It Has Been A While!

It has been too long since I've shared my thoughts or projects that I've done. I did have big plans for the new year: house projects, craft projects, fun things!   Then just into the new year things started happening; those kind of things that tilt your world and brings sorrow of the deepest kind.  It seemed to be the way things were going to be for a while.  It has been a time of losing.  Saying permanent goodbyes to friends.  It has been a time of having things taken out of your control and dealing with it.  A lot of negative!   But, all that causes me to reflect, rethink, to re-purpose. Not just re-purpose things, but me. I have done a lot of re-purposing things and getting rid of things and de-cluttering my space, in my home and in my self.  But, there is always room for improvement.  Even out of so many negative events can come positive.  Positives in people and their attitudes and in their actions.  I choose to look at those, not the people who allow or use the unthinkable sorrows as excuses to behave badly or give up or blame.  It has been a long few months, that have passed very quick at the same time.  And it is now time to get busy and do!

I also can list the good of these past months.  Friends who love, help and stand by you.  Drawing closer and getting to know better those friends.  Having a daughter and her family close by when I needed them.   Spending time with my oldest daughter and her family.  Getting to meet my new great grand daughter and playing with her big (not quite 2) brother.  I just hope I have learned, through all of this, how to be a better friend and family member in the future.  There are many lessons learned that I could write about, but then it would get too boring, so I won't!

There have been random things that I have made that I never shared so I will end this blog with those.

These are a couple of fused pieces I did.  I hope I haven't already posted these, guess I should have checked back blogs. 

Did these two while I was recouping from an accident and needed something to keep my mind busy.  Saw these ideas on Pinterest.  The button tree was wanted by a friend, so she got it.  The torn paper one is hanging length ways in my home.  It does look better length ways and in person.  Really!

 I've painted some cards.

I made this from an old, hand embroidered pillow case of my mom's.   I got this idea from Pinterest also. 

I am working on a project that I am hoping will turn out the way I envision.  One of my talented son-in-laws helped me do some prep work that I knew I would not be able to do.  Those are (hopefully) for Christmas.  I also have a few things in progress so maybe I will have another post up before too long.

Christmas Decorations in a Small House

I have a small house.  So decorating in a small space requires small things.  I also kept it more simple this year and I'm liking it.  I usually have more garlands and lights.  

This little funky space reminds me of Dr Seuss.  The little guy with the pointy hat is one of my early painting projects, many years ago.  I still like him, so he is still around.  I think I might need another shinny tree..

 I got my tree from Farmer Gene!  He is a story in himself.  The tree is a great shape for all my German ornaments and it makes me happy. 

 My Santa's love to hang around.

 Almost forgot to add a picture of my mantle.  It is where I usually have lights and garlands, but this year it has been taken over by critters from Denmark and Germany.  I love these little people!  I think they take over the house when I'm not looking; especially the grumpy looking ones.  A couple of them look like they are sleeping but I know better!


























My Christmas dishes ready to be used.

 Yes, I put lights on the lamp in the sun room.  I like it.  Don't judge!  There are more German decorations on the chest.  Some that my grand children got me years ago. 

 I call the corner my wood land area; it seems to fit well in the sun room with all the birds outside doing fly by's.  I love this spot.

 This little family are gourds that I painted a few years ago.  They came out of hibernation this year and joined the wood land critters in the sun room.

 This little chest in my kitchen will be holding more candy over the next few days.  

 And what is better than something to remember a loved one and to bring up wonderful memories?  Nothing.  This was my mom's table cloth she used for many years.  She had a large dinning table and would set it up with this cloth, dishes and flowers.  It is too big for my table, but as you can see, I use it anyway.  This is a happy memory; no sad going on here.

I hope you enjoyed my tour; now if we could just sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee together and enjoy the lights.  Happy holidays to all.

A Little Change Inside & Outside Activity

The other day I had this idea!  That could be a good thing or a bad thing!  I really like the change!  It is such a little change and to me it made a big impact.  I have this hallway, I don't like hallways, that I turned into a family photo gallery many years ago.  I keep adding to it or changing it, as my family grows.  It is white and all the frames are black.  I painted a lot of frames that I had to save money recycle them.  I had put a trim up a few years ago, white.  This is a before the little change.

Big oak mirror at the end of the hallway, lots of white.


This is the after little change picture.

Black trim, smaller mirror at end of hallway.  I LOVE it, it really gives it a different look, I think.  And what I think is important, since I have to live here.


I didn't take a before picture of the next part.  It is around the left corner of the hallway.  It had two Thomas Kincade pictures hanging there; I'm tired of Thomas Kincade, have been for a long time.  Recently I and my sister came across some really old pictures of our parents and family.  They are priceless and beautiful.  So, I have decided to add to my 'hall of fame' by hanging them in the a fore mentioned Thomas Kincade space.  It is a work in progress, I still need to get some of the pictures hung, but here is a preview.

I think this part is going to be a really fun one.  


It is interesting how a little change in color can cause a person to make changes in other places.  I have moved and removed and added and changed and put away so many things in the last couple of weeks; I don't know where things are now, I'm surprised when I walk in a room and see the different items that I'm not used to being there.  I'm telling myself how much I like the changes I have made.  I live in a strange world with myself.  Yes I'm weird, but, *said in a whisper* lets keep it a secret.


The next pictures are my token bird and flower pictures.


When I opened up the blinds one morning, this beautiful Morning Glory was saying, "good morning."  The original plant is no longer.....this is from one of the 'many' vines that have taken root in my yard.

The next two pictures are of the Blue Birds and friends having breakfast.  They flew away before I could get a good picture of them.  There was 3 Blue Birds at one time with some Purple Finch and a bunch of the little yellow guys.  I counted a zillon birds, well maybe 10. But there were a lot.

Lake Tahoe - Escondido - Apple Hill

I added this first picture to show a very old wash stand that I recently had repainted.  It had been in my garage being used as a house by the spiders and assorted bugs.  It had been 'bugging' me (no pun intended) that it was out there not being loved.  This cabinet was in a house that my parents moved into back in the late 1940's.  I got it in the 1960's and had re-purposed *read slapped paint on it* a few times.   A friend recently offered to repaint it  and I love the way it turned out.  It is in my kitchen and being loved again.   The glass candy jar was my mom's, she used it for flour or sugar.  The bowl and pitcher was given to me years ago by some friends.  I think it looks great in my kitchen! 

My yearly trip to Lake Tahoe was once again, wonderful!  The weather was beautiful.

One of these ladies had not been to this Lake Tahoe retreat so I was showing them some of the hidden spots I've discovered.  They were the 'funnest' ladies and kept me and my friend Helen in stitches!   Speaking of stitches......the Roseville Quilting Guild was back this year and as usual where very happy to have us lookey looing (I have no idea how to spell that)  at all the beautiful quilts they were working on.  Also this year, my friend Helen and I found the building where the painters where having their workshop.  It just so happens to be in the house you see behind us.  They were having a water color painting retreat for the week and also were happy to share their work with us.  That looked like something I would like to try.

I got home from Tahoe on a Friday, unpacked, repacked and flew down to Escondido on Tuesday.  I went to visit my two cousins, Linda and Angie.  They are more than cousins to me; more like sisters.   They picked me up from the airport and 'immediately' took me to Anthony's in San Diego for dinner.  Had a great fish dinner while looking out over the water.  Good way to start this visit.  We planned out our schedule for the week.  Angie is a Special Ed teacher so she was only going to have the following day off to play.  We decided to ride the train from Oceanside to San Juan Capistrano on her day off.   We roamed around the little town and of course had lunch.   This little Deli was named The Hummingbird House Cafe.  The food was great.  We sat outside in the back.

This is a picture taken in the back.  The trees and plants were so pretty and I loved the random plantings.

They have problems with the hummers flying into the cafe and getting trapped and then they have to rescue them and keep the hummers safe while they regain their strength.  The hummers are all over the place.  I was told that when a hummer sleeps their heart beat slows down so slow that it takes them a long time to wake up and get their heart beating fast again........need to check that information out.  I love the hummers..

I got to spent some time with the little grandchildren of my  two cousins.  This little big guy is 

Isaac.  He let me play games with him and his sister.  He was very patient with me, I wasn't very good at the game.  

This is Angela, I got to watch her soccer game.  She was the goalie and was fearless at going after the ball.  

This little guy is Zeke, he is a cutie.  Actually, they are all sweet and polite and cutie pies...  This littlest one reminds me of one of mine.     

This is my cousin Angela and 4 of her 5 darling grand daughters.  She had two boys; she is having a ball with her  g-daughters.  The missing one is a baby and I got to see her too.    Both of my cousins have play rooms fixed for their g-children, I miss that age and time.  It was fun to watch them play and they smiled all the time, very happy little girls.

My cousin Linda with her nieces.  They love their auntie.  

I didn't get enough pictures of me and my cousins, ran out of time.  We shopped, planted flowers, explored, shopped, hung pictures, you get the idea.  I did get one of me with Linda and her daughter Lee Ann.   

My friends Roya (I call her my adopted daughter)  and Cyrous picked me up and I went to visit at their home.  They took me to a Persian Festival or that is what I called it.  It has a different name, I think it is Mehregan.  It was very interesting and had wonderful food.  I had my first Persian ice cream.  Made with pistachios & saffron; it was very good.   The clothes and decorations were very beautiful.   It was hard to pick out pictures to post without doing a picture overload, yes I know, I do that too much.   So, I just picked a couple a lot, to share.

This is two little children dancing.

This is Roya's sister Bahar, Roya and the short lady is ME!!!   I 'really' felt short......

Cyrous, Roya and shorty..

This booth is similar to a harvest celebration. 

This little gal is one of the contestants on the up-coming season of American Idol.  She had a very pretty voice.  The band was too loud though, she really had to sing loudly to be heard.

I loved the colors and fabrics of the clothes.

We took a drive to the ocean after a lunch of Persian food.  I love the rice and fava (?) beans..   I then insisted on treating them to SB coffee and cake pop.  They had not had a cake pop!  They humored me!

Yesterday was my birthday!!!  Sherie, Corrie and I went to Apple Hill!!!   I ate TWO apple donuts without even blinking an eye.  I gobbled them down without any guilt or shame.  Yes, this is not a good picture of me, but it is a happy one.

This is a good picture of them.

Corrie and I were watching the fish jump out of the water and the little ones fishing.

Corinnea the next couple of pictures are for you, you asked for a picture under the apple tree.....we give you many....

No, I not as old as this tree, almost, but not quite......

We were having fun!!!

I thought this old building was very cool.  See the wheel in the back.  How about the bird house?    

We finished the day with dinner at a new Irish Pub/Dinner place  in town.   Had the best soup and soda bread.  The decoration of the room we ate in was like eating in a old library.  Very fun.  the day was filled with all kinds of good food and fun.  It was beautiful, the trees are  just starting to turn.   It was a perfect b-day.