Postconsumers.com
These are my ACTUAL resolutions –
Southern and Blessed via Cindy Bassnett Thurman
2. Fold Myself into a Paper Airplane Daily
Damn Cool Pictures
3. Continue Getting the Lard Off –
GrowingBolder.com
4. Show My Friends How Much They Mean to Me –
GrowingBolder.com
5. Take Time for Art –
6. Take Time to Play –
Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
7. Quit Being So Hard on Myself –
Nino Chakvetzdze via Zen to Zany
8. Read and Dance –
Anita Opper via Zen to Zany via Cathy Ruggiero
9. Be Better Than I Was Yesterday –
TaoLife.com
10. Show my husband I love him every day, in every way I can –
Inspirely
MAKE 2017 A GREAT YEAR!
advancehappynewyear.com
“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other.” ~ Anonymous
Filed under Attitude, Favorite Quotes, holidays
TimeandDate.com
My Wish for You in 2017
“May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires
may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address!
In simple words ………… May 2017 be the best year of your life!!!”
Author Unknown
Filed under Favorite Quotes, holidays
Sanbornton Public Library
“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” ~ Bill Vaughan
“My wishes for you, Great start for Jan, Love for Feb, Peace for March, No worries for April, Fun for May, Joy for June to Nov, Happiness for Dec, Have a lucky and wonderful 2017.” ~ Unknown
Filed under holidays
Waving Snowman by StarbrightAngels via Ann Gilstrap
Hopefully, if you click on the link you’ll see the cute snowman waving. If not, here’s the URL to try – https://www.facebook.com/starbrightangels.angels/videos/1244227582333241/
Filed under holidays
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
Blingee via pinterest
“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ~Norman Vincent Peale
“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” ~Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby
Filed under Family, Friendship, holidays
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
This is an old picture of our son Brian and me, but it’s one of my all-time favorites. He gives absolutely the best hugs I’ve ever had, bringing tears to my eyes.
He’s living and working in Thailand. He loves it there. He can live alongside good friends, also from the States, do computer work for clients in the United States, and live the life he wants, cooking for himself, working out every day, meditating, and learning Thai.
We’re very lucky, in that we’ve always been close, and he’s a wonderful communicator. We have a chat program he set up that is super reliable and private. We can ‘talk’, sometimes in real time when we’re all up at the same time (he’s 12 hours ahead of us at any given time), or we can leave messages for each other. We can send music clips, photos, etc. We talk almost daily. We tried Skype, but since we live in the sticks. we lose the connection and the images are fuzzy.
Today I checked the chat program to see if he’d left anything.
I read the second-best thing possible – (the first would be that he’s coming home for a visit) –
He’ll try to call us tomorrow for Christmas, when we’re all up at the same time!
Merry Christmas to us!!!!
And to YOU!
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
Wright-Hennepin Co-op Elec. Assn
“Christmas gift suggestions:
Filed under Favorite Quotes, Holiday Gift Ideas, holidays
Favim.com
“A hug is a great gift – one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.” ~Author Unknown
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under Awe-Inspiring Photography, holidays
thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under holidays
Fort Smith AR Nat’l Cemetery
My friend, Carla, and I went this morning to lay a wreath at her husband’s grave in the Fort Smith, Arkansas National Cemetery. Volunteers spent hours yesterday tying bows to the wreaths and more volunteers trucked them around the cemetery. Family members came this morning to put a wreath on their loved one’s grave. The wreaths will be up until January 2nd, I think, and then more volunteers will gather them, take the bows off, and store things away until next time. Burials are free for veterans and their spouses. A wonderful tribute to our brave men and women in uniform and their families.
We went to a local Fort Smith restaurant for brunch and good conversation after that. Also – to warm up a bit! The temperature was in the low 50s when we left this morning. By the time I got home, it was in the low 40s with a raw, cold wind. It’s supposed to go down to 16 tonight with a chance of light snow…
After brunch we went to one of our favorite places – Hobby Lobby. Neither of us needed anything, but that was beside the point. We both bought things that made us smile.
I got this metal sign for my husband. I hung it on the wall above our kitchen calendar so we’ll see it every day.
I guess these are made of some sort of treated paper, but I’ve never seen any Christmas ornaments like this before. I got two beige ones, like the one above, and two pale green ones, like the one below. Each of them has pearls and lots of sparkly glitter.
This sweet seahorse painting was on sale, and I couldn’t resist it. :0)
This picture doesn’t do this ornament justice. It’s super sparkly silver and simple glistens when light hits it. I just love it.
Finally, the next two pictures are of Carla’s present to my husband and me.
This is an electric cool mist diffuser. You can change the color! It has red, green, purple, blue, white, and more, I think. You fill it with water, drop in a few drops of essential oil in whatever aroma you like and turn it on. The mist goes up in a small column straight up from the center of the top. It turns itself off automatically when the water has been used up. So it’s very festive, plus adds needed moisture to the air. What a wonderful gift!
Yesterday I turned it to the purple setting, and today I changed it to red. I LOVE IT!
When we were on the way home, Carla stopped at her house so I could see her new rabbit. It’s about 12″ from nose to tail and she says it’s calico colored. I would describe it as a really soft between a mauve and caramel color. He likes to be petted! So far, Carla hasn’t been able to hold him, but hopefully, that will come soon. She’s added this new member of the family to her dog and two cats. :0)
I called my husband, who met us at Carla’s. We and her close neighbor were able to help her get a huge outdoor hutch out of the back of her truck and set it beside her shop. She’s planning to start raising rabbits in the future. For the winter, the rabbit is living in an indoor hutch inside the house. All the animals seem to be co-existing without problems, though the dog tends to sit right beside the hutch with her nose as close to the rabbit as she can get. The rabbit seems oblivious…
I got home and put all my new goodies away. Now I’m happy to hole up in my warm house while the weather outside deteriorates.
Filed under Friendship, holidays
Thanks to The Riflebird via The Kakapo via Ann Gilstrap
Filed under holidays
“HO, HO, HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Filed under holidays, Lewis Art, Lewis Mailbox Decorations
This is the really crazy time of the year when I meet myself coming and going, feel guilty when I’m doing one thing when I should be doing another…
Last night I couldn’t sleep. I really tried, and then came downstairs. Usually I read awhile, but last night – since I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t turn my brain off – running through what I needed to be doing, I got our Christmas cards ready to mail. I finished about 3a.m.
Yesterday I spent all afternoon cleaning off the deck and front porch and putting trash bags over the planters in preparation for winter. I’m happy that that chore is now done, but it put me behind on all the rest of the stuff I NEED to do!
Now I can put a check mark beside –
I’m ALMOST to the point after working this morning where I can check off getting Christmas presents ready for my good friends. (I’m going to paint 24 note cards today and tomorrow to finish up the group.)
I’m also continuing to work on clearing off my desk and reorganizing the office shelves.
I’m heading up to my art room to get started on the note cards.
Are YOU having a good day?
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, holidays, Housekeeping - Maintenance
GifAbyss-AlphaCoders
I’ve always wanted to make a gingerbread house. I tried to get my mom to make one with me when I was a child. She had no interest in it.
When I got married, I thought I would make one just for myself and our visitors at Christmas, but somehow, it never happened.
When I was a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I thought about making a gingerbread house with my 1st grade students. It never happened because (1) it was logistically difficult since essentially everything had to be baked my me at my home and then the gingerbread and all the supplies for making the house would have had to be transported to the school. I was already getting in trouble for playing my guitar at school to teach my kids phonics (I was told, “Ms. Lewis, this is NOT a music class!) plus other reasons…
When our son was old enough to be counting the days ’til Christmas, I thought he and I might make one together. I discovered that HE had no interest in the project…
THIS YEAR –
Mirror
If you want to order a product for Christmas giving, please email me at linda@creativeartworks.cc before ordering so I can be sure that the products can be created and delivered before Christmas. A lot of my artists have hit their deadlines for Christmas – particularly if the product is made after it is ordered.
Things that have already been created may still be able to reach their destination by Christmas, so a quick email to me will result in happy results for everyone.
We wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Filed under holidays
FreeChristmasWallpapers.net via http://www.northplattepost.com
Filed under holidays
Natural Image
Two Christmases in my childhood stand WAAAAAY out from the others –
ONE – I was a young teenager and wanted clothes. I particularly wanted feminine, pretty things to wear. My parents gave me the most beautiful pink pullover sweater I had ever seen. It was a very pale pink with long sleeves. It wasn’t only ‘fuzzy,’ it was SUPER fuzzy Angora or Mohair, with long, pale pinks wisps all over it. I felt like a princess in that sweater. (My husband even remembers it from when we started dating (I was 14).
This is very similar –
EXTRAVAGANTZA
TWO – The second Christmas that will always stand out vividly in my memory is the year my parents got my brother and me English 3-Speed Racing bicycles. I will never know how they kept the secret. We had no clue we would get such glorious bicycles. We had opened the presents under the tree and were relaxing. Then my parents said they thought they heard a noise in the garage. We all got up to see what was happening. There, where one of my parent’s cars usually was, were the two most glorious bicycles we had ever seen. We got on the bikes immediately and rode down the street, whooping with joy. We rode them until we left home, supposedly adults.
This is similar –
Filed under holidays
My Space Christmas Animated Gifs
We moved from Long Island, New York, to Tulsa, Oklahoma when I was about 5 years old – a hundred years or so ago. My parents had a house built in what was called, “Johannsen Acres,” a neighborhood of two mile-long streets (24th Street and 25th Place between Sheridan Avenue and Memorial Drive) which each house sitting on an acre and a quarter. A lot of people wanted to live there in order to have a horse. In fact, my husband-to-be lived on 24th Street and DID have a horse named Cinnamon, “the fastest horse in the neighborhood.” :0)
One of my favorite things in the world is Christmas Carols. I arrange to listen to them as much as possible every year. I like the traditional, sung without frills – just voices lifted in beautiful song. They fill my heart with hope for the coming year.
I don’t know who came up with the idea that we should walk around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols on Christmas Eve, but it’s one of my fondest memories of my childhood.
We froze to death while we walked around, stopping at each house and singing a carol or two, and then inviting the people to come join us. By the time we got back to my parents’ home, in a group of 50 or more, we were happy blocks of ice. My mom had hot chocolate ready for the kids and adults who wanted it, plus drinks for those who preferred that, plus some cookies or other desserts. We had a house-full of noisy, happy people each year, catching up on the latest events, many times welcoming new people to the neighborhood.
It was a wonderful tradition. We all looked forward to it every year. I still miss it.
Filed under holidays
Amazing Animal Photos
I’m glad I have friends to spend time with this Christmas. I’m having trouble getting into the spirit this year. I still love seeing the Christmas lights and cute Christmas pictures, but I put some wreaths around and that’ll be it, I think, for decorating for Christmas around here, unless the bug grabs me pretty soon.
Getting things for friends is such a joy. I find things all year ’round and stash them in a safe place until it’s time to give them. My husband and I always participate in the Angel Tree tradition put on by the Salvation Army, taking a long time to choose which child we would like to buy things for, and then getting as many things on their list – always including a coat, hat, and gloves – as possible.
We laugh because we picture the ‘perfect’ little child – a happy little boy or little girl – who will be delighted at what we’ve bought for them, smiling and laughing with delight. ‘Reality’ doesn’t figure into our fun in participating. We’re happy to be giving to a worthy cause in our own community.
I hope that wherever you are, you’re enjoying getting ready to celebrate Christmas, and that it’s full of friends, family, food, and happiness.
Filed under holidays
creativeartworksblog 