This is THE winter

We had a light dusting of snow, once, last winter. So what has been dumped on us in the past week is not really surprising. 7.5 inches on December 26th, and another 5.3 inches on December 28th. More snow is on the way later today, and unfortunately it could turn into another big storm. Depends on how much moisture pumps in from the southwest.

Shoveling is a thing of the past for me. My back won't allow it. I did shovel some on Saturday, but had to quit. So it appears that I will have a driveway full of packed ice for the next week or so. Sigh.

But on Saturday I sent a text to Melissa and asked if Dega would like a snow play date in our backyard. Dega always says YES. He never declines a chance to come and play with Gracie May. Not too fond of the little guy. Jake barks at Dega. A lot.

Look at Dega's legs. And, by the way, the coat did not last long. It came loose, and Jake tried to have a tug of war with it while the coat was still on Dega. Melissa had to remove it. For whatever reason, the snow packs on this dog's fur. I mean, packs. When we brought him in, Melissa and I both tried to pull off the balls on his legs. You could sometimes break them up, but not pull them off. I finally said the hell with it, no big deal to the house, let's just let them play. The human mom's wanted to play with our new phones, Samsung Galaxy Note II. (go buy one, now.)

So the dogs were allowed to roam around the house, run from window to window, and play with the basket of toys. I had water everywhere. There was a lake in the kitchen from melting snow balls off all 3 babies. No biggie. It wipes up.

We had fun. And that is what's important.
Linda

I did this! Me!!

On Saturday, December 22nd, I went grocery shopping at Walmart. I know. We should all support small, local markets. There aren't any. Not at this time of year. Anyway, I was at Wally World and decided to buy a sewing machine. I had donated the portable Brother machine I had, that literally fell apart, to Good Will several weeks ago. This time I bought a Singer. Not expensive, trust me.

I came home and pulled out the few patterns I had for primitive crafts. My idea was to make my friend, Cathy, a Christmas present. It is 2pm on the 22nd. Yeah, that's the way I roll sometimes. Let's put the pressure on! I had material, fiber fill, and thread in the house, so I just plain started.

The above is what I accomplished by 3pm on Christmas Eve. There was time out to teach a class, walk the dogs, misc. chores. I think I did pretty good. For someone who has said, repeatedly, that she can't sew, I think I did damn good.

I am now on a roll. I have another doll completed (these did indeed go to Cathy for presents), and a second doll started. I am enjoying these projects. It's taking the edge off the fact that every time you look out the window, more snow is falling.

Another 5 inches last night. Sigh. Stay safe. Do something you love.
Linda

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve. All the presents have been opened as people gave the dogs boxes and bags filled with toys. Seriously. I had to haul out a basket to put them in at the end of the day. Jake must have been deprived as a baby, because he piles them up and plays with one after another, not giving Gracie a chance.

Gracie pouts. I ignore it. We play fetch down the hallway with stuffed toys and a Kong football I bought them. My dogs are spoiled beyond belief.

Have a safe holiday. Merry Christmas. Relax and enjoy yourselves.
Linda, Gracie, and Jake.

Artsy Fartsy

From Thursday night to Friday morning, central Indiana received 2 to 3 inches of snow. The problem was the wind. Mostly constant at 50mph, it blew the white stuff all over. We had had a day of rain prior to the snow, so there was a thick layer of ice under the snow.

I stayed in the house all day Friday. No reason to go out, I cleaned and baked cookies. But when I drew up the blinds in the kitchen yesterday morning, this is what I saw. Ice crystals had formed on the screens of the kitchen windows, and so I tried a few shots with the new little Panasonic Lumix camera. Not bad. Kind of sets the mood with the snow, which is what I was going for.

I have to venture out today. Not looking forward to it. Be safe.
Linda

A Christmas Present

Everything is perspective.

I first saw this cabinet in my step-daughter's beauty salon last spring. I had gone up to help her with the grand opening of the shop. This cabinet was on loan from the florist who owns the building. Tammie, my step-daughter, had a very artful display of product inside, with the doors open. I asked if the cabinet was for sale, and she replied it was. I wanted it. Had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I wanted it.

Fast forward a month or two after that event. My medical bills had suddenly exploded. When the owners wanted the money for the purchase, I just couldn't swing it. So I told them thank you very much, but I was going to have to let it go. Tammie had been holding this for me.

Imagine my utter amazement when this was presented to me as my Christmas present from all 3 kids. Kids. They are 48, 49, and 50. No longer kids. Tammie is a grandmother. But they are and always will be my step-kids. I'm all they have left. Stuck with me, so to speak.

The boys had yet to see the cabinet. And to put this into perspective, I am going to tell you what they paid: $135. For shabby chic furniture, it was a steal. When my oldest saw it, he first said it needed paint (uh, no), and second said if his wife had purchased this piece, she would have paid $1200 and thought it a steal.

Love those kids.
Linda

Remaining Christmas Crafts

The last time I checked our booth at Gilley's Craft Mall in Plainfield, IN., we had a few ornaments left, some misc. stuff. The above was still there. When you figure out what and how women buy, please let me know. I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Anyhoooo, the jars, of which there were 10 originally, are a lot of fun and easy to make. We substituted chenille stems for the handmade candy canes, and things went faster. Cathy made these altered books, and I think they are unique and would make a great table decoration. Obviously, what do we know??? (little sarcasm there, folks!)

I am over making Christmas crafts. Ready to move on to SPRING! Visions of bunnies and dolls are dancing in my head. I did make all of my Christmas cards this year. Just haven't made it to the post office. That would help, would it not?

Have a safe week. Enjoy yourselves.
Linda

Why?

Why did this man, Adam something, decide to enter a school and shoot 20 children and 6 adults?

I could have looked up his last name. I did this on purpose. The fucking asshole will not get any more recognition on THIS blog.

My heart is heavy, my mind is whirling. What kind of society have we become that we have bred a sadistic bastard such as this? It is time for a very long look at ourselves, America. Very long. Too much hatred. Too much self-centered attitude. Too much.....

I wish I could hug the parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends of those victims. Not physically possible, so today I extend my condolences. May the day arrive that you find some small amount of comfort and peace.

Bless you.
Linda

Last Minute Crunch

Getting ready to head north to Chicago metro area. We are having a family Christmas this weekend. Doesn't exactly feel like Christmas, with the temperatures going into the mid 50's today. NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING!!! Good grief, no. I hate the cold. That is probably the worse part of getting older, besides the aches and pains: no tolerance for the cold. And let us define "cold": that would be anything below 40 degrees.

I came across this from somewhere, and thought I'd pass it along. As a dog owner and lover, it just tickled my funny bone.

Have a wonderful weekend. Don't stress, okay? It's all good. And almost over!
Linda

Very Sneaky

Isn't he adorable? So loving. A great companion. A little shit....

Yesterday was dark, windy, and cold. We stayed in all day, only venturing out into the backyard for short spurts. I decided it was the perfect day for laundry and cleaning out the craft room. For the past 2 months, I had been dumping extra craft items from the booths into this room. It finally reached the point I could not move around to do anything.

I love baskets of all types, and use them in almost every room in the house. The studio is no exception. The original idea for this long, deep basket was to hold bolts of ribbon, neatly organized. When I pulled it off the shelf yesterday, all types of embellishments fell on the floor. So as I was sitting, on the floor, sorting mini grapevine wreaths, stars, and bows, from candy cane chenille stems, and various rolls of Christmas greenery, Jake entered the room. He sat down, gave me a quick kiss, and then starting sniffing the items on the floor.

The automatic "mom" response in our house is "Leave It!!" This works about 90% of the time. But the weather has not been good, the dogs were bored, and were not interested in playing in the backyard due to that brisk wind chill going on. So Mr. Jake was looking for anything that would break the boredom. Before I could stop him, he had grabbed a very small grapevine star, holding it in his front teeth. He then turned to me and grinned, tail wagging furiously.

Ya gotta laugh. They know exactly what they are doing: getting attention from mom. I held out my hand and said "drop". He did, then turned back towards the pile, and another command stopped that. He finally left in disgust. Mom didn't want to play his game.

And life would be so bland without them. Have a good day.
Linda

On Alert

The "alpha" role of who is top dog keeps flipping in our house. When I first brought Jake home from the shelter, Gracie let him know she was the queen, diva, and totally in charge. As little Jake has gained confidence, he will often tell Gracie to go to hell. This photo is a prime example.

Since moving into this house in April, 2009, the leather chair has sat in this spot. I don't have a lot of room to rearrange furniture. The chair is tilted towards the window, which looks out on the side of the house. Perfect for dogs who want to know what is going on in the world. Gracie claimed the chair as hers as a 5 month old puppy. She would curl up, obviously enjoying the fact that she can see down the hall, out the window, and keep an eye on me in the kitchen.

Then along came Jake. See above. If Jake is feeling like top dog, he gets the chair, Gracie gets the hassock. If it is reversed, Jake is feeling timid that day. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: dogs are better than tv.

Have a good one.
Linda

Mailing cards...

I really need to mail my Christmas cards. I now have a stack, but just haven't sat down to address them. This is a pleasant chore that, once started, I don't mind. It's that first step. Are you like that?

The dog ornament sits on my dining room table, next to a Santa carrying 2 puppies. I collect Santas, especially those done by Jim Shore. This is one of the older ornaments from that artist, and I love it. Both Gracie and Jake will howl when they hear a siren, so it reminds me of my own dogs.

Staying calm this season, not getting upset, and just enjoying each event as it comes. Sometimes it pays to get old!

Have a great day.
Linda

Christmas Cards

The past few weeks I've been making my Christmas cards in my spare time. It was chilly, at times downright cold, and I was in the mood. Then the weather changed. Yesterday we tied a temperature record for an afternoon high of 69 degrees. December 3rd. And the Republicans say there is no global warming....

Christmas is 3 weeks from today. Yikes. I am not ready. But the house is decorated with the Santa collection, some greenery and lights. The wall board with hooks (can't call it a shelf) is up all year. I switch the wreath out according to the season. This is the Christmas look. It's bright, cheery, and makes me feel good. And that is what my decorating is all about.

Have a productive week. I am certainly going to try.
Linda