Happy New Year



There is something about having a new calendar. I look forward to getting a new Mary Engelbreit calendar every year.




All the pages and dates are clear and ready for what the year will bring. It is sort of like a clean slate!

Now that I have shared my new calendar, you can see I am ready for a new year. I love filling in birthdays and other important dates so it helps me remember those that are special in my life. It also reminds me of important appointments, etc and it is a place I can write down things I want to remember. A new year is a fresh start. You can make changes, start new habits and try new things. I hope whatever you need or want to do works out for you in 2011.
Happy New Year !

Merry Christmas

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the goverment will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Willow Tree Nativity

Nativity carved out of aspen wood from Colorado.

A nativity I had bought for a loved one and now it is mine.

Our first nativity and I think it came from Wal-Mart.

A nativity from a gift exchange many years ago.

We have grown to love the people in WV where we go and help with a children's ministry. This piece is carved from coal and serves as a reminder to pray for others.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas. By the way, I like nativities because in all the hustle and bustle, I need to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

ETC.

I shared earlier that I had shoulder surgery in late October. I am going to therapy two to three times a week, so it just seems I am not getting as much accomplished. Here are a few things that I have done in the past week. 

This is a cute design called Christmas Frame from Planet Applique. I put it on a white apron and it turned out so adorable.



Several of my friends are grandmothers. I took a clear ornament and filled it with red tinsel and then added the child's name. Finished it with ribbon and here's another gift.

 All of us in Louisiana love a fleur de lis. Put it on a black ornament and add gold ribbon and it is so pretty.

I found these cute ornaments at Pier One. I added the last initial to personalize it and I like it. There are only 12 days until Christmas. I must get busy!

Remember Our Troops

Let us not forget those serving overseas during the holidays. Our church sends a package to deployed men or women at Christmas. It is really simple to do. Get you a flat rate box from the USPS and fill it with goodies. It may take a little time, but what is that in comparison to their sacrifice. A big thank you to all the men and women in the armed services and to the families that are left at home. Remember to try to mail by December 1 for delivery by December 25.

 You can find a neat Christmas card to send them.

 Fill the boxes with things that you know they like.

 

Get a friend to help you take these to the post office and brighten a service member's day!

Fun Gifts

I bought this fun pattern last spring from GGDesigns. Everything I read
said it was so much fun to make and could be addictive. Well, they are right.
I ran out of zippers or I guess I would have made several.

 The first one is pink polka dot.

 The second one is yellow polka dot. These can be used for tissue or I thought you could put your driver's license, etc in the pouch. I also thought  you could put this on your keyring.

I now have two little gifts made for Christmas.

Singing in the Rain

I had shoulder surgery a couple of weeks ago and have been extremely limited in what I am able to do. I was going a little crazy, so I asked my husband to put my cricut on the dining room table. I thought surely I could put vinyl on the mat and then program my cricut to cut it. I remembered seeing some pretty umbrellas on Pittypat Paperie this summer. I had bought a couple of umbrellas earlier and had the outdoor vinyl.

 I had a pretty fleur de lis file and wanted to use that on one side. You can see the black and blue umbrellas side by side.

   I used a khaki color vinyl on the black.

     I added some initials for a monogram.

I decided to go with the white on the blue. I think they turned out pretty and will make nice gifts.

Cowgirl Shirts

I have a friend with two granddaughters that love to ride horses when they come visit. She wanted a special shirt to match their hats. I had bought this design a couple of months ago for a baby shower and didn't use it. I thought this would be perfect and she loved it.

Happy Trails to Lauren and Sarah!

Fall

I just love fall. I love fall colors and the special scents that go with fall. The cooler weather is so refreshing and I enjoy seeing the trees take on a different palette of colors. Sometimes that is in pictures because of where we live.

Today I am sharing somethings that I have made for fall. One is the hand towel with a jack-o-lantern face and the other is a candle that I put a face on. These are for gifts. I hope the recipient likes them.

This and That

I have been just doing a little of this and that the past week. I wanted to share with you some of my goodies.

I don't have any little girls in my family right now and I wanted to do some pumpkin bloomers. My daughter teaches with a lady who has a granddaughter, so these are for Hunter.

My sister needed a burp for a friend at church. I loved the lion and then added the name. I sure I will use that lion a lot.

A friend need a generic girl burp for a shower. I picked out the ribbon first and chose the colors for the embroidery to match.

We are going to have our first grandchild in February. I picked up these cute bibs and added Stuart's name. I just wanted to see it on something.

Eli Matthew

I have a baby shower tomorrow and I bought a cute little bear outfit. I wanted something to go with it, so I made a burp and bib to match. Hope Eli's mom enjoys!

Appalachian Region

It has always been a desire of mine to work with children in the Appalachian region. My husband and I have been helping a couple with their ministry in that area for the past three weeks. Our days have been filled with various things from cooking pies to leading Bible studies to helping clean. Now we are home and I must get busy with some projects. Hope to have something to post next week.

We did not have internet while we were away. When I checked my blog on Thursday evening I discovered it was a mess. The template I  used had been changed and there were other issues. Because of that, the blog has a different look.

Hope you have a good weekend!

More Baby Things

First, I want to apologize about the poor lighting of my pictures.
A couple of months back I made some gifts for Kylie. Evangeline is her cousin, so it was a must that she have some neat things as well. I know their grandmother is going to have fun with two granddaughters so close together. I can already hear the giggles in the years to come.







Try to stay cool in this horrible heat.

Gumbo

I have always made my own roux. It was just something about browning the oil and flour and putting that chopped onion in at the end. Oh, I can smell it now. Then I saw this powdered roux and thought I would try it. It is from Opelousas, my husband's hometown, and it has 0 fat grams. Another thing is Savoie is a name that is always a good sign for cajun food. Well, I want you to know I tried it and we were pleased. I do believe that there will be a jar in my pantry from now on.