A few Projects ...

I have had a few heavenly days at home - gluing, cutting, glittering, ... LOVELY !!! Here are some photos of what I've done ...

These are some cards I made with the basic Grey Wassail papers.

And this is a gift bag using a Santa from an Etsy CD and a bunch of other stuff !! it !

And this little guy appeared in my bed Monday night ! His name is Iggle Piggle.He is from a kids' show of some kind ... don't know & doesn't matter ... I love him !! He is so vague, no hard lines, just a sweet smile. Who wouldn't love him ??
Have a great day !!

IT'S A MARSHMALLOW WORLD ...

WOW !! WOW!! THE SNOW ... all that beautiful SNOW !! I can't believe how much we had ... it was amazing !! We got up Saturday & headed out to work ... got as far as the house next door where we drove in to a BIG drift. We just barely got through it ... we waited for the wind to stop so we could see ... and what to our wondering eyes should appear ? Well , a LOOOONG stretch of even bigger drifts. We were NOT getting through there !! So we turned around & went home to wait for the plow. AND IT WAS LOVELY !!! A STORM DAY ... NO SCHOOL !!! WAHOO !!
The plow went by a little after 1pm so we saddled up & headed to town, partner. The road was already blowing in - we knew we had the usual 1 hour window of off-the-mountain-time. So we fed the cats, checked the phones, bought some milk & storm food, rented movies, and headed back home. But not before I stood in the middle of the parking lot & surveyed the glory of it all. And, it WAS glorious !! At that point it was lightly snowing, not windy, and sooo beautiful. Big SIGH. And then we were off !! It was a very tricky slippery slidey lean-forward trip up the mountain with no snow tires. YIKES !! ( I always lean forward in the car because somehow I think the weight shift forward helps propel the car up - I'm sure if Charlie did it too we would have even less problem, but he doesn't seem to see the scientific merit ...)
Next day was the same - a wee trip to town - don't stay too long, you'll never get back up the mountain - and then more of the same. The same ? By that I mean, being home , warm & snuggly, with no where to go and nothing important to do. THE BEST !!! Snow days are the greatest !! So great, in fact, that I am taking another one today. Charlie was able to get to work but I'm sure two of us in the car would never have made it ....
My only regret? My feet and legs are now in clothing prison ... UGH !! I had to put on long pants and a pair of socks . I could hear the feet screams all day !!! But I DID NOT WEAR BOOTS !!! No way! Clogs & socks - that is as far as I will go !! Sorry feet !

Something to Ponder ....

"Our stories are singular but our destinies are shared."
This is a quote from Barrack Obama's speech the night of the US election. When I heard that, I immediately scribbled it down -(it was almost 2am and I was fairly certain I wouldn't remember it the next day !) They were words I wanted to remember. They still give me little shivers. Every day I am reminded of how we are all out there living large, living our singular lives, and then we mesh out into the lives of our loved ones, and those lives are then a shared part of ours. And then we are all part of something bigger. Our actions resonate in lives we aren't even aware of. It makes me see that we all have the power, in one way or another, to bring about change or to improve things. My small action can start a chain reaction which could bring about something much bigger. A smile, a bit of kindness, a donation, writing a letter, even biting your tongue and NOT saying something ... who knows where it all might lead ? We have all seen and felt how far mean & cruel acts travel - surely kindness can go further.
We often feel helpless against the big world issues but I guess if everyone decided to improve their little corner of the world , the big issues would become smaller & maybe even unravel. Food for thought.

GROUNDBREAKING and GROUNDCOVERING DAY !!!

Hello !!
Yesterday was historic and oh, so special !! IT SNOWED !!! I saw a flake in the afternoon - yes A flake. I was excited but hoped for more. By 5:30 it was more. Windy blowy snow. And when we got home , it was snowing in PG too which isn't always the case. I looked out at 11:30pm and the GROUND WAS WHITE !!! I was so excited to finally see it !! ( Still in barefeet though ... it will have to be a lot more to make me wear socks ..)
AND then it was also a GROUNBREAKING DAY !! I learned to write under pictures and also to resize my photos. EVIDENCE : post below. The proof is in the post ... And there may be the slightest sign of my early frustration with the resizing. It wasn't working so I changed a few things and a bit snappily super downsized the photos. Of course, the resizing worked that time so I have TINY photos. Next time though they will be fine. All a learning curve !!!
So learn something great today ... and touch some snow. Or let it touch you.

THANK

YOU

MYLETA !!!

OLD DOG LEARNING NEW TRICKS !!!

A FABULOUS Day !

Wow, another fabulous day !! Spoonster, Skully, and I headed out for adventure yesterday and our trail took us to Berwick (adventure capital of the valley !!) We went to Wheaton's & it was beautiful !! All the lovely Christmas decorations and the heirloom pieces ... so amazing !! Then we had a delicious lunch - best salad I may have ever had ! - and great conversation. The warmth of our friendship is awesome. When I sit talking with these two I really am unaware that there is anyone else around. We are our own little unit. Talk & laughter flow freely and everything is right in the world. We are in our happy place. And as a wise spoonplaying postie said "I love you guys !". We made a few more stops & our magical day had once again FLOWN BY ! We headed home with our treasures , stories to tell our beloveds, and our happy thoughts. Life really is the best !! The only thing missing was Haddie Bit but next time.

How do you like the photo - isn't that funny ? That is Emma & she flopped over and fell asleep in my fall tray arrangement. Apparently, pumpkins make excellent pillows ! May your day be that comfy & relaxed !!!

hmmm ... let's catch up ...

Well it's been a wee bit since I posted anything but I can't think of anything remarkable to tell you !! Time has flown by, been busy, been not busy, cooked, ate , slept, laughed, loved, shopped, ... the usual... and wonderful usual I might add. But nothing remarkable or photo worthy. So instead I am turning my mind to what I want to do for Christmas. This is big as "nothing" is my usual !!!

THE BIG LIST OF THINGS TO DO FOR CHRISTMAS 2008...

1. Have a Christmas party with my friends. (okay, that's weird. My friends - as opposed to what ? People I don't know ??)

2. Maybe put up a tree. Not any tree - my fluffy white tree all bedecked in funky festive splendor. We'll see - there is mounting pressure . Bribes even ... right Laura ??

3. Make a kick-ass advent calendar - not sure why. Counting down the days is definitely not my thing !! I could care less bit I think it would be a fun project to make.

4. Make most of the gifts I am giving friends & my gramma. And , most importantly, ENJOY making the gifts. Not that frantic, "Oh my God, why did I not just buy something ?!!" I want this to be THE EXPERIENCE as well as the GIFT.

5. Think of something special for my customers - they are pretty rockin' people !!

6. No cookies. But I do want to make little bags of popcorn, nuts, etc... to give randomly.

7. Cat stockings. (self explanatory, I believe)

8. Maybe buy a few gifts. Well thought out gifts. With meaning.

9. Not get caught up in crazy buying.

10. I am not crazy about Christmas ... you may know that ... but I want to try to embrace the spirit of giving, sharing, and love for my fellow people that Christmas is supposed to be. That's my goal.

The Jewish have a philosophy that we should all be a light unto the world. NOW THAT is my goal. I have a little bit of work to do but I am going to try !!

Have a wonderful day & look for FLURRIES (yay) tomorrow !!!

WHIRLING DERVISH

That's what I am. A whirling dervish. It's one of those things I always heard as a kid... "What are you, a whirling dervish?" ... but I actually never knew what it was. A Dervish is a religious person from Turkey and the whirling comes from an exuberant spinning dance that sends them to religious ecstasy. I saw them once on TV and was fascinated to actually see what it was.
So that's what I am .... except you won't see me whirling down the street ... I may even seem a bit distracted or tired. But INSIDE I am a WHIRLING DERVISH. I have become CONSUMED by making-doing-stitching-cutting-gluing-painting-glittering-binding-soldering-printing-writing .... on & on. I have all these burning desires inside of me to CREATE. And I am. But while I do I am being inspired for MORE and MORE and MORE ... Every word, colour, texture, phrase, sight, sound, smell, ... brings me to more ideas. A friend will show me what she has made or discuss what she wants to make and I see little tree roots shooting off in another direction with something else. I feel my mind & heart spinning spinning spinning spinning spinning ... whirling dervishly to ecstasy. Wow - I am over flowing with inspiration. But I feel like I need to slow it down somehow , harness it , grab it & shove it in a jar. It is a glorious feeling but sometimes I think it might consume me !! Hmmm ... eaten alive by creativity .... oh, well, it would be right up there with drowning in a giant pina colada !!
Create something spectacular this weekend !!

CREATIVITY BUFFET & Look Elsewhere for Modesty !!

Okay ... first things first ... those crappy days ? I kicked them in the bum and sent them packing !! But now I am in shock that it is approaching the MIDDLE of November ??! No way !

It's been busy and slow the last almost week. The perfect balance !

A little recap ... We went to Eisners newly re-openned restaurant ( mixed reviews there), went to New Minas & by sheer accident bought a few Christmas gifts ( love when it just happens AND they are on sale !!), spent ALL DAY Sunday at home (bliss !) , stayed home Monday & then went to a birthday party & had a great time !, then home Tuesday for more bliss . Watched 2 movies : The Happening (liked it) and 88Minutes ( really good thriller).

BUT most importantly .... I created !! If creating is the food of my soul then my soul was at an ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET !!!! I made 2 books - one "The Book of Pancakes" for our friend's birthday and the other "The ABCs of Life" for my friend Brenda's birthday. Then I made a rockin' candle holder. Then a Basic Grey book that I AM IN LOVE WITH !!! Oh, by the way, if you were expecting modesty - WRONG PLACE !!! I always am sooo happy with what I make , lovin' it & proud. No fake modesty here !! Then I made a FAB cone out of this gorgeous flocked paper, and then ANOTHER book with My Mind's Eye Be Merry. I AM SOOOO THRILLED !! It was hard to give up the paper palace & trot off to work this morning ... but it will give me a chance to get more supplies .... and I have ANOTHER box of yumminess to unpack. Anyway, great times all around ... you have some great times today too !!

Turn Around is SLLOOOOOOOW...

Okay, yesterday didn't improve too much ... I spent 1 & 1/2 hours balancing my chequebook by making the same mistake 50 times ....I forgot stuff .... I wrote the wrong account # on a payment and it was among the missing ... BUT I had my POLLYANNA glasses on so I was determined not to let it get me. So the day was okay because I was sure it was going to get better. Here's the upside - it didn't really reach a whole new level of worse ...
So today IS going to be better. I have already poked the side of my eye on a peg hook, had a vacuum not want to work, seen massive amounts of cat puke, the raccoons did NOT pick up their garbage that I left yesterday, but I bought myself a coffee and I am DETERMINED to have a good god damn day ... no matter what !HAHA !!! You can't get me bad day !!
Have a great one - I will !!!

Let's Turn this Sucky Day Around !!

Okay, so far ... TODAY SUCKS !! I have a headache, my email didn't work I spent 1 hour getting that going, my US - freakin'whatever-B port won't recognize my camera so no photo ( and I had one to share ... ergh!), there is garbage all over the backyard from a destructive crappy raccoon ( my strategy there is to ignore it until later when I am feeling a bit nicer !!) ...
SO LET'S TURN THIS TRAINWRECK AROUND !!! NO MORE CRAP !!!
I think I'll tell about my last 4 days... that will be cheerier !
* went to Halifax for my dad's birthday. Had a fun day & bought some nice things ... and wonderful magazines. Had a nice dinner. Good times !
* I SAW JUPITER !!! How cool is that ?! I saw it through a super duper telescope so I got to see the moons & cloud on the surface. THAT ROCKED !!!
* had the bandmates over ... fun as always, even though I may have let them down a bit. But I'm sure it happens in all great bands .
* went to another BIRTHDAY DINNER ... yep, that's right, I have stretched my b'day to a full week. Had a great time with the Phuong family and my pal Jason. Thanks for the card Jason ... you are too funny !!
* spent some quality crafting time... did a "JOY" foldout and almost finished a little book called the ABCs of Life. Happy times !!
* had my family over for supper for Dad's birthday. Good pork stew, crusty bread, and angel cake & fruit. Yum & relaxingly easy !
* watched the US election and felt that maybe this is the dawning of a new era ... hope so !
( Now if only we could pick someone good here ...)
Okay ... these things are all putting a better spin on the day. Things are looking up !! Have a good one !

Wait November !! I Still Want to Talk Hallowe'en !!

Oh, Hallowe'en was great ! I am not ready to leave it or October yet, so you, big ol' November, can wait. Maybe I'll give you an extra day at the end if you're good too !!

This month has been WONDERFUL !! We had so many fun times & busy days in October. Always has been my favourite month but this just upped the ante. We had our Outrageous Act morning, our Mermaid Party and all the fun prep, The Pumpkin Regatta, The Second Annual Pumpkin Carving Party, a Pampered Chef party, many birthday parties (heehee - love it !!), Bead & Eat, the almost completion of THE ROOM at home, some crafting time, some reading time, new windows, a fun trip to Halifax, the stone cottages, and then, on top of it all, we get to TRICK or TREAT ??!!! Wow, our karma must have been super freakin' good this month !!!

We left work last night & rushed to the Superstore ... for cat food ... but also to see what was on sale for Hallowe'en . Ooo... the mother lode !!! We got 4 sets of cool lights and 2 furry headbands - mine with purple spangly bats & Charlie's with spider webs complete with spider. We were ready. Off to get Brandon & Jason. Brandon was a crazy little saber wielding ghost but Jason had no costume. That's cool - another chance to dig through the mark down stuff !!! So we got him a cape & a mask & a big knife. So then we had to get weapons ... felt vulnerable with 2 knife wielding kids ... so big old Viking style axes for us and a huge furry spider and a purple witch hat. Then we were good to go !!!

We TRICK or TREATED and had a great time. Then we came to Middleton to track down Spoonster a.k.a. DIANA ROSS. But ... we heard the fire siren. Ahhh ... a childhood memory came flooding back. We used to go to the firehall every year and go on the firetruck. That's right ... ON TOP of the fire truck !! How COOL is that ??? Then the truck would go through town with its load of costumed kids, sirens wailing and lights flashing. As a kid , it was AWESOME !!! So the kids lined up for their ride. Charlie went along. Brandon loved it - wanted to go again. Charlie & Jason , who both have longer legs than the average 6 year old, found it to be a bit painful. Charlie said he tried to use his Viking ax to cut off his leg that had gone completely numb but it wouldn't work. We then continued our search for Diana ... found her in her nightgown & sparkly eyeshadow ... but we all got to see pictures of the show !! We then played with Stephens skeleton in a cage "Hey, let me out of here !!" and then we delivered the Halloweenies home complete with BIG BAGS OF CANDY !! A little more visiting, some candy eating, and some more laughs, and we too were on our way home. Another great Hallowe'en !!

oh, here's a funny little story ... Jason went to one house where he said the man knew him, called him by name, but Jason didn't recognize him. Hours later we realized Jason's costume was "Jason" from the movie Hallowe'en . The guy simply knew the movie !!!