Merry Christmas!

My gift to you.....

(click below for a beautiful story)
THE LEGEND OF THE CANDY CANE

Please remember that Jesus is the REASON for the SEASON! May you and your family have a blessed and holy Christmas.....Merry Christmas, yinz guys!

Some finishes...

...and you think I don't do anything!!! Well, I actually finished some things I've been working on. First is my ornament tree. It's been in pieces since Sweetie Man did the cutting and drilled the holes for me. Since I finally have some ornies to hang on it, I finish it with a little glue, paint, and some crackling to give it a weathered look. I really love it and plan on leaving it up all year round...now all I have to do is complete some seasonal ornies for it.

This is a little scissor fob I did from beads for a Secret Santa gift. These are so easy and you can find tutorials on the web for them. Not to mention fun to make for a cute little gift.

Sweetie Man doesn't always understand that what I am making is not always for him....

This actually belonged to Goose and Duck for their monthly outfits. The elf outfit I had to rig up myself as I didn't have a pattern for it....not too bad I thought!
Sorry, Sweetie Man, the hat just wasn't you....

So, that's it for now...back to Christmas gift making. A few more to finish and I'm calling it quits....not really...I'll find something else to make....I always do.
Till next time yinz crazy elves.....

Gotta love that MAXINE.....

....excuse me while I get back to my crafting!!!!

IT'S A MY BIRTHDAY TOO!!!!!

That's right, yinz guys....today I turn the big 52!!! I've been blessed beyond belief with a wonderful new husband and a brand new daughter-in-law, good health and life for the most part is pretty darn good! And I thank an Awesome God for it all! Oh, and I can't forget all my cyber friends out there! So, have drink on me....even if it is just a glass of water!!! Cause as the little boy says in that old I LOVE LUCY episode...."IT'S A MY BIRTHDAY TOO!!!!"
Till next time, yinz crazy guys.....

Return of the Girls....

Well, now that yinz guys had time to get over the shock of my dog eating my homemade pumpkin pie, I thought it would be time to move on.
First off...The Girls have returned! I've made these Wacky metal ladies before and was "commissioned" by my sister to make more. Seven more to be exact but I made nine. They are cute and fun to make out of roof flashing tin. The little purses read, "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!"

These next two pics I wasn't able to show until I was sure they were recieved by my great nephew and his mom and dad. All his statistics (name, birth, etc...) are stitched below the penquins. It's a Brittercup design but I left out one of the penquins as they only have one little boy....so far! (hint-hint!)

The next is a stitched card I made for him. Inside I made a place for a gift card.

With the Thanksgiving Holiday now in the past, Sweetie Man and I last Saturday had a little home feast just for us and my son and DIL in our newly painted and remodeled diningroom. It was so nice....

And need I say anything about this meal. Sweetie Man did it all on his own....he's a fabulous cook. Does it get any better than Cornish Hen???? We did manage to have ANOTHER pumpkin pie for dessert that I baked that morning.

So, now it's off to get some stitching done for the Christmas holidays. Till next time, yinz crazy guys....

FACT or FICTION....

FACT....given the opportunity, a Mastif/Lab can devour an entire freshly baked pumpkin pie (or at least 3/4 of it) without whipped topping......and will have no guilt feelings afterwards!
That's all I have to say.....now I'm off to the store to buy more canned pumpkin!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING......

......from GOOSE, DUCK,

and ME!

Have a wonderful day, yinz guys......

Look closely....

Okay, picture this....I walk downstairs very early this morning only to find this black thing on my newly painted livingroom walls. (the above is not MY picture by the way....I really didn't think to take out my camera at 7:15 am in the morning, but this is the best and closest pic I could find) Three dogs are prancing around and the above is not moving...mmmm...what could this be? Thoughts: Eros the mastif has done the ultimate in slinging slim except this looks like dog poop....a large moth maybe? Well, I get the dogs out then decide to wake up my son and DIL. Of course the wonderful DIL comes down to brave the thing on my wall whilst the son says, "give me a few minutes." THERE IS SOMETHING ALIEN ON MY WALL AND HE WANTS ME TO GIVE HIM A FEW MINUTES!!!!!!?????

Okay, so my DIL and I venture back downstairs to look at this thing (approx 3-4 inches in length by the way). Her thoughts: Slug...a very very big slug???? (get the salt...a lot of salt)

Then we came to the conclusion that it was....yep....A BAT!!!! Three dogs jumping around the livingroom and this bat didn't budge! Dead or sleeping...not to mention, how the heck did it get in the house without anyone noticing....including the ever-observant, ever-curious dogs?????

Finally my son ventures downstairs and we tell him this is his big opportunity to show his manhood! WRONG!!! To make a long story short and after many attempts with all three of us climbing a ladder to get near enough to it to trap it under a bucket (only to climb back down saying, "you do it!"....talk about comedy)....I finally got brave and trapped it under the bucket while my son slid cardboard underneath so it was trapped and could be safely released...which he did by tossing the bucket into the neighbor's yard so it could fly out and away....which it did safely for all you bat fans.

We all then went into the kitchen and talked about who was braver while they helped me get the crockpot on for Pizza Soup for tonight's dinner. Not to mention we have no idea how it got in the house...no fireplace and it wasn't there when we went to bed. The kids then went back to bed...I got ready and went to work. Needless to say, it was another exciting morning in the 'burgh! I only wish the bat could have waited one more day till Sweetie Man was home! Till next time.....yinz crazy bats!

Two crazy stitchers....

Well, Kathie sent me pics of our visit at Barnes and Noble on Saturday....the one where we planned on stitching for a couple of hours but ended up talking instead. This first one is your classic, "take a picture of yourself holding the camera out in front of you!" I personally love these kind and I think it turned out well...

The second, Kathie asked her daughter Lizzie to take it....pretty good pic too I think!
I'm hoping we can meet up again....and maybe this time actually stitch a bit.

Kathie also tagged me to share 6 random things about myself! So here goes....
The rules are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Whew...
1. I love spiders. I rescue stranded spiders. I talk to spiders. I've considered having a pet trantuala. Enough said on that subject.

2. I hate to drive...anywhere! I don't consider myself a good driver and I get confused easily on the road. I am a very very courteous driver. (unlike some people I drive with and you know who you are!) I have never driven more than 1 1/2 hours in the driver's seat....I actually get sleepy driving so I just don't do it for very long......20 minute trips tops.

3. I'm high maintenance emotionally.....I need attention! I could live in a tent wearing a sack but if my husband takes care of my emotional needs, (phone calls, I love you's, hugs..etc...)I'll be happy as a lark.

4. Sweetie Man and I met online about 9 years ago (just got married this past April as you know) when there was probably only one chat room on the internet.....and before the onset of predators. I actually didn't want to chat with him as (1) I thought he was too intelligent and I just wanted to goof around in the various rooms with people and (2) he lived too close to me...one state away. I wanted to talk with people on the other side of the world. But things happen for a reason....and I have no doubt in my mind that he and I were meant to be...true soulmates.

5. I love to laugh...I love to make others laugh.....people say they can hear me coming by my laugh! I think I have a quick sense of humor as does Sweetie Man...we laugh all the time...I'm talking good hardy laughs.

6. I'm a "redder-upper" (Pittsburgh term)....there can be dust everywhere, but I want everything in it's place...or at least where no one will see it. (don't look in my closets, tho!)

Now it's your turn, mmmm, let's see, whom shall I tag.....
CASSIE, TINA, BRENDA, HEIDI, OLLIE, and FROGGIE

You're IT, yinz crazy guys.....!

WOW....

...is it just me or am I posting more than usual???? And what's up witht he Coca Cola sign? Well, I found a couple of sites that I just had to share. First, I'll tell you the reason. I love to bake but I HATE to cook...okay, let's just say I have a fear of cooking. I actually had a melt down in the car on Sunday cause I couldn't cook. (I was on my bluetooth with Sweetie Man so he had to endure the fallout!). Anyway, then I got home and found out that the Broccoli Cheese Crockpot soup I made, separated...could be why they said to stir it the last hour which I didn't (I took a nap instead). Needless to say, cooking is not one of my specialties and I must admit I am jealous of those of whom (or is that "who"...neither is grammer) it is easy.
To make a long story short, I made Ham BBQ sandwiches doing the Cola and Ketchup thing and in the search for the correct amounts came upon this website 15 Uncommon Uses for Coca Cola which by the way includes the BBQ sauce (1 cup ketchup/1 cup cola). Sorta makes you wonder what the heck we are drinking and eating that can also be used to remove rust????

Okay, next site is a double doozy...I love this one sent to me by Kathie, (who I met by the way in person last Saturday along with her daughter....great creative lady!)...anyway, it's a blog about a lady, by the name of Stephanie, who vowed to use her crockpot everyday in 2008 and post the recipes.
A Year of CrockPotting. There are even pictures for people like me who don't know what certain ingredients look like and reviews from her family on the results. I LOVE THIS SITE!!!
It is like "crockpot cooking for dummies"! Today she made candles in the crockpot....don't eat them tho! How cool is that! Thank you again, Kathie, for this terrific site.
Okay, with that, I'm off to dust the crockpots and start cooking....till next time, yinz crazy guys!

Say it AIN'T so, Joe!!!!!!

Saw this over at Anna's Blog and just had to take it.....who'd a thunk!!!! I'm sleepin' with one eye open from now on....



Till next time yinz crazy guys......(meow) WHAT WAS THAT???

More progress....

You will never hear me complain about having my son and DIL living with us while they are finishing up college...no sireee!!! Not when I have this to show for it....

That's right...they were at work again putting flooring down in my livingroom and diningroom! How awesome is this....

Aside from all the stuff that is piled around due to painting and moving and cleaning, they have done a tremendous job! This last pic is a little funky and it looks like the door and wall are really dirty...I think it was the light and camera angle. Just focus on the floor......

So this weekend, is painting a little more and cleaning and throwing out (aka redding up), etc.... By the holidays we should have a half decent home till the Spring when we start on the office and a couple more bedrooms! For a house that is over 80 years old...I don't think it looks too bad! Till next time, yinz crazy guys....

Beautiful exchanges...

This is the first time I've done an exchange with the SBEBB group and tho I cannot show you a pic of what I sent (one, because the receiver hasn't received it yet and two, because the pic I took was crazy blurry....my bad) but I can show you the lovely scissor fob I received from Carol....


The stitching is incredible...so perfect and so tiny. Thank you, Carol.
Next is a great Halloween pinkeep exchange with my Yahoo Group. This one from Dawn. The fabric is sooooo cool...love it. Check out the little froggie she included.

I messed up my pic of the pinkeep I sent. I'm so bummed. Cathy, the recipient, took a much better pic on her blog, so hop on over and see what is really looks like.

I've been promising you pics of the 7 hour stitch marathon I went to a few weeks ago. So much fun...so much stuff to buy...so many freebies...and a great lunch. No wonder there is a waiting list. It was blast.

Can you believe the stash of books and patterns that were on sale???? 1/2 price!!!!!

Okay....I know Halloween is over, but I just had to include a couple pics of the crazy people I live with. My son was a gangster and Sweetie Man insisted on sitting outside to greet the 12 halloweeners we had that visited us. This was the first time in many years that we had a city-wide trick or treat night (mostly it was done by neighborhoods) which is the reason for the low turn out. My DIL is the one who did his makeup....I insisted he remove it before going to bed tho...UGH!

So with that, I want to give a big salute and thank you to all our Veteran's today, (especially my Sweetie Man) both living and those in heaven....thank you for protecting our country...you are all awesome! Till next time, yinz crazy guys....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OWEN!!!

This my Great Nephew, Owen!!! I could be being a bit one-sided here...but I think he is the most adorable little cutie pie I ever saw!!!! He turned 1 year old on election day! I just got a hold of these pics as he lives about 8 hours from me but by the little videos and such I have seen, it seems he enjoyed playing and throwing the cake much more than eating it!!!
Technology is great.....as we were able to watch this little guy grow up right before our eyes through the magic of the internet!
Owen, may you have many more bright and beautiful and healthy years to come.....and may that beautiful smile and spirit of yours touch many more people as it has touched us!!
We love you!!!!!

Two simple words....

HOPE VOTES!!

Politics means there'll be a lot of talking
But, citizen, there's just no room for squawking
'Cause whatever floats your boat
If you don't take time to vote
You can whine, you can complain
'Til you drive the world insane
But no words can justify
Or provide a reason why
You let go of Freedom's mallet
If you didn't cast your ballot
Parties left and parties right
Down the middle, out of sight
Watch your gas gauge, guard your health
God forbid you count on wealth
When your budget's in the red
And you lie awake in bed
If you feel the urge to blame
Lest you call them out by name
You can leave it all to fate
Or go vote – 'fore it's too late

(Written by my very own Sweetie Man.....Please vote, yinz guys!!!!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

GOTTA LOVE MY GAL MAXINE......HAPPY HALLOWEEN YINZ SPOOKY GUYS!!!

DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL!!

....cause it's still me but with a different face. I decided to break out of the purple red thing I had going on and get a little seasonal. I love when people change their blogs with the seasons and I thought I would give it a try....again....and again....and yet again!!! Yep, it took awhile but I did it! Still have to tweak it a little but at least I got this far.
As for craft pics, well unfortunately the 4 things I'm working on are going places and haven't got there yet so I can't show them due to rules and regulations of the exhanges and also peeking eyes!!! So, hang in there and I'll be showing them soon!
So, enjoy the autumn leaves and I'll catch yunz guys later.....

Great Exhausting Weekend...

We had an exhausting exhilarating exciting weekend!!!! And our bones are feeling it too! Our weekend was called "Church without Walls" and what it consisted of was canceling church services for the weekend.....and instead, going out into the community and giving of ourselves and our time! We all wore purple t-shirts that read, "I don't go to church...I AM the church!" Everyone gave a few hours of time between Saturday and Sunday to projects such as cleaning up trash in the downtown area as well as weeding near the railroad tracks. Some worked right at the church itself cutting down trees and painting windows or working on the Kids Kloset (clothes donation.) The Sweetie Man and I chose to work at the local Massa Harbison Park (aka...the site of the Girl Scout Little House). Take a minute and read a short story about Massy Harbison and her connection to our community.
Anyway, we were elected to "sling mud" from one of four park pavilions in the area. For a sneak peek at our fun weekend, check out the pics below....

First off is Sweetie Man and myself shoveling mud and cleaning the floor of a pavilion....

That's Sweetie Man using the blower to clean up what was left after shoveling.....
Even the kids worked ........
and played................
The Mayor of our City even worked, probably harder than most everyone.....
That's me and my pastor who was digging a trench to keep the mud off the pavilion we just shoveled out.....WHEW!
We're actually not permitted to burn in the City limits, but hey....we had the Mayor working with us....

It was truly an incredible weekend. There's a great log cabin on the property also that I remember having sleep overs with the Girl Scouts when I was little...we used that for breaks and lunch...which was needed for all.
Actually, that wasn't all to my weekend....give me a couple of days to rest up and I'll let you know what I did on Sunday (does 7 hours of cross stitching sound fun???? It was!)
Till next time, yunz crazy guys.....

Birthday weekend...

Sweetie Man and I wanted to celebrate his birthday away from it all so we went camping up to Bear Run Campground near us. It was a beautiful weekend and so nice to just be all alone for awhile to just be our crazy selves! The kids (son and DIL) joined us for dinner on Saturday night which was really nice...especially since they brought an Ice Cream Cake!!! So for your enjoyment....our CAMPY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.......

......THE ONE AND ONLY "SWEETIE MAN"!!!!!

ALSO KNOWN AS "PEPPERMAN", "BIG EDDIE", "HOT ZONE ED" AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...... MY HUSBAND!!! (for the 1st year ever and the rest of his birthdays to come!)

May you have a wonderful day, Mi Amor, and many many more wonderful healthy years to come...with me of course!!!

¡feliz cumpleaños