Back to Reality Again

First, today is our grandson Dale's 3rd birthday!  How did three years pass already?? Happy birthday Little Buddy!

Well I didn't fall into a deep depression when we got home like I did after our trip in August, but it was really hard to get motivated for the rest of November.  I didn't do any craft shows this year.  We had our first measurable snow mid-month but fortunately it was mostly gone by the next day.

Did one short walk on the Canal but my foot hurts so bad so that was a quick trip.

After we got home from the trip I was desperate to get to see 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the theatre so I went one afternoon and he went to a different movie called 'Overlord'.  BR is easily one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life.  If Rami Malek doesn't get nominated for....and win...an Academy Award it'll be a sin.  His performance as Freddie Mercury was mesmerizing.

Speaking of movies, we also went to 'Fantastic Beasts:  The Crimes of Grindelwald'.  I was a bit confused after it and probably should've watched the first movie before we went.  I left with a lot of questions.  It was good and all, but it's hard to like this franchise as much as Harry Potter because there are a lot of timeline changes with the characters that don't quite match up.  The Fantastic Beasts movies are more like someone's fan fiction brought to the big screen, even though JK Rowling is involved with the screenplays.  I would prefer if these would be released as books.

Thanksgiving was really quiet.  Val had to work till about 2 and her mom was doing her dinner at 6, so there wouldn't have been enough time for her to come all the way over here.  Since Nick & Karmyn just got engaged, we told them that it was OK if they wanted to play through at her parents' house all afternoon and then go to his mom's for 6.  It was just Russell & I and a whole lotta delish food!!!

Val's birthday was over Thanksgiving weekend.  This is the card I made her. 

Also made her a carrot cake from scratch.  

She came over the day after Thanksgiving and I took her to see 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.  It's very rare that I go to a theatre to see a movie twice but this one is worth a second look.  The last time I did that was in 1991 when 'Dances with Wolves' came out.  Here we are waiting for it to start.  This theatre has recliners and I honestly don't think I can go back to regular movie seats again.

She also turned me onto Stroopwafels.  I've never heard of them or seen them before but wow are they tasty!  Just picked up a box!

One of my friends posted a pic of a cross stitch and wrote 'please make this for me'.  So I did.  I love fast projects like these.  

Another instant gratification project.  This was a free kit with a bead embroidery I got.  It came with  the little paper frame and a magnet for the back.  Took about a half hour or so.

My friends Cindy and Michelle destashed some of their craft supplies and sent them all to me.  There are several little cross stitch ornament kits, and then this one of West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec, Maine. This just took about 3 days to complete.  I'm finding it harder and harder to stitch on 16ct Aida, especially white-on-white.  My eyesight is so shot.  😢

Can't believe Christmas prep is in full swing and then another year come and gone way too fast.

Still Playing Catch Up

So I've been trying to continue to squeeze in crafts whenever I can.  I just started a new one called 'diamond painting'.  The kit comes from China, I think, and the instructions didn't translate well to English.  #3 is especially amusing.

Basically it's like cross stitching with coloured plastic squares. 

Teeny tiny plastic squares too, I might add.  This has to be done with tweezers.

You peel back the paper to reveal the design underneath that has a super sticky adhesive.  You match up the symbols with the colour key on the side and place the appropriately numbered colours accordingly.  This is going to take awhile.  

I found a free crescent moon pattern in my cross stitch stuff and had to do it. 

The past few weeks weren't without their bright spots though, despite the overall 'blah' feeling.  My dear friend Miki came over for lunch a couple weeks ago, and Marsha took me out to breakfast for my birthday.  I got to spend said birthday with Russell.  He gave me a beautiful card, we went to my mom's for a bit, then attempted to go to the movies.  The theatre was so hot that we had to leave. There was no way I could sit there for two and a half hours like that.  We tried to see the same movie at another theatre later that day, but the same problem.  So we went home, but stopped at Michael's Crafts so I could do a little shopping.  Took advantage of Cyber Monday with a pretty big amazon order which is always fun to receive. 

 Turkeys showed up in my back yard, en masse, a few days after Thanksgiving.

I was hoping this big ol' Tom would give up a feather or two, but no.

I was pleasantly surprised when a package off cross stitch kits arrived from my daughter in law's grandmother.  What a thoughtful thing to do!!!  My friend Debby sent me three colouring books too, but I forgot to take a pic of them before I put them with my stack of colouring books to do.  I really need to get on that...

And the kids came over for Thanksgiving which was also Val's birthday.  I got some balloons but the stupid latex ones were on the floor by mid afternoon.  

Had to hang a banner, of course.

Aren't she and her hubby just the cutest things EVER?

Some outside shots of our lights.

It's hard to believe that Christmas is already upon us.  Just a few more days!  I am planning on baking a lot in the days before Christmas Eve.  

Are you all ready for the holidays?

Happy Turkey Day!

Gobble till ya wobble!

Ermahgerd!  Mershed perderders!!!!!

Try not to kill each other on Black Friday, eh?  See you in a few days!

Thanksgiving Weekend

I am so sick of eating.  And I really didn't eat all that much this weekend but still.....so much food in the fridge, so many leftovers....so much is gonna end up in the garbage.  We did a 12 lb turkey, stuffing, mashed taters, corn, cranberry sauce & gravy, PLUS a prime rib.  And we had Dutch apple pie for dessert.  Of course we are all about speed and ease, so everything comes out of boxes, cans and jars.  The pie was from the grocery store bakery.  

My stepkids came over at 2 to dine with us and we were all stuffed to the gills.  They still had their mom's to go to later on for 2nd dinner!  They are lucky they are so young and slim!!!  

My bday was the same day and it was mellow.  I felt the love on Facebook with all the greetings and messages.  That was so nice.  The next day, my mom took us to lunch, but not before she gave me this gift to usher in my 50th year.  A cane with horn and rearview mirror.  

Stuffed from lunch, I wasn't hungry again till well after 8 pm so I made myself a very small turkey sammich. Turned around to find myself pinned against the counter once again by my silly boopies.  Sagan is so focused on the plate with my sammich in this pic.

"But...but...but....you haz turkey sammich and we haz NO turkey sammich."  Poor, poor starving, unspoiled furkids.  Don't worry....they both got a little bit of turkey after I took this picture!

Gorgeous moon.

Yesterday, I made this 'Christmas ball chandelier' that I saw on Pinterest.  Came out pretty good.  I think it needs some more balls and the next one I make will have more; I got tired of tying fishing line.  This was, as always, just a prototype. 

It's started to get super icy cold again.  Makes for pretty pictures but taking the dogs out after dark really sucks, despite bundling up, esp. at 3 AM.

Couldn't resist taking another one of these last night when the sun went down.  We only get to see it like this from late November to early January.  Would like to get another snow pic of it but I really don't want any snow yet!!!

I've got all my Christmas cards done and ready to go, and most of my shopping is done, not that I had that much to do anyway.  I don't do Black Friday and I find people's shopping conduct sickening. I called this 'The Season of Brotherly Shove.'  Online, small business and craft fair shopping is the only way to go.

It's time to take down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up the Christmas ones!  I will be working on that today and that usually takes quite a few hours.  I also have one more craft show this coming Saturday at the Sandwich Legion.  

How was everyone's Thanksgiving weekends?  Did you do the Black Friday insanity?  Sick of turkey yet?

Update!

Update loooong overdue!!

I've been so busy the past few months, preparing for craft shows that took place at the Bourne VFW in mid-November and Upper Cape Tech the weekend of 11/23 & 11/24 that I haven't really updated on what's been going on.  I was a crafting maniac and to be honest, towards the end, I started to get reeeeeeally tired of making stuff specifically for the fairs. So I made some stuff for myself too!

I worked on a craft kit of the month project of cross stitch ornaments.  They really should've sent this kit out months ago instead of November.  They are small but time consuming.  Right now I have the Santa stitched but not outlined, and the Christmas tree almost finished.

Added beaded hangers to the blue and purple window crystals I got over the summer.

Couple bracelets which are a little too big for my wrist unfortunately.

Got the pendant at the King Richard's Faire and made a necklace.

But then it was back to crafting for the fairs.  It was next to impossible to find acorn caps this season.  I hope that means an uneventful winter.  This time I used marbles because I couldn't find beads to fit the caps.

These are so much fun to make!

Memory wire bracelets.

More of these.

Beach themed ornaments.

The VFW show was OK.....the best part was hanging out with Marsha, seeing my school bus driver, Elaine, from the 70s who makes beautiful dyed scarves, and my inlaws were there selling their homemade soap.  I made my table fee back, but my total earnings that day were under $100, which was disappointing.  

The Upper Cape Tech School sale was huge; 150 vendors!!  I had a great spot in the cafeteria and sooooo many friends stopped by to say HI.  That was the best.  Marsha, my partner in crime, was there the first day working the show with me. I think the highlight of that weekend, besides seeing my friends, was seeing one of my kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Winslow!  I probably haven't seen her since the early 1970s.  Sales were kinda slow...I made my table fee back and a couple hundred dollars profit.  My photo cards and glitter ornaments didn't sell well at all which was very disappointing.  Lots of people stopped by and admired my items, esp. the button caterpillars, but I only sold one.  There was one little girl who had $10 to spend and returned to my table after going through the whole school because she wanted one of the magic wands.  She couldn't decide between 2 of them so I sold her 2 for $10.  How could I not?  I've signed up for next year and I am going to have to rethink what I make.  There is just too much jewelry at these shows; I can't compete.

This is the view from UTC.  I'm gonna have to go up there for sunsets!  That's the Bourne Bridge, and behind it, the Buzzards Bay water tower.  It was a less than 5 minute drive from my house.

My birthday was the day before Thanksgiving and the best gift I had was that Russell was home.  It was a very windy, rainy day and I would have been worried sick if he was driving home, especially with an empty trailer.  Tons of my friends wished me Happy Bday on Facebook and that gave me the warm and fuzzies.  I am FB friends with a couple of celebrities, and I was stunned to see this one show up on my Timeline!! I've been a fan of Bill Mumy's since the 60s when I first discovered 'Lost in Space' when I was about 4!!!!!

And because I have blogger and gmail accounts, I had my own personalized Google Doodle!!!

 We visited my mom first then went out to eat at 99 for lunch.  After I got home, I baked a funfetti cake.  

The storm moved through by Wednesday evening and we woke up to a gorgeous crescent moon and sunny day on Thanksgiving.

We visited with our families in the early afternoon, then we came home and finished cooking the turkey dinner for the kids who came over around 3 to eat with us before heading over to their mom's for their second dinner at 6.  All in all a lovely day!