Catching Up

Well, I guess I have been busy. I do have these things to show for. Do you ever find yourself busy all day, but at the day end of the day you have nothing done. Yesterday was that kind of day. I ran a few errands, bought groceries and it was early afternoon already! I did get my Christmas down. I still have a few boxes to carry upstairs. I had intended on leaving up a few trees with just the lights on. I love to have the lights from the trees glowing in the living rm. But once I started hauling it up there I thought Oh well I might as well get it all. I did buy new winter garland on clearance and I redid my mantle, post office box and TV cabinet. So i will leave up some snowmen there. Ive been working on a few stitchery things. The snowmen and word things I will frame, the table mat will go on my coffee table. I have been wanting to make some mats for the end tables and TV cabinet glass shelves. I did finish me first penny rug mats. I'm pretty happy with them. The snowman one took forever. I now know why they are so pricey to buy!!! You appreciate them alot more after making one yourself. i bought a few clothing items of wool yesterday at a goodwill to make more penny mats! Well, I have spent most of the morning catching up on reading your post so I had better get something done elsewhere! Ill be back this afternoon.

The Day After

Good Morning, Well its the day after, the day after actually! We got up yesterday and went out on our annual search for a bargain. We found plenty. My mom, SIL, her neighbor and myself headed up to our local craft shop for the 1/2 off sale. We stood in line to get in the door for 20min. Got in and found gobs! I found garland and wooden candy canes, and a few ornaments. Then we went on to a shop a few miles away where we found even more. My SIL and I get gift cert. for each other and then spend it at this shop. we agreed we'd do the same next yr. As we loaded our treasures in the back of the suburban we said "Merry Christmas!" There we found more garland, snowmen and Santa's for next yr. We each bought the large swag with the bell. The new sampler pillows came from there too. We then went on to another nearby town and scoured the flea markets. There I found the cute old metal stool for less than 10.00,by the fireplace and my new doll. I love her, she was more than 50% off. I got the old slaw shredded for Christmas. I plan on placing some garland on it and a candle. Ill post later. The last pic is of the girls on Christmas morning. We all get up and meet at mom and dads to open presents and then everyone goes home to put their things away and later met at my house for Christmas dinner. I had about 13 people over. We ate ourselves silly and then settled in for a movie. It was a great day. Its been extremely warm here the past two days. Yesterday it was in the 70's, today is rainy and still pretty warm. Doesn't seem like winter, but Oh it will get cold again! Were driving to the flea market and Nancy spotted an old white porcelain sink in a back yard. we stopped and asked if he wanted to get rid of it? He asked the wife, she had been wanting him to put it in the basement forever. I offered him 10.00 and a buddy behind him said Id ask 50.00 I said no I wouldn't give 50. He said no I think Ill hang onto it. I bet if the buddy hadn't been there we would have brought that home with us! We did have that suburban loaded though! Nancy had bought an old washtub on legs and with all our treasures we loaded down. As we unloaded at Nancy's, her husband Frank said you made one trip with all this? We said yes Frank and what happened in the suburban, stays in the suburban!! It was a fun day. I'm home today to put away somethings. Ill probably put up my ornaments, but keep out the trees and lights and snowmen for awhile! Have a great weekend, I have all next week off for winter break!!

Merry Christmas To All!

Merry Christmas Ladies, Well I think we are the only school still in sessions in Kansas!! A few more hours and I will officially be on Christmas Break!! The kids are bouncing off the walls and we are just watching movies. We will have an all school sing along today @ 1:30. Its cold outside, I'm on my lunch hr. and thought I would post a few pics of things around the house. I made up the old pulley decor on my front door from a picture in a magazine. I looked at that and thought Oh how cute and then I thought oh wait I have one of those out on my porch! The snowman is from my Country Sampler $! The old ice cream maker snowman is a favorite. I turn it around during the rest of the yr. I got him 1/2 price at a shop not far from here. It has a snow ice cream recipe painted on it! Ive been working on a couple penny mats. I finished one last night. Ill post it later. I plan on doing a lot of sampler work over my Christmas break. Better go for now. I want to scan the new post of you all while I still have a few minutes. Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy today!

Christmas Decorating

Hi Ladies, it's been awhile. Everyone seems so busy this time of yr. We spent the weekend in Tulsa with my cousin who has had a preemie baby girl. Baby Jasiah Kate is doing better, just wishing her home for Christmas! I have been tweeking my Christmas decor a bit. Adding a small tree here and there. Hobby Lobby had trees half off already, so I brought another pencil tree home to put behind my kitchen table. I bought some wintery woodsy garland to hang from the ladder of enamelware. The cute red canister set I bought at a Alco store. They have the cutest stuff in there. I had seen them but were to pricey, so on Sun. they were half off! Pays to wait. We got sleet last night and its 14 degrees right now, not enough to keep us home from school( darn) I'm on my lunch now. But just enough to make it scary to get out in! well better go. I want to finish reading more of your blogs. Have a great week!

My First Successful Craft Show!

Well Ladies, I did it! My first craft show was held yesterday. I did pretty good. I had lots of great comments on how cute my stuff was. Everyone loved my display of things. I had many other vendors come over and leave with great comments and many bought items from me. Many customers commented mine was their favorite booth!! I set up next to a lovely women who gave me some great pointers and she even bought alot from me. She was demonstrating punch needle and many other stitchery techniques. I set up the night before in our newly remodeled civic center, which helped. I was there the entire hr and half they gave us. Its a lot of work to set up and then tear down, unload at home and put away. I called my husband at 2:00 and said ok come help me get it home. He said you mean you didn't sell it all? No, not all I will have some snowman things to take to school tomorrow to sell, and the rest will go into my shop when I get that done. Another great thing that came out of it was, I was talking with a lady who had crafts made out of barn wood, I told her I was on the look out for some to line my shop walls with. In the course of the day I had two shoppers approach me giving me their phone numbers to tear down one old barn for free and the other had some in her garage all for 25.00 (wide plank) I was thrilled. That's the next fun thing the hubby and I get to do!!!! Well today is our family fun Christmas dinner. There is an RSVP of 88 coming. My mother comes from a family of 16! Not all living now, she being the youngest, but I am practically related to everyone in this small town. Anyway we are having a dinner @ 3:00. My moms family is very musically talented. My mom and her sisters have a small singing group and then there are a few of " us cousins" who do not have a musical bone in our body, we are the ones who after dinner and everyone else is rushing for the mics and instruments head to the table kitchen to clean up and do dishes. Well one yr another "musically challenged cousin" thought it would be cute for us to start a tradition of the "Nothin Cousins" to sing and have our time at the "mic and stage" so the "Nothin Cousins" are also preforming today our silly song at the dinner. Then on Tues. evening we are having our annual Botts Family Concert at our church which is free to the public. That's when all my musical family members will share their real talents with the community! The offering with be donated to our local food bank . And No! the nothin cousins will not be making an appearance!

My daughter will be playing several pieces on her flute. Well I need to get to the store and get my covered dishes prepared. You ladies have a great weekend!

Winter Band Concert

Hi Ladies, just a short post tonight before taking the daughter to dance class. last night we attended the winter band concert. the 6-8th grade band preformed. they do improve with age. i'm proud to say my daughter is 1st chair in the flute section, meaning by trying out she received the highest ranking of her instument!! we are very proud of her. she picked up the flute several yrs. ago and was really a natural. she has those long fingers for it! my niece is a 7th grader and also plays the flute she too preformed. they both did a great job. the picture of taylor and her friend whitley, they have been best friends since preschool! its great to have a best friend, she also plays the flute. pictures and ice cream at braums after the program, always! the picture of the canister set is in my Hoosier cabinet. i have made a set to sell at the craft show this sat. and i wanted to take a picture of mine to display with the set i'm selling. i like them! well i had better get going. my husband is pheasant hunting up in western kansas with guys from work for the week, so we stopped by subway for dinner, taylors favorite place to eat! its cold and dreary outside. a good night to set by the fire and sew!!! have a great rest of the week. ill post some pics of my craft show!!