Monday, November 29, 2010
Christmas crafting has begun.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Christmas Story from Deb.
Christmas, the year I was 28 years old: I was so happy to have a little girl of my own. Carrie was such a sweet and fun little girl, and at 18 months old she understood the excitement of Christmas. I decided that I would invest my time in making a pair of dolls for her - Raggedy Ann and Andy to be precise. As I stitched these dolls together I imagined how Carrie would love them - how they might even become her favorite toy - perhaps even imaginary friends.
I went all out - made the largest size on the pattern. I found the perfect box to wrap them in and placed them under the tree. I couldn't wait till Christmas to see the look of sheer joy on her face when she opened that package.
Well, remember, Carrie was 18 months old. And you know the best part of Christmas when you are little like that is the empty box that the gift came in. Wrapping paper was flying and she was busy going from one package to another. When Raggedy Ann and Andy made their debut Carrie was less than impressed. I'll admit, they are rather strange looking dolls - what with their bright red hair and triangle noses. And that big size I made? They were taller than Carrie was at the time.
Christmas, the year I am 49 years old: Suki ended up being torn apart by a puppy we had {it was a horrific sight}, but Carrie still has Raggedy Ann and Andy. She did end up playing with them as she got a little older, and they moved out with her this past year when she purchased her own home. This year as I am busy making Christmas gifts by hand, I am humbled knowing the time spent and love invested by my mom when she made that rag doll for me - living in her mother-in-law's dark house with her fourth child on the way, with handwriting that was just like Santa's. I'm sure my mom had no idea at the time what a lasting impression that rag doll would have on me. I have always loved giving and receiving handmade gifts, and I think that started with Suki.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Let Christmas begin!
I'm happy today! I love the day after Thanksgiving when I can officially kick into Christmas mode. Got the Christmas blog banner posted, and I'm going to wear my reindeer shirt today.
I plan to spend my day hanging out with Carrie - she's feeding me Thanksgiving leftovers at her house for brunch, then we have plans to make candles, get hair cuts, and doing a little shopping.
November Attitude of Gratitude
* I am grateful that I have a daughter who likes to hang out with me.
* I am grateful that we get to try a new craft today (candle making).
* I am grateful for my husband who set up the Christmas tree and ladder for me before he left for his hunting trip.
* I am grateful for my crazy cat Whiskers Jay who can't stay off the ladder to save his life which is really a crack up (he LOVES the ladder!!!).
* I am grateful for my warm home, plenty of food, a car that runs well, and $$$$ to spend today. I am so very blessed.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving at our house.
and full of reasons to be thankful.
♥
The schedule for Doug's annual deer hunt with his brothers fell on Thanksgiving this year. Rather than miss out on having everyone together, we decided to have dinner the Sunday before. So, while many of you are celebrating with your families today and having your first taste of turkey and pumpkin pie, all that remains of our leftovers is cranberry sauce. {I do have lots of leftover turkey and ham in the freezer.}
I had good intentions of taking a bunch of family photos, but I was too busy in the kitchen with these lovely ladies - my sisters-in-law:
Left to right are Janet and Laurie (Doug's brother's wives), Meta (Doug's sister), and yours truly. I love my SIL's and we do have some fun when we get together!
One of the things we love about holidays is the chance to see people we love. This year our niece Jessica was able to join us and brought her two sons along with her. This is the adorable little Brennan, youngest member of the family right now:
I'll close with these sweet baby photos, wishing each of you a very happy Thanksgiving Day full of bountiful blessings for you and your family.
November Attitude of Gratitude:
* I am so grateful that I have such an amazing family. And it's an even bigger blessing that when I can't be with my own family I have Doug's to call my own as well. I am blessed with some amazing in-laws.
* I am so grateful to be one of four awesome SIL's who enjoy each other's company so much.
* I am grateful for sweet babies like Brennan who remind us of the pure joy and innocence we all begin with.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
How do you feel?
Now that the weather is cooler, Fancy has taken
to being a lap cat again - surely for no other
reason but to stay warm...or maybe have a
better view of the TV?
I get daily horoscopes through email and read them for fun. The ones I receive usually just have a good message - almost an affirmation and I enjoy that. This morning it reads: "You feel content today -- which might be something of a rarity, so enjoy it! Your good personal energy guarantees that you're satisfied with what you've got, though your ambitious nature rears back up soon."
Today I feel very content.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Out with the old, in with the new...
It was just too cute to put away so soon. I loved that if you caught a glimpse out of the corner of your eye it looked like the silhouette of an animal standing outside the door.
As Doug and I sat outside on the patio one evening, looking into our family room we saw our cats lined up - kind of a blurry photo but I thought it was cute anyway. {And yes, that is a dead animal on our wall - Eddie the Elk.}
Now, the cat silhouette is put away and we are desperately trying to find the gratitude banner I made last year for Thanksgiving. I suspect it got put into a box with Christmas decorations but won't know until Doug pulls them out of the attic this afternoon. Once found, the banner will hang on our fireplace until Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - when it will be replaced by Christmas decorations.
What about you? Do you put decorations away as soon as the holiday is over? Or do you leave them out well past the day?
November Attitude of Gratitude
* I am grateful for furry friends ~ love my cats {Fancy Jane and Whiskers Jay}. They bring us love and entertainment every day. ♥ ♥
Friday, November 19, 2010
What does this look like to you?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Can she bake a cherry pie?
I'm not a pie girl. I love to bake, and I've made pies before, but not for a very long time, and never for Doug. I'll admit it right now, I used store-bought crust. {Note to Mom: Please don't tell Grandma!!!} I was pressed for time, and I had blueberries in the freezer that I'd purchased a few months ago when they were in season and on sale at my local grocery store.
Me - calling to Doug who was outside working on the patio: "Hey Doug, come see what I made you for your birthday..."
Doug - entering the house and taking a big whiff: "Mmmmmmm...something smells good!"
As he walked over to the stove I said, "It's blueberry."
Doug: "Blueberry pie? I love blueberry pie!"
I knew he'd say that. :o)
And then he noticed the design on the top and laughed that awesome belly laugh and told me that he loves me and gave me one of his big hugs that I love so much...
Happy birthday, Doug.
I love you too.
xoxoxoxo
♥
November Attitude of Gratitude:
* At the risk of being really really mushy, I'll just say that I'm so grateful to have a husband like Doug and leave it at that.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Downtown Deb
There was an accident on the freeway so traffic was at a stand still. I decided to take an exit and travel on surface streets which was a good idea, but still put me at the parking garage at 8:35 - and I was supposed to check in at 8:00! It was amazing how many other people were trailing behind me - I wasn't the only one with jury duty who was running late. The mood of everyone around me seemed the same. Grumpy. Irritated to be inconvenienced with a summons for jury duty. How dare our democracy demand our time to keep the judicial system fair. I'm missing work. I had to drive in traffic. I need more coffee.
And then something happened. We boarded the shuttle that would transport us from the parking garage where we had begrudgingly parked our cars, to the Maricopa Superior Court Building where we were potential jurors. The bus driver introduced himself as Walt, greeted each of us with a smile and acted like this was the greatest day ever.
I am happy.
I needed today to be just like it was.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Sale. {Well, it was sort of a sale...}
Our Arizona weather was perfect for the day. A little chilly in the morning, but fairly warm once the sun was overhead. My Girl C was there with us all day. She kept me happy and entertained, as usual.
I had intended to do individual posts showing what I've been working on for the past several weeks, but now that the boutique is a thing of the past, and I feel fairly behind on blogging {not to mention things that desperately need my attention around this house} I'm going to slam-dunk all the stuff into this post.
Tote bags: I made 19 of these. It was a lot of cutting through thick fabric with a rotary blade and my shoulder hates me for it. I made 11 of them last week alone because I was sure this would be a popular item. Wrong.
Made: 19
Sold: 2
Magnetic frames: I showed a couple of these in a previous post, here's another one that Blogger refuses to allow me to post in landscape view:
Made: 4
Sold: 1
I Spy Bags: Remember my Rainbow Rice Tutorial? I used the colored rice to fill "I Spy" bags. These are basically a 6"x6" bean bag design with a clear vinyl window on the front - filled with rice and little trinkets to find as the rice is moved around. I did some with rainbow rice, some with black and white, and some with pink and white.
Needless to say, I came home with a lot of leftover stuff. Most of it I will use for Christmas gifts...Doug thinks I should put it all in my Etsy shop but for some reason I don't really have the energy to mess with it, at least not right now.
We were a little disappointed about the lack of shoppers flowing through. The boutique was held in the courtyard of a church that was not visible from the main road that people drive by on, and there was no signage to advertise what was going on at the church. I think that the only people who came were the ones we (the vendors) had told.
Even though I wish I'd sold more stuff, it was still a nice day hanging out with Janae and her mom, and my Carrie. We also got to see a few craft friends we haven't seen for a while so that was a bonus.
Today I need a nap and some time on the couch with a blanket and my hubby to rub my sore feet. I really need to tackle the heap that I call my craft room, but it will be there waiting for me in a few days, I'm sure.