Just to wish....

you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas or Happy Hanukkah! May you and your families be blessed with good health and happiness and may love and peace be with you today and every day of the New Year! God Bless!

Christmas is for Children

We have the two cutest kids that live next door. Two little boys, Jessie and Justin. I just love watching them play together, riding their bikes pretending to be cops, or motorcycle racers, playing tag, just boys being boys but they play so well together. I have never seen them fight with one another. I have never seen them disobey when they are called inside, Their parents have told them not to come into our yard without permission and they won't. Even if their ball comes into our yard, they will not come in to get it until one of us comes outside and then they ask. They came over when Joe was working in our garden and asked a million questions about growing things and what veggies he was growing, helping him pull weeds. And when it came time to harvest, they were so excited when Joe gave them some to take home. They would always come back and tell us how good it was and how they ate it "all up" as they were rubbing their tummies. I am sure they are not as perfect as they seem to me...I am sure their Mom would tell me that they are not the perfect little boys that I think they are. But they just tickle me. Their Dad just lost his job and has been picking up some part time work with my husband so I am afraid that (like all too many families) Christmas may be a little sparse. We always donate to Toys for Tots but this year I told Joe that I wanted to get these two little guys the toys we normally donate.

I have always enjoyed making Christmas and Santa magical for my kids and I miss that now that they are older. We did Santa's footprints, magic dust at the Fireplace, a piece of velvet left where Santa caught it on the chimney, a sleigh bell left on the porch roof anything we could think of to keep the magic alive. So, of course, I couldn't just give these two the presents from Joe and I. It had to be "magical". I decided that the presents would come from Santa's elves. So I found a cute coloring book image at www.PheeMcFarland.com, colored him in and named him Fribble, the Executive Head Elf. The elves get together every year and put all the good little boy's and girl's names in a hat and they pick two names out and give them an extra present. Kind of like a "Good Kid Lottery". Here's what I came up with:

Cute? I thought this way, they would not expect it every year and, of course, hopefully, it will make them feel special.

Then I was thinking about how big "Elf on the Shelf " is and this could work with that. If you have an Elf on the Shelf, you could use this with that and make the presents from your Elf.

I didn't create any of this so I cannot take any credit for them except for the coloring. Since it not my design I would suggest PU only. I have put together a little "kit" for you to use if you would like...

You can download it HERE

I've included the original coloring book image, the pieces I used and also a page of tags. I hope you enjoy!

I also want to thank you all for your nice comments and to answer a couple of questions that have come up.

Grambie...I am so thrilled to hear from you! I have thought about you so often and hoped that you were doing well. You always brought a smile to my day with your sweet comments.

No, unfortunately, I have not heard from Anita. I did send her a few emails but...I miss her as well.

I have already made a memory locket for my daughter's bouquet as suggested by Val with her grandfather's pictures in them and a horseshoe dangling from it. (An Irish custom for good luck) I am making her a brooch bouquet, I think I already told you that and so far it is coming out beautifully. Still need more brooches and it is a lot of work but fairly easy to do. I now understand why they cost so much on Etsy!

No, I do not have any plans to open up memberships again. I just don't think I could keep up with the demands of that. So many have emailed me about the old kits and could they get them so I have been toying with the idea of opening up on Etsy and posting some of the old kits there as well as new ones. I just don't think I could design on a time line for now but I missed designing. Not sure how it will work out since there are so many great designers out there and styles have changed quite a bit. Maybe my designs are too "dated'? I don't know just yet what I will do.

And, NO! I am not ready for Christmas yet! I am so far behind...just can't seem to get moving. the only thing saving me is that with the kids being older, money is an appropriate gift! My son wants to build a computer and needs money to buy the parts he wants and we bought my daughter and her fiance two new doors for their house after they were broken into that were more secure then the ones they had. So I am just picking up a few little things so there will be something to open. Have no idea what to get Joe or my Mom, the tree (OMG..the tree saga continues!) is still not up and so far I have a centerpiece on the dining room table and the wreath on the door...that's it for decorations! I have my daughter coming down this weekend for her birthday dinner so maybe I can enlist their help in getting some things done!!

I think that is about it. Think I should finish up my cup of coffee and get my day started.

Have a great day, my friends!

Getting ready for Christmas?

I guess it is that time of year again...let the hectic race to the finish begin! I do love Christmas but it is too much for me to keep up with what I have done in the past... 2 Christmas trees, decorations in every room, candles in every window (our house has over 30 windows between mine and my Mom's floors), the baking, making presents, the shopping...I'm exhausted before I begin! So despite my desire to do it all, I have decided to eliminate some of it and try to enjoy what the season really means instead of being too tired to appreciate it.

My first decision was to put up only 1 1/2 trees. Okay, you really cannot put up half a tree but instead of the big family tree, I thought I would put up a 4 1/2 foot tree and give the 7 1/2 foot Martha Stewart tree that I bought new last year to my daughter. I had bought it last year because it was pre-lit and supposedly easy to put up and take down. It was gorgeous but it was still a lot of work to put up and take down and my back was shot by the time I was finished. So..sent it up to my daughter so that she would not have to buy a tree. She was thrilled... I ,mean a good tree is not cheap and since they are trying to save for their wedding, and the added expense of having to theft proof their house since they were robbed last month, every dollar helps. I am such a good Mom, right? Well, maybe not...last weekend they decide to start decorating. Put up the tree and realize that they have a 7 1/2 foot tree and their ceilings are 7 1/2 feet! But. I guess the tree is not quite the height it says it is and there would have been just enough room to put on a tree topper. Then, they plug it in................

Lovely, isn't it?

They tried EVERYTHING including going to Home Depot and looking at Martha's tree but they have changed the design of the lighting set-up in this year's models. I had read last year that some people had trouble getting all the lights to work and if they weren't plugged in just right, they wouldn't all light. The parts that are out will not even light when plugged directly into the outlet. They spent 2 days working on it before they finally gave up and took it down. She is going to call them and see what they can do since it does have a 2 year warranty and, maybe with all the other complaints about the lighting, they will make good on it. Geez, a $300+ tree, used once and now it is not good for anything! They went out and bought a live tree for $40 but then had to buy lights so my attempt to save them money was a bust!

So, Jess is not too thrilled with Martha. She had bought a patio set of her brand from Home Depot and after having it about 2 weeks, they came home one day to find the glass top shattered. Nothing had fallen on it, it wasn't in the direct sun, just shattered for no apparent reason. They contacted the company and Home Depot and were told that this sometimes happens?!? The store did not have any more in stock so the did reimburse them for it. Hopefully, they will be as helpful with the tree! Come on, Martha! I love you but a little quality control, please!

I will be going up to her house on Saturday for a jewelry party along with my Mom, Jeff's Mom and one of the bridesmaids. When their house was broken into, they stole every bit of jewelry she owned except for what she was wearing. She was heart broken since 2 of the pieces were gifts from her grandfathers, who are no longer with us, and she had planned on wearing them for her wedding so she would have their presence with her on her big day. I thought with our home being broken into twice would have been enough but I guess she has inherited our bad luck. So she is having a party to try and restock some accessories.

And, to top it all off. they day they were leaving for Florida to visit Jeff's grandparents for Thanksgiving, they discovered that someone had hacked into their bank account! Poor kid! She works so hard...they both do and they are NICE people. they don't deserve this run of bad luck.

Enough with the downer stuff! We are getting into this wedding big time now. Two weekends ago, we went gown shopping! You Mom's will understand what a big moment this was for me! To see your baby girl in a wedding gown... a day you started dreaming about from the moment you knew you had a daughter! She was beautiful in almost every gown she tried on but not quite ready to make a decision. The 2 that she really liked were 3 sizes too small so she really couldn't tell which would be the best so she is going to try another salon to see if they have a size closer to hers. She wants a vintage/rustic theme and either gown would be great. She wants to carry a brooch bouquet so I told her that I would make one for her so I am now on the hunt for rhinestone and pearl brooches. I have quite a few already and have started to play around with putting the bouquet together and I think it is going to be spectacular. She thinks, and I have to agree with her, that flowers for the bouquets are a waste of money. This bouquet she will be able to save since it will have a base of silks. She is thinking of her having bridesmaids carry an embellished clutch purse which I think is great. She does have a good head on her shoulders when it comes to money and her venue and food were the two items that she splurged on and the rest she wants to do as much DIY and DIM (do it Mom) as possible. I designed their Save the Dates and we are now working on their invitations. So much fun! I will keep you posted on her wedding plans...wish I could invite you!

I do have a kit for you! In the Christmas spirit so it is a Christmas kit. Kinda funky and fun, relaxed and casual. It will only be available for 2 weeks so get it while it's hot! I have decided not to keep the downloads up forever because I may be going the Etsy route. But for those of you that have kept me on their updates and feeds...you get first crack!

Download HERE

I hope you enjoy! Leave me a comment so I know that I am not talking to the wind, okay?

That's it!!

Okay, I think I finally got it working...if not I think I will take my toys and go back to my corner!

A Big Time OOPS!

I am so sorry...don't know how I missed putting the alpha in the file but it is all fixed now! I guess I am juast out of practice!!

Thank you all for the sweet comments...I have missed you all too. so please re-download and enjoy!

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Back from the dead?

Not sure how many of you will be reading this since I have been gone for so long! I recently received a few emails from some "old" members asking how I was, saying that they continue to check my blog to see if I have updated or even just to say "hi" and it really made me feel good to think that I was missed! So, I thought that I would pop in, say hi and let you know how I was doing and to say thank you to all of you that have kept me in your thoughts and prayers!

Really not much has changed. Still in pain although it does seem to be a little better in some areas and worse in others. I did not have the surgery on my back since they could not guarantee me that it would really help so I thought, "Why put myself through all that and not receive any benefit or, even be worse off than I already am?" Most days I just plug along and to be honest, the pain is far out-weighed by the lack of energy. My family has gotten quite used to having to wake me up to tell me to go to bed because it seems like if I sit down, the eyes close! There must be a direct link between my butt and my eyelids!

The family is doing well now. We did go through a very rough patch with my son and I would like to say that he learned from it but I am afraid that he did not. He is back living here at home and although I love him dearly I am not sure that out weighs the mess that it has caused!! I had gotten the house pretty much all in order and had the cleaning down to a manageable routine and now that is all shot to hell. I am sure that he will be moving out somewhere in the not too distant future so for now...I will deal with it and try to focus on the blessings of having him here.

My daughter has moved to Massachusetts (because of her fiance's relocation) and it about broke my heart. Although she is only 2 1/2 hours away it is too far for me to drive by myself so I can't just hop in the car and see her as often as I would like. Even driving up there with Joe does a number on me with the vibrations of the car/truck. Last Christmas started a whirlwind of activity here with my son moving home, her moving to Massachusetts and her getting engaged! It all happened in one month and all around Christmas so hectic became a lifestyle for about 2 months until everyone was settled! She and Jeff found a great house and although they moved in in January, unfortunately her job was still down here. The company allowed her to telecommute for part of the week and then she would stay here when she actually had to be in the office. She finally got transferred up there last month, thankfully because the amount of driving she was doing and the confusion it was causing her with her schooling was really taking its toll on her...can we say "_itchy"? She was exhausted and frustrated and just wanted not to be living out of a suitcase and be able to actually enjoy her first home. Now they are busy doing some redecorating and is much more calm and, yes, pleasant! We are starting to plan in earnest for the wedding which will be in September and I am so excited but we can talk more about that later!!

Joe and I are fine except he is working too hard and that makes for long lonely days for me but I really should not complain since with this economy we are very lucky that his business is still doing well. Being a self employed painter/contractor for the most part has not been too profitable for most people but he has managed to keep busy and find new jobs. My Mom is still kicking and, really, does better than me most of the time!

As for designing...I started to play around again but really haven't done too much. I lost quite a lot of my own design resources so it means designing from scratch every time I want to do something. I had so much that I had scanned and extracted, lace and bows and such that it seems overwhelming to have to do it all over again especially with the set up that I have.
But, we are in the middle of turning my daughter's room into MY craft room with a big desk so that hopefully it will be more convenient to do stuff. I think you guys would be surprised if you could have seen how I had to work before...in a little corner desk set up with a broken keyboard shelf! I might as well kept my keyboard on my lap! And the angles of everything really would do a number on my neck! Hopefully, with the new set-up I can be more comfortable. have my printer/scanner right at arm's length away and finally get organized!

But, I have done something and I thought I would share it with you all. It is small... an alpha. I got the idea from something I saw on Pinterest. Oh, have you been bitten by that little addiction yet? What a great idea but oh, so addicting! My daughter and I signed up so we could exchange ideas that we saw for the wedding and now I have a list of "when I have the time" projects that would take me until I am 160!

So, here we go... I hope you enjoy! And again, thank you for those that have sent me notes over the past year and a half! I always said that I had the best members/friends that a blogger could have and you continue to prove me right!

This is for Commercial Use...you can re-color to your heart's content! Please read the new TOU and leave me a comment, okay?

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Hopefully it will not be another couple of years before you hear from me again!

Just an update

So many of you have sent emails asking how I am doing and offering prayers for me and it means so much to me even if I don't get everyone answered. I thought I would give you an update..well at least as much of an update as I can since I still don't know what the hell is going on!! LOL!

I saw the neurosurgeon on the 15th. I have known this man for almost 20 years since working with him in the OR and again as my surgeon when he did the fusion in my neck, and I think the world of him. Apparently, others also have the same opinion since he is rated one of the top neurosurgeons in the country...lucky me! Anyway, he had told me after doing my neck, that he really did not want to do anything to my lower back since it was in such bad shape. My spine has been deteriorating since I was in my 20's , maybe even before but that was when we discovered it after herniating a disc lifting a patient. What I needed then was a fusion in the lumbar area but there were no good vertebrae to fuse to and if he did do a fusion, it would severely jeopardize the thoracic area which was not much better. Fast forward to now, the pain and the numbness in my legs has gotten to the point that something HAS to be done before I lose the feeling in my left leg. Now, since I have this stimulator thingy in me, I cannot have an MRI and the cat scan does not show a clear enough picture for him to decide what he can risk doing so I have to have a myelogram which I am now waiting for my insurance company to approve. DH went with me for the appointment and to say that he was floored when he was going over the films was an understatement. When a lay person can see a film and see that it isn't normal......! Even I was really prepared for how bad it would look...the stenosis in some areas is really severe where it is really impeaching the spinal cord, almost every disc is in some degree of herniation due to the deterioration of my spine and the scoliosis, and probably 80% of the vertebrae have bone spurs, some of which are larger than the vertebrae themselves. To say that it was depressing looking at that mess, minimizes how I felt. I left the office in tears. (It did get me a nice breakfast though since DH felt bad!) He really doesn't know yet what he can do, have to wait until after the myelogram for that but it will mean surgery of some sort.

So, I go from having my own little pity party to a false happy face to trying to get things done that I know I won't be able to do after...the holidays are coming up, who's going to cook dinner and get everything done....I mean really!!! Can we say neurotic!!! LOL! DH has been wonderful even if he doesn't quite know what to say but he just keeps saying that it will all work out...has even sworn that he will fore go his hunting season this year! Awwwwww!

So, that is where I am at...still no real definitive answers, still in pain, still pissed off that this body is letting me down and still trying not to take the pain meds so I can stay awake if I sit down! Most of the time, I do pretty well and can put it on the back burner but there are times that it gets to me and I am a dripping puddle of tears. Not so much because this is such a terrible dreadful disease..believe me I know that there could be worse things, but because it prevents me from doing the things that I enjoy. DH surprised me with tickets to the Paul McCartney concert in Boston and it was so hard to get excited about going since I knew that I was going to be limited on getting around and that it would take me days to recover even from the drive to Boston. We did go and the concert was just absolutely awesome but I just felt bad for DH! THAT is what gets me down....Damn it! This is the time that the two of us should be off doing things we enjoy!

Okay, enough of my pity party! Really, I am okay just sometimes need to vent about it. Like I said...things could be much worse.

On an up side! DS has a girlfriend! And, WE (meaning DH and I) like her ALOT! I am just so thrilled for him. It seems like for the past couple of years his luck has been terrible and he has really had no fun! He is walking around grinning from ear to ear and I could not be happier for him and the fact that we also like her, is such a big plus! DD has started her Master's courses after getting accepted into the school she wanted so at least for the younger generation in our home, things are good!

So, there you have it. So many of you have asked when I will be doing memberships again and I really do not know what to tell you. I do not want to open them up and then not be able to fulfill my commitments to you. Right now, even when I try to sit and design, either the pain gets to me or I find myself nodding off at the computer! LOL! My snoring wakes me up so I just shut it down and go lay down before I fall out of my chair! These Golden Years ain't what MaMa promised!!!

Hugs to you all! Thank you all for the prayers and messages. You, my very special cyber-friends, really bring sunshine into my life!!