Flat Fluffy Flakes - Say That Five Times Fast!

OK, so I'm a couple of days late LOL   This was Sunday night as we watched the snow come down for hours.   Saturday afternoon after I returned from NC, I went to WalMart to get a curtain panel for my step-father, completely forgetting that the "BIG STORM" was coming the next day.   The place looked like a bomb had gone off and there were ten people in every line.    No bread, milk, and a new one - bananas, to be found!  Big mistake.

On Sunday early evening, Jack and I went out for dinner about 35 minutes south.   We were one of only two cars in the parking lot because the "BIG STORM" was supposed to hit at 7pm.   When we went in I told the gal - guess everyone is at home drinking their milk and eating their bread LOL   It had started sleeting a little on our way back home.   And the snowflakes above started in earnest an hour later.   They were really beautiful to watch.   Not so much fun for the little feral cat that we feed - sure hope he's been able to find a dry and warm spot to hole up at night!

We had about three inches here but north Atlanta had much more.   And of course we had freezing rain on Monday which turned our streets into big sheets of ice.   Needless to say, for Georgia that's like four feet of snow anywhere else and no one has gone anywhere for two days.   So far today it's pretty much melted on our street, driveway, and sidewalk.  

Big pot of chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight!   Great soup weather!

Euella - A Once Upon A Time Story

Now when Euella was born in Clarksville, Texas, her father insisted that she be named after the most famous man to ever come out of that town – Euell Gibbons - who wrote the classic book Stalking the Wild Asparagus.  Actually her name was quite a misnomer as Euella Rose Darling turned out to be the ugliest child in the state.  Why they had to tie a porkchop around her neck just to get the dog to play with her.  And the dog wasn’t a looker either.  But honey that didn’t stop Euella from wearing the brightest clothes or slatherin’ on the makeup.  And believe it or not she ended up marrying a millionaire!

Eleven 2011 Intentions

Good round number, right? LOL And these are in no particular order.
 1. Take better care of my body – our new company gym is opening mid-January and I will HAVE NO MORE EXCUSES since I’m right there!
 2. Create something new every week – that’s 52 new creations and some of them are bound to be giveaways
 3. Shop at my local international farmer’s market at least twice a month – even though it’s a 45 minute drive – heck some people do that and more every day to work and back
 4. Do not watch a single bad rerun or even boring new show on TV just to be mindlessly watching something – my honey is just going to have to play more Scrabble
 5. Find eight fun things to do with my four older grandkids during the year so we can have a couple of outings a year with each of them individually – not an easy task with busy teenagers and one in her third year of college
 6. Be mindful of every penny I spend – is it a want or a need?
 7. Make all birthday, anniversary, and holiday cards during January and have them ready to send rather than paying $4.99 or more for a card that doesn’t really say what I want it to say
 8. Make one raised bed planter a month and fill it with good dirt. They may not all be done in time for spring planting but in 2012 I’ll have enough to plant a REALLY good garden. Use the compost in my compost pile and start another one (now that I know that you don’t need a four foot tall structure when you only have maybe a foot and a half of compost a year LOL)
 9. Appreciate that I have a loving honey to tell the same stories more than once or draw out a story until you want to squeeze it out of him without rolling my eyes or making a not-so-nice comment
 10. Spend at least 10 minutes with each of our two black Lab mixes in my lap each day – yep they’re heavy but they both think they are lap dogs. And spend equal time petting my old girl who doesn’t think she’s a lap dog but loves to be petted
 11. I’m usually always patient with people that I’m helping on the phone at my company. Try not to say ANYTHING not nice (whether muttering to myself or any colleagues around me) when I hang up – try to realize they are doing the best they can and be more patient

Happy 2011 everyone and may you be blessed with your own good intentions!

For All The Pink Lovers Out There...

Finally after many months I've finished the hot pink wreath!  Originally it was going to have wool braiding around the outside and inside edge and be in a book but when my stepfather became ill earlier in the year - there just wasn't time to get it done by the deadline.  It languished out in my studio and finally I decided to finish it for a friend for Christmas.  It's hooked in hot pink wool with flowers that are proddied from all sorts of wools and yarns and fibers.  I also wired through the foundation into each flower and beaded the wire.  The back is lined with the same hot pink wool and mounted on a wire wreath frame.  I just happened to have some thin cotton cloth that made a perfect colored bow and that's also sewn on.  Sure hope my friend likes her gift!

Here's a little tablescape for you - we had to move the diningroom table into the livingroom and add a long folding table at the end.  Last night we had our family Christmas dinner and it was one of those really special occasions.  It's unusual when we can get more than a few gathered here at once.  My step-daughter and husband and our two grandchildren, our daughter and her husband, our granddaughter (who is a junior in college) and her boyfriend.  We had a great time and good food - not your usual Christmas fare - homemade chicken pot pie, bean salad, green salad, cranberry sauce, black olives, deviled eggs, brownies, pumpkin pie, and Greek cookies.  We sat talking about families and charities and natural gardening and world affairs for almost two hours afterwards.  Just a fabulous night.  At the last minute our son and one grandson weren't able to come but we'll be seeing them next weekend and will have our own little celebration then. 

I hope you will all be making wonderful Christmas memories this week with those you love and cherish.  And may you be blessed in the coming new year.

The Hallelujah Eggs

We're having a family Christmas dinner for twelve today.  Now everyone in the world may already have known this but I didn't so I went to ehow.com to find out the best way to peel an egg.  I love deviled eggs but absolutely hate making them.  Most of the time my eggs don't peel easily (or they come out looking like egg salad) and half of them aren't even usable.  I know how to cook 'em, know to put 'em in cool water for awhile before peeling, even know you should 'crackle' them before trying to peel.  But the secret I didn't know was that after you crackle them, if you roll them in your hands like you're rolling a meatball for a few seconds, it will loosen the membrane under the shell and it will peel easily.  I JUST PEELED A DOZEN PERFECT EGGS!!!!!!!!!  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!  Let's eat!!!!!!!

One World One Heart 2011

Oh my gosh I'm so excited and can't believe it's that time of year already!  Thanks Georgina for reminding me about this.  One World One Heart will take place between January 30th and February 17th 2011 and this will be the fifth and final year for it.  Last year over 1,000 bloggers participated.   It's almost impossible to visit that many blogs but Lisa keeps the list out there for a year so you can always go back and visit later. 

It's so that bloggers can meet other bloggers (via their blogs) and it's so much fun and so inspiring.  I met the most incredible people last year and hope to meet even more this year. 

You can go here to read all about it.

Un Quartetto Di Alberi

For some reason (could it be Christmas?) I've been on a create-a-tree spree!  These are made with cardboard spools, yarn, and whatever whimsies I could find.  Fast, cute, and perfect for giveaways or door prizes. 

Enjoy!