Happy New Year 2012

Christmas has come and gone like a freight train!

All the grand daughters were here!

So were their parents.

And their aunt.

And their Memere and Pepere.
7 adults and 3 children in our cozy home.

And 4 dogs.
And lots of toys that made me feel like I was in Vegas!
I may have been a little over stimulated!

Cousins!

Good food was enjoyed!

Babies were enjoyed!

Gifts were enjoyed!

The boxes were enjoyed even more than the gifts in some cases!

Even the dogs got some lovin!

A wonderful time that went by too quickly.

It's just Marc and I this evening.

Shrimp Cocktail, Steaks on the grill (it's 77 degrees here right now),

Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob and a Spinach salad (spinach is from my garden).

Wish they were all still here...

My wish for them and for you is for a happy, healthy, prosperous and exciting 2012.

Be Safe!

ann marie





They'll Be Home For Christmas!!

Just a quick Hi! and Merry Christmas to you!

I've been CRAZY busy with my Etsy Shop!!

That's slowing down now and I'm getting the old homestead ready for Christmas.

All 3 of our girls will be here.

All 3 of our granddaughters will be here.

It's going to be amazing!

Here are some shots of what I've done around here.

The reindeer are ready to go.

I did a little sprucing up inside too.

This room will see lots of use in the next week.

Lots of food, drink and cards!

The kitchen smells so good with this wreath.

My mom got this child's sleigh from her good friend and neighbor years ago.

It was his as a child.

My folks had it packed up professionally and sent to me here in Texas.

I swear they could have dropped it from an airplane and it would have been fine.

It took forever to uncrate it.

When we moved to this much smaller house, the only place I could keep it was on top of the wall unit in our family room.

So, the trees are trimmed.

And we're waiting patiently...

Merry Christmas everyone.

I wish you peace and joy in the coming year.

And lots of DIY projects too!

ann marie

 

Christmas Stockings-Yay!

Life's been busy...such an understatement!

On the 5th of November, Taylor and I had a girl's road trip-
to Boston.

She's moved there to find a job.

It was a beautiful trip.

However, I kept getting these emails on my phone.

Confirmation of an Etsy transaction.

I got lots of them!

First batch-16 Christmas Stockings.

Today I finished 6 shower curtains and a floor length gathered/cord table cloth.

I'm a fast sewer-as in sewing.

So...as of right now, I only have 104 more stockings, a couple of pairs of panels and some dog beds...as of right now.

Oh, and throw in the Christmas music that's already on the radio 24/7.

I'm a fast sewer.

However, my studio is a casualty of being this busy.

The good thing is I know where everything is...kind of.

I'm very flattered and excited that so many people like and appreciate the things that I make.

It's like Christmas for me, ok-I'm a fabricaholic, when the weekly fabric order arrives.

20-30 yds of different fabric makes my heart go pitter-patter.

I guess I should get back to work, after all, I have my own personal projects that need finishing before Christmas.

It's a good thing I'm a fast sewer!

ann marie



November Garden

Evergreen Wisteria

Lantana

Rose on Trellis

Mini Rosebush from the grocery store.

You know, the ones that are about 8" tall.

 It's about 2 1/2' tall now and blooms all summer until we get a freeze.

Shrimp Plants

Lavender

They're all blooming better than they have all summer.

ann marie



Blue Angels = No Work!

I took these pictures standing in my driveway or 5 houses down by the park.

Randolph AFB, which is 3 miles from my home had an Air Show this weekend.

Living by an AFB gives us our little dose of reality.

At 6:30 am, we hear Reveille.

At 5:30 pm, we hear Retreat.

And at 10:00 in the evening, we hear Taps.

I'm pretty sure that troops all over the world have these same traditions.

Enjoy.



They're very impressive to watch, and I apologize for the bad pictures, but I only have a point and shoot.

When these guys fly, they're cruising.

They're also rather loud.

My husband used to tell the girls when they were younger that the sound of those jets flying overhead was

"the sound of freedom".

You can hear them, but you have no idea what direction they're coming from until they're right over the house. 

I got one shot per pass...sometimes.

I really couldn't see the little screen on my camera either.  As you can see, it was a gorgeous, sunny, day!

This following shot is taken over our neighbor's house.

Buck was born on April 29, 1918.

He still volunteers every day at the clinic on base!

This is the same view we have of the 4th of July fireworks.

Small town America, you've gotta love it!

A few other aircraft I was able to run out in time to capture!

These guys were so pretty.

They reminded me of colorful birds.

C-5

Blue Angels

Needless to say,

I haven't gotten much work done this weekend.

ann marie