First Blog Anniversary

It's been a rewarding experience blogging over the last year.

I've learned to do a lot of new things on the computer and I've used my camera more than ever! I've always read to get better at anything is practice, practice, practice and I found this to be so true with photography. I enjoy reading the blogs of the family members that jumped onto the blogging band wagon. I got to read & see the happenings in the lives of family members that are so very far away. I only wish everyone would post more!

I really enjoyed when readers left comments. Also, I appreciated those who would give me a call or send an email to comment about one of the posts.

Best of all, I have a written & photographic diary of my life over the last year. So, after one year of documenting my everyday, as boring and ordinary as it is, I'm taking a break. Until....................................

Happy Turkey Day!

Family, Food, Football, and FUN!

by guest blogger team: Mickey and Mau

Nothing's better than a full driveway...

except maybe a full candy jar. This one was full.
Lots of preparation:
The lovely table:
Aunt GEL-oh fretted over the HUGE turkey getting done "in time."

Finally -- and worth the wait!

We had a near catastrophe, but Aunt GEL-oh saved the day -- or at least the gravy.

Food food food...
We had way too many pies.
Dan was hard at work.
Eric returning from a morning of tracking Bambi:
An uninvited guest -- not me, the cat!
The girls walked and ran in the morning.
Don't worry; we had no heart attacks. Only Kelsey ran.

Uggggghhh. Is this the fun?

Joe thinks so; he's a true Dallas fan.

We've also got a puzzle going and lots of crafts planned (in Amie's honor). Don't worry about Dan; he's having fun, now, with the puzzle crowd. He also had lots of good, home cooked, food.

Thanks, Aunt GEL-oh, for another great Thanksgiving! (There's always room for GEL-oh.)

Wool Felt Case's

Two lucky girls will have these on their bed when they arrive tonight. Each is filled with soap, shampoo, toothpaste, lotion etc. I made them out of wool felt and tied with grosgrain ribbon. I wish I would have made more and after the holidays I do plan on making more. I hope they like them a much as I do.

Hope everyone traveling will have safe trips. Today is a Thanksgiving Day meal preparation day for me. Can't wait for the smell of the roasting turkeys tomorrow! Also, thanks to everyone for the sweet comments and good wishes yesterday. I love hearing from you!

Feathered Friends

One of the most inexpensive place-cards we've ever made. I bought the yarn last year for $1.00 a skein. The directions are out of the November 2007 Martha Stewart Living magazine. There is enough yarn left to make about 30 more turkeys. If anyone wants the leftovers please contact me. I think I need to find a Girl Scout Troop. : ) Oh, our feathered friends look much better than the ones Martha's assistant made. Tomorrow everyone starts arriving and I can't wait. Tomorrow I'll also be spending the day in the kitchen and I love spending the day in my kitchen.

Gobble Gobble

Nuts for You

Remember the post about my Thanksgiving candle jar?

I said the jar had Chestnuts in it. No one questioned me??? Maybe no one knew the difference? The jar is actually filled with Hazelnuts. I'm very disappointed that I'm not corrected when mistakes are made. Thanks to my local grocery store I found out about my error. Last day of work tomorrow. Have I ever said how much I LOvE Thanksgiving?

V I C T O R Y

"Crushed by the Cuse."; according to ESPN. ESPN also posed the question; "Coach Robinson is available. Maybe ND is interested?"

We're not big drinkers, really we're not, but it's been a long season.

Celebrating with Ryan, who just happened to be in South Bend, via cell phone.

Want to make a prediction for next weekend?

SU vs ND

The game will be starting in about 15 minutes. Since our team is so bad we have to start "getting ready" at least an hour prior to the start. Mike & Terri will be over & they are bringing appetizers. Mick wants me to predict a win. I predicted a win last week & was wrong so no predicting from me this week. Anyway, let our fun begin!!!

Book Club

I hosted book club Wednesday evening and this month our selection was, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being.

I would not recommend this book, unless you belong to a book club, it does make for a good discussion. At the November meeting we always choose the books for the next year. We meet every month except for July, August & December. For the first time in the five years I've been in the club I am excited about all 9 of our choices. Since I have to have a photo with each and every post,

one of the items I severed at the meeting. Homemade pumpkin bread baked in a soup can. YuM YUm

Some more TEA

I don't drink coffee but I do drink from 2 to 5 cups of tea a day, a bad habit since it stains teeth worse than coffee. I've been studying up on how to make a cup of tea. I went to a tea shop in White Plains & they gave me so many pointers. I found this site which basically confirms what they told me. Go read the information so you can make a better cup of tea. Only thing they didn't mention is that tea tastes better when someone else with you is also drinking a cup!Copied this pattern off another blog and made it with some scraps of wool felt. I made it in one night from start to finish. I plan to make a couple more to hang on our Christmas tree.

GIS Day

When I'm asked what Eric does I tell them GIS Technician, I then need to expand with Geographic Information Systems or computerized mapping.

I also let them know how much he loves what he does. As a parent there is not a better feeling!

I've promised, more than once, my Blog would not be educational but, you have to read Geography Matters!

Eric, enjoy your special work day. Love, MoM

TEA

This is the spot where tea, 90,000 pounds to be exact, was dumped into Boston Harbor. I took this picture when I was in Boston this July 4th. My most favorite new purchase. I'm doing a small bit to keep our non-existent economy going. I bought it at Crate&Barrel when I was at Head of the Charles in Boston, what a coincidence, Boston. Everyone who drinks tea needs one. So easy & makes for a much more flavourful cup of tea. I love this thing! It has changed my life. I used to use a toothpick to pull out the bag. I would end up with burnt & tea stained fingers. Plus, all those toothpicks that I wasted, I'm trying to "Go Green." Going Green, another subject in my house that we have a difference of opinion. I'm also putting a little tea into the holiday season. Ill have to show on another post!

Feathered Friends

Saturday Mick went to the SU game so I tagged along & spent the day at Fay Ln. I packed up and brought with me the necessary craft supplies to make some feathered friends. Mau & I got a start on our place-cards for Thanksgiving day.

Wish I had a finished feathered friend to show you but I don't. We needed a hot glue gun, which we didn't have. Notice the three candies? My new favorite craft food, Hershey Kiss Mint Truffles. OMG. Move over Junior Mints.

Thanksgiving: Around the House Again

I started the week with decorations around the house & that's how I'm ending it. An old Mason jar filled with some chestnuts around a votive candle & a ribbon.

Had to keep some wool acorns around. I love these things! I'll continue to make more until I run out of tops. Can only make around 5 at a time. My hands get raw from all the hot water & rolling of wool.
I keep the pussy willows out all year even thou they are a spring thing. I bought the metal turkey in Canada when Eric was playing there.
The page is from a Jell-O cookbook from 1924. It is clipped onto a wire grater bent in half. The cookbook has a page for each month so each month I change it up. Maybe one day I'll try one of the recipes?

Now that the decorating is finished it's time to start some serious Thanksgiving menu planning, recipe searching, figuring out what I need to buy and what we have. I've chosen craft intensive name place cards this year. I may have to start those before my craft assistance's arrive.

home again home again

I've been away.

To a place with a famous track,

International flair
and a peaceful lake.

Along with the above this was taken from our hotel room balcony.

Mick had a board meeting & I tagged along. Bet you know where we were!

Feeding the birds.

Sunday I was sitting on the love seat in the family room eating my lunch & saw a Blue Jay. He was perched on the window hardware looking right in at me. I guess he also wanted his lunch.

When I looked outside at the bird feeders they were EMPTY. I felt terrible. I never knew that I had trained the birds so well!

Veterans Day

When Debbie & I were at the NYS Fair I finally got to see the brick that my Dad has at the Veteran's Memorial. My brother Gary, I think, maybe Mom, purchased the brick in his memory. I wish I would have thought to take my own picture of the entire area. It took us awhile to find his brick. There are three different areas with books to look up names. Of course, we started at the third area & worked our way down, he is in the first area.

Dad was so proud of his service to our country. I know he loves having this brick. He also enjoyed the fair so it's a good combination.

Thanksgiving: Around the House

In the living room, I purchased this at a craft show 10+ years ago. I love this quirky turkey!

In the dining room, on the edge of the window sill. One of the nested doll sets that belong to Amie. In the kitchen, for some reason I don't have this pumpkin plate out for Halloween. This is a Thanksgiving pumpkin. A gift from Pottery Barn, last year.
I saw this Pilgrim girl & HAD to have her. She looks like she would be a friend of mine.

Thanks to Amie for turning all my photographs into Polaroids. I need a Mac!

Mantle

Last Thursday I purchased the last glass oil lamp that I needed for the mantle. I can hear Jim say, "needed or wanted." It's the lamp closest to the mirror. I found it in a gift shop near my office and it was only $23. I quickly grabbed it off the shelf and felt like I needed to quickly get out of the store with it before she changed the price. I'm going to burn the tops of the wicks, it would make for a nicer look. I also want to add oil into the lamps, if they will hold oil. I'm not sure if there are cracks or not.

Another work week comes to an end. Next week I'll have Tuesday off for Veteran's Day, the week will go by even faster. It's only 19 days before Thanksgiving and I can't wait. Although, I don't want to wish my time away.

Christmas Crafting

Mick was in Vancouver, BC from Saturday until yesterday so I spent some of the time by myself crafting. When he walked into the house I thought since he returned he didn't know Obama had won. He did know & came home to me after all. He didn't know that Syracuse had won on Saturday so that was a nice surprise.

I've had this project in my mind for a long time now. We usually give wine away during the holiday season and I wanted to make the gift somewhat more personal. The holly berries & leaves are made with wool felt. Wool felt is SO MUCH nicer the the regular cheap-o felt. This is the first time I've ever used it and I'm not going back.

I bought the burlap to make the bags and then I got the idea to make a bag out of felt. I think now I'm going to buy more felt for other bags. This project is very easy and and it doesn't take very long to make a bag. I have also come up with an idea to decorate bags that would not involve holly berries, for bags that could be used during other times of the year.