Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone in blogland!  I wish everyone a safe, loving and peaceful Christmas.  I said Happy Holidays to someone the other day and i felt immediate sadness.  It wasnt intentional at all, it just came out, but the pain I felt of not saying "Christmas" was swift.  It is Jesus's birth and thats the most important of all in this special day!  Soooo, Merry CHRISTMAS to all of you!

I know I've posted this before...but heres another one!

This is after I attempted to resize them.  Looks like crap lol.  I"m  trying to learn all this for Etsy and I'm finding I'm NOT good at all at this type of thing.  I cant even figure out postage lol.  I think my mind is in to many places at one time.  I'm trying to balance full time work, family, grandchildren, marriage, my business and I'm thinking I"m sinking.   My goal was to be out of my full time time soon, but to be honest since some recent changes happenned at work, I'm not feeling so frustrated and so I'm going to continue on.  I do like what i do overall,,,and i LOVE my business but fact is--I am still putting into the business and not making anything.  Its done mostly out of love and joy of what I do.  Besides I have some personal goals I want to meet.  

One good thing --I've received my new sofa from Pottery Barn!  First time ever hubby and I custom ordered anything and waited 2 months for it!  We love it, and I stepped out of my comfort zone and went with RED!  I will post pictures after I get it all set up.  Right now its got funny tiny pillows on it and its not flattering at all.

My soaps are in a store now in my little town and so far doing very well.  I'm excited about that.  Once I get this Etsy thing figured out I will work on that also.   Anyhow, I hope everyone is having a great winter so far and looking forward to the approaching Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

glitter-graphics.com 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones!  Good food, good company and so many reasons to be thankful!

Shooting Star

Last year I came across this Christmas Shooting Star in the Grandin Road Catalog from Martha Stewarts Collection.  I decided not to buy it because its kinda of pricey but also because I wasnt sure of where I would put it or if I wanted one more thing to put out!   This year when I saw the Catolog again, I decided to go for it.  It came the other day and baldyman put it out back in between our trees.  I think its well worth the price, it shines very brightly and its quite a nice size.   You can see it from our bed at night and also it lights the backyard very nicely when sitting in the hot tub.

I've got about half of my Christmas Decorations up.  This year I'm going for a more elegant festive look.  I've redone what I've done on the fireplace mantel for years.  I would really like to hire someone but its not in the budget.  So, I've been doing alot of magazine reading, and checking out what is out there and then just being brave and going for it.  I will post more pictures later once I'm done.  

I'm off to visit the blog land and catch up with all of you!

Fixed, well almost fixed!

Here are pictures of the new Refridgerator, sure looks nice dosnt it?  I like it just as well, maybe more. I dont have all the fancy stuff on the outside, but this one has more room on the inside, an icemaker and water dispenser on the inside of the fridge.  

Okkk, now for the almost fixed part!  When they delivered it, they cracked the freezer door handle AND dented it above the freezer door.  The NEW one is on order and wont be here for a couple of weeks.  Sooo, once again we will have to move everything out and re do it--this will be our 3rd time.   What a mess.  Anyhow, I do like it, makes the kitchen look nicer and its very nice having more fridge room, less freezer room.

An elephant in my kitchen!

I should have taken a photo of before so you could see what a mess we have going on right now.  We had a small white refridgerator that came with the house 8 years ago.  We decided we wanted a new fridge, complete with all the bells and whistles and one that belongs to us.  So what did we do?  We went shopping, after going to 3 stores, opening up everyone and then some, we both opened this and we heard the angels sing.  Sooo we bought it.  Come home, and waited for delivery.

Heres the delivered fridge!  It dosnt fit.  I have an elephant in my kitchen.  Neither of us thought to measure.  All i knew is that we both loved it.   I also know i want a freezer on the bottom and a larger space for everyday things.  

Well, we had to call the store--go back to the store which where we live is a distance.  We werent even smart enough to buy locally.  Anyhow, we measured this time...and the new one comes tomorrow.  For now, I walk around this HUGE item.  I'll post another picture once the other one is in and hopefully it will all go well.

Its not to soon!

This is my Table Setting for Christmas 2 years ago...I loved it! Yesterday I bought my first Christmas gift, I was so excited. I saw something, knew it would fit a person in my family and bought it. I'm thinking I'm going to wrap it, and begin placing gifts around the house. After all, right after Halloween, I begin decorating for Christmas..its really not to soon!

My Day Off!

I have the next 3 days off, just about the last of my vacation time. I'm spending it at home. The UPS arrived today with my newest ingrediants for a new project I'm wanting to try. I wanted to make soaps for boys with toys embedded in them..perhaps a Christmas Gift. Anyhow, here is the result! Now only does he have an alien in him, he glows in the dark. Its just a clear based soap, scented in Buzzy Bee fragrance and I think he turned out really well.
You can get an idea of how he glows from this picture. It actually glows very well. I dont have any products for kids really, so I'm working on learning soaps because that seems to be becoming quite popular. The soaps I've made so far last very long and are very soft for the skin.

I plan on making more Fall and Christmas candles as well as continuing to decorate my house in more elegant and deeper tones. My decluttering is going well. I'm not missing anything and I'm enjoying the "sparseness" around the house.

Monday and Tuesday I worked 18 hours, and I was thinking if I was only part time--I'd have all this time each week. I'm praying "hard" God provides me with a part time job after the 1st of the Year. I really need the income but I also really want the time at this point in my life. Not sure I've mentioned it yet,,,but March 8th, my oldest son is expecting twins. That will make me a grandma of 7 at 52! I really want to help them out as well as enjoy being a Grandma and also catch up on things like lunch with freinds, and who knows maybe even alittle show in the afternoon. Today was so nice, the time didnt zoom buy like it does at work and I had time to smell the roses. Full time work is just not for me anymore!

Farewell to Summer

I got to see alot of this, this summer. My husband Baldyman bought this little boat from one of our neighbors and the grandkids used it in their pond. The dog (Phoney) lives in that pond literally from Spring until the water is to cold to go in. He is in it so much, he's not allowed in the house until Frost. They have a sofa and place for him to sleep in the garage where he comes and goes. He chases the fish all day long and never tires of it.

I asked the girls yesterday if they've been swimming and they said they tried to on Friday but the water was already to cold for them. September here in Wisconsin, came in with a roar,,the temp change was immediate. Its time to put away the rafts, swimming toys and get ready for the ice skates!

Alittle early, but BOO!

Yep, it got chilly here in Wisconsin and I got happy! I dug out my Halloween decor and started decorating! Also, I made Apple Crisp, Chili, lit the fireplace, it was all good. At night we've hit the 40's already and thats low considering only a couple days ago we were well into the 90's.
This is one of my new Halloween monsters this year. Mr. Bones. I placed him at the table, he's waiting for someone to feed him. The broom on the table plays witch laughs and scary music and goes around the table and when it reaches the edge it goes back. I cant get enough of that "fun" stuff this time of year.

I've got the "itch" to move., to look for a house to buy. This one is to small and I feel overpriced. I've been blessed to live here for 8 years but I'm feeling like I need to begin searching for a place that gives us more room, maybe more privacy and quiet. We looked at one today in the country, but its more pricey than we can afford also. Its a hard time of life, kids are grown, yet we are still young enough I dont feel like going into a condo or anything. Hopefully something will come up that fits my needs and wants and also the budget.

Dosnt feel like the end of summer.....

Here is a picture of the Mississippi River we took while we visited one of our State Parks a few weeks ago. I believe its Wyalusing State Park. The views were unbeleiveable.
This picture shows a neat cloud that just took my breath away. Sometimes the sky is so pretty all you want to do is capture it and stay there forever!
And this.....I'm going to get this enlarged this afternoon. This is a photo of my grandson Karson's hand and mine. I love it! He is 1 now. My summer has gone fast like they always do, but yet I'm ready to say goodbye. Its been HOT, HUMID and a Mosquito Summer here in Wisconsin. I've gotten bit so much you would have though i should have lost weight. The humidity and me dont get along...I dont like feeling and looking like a drowned rat. Hopefully next summer--I will be either not working or working part time and can get back to things such as this...I really miss blogging. I hope your all doing well and its time to check out a few blogs!

Karson's 1st Birthday and the Beach!

This is one of our twins Elisa with Karson who turned 1 yesterday. He sure enjoyed his cake and it was delicious!
If you look at the post below with the dogs swimming, this is the same pond but a few days ago our son had it dug out alittle and then added a beach area. The water is like bath water. Everyone has been having a blast enjoying the little area.
I cant believe only a few weeks ago it looked like my post below and now this. Unreal what a few things can do! I'm back to work tomorrow, vacation is over. I have mixed feelings, because the core of me is a homemaker and I never tire of being home.

Summer Livin

This is early Summer at our sons house. If you look close you can see Pheney and Bugsy romping in the pond. Pheny is out here all day long until night and I'm not exaggerating. This dog swims all day, barks at the fish and then just enjoys the wildlife. Its so fun to watch him. Bugsy our other sons dog comes out to visit and then swims with him.

Today for the first time I went swimming in the pond. It dosnt look anything like this picture now, and this was taken just a few weeks ago. Since this photo, our son has had a beach put in, filled the pond with some sand and then colored the water. I will take some photos tomorrow when we go back. It really looks like a beach now. He has umbrellas, chairs, sand toys, its just beautiful. The only thing that hasnt changed is Pheny! I had my grandaughters racing tonight and Pheny was swimming right next to them and of course I didnt have my camera but what a picture that would have been. I'm not much of a water baby, I dont even know how to swim. I brought a raft and enjoyed that. The fish come up and nibble at ya which is pretty strange.

Tomorrow our grandson turns 1 and they are having a party, fireworks and all. Should be nice and i will bring my camera and get some good photos!

Ready or Not, Fall will Arrive!

Dont be shocked but guess whose back? YEP,,little ole me. I'm on vacation this week and decided to stay home. No exotic vacation this summer.

To say I've been busy would be an understatement. Our daughter got married last month. That went well, but you all know how that takes time. (and money)

I'm just to pooped when I get home from work. I hope to change that soon also...but for now--I'll do my best to get back to blogging. I really really miss it and I really miss visiting so many wonderful blogs.

My little business is doing well. I'm getting great feedback and steady happy customers! This is what I've done this week. I'm like a store..I think ahead! Sooo, I"ve gotten my Fall candles DONE! I have Spiced Apple in a pretty Apple jar and then my favorite is the Pumpkin! Pumpkin Scented, with a happy pumpkin face and the tin hat. If you look at the hat it has sun, moon stars cutouts so when lit it should show a pretty pattern thru the hat. Since these candles are 100% Soy, you can wash the jars out, fill em with candy or other Fall pretties. I think these will do very well.

Something new I'm starting to work on tomorrow, I will be making candles for Christmas with the wooden wicks. They are rather new on the scene but the customers who buy them like them. I've boughten candles with the wood wicks and i like the crackle so I thought I would give it a try.

So, thats what I've been up to..just family life, work and then my business. We've been camping and thats always fun. I didnt get to plant flowers like I wanted to this season. I've just been to busy. I think this is the worst year for my flowers and I'm not happy.

I'll be around to check your blogs out!

Mirror Lake State Park, Camping

Saturday we drove to Mirror Lake State Park, one of my new favorite places to camp. I decided since I take such crappy pictures I needed to print off the instructions for my camera and actually spend some time reading them and learning how to take the best picture this camera can. Here is a shot of our motor home--its very dark out and I think it came out pretty well.
This is a shot at the same time of night without the flash,,so you can see just how dark it really was.
Baldyman, after a few drinks wanted his picture taken. He really wasnt in his right frame of mind.
And this is at dusk. This little table fire lamp was given to me by my future son-in-law and daughter for Christmas. I couldnt wait to see how it works. It actually is VERY pretty, romantic. We used it for Table Centerpiece. The shoe next to it contains a flower I planted that I carry with when we go in the motor home. So far, we have not been able to find an entire weekend to go camping,,we can only get a day. We love it enough, we take it!

Before & After, my new car!

Ok so I dont have any new decorating going on in my house BUT I do have something new to share with ya! Last July I turned in my Pontiac G-6...it was leased for 4 years, I loved it, but then decided I didnt want to buy it and I wanted a break from payments. Our son had just bought a new car himself and gave me his old one...which is this black Taurus. Its rough looking, drove fairly well and I loved not having any payments. About a month ago-it started sounding like it was gonna blow up. He couldnt figure out what was wrong and I decided its time to get a new car again and know that while I'm out there working I'm going to be safe. I drive alot on side roads and highways and dont like feeling like i might be stuck out there. I also know I like cheaper payments and for me, leasing is the way to go.
I got this car just like the G-6- we called someone Baldyman does business with, told him our payment range-etc..he called us back told us about this car--and thats the one we got. No test driving--got it sight unseen. Drove 2 hours to pick it up. I love it! Its a Kia Forte 2011. I have it 3 years, by then I'll be ready to say goodbye to it. Its got that neat feature where you just talk in the car, you dont have to use a phone AND I have Sirius Satellite Radio. The salesman said I wish there were more like you--just call up--say ok, come on and sign and drive off. Well, I'm not a shopper so this works for me, and I also dont get attached to things or have preferences over types of vehicles..I just want something that will be under warranty, is comfy and lower payments!

So, this is what I do have going on thats new in my life...AND I will do my best to keep this one clean.

Spring is here!

I got home early from work today and decided I need to get back to blogging. I walked outside to take a picture of my few daffodils and standing out there is Ms. Ellie! This is our 3rd grandaughter. She lives on the same street we do. Lately, she has a habit of just "showing up" lol. I dont mind,,,BUT I do worry because there are so many sickos in the world. I've been asking her to call Grandma first, see if I'm home and its ok to come over and then I will watch for you. Well, so far its not working....I will keep trying!

We dont have many daffodils but the few we do have I love. Notice all the yellow spots on the lawn from Genie fertilizing it all winter. I wonder why some lawns dont get bothered by their pets and some do...anyone know the answer to that, share it with me!

We have decided to sell our permanent trailer site..long story but after getting the motor home--thats where our heart is plus with all the flooding in recent years our sons have gotten tired of redoing their sites and also the expense is just to much...sooooo we are all saying goodbye this spring to our trailers. We will be driving to ours today to clean it out--and put it up for sale. If all goes well--that will be our Las Vegas money for vacation in July!

Other than that--work is keeping me on my toes as well as my business. I've made several more new products and the feedback is EXCELLENT! I also had my first home show and it went awesome. I just have to keep finding time to do it.

I hope to get to everyone's blogs this weekend and my goal is to get back to it regularly!

Hello!

While I see no one has been around inquiring if I'm alive or not (lol) I just wanted to let anyone know--that I am! I've been overwhelmed lately....but I do hope to get back here quickly! I'm trying to make some personal changes in my life, I miss having time. I also miss reading blogs....I hope everyone is well and soon I will get my buns back here!

Easter Already????

Boy its been awhile since I've been on here! I cant believe how fast the weeks go. I was going to make one post a week thinking I can handle that and poof I think I'm going on 2 weeks now.

I have to tell ya, I'm tired of winter. It can end right now. My biggest fear is that of falling. There is so much ice around here. Its been a pretty cold couple of months and with fresh snow--there is all that ice lurking underneath!

I wanted to post my newest Easter Decoration. I found this bunny at Pier 1 Imports. I could NOT leave him there. I brought him home and right after Valentines Day I put him on the fireplace. I placed some Easter candy in his little basket. I'm thinking I might add one of those tealights that is lit by a battery so that he has a soft glow. I cant believe I'm thinking of Easter already but hey, it will help me think of warmer temps!

Brightest Full Moon of 2010!

I have to agree, it was very bright and HUGE last night. I snapped this photo around 730 last night. You could have sat outside and read the paper. Here is the article on the Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010! I hope you all got to get outside and view it. I LOVE watching the skies when the various changes happen, one of my favorites is Meteor Showers. Anyhow, here's the article:

The first full moon of 2010 will appear tonight, Jan. 29, 2010, but it will also be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. Some even call it a "supermoon."

Anyone with clear skies will be able to easily identify the moon tonight and get a spectacular view of its features, says Space.com.

The full moon tonight will be 2010's biggest and brightest since the moon is closer in orbit than usual at this time of year.

How much bigger and brighter? Spaceweather.com reports it will be 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than normal.

While full moons can be breathtaking to sky-gazers, they can be irritating to astronomers. The full moon is the No. 1 cause of natural light pollution, and its bright lighting -- especially tonight -- will dim stars and nebulae, making them quite difficult to see.

Cute Shoes!

Ok I went shopping for Baldyman's birthday yesterday. Why is it that every time us ladies go shopping for someone else, we of course find something we just have to have! It happens to me all the time. I decided I was going to buy him his own pair of Croc's because I have these pink ones...and he wears them all the time. Do you think he's trying to tell me something????? Anyhow, I went to the Croc store and found him a man pair of Crocs...NO these are not those! This is where the problem came in, I found these! Arent they the cutest? They are so comfy to. When I paid the bill I was complaining on how expensive it was, but I wont admit the bill was high due to MY shoes not Baldymans. Anyhow, they ARE cute!
NOW,,,check these out. They are homely, abused, over used and just need to go into the trash. They are comfy from being so worn out. Now tell me, I needed new shoes right??????

Friend or Foe?

I havent decided yet if this is my new friend or my new enemy. I can tell you that I LOVE LOVE treadmills. I had one a few years ago and used it until it no longer worked. Then I just didnt go get another one. Of course every January we all begin thinking about getting ourselves healthier. I normally get out and walk but once our hard winters hit I no longer walk because I'm afraid of the ice underneath the snow. Soo, I notice i start getting out of shape. Last week I made the decision to go get another treadmill and begin trekking in the morning before I go to work. I dont know why but I really enjoy the treadmill.

We've had a pretty mild week and we are actually thawing out in Wisconsin. I just miss the sunshine. I dont think we've seen the sun in almost a week now.

Where are all you fellow blogging friends? I miss ya, come back and visit me!

Perfect Peaceful Sunday

Today was a beautiful winter day in Wisconsin. The snow was sticking to the trees which makes for a really beautiful winter scene. The temps were fairly mild also. I hope you can see how pretty it is from this photo--this is of our backyard.
Here is my little feathered friends catching an afternoon drink and even some are bathing. This electric water heater is to keep their water from freezing. Last winter it barely got used. This season its full thruout the day. Its really neat watching the birds come and play. It drives the cat nuts but for us, its enjoyable. I felt really bad for them so i actually went out there and scooped all the water out and then poured nice lukewarm water so if they wanted to clean themselves they could. Baldyman thought I was alittle odd but hey, thats how we women are.

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend, we sure did. Got alot of deep cleaning done, organizing and just enjoying the house. We are still in the process of decluttering and its coming along. Its amazing how much stuff you accumulate and then you find out you really dont need anymore. I found a bag of sewing that was bittersweet. When I took it out I realized it had been for a shirt I was in the process of making one of my twins, now they are moved out. I told Baldyman thats what happens when a woman works full time outside the home, things just get put aside. I'm still on a mission to find the perfect part time job--and then also promote my body products and candles...that remains a strong goal for this year. I so miss sewing and doing some of the things I like to do. I just dont have the time anymore. Anyhow, I'm off to visit some of you!

Winter Wonderland & Ms. Genie!

These are photos of our storm in Wisconsin 2 days ago. We maybe got about 4-6 inches while places not to far from us got 12-14 inches. It was snowing pretty good when I took this picture, not sure if you can see the flakes. Try clicking on it and enlarging the picture.
This is our backyard, baldyman had just finished feeding all the birds so that they would have tons of food during the storm.
AND......let me present to you,,,,our Ms. Genie! I took her to the groomers yesterday and isnt she the prettiest thang you ever did see? She was a mess...a real mess. I had them put ribbons in her hair which she HATES...they were out in a couple of hours. Thankfully I got this picture while the ribbons were in place. I think she would bite me if she could for having them place ribbons in her hair. She's a princess but not that big of one. I dont know if I've shared on this blog Ms. Genie's health problems but we rescued her about 6 years ago. She was an abused animal. We got her right after the death of our family dog Buddy..who was very dear to us. Genie won us all over..including Baldyman who said he didnt think he could love another animal like Buddy and Brandy. Approx 3 years ago Genie got very sick and after running her to various vets and ringing up tons of bills we had no answer. She was getting sicker and sicker and finally we ended up at a place that had some sort of an idea of what could be wrong and referred us to the Wisconsin Veterinary Hospital which did find out what was wrong---but a huge cost. Lets just say---she's why we dont have a new car right now as well as other things. Some people think we're nuts--but for us--like so many others Genie is like our child. Anyhow, she was basically suppossed to die about 2 years ago. She beat all odds and beat that disease. She got sick again, this time with her heart and is now fighting that. She needs a pacemaker and we are deciding if we can afford to do that. She's not that old of a dog...only 7 so she has alot of time left. Anyhow, she is a fighter and we love her to death. She gets pretty raggeity and it was past time for her doggie beauty parlor appt. She loves it and comes home VERY stuck up. She just isnt fond of the bows. Sooo, this is her right after she got back.

I hope everyone is enjoying this cold snowy winter and enjoying some good wintery dishes!

New Year, New Start!

I made a resolution for 2010...and that is to de-clutter. I dont normally make any resolutions because quite frankly I think we all know we fail to hold them. BUT....I have wanted to declutter for a long time now. I'm tired of so much crap all over and I'm tired of all the "trinkets". I started when i took down our decorations. I am donating alot of the stuff I no longer use and just dont like anymore. Then, for a long time now I've wanted my dining room to feel more homey and after a meal I wanted it to be a place you dont mind sitting and lingering over conversation or games. When we bought our dining room set last Spring, we didnt have enough seating. This is a counter top dining set so finding seats to fit are challenging. I finally found a bench that is counter top and ordered it. I was hoping it would be here for the holidays but it didnt make it. After cleaning the room out I placed it here--and I think the dining room has a whole new feeling now. I havent taken the plastic off the seat yet--so ignore that!
Now we can comfortable seat 8 for a meal! For the grandkids I have a card table and chairs that I can set up also.
AND....me and Baldyman decided it was time to come into the 2000's for our TV. Our old TV has that huge back that dosnt allow you to place it against the wall and I was tired of being limited for re-arranging furniture. We bought this cabinet and TV after Christmas and are loving it. We dont have the sound figured out yet-but we are getting there. Our kids bought us the surround sound system that is the black bar above the TV and that pretty much summed up our decision to get the new TV. Our house is looking much cozier these days, a good thing since its so cold right now in Wisconsin.

I hope the New Year for all of us brings, peace, love and health. I have many personal plans for this year and I do hope that they come to pass. I'll be sharing those soon!