuff

11: What is your fear: losing someone I love -- especially Doug or Carrie.

12. Where were you last night: @ home with my family

13. Something you are not: vindictive -- I hate that

14. Muffins: yes please! Favs are banana chocolate chip, cornbread with honey, and carrot

15. Wish list items: a new stapler (yes, I'm serious, I want Santa to bring me this!)
16. Where did you grow up: Dos Palos, California

17. Last thing you did: Like before I typed this? Ate chicken soup and cornbread for dinner.
18. What are you wearing: sweat pants and a t-shirt. sexy.

19. Your TV: is rarely watched by me.

20. Your pets: LOVE THESE TWO FUR BALLS!!! (Fancy Jane & Whiskers Jay)21. Your friends: are creative and awesome

22. Your life: is practically perfect in every way [wink]23. Your mood: optimistic

24. Missing someone: my sister, V - and her babies! Can't wait till Thanksgiving!!! 25. Vehicle: 2000 Honda CRV. I love that car.

26. Something you’re not wearing: a frown

27. Favorite store: Joann's, Hobby Lobby, Anthropology, Dillards

28. Your favorite color: ugh. I hate having to pick just one. I'll say blue.

29. When’s the last time you laughed: today :D

30. When’s the last time you cried: last week...about a dog... :o(

31. Your best friend: is Carrie

32. One place you go over and over: work, home, Albertson's, repeat

33. One person who emails me regularly: Jan -- a patient from the chiro office where I work. She sends me CRAZY nasty jokes and political emails that I delete (the political ones, not the jokes...)

34. Favorite place to eat: Macayo's, Chuy's, and on our back patio

35. Where do you want to be in 6 years: taking care of a grandchild (or two) and earning a living selling my crafts. (grandparent reference = just wanted to see if Carrie reads this entire list.)



Wednesday, November 4, 2009

So very grateful.

Hello, my blog-world friends!

Well, I finished the gratitude banner I've been working on and I was a bit disappointed when I strung it across our fireplace and just didn't like it. I mean, it's grown on me, and adding the fall leaf garland to the mantle above it helped, but I'm just not as happy about it as I expected to be. Maybe I should take off some of the flowers I tacked on. ??? I dunno. Any ideas/suggestions?
This fireplace needs work anyway. When we moved into this house over 4 years ago, hubby got busy painting. I wanted a brown wall in the front room, which he gave me, but to my surprise when I came home from work that day, he had also painted the fireplace brown. {"Oh. Thanks, honey...'} At the time it was ok -- we were new to the house and I figured it would grow on me.
So, I really want the brown paint to be gone...like, yesterday. Thing is, hubby really likes the brown fireplace. Confession: there's a selfish motive here. My fantasy is that I'll LOVE the GRATITUDE banner if it's on a fireplace that isn't brown. :o\

I am SOOOO grateful to have a husband like Doug. He is sweet and for the most part, very accommodating to my whims. Last year about this time I asked for a red kitchen and he delivered, even though he wasn't keen on the idea. We'll see if that's the case with the brown fireplace. Stay tuned...

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Blog under construction!

Eek. I'm messing around with blog templates and things are a little mixed up right now. I'm definitely going to have to do something different with my title! And what's
with the random colors?

~sigh~

Never give up! (but I have to get to work so I'm putting it aside for now...)

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11/4 update: Ok...now this template is too white. And I really need to wait until this weekend to work on this any further. I'm trying to be ok with the fact that I'm not going to be able to do the "daily" prompts for my online class -- just not enough hours in the day. But it's alright. I'm still having fun. :o)

Monday, November 2, 2009

[my] Greek goddess of the harvest, Demeter...





Check out the "Goddess of the Week" that my blog-friend Margaret over at Finnegan Begin Again presented today. If you ever want a good read, visit her blog! And if you ever need a goddess, she's the girl to get you one.


I asked and she delivered. I love it! :o) (Thanks again, Margaret!)

Good intentions.


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I'm taking an online class that started today, "Blogging for Scrapbookers" with Shimelle. Our first assignment (prompt) is to create a post sharing what our intentions are for the next three weeks as we work through the prompts for this class.
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A little background...
When I started this blog not quite a year ago, I did so as a means to share pictures of my craftings with my mom and other family members. Before the blog I would take pictures, upload them to Snapfish and share a link (didn't know about Flickr then and I wasn't on Facebook at that time...). Anyway, my daughter (Carrie) made a blog and told me "it's EASY" and she helped me with the initial set up on mine.
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Looking back, I can see that I had absolutely no idea what I was really creating. I had no idea about the networking aspects of blogging (seems silly now!). I had created a space to not only share my ideas, but an avenue to find and connect with other crafters (Mel) and photographers (Traci) and deep thinkers (Margaret). That has really been the best part, and the nicest surprise.
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So, in my travels while blog-surfing I see things on other blogs that make me a little envious and I'm always wondering how they DO some of that stuff! Then I came across a blog post on Eve's blog about Shimelle's class and now here I am, thinking about what my intentions are for this class.
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Over the next three weeks I intend to...

* Do my best to keep up with the forum posts (Thanksgiving dinner and hubby's 50th birthday celebration are in four weeks!!! Lots to do over the next three weeks!);

* Leave a comment on every blog I look at (because I know bloggers love comments!);

* Re-vamp my little blog here (one of my goals is to get something creative on the sides of my blog, and apparently need to work on bullet lists...)

* Learn new tricks and tips from Shimelle and my classmates;

* Set aside time to devote to blogging rather than my standard hit-and-miss style; and

* Find more blogs to follow and more followers for mine. :o)

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To my current followers, prepare to be amazed as you witness, first hand, my blog transformation. (Gulp. did I just put that out there?!?!) Ok, or at least pretend to be impressed when I get some type of decoration on the left side of my blog!!!

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To my classmates from Shimelle, welcome to my little corner of Blogspot. Tell me what you like, what you think needs work, and what you think I should do more or less of. I'd love to know what you think.
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Ciao!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Pretty perfect night.

We had such a fun Halloween this year ~ fulfilled a tradition and took it easy. Here are a few pictures of last night at our house: So, Carrie says my pumpkin face ALWAYS looks the same; year after year. This year I decided to change it up a bit...cut the eyes bigger...make the mouth jagged... Yeah. Didn't happen. I ended up with the same ol' punkin' face I always do.


And my gurl C. This girl has LOVED halloween since she was tiny! I should scan some pictures of her dressed in some of the costumes I made over the years. Next year I'll do that!




These two.
Love them.


And every year we line 'em up and set the camera timer. Doug's pumpkin is always scary. Mine is always whimsical. And Carrie's is different every year. This year she went vampire.

I ROCKED the chicken and dumplings for dinner...thankyouverymuch.


~very sweet and lucky and happy dog~
And Carrie brought her new friend, Marcus to hang out for the night.

We ended up with about 12 trick-or-treaters (thanks to Carrie for being the candy-passer-outer), sat in the backyard around the fire pit, and enjoyed our gorgeous Arizona weather.


Life is good.

Halloween was fun.
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