Putting 2010 to Rest

A lot of people in Blogland are doing a recap of 2010. I was thinking that I probably didn't accomplish that much project wise, but there was certainly a lot that happened this year anyway. So I thought pictures mosaics would be nice since pictures can say a thousand words. Mosaics compliments of BigHugeLabs.
All Grown Up - Tina graduates, turns 18 and moves away to Sacramento to go to school, Seth joins her in September and they share an apartment - that makes us empty-nesters for the first time in 20 years.

Projects from around the house and yard - started the office projects, redid the guest house, finished numerous small, very old projects - like the bookcase, kitchen cabinets, closet, leveled our backyard, got our grape growing on the trellis the carpenter built and a couple of cute cloche projects.

Here's to a great new year in 2011. Wishing YOU all the best.

Cookie Exchange 2010

Something that I've wanted to do for awhile is to host a cookie exchange party for the holidays, but raising and homeschooling kids, taking care of parents, working and other commitments kept me from doing. This year with the kids gone and other commitments at a minimum, I purposed to have one and I'm so glad I did. It was fun. I invited the gals I hang out with most everyday in my life, my co-workers. We had a wonderful time and everyone left with ten dozen different, wonderful cookies. It was so much fun. I'm already thinking of what to do for next  year to make it even better. So I'm sharing some awesome pictures of the time we had.

I hope that everyone's holidays are wonderful, filled with many happy occasions that will make for great memories and God's choicest blessings for the New Year ahead.

Christmas House Tour 2010

So here's my Christmas house room tour though I'm not joining any of the fun parties out there in blogland. I only decorated my front room this year. There's so much going on outside the home and felt that at this point it was only reasonable to do that room. Somehow doing it when the kids were home and little was more fun. So here are my pics. Sorry I took a ton of them. I go a little camera crazy. I did host a cookie exchange party last night and that was a lot of fun. I'll post pictures later this week. I kept my decorating simple this year and only used things that I had or could make.

 Still waiting to find one more of these plates at the thrift store. I'm patient.

 

This is the collage that I made last year. I had so much fun doing it. Most are family pictures and some are from the Graphics Fairy. The rest is scrapbook stuff.

 I made the old fashioned looking prints from PrintShop and then added glue and white glitter in the snowy parts.

 

 One of my two pieces of transfer ware.

Have a great week everyone. Merry Christmas.

Busy-ness

I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long. Thanksgiving was terrific and very busy. It's just been hard to get motivated to get anything done. I have been working on this.... yep our office/craft/sewing room - hey how about multipurpose room or does that bring back too many grade school memories?

and this.... a runner that I made for a good friend. I used a yard and 1/2 for the center part. To make it longer for her. I think she'll love it. It has this great village all over it. You can go here for the tutorial to make one for yourself or a friend.

and this .... the carpenter made new shelves for the hutch while home over Thanksgiving. He also installed a new light in the multipurpose room. Love it. Got glass for my picture frames I found at my favorite thrift store. I put the kids' high school pictures in them. Kind of hard to see the new shelves in this picture. I had no shelf on the left side and half a shelf on the right side. I got enough board for him to make a new center shelf, not because it needed it but so it would match.

and a new tutorial. Hopefully I will post that Friday. I need to start my winter decorating soon or why bother. Hope everyone is doing great.