Happy New Year!

Yup it's January 1st 2012. I have so many things to be greatful for and still a few that stress me out. But I am going to be positive and and enjoy the good things in my life, all those things that stress me out, I really can't change anyway!

So lets see Resolutions, not to many, just trying to keep my Blog going, and most important keep expanding on the creative things I am doing. Glass is having a hard time staying on top there are so many things I want to do, but melting glass is the longest bad habit I have ever had other than family! So it's not going anyplace and it will set there in my studio ready and willing to lead me into the flame high it gives each time I light my torch!

Here is my latest expansion. Don't ask me where it came from it's like it just jumped into my head this morning! But lot's of ideas were swimming around up there in the empty pool I call my thoughts! Finally got this to post. I need to get back to my drawing and this is the nearest to my heart! div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">

We lost a lovely lady this past week. My Aunt Pam left this world to be with my Uncle Don. She will be missed but also fondly remembered for the wonderful loving lady she was. I am so glad our entire family took the time to visit with her the first of November. Good memories are worth their weight in gold!

So I will get some photos taken, hopefully be able to post them and a tutorial or two ready to put on here.

A wonderful and creative New Year to all of you!!!

Dilly

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

The tree is up and with Xaviers help, maybe even Brock we will start to build our town today! OK, put the Christmas Village that hasn't be up for a couple of years. Kylee thought it was a buffet, it was at the right height and fences and light poles started to disappear! I have so many beautiful pieces I know the boys will love, so we will give it another try!

Last night we went with the girls and their families to see the light display put on at the Jackson Fair Grounds. It was awesome, Xavier loved it, Brock bounced up and down on his Mom's lap looking at all the colors. After that we stopped at the main building and visited with Santa, went on a train ride, looked a cool trees, made a Reindeer out of a candy cane. Yup is was good, then we all went to dinner and ate entirely unhealthy food. It was fabulous!! LOL

A Grand Suprise happened this week!! I got an email from Todd & Erin and was instructed not to open it until I had hubby with me and they were on the phone line with us. I opened the image and this is what I saw!

What a wonderful suprise. I am so joyful that Todd and Erin had this moment together before he is deployed. We could actually count that time in hours now. I pray and will keep my fingers and toes crossed that he can manipulate his RandR to be here for the precious event of the birth of his first child!

Well I am sure you all wonder what it is like to live with two very large dogs. Spectacular most of the time, so much love from them, and they makes us laugh and they make us smile all the time. However Christmas does present a problem with all the goodies I won't give up on putting up. So maybe the beauty of Christmas is hampered just a little by the things we have to do to make thing safe. But, I would rather do those things than live a day without our four legged family!

So a Merry, Merry Christmas to you all!
Dilly

I am busy, busy, busy getting ready for Christmas how about you?

My goal in changing my blog was to share items I was working on and how to make them. Well, heck this is a lousy time to do that because everything I am working on is a Christmas Present and most of the people who read this are people who will be on the recieving end! LOL So I guess the how to's will have to wait for a couple of weeks.

I got the basic tree up, this means my foo-foo color coordinated, beautiful tree is decorated, now the big box of very special ornaments comes out and we put all the memories up to make it the very special tree it is! Here are a few ideas to make your tree even more special. Find something Red,White & Blue to put at the toop with your star, Angel, or bow. Remember our troops serving here or over seas. I put a piece of RW&B ribbon on our tree back when Desert Storm was active. Each year I thought about taking it off, but it has remained there, never thinking it would be on the tree to represent my support and love for our son, who will be overseas for the next couple of Christmas!

For fun, tie a couple of cinnamon sticks together with some pretty ribbon and hang them on a branch near a light. Good smelling. Xaviers favorite and cheap kid decoration is putting white glue on the edges of pinecones and rolling them in glitter. Tie a pretty cord around the top and you have a very nice ornament!

I still have one package to go out to the East Coast for my Neice and her family. I am working hard to have everything ready to ship so it makes it there on time! I of course am at the typical fill in the holes stage of my list for a few people, but mostly I am comfy of where I am with the whole "present" thing. It will be cookie and goodie time next week. Probably fudge on Monday with Xavier or maybe I will go down to Heathers and we can all make goodies together! I'll have to figure that one out.

Since we are celebrating Christmas Day at my house, I am pretty sure a couple days will be dedicated to cleaning also, maybe even turn the oven onto the clean cycle!! Hopefully it will be chilly enough for that next week!! Right now they are calling for 50 some degrees tomorrow at least with falling temps!!

So I am off and running with hubby to run the treasure trails of Kalamazoo today! You all have a wonderful day!

Dilly

Time to start sharing some goodies with you all!

OK, it’s time to get to work on this blog. I had promised some tutorials of things I attempt and I am even adding in recipes from time to time. I wanted to start out with a project that I fell in love with, but then I realized I was making a few for Christmas Presents, so DUH that wouldn’t work. I will post that info after Christmas. So I guess I will start with a recipe I had promised a few of my friends that I would share.

The family is doing fine. Today we went with the daughters and their families to pick out live Christmas Trees. We went to a local Christmas Tree Farm and Heather, Kirk and Xavier found a tree and cut it down. Shannon, Shawn and Brock finally found their tree already cut up by the office. Brock said, Yup that one will do!!! I know I heard him whisper that to his Mom! LOL

While we were out looking for trees, Erin and Todd were sharing their time packing him up for deployment. Ok, so Erin said Todd was packing and she was checking his list!! No I can’t share when the window is of his deployment but I will give you a sign when he leaves, don’t worry you will figure it out!

So here is the recipe and I am doing it two ways, healthy for those who want to do that (ingredients changed in parenthesis), and I am sure, tasty for those who want to live on the edge!!! LOL

Cranberry Walnut Scones
2 cups Flour (whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
5 tbsp sugar (brown sugar)
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp margarine (1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)
1 egg (1 tsp egg replacer)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
½ cup walnut pieces
¾ cup milk (soy milk)

Combine the flour, baking powder, ¾ of the sugar and the salt. Cut in the margarine (add applesauce) until crumbly.
Mix in egg (egg replacer), cranberries and walnuts. Gradually add the milk (soy milk) until thick dough forms. You may need a little bit more or less than ¾ cup milk.

Place on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times. Roll out to a ¾ inch thickness and cut into triangles or use a cookie cutter. Brush the top of each with a bit of milk and sprinkle the remainder of the sugar.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes on a lightly greased (sprayed) baking sheet. Remove when lightly browned and place on rack to cool. Brew some coffee or tea and enjoy!

Although Erin and Todd's presents are safely on their way, I am still working like a madwoman on the rest of the goodies for the local family. Christmas is at our house this year, so I have all the decorating to do for that too! But for me I am actually ahead of the game this year!!

Have a great weekend everyone and pass some smiles and Happy Holidays around!

Dilly

Sorry for the mess!

I am making some changes and hoping to improve my blog. I am working toward some changes in my life and want that to be reflected on my blog. So stay tuned and once I am up and running maybe you will enjoy the changes and share some of the info with friends! There will be more how to's and sharing of whatever goodie I am currently busy doing!

I walked into a small store/studio and the first thing that came to mind other than WOW was that I wanted a store like that. So my goal is to work on all the things I enjoy, share my experiments and know how with all of you!

Of course you will still see the goings on from all my family thrown in regularly. After all they are the main reason I live and breath, the rest is just the frosting on my cake!!

So standby for the changes. Until I am done, have a Happy and Wonderful Holiday!

Dilly

Sunshine and Frosty Frost on the ground!

It was 29 degrees this morning, so the frost was thick and white this morning. You could etch your name in it! But even though the skies are pretty grey right now the sun is shining enough to run my solar fountains in the garden. Pee Boy is getting his daily workout!!!

Here is a pic of our Son and DIL taken this past week at a Dine In for Todd's Unit on base! Handsome couple!!!



We have been working hard so we are ready for Todd & Erin to come and visit us for a few days! We have a house rented for a few days so the entire family can stay together. The girls have worked out a menu so all the family favorites can be munched on from Milk Toast (yes my crazy kids love it) to Home made Pizza! Hubby and I will do our vegeterian thing as much as possible. But who can pass up some our very favorite foods in th entire world!! LOL The last time Todd came home I fell so far off the wagon I couldn't catch back up. Now that I have taken 16 lbs back off I am going to work hard at keeping the amounts to a minimum!

Hubby picked up the first two seasons of the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan they have been very insightful and hopefully it will teach us, what we have been doing wrong. Let's see Kylee is the Pack Leader and we follow her every whim. That could be the problem!!! LOL So now I get to retrain hubby! He know's he is the problem now we just have to get him to change!!

So Todd wants snow while he is home in Michigan, and it looks like maybe a few flakes might make his wish come true the end of next week! Between CA and the flatlands of CO and TX he has not seen any in a couple of years. He thinks there is a chance he could see some in Afghanistan, but not his goal!!

Well I am off and running with hubby. Have a good one and I hope I can jump back on here before we take off with the family. If not be prepared for a lot of photos when I get back!

Dilly

Blue skies, in the 50's and the leaves are mostly gone!

I am looking out my window near my computer. The sky is a beautiful soft blue, with whisps of clouds dragging across the horizon. The trees are a etched black and grey looking so forlorn without their leaves. I am just glad it is in the 50's and the grass is still green and not covered with the "S" word!

We spent yesterday in Lansing with all of Randys family. His parents headed down to Florida early this morning for their last winter down there. They will be looking for someplace around here to spend next winter. That will be nice to have them close and be able to share with them!

The grandsons are growing so fast it is amazing. Baby Brock looks like he is 4 months old and just getting near 2. He is very good, but has been having some tummy problems that give his Mom & Dad fits at times. Xavier is such a great kid, so polite, a bundle of energy and always willing to give a hug, kiss and noseys to most anyone! He wanted to ride home with Grammie and Papa last night from the family get-together, he lasted about 1/2 a mile before he went nite-nite!

We did manage a skype visit so Todd could see and chat with his Grandparents. It's been over 2 years since they have seen him and will miss his visit 9 days from now.

So, cleaning, fixing up and relaxing are on my list of things to do today! A little research on the computer thrown in for interesting!! Have a good one everybody!

Dilly