Straight From My Heart - to You!

I posted once before, but since my follower list has grown so much, I thought it might be nice to share again over the holiday season. At the risk of sounding sappy and tacky...I would like to say:

For all of you who have opened your hearts, and lives to each of us. For all of you who have been such inspiration and support to me since my blog began. For all of you who have taught, shared, counseled, cried and prayed with me....I thank you. My blog is my special place...a safe place where I come, to feel the warmth that your friendship brings my heart. My life is richer with you all in it!

TO: God.com
Dear Lord,
Every single evening As I'm lying here in bed,
This tiny little Prayer
Keeps running through my head:

God bless all my family
Wherever they may be,
Keep them warm and safe from harm
For they're so close to me.

And God, there is one more thing
I wish that you could do;
Hope you don't mind me asking,
Please bless my computer too.

Now I know that it's unusual
To Bless a motherboard,
But listen just a second
While I explain it to you, Lord.

You see, that little metal box
Holds more than odds and ends;
Inside those small compartments
Rest so many of my friends.

I know so much about them
By the kindness that they give,
And this little scrap of metal
Takes me in to where they live.

By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you.
We share in what life brings us
And from that our friendships grew.

Please take an extra minute
From your duties up above,
To bless those in my address book
That's filled with so much love.

Wherever else this prayer may reach
To each and every friend,
Bless each e-mail inbox
And each person who hits 'send'.

When you update your Heavenly list
On your own Great CD-ROM,
Bless everyone who says this prayer
Sent up to GOD.com
Amen

I won't be back blogging again until after the new year...but I will be thinking of you guys!
I WISH YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR...2010 is just around the corner, and full of possibilities and new beginnings!

Merry Christmas !

I just wanted to take the time quickly to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. I have tried my best to get all around my blog list, but may have missed some of you guys...and I feel bad if I did!
I will see you all back in blog land in 2010...if not before, but until then...live, laugh, love and enjoy the holidays!

The Blondes and the Christmas Tree

There were two blonds, Char and Robina who went deep into the frozen woods searching for a Christmas tree. After hours of subzero temperatures a few close calls with hungry wolves, one blond turned to the other and said, "I'm chopping down the next tree I see. I don't care whether it's decorated or not!"
(The names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Fertilizer Friday/ Flaunt Your Flowers Dec18/09

Welcome to Fertilizer Friday!!! Today is the day we all get together and flaunt our flowers!
Fertilizer Friday is the day when gardeners from all over the world join in and share the blooms of their labors!
If you are new to this party...WELCOME!!! If you are a regular...WELCOME BACK! Anyone can post plants of any kind...you are all welcome...the more the merrier!
Now...if you are not familiar with the winter rules here...you will be...since I have ZERO to share...my gardens are bare...I (and other gardeners in similar climates) are sharing our favorite photos from months, gardens, years gone by, or the current indoor gardens and houseplants that they have. Those who have real live beauty to share are doing just that!
So? What are we waiting for? Feed your flowers/ houseplants...gardens...snap some photos, link in and Flaunt with me!
This will be the last Fertilizer Friday of 2009. There will be no Dec 25th or Jan 1 postings...have a great holiday!!!
Today I am sharing a few of the plants that are growing in the greenhouse. I am happy to report that although it has been a difficult month in there...things are going well. We had a spider mite attack...an aphid attack, and a few days and nights where it was 40 degrees below freezing. Bugs-dead (for now) (many thanks to Sigrun for the tips)...temps...warming up (for now)
The first photo here is the banana plant that I started from seed this summer. This was the scene in Oct of this year...shortly after I took this photo...I lost all but one leaf to spider mites....well, I'm happy to say that I have won that war...take a look at it now!!!
Yep...it gets a new leaf every other day now...and it is very big...I need almost a whole room for this puppy now...
It kinda looks a little like a jungle in there right now...and it is a HUGE mess...so no full room photos for you this week! lol
It is about 6 feet tall, and almost as wide...
I have NO idea how I will accommodate this plant in my house when planting season hits me...lol But...rest assured....I WILL find a way!
My Mandevilla is doing well...it got an attack of the Aphid variety, but I managed to remedy that really fast too! It is blooming again...and has all kinds of little vines sprouting up and out and all over the place.
The Rose bush...got spider mites...yea...this was not a good year for bugs in the greenhouse...but I think I have that under control too....it is budding out again...
My ficus elastica is growing like a weed...two years ago that was only 8 inches tall! It must have grown a foot in the last couple months.This is the purple Wandering Jew (oh how I hate that common name!) that we started from clippings a few weeks ago...seems as happy as a clam!
That is it for my flaunting this week....I can't wait to see what you share with us! What are you waiting for...flaunt yours and tour the rest!
This will be the last Fertilizer Friday of 2009. There will be no Dec 25th or Jan 1 postings...have a great holiday!!!

Thougthful Beyond Measure

So I was doing the supper dishes after a long, difficult afternoon, when the doorbell rang. The kids ran thinking it was friends...but to all of our surprise...it was the UPS man! He left this for us. Well me to be exact!
That box was opened as soon as possible...the kids were super excited to see it arrive and even more excited to see three small parcels inside. I'm VERY lucky that I got a photo of any of it! lol They didn't last long...one two three...rip rip rip!
No one stopped to realize that maybe they were for Christmas...lol They were opened while I stopped to read the beautiful card, and letter tucked inside.
Oh well, I am certain the sender won't care, she's just the sweetest thing. Wanna see what's inside?
Yep! How did she know I don't like Chocolate much UNLESS it is involved with Caramel? Is she a psychic? And they were COLD...but tasted awesome!
Does anyone know what this is? Ya...its a BOOT...A BLACK BOOT....isn't it cute? Do you have any idea who the sender is yet?
I almost cried when I saw this...do you remember the post that I did about the old magazine? This is one of the books you could have ordered from that publication! If you want to refresh your memory about the 1950's magazine...click HERE
Look inside!!! I remember writing that I wished I had this book...oh this sender is GOOD!!! I know she reads my blog...but she remembers such little things!!! she is GOOD!!!!
So? Does anyone know who sent this to me? I imagine a few of my long time faithful followers will know the name...She doesn't have a blog, so this may be hard for some of you...She is a well known name on RMS though....has a reputiation for being supportive, attentive, soft in heart, kind and very humble.....do you know a lady named Beddow? Beddow house? Betty?
Yes...it was Betty!!! Betty...the one who wears the "BIG BOOT"...you know...the one that kicked me into action a few months ago when I was thinking of downsizing the gardens a LOT....The one with the soft inspirations, the meaningful advice and the loving nature! I am so blessed to have so many wonderful sisters in my life.
Thank you Betty!!!! The smile that you put on my face today was joined by some happy tears when I saw each very meaningful and thoughtful gift you sent me. You have become so special to me over the last few years...I am truly blessed and honored to call you my friend/sister. I hope you don't get offended that the gang ripped into the gifts before the holidays! Today was the perfect one for this package!
Oh...and the kids say "THANK YOU BETTY FOR THE AWESOME CANDIES!!!!" They love caramel and chocolate too!
I will cherish these wonderful gifts , and think of you each time I see these them!
Now if you will excuse me, I have a book to read...and possibly a chair to rip apart! lol

I Made My Own! What's Your Tradition?

Over the years, I have made several different ornaments for family and friends. It has been about 14 years of doing this little tradition. There are people in my life that actually look forward to seeing what I will come up with to pass around each year. Some things are given out as sets, others are individual gifts. If I pass out sets, I have to make hundreds of them...lol. These are a few of the projects I have taken on.
Last year I almost didn't make anything, until my niece mentioned how much she was looking forward to adding this year's addition to her hope chest. So I got my butt in gear and thought of something easy, fast, pretty and shiny! They were used to spice up the place settings at Christmas dinner. Each person got one...and they got to keep them. They also look very pretty on a side table or where ever!
Hey Susan...this is about as close to a tablescape as I have come so far! lol
These are my bow tie pasta angels. Some have the lapel pin on the back for the ladies to put on their collar....and some (not pictured here) have a wire ornament hook glued on the back to put on a small tree. I made each person (family) a set of several of them so as to create a statement on the tree.Here's her close-up!
These are my Snow Mites! They were my 2007 Ornament. A HUGE hit! Each family got a set with enough little snow people to represent their family members.
This one is my oldest Daughters...
A few that I have made...I am still looking for those camouflage mittens for April's Mites...lol
These are pictured in my shop too.
These light bulb men were my 2006 ornament. These were the hardest challenge for me...I am NOT AN ARTIST! Those faces took me a long long time. I made each family member one...each friend one too...I tried to make them suit the person that got them.
This one has hair!
You should have seen the looks I got when I was outside spray painting light bulbs in July...one guy actually mentioned that it is possible to purchase light bulbs in colors...he thought I was going to plug them into lamps! lol
I don't recall which year these were...but they are slippers made out of a Christmas card. I stuffed them with little bunches of potpourri.
They took a long time to make. These ones are about 8 inches tall.
This is a larger version...they are about 11 inches tall.
These were the ornament for 2005. ( I think) lol
They are made out of coffee filters. I don't drink coffee...so they didn't go to waste. I had a really hard time finding the brown filters...most of them now are white...I had no idea!
They are a few years old...so they are not as fluffy as they once were...
I made these skates a few years back. Each person (family got a set of 6 pairs each) They are made from Styrofoam...the eyelets are small gromets and the laces are craft rope. I painted them by hand with acrylic paints and they were a huge hit with the hockey families, and a few of the more athletic people in our family.

I have several others that I have made over the years, but I think I will wait to post them for another day...hey...a girl can only make a post so long ya know!
What do you make? Do you have a tradition that you like to do?