New Year's Eve!

It's snowed this morning...It's quiet...Tonight the sleet and snow is just pouring down..........PLEASE! Have a safe New Year's Eve!

Cleaning up!

Is it me or does there just seem to be a mountain of laundry after the holidays? Between the linens and the cleaning rags and the clothes--it seems I am doing laundry every day this week.
Christmas clean up will continue later. Today I hope to be taking my granddaughter and Aunt and nephew on a road trip!

Xmas revisited

I didn't get as many pics as I normally do this Christmas. But for my brother who couldn't make it this year--

Of course there were crackers and crowns:

Dogs all over the place and the yule log video on (:D) The traditional nerf gun war that went on between the boys--er--men. At one point, Helena picked up someone's nerf gun and shot Peter. It hit him in the eye, which he said was his Ralphy moment.

Laughter :)

And a new photographer in the bunch (say cheese!):

First you dress the dogs, now you make me wear this weird hat?

Look at handsome in the wonderful bib Aunt Bube made him. Thanks Sandra, he and Miss Helena were thrilled!

St. Stephens Day

I had taken Seamus to the nursing home on Christmas Eve day to visit Nana. Then she was whisked off to my cousins house for Christmas Day. Today the whole family descended on her (we rented a dining room in the home) and celebrated Christmas with her. What a nice day. We had some sad news today as my great-uncle has passed. He was 88 years old and lived longer than any of his siblings. My heart goes out to his children and all his many grandchildren who adored him....

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours: Have a safe and blessed holiday!

Ready for Christmas

After many years of prodding, my husband finally replaced the fabric on our old dining room chairs--and he FINISHED the job. I love the new fabric and think it really makes the chairs look so sweet! I've had this fabric for YEARS!

I joined a new Yahoo Christmas group and they had a link to a "10 minute tablerunner" they shared. It took me more than 10 minutes but I made 3 different ones. These were unfinished when I photographed them; they are done now! This one is for Jess and Peter:

I love this fabric and hope they will too!

Two other presents :

Santa Paws and other musings...

Oh how my dogs make me smile! Every year we take Helena to see Santa and we haven't this year because of snow storms and our Santa's schedule. Hopefully we can arrange to do that after school one day. I was getting concerned that we wouldn't get our annual picture.

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My hands are awful right now due to baking cookies. I tried to pace myself but it still seems like rolling dough it is too much on my wrists. I did get the sugar cookies, gingerbread, lemon cookies and some lemon raspberry cookies done as well as some regular drop cookies. I am wearing my carpel brace all the time until it gets better. So I stopped the baking for now.

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Getting old is a bit liberating. I am wondering why I bake all these cookies anymore. It was different when I baked for the boys, and to supply my grandmother with cookies for when the family was at her house. But Nana is in a nursing home now, the boys are busy with their own lives and I need to cut back (somebody PLEASE remind me of this next year). I don't even think the kids would notice if I didn't do as much. My husband might but even he isn't picking at the cookies the way he used to (he is on a real ice cream bender right now).

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Next Christmas should be a little bit easier. I've decided to buy one gift card a month and I've joined two cyber groups that should make Christmas easier. One cyber group is shooting to make one present every two weeks and the other group starts in July with Christmas sewing. I usually begin in March anyway so I think it will be good to get more ideas and get moving. Don't get me wrong, I'm done for Christmas but I didn't make many presents this year because my hands. I was just getting back into the swing of things when I had this setback again.

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One bright spot, my husband is moving out of the attic all together! After his accident three years ago, he moved his fly tying bench up there because it was warmer than his basement man cave. He really hasn't done any fly tying but he's decided to move it all back down to the man cave and I will have more (and safer) space for Helena's toys. Maybe I can even put a table up there to catch up on scrapbooking and my sunbonnet research.

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We're off to the farmer's market this morning for some last minute things! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Making Merry!

My mother was insistent that we dress the dogs up and photograph them. She sincerely thought it would be possible to dress and photograph 5 poodles (is this an early sign of dementia?).

I call this picture: Some treats are just not worth it. Notice how this is only the young dogs? The old dogs are just too wise to be taken in by biscuits

below: two insulted old gals

YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT???
Please help me...Please help me...Please help me...

Seamus the elf. He really looks pathetic, doesn't he?

You didn't think it was possible to be even more humiliated? Think again. My Mother has a WHOLE box marked "dog costumes". She may only have two dogs but true to her regular shopoholic habits, she has tons of costumes for the pets.

Greta is suffering from costume paralysis. She layed down and refused to get up. My mother could not stop laughing.

Is this anyway to treat an old broad?

Greta tells mom to stop laughing!

"What the heck is going on here?"

Teddy was actually content. He was getting biscuits and could wear his hat cocked like Dean Martin :)

Merry Christmas!

The Lull Before the Storm: Downy Woodpecker

a merry little Christmas!

Zoomer, our cat mascot :) pic nabbed from Sandra's blog

On the whatever day of Christmas, Zoomer and Sandra sent to me:

3 Bibs for Miles

(with dog treats on the blue ones and look at this clever snowman one!!!)

Two Gingerbread zipper bags for Nana

(cuz we all know gingerbread cookies are Nana's fav!)

and a Pink Cupcake Tote for Helena Grace :D(it's pink, it has cupcakes on it--nuff said!!)
I am so touched and in awe of my crafting friends! I have got to get my act together and get more done in 2010. That is my goal~!

Worth doing or not?

I'm really running through my UFOs at this point. I am hoping to get most of them done before the new year so I can really concentrate on the projects that I want to do. This is a scrap wall hanging. For some reason, I can never get into finishing it. In the meantime, I got two more basted yesterday and hope to work on them this evening!

Me and My Teddy Bear

This is our dog Teddy. He looks like a big fluffernutter but he is our insecure middle child who barks an incessant amount and is dog aggressive. When we got our youngest dog Seamus, we were concerned how Teddy would behave towards him. We didn't know about Seamus' therapy magic (he was born with a special loving gift) but we marvelled at what good friends they became and how patient Teddy was with this little puppy who jumped on him and tried to nibble his ears.
Instead they became best friends and true brothers. These are some pics from this past week...I just marvel at the relationship between them!
A truly candid shot that looks like one of those family shots you get the photographer!

Snugglers :)

Always making room at the Inn...

An early Christmas for me!

Look at the wonderful Xmas presents that my secret sister, Carolyn, sent to me! I wasn't expecting this and after some wrangling of our postal worker (won't even go there--this is a negative free blog) I was just so surprised! I'm blown away. The table runner is going to look great on our table this Christmas (we are still crafting so can't put it on yet). She also sent me a journal, a charm,and a little kit of a sailboat. I'm in love with the purse she sent me. It has 3 sections and the colors are fantastic for this gardener. Thank you Carolyn! I am just blown away!!!

Virtual Quilt Show

I'm a bit slow on things these days with Christmas prep in full swing. But my buddy at SewCalGal is having a virtual holiday craft tour and asked me to participate! I've been sneaking peaks at the other sites and can't seem to get enough of holiday crafts this year! I hope you take a visit and check out the wonderful projects! :)

Images to warm us up!

It seems to be cold all over the U.S. today! So I thought I would post some pics that warm me up inside :)

Like a serene sleeping grandson.........(isn't he beautiful???)
One could play hide and seek inside, but Seamus tends to stand and stare at people that hide which ruins the game a bit...

Of course there is always torturing the dogs! Teddy doesn't mind it so much though...

Stay warm today!

Got treats?