Remaining Holiday Decorations of 2010

 On the dining room table you'll see more of the outside being brought in and displayed in a sparkly vase. 

These stay on the front door year round.  They were originally a holiday purchase many years ago and have survived their share of moves.

 This is what you'll see from the top of the stairs looking down toward the front door. 

 This is the bow at bottom of the stairs. 

This is the view from the bottom of the stairs looking up once you enter the front door.   

 Here are the remaining glass balls with paint I made attached with ribbon in the guest bathroom. 
They hang from the glass shelf, which is currently holding three twigs with brown ribbon and tea lights. 

Now for the daylight, unlit views. 

 

I used different ribbon and made a different kind of bow than the one at the bottom of the stairs since the viewpoint is different. 

I love the simplicity of this wreath. 

Here's the bottom of the stairs bow. 

Outside there is a plain fake evergreen wreath with pine cones and battery operated LED lights on one of the doors. 

The matching planters by the front door contain pine branches and pine cones, which yes, I picked up after our first major windstorm and stored in the garage until I was ready to use them like so.
 

 Their names are Rudolph and Burl. They will stay in place through the winter until it's time to plant spring flowers.

My leaf blower vacuum has since cleaned up the mess you see above.

That reminds me. I need to do a blog about that purchase.             

All the inside decorations will be taken down the day after Christmas and stored until

 the day after Thanksgiving 2011. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Spot On Santa

Santa struck again today.

I literally laughed out loud and exclaimed, "Awesome!"

Thank you Santa. 

I am feeling the love.

I hope you reveal yourself soon so I can thank you properly. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Santa - I Know Him!

Friday, December 17th, the pack went to see Santa and have our picture taken. 

We actually know him.  He's a friend of ours who dresses up each year for the City of Renton, WA.

Upon arriving in the almost below freezing temps, this greeted us on the street corner.   

 

Taking a few more steps past the sign on the way to Santa's house this visual delight twinkled at us. 

I present you with Santa's house.

Patricia and Andy with Santa. 

Only thing missing were gloves and a mug of hot tea or cocoa while we waited in the short line.

I told Santa all I wanted for Christmas was a hug from him. 

 

Wish granted! 

Another member of the pack was with us. We honor her desire for no pictures to be posted. *sigh*

I consider it a win since we were able to get her in a group Santa photo snapshot, which shall remain in our personal stashes. 

Afterward, we met up with some more of the crew for pub grub, laughs, to pass off some coveted Rotel, and to be treated to some disheartening street entertainment. Oooohhh, and to get footie onsie PJs, gloves, and work out clothes from a  local Fred Meyer too.   

Stay tuned for that part of the evening. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Santa Strikes Again

I worked from my home office today so I had no idea Santa struck again until late in the day.

I didn't see this until I was on my way back in the hizzle as I was on the phone with J-Lo, on a mission to get the mail, and put the trash and compost bins out. 

I stepped right over this little bundle of goodness. I am so very happy I saw it before I stepped back inside. 

I followed the instructions and opened it today like Santa said. 

How freakin' adorable this is!

It's a key chain with a LED light that makes ribbit sounds when you push the button to activate the light. 

Another perfect little gift. 

Thank you Santa.

You KNOW me.

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Thank You Santa

I arrived home last night to find this in front of my door.

It was a very much needed surprise and greatly appreciated bit of love coming my way after the week I have had thus far.

It may only be Wednesday but trust me, this has been a week. 

Yeah, one of those where the patience is thin and I've become a card carrying resident of crazyville.   

 

Since Santa said to open today, I did. 

Waiting for me was an absolutely adorable set of colored rollerball pens. 

Santa knows what this girl likes and will use over and over and over again.

Thank you Santa for thinking of me and knowing me so well.  I love you. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all.   

Random Play

Random Play on Iggy is just as random as I am feeling

1. Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry

2. Constellations by Jack Johnson

3. Diamonds by Robin Thicke

4. Got Money by Lil Wayne and T Pain

5. One Flight Down by Norah Jones

6. It's Your Thing by The Jackson 5

7. Rock and Roll is Dead by Lenny Kravitz

8. Meet Me Halfway by the Black Eyed Peas

9. Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake feat. Timbaland

10.  Tough Lover by Christina Aguilera

What's your iPod shuffling for you these days?

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Weekly Challenge #129

Weekly Challenges are back!

There I was.

Rearranging my vitamins and wellness formula since I just purchased some new gummie omega 3s to try for the very first time. 

It occurred to me I hadn't checked the expiration dates of my supplements in quite some time. 

I'll be saying buh bye to the Vitamin C as represented above.  Poor things expire at the end of the month so they need to go!

I challenge you to check your cabinets and drawers for expiration dates on your OTC meds and supplements.  You might have your very own Vitamin C situation going on. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

These Days

This time of the year my Longhorn crocs and rubber rain boots aka galoshes are a common sight by the front door.

Lately we have had some killer rain and windstorms so protection of my feet is necessary when I venture outside.

I'm talking so much rain Noah and his ark should be arriving shortly. 

I wake up in the morning and check to see if my toes are going to start webbing together.

Yes, this is Seattle/Pacific Northwest.  We are known for getting precipitation but the Pineapple Express is showing us a thing or two these days.

Mother Nature is doing her best big bad wolf impression too. 

She's huffing, puffing, and trying to blow this little piggy's house down with her 50+ mph wind storms. 

I'm talking sustainable winds of that speed y'all. Not just a little gust here or there.  Lots of gusts of that speed on top of consistent 15+ mph winds.

If you've ever wondered why I have a thing for hats or my hair appears to be pulled back and up a lot, it's not because I'm lazy, this is why.  I'd rather not deal with elements and hats are a thing of mine.  Just sayin'.

I will keep on rocking the weather related gear and cleaning up the yard like the champ I am. After all you just never know what idea I will come up with next that includes tree branches, pinecones, twigs, etc..

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all.   

My Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

I'm a simple pleasures kind of girl. 

 Little things in and of life make me happy. 

I try to not take anything for granted or let things go to waste.   

Little things like relaxing on the couch after a busy day with a fire going, a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows in hand, and stumbling across Charlie Brown's Christmas special on network TV. 

This is how I spent 30 minutes of my Thursday night. 

Call it inspiration from Charlie Brown.  

Call it "she's gone nuts with Martha Stewart tendencies" again.

Call it green queen rides again.   

Call it what you will and behold the end result after I was unable to clear my mind and get to sleep. 

My very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  

   

Placed lovingly on the nightstand.

 

The holder is a recycled Trader Joe's chai tea latte container. 

The "wrapping" is from a Trader Joe's bag. 

The branches are remnants I haven't gotten around to cleaning up just yet from the mid week windstorm.

Yeah, that was me on my backyard deck, after midnight, in 33 degree weather, in my jim jams picking up a branch or two.

Don't judge me.   

Fine.  Whatever.  Judge if you feel the need to. That's just how I roll. 

The glass balls are from a previous crafty endeavor around Thanksgiving. 

Rinse with vinegar.

Let dry. 

Add acrylic paint.

Swirl.

Let dry. 

Done and done.     

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Just Call Me Penny

Some of you know of my storage fiasco.

Yeah, that would be the one in which my storage unit was completely emptied out in error.

Lost all of my holiday decorations. Buh bye yearbooks.  So long to some irreplaceable items.  Adios framed wall pictures. 

C'est la vie.

I could have sued the apartment complex but really, what was the point?  The damage was done and it wasn't intentional.  Most all of the items could be replaced.

How does that saying go?  If you haven't used it in over a year, you probably don't need it. They were helping me out.  Yeah, yeah, that's it.  Punks   

Let's fast forward to this year.  I decided I would decorate for the holiday. 

I may live in the evergreen state but I wanted a fake tree so I didn't have to worry about getting one every year or ensuring it was watered when I was out of town. 

With a coupon from JoAnns and a huge sale going on, I purchased the tall and skinny pre lit tree for literally pennies on the dollar. 

Keeping with the frugality theme, all the ornaments were either a dollar or were in a package from the dollar spot at Target.  

The tree skirt is actually a blanket which usually is on my leather chair by the fireplace in the living room.  Why buy a tree skirt when there is a perfectly good blanket available? 

Twinkle, the sequined and glittered reindeer, was 60% off with another coupon on top of that so she too was pennies on the dollar. 

The branches are from the yard (picked up after a nasty wind storm) and were bleached for two days before being bound together and tied with a yes, ribbon on sale with a coupon on top, making it pennies on the dollar. 

Just call me Penny.  I'm on the dollar. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Much Needed Laugh Today

Thank you to my Texas cohort. You know who you are. xoxo

Game Night

When:  Friday, December 10, 2010

What:  Small Pack Game Night

Where:  Fun House

Why:  Why Not?

How:  PJs encouraged. Laughs mandatory. Gluttony optional. Haterade banned.

As you can see, one of us was on top of the picture taking game this particular evening. 

Thanks P for coming through!

Disclaimer:  Some of the pack don't care for their picture to be taken and posted so most of the time you'll just see P and me in small pack gatherings. 

Nom Noms consisted of hot man meat aka spicy beef in a bucket.  It was a "your choice of how to prepare" kind of night.  With beans, without beans, crunchy taco shell or soft tortilla, cheese or no cheese, with the spanish rice mixed in or served separately. Onions would have been an option had I remembered to dice them.   

We also had hint of lime and bite sized round Tostitos with Tostitios medium salsa and beans with cheese for dipping.  Fresh blackberries, strawberries, and pineapple were available if desired.  Chocolate chip pumpkin cookies with ice cream and organic moo sauce rounded out the evening's food choices. 

Drinks were water, Michelob Ultra Light, Hef, Riesling, vodka on the rocks, root beer, or Coke.  Yes, I said Coke.  Someone else brought it so get your panties out of a wad chillax. 

Spades didn't go quite as planned. The marine and housemate won.  Next time you two, next time! 

 I ruled the table in Uno. I can be ruthless.

Poor P seemed to have a lot of cards in her hand when I was on a roll and she was after me in player rotation.

Love you, mean it.   



 That's my pimp cup er I mean Uno championship prize.  Take note of the stack size.  Boo-Yah!    

I don't recall if I won two or three of the games but I won more than the rest of the table.  Not bragging (ok maybe a little).  

 

 Yes, the plate IS compostable; as if you even needed to ask! 
The next game night is yet to be determined, will most likely be bigger in size, and the adult monkey onsie footie pjs might be left in the closet. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Simple Pleasure

On a rainy afternoon I am often drawn to a mug of hot tea.

There is something soothing about putting the kettle on the stove, pulling a mug from the cabinet, and selecting the right flavor choice for the moment that brings me a sense of calm and gratitude for the simple pleasures in life.

I have caffeinated or decaffeinated.  I have hot cocoa.

I have honey.  I have sugar. 

What I don't have is coffee or sugar substitutes. 

Your choices include

Hot Coca:  Bliss Hershey's Dark Chocolate, Bliss Hershey's White Chocolate, or Land O' Lakes Raspberry.

Decaf:  Stash Vanilla Nut Creme Tea, Ginger Peach by The Republic of Tea, Honey Vanilla Chamomile or Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings, or Trader Joe's Candy Cane Green Tea

Charged with Caffeine:  Vanilla Almond Black Tea or Wild Berry Plum Green Tea by The Republic of Tea. Luizanne Black Tea, Lipton Green Tea, or Stash's Tropical Fruit.

Care to join me for a cup?

I'll put the kettle on and see you soon. 

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Three Rs

I'm a green queen. 

Friends and co-workers know this about me. I'm not a casual recycle "I'll do it when it is convenient" person. 

I'm a dedicated, will school you, and even will pull things out of the trash from time to time person.  

If it can be re-used before recycling I will find a way. 

If it can be composted it will be.    

So it should come as no surprise when the first holiday party of the season rolled around I would find an inventive way to wrap a white elephant gift.

 I was also being lazy.  I didn't want to go outside to the cold garage for wrapping paper when I was cozy in the house with the fireplace lit sporting my jammies and slippers.

I knew the gift, which was a small Party Lite ginger pumpkin candle pillar, didn't require much wrapping.  

The first thought was a Trader Joe's bag with a piece of red ribbon. 

Then I remembered I had a DSW bag under the sink.  

     

I cut the side panel from the bag. 

Wrapped the box like so. 

 Added a matching organza ribbon and called it good. 

It is not traditional holiday wrapping by any means but I like the end result. 

I saved the rest of the bag for future re-use too. 

I challenge you to do some of the same, not only this holiday season, but in all of your days ahead. 

The world needs more love.  Reduce, reuse, and recycle are loving actions to mother earth. 

Before I get more on my soapbox, off to work I go.  

Please feel free to share some of your green ideas with me.  I am interested and would love to hear them.   

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all. 

Ride or Die

The blog has been like this for quite some time now.

By popular request I'll be getting the blog back to being more like this.

I'd love to tell you I was really on top of my game and took pictures of life while I was on hiatus.

I can't.

Call it the ebb and flow.

Some days I did.

Other days I didn't.

That's a lot like life though isn't it?

Some days you're feeling it. Some days you're not.

I have missed documenting, creating, sharing - whatever word fits best - via this outlet.

Since I have been asked by several different people to resurrect the blog, I'm doing so.

There may be some replication between Facebook, Twitter, and here.  Here?  Here feels like I'm coming home. After all, this blog IS all about me. It better feel like I'm coming home or something might be truly amiss in my world.

Feel free to come along for the ride.

If you choose to ride in my journey of life, please buckle up.

Louie does every day so it is only right you do too.
After all, there are people who love and care for you. I just might be one of them. Let's keep it that way shall we?

Yes, yes, it is true.  Louie peeks around the head rest every day like you see above.  I never ride alone. For real.   

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul y'all.

A'int No Thang. . .

Some days it a'int no thang but a chicken wang. Happy Tuesday.

Happy Memorial Day

I am privileged to not only know but to also love quite a few veterans.

It makes the holiday that much more meaningful for me.

Publicly I would like to thank them and their families for the sacrifices they make/have made so we can continue to be protected and enjoy our freedoms.

THANK YOU!

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul y'all.

Blast from the Past

Me circa the early 90s.

You just never know what Facebook will share with you on any given day.

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all.

I'm Here

I'm alive.

Really I am.

Stressed.

Sick (yay strep throat!).

Traveling.

Settling in.

That's how I know I am alive.

I promise, we'll get back to the somewhat regularly scheduled programming soon.

Really.

Stay tuned.

I'd hate to lose you.

Peace, Love, Laughter, and Soul Y'all.