COOKIES, COOKIES, COOKIES!!

The holiday parties have begun!! I had two yesterday to attend and one was a cookie exchange. There was only six of us and the rules were to bring a dozen cookies wrapped up for each. So that meant I was to bake 60 cookies. Now they could be all one kind or a variety. So on Saturday after first attending a grand son's wrestling tournament I was home baking and watching the Duck's football game (way to go Ducks!). Of course I'm one that has to make more then one kind. Maybe another reason I couldn't make of my mind which one I wanted to make so I made five different kinds. And yes, everyone got two dozen instead of a dozen.

There are Rice Krispie Christmas trees, Chocolate Marshmallow, Grandma's Peanut Bars, Mississippi Mud and Sugar Cookies. One of my favorites is the Chocolate Marshmallow and I made a double batch so I could get my fill and feel sick and over stuffed. Isn't that part of the holidays.

So Sunday morning all the cookies packed in the car I was off t0 cut a Christmas tree with kids and grand kids. Tree in the Tahoe I'm on my way to the cookie exchange. Now the funny part of the party! One of the gals got the rules goofed up and made five, yes 5 dozen cookies for each attendee! So I came home with over 12 dozen cookies!! Now talk about over stuffed if I eat all of them! The truth, most are all in the freezer! I am taking them to our family Christmas gathering.

So then I was off to my second party a gather of girl friends for our monthly pot luck! Now remember I had a bite of food at the cookies exchange. So I'm not overly hunger. But everyone out did themselves and I had to have a bite of everything. It is evening now and I am driving home one over stuffed, happy, rolly polly!

Yikes, I still have the tree in the Tahoe and it should get in water. So before I totally crashed from exhaustion the tree went up. So the living room has one naked tree until I rest up ZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

Oh the fun of the holidays,

June

CIVIL WAR

Yes, it is the reinactment of the cival war. Battle to the End! Well at least in the state of Oregon! It is the University of Oregon Ducks against Oregon State University Beavers. When you ask, it's today at 12:30 Pacfic Time!

GO DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES, we are DUCK fan!!!!

So here's to a good game and may the Ducks win!!!!!!!!

YELL OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

June

Decorating

I'm suffering from outdated decorations. Over the years my tastes have changed. Somehow I have found myself with an over abundances of Christmas Moos es. I still like some of my Moose decor but I have way too many.

Plus with downsizing I don't have anywhere for my snow globes. Come to think of it I'm not sure I even like then anymore. Is it a change in my life and I want things simpler? I've decided I don't want my house to look like Santa lives here! I'm thinking a simple tree, my small Santa collection and my nativity set. The nativity set is my favorite decoration. It isn't fancy and actually it is plastic from the fifties. It was always on display when I was child. My mother purchased a fancy new set in the late seventies and she was going to give the old set to a rummage sale. I'm sure glad I intercepted that move! Actually my daughter has the seventies set now.

I put the set down low so all the grand kids can see it and they have fun rearranging the scene. It also helps teach the true meaning of Christmas. The stable is cardboard and could use a little TLC but it is hanging in there. I never want my home decorated with such fancy ornaments that you can't touch.

I've been doing some blog hoping and have discovered so many talented crafters that are making some wonderful Christmas decoration. Oh, I can remember the years of the whipped wax candles, the crocheted candles on a empty toilet paper roll, teddy bear wreaths, wine bottle with lights, pom pom wreaths, book page angels. The list goes on of the crafts that I made over the years. This year my creative juices are not flowing so, nope, not making anything. It's back to simple, no mess - that could be a joke but I'm really trying to keep it simple.

I hoping to make a trip to cut a few fresh boughs for the house to make it smell so good. I think I will even buy my wreathe this year and not make it. I might make the bow and that's it. Simple!!!

So I hope everyone is having fun decoration their home for Christmas but for me it is simple.

June

Thankful

As I ponder my schedule for the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner I realize that perfection is not what I truly want. How can a perfect dinner create any lasting memories. There has to be a spills here and there or a little too dark pie crust. Or how about the year of hilarious happenings at my brothers. Of course it was some time before they saw the humor in it. You see where I grew up and where my brother and his family still live, it floods. No other word but high water!!! Their home was a single story and when the water rises it came all around the house. The floods in the nineties came in the house. Let me jump ahead and tell you they have since moved out of the flood plain. But while still living on the farm it was Thanksgiving and the water rising. So a decision was made to have dinner next door at their daughter's house which was much higher elevation. But the turkey was already in the oven when this decision was made. So at the time when the turkey was to be done my brother put on his waders(yep, water that high) and wadded through the water to get the turkey. Yum, nice and brown!! So onto the platter it went, and covered for the walk back though the water, up the steps into a nice and dry home. One problem! As walking though hip deep water you can not see the surface you are walking on. Getting the picture. You got it, a slight miss step and the turkey went sailing into the murky flood waters and floated away. You can imagine his horror and then to have to enter a house to tell them no turkey!!! So it was a Thanksgiving with no turkey, but when you live in flood country the pantry and freezer is full. So that Thanksgiving they were thankful for the canned ham, lots of laughter, warm and dry family. I've come to realize it isn't exactly what you eat but the company you share it with.

So this Thanksgiving I am sharing it will my family. With any luck I won't set off any smoke detector and we can sit down to a meal that we all will be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!
June

BURRRR

Okay to you who live in snow country it really isn't cold to you. But we had freezing weather this morning. Finally frost on the pumpkin. Yesterday I spent the day getting ready for the colder weather. I drain all my outside faucets, cover the other outside faucets with insulated covers. Put clear plastic on my chick coop door. Must keep the draft down. I also winterized my rv trailer. Of course I was not prepared so it was a trip to get rv antifreeze. And the weatherman is predicting snow this evening. What??????? we don't get snow this time of the year, floods from rain, yes- but snow???????

So this morning when I woke up and open the drapes, yep; there it was frost! It was really quit pretty. Did I think to go outside and take some pictures. Oh no, why do some planning ahead for a frosty post. So after many cups of coffee, breakfast and even some sewing. The light bulb in the head went off. I really tried to get a picture of a lone rose that still had frost. Not the greatest but I will share anyway.

Look hard there really is frost but this rose was really telling me it was cold. There was still frost on the picnic table, which I haven't covered yet. Oops! Another job undone.

Now onto another subject that has nothing to do with weather. It's my son in law! You see at my daughters house this cat showed up one day. After a couple of days hanging out my daughter feed it. Much to my son in laws dislike. We are not keeping this cat. We are not spending one dine of this cat. In the mean time my grand daughter named it Lulu. After a couple of weeks and the cat still there with many neighborhood postings, Craigslist of found cat, veterinary posting. Well you get the idea! So my daughter took it to the vet's. It a girl and seem to be pretty healthy, a little underweight. This was about mid summer and she has put on weight, boy has she! Let me share you this cat who is not staying!!!

Yes, that is my son in law and this is a every evening occurrence. After he gets home from work and cleaned up he lets the cat in the house and they spend some quality time. I said hummmmm, cat not staying? His only comment to me was, "she is a lush"! So Lulu has a permanent home!

Stay warm everyone and have a blessed Sunday!

June

Where Have I BEEN?

Oh, right here! Have you ever wondered how life just speeds by and you want to put the brakes on. That is how I am feeling lately. I have so many irons in the fire as they say that time is flying. I've neglected my blog, not getting sewing finished, not even cooking meals! So I've stop to think what am I doing every day? First it is up and off to work. So what do my evenings hold? Let's see, I'm know that there is only 39 days til Christmas and I so want to enjoy the holidays. I want gifts finished, gifts purchased and all wrapped by Dec. 1st. Please give me the strength to get this accomplished!!!!!!! My normal motto; if is wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done. I have to stop this stinking thinking! Maybe it is the gray rainy days. So I'm posting a couple of previous pictures hoping to brighten my day!


I would love sun and then I would invite my girlfriends over!


Maybe I need to go buy myself some flowers for the house. They always pick my spirit's up!

Have you ever had times like these?? So uninspired, not a creative juice flowing, oh my, is this what they call Bah Humbug???? Yikes! I really do need to snap out of it!

Here is hoping all my friends and family are having a terrific day and I'm off for attitude adjustment!

June

VETERANS DAY

Thank you everyone who has served our country or is still serving!

From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee,

Across the plains of Texas from sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston and New York to L.A.,

well There's pride in every American heartand it's time we stand and say:

that I'm proud to be an American

where at least I know I'm free,

And I won't forget the men who died

who gave that right to me,

And I gladly stand up next to you

and defend her still today,

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

A Proud American!

June