…you heard the last from me…I'm back!  Ha!

So, I'm sure you are wondering why I have this 4th of July table runner that I made a few years ago here on my blog on December 1st?  Hmmm….. I blogged about it once here and probably somewhere else along the way.  It's a fabulous little table runner.  See how nicely it crinkled up once it was washed?
Yes…it is lovely in July, but you see, my middle name is "Procrastination".  Yes it is and it really is not a complementary middle name to have at all, but I completely own it.
I have looked at this table runner over the months, mentioned that I probably should make an Autumn one, but did I…nope, no I didn't.  I just kept looking at this cheerful summer table runner, even after it snowed and never batted an eye.

So today I finally shamed myself into putting something a little more seasonal on my island.  See those lines…that is going to be my next challenge.  Will I get it upstairs and iron it before the holidays….stay tuned. 😉

….and so it ends, the month of daily blogging.

This has been a good brain stretch for me.  I have always avoided making commitments such as this because I know my noisy brain and I usually fail, but this month, I only missed one day, because I took my commitment seriously and quieted that busy brain a little.

I also stayed on task with my weekly photo processing class and projects, which is so unlike me.  I loved this class so much that it has given me the little push that I have needed to consider going back to school.  Knowing that I could do these 2 things along with my walking commitment has given me the confidence to know I can do more.

No fear, I will not disappear again.  I have enjoyed reconnecting with so many of you, so I will be blogging weekly.  Not every day, but at least twice a week and it will be because I want to, not because I have to….no pressure makes it so much more enjoyable.

~ So with that I am off….Have a wonderful evening in your corner of the world ~

To celebrate Small Business Saturday we are having a Sale!
~
15% off your entire order and we are extending it through Sunday.
(12 am Saturday through Sunday 11:30 EST)
~ discount is taken off at checkout.

Tis the season!  Now is the time to think about your Christmas purchases.
~
This lovely Cactus Flower shawl designed by Romi Hill was knit with 2 skeins of our Opal yarn.

…or this pretty headband designed by Chicknits….
One skein of WW Kashmir will knit two headbands.
A perfect quick gift for Christmas!

We look forward to your visit during this Holiday Season!

Today was a nearly perfect day for walking outside.  The weather while brisk, was not frigid and there was a good wind blowing, but not so hard that it made the walk uncomfortable….and the sun was shinning brightly.

When I was a little girl, I used to love to walk to the library and I would always smile and say hello to anyone that I passed.  Of course in today's society children just can't do that safely any longer which is a bit sad.
Now when I am walking if I make eye contact with someone driving, I always smile or if I pass someone, I do say hello and smile.  It makes the walk a little more enjoyable.

Today however, some asshat almost purposely ran me off the road….grrr!  The one area of my walk that had not been plowed and may not be plowed again all winter is the sidewalk over the Swift River bridge.  I am always mindful when walking on areas with no sidewalk to walk as close to the edge of the grass, as not to be a nuisance or distraction for drivers, so that was not the case today with this man.  He looked right at me in his truck and aimed for me…I had to jump into the snowbank to avoid being hit.  I wish I had enough time to get his plate number because I would have called him on it with the police.  Thankfully he is the exception to most drivers out there.

When I am walking, even though I have music blasting in my ears, it is quiet time for me.  Time to contemplate life, think of things that need to get done and solve world problems if I have the time..ha!  No, seriously though, I enjoy the solitude to let my mind quietly wander.

When I am walking, I also smile at the various points along the way that became my goal points.  The one mile mark, the 2.5 mile mark and finally the 3.5 mile walk and today with all things being nearly perfect…I hit the 4 mile point and I did it in an hour. 
A true personal record for me.  Will I be able to do it again, who knows, but I did it today and if felt victorious from where I was last year.
Sometimes life is just good. 🙂

(only 2 more days of daily posting…….w00t)

Wow…what a day it has been!!
We woke up this morning to a solid 14 inches of snow this morning and it was so beautiful.  Unfortunately it caused massive power outages around our state.

Thankfully we did not lose our power, but everyone who attended dinner today other than my parents had lost power, so they were thankful to have a warm house to celebrate this Thanksgiving….and what a full house it was.  It was such a treat to have all of my children, their spouses and all of the grandkids here today!

It was a challenge fitting everyone in and still being able to move, but Ken is really good at this and thankfully we were able to have a wonderful time all together at kind of the same table.

As we have some unexpected company staying here tonight to keep warm,  I am scurrying to get this posted before the midnight hour so that it counts for today.
It's nice to have some of my kids and their kids under my roof today.

I hope that you all had a peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving!

As you have read, our family made the trip to my son's house to celebrate little Finley's birthday.  Killing 2 birds with one stone I took this opportunity to corner one of my daughters into modeling the Cactus Flower Shawl.

Hannah had let me know that she probably wasn't up for it ahead of time.  She shares her birthday with Finley and I think she was a little worn out from her birthday celebration at school…ha!

…so Ashley kindly offered to do it.  She is usually my go go girl as she loves to have fun with a shooting, such as the top picture.  She was going for a "good witch in the woods" kind of look…LOL  I played around a little bit with some presets to help that along…fun!

This second picture was a bit more serious with the colors being very true.

..and then there was this one…my favorite! 
This pretty little shawl is decorating my fall kitchen right now and will come to a few shows with me over the winter and then it will live in my wardrobe. 🙂

It's been a busy day here trying to squeeze all of the pre-holiday stuff with the dumping of fresh snow that we are getting.  Tucked quietly in our home, the smells of a yummy Thanksgiving are filling every corner.

I hope that you all have a peaceful day tomorrow on this day that we give Thanks.

 

Today's Tuesday topic is perfect for this week….10 Things I’m Thankful For.
There are so many gifts in life to be thankful for, but these are mine for today.

1.  Ken, it goes without saying that he is my better half…my partner.

2.  My children…they are 5 of the best around.

3.  My grandbabies….they are the frosting on life's cake, aren't they?

4. The strength to get out and walk each day.  Something so simple for most people has been a long journey for me, but I'm getting there!

5.  The music that fills my ears on that walk. Technology is a little gift that we take for granted now and then, but it's awesomesauce!

6. Tai Chi that not only challenges my mind and my body, but also brings peace to my mind and strength to my body.

7.  Being able to create beautiful things every day for other people to enjoy.  I am so thankful that I am able to work with the colors that embrace my life.

8. Quiet moments….I enjoy them

9.  This year I am so grateful for the sweet dogs that we as a Cavalier community were able to rescue from a very sad life of living as a puppy mill dog.  The Cavalier community is awesome!

10.  For the bounty and companionship that we are so incredibly fortunate to celebrate with each other on Thanksgiving.
 ~

So many more…and that's a wonderful thing!

Look at those excited faces…how cute are they? 
Big brother Jaxson was so happy to celebrate Little Finley's first birthday, and Finley was in complete amazement that everyone was singing to him.
We all had so much fun!

The baby boys had fun discovering new toys and each other.  Asher had us in stitches laughing with his non stop chatter and antics…and Finley was having fun being the center of attention and love on his birthday.

…and as a Mom, it made my heart smile to see these two talking and laughing just as they did when they themselves were children.  These two were best friends growing up.

Asher and his Papa having a serious chat it would appear from their expressions…ha!

It was time spent getting to know Jen's family better and this young lady, Jen's cousin is just about the sweetest girl I have met.  Her love for her little cousin Finley was so apparent, she is a gentle little soul.

Is his expression not just priceless?  Just like a typical 1 year old, he was very excited to open the first present, but then it became more about the tissue and wrapping paper and the first toy.  He was so blessed cute!

I think this little guy had a great time and I know that we all did too!!

Thank you Miles and Jen for having us all over. 
We always enjoy getting together with you and your family

 

The title says it all..ha!  We all traveled down to Southern Maine to wish my youngest grandson a very Happy Birthday.  I took lots of pictures some of which I will share with you tomorrow, but I couldn't resist putting this picture of Finely enjoying his birthday cake.
Such a sweet little boy!

Have a wonderful Sunday evening. 🙂
(remind me next year that blogging everyday in November is EVERY day and that is a lot!)

Yesterday I took a trek to the mall in Portland Maine because I had 100.00 worth of reward cards to The Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma.  I went with a Thanksgiving table in mind, but I ended up coming home with some things to make a delicious Turkey, so they tell me, along with some table decorations.
This year I am going to give brining the big bird a try.  This brine blend is a blend of Apple spices and the glaze is a Maple glaze.  It sounded so yummy, I gave in and bought it

Thanksgiving is pretty traditional here with the same favorite dishes every year.  Some times I think I would like to change out a few of the side dishes to switch it up, but I am never sure what to make, so this is were you guys come in.
I am going to share one of the favorites here with you all and hope that you will share some of your favorite side dishes with me. 🙂

My son would never forgive us if we excluded this particular dish, so when he comes home for Thanksgiving, which he does most years, my Mom always makes this for him.  It is scrumptious!

Broccoli Casserole

I head of cooked broccoli
1 can of Creamed Broccoli soup (yes, I hate using canned cream soup now too)
1/2 c. of mayonnaise
diced onion or 1/2 T onion flakes
2 eggs whipped
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter

If using diced onion, saute them in a little butter first to cook them, then combine all of the ingredients together in your casserole dish of choice and cover it all with the bread crumb mixture.
  Cook in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. 
Easy Peasy, but SO yummy!!
Nowadays, if I were making it instead of my mother, I would make my own cream of broccoli soup, but she makes it and it is still very yummy in spite of the canned soup.

I look forward to seeing what you make for Thanksgiving!!

(note….this is one of my girls, not one of the dogs in the following story)

On another note, today was a very emotional day for Cavalier breeders and owners.
It's a long story about a one time decent breeder gone bad which resulted in over 100 sweet Cavalier dogs being sent to a puppy mill auction today in Missouri.
Our rescue groups worked tirelessly over the last few weeks raising money to save every single one of them, which was no small feat as these were fairly well bred dogs that went for very high prices.
There were many tears shed over the course of the afternoon as more money was needed to be raised as the day went on and many of us were on pins and needles praying and giving so that not one of these dogs would end up in a Puppy mill.  The wonderful news was that every single one of them escaped a life in captivity…so much to be thankful for today!

The next hurdle is getting all of these dogs vetted and spayed, then foster homes and finally forever homes where each one of these sweet babies will be loved as every dog should be.  The need for donations will still be there for vet bills and care, so as we move into the holiday season with many things to be thankful for, if you can spare a little extra to help the wonderful people who worked tirelessly to rescue these dogs, you can donate here and if you are interested in giving one of these sweet babies a home you can find more information there as well.
I am so proud of the Cavalier King Charles Community that I belong to on this day…AMAZING!