Fun Fund Raising Evening

I have never been to a silent auction or live auction or for that matter, a fund raiser.  This past weekend I was happy to be going to my first and to actually be participating in it.  Also joining me from afar, were my two daughters and a grand daughter.  Thanks to Sherie and Corinnea and Jessica for their support and for the amazing creations that they donated.  Over $15,000 was raised to fund the adoption of two little ones into a safe, loving home.   Oh yea, that evening was amazing!   There were 3 auctioneers and they were funny!  They kept the bidding going and a couple of times harassed persuaded people to bid on an item.  It was held in the beautiful setting of a golf country club.  The dinner prepared by the country club was delightfully yummy.  The desserts were furnished by some ladies that created their favorite desserts for the event.  The food, teas/coffee and desserts where perfect.  I must insert here that this was the first fund raiser for the non-profit Sacred Selections to be held in this area and the success of it was amazing.

The pictures are for those that did not get to come, to be able to see what it was like.  I adjusted a couple of the pictures, in case you happen to notice some blurred spots.

 The painting I did for this event is in this bottom picture. Can you see it?

The following picture is showing the quilt made by Corinnea and the baby wrap made by Sherie.  The quilt went to a Grammy and the baby wrap to a young couple that are excepting their 3rd baby.

 This is a picture of the Growth Folio's that Jessica designs and makes.  They were both bought by mommies, of course!

The above picture and the one below is of a purse (the brown printed one) and 3 'green' shopping bag-key fob clutches that Corinnea created.  Three young girls set their eyes on the clutches and they were going to have them and 'no one' was about to over bid them...

I guess I was a bit a lot like the 3 young girls.  The coffee basket below was my one item I put a bid on and after a couple of people out bid me, I had to let them know that they should not do that.  Yes, its in my kitchen.  I did have to promise someone a cup of coffee. 

Eight of us went in together to bid on a private tour, of 'behind the scenes' of Hearst Castle. We have 'connections'!!!   I am really looking forward to that trip. 


It was a very fun evening, to say the least; lots of laughing, some tears when listening to the stories about the babies and wonderful people to spent time with.



This picture is just my token craft picture.  I finished this a couple of weeks ago.  It was an experiment in the colors and I'm not sure I like it......



People, Places & Things

We remember many things about people that we love and have had to say good-bye to.  Each person has their own traits, talents, habits, likes and dislikes.  But, we all have something that stands out in our personalities that people remember the most.  Besides loving to laugh and tease, my mom was known for her cooking.  Good ole Southern cooking with lots of bacon grease and sugar and eggs.  She could whip up a pie or cobble without thinking about it.  And her pie crusts, best ever.   My daughters Corinnea and Sherie got her talent for cooking.  They were blessed to have spend many times with her in the kitchen  as she cooked.  As I was trying to think of something creative and meaningful to get them for Christmas, the thought came to me of my mom's old cookbook and recipes that I had.  So, I created for them both (only got a picture of one of them) a picture using some of her actual recipes. I also made copies of some of the art work from her old cookbook to add to the 30's - 50's look.  I think they liked them very much!   Two days before I had to say good-bye to my mom, I made a promise to her.........this was a project to work on that promise.  It was good for me to do and I think for them also. 

The pictures are'nt great because of the reflection.  But, you get the idea.

Sometimes people come into your life for a short time, but in that time can make an impact on you.  One such young lady did that.  She has a gentle, kind spirit and never made me feel that there was a large age difference between us.  AND, just so happens she is  an amazing quilter and seamstress.    I was blessed to have been able to spend time with her doing crafts.  She was the young woman that taught me how to make the adorable and fun coasters.  I blogged about them in an earlier post.   Anyway, the time came for her and her husband  to move on.  I think of what I (and others) would have missed if his work had not brought them here for a short time; the great example of her gentleness and I do not exaggerate that fact.  To send her off with something to remember the crafting days she, I and some other friends had, I made a wrapped bowl for her.  I told her she can hide it in a cupboard, but she said that it would be used in her sewing room. 

After many months years of trying to decide what to put up at my living room window, I finally did it!!!  Change is good!  Between both my daughters ideals and their window dressings, this is what I came up with.  Now I wonder WHY OH WHY didn't I do this sooner.  The look is so much better, cozier, prettier; guess you could say I love it......

 Picture the big, wooded blinds with a window scarf above it and you will understand why I am loving this change so much.  Change change change.....isn't there a song!!


I spent a weekend with some very dear friends at Bodega Bay.  The weather was perfect, it wasn't crowded.  Kites were flying, seals and birds were swimming, good food was cooking, games were being played.  The trip was for fun, to be with friends.  It was also  for a good bye to a gentle man.  It was good to be together and to share memories . 

 Had to do one token sunset however uncolorful it turned out to be.

 I love it when the unexpected gift is presented to me.  Another very special friend asked me if I would like a sewing cabinet she didn't need.....Would I???????   Oh yes, I would.  So, gone is the shaky sewing table card table and in it's place is a for real sewing cabinet WITH STORAGE!!!  Guess what I have been playing with for the last two days!  I now have more room for my sewing corner of the sun room.  The sewing and crafts seem to be taking over the sun room....

 Are three pictures too many to post of my sewing corner?????   I think not.


Now, the next three pictures are of a 'Tea Party Hat' I created.  Yep, going to a tea party and there is a prize for the best hat....I want the prize, don't think I will win it because there are so many talented ladies that I will be up against.   But hoping that an Easter bunny tea hat will at least get some awwwww's, how cute!  Hmmmm, we will see!

I loved the baby chickies, had to have them...

Time wasting rambleings!!!!

Lately it seems that my mind wanders a lot.  At times it wanders too much and I lose it.  I have determined that this year I will be more organized and it would help if the brain would co-operate.  I don't do New Years resolutions anymore, since I never followed through I decided it was a waste of brain time.  But, I do use the beginning of a new year to re-evaluate!   It is a good excuse to clean out closets and cupboards and garages.  It is also a good time to 'clean out' bad habits like wasting time, procrastinating, not exercising, putting off what you can do tomorrow; you get the idea.  I reconsider what 'good' I have done in the past year and I come up lacking, I fear.  There is so much more that I could have/should have done.   I have had conversations with my darling daughters about needing to get my life on more of a schedule.   It is time to do it!!!  Enough of the talking about it.   So, with my car filled with things to take to hospice, a beginning on cleaning out the garage, working on the exercising and meeting a friend that needed help; I'm on my way to improvement.....

Recently I heard an amazing lesson on TIME, of all things!  I needed to hear all the ways that time affects us.  I often hear the statement, "I don't have time."  I say it all the time.  But, there are some people that do
SO much with their 24 hour day and I wonder why I get so little done.  I know people that have time to help others and I wonder why I don't have the time to do more.  Everyone makes a mark on the world they live in; good or bad or indifferent.  Sometimes we forget that we are not invisible and that we do/can make a difference.  That is my opinion. I may be having a  day that I feel invisible and something will be said or happen to wake me up to the fact that I am not invisible, I can make a change, however small.

A very silly example of making a change, however small and unimportant, happened while taking a early morning 'stroll' in the fog.   I was definitely invisible that morning; no one was out.  The world was very quiet and still.  I was almost home (2 mile walk, woo hoo).  I started hearing voices, no, not in my head, they were real people.  Because of the rolling hills and curvey roads the sound of people talking echos and you can hear them even when they are far away.  So, I am listening to them, two couples plus dog, talking about having a big, unhealthy breakfast and laughting and generally enjoying their walk.  It was fun to listen to and made me smile and I felt a part of their conversation.  By the time they finally had caught up with me (yes, to pass me by) I was joining in their talk and told them they where making me hungry, that I hadn't had my breakfast fresh-fruit smoothie yet.  Well, then their conversation turned totally into talking about smoothies and who made the best ones, what kind they liked, their favorite fruits, how healthy they were and so forth.  So, as they are widening the distance between us and going up another street I hear the conversation that 'I' started.  I wonder what they would have talked about had I not spoken up?

I know this is a very strange example of affecting people or changing someone's day; it is so unimportant of a example.  However; what can be done if I help someone in some small way?  Bet it would help me more than the other person.  Get my mind in order instead of wandering, making better use of my time, and at the end of the day feeling like it was not a wasted day.  Maybe remembering there is a cause and effect would make me do better about scheduling my time, help me to be more organize.

I don't know if any of this makes ANY sense or not.  I do think I think too much about nothing and waste my time in doing so!   I apolize for taking so much of YOUR time and wasting it.  Now, go and do something meaningful.... and pick carefully what you are going to waste your time on!

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time!!!

Filoli - Fight For a Just Cause, Love Your Fellow Man, Live a Good Life

For years I have been wanting to go see a house I had been told about. I had a clipping on my bulletin board for years. I guess I had actually given up on going to see it and put it out of my mind. WELL!!!!! My sister, Rhonda, planned a secret, Christmas, day trip as a gift for Sherie and I. Last year she took us, along with my youngest grand daughter to San Francisco to see the King Tut exhibit. But, I digress..........Anyway, we start on this secret outing with a stop in Vacaville for breakfast and the conversation turned into a guessing game of "where are we going?" Are we going to S.F.? Kinda! Are we going over the Bay Bridge? Yes! But, not into the City? No, not really. Then it hit me that she was taking us to Filoli. I had forgotten that Filoli had a special Winter program for just a few days in December. What I didn't know was it also included dinner and a HUGE and I mean HUGE shopping experience in the mansion itself. I'm still smiling about this day. When we got to the historical site it was too early for our reservation so we thought a quick trip to Half Moon Bay would be fun and it was. The little town is quaint and right on the ocean. We even stopped at a gift shop/nursery and got started on the shopping thing. And, we got to even look at the ocean for awhile.

Just a side-line. On the way to Filoli (about a 2 1/2 hour or maybe 3 drive), Sherie sat in the back seat of the truck knitting. Just a note here- she was inbetween two children's car seats snd couldn't get out without us opening the door and letting her out, we had her captive. After about 2 hours of listening to Rhonda and I stepping (or maybe I should say jumping) from one soap box to another, she started cracking up laughing and said we needed to get our own radio talk show. One where we did all the talking and if anyone called in and disagreed with us we would hang up on them. I don't think there is a market for that but we did entertain Sherie.

Okay, on with the many pictures............


This is a brief story about Filoli, hope you can enlarge it and read it.














Just some pic's of the ocean, it was so calm that day, no wind blowing and the temp was very cool.

This is a tree that was growing on the road to the ocean.
We all thought it was very interesting,

This next picture is of the little info shack on the very long driveway to the house.

These trees were all over the gounds, some had bird houses hanging from them. Most of the trees had moss hanging from them. It really created a beautiful scene.

The front of the house, while we still had light. We were actually not suppose to be walking around yet, it wasn't our time. We also color out of the lines too.

The next few pictures where in the vistor's center. It was decorated so beautifully. Now, SOME say the carolers are creepy, I don't know that we even really looked that close at them. We were just having fun looking at all the decorations. And we also kinda took over the picture taking area.

The window has a garland with toy trucks on it, we thought that was very cool. If you look through the window, on the left side you can see the room with glass windows where they served dinner.

The garland and wreaths were amazing. I took alot of pictures of those.

This is still in the Vistor's Center

Oh,I forgot, we went back outside to play and take pictures.

Thought my sister would like a ride in a little red wagon. Sorry you can't see it better.

Back inside to see the wreaths and get ready for dinner.

These were all around the dining room, it was dark by this time and it was gorgeous inside the glass room having dinner.

We are done with dinner and now on our way to the mansion.

Just one more wreath to take a picture of.

There is an olive garden surrounding the house. There are lights all through it.

Walking up to the house.

By the front door.

Small fireplace.

Each of the 12 or 13 rooms, I loss count, had a different theme. With lots of pretties to buy. This one was made up as a candy store.

The dining room. There was a grand piano in the corner being played, very elegant,

There were two rooms plus for he kitchen. I would have loved to take pictures of the many stoves and ovens and kitchen things. I did get this one of the kitchen safe.

This is a little court yard we passed through to get to the carriage house where you paid for your purchases. Then it was time to leave......