Pictures won't post, having a problem..... til later .....

Growing up so FAST

Incredible how quickly the little ones grown and change. Yesterday Gracie helped me make the cookies, and was so engaged....She loved measuring out the flour, holding the mixer as we mixed the batter, spooning on the cookies, and of course, "licking the beaters !"
After her nap, Katie came over for dinner, wearing her cute little hat with the ear flaps ! Ha... How cute is that ?

This is the best I could do, I'm afraid... My camera was crying for new batteries, and of course I didn't have them with me.

The "SOIREE" at Recycled Rose was so much fun... All the artisans who make things for the shop were there with their "wares". We visited and talked to customers, and nibbled on homemade treats. Loads of people were there, and many did their Christmas shopping!

Lin had her wonderful boxes for Christmas, filled with decorated journals to keep track of all the Christmas happenings. Her wreaths were a real hit, made of recycled Christmas glass ornaments. They are stunning.

My niece, Carrie brought her beautiful "bling" -perfect for the holidays coming up ! Her children's clothes are precious, and soooo very unique. They range in size from 3-8. She also sells on Etsy, under the name Milly and Margo.... (Carrie Benkelman)

I painted on a portrait of Carries daughter, Margo, to show my process to those who wandered through the Christmas treasures. I also sell individual handmade vintage cards, and the altered mini-journals, as well as my decorative pillows.

Some of the wonderful items there are gorgeous jewelry by the "Con Artist", handmade sheep from felted wool, by Laurie, oh so sweet hand crocheted hats and things, womens very unique styled clothing, and all sorts of great vintage and handmade CHRISTMAS DECOR !!

Sorry, my camera was not ready to go with fresh batteries... I know the pictures would have been better to explain what fun we had !!

A Friday Thanksgiving ! Perfect !

What a fun time we had today ! Baby Madison, Jeff and Arica's 6 month old , Grace Ann, and Katie stole the show, of course...

We had a full-fledged Thanksgiving Meal - Lin, thanks for the wonderful mashed potatoes, by the way !!! It was a gorgeous day, and we all ate until we were almost comatose from the triptophan. We missed having our Tracey, and Carrie, Michael, Margo and Milly, also, Chris, Sheila, Chase and Hunter, who are still sick. We hope the boys are feeling better soon.

Family is the BEST !!! Can't beat it ! it's fun "MAKING MEMORIES" for everyone !

Cookie Day

Last Friday was our (my sister's and my) 3rd Annual Cookie Bake Day.
We got quite a lot done, and shared the morning with Milly, my sis's cute grand daughter. We managed to finish 4 types, with at least 2 more to go. If we make the double batch of rolled out sugar cookies that takes quite a long time, by the time they are all iced. We froze the finished ones, and after the next session we will put them on platters to give to our kids as early as early Christmas gift.... Hoorah !

Adam Lambert

Adam, Your performance on the American Music Awards was a disappointment. So many people that I know really thought you were great. We certainly were fine with your lifestyle preference, and loved to watch your performances on American Idol, waiting to see what you would come up with next... You have overstepped the line now though, I'm afraid. Most do not want to see sexual innuendo taken to this extreme, and certainly you did things that would never be considered acceptable, whether from the heterosexual or homosexual entertainer.

I guess you went overboard just to get talked about, and create a stir, as you always did on the Idol show. If that is the case then, that is what you did, and maybe this is the reaction you were trying for. I really would love to see you come back and tone it down some, so that we can the great singer develop into the true talent that I think you are ! Think About it !

MINI JOURNALS

Here are some of the new altered mini journals I've been working on for Recycled Rose in Glendale. They are little blank journals that I collage to sell as gifts or to use to jot reminders, or to do lists.....

I first sand and paint all four surfaces, and cover with background papers that I have selected. Each front, back and the inside covers becomes a small collage with mostly vintage images that go along with the theme of the book. I embellish the images and tie the idea together if I can to give it cohesiveness. These have been lots of fun to do, and they are selling quite well, earning me a bit of extra cash to put back for Christmas gifts !! ho ho ho ~~

SPAIN

Here are a few picture of our trip.... I was only allowed to download 5 of them, so I posted again. The picture of Bus and I , we took of each other at the airport, right before our flight to Dallas, where we boarded another for our 9 hour flight to Madrid !

GO TO THE NEXT POST<>

The rest of them are various scenes of our travels !

Spain- So Much Fun

We really didn't know exactly what to expect from our trip to Spain, but were pleasantly surprised at all the great things to see and do there. It was quite easy to get around, too.
We took all public transportation, and cabs, from time to time, and we navigated the cities with relative ease. First leg of the trip was 4 days in Madrid, then 3 in Barcelona, Valencia, for 4 more, and then back to Madrid for the final 3 !

We took in the major museums in Madrid, and saw the famous artwork, which is "my bag", but hubby, Bus, loves the museums and all the art, too !!

We walked the beach in Barcelona, and took the Metro to the beach (a five minute ride) in Valencia. That city was so fun, because the day manager at our hotel was so excited about his city, and shared that excitement with us.... So, we saw all of his recommendations, and then some !!! We stopped in all the beautiful squares, and parks for cerveza (beer) or wine, and they always serve you tapas (usually a free little appetizer) or we would eat a full-fledged meal. We both ate loads of seafood, since it is caught right there, and I, for one, had lots of calamari !

Guillermo, our hotel manager, had some great conversations with us, and promised to email me, I even took his picture, cause he for sure wanted me to paint him !!

The last 3 days in Madrid were in a completely different part of the city than where we were before. We stayed in a converted Palace, and had, what we figured, were 15 ft. ceilings in the rooms... we had a balcony which opened into the busy plaza, teeming with activities and people. We were within a block or two from the Plaza del Sol, with streets that have been closed to traffic, and loads of shops and restaurants, and mimes, of course.... I took a couple picture of them.

We had so much fun--- The combined 8 years of Spanish we had taken years ago was only a little bit helpful, but was enough of a help for Bus to pick up the newspaper, and read the articles on sports, getting the gist of the text..... I would recommend this trip and these cities to ALL of you-- if you are at all interested in Spain, DO IT ! You'll love it like we did !!