Swaps Galore!

I was in several swaps this holiday season and they have shown up on my doorstep yesterday and today!

What a lucky girl I am....

I want to start with the first swap I received from Sharon, Mustard Seed Originals. The box was packed with such wonderful treasures, bearing her trademark stitches. I love everything I got but check out the sweet make-do's (a Santa and a Snowman)!

Then, I unwrapped this sweet nativity and my 0 my, my heart skipped a beat. It's just the most precious thing you ever saw and I want to thank you, Sharon for your generous and wonderful gifts.

I love everything so very much!

Meet Sugar

What can I say ? I took a break from decorating this weekend to finish up a special order and what can I say except ... queue the Archies, cuz this sweet lil punkin really makes me smile! ♥

Happy Thanksgiving

As I was preparing some of the dishes for our feast today, I had CBS on the television, of course anticipating the Macy's Day Parade.

Anne Graham Lotz read a prayer written by her precious father, Reverend Billy Graham, who at 90 yrs old is too frail to make appearances and give the thanks himself. What a godly man who has lived his entire life working unceasingly because indeed, the fields are white with harvest.

I tried to find a copy of the prayer on the Internet to share with you because it was so wonderful but I haven't been able to locate it yet. In thankfulness for all that God has blessed us with, I thought this was an appropriate alternative.

Won't you meditate on these wonderful words as you gather with friends and family:

We Gather Together

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
He chastens and hastens his will to make known;
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,
Sing praises to his name: He forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, wast at our side, All glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
And pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
Amen

--Traditional Thanksgiving Hymn
(A translation by Theodore Baker: 1851-1934)

What a Wonderful Surprise!

I got home from another very busy day at the office, worn slick and tuckered out ... only to find an email that I received saying that my Pappy is the featured item today on Todays Primitive Home!

I'm telling you, that was such a lift to my spirits and I was not only more than a little humbled to be spotlighted but it was such a wonderful honor as well!

The ladies working behind the scenes really pour themselves into the publication and I've had as much fun reading their posts as I get when my J. Peterman catalog comes!

What a delight to my heart, thank you so much!

I'm touched ♥

Out of the Corner

and back into my heart - this sweet boy was waiting for me yesterday when I got home from work with a smile on his face.

Awww, he knows just how to melt my heart ♥

A Naughty Little Boy

Now, I'm as lenient as the next person, but sometimes you just have to be firm and give a bit of discipline when it's needed.
I was working fast and furious trying to meet deadlines and the sweet little snowboy that I was creating decided he was going to give me fits and try pushing me as far as he could.

Well, guess what ? It earned him 10 minutes of "time out" ... I hope he is behaving himself by the time I get back home today!

I remember as a little girl, getting so excited whenever letters and cards arrived for me in the mail. I lived in Colorado for about 16 years, and during that time, my grandmother and I would write letters to each other every week. I was always anxious to get her letters - and in those days, we did not have computers to email or cell phones to call whenever we got the urge. I would carefully open each envelope (my grandmother always had a habit of adding last minute thoughts to the back of the envelope before mailing) and I would find a nice quiet spot to learn what was on her heart that week and get brought up to date on news from back home.
She was such a God-fearing woman who trusted Him completely and she was full of gentleness and wisdom. I still have those precious letters and just pulled them out last week and re-read so many of them. Nan's sweet spirit shines through to this day - and makes me realize how much I long for the day we are reunited.

Well, I've been getting some emails from friends about sending Christmas cards to soldiers. Unfortunately, some of the information is outdated, due to previous sites were inundated with cards from good folks like you and getting shut down.

I'm happy to say, I've found a good source of information explaining how to send cards and notes to our soldiers - and what is even more awesome about this is that the Red Cross has provided access to send an electronic card via their website!

Please consider sending some cards to our soldiers, both through the mail and electronically - let them know how much we love and appreciate them, especially while they are so far from home during the holidays. Take a moment to click the link for the Red Cross and watch the short video attached.

Your heart will thank you ♥

Those very talented sisters, Tammie and Paula - of "Make me a Memory" and "Hidden in the Attic" are having a drawing for not one but two wonderful treasures!

This is their first blog giveaway - and Tammie's granddaughter will pick the lucky winners names on Dec. 1st ... so don't delay!

Make your way over to the sweet Primitive Sisters Blog to get your name in the drawing. Each creation from them is a true treasure ♥

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

I've not been spending time here like I should have but I was busy creating a few items in the dungeon.

As much as I love Santa's, sometimes I can't resist the whimsical snowfolk, so I created a couple of sweet girls and then, came up with another piece called "Starry Starry Night".

This little snowflake is named Sinnie ...

and her sweet compadre is named Sable.

Last week, we also had the great pleasure of opening up our home to our very dear friends from Spain. They are missionaries who came to Kansas City for a week and my o my, it was such a blessing to spend time with them. It may have been 45º outside, but Ahlame was not going to pass up an opportunity to go for a long ride! Hubs said that he was frozen and she just wanted to go longer and longer ... a girl after my own heart ♥

I miss our dear friends already!

Why ... Why ... Why ???

Hey Kids... put on your thinking caps and tackle these tough questions :

♥ Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?

♥ Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?

♥ Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars , but check when you say the paint is wet?

♥ Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

♥ Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

♥ Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

♥ Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

♥ Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?

♥ If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

♥ Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

♥ Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

♥ Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

♥ Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

♥ Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

♥ How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

♥ When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going !'

♥ Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

♥ In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

♥ How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And my FAVORITE......

The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

With Heartfelt Appreciation ...

On this Veteran's Day 2008, I'd just like to take a moment to thank each of our soldiers, past and present who have served to protect our freedoms.

Words can never express the thanks in my heart... I'm humbled before you and give all respect and honor to you.

Thank you! ♥

it's a giveaway!!!

Be sure to make tracks over to Susan Walker's blog - Prim and Proper Folks - to sign up for her wonderful offering - she is holding a drawing on Dec. 1st and folks, you dont wanna miss the chance to win this wonderful fella ♥

A Toy Gun, A Galloping Horse or a Magic Wand...

This list goes on and on but finally, the Toy Hall of Fame has finally gotten the bigger picture and inducted the toy that has long been a given to every kid growing up...

Whether it was a royal scepter, a fishing rod or a baseball bat, the lowly stick landed in the National Toy Hall of Fame this week and I can only say - it's about time!

Curators praised the stick and its all-purpose, no-cost, recreational qualities, noting its ability to serve either as raw material or an appendage transformed in myriad ways by a child's creativity. "It's very open-ended, all-natural, the perfect price — there aren't any rules or instructions for its use," said Christopher Bensch, the museum's curator of collections. "It can be a Wild West horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream or a slingshot with a rubber band. ... No snowman is complete without a couple of stick arms, and every campfire needs a stick for toasting marshmallows.

The criterion for getting into the hall is first and formost: longevity. Each toy must not only be widely recognized and foster learning, creativity or discovery through play, but also endure in popularity over generations.

So, congrats and a toast to THE STICK!

I haven't been this happy since 2005, when the cardboard box was inducted. ♥

A Giving Heart

Isn't this a wonderful sign? I found out about a charity auction one of my sisters in TDIPT is currently having on Ebay to benefit the Humane Society of Marion Country in Arkansas.

Pam of Goldieloo Woodworks has started this charity auction out of the generosity of her heart, to help some of our 4 legged friends in need. Pam makes awesome signs and other wonderfuls from wood and paint - I have several throughout my house and trust me when I say that each one is a treasure!

Won't you stop by and check out this auction? Every one of us that has loved and lost a pet can relate to this sentiment, I'm sure!

Get Out and Vote!

Back home...

We left the house at 5:30am to get to the polls well before they opened at 6am.

Hubs rode with me and the fella that pools with him was going to swing by and pick him up at the school after he voted.
Well, I topped the hill right near the school and cars were traffic jammed already - at 5:40am! I pulled forward to drop him off at the door and the line was over 3 blocks long. We had about a 20 min. wait before the doors opened and once they did, my polling precinct had it well organized for a relatively quick in and out. Broken down into 4 lines, according to the first letter of your last name, they had about 15 electronic booths set up against one wall and a line of tables set up against the opposite wall for any who wanted to magic mark their ballots.

All told, the entire process was about 70 minutes long and as we exited the school, I looked up at the horizon and saw a line twice as long as the one I stood in waiting to vote. I was so glad to see the turnout - because this is so important! this is a big race and folks (thankfully) want their voice to be heard. Hubs wondered outloud how many ppl would have seen the lines and turned around - not many, I hope!!

Autumn in Missouri

We took a ride today to capture some of the beauty of Missouri - I wont bore you with many words, but just sit back and enjoy the ride with me....

The Mighty Mo!

a Creepy Critter waiting in the country for some unsuspecting victim :)

Day is Done... Gone the Sun...