Memorabilia Overload

My scrapbook nook looks as if a tornado swept through it! I started gutting out some drawers this morning...and you know how it goes- empty it out and reorganize it all. I have saved a ton of memorabilia that I know that I will never use in a million years. What is with that? Am I the only one who does that? Surely I can't be the only one who saves brochures from our vacations, can I? I find it amazing how I've managed to acquire so much unnecessary stuff these past few years. So out to the rubbish bin/recycle bin it went! I'm trying to streamline my scrapbook nook and keep only those things that I use on a regular basis. I've been good about NOT buying things from Hobby Lobby, especially when they have sales on scrapbooking items. Lets face it, they don't have anything new and with the CHA right around the corner, then only place I want to order/buy anything from is 3 Scrappy Boys.

If I even look at or contemplate buying another Christmas Stamp someone please stop me and poke me in the eye! I am in awe at how many Christmas Stamps I have amassed since moving here - it's positively unreal! I'd rather spend my money on consumable supplies or more versatile tools such as the Cricut Design Studio and the new Crop-a-dile.

Quote of the Day

The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes.
~Harold B. Lee(1899 - 1973)

It's called Winter

Holy Catfish Batman, it is C-O-L-D outside! There's something to be said about sending your children off to school when it's 9º and the wind-chill factor makes it -9º (yes that is what you think it is...minus nine degrees). I remember one day in particular while living in Maine... I couldn't take being cooped up in the house any more...I bundled up and bundled up our baby boy and we went out for a drive in the car it was -57º with the wind-chill. Snow was piled high every where (up to roof tops in some places) but the roads were plowed and clear of any snow and ice build up. The roads there in Limestone, Caribou and Presque Isle were safer to drive on that they are here in Box Elder and Rapid City - go figure. Part of me misses days like that and other parts are glad that they are behind me, LOL!

The winds just howl through this part if the country, making it feel even colder outside than the thermometer says it is. It's the perfect weather to get crafty and have fun. I sent an invitation to my friend Kim...if she's not busy to come over and make a craft together and have lunch.

Quote of the Day

Every mile is two in winter.
George Herbert(1593 - 1633), Jacula Prudentum

This quote is perfect for today as it is currently -9º

I did it! I bought a new sewing machine today!

I am very excited about my sewing machine purchase! Isn't it cute? It's a Janome "Heart Truth 2008", I am so very happy I can hardly contain myself! Here's a link to the Janome web site so you can it go check it out Janome Heart Truth 2008. It's a special edition for The Heart Truth- a campaign for womens health and heart disease - this link is for the Heart Truth program and what it's all about...please check it out!

My search for a new sewing machine begins...

As today's quote is about "Chance"- it really is by chance that I am looking on the internet for price comparisons on sewing machines. My own modest little sewing machine a White 1510 quietly died the day before Thanksgiving after 17 years of dedicated service. I've been meaning to replace it but have not made myself actively go out looking at sewing machines. I already know that I don't want to go to places like Wal-Mart, Target or Sears...like the sales help really knows anything about sewing at either place- seriously! I went to a local sewing machine store and got some information on a couple of different brands. I felt as if the sales person was trying to pressure me into buying something other than I was looking for, she acted more like a used car salesman...I went in for "a" and they're trying to sell me "b", hmmmm. So I started searching for more information on the internet on each of the machines. Then I called my mother in law- you see my sister in law just bought herself and the m-i-l new machines for Christmas (women after my own heart). I bought the m-i-l a blender (hey, it was Kitchen-Aid)...thinking of her making margaritas in her old blender was the catalyst in my getting her a new high powered one, LOL! Any way I digress...so my s-i-l has not gotten back to me and my BFF Barbara in CA (next to my Mom, Barbara IS the Sewing Guru) hasn't gotten back to me yet (different time zones ET all). So I did an internet search and ended up talking to someone on the East Coast. The gentleman I spoke with was extremely helpful and gave me oodles on information about where the 17 different sewing machines his place of business sells , where the machines are made, who makes what -just like Kenmore appliances- just because they say Kenmore doesn't mean that they're made by Kenmore, they're made by other manufacturers. Same goes for the Pfaff model I was inquiring about. I'm looking into these 3 brands Pfaff, Bernina and Jenome. My last sewing machine lasted for a long time, and I know that sewing machines are more advanced and not really all that much more (price wise) than what we paid for my little sewing machine 17½ years ago. I have a feeling that I'm buying a sewing machine today :-)

Quote of the Day

"Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.
Ovid(43 BC - 17 AD)

Politics

If there's one thing that I can't stand is politics. I know that "hate" is such a strong word and should be used with caution and discretion, but man oh man do I hate politics! I try very hard not to let my political views on certain issues or candidates have an influence on my children. It's for them to decide what political party and what candidates represent their views best. It's my personal belief that religion should not hold any bearing on what is right for you as a person, only you can decide what is right for you. At this point in time I can't make myself read about on line or in the news paper and heaven forbid that I ever have to watch it on television. I can't stand the constant bickering that goes on with folks of the same political parties and the way that they just go at one another the way they do- ugh! Makes me want to spray them all down with ice water and tell them all to play nice together or go home.

Quote of the Day

It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs.
~Albert Einstein(1879 - 1955), 'Treasury for the Free World,' 1946

Happy News!

Have you ever had news that made you happy? I mean genuinely happy??? This news is not even my own but I want to shout it from the rooftop! My best-est friend out here is pregnant. But the best news is that her baby is fine! No downs or other neurological issues and it's 100% that the sex of the baby is a GIRL!!! I let Kim know that I am having a baby shower for her...and it's Pink CITY! Oh yeah, this is something to celebrate! All of her worries were for naught, her baby is fine!!! She and her husband Tom have 2 sons and this daughter is just a little miracle!

My other news is that our son Andrew became an officer today, he's pinned on 2nd Lieutenant! WooHoo, way to go Andrew! I'm so proud of him! He takes his JAFROTC program very seriously. This boy of mine knows what he wants to be when he graduates from college...heck he even knows what college he wants to attend ...it's the Air Force Academy for him!

So even though the wind is howling and the snow is blowing and the weather isn't fit for man nor beast - I'm happy! I'm surrounded by lovely thoughts, lovely friends and the wonderful blessings of the Lord are certainly being sprinkled all around!

The Old Man and the Dog

 My girlfriend René sent me this story (she sends me the best stuff- stuff that touches your heart).  I found it uplifting and relevent to things/situations in my own life, I hope that you do too.

 

 

 

The Old Man and the Dog

by Catherine Moore

 

"Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car!" My father yelled at me.
"Can't you do anything right?"

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.

What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it.  He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived.

But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered. In vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article." I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his fac e and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement.

"He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?"

"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said.

I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch.

"Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples.

"You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!" Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate.

We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.

Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw.  Confusion replaced the anger in his eye s. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dea d beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers."

"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article...

Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter. . .his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.

Life is too short for drama & petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly.

Live While You Are Alive.
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.  Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.

Just another day

...here in the neighborhood. It's going to be a WINDY day. I've got 1001 things to get done this week and of course I'll try to get them all done today leaving me free to spend the rest of my week doing whatever. Hopefully my time will be spent scrapbooking and doing fun things.
Here at Ellsworth were gearing up for another deployment of our troops. Please keep the men, women and families in your prayers as they will be separated by thousands of miles for a very long period of time.

Quote of the day

"If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?"
~Shantideva

PBS Masterpiece Theater

As my children kept going on and on about there being NO School today...well I didn't really believe them at first. But alas it's true, school is not in session today. I have some things that I want to do and hey it's perfect...because I'm dragging my daughter with me. So errands here and there will go rather quickly with a companion to keep me company.

Any one watch PBS Masterpiece Theater? Anyone who really knows me knows that I adore everything and anything written by my favorite author Jane Austen (2nd favorite is Agatha Christie). So when I learned that Masterpiece Theater will be debuting some NEW Jane Austen books made into movies (done by the BBC) of course I'm all over it! Last night was the debut of "Persuasion". WOW was it good! I look forward to seeing the rest of Jane Austen's classic novels made into movies. The BBC always does an excellent job at putting the classics into film. I saw the last half of Jane Eyre (novel by Charlotte Brontë) and LOVED IT!!! This has to be the BEST remake of this movie to date (okay so that;s my personal opinion on the matter). One of my habits- is that I like to have either funny or romantic movies playing while I'm scrapbooking. These movies totally fit my scene of adding to a sense of suspense and happiness at that same time.

Quote of the day

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter"
~E E Cummings(1894 - 1962)




for this and other great quotes please check out www.quotationspage.com

Sunday

The quiet stillness in the air in the early morning...it really is something I enjoy. So here it is Sunday morning. Just me and kitty along with my morning cup of coffee. When the weather is warmer I like to sit out on the deck in the morning having my coffee while enjoying nature. But alas, it's too nippy for me to be outside in my jammies, heck it's too nippy for me to be outside without suiting up for a winter snow storm.



One more week until our final mass with our priest as he is being transferred to a base down in Texas. I"m sad for us as a congregation because he will be missed, but happy for him since he will be now be stationed near his family. And of course there's that being stationed where the weather is "warm" thing too :-) I personally will miss him. He was the one person that I could try new recipes on and he never complained. I loved bringing him various foods that I have made, having him try my different cheesecakes and so forth. My girlfriend Christine has told me (on more than one occasion) that there is a special place in Heaven for those that feed Priests. Well I don't know about that, but what I do know is that it fills me with this warmth and love deep inside of me- just being able to do something nice for someone- especially when they don't expect it. That in some small immeasurable way that I am able to improve someones outlook on life.



As for my adventures in scrapbooking...I need to get the doll house out of my scrapbook nook! It's hard to function in there with this huge thing looming over- as cute as it is, it still needs to be somewhere else. I've got layouts that I want to finish up and I need more working space! Yes I'm one who likes to s-p-r-e-a-d o-u-t when she works :-) Stay tuned for pictures! I'll also be posting my layouts to the gallery over at http://3scrappyboys.com

Quote of the Day

"Only the curious will learn and only the resolute overcome the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient."
~Eugene S. Wilson

Finding Inspiration

I love early mornings, the stillness in the air (on non-windy days of course) not a sound being made other than my kitty walking around meowing for me to feed her. To look into the bedrooms and seeing my children blissfully asleep. It's true contentment :-)

I've found my inspiration... now to take a few quick pictures, print them up and make some scrapbook layouts. Children look so angelic when they are asleep. So I suppose that you've guessed it...I've gone and snapped some pictures of my children while they are asleep and I will make some layouts today with those pictures.

Quote of the Day

Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever.
~Margaret Cho

TGIF

I'm so glad that Friday is here. My husband got into Boston - is none worse for wear and is staying with one of his brothers. The wake is today and the funeral is tomorrow. My sister-in-law Lori is a gem, she's taken care of the floral arrangements, it's hard to get something decent being this far away. She's taken care of the little details such as making sure that the arrangement will go to the funeral home and not our Aunts home.

So back here at the fort...it's life as usual; kids getting ready for school, complaining about there being nothing to eat- just spent $200 at Sam's club on food and they say there's nothing to eat at home- hmmm. If only I was able to view the pantry with the eyes of my teenagers, maybe I too would see that there was nothing to eat. But alas, it's full of things that can be put together in various combinations to make all sorts of yummy things. Maybe I can tempt them with some yummy chocolate brownies after school.

On another note...today is my Mother's 73rd Birthday- Happy Birthday Mom!

Quote of the Day

Joy is not in things; it is in us
~Richard Wagner

My Cookbook Nook: The new coffee pot

Come see my new coffee pot over on my cooking blog.

So here it is, another day in my life

...today is a little more chaotic than usual. The husband is packed and ready to fly out today (he's going to the wake and funeral for his Uncle) but first he has to go to work as he has some commitments there that need to be completed before he leaves. The kids are out the door and on their way to school but not without my help of scraping windshields and windows...Andrew tends to forget about setting the defroster to ON when he turns off his car. You see, we put one of those remote starters on his car for those wintry days when it needs to warm up and you don't want to go outside. Of course the kids tell me that they need lunch money on their way out the door... you've just got to love that last minute stuff. As I'm getting the kids out the door, the spouse calls and he needs me to do something for him...there is a reason why I don't have a paying job- My Family, need I say more?

I've got 1001 things to get done today (or so it seems). I'm torn between going into the Thrift Shop today and just getting everything done here and going in on Friday. I finally got my Christmas Newsletter written up and sent out *yesterday* (hey better late than never), but not without a few "odd" words in it. Millstones instead of milestones- my only explanation for that one is that I must have been thinking about coffee when I was writing about what happened in May. I laugh at the thought of it :-D

Quote of the Day

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.
~Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)


Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)


Think not disdainfully of death, but look on it with favor; for even death is one of the things that Nature wills.
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 AD - 180 AD), Meditations

Death in the family

For quite a while now (years) my husbands uncle Tom has been suffering from various heart ailments; from blocked arteries to a couple of heart by-pass surgeries and so forth. He had been in the hospital since before Christmas and he requested that a DNR order to be in place. He's been in a coma for the past couple of days and frankly we've just been waiting for "the call". I just received a call from my mother-in-law that Uncle Tom has passed away this morning. Please say a prayer for his wife Marie and their 2 grown children that they may find peace. That they may may find comfort in the memories of joyous times that they all spent with him over the years. That death is a part of life and that love never ends.

Quote of the Day

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
~Dorothy Bernard

Quote of the Day

"That consciousness is everything and that all things begin with a thought. That we are responsible for our own fate, we reap what we sow, we get what we give, we pull in what we put out. I know these things for sure".
~Madonna, O Magazine, January 2004

My Cookbook Nook: When good appliances go bad...

The search for a new coffee maker...

Quote of the Day

"Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip".
~Will Rogers(1879 - 1935)

I feel that this quote is perfect for how I am feeling today

Just grin and bear it...

Lets face it, we all know someone who tends to be overly dramatic...that what ever is going on in their life is oh so much "more" than what anyone else could possibly have going on in their own lives. Lucky me, I know a handful of such people. My wish is that these people will wake up and realize that they lead real every day kind of lives - not day time dramas.

One woman in particular just grates on my last nerve...if she isn't hinting to me at how much more Christian she is than I am then she's bad mouthing her husband. Not once have I ever heard a nice word come from her mouth how she is thankful for the life she has, for the fact that she and her family want for nothing. What she does do is to announce to anyone within earshot at our after mass gathering in the church annex is how disappointed she is in her family, neighbors or the squadron spouses group. Each week it's something else....something dramatic that's happened (or at least in her mind it's dramatic).

So, are you wondering why I mentioned this today? Well, we all have someone like this in our lives and there's no getting past people like this. And how does one deal with such a person? It's simple, just smile and bear it. It's one of those things that are just unavoidable so while you're listening to the person's diatribe about what ever that dramatic event of the week is... just be sure to give thanks the Lord that you lead a good life, that you are you and not this person that is obviously unhappy.

New Years Resolution...no clutter!

Why is it that my reorganization projects take on a life of their own? I started going through the Armoiré "again", pulling out items that I want to store away. I've done this 3 times in the past week- pulled things out, rearranged them and am doing it all over again. If you're wondering why I do this, it's because I like to have things that I use within an arms reach. My darling husband built the Armoiré (while we were stationed in Virginia) to house my crafting and scrapbooking supplies. With our move to South Dakota and living in the little cottage on the prairie (aka base housing) the Armoiré also had to house "other" every day items, such as table linens, school supplies, dishes and bake-ware. My husband was an angel and built me many little storage nooks and a display area in the dining room of our base house (which we did not have to take down when we left). But that display area held all of my Fiesta-ware tea cups & saucers and all of my China teapots. Here at this house I have no such display area so it's been stored inside of the armoiré. I'm going to pack them up and store them until I can properly display them. I'm very lucky to have a craft room and that the armoiré is not needed to house my crafting items. I would like another place to store my finished scrapbook albums, but that's an issue that can be addressed later.

For now I need storage space inside of the armoiré for items that we use for entertaining; such as my extra bake-ware, cake plates and platters, various kinds of bowls, wine glasses and of course our formal dinnerware. Maybe if I didn't have such a hang up about serving our guests frozen prepared foods from Sam's Club on paper plates bought in bulk I wouldn't have this problem. But alas that's not me, I like to make things from scratch and serve our guests on real plates. So I need to figure out a better storage solution. Basically it's packing up all of the items that I am currently unable to display and putting them into storage. I'm going to get a couple of those heavy duty dish pack boxes along with some packing paper this week and start on that project. If I don't do that then It will start to make me crazy as I hate to open up a cabinet and have a mess looking back at me. So I suppose in a way I do have a New Years Resolution, it's to have No Clutter! Okay just the house, it's doesn't mean my scrapbook nook has to be clutter free all of the time- just free of stuff I don't use:-) To have a clean streamlined home, with a place for everything and everything in it's place...that's my goal for 2008!

Quote of the Day

"There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."
~Pablo Picasso

Quote of the day

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't".
~Anatole France(1844 - 1924)

Military Retirement Ceremonies and such...

Last evening my husband and I attended a dinner honoring a man who after spending 30 years in the Air Force is now retiring. His friends made a terrific tribute to honor his career, and it was obvious how well thought of this man is to his peers- officers and enlisted alike. I became teary eyed when his daughter presented him with a picture of the two of them. She spoke about only letting her Dad brush her hair (must have been when it had a lot of knots in it) then she gave her Dad a beautiful framed and matted photo of him brushing her hair, she couldn't have been any older than 9 in the picture...it brought tears to my eyes. I could easily see the 2 people in that photo being Lucien and Hannah.

Today there are two retirement ceremonies - one for the Sergeant whose dinner we attended last night and the other for a Colonel. I'll be able to attend the one for the Colonel but an orthodontic appointment with our son prevents me from attending the latter. If you've ever attended a military retirement ceremony, you'll know that they are full of giving tribute to those that have helped you along the way. I make sure to have tissues with me because they always make me cry.

Quote of the Day

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world
J.R.R. Tolkien(1892 - 1973)

Do you have a webshots account?

Each week I get an e-mail from web-shots letting me know how many people have looked at my various albums of pictures I have stored there. I'm continually amazed that people even look at my stuff, then it's what they are looking at that really wows me (this week it was nearly 2000 views). Pictures of my scrapbook nook seem to be fairly popular. I think that it has to do with people needing ideas as to what to do for storage of items such as paper, ribbon and so forth. Everyone needs a starting point. They want to see what works for others in various kinds of spaces. My most efficient scrapbook nook had to be the one I had in base housing. Everything was streamlined, cramped as all get out but streamlined. Now I have this much larger space (which I love), but I've been getting lazy in putting things away. Most times my space is rather messy because I leave things out all over the place. Hmmm could this be creative chaos at it's finest? Oh stop making me laugh! I should go in there right now and snap some pictures...there's"stuff" all over the extended work area, there's my needlework cart (it's a 2 drawer cart that's on wheels stuffed to the gills with needlework projects) that shouldn't be in there and my daughters' doll house (that my husband and I built from a kit a few years ago) that shouldn't be in there, there's all sorts of things that got stuffed into that room during December. Oh yeah, it's a wee bit messy in there right now :-)

If you want to see what's in my webshots pages...the link is the 2nd one under Places to Check Out over on the right hand side of this screen or better yet... here's a link. Sandie's webshots page

Quote of the Day

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved".
Franklin D. Roosevelt(1882 - 1945), Speech, September 22, 1936

Ringing in the New Year with HGTV

It's the last day of winter break, a sad day for school aged children in our area to be sure. With this thought in mind I better wake my son - the days of sleeping in until 12 noon are now officially over.

The last few remnants of Christmas are being put away. Even my Christmas dishes and table linens are being packed up and put away for another year of hibernation. We'll soon be moving on to the next holiday... Valentines Day.

Yesterday Hannah and I watched some great programs on HGTV. I love to watch kitchen and bathroom remodels, they give me such great ideas as to what to do with my own house. Some bathrooms have obvious flaws that can be remedied with little cosmetic fixes such as a new shower curtain, some pretty hand towels, a nice bath rug and a fresh coat of paint. Others new a major overhaul and have to get all of that PLUS - new faucets for the sink and tub, a new shower head, new bathroom mirror and even things like a new toilet and sink with counter top. After watching those shows, I want to paint our upstairs guest bathroom. Okay so I've been wanting to paint it for quite some time but now I'm really itching to paint it! There's a list of things that I want to do to the kids bathroom that's down stairs...add in a mirrored bathroom cabinet and a cupboard over the commode. I plan on getting these done before my husband leaves on a deployment. I want us to do the work because it'll be s small fortune if I have to hire a contractor. We're more than capable to getting this kind of work done- Lucien added in a mirrored cabinet in our master bathroom and we put in the cabinets in the laundry room and scrapbook nook. So getting the kids bathroom done up should be small potatoes as compared to what we've already done in this house. I'm also going to paint the master bathroom- it'll be the same color that we painted the master bedroom. I know that my husband isn't to thrilled at painting small spaces, but I'm ready to get it done!

From watching HGTV I've gotten some terrific ideas with what I want to do for a back splash in the kitchen. The kitchen remodels I saw were phenomenal! Changing out cabinets, light fixtures, knobs and updating the appliances...little things that added up to a huge resale price. I'm so glad that I went with stainless appliances in this house! Then factor in the upgrades we've done to just the kitchen area...and I know that when it comes time for us to sell the house that we're not going to have any problems what so ever! I'm also VERY glad that I didn't go with wood flooring in the kitchen- apparently it's exactly what I thought it was...too much wood in a confined space. Hopefully I can have real tile in my next kitchen and not vinyl flooring that looks like tile.

Quote of the Day

"I see America, not in the setting sun of a black night of despair ahead of us, I see America in the crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the burning, creative hand of God. I see great days ahead, great days possible to men and women of will and vision".
~Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967)

First day of 2008

With the wind blowing at 32mph and wind gusts steady in the 40mph range - baby it's cold outside! It's 14º currently and with the windchill it's a rather nippy -3º-brr! It's going to be a blustery day, so be sure to bundle up warmly when you do go out of doors!

The coming new year brings with it; new hopes, new dreams, new joys and new adventures. I openly welcome all of these things. January marks that there are only 5 more months of school for my kids until they are out for summer break. June and summer vacation is only a heart beat away.

I am about to get started on another big scrapbooking project. I know that sometime during the course of this year my husband will be going on a rather long deployment. So I want to capture as many pictures of him doing every day stuff and not so every day kinds of things. To make many layouts about the man I love so I can look at these layouts and smile and hopefully they will help me and our children to not miss him so much while he is away.

Now for me to get to the tasks at hand...first to get another refill of my oh so yummy coffee.

Quote of the Day

Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man's ingratitude.
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)


with the wind howling and blowing the way it is right now and being just so darn cold...this quote if perfect!

My last blog entry for 2007

Here I am, warm and cozy in my home with my husband, children and our faithful cat.  Nothing out of the ordinary going on for us.  The wind is howling something fierce making it bitterly cold for man and beast.  There's no New Years Eve party with friends this year, just taking it easy here at home watching a movie eating pop corn and drinking hot tea.

As for what I did today...

Many of us volunteered our time at the Thrift Shop today and everyones help made a huge difference!  Amber was there with her kids in tow pulling all of the items that needed to get marked out of stock, Kim was there with kids in tow getting consignments put into the computer, Gail made such a huge difference clearing off the counter tops and work areas (they are so well organizied).  I brough Hannah who in turn helped scan ALL of the markdown tickets freeing me up to run back and forth between the front and back end of the store putting things into piles of keep/toss and donate.  After she was done with that task then she entertained the children, she was a great help- thanks Hannah!  Heidi was everywhere - helping me to go through things for next year, answering everyones questions about what goes where and so forth.  Gail and I got with Heidi's latest idea and changed out the Christmas section and made it into a into a Baby section.  I love having a different theme in that one part of the store every month, giving our customers something else to focus on- what a great selling feature that will be for the store.  We have such a fantastic core group of volunteers, it will be sad to see most of them PSC in the next 6 months.  But I'm not about to dwell on that, I'm going to concentrate on enjoying my time with them now :-)

 

Happy New year Everyone!

Quote of the Day

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously.... Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us".

~Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1811

what's your patterned paper of choice?

When putting together the perfect scrapbook layout, what's the first thing you go for? Is it cardstock or patterned paper? If it's patterned paper...what's the pattern? Stripes? Plaid? Dots? Floral? Geometric? Or is it something else? I like all of these but my patterned paper print of choice is first and foremost...Flowers! I've always had this "thing" for flowers. I have flowers in every room of our home, you just have to look around, some are rather noticeable and others are a little more obscure.

What can I say...flowers are such happy things, I like to see them every where!

How did your year rate?

You Had a Fantastic Year!

Compared to most years, last year was definitely great. Overall, you're living a much better life than you were twelve months ago. And nothing is a better mark of a good year. Here's to hoping next year is even better!

How Did Your Year Rate?

My Cookbook Nook: Not just for the Kitchen...

My Cookbook Nook: Not just for the Kitchen...

Come check out my cooking blog and see what kitchen item I bought and am using in my scrapbook nook!
~Sandie

I added a picture to my December 21st blog entry. It's of my neighbors blow apart gazebo. They must have been just sicked by the damage especially since they've never gotten the chance to use it.

Quote of the Day

"That is what marriage really means: helping one another to reach the full status of being persons, responsible and autonomous beings who do not run away from life"
~Paul Tournier

I thought that this was perfect for today as we are to go to a wedding this afternoon.

Sandie's 2008 Scrapbooking Goals

I’m not into having number goals as those are just put an undue amount of stress to crank out pages. I want to devote my time to making quality pages, the numbers will come together on their own. My scrapbooking goals 2008 are pretty much the same as they were for 2007

My scrapping goals for 2008 are as follows...

*to schedule time each week to do nothing but work on layouts, scrapbook related projects, stamping projects and altered art projects.

*When buying scrapbooking and stamping supplies that I shop local first! For me that's shopping at 3 Scrappy Boys and with Peggy my Stampin Up consultant.

*to use use up what I have...no more hoarding or worse yet "saving it" for that so called "special layout". My motto is "Every layout is special!"

*to donate the items (tools paper, stickers, etc) that I am no longer using or interested in keeping around to various local charities and women's groups.

*to host more crops in my home and make it an enjoyable experience for my girlfriends, to include lunch and possibly a small project. To make it a once or twice a month get together.

*to finish our vacation albums. Especially since we're going on vacation in February and that I have only a handful of pages done from our European Vacation that we took in 2006.

*to put more pages in my husband’s career album.

*to finish up my Book of Faith album. It's a small 6x6 album with favorite quotes from the Bible. I'm going to get my friend Kim to start this with me, I know that this will be something that she would be VERY interested in making for her own self.

Saturday already?

This week has gone by rather more quickly than I had anticipated. I've still got to get my Christmas cards in the mail...yes you read that right I haven;t sent out our Christmas Cards. Okay I sent out some, but the ones that require a news letter are still here perched on my desk waiting for me to write the newsletter...ugh! I'm not a procrastinator, but this has become something that I dread doing. So today I've got to make myself sit down and just write up the dog gone thing and get these cards in the mail by Monday!

Tomorrow we are going to a wedding! I look forward to attending this wedding and the reception that follows. I went to one of the two stores where the couple are registered, even printed out the list of what they were registered for....oh what a long list and the descriptions (it was much like trying to decipher some sort of ancient runes). Well lets just say that between the long lines and the lack of sales people available to help you on this treasure hunt- well I ended up getting the couple a gift card. I refuse to wrap up pots and pans and give them as a wedding gift (unless I know them VERY well). So a gift card is in order here, now they can shop together and buy what ever it is they need/want and I didn't have to stand in a hairy long line.

My reorganizing project is moving along slowly. I had to go out yesterday and purchase a wedding gift, buy some outdoor lights for my husband, buy food (we were out of so many items) and then get home and put everything away. Aah, the life of a SAHM, okay so I'm not at home all that much but in the essence of SAHM's I don't get paid for what I do. Hannah has agreed to go into the under the stairs storage area to retrieve (and put away) the boxes that I need today. I shall reward her with a special treat- chicken Caesar Salad for lunch (that will make her squeal with delight).

Our neighbors had their contractor taken down their broken gazebo yesterday. I do have pictures of it blown apart from the wind. I felt rather badly for them when I first saw the damage, and I know that is was a costly thing to have put up only to have the weather tear it apart within days of going up.

Now for me to get on with business at hand...packing away Christmas.

New Years Trivia

The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year was
started by ancient Greeks around 600 B.C. They would carry
a baby around in a basket to honor Dionysus, the God of
Fertility and symbolize his annual rebirth.
***
The name January is derived from the Roman god Janus, the
god of gates and doors, hence of openings and beginnings.
On January 1 the Romans offered sacrifices to Janus so that
he would bless the new year.
***
The Scottish tune Auld Lang Syne is a common song sang right
after the stroke of midnight. The literal translation of the
song's title is "Old Long Ago." It was written primarily by
Robert Burns, but the song was not published until 1796, well
after Burns' death.

Quote of the Day

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile.
~Sir Wilfred Grenfell (1865 - 1940)

Quote of the Day

Actions have consequences...first rule of life. And the second rule is this - you are the only one responsible for your own actions
~Holly Lisle, Fire In The Mist, 1992

hopefully this will keep me motivated today to get the house finished up and totally organized!

Cleaning house...day 2

Why is it that when purging a room of things that belong in other rooms that I get distracted? So how am I being distracted? Say I take a laundry basket full of items that belong in the family room, once I'm in there to drop things off I just can't "drop them off", I start going through that room and try to straighten it up before I get called to another room to straighten it up. It's a terrible affliction. Why can't it all work at once? Moving room by room has never worked well for me, it's one of those odd little quirks that make me - me. It's kind of like moving into a house, how you're surrounded by total chaos and cardboard boxes then in the blink of an eye every little thing is in it's place. That's kind of how I work. I have to pull it all out and sort it, that's the only way to go. It also gives you a good idea of what you have and what you're willing to get rid of. So far I've managed to get together 3 bags of items that will either be donated or going in for consignment at the base thrift shop. Even Hannah has gotten into it, she's brought me oodles of items from her closet that no longer fit that were just taking up valuable closet space. What a good girl she is to go through her closet without being told. Now if I could only pry Andrew away from his new video game long enough to do something like that...yup that would take a miracle, LOL!

Now for some more coffee and to once again get to the business of clearing out Christmas and getting my home organized and ready to greet the new year.

Getting organized after the holiday

Christmas Day has come and gone and now comes the part I dread - the taking down and putting away of all things Christmas. It's always hard because the items do need to be wrapped up and stored properly to guard against breakage. Maybe since everyone is home right now I can get them to help me to reorganize the under the stairs storage area. Okay, so I'd have a better chance of them all dancing naked outside in a snow storm but hey it's worth a try right? I wonder what kind of meal I can bribe them with to get them to "want" to help me. It's got to be something that is quick for me to make so I don't take too much time away from the sort, purge and reorganizing project...maybe it's chicken tacos, they adore my tacos :-)

Now back to organizing...
I want to be able to have my various holiday items stored in Rubbermaid storage containers. Cardboard falls apart and crushes too easily, so Rubbermaid containers it is! Assigning a different colored plastic tote to each season will make it easier to identify when searching items- label totes in the following manner... red and green ones for Christmas items, orange totes for Halloween items, pale blue or any other pastel color for Easter items, dark green for Summer/Spring related items and Navy Blue for Patriotic stuff. Of course there's the various seasonal "stuff" and the all around "stuff" that I really need to go through sort and purge. Properly labeling each container with the contents will help greatly too. I hate to admit this this but my armoire has been a catch all for things these past few months and it really needs to be purged and the items put away. What items you wonder? Items left over from Halloween and Thanksgiving that can be categorized as being "Autumn" such as glass and ceramic pumpkins, I've come across colored glass Easter Bunny containers, Decorative Easter Egg holders and pretty Easter Baskets and even a couple of Valentine related items. So now for me to organize them all and get them in their right containers. I know that this may seem a little too anal for some and right up the alley for others. But If I don't keep myself organized in this way, 1- it stresses me out having to hunt for things in this manner and 2-our next move will be a total nightmare.

So with that said, I'm getting under way with my new found project of pulling out all seasonal items and getting them sorted and ready to be put into bins - wish me luck! I hope to post pictures of what I'm pulling apart and putting back together in hopefully what amounts to a better storage and organizing system.

Quote of the Day

There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life.
~Sister Mary Rose McGeady

The day after Christmas

So I tell myself this morning- go head, grab some coffee, read the paper and kick back- you deserve it. The day after Christmas is always bitter sweet, The excitement of anticipation of the holiday is gone, now it's all about the "After Christmas Sales"( of which I have no desire to take part of). I want to stay at home and relax with my family. The stores will be packed with people looking for bargains and people wanting to do returns. I plan on staying far away from that chaos.

My Christmas was delightful. We ate breakfast (had those ultra yummy Cinnabon style cinnamon rolls I mentioned making yesterday), opened presents, went to Christmas Day Mass, and came back home. While the husband and children played with their new "toys" I prepared the Christmas Day feast. It all came together so smoothly, nothing went wrong or was amiss. I found the day quite relaxing.

Church was okay, none of the glory or opulence of going to a Catholic Mass at a Cathedral during Christmas time, this is after all a church on a military base. But it was nice to be surrounded by those that we know and like.

Christmas day was full of wondrous surprises. I'm not sure who surprised me more- my husband or my daughter. Hannah is always such a sweetheart, thinking of others in such great ways. She is a very giving child, always has been. She bought gifts this year with her own money- bought her brother a mouse for his computer, bought her cousins gifts and she even bought gifts for her dear parents. For her Dad is was a Corvette (Hot Wheels of course) and for her mom (that's me) it was a Landstrom's Black Hills Gold necklace with matching earrings, it's so beautiful. I almost told her that this is too costly, that she should return it and save her money, but I know my child- she would have been heart broken if I would have said that to her. I wear my new necklace and earrings with pride! My husband surprised me too - as I fully expected to only have the handbag and other items that we bought at the OSC auction as my gifts. But I stand corrected, Lucien Elf lives up to his Christmas name - he surprised with me gift certificates to an all inclusive day spa downtown- manicure, pedicure, facial and a full hour Swedish massage! WOW! It's been years (like since before we were married) since I've indulged in having a professional facial. And a manicure- I can date it back to when were were stationed in Maine back in 1990. This truly is a treat for me and I see that my husband loves me very much. Do I feel spoiled? Why yes, yes I do! I am indeed, very blessed!

Quote of the Day

Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness"
~George Sand (1804 - 1876)

Merry Christmas!

My Christmas Wish for all of you...

Practice random acts of kindness- not just at Christmas time but throughout the year!

Quote of the Day

May your walls know joy; May every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility

~Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

Remembering Christmases Past

Growing up we were never the family that had expensive furnishings, a fancy house or tons of presents underneath the Christmas Tree. We lived a modest life. My Mom saved every penny that she possibly could throughout the year, she always paid cash for everything- never once did I remember seeing her ever use a credit card. So when Christmas time came around I was always surprised that through the year she had managed to scrimp and save up enough to get us some small presents. I don't think that I had even once believed in Santa Claus, you see-my childhood belief of things such as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny had been taken away from me with the suicide death of my father. It was after his death that I was visited by Angels- letting me know that I was going to be alright, that my mother would be alright. That God had sent them and that they were watching over us.

So what did I belive in? I believed in God and that he does indeed answer prayers, that Angels are messengers from heaven and that they watch over us, the virgin Mary and her husband Joseph and their baby Jesus, and the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Eve Midnight Mass was wonderful, in my youth I remember attending this Mass and it being done in Latin, it was indeed something to behold! The Cathedral glowing in the candle light, the incense (what a heavenly scent it was too), the children's choir singing like Angels. I would sit in the Cathedral with my mother just feeling as if I was in the presence of God himself. It was very awe inspiring to say the least. We would walk home together hand in hand in the darkness and once we got home my mother would give me a little gift to open. It would always be something small and personal, from a mother to a daughter - right then and there I could feel her love for me knew no bounds. Christmas wasn't about expensive gifts, it was about love. It's special moments like that, that I treasure more than anything.

If you have a special Christmas memory please share it with me by posting it on your blog- write a message about it on my blog.

Bless You and have a Merry Christmas!

Giving Thanks

It's so quiet here in my house, not a noise being made with the exception of the furnace blowing heated air through the air vents. Even the cat is blissfully asleep.

I like to take time out to give thanks for all of the good things and the not so good things that this year have brought to me and my family. It's getting through the tough times together as a family and turning those sour lemons into sweet lemonade that makes me get down on my knees and thank our Lord Jesus Christ for giving his life for us. No one has a charmed or easy life in this world. Life is what we make of it. If we insist on being bitter and to harbor resentments of past wrongs then that is how our life will be - bitter. But if we decide that we want to harbour hope, practice compassion and forgiveness and to be charitable, then we shall see that true JOY comes from doing something worthwhile.

Quote of the Day

But the Angel said to them "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11 King James Bible

The Power of Love

 

It's news articles like this one that bring tears of joy. Read this story and you will be forever reminded of the grace of God and the power of love.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Dec23/0,4670,SavingAlaaposa,00.html

My Cookbook Nook: Gifts made with Love

My Cookbook Nook: Gifts made with Love

Not the best Christmas Memories

Happiness is having a large, loving ,caring, close-knit family... in another city.
~George Burns

I can't help but to love this quote. Don't get me wrong, I love my extended family but I've also grown to like not being so near that they can make demands of my time.

Some of my worst Christmas memories (yes you read that right I said worst Christmas memories) were of my Grand-parents coming over to our house at 4:30 or 5 am they would bang on the windows to wake us all up (and scare the crap out of us), pack up our presents and clothes and bring us to their house. We would open all of our gifts, have Christmas dinner (around noon) and then after our grandparents were sick of us they brought us home...without our Christmas gifts. We were allowed to open the gifts but we were not allowed to play with the toys at our grandparents home- talk about having ones Christmas joy taken away from you. They'd make up some excuse to not put them in the car and not bring them over to our house for another 2 or 3 days. It broke my heart that they did this to us and of course my poor Mom didn't know what to say because this the was mother of her deceased husband. It wasn't until I told my Mom that my grand-parents were ruining Christmas. My grandma would make snippy comments about how spoiled my sister and I were... even at 7 years old I knew that this was untrue and I would think to myself...um my mom is raising us on her own on a pittance, she was just barely able to make ends meet you don't help her out at all and my Dad is dead, exactly how are we spoiled? So for me the best Christmases are those that are celebrated in my own home with my immediate family.


Before we had children, we had spent Christmas with my husbands family, it was okay not too bad really and were weren't bombarded with having to travel or see people that we did not know. Then in 2005 Lucien was really wanting to go home for Christmas, I told him that this was a bad idea but he wanted to go - so we went. Was it a bad Christmas? Not the worst on record but not a good one either. Went to the bother and sister in-laws home where they had invited way too many people to make this an intimate "family" gathering. Tons of people that we didn't know (and weren't being introduced to either), and other things happening while we were there that left my family feeling "why are we here?". We traveled so far to be there with my husbands' family and yet we felt as if we were among strangers.

So after that experience my husband now understands why I feel that HOME is where Christmas should be celebrated and that HOME is a place where people love you. And that being HOME isn't always about going back to the place where you spent your childhood but rather where you are now surrounded by those that love you- it's a place in your heart.

Quote of the day

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
~John Howard Payne

My Honda Odyssey

This is my automobile of choice, often referred to as "the Prairie Schooner" and "the Kid Mobile". Now my Honda is a little different from other Honda Odyssey minivans, you see...husband has tweaked this vehicle of mine just a wee bit. I've got a Parrot- A what? A Parrot? What, a bird in your car? No it's not a bird, a Parrot is a hands free blue-tooth device for my cell phone installed in my minivan (it's seriously cool). It's got a display and I can see who is calling me :-) Oh my gosh I don't know how I got along for so long without one! Every parent needs a hands free device in their car- I've read somewhere that this is now a feature that you can get when ordering a the new 2008 model Odysssey from Honda- Sweet!

Now my husband is adding something else- heated passenger seats. The drivers and front passenger seats are heated but the middle seats aren't- and that's where the kids ride. We always thought that it would be rather nice for them to have heated seats too and now they will! My darling husband is almost done with this upgrade (he's been working on it for over a week after work). He's always tweaking on my van, making it better here and there. One of the first things he did was to improve the front grill and made it so that rocks that bounce up from the road can't damage my radiator.

Quote of the day

Friendship with oneself is all-important,because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

After the Storm

The wind and snow certainly were something else yesterday. I feel sorry for my new neighbors- they recently had some contractors install a beautiful large hot tub and a really nice redwood gazebo around it (it was really beautiful) but alas the wind has seriously damaged it. I'm going to try to get some pictures of the wind damage in the neighborhood today. And to think that we didn't sustain any of the really high wind gusts that this area is capable of out here. This damage was done with 35-40 mph gusts. We've had gusts into the 80 and 90 mph range, I know, because that is what ripped off the heavy storm door from it's hinges on our little house on base- twice. That was something scary! And of course each time that happened my husband had to be TDy somewhere. But housing maintenance was only a phone call away and was there to help in an emergency. But now that we're home owners (again), well we're pretty much on our own. But you know the saying..."I get by with a little help from my friends" and I hope that my neighborhood will turn into a nice helpful community- one that is willing to lend a helping hand when someone in their community needs them.

It's a Hot Chocolate kind of day!

The South Dakota weather is showing how truly yucky it can be with the high winds and blowing snow making driving near impossible. It started off with rain this morning and it just got worse from there. Parents were getting calls from children letting them know that school was getting out even earlier that the originally planned 1 pm early out time. With the blinding snow, slick roads and the high winds, they moved the time to 11:30 am. I sure didn't want my child in a high profile vehicle such as a bus when weather conditions are like this - yes I went and picked her up early. Hannah was very happy to be going home in her Mom's kid mobile that has heated seats that also pulls straight into the garage with none of that being out in the freezing conditions longer than we need to be.

As for tonight...We had plans on going to a party here in the neighborhood this evening but alas the terrible weather and horrid road conditions have given our party hosts no choice but to cancel their event.

Just 2 weeks ago we had some really bad weather that made me contact our OSC president and together we decided to cancel our OSC function...now here we are again with that same kind of terrible weather. I hope that everyone gets home safely tonight. Last time there were an outrageous number of automobile accidents before 4 pm (something like 58). I certainly hope that aren't any accident today but alas I know that I'm hoping for a major miracle with that one.

Now I do have to say that I'm glad that I bought the large bag of mini marshmallows, because it's certainly is a Hot Chocolate kind of day! Hannah got to bake her cute snowman sugar cookies (and they taste good too). Andrew and I are watching the snow drifts build up in the yards across the street from our house. The back of our house faces North and our fence helps to keep down the snow drifts. I'm very glad that our garage doesn't face North as that would be just plain ugly!All that bitterly cold wind and blowing snow being forced into the garage, eeew!

Now it's time for some hot herbal tea (Cranberry tea sounds great right about now), a slice of Panettone - to curl up a big blanket with my kids watching my favorite Christmas movie- It's a Wonderful Life.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Only a handful of days remain until Christmas Day, are you ready? I think I'm ready.

I have a list of errands that I need to attend to, none of them related to buying gifts unless you think that buying crickets for the frogs to eat is gift giving kind of stuff.

Quote of the Day

"The difference between a successful person and
others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge,
but rather in a lack of will."

~Vince Lombardi

smile...it's almost Christmas!

It's nice to know that I am appreciated. Today was a phenomenal day! We weren't off the wall busy at the thrift shop but we had plenty to do to keep us busy. I really surprised Heidi with the Asparagus quiche-I know how much she enjoys simple yet wonderful smelling foods. She put a slice in the microwave and it smelled like we were in a restaurant- it smelled that good :-)

Nows its time to unwind, wait for the kids to get home (which will be any minute now). I'm enjoying the silence that is surrounding me, but soon it'll be a bit more noisy.

I've not gotten to make my paper Christmas tree, I hope to do that this weekend. Time just seems to be runing out on me right and left. Oh well, it's not as if I can't make it after Christmas :-)

From the moment I got up, I hit the flooring running. I've got 2 fabulous quiches baking in the oven. I'm bringing lunch to the thrift shop and little does Heidi know it ... but also dinner for her family :-) She works so hard managing that store plus managing a family and going to college full time (she's studying to be a Veterinarian). I'm also going to be bringing some of my darling 4 inch cheesecakes (gifts for friends). Now where on earth is that curly ribbon of mine?

Today is the last full day of school and tomorrow the kids have a partial day before Christmas Break. I look forward to spending some quality time with my family in the coming week. I look forward to hot cider and hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols and watching Christmas movies. Being filled with the Christmas spirit and talking about (and giving thanks to the Lord) for the good things this year has brought us.

Quote of the Day

Hope is the thing with feathers
that persches on the soul.
And sings the tune
without the words,
and never stops at all.
~Emily Dickenson

This very quote hangs on the walls in my home.

What does your handwriting say about you?

What Your Handwriting Says About You

You are a fairly energetic person. You know how do pace yourself, and you deal well with stress. You are somewhat outgoing, but you're not a natural extrovert. You think first before you act. You tend to be independent, rational, and logical. You are balanced and grounded. You know how to get along well with others. You need a bit of space in your life, but you're not a recluse. You expect people to give you a small amount of privacy, and you respect their privacy as well. You are somewhat traditional, but you are also open to change. You listen to your head and your heart. You are a decent communicator. You eventually get your point across, but sometimes you leave things a bit ambiguous.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?

How much do you know about Christmas?

You Know a Lot About Christmas

You got 10/10 correct You know tons about the history and traditions surrounding Christmas. When you celebrate the holidays, you never forget their true meaning - or all the little fun details. Random Christmas fact: "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is the first Christmas carol. It dates back to the 12th century.

How Much Do You Know About Christmas?

What do the Holidays mean to you?

What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are a very spiritual time. You have as much holiday fun as everyone else - but you never forget what you're celebrating. You celebrate the holidays in a minimalist style. You are likely to only give one great present and decorate your house with a few special items. During the holidays, you feel magical. You love all of the decorations and how happy people are. You like to sit back and take it all in. You think the holidays should be comforting and relaxing. You don't like the holiday rush... you just like the simple pleasure of the holidays. Your best holiday memories are of childhood foods and traditions. You secretly still wish you believed in Santa Claus.

What Do the Holidays Mean to You?

What Holiday are you?

You Are Christmas

More than most people, you are able to find magic in life's small moments. Traditions mean a lot to you, and you tend to be quite nostalgic. You are a giving, kind person who really understands the true meaning of holidays. You inspire others to be as altruistic and caring as you are. What makes you celebrate: Tradition and a generous spirit At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The storyteller. You like to recount memories with everyone. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Give a gift to everyone you know

What Holiday Are You?

Do you have the Christmas Spirit?

Your Christmas Spirit Level: 100%

Your Christmas spirit is almost as big as Christmas itself. Christmas is definitely your thing. You celebrate Christmas with enthusiasm. You love every minute of the holidays. Your Christmas spirit is inspiring to everyone who runs into you during the holidays. You make everyone's day just a little bit brighter. And that's what the holidays are all about!

Do You Have the Christmas Spirit?

Which of Santa's Reindeer are you?

You Are Comet

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge! Why You're Naughty: You almost gave Santa a heart attack when you took him sky diving Why You're Nice: You always make sure the sleigh is going warp speed

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

What Christmas Tree are you?

You Are a Traditional Christmas Tree

For a good Christmas, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. You already have traditions, foods, and special things you bring out every year.

What Christmas Tree Are You?

Quote of the Day

Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.
~William James

So, what's worse?

...waking up late or waking up 2 hours early with a horrible stomach ache? That's a no brainer, I'd rather wake up late. So I've been up since 4 am with this horrific stomach ache and it's not getting any better. I have some sort of tummy bug and I have a feeling that it's going to be with me for the better part of the day. Now this is going to set me back a bit in what I have to do here which is more baking. At least I got all of my packages sent off yesterday, so that's one thing to check off of my list :-)

Quote of the Day

Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, "I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me".
~Ann Landers

Waking up late

There's nothing like waking up late when you have 1001 things that you have to get done today and all before 11 am. So what I am doing sitting here reading the news and taking my time now? Well I already scurried like a rat in a maze this morning. Got the husband and kids off to school in a timely manner and now it's my time. I washed all ten of the 4 inch spring-form pans, dried them and will put them away momentarily. Cleaned the kitchen and will sweep the floor before I leave.

I look at this huge list of things to accomplish today and the only thing going through my mind is how ever am I going to be able to squeeze the Thrift Shop in there today? The fact of the matter is that I will only be able to make an appearance and maybe stay for an hour before I have to leave again. There's just not enough time in the day for me this week. I did voice my opinion that I thought that we should be closed this week but alas- Heidi is a die hard Thrift Shop manager, wanting the Thrift Shop to make as much money as it possibly can. You've got to admire her for that. So now I'm off to iron my outfit, get one of my bigger cheesecakes ready for a feast over at Base Ops, go to the post and office ship off some stuff, run by the BX, commissary and a few other places. My feet hurt just thinking about it.

My Cookbook Nook: Chocolate Volcano Cakes

My Cookbook Nook: Chocolate Volcano Cakes

surrounded by cheesecakes

I turned into the baking Queen this afternoon. Believe it or not, I've made 12 cheesecakes! Two are 8 inch cheesecakes and I currently have 10 four inch cheesecakes in the oven :-) Now that's a lot of cream cheese! Wednesday I start the process all over again. Thursday I start my cheesecake delivery service. I've got cake boxes and cute curly ribbon - I'm looking forward to filling my car with yummy cheesecakes! For now my freezer will be full of cheesecake.