Ready for 2011 Christmas?

Well, here we are just a few short weeks from Christmas...or days.....are you ready? I am getting there at a snail's pace. It is time for some Christmas card crafting. Why is it I choose to make Christmas trees?

Wired fancy "Fuzzy Cord" ribbon from Walmart's Holiday Time collection fit the bill. Add a few gold bells, a red top with button and gold bling. Martha Stewart's cup cake punch for the bottom of the tree. Side panels of poinsettia ribbon and we are done with this model.

White fuzzy cord for this tree on the blue background works. The topper is a ready made white rose that came in some pack I bought some time ago....hey, it's about using what you have!

The 3rd model is made with fancy paper from Graphics 45. Fold the top edge and secure with flower. The flower was made from 3small flowers -Martha Stewart punch, and a Tim Holtz flower die cut (smaller 2 of the lot) for a total of 5 petals, secured with a small black brad. The tag punch is Creative Memories stamped with blue ink scripture from Luke 2:4.

Our Christmas family card was made the Sunday after Thanksgiving under the oak trees. Douglas set up the tripod. We did not attempt to film the 4 dogs with us.....so without our extended family...

Merry Christmas to all.....and to all a good night!

P.S.  A recipe for you: Cherry Salad

From: A Taste of Victory ( Our church women's ministry cookbook)

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 can crushed pineapple in its own juice

1 can red pitted cherries in water, drained

1 12 oz. container Cool Whip

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Combine first three ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Add remaining ingredients to the first mixture next day before serving. Garnish with extra nuts.

A friend of mine from Bartow makes this every year for her family. They love it! It is addicting and will quickly become a favorite dish! Joyeux Noel!

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Fall Trip 2011

One of our favorite fall events is visiting our son and daughter-in-love in Knoxville, TN.....Go Vols! Grant's birthday happens to be in the middle of the leaf-looking season, which is convenient for all the Floridians trying to escape the FL heat! We head north each fall to visit and enjoy the LORD's paintbrush.... This year George's brother, Bocky joined us in the adventure. The project this year was a fence in the backyard to provide more privacy.

He rode a 2009 Nostalgic Harley Davidson Motorcycle to TN....

Grant and Mandi took us to a small town, Dandridge to enjoy the local color...

It is a small, quaint town with a drug-store, and small shops full of local arts and crafts....right up my alley I say......

Thinking of mother....teaching 42 years.....I took a pic of the Dept. Of Education Bldg. decorated for fall.

We enjoyed lunch at this cafe....even though our plans were to eat at the drug-store.... it was closed for the weekend.....

Southern Comforts Cafe....for sure.....great grilled salmon, fried green tomatoes and other delicacies were enjoyed by all....

Now...

back to the project......the fence.....lets rake all the leaves, fallen walnuts and whatever those prickly, sticky things are that is worse than sandspurs.....(did you say they were chestnuts?)..so the dogs can run, jump and play in the back yard...thanks for the help...Bocky....

almost completed....

wow....what a difference....looks great from this view.....

Grant looks on to the next year....Graduation in the future....just enjoy the next 29 years as much as the first 29 years......

Mandi and I enjoy some retail therapy....

Roxy just wants to bask in the fall sun to warm up!

Grant and Mandi Harley ....gracious host and hostess....

Thanks for the treat to Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp Festival.....we enjoyed the leaves too!

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy this time off with your family and friends. Write down all the blessings you enjoy.............The LORD allows us to enjoy the simple things everyday!

Grant and Mandi Harley

George and Lynda Harley

Douglas and Lindsay Heruska

Happy Turkey Day!

Showers of blessings

In this journey it's nice to have friends and family that help you through the celebrations of life. I enjoy helping with bridal and baby showers. There is a fantastic support group for this, including my sisters, daughter who love to bake, and Sunday School family. A friend's daughter is to be married soon. For the shower she chose black, white and pink bling. The challenge was the removal of the traditional cake....to be replaced by cupcakes. How to display them? After several shopping trips...the most disappointing aspect was not being able to purchase what I had envisioned in my mind. I wanted the pottery barn silver tray, but it has to be ordered. So we opted for another informal galvanized version that we spruced up with paper baking cups after ironing them.

We had loads of baking help....The oreo balls were made by my sister, Michelle. The extra cupcake batter was made into mini bites and displayed on the side table.

The pink icing was carefully crafted by Lindsay....I talked her into placing a surprise cream cheese filling with mini chocolate chips inside!

The name banner took the longest time. I used a package of coordinating black and white paper to cut the triangles. A white doilly was used to help the pink letters stand out. I should have taken a close up shot, but you get the idea. The triangles are double-sided just in case they were flipped.....attention to detail? It was fun putting it all together.

Tribute to Dad

JHP Brown went home to be with the LORD Friday night. Dad lost his battle with cancer. He had a malignant melanoma removed from his torso in 2009. 7 weeks ago he was diagnosed again. His family had a great time visiting him during his illness at the VA Hospital, Bay Pines Hospice Unit, St. Petersburg, Fl. He was a wonderful father. He encouraged us ( more expectation that not) to complete our education with a reward of a new car and a piano at graduation. I am thankful for the wisdom he dispensed regularly.... we all miss him tremendously, already.... Thanks for understanding my absence.

This summer was such a blur......I had one too many dogs to care for.....and then....

Mr Higgins was adopted by a wonderful college prof. and is now called "Amos". Thanks, Jerm for your splendid love and care to Amos!

Amos.....photo by J. Daystorm

The LORD takes good care of us!  I feel blessed today. My dad is healed and in heaven, and Amos has a new family that loves him as much as I do.

Psalm 86:10-11  "For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

Summer's End

Summer is over for the teachers....and now.... back to school. The stores have all the supplies on the shelves....Going back to work is always difficult after spending the summer traveling, visiting family and leisurely reading books.

We visited my son and daughter-in-law in Knoxville. We just had to visit the Applewood Farms and have a great meal in Pigeon Forge. We had a grand time! Thanks Mandi and Grant for hosting! I had the chance to freshen up the wreath on the door....thanks to fall that arrived at Hobby Lobby in Knoxville.

This is a weird view of the Bahamas....

We did make it to Paradise Island....

The tour of the main island was very interesting....My dad had suggested looking up a place he visited in the '60's called The Cat and the Fiddle, and our cab driver remembered where it used to be. Dad saw Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy doing the limbo there. Above pic is of the water tower.

The horse fountain outside one fancy hotel.....can you guess....

The island Coco Cay.......at 8:00 A.M....deserted, of course.....except for us...

We were first to pick out our lounge chairs....not much competition this early....

Just a few locals around......

I am thankful I didn't have to pay for the gas to fill this one up.....

I did not want to leave......shall we start a school?

Now come on and leave a comment...will ya....please?

Summer Beach Time

Have you ever made a visit to Daytona Beach ?....

You know your getting old when you take pictures of waves and birds.....at the beach...


ha ha .... we were on the 4th floor of the building we were staying in ....the original picture is far away....

My sister looked out the window and said " There's a bird on top of the sandcastle."

She was right, but at the time, I could not see it very well. So I just took the picture, not expecting the camera to be able to focus at that distance. My Nikon 65 is remarkable.

It was a lovely girls weekend!

Back home, my husband is trimming the hedge in the front of the house.  During the process, he found  four, empty bird's nests.

I thought I would share, since Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors is having a link party about bird's nest.....

One unhatched egg. Horton?

No feathers?  Just leaves..... Some birds prefer sandcastles to sticks and leaves....

Have fun nesting this summer!

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The Last Lift-Off

Hello Peeps....we are here for a sister's weekend in Daytona....to see the lift off, have a little retail therapy....and work on our tan....It has been raining for 2 days...but the lift off did occur ....so on with the  show pictures....

First I must show some pics taken on the Fourth....

Sam's Club had sunflowers....most gorgeous...

Nelson, Mr. Higgins and Dixie were sitting nicely poolside.... We enjoyed lunch outside....Then...we left for Daytona Beach on Wed. eve.....

Above is a view from the condo....shooting south....

11:15 before lift-off....

It's over the ocean....so I cropped the photo...

All you could see was the flame from the bottom of the rocket...

It's sad to think that it was the last lift-off....at least until we change administration?

We're off for some more retail therapy.....

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