Indulge Your Shelf

Like much of the rest of the country, we're having a frigid, well-below-zero temperature weekend this weekend -- and into next week.  This morning when the sun was briefly out, we took advantage and ran off to an estate sale we'd seen advertised. To our surprise, it was held at an old home on a country road that we often drove by, and admired.  The inhabitants had named it Hodgen in the Dip.  They often decorated the outside of the house by the sign with whimsical figures for different seasons.  I felt sad to know they were no longer there. They were creative, and the items decorating the outsides of their houses and outhouses gives you an idea of their taste! I was happy to learn that their family would stay in the home; and enjoyed looking through the jumble of oddities that were for sale there! It was the last day of the sale, and I had missed out on much of the good stuff, but I couldn't leave behind this sled, even though it was missing Santa and the reindeer ha...

Have you heard Pink's song, I Am Here ?  I love everything she does, but this song is really meaningful to me and it really fits my mood lately.  Where does everybody go when they go? Well, I was here all of September and October, but in November I went to SF to see my family.  The trip was a quick decision I made a few weeks ago -- I was tired of saying, "I should go" and just found a date that worked and got some tickets.  Sometimes you just have to listen to your heart.  My husband and son were on the fence about it, but they made time to go with me and I think they're really glad they did. We spent some time remembering the ones we have loved and lost.  They are in a lovely final resting place. We drove to the wine country, got lost in its beauty, and had a great meal in Sonoma. A really wonderful evening on a patio -- it was cold in Colorado, but in the 80's in California.  Happy sigh. My new favorite wine. We visited my fat...

Have you seen this meme on Facebook or elsewhere on the web? It makes me laugh and at the same time it strikes fear in my heart!  Because I had such grand plans for Christmas crafting this year.  I intended to start in July.  Well, it's mid August and I finally did start preparing last week by sorting through my Christmas thrift store finds from this year. After sorting, I started grouping.  These are all the special shaped tart tins, molds and cookie cutters that I bought specifically for crafting this year; I grabbed them whenever I found them cheap at thrift shops. But when I went through the stash I already had, I discovered a great supply (above) that probably would have taken me through this year's crafting!  But no matter, because I have an idea to sell  kits  for making those wonderful little tart tin/mold ornaments this year -- so, extra is good.  I am so excited about this project and have spent time yesterday and today gather...

I had the most wonderful Christmas, and I hope you did, too. First, just before my husband's birthday he was offered a permanent , full time job as a technician with a successful and busy company.  They asked him to begin immediately, and so within days he was on a plane to attend a two-week training in Los Angeles, California.  Mind you: my husband has not had a permanent, full time job in more than 3 years.   It's a huge victory, and I couldn't be happier for him. I hatched a plan to fly to LA for the weekend, since Dennis couldn't travel home in between his training weeks; it was a way to punctuate this awful year we've had, and celebrate his new job!  I was very pleasantly surprised to find extremely inexpensive flights for me and my son at the last minute!  And so, the weekend before last, Ben and I hopped on a plane and spent a wonderful, joyous couple of days basking in the sunshine of California's beaches, and my husband's happiness!  It was t...