counting down the days...

First and foremost....... I want to wish my brother Mark a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!  He's 5 years older than me and you know what? I will never be as old as he is!!!  LOL... get it?

Anyway...Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure we are all incredibly busy, I know I've been, and it seems I get caught up in all sorts of senseless and inane things in the meantime and forget the true meaning.

I have a cancer checkup this coming Tuesday with both the surgeon and the oncologist, so everyone keep your fingers crossed for me!  Can you believe it's been a whole year since I was diagnosed with breast cancer???  And I'm still here, and very blessed to be so. 

Sam was admitted to the National Honor Society this past week, and we are incredibly proud of her.   She's in the purple and black way on the left in the group photo, left pic, signing the roster for the NHS...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wow, where has the year gone??? How can thanksgiving be here today? I've been in a fog this year, it seems.
I am incredibly thankful to all of you, my blog friends, for your support the past year, it was much easier having all of you beside me.
So, am of course thankful for my health today, and my family, especially Tom and Sam, who have been beside me too.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

Timaree, Freebird Sings, posted this meme, and I copied it from Carol's blog.  Since Thanksgiving is today, here's my thoughts!


1. Which do you like better: Cooking at your house, or going elsewhere?
Home!!! Ever since we moved up to Three Lakes, we've had everyone to our houe… 21 years now… and Tom does the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, I do the extras.
2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen bird?
Frozen…
3. What kind of stuffing?
Tom makes the stuffing with turkey livers and apples and his own concoction of spices.
4. Sweet potato or pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin!!! Fresh whipped cream. Pecan pie too, and this year mincemeat, all made my mom-in-law…
5. Do you believe that turkey leftovers are a curse, or the point of the whole thing?
Definitely a point of the whole thing…turkey sandwiches, turkey ala king, yum!
6. Which side dish would provoke a riot if you left it off the menu?
Green bean casserole and corn casserole.
7. Do you save the carcass to make soup or stock?
Carcass goes to mom-in-law who then cooks up wonderful soup.
8. What do you wish you had that would make preparing Thanksgiving dinner easier?
More ovens~
9. Do you get up at the crack of dawn to have dinner ready in the early afternoon, or do you eat at your normal dinner hour?
We eat about 5 p.m., when everyone is back from deer hunting.
10. If you go to somebody else's house, what's your favorite dish to bring?
We NEVER go somewhere else for a holiday dinner!
11. What do you wish one of your guests wouldn't bring to your house?
Never had this problem!
12. Does your usual mix of guests result in drama, or is it a group you're happy to see?
Always happy to see family and anyone else who might need a place to go…
13. What's your absolute favorite thing on the menu?
Turkey and dressing.
14. What are you thankful for this year?
My family and my health. I was diagnosed one year ago with breast cancer, and I'm STILL HERE!!!

If you would like to do this meme feel free to take it. Let me know if you do it so I can come read your answers!

wip

here's a WIP that has been a WIP for a loooooong time and I finally dug it up and am almost done. Just have to finish edging it and putting a clasp on. it's beaded on ultrasuede, which is one of my favorites to bead on if I don't want a lot of background showing, in which case I might use Pellon or Lacy's...and then paint it. The dragon is bone; it was a gift from a friend and I added some color to it with Setacolor. The green and purple ribbons are silk and I just kinda looped it around and then stitched in place.  Haven't quite decided if I am keeping this yet or selling it....

I had SUCH an incredibly frazzly day at work. Eight hours of training on a new computer system, which will be wonderful in the end, but training chews up the brain cells! 

We are getting more registrants yet for the 2010 BJP..... awesome! and what's even better is that Wisconsin registrants are picking up a bit! Sorry to say, no help from me..... :(

wow, seriously in November already!

Wow, halloween is over and I am just getting pics on here.  To the left is Makayla and Sam... lovely girls, huh?

to the right is Sam's mask - Frank from Donnie Darko... anyone seen that movie? it's great. and Makayla in her devastated fairy garb...

and down below, of course Sam and Ozzy....he's such a huggable little guy. (so is Sam!)

Tomorrow I am reserving time for a little bit of work, a little bit of creativity and A LOT of housecleaning.  Everyone get outta my way!

Happy Halloween!

I painted this shirt a long time ago and finally found it again just in time to wear it for Halloween! I just thought it was kinda fun for the holiday... the shirt was an old one of my husband's and I free handed the painting with Setacolor paints.... I'm talking a long time ago, probably when Sam was just a wee baby!  Kinda fun though.......to find something this old and still LIKE it.... :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend...... it is snowing here, great for the BIG KIDS who want to trick or treat.....

photo thursday - simple

Simple.....
the theme for this week at Photo Thursday:
"SIMPLE" (Minimalist, Simple Things, Simple Composition, Pure,...)

these are rocks along the shore of Lake St Joseph in Ontario....

Go to Photo Thursday to join in!

a mini

A mini fall tree.  my camera skills leave lots to be desired. 
Another one of the cardstock frames here, measures about 1-1/2 x 2 inches inside dimension.  The tree is embroidery floss.

For those asking about my hair, yep, it's growing!!! It's probably around 1 inch long all over. VERY soft (like a kitten!) and quite unused to doing anything even remotely stylish! but it's hair, and MY hair, and I am quite pleased!!!