Easy Toffee Recipe

I spent most of Sunday making candy and goodies for my fellow co-workers. Each year I search the Internet for new and different recipes. One thing I always look for is EASY! I love making items that look like they took time but in reality were quick and easy to whip up. One I found this year is Easy Toffee Recipe. It was easy. Of course, I didn't exactly follow directions...I always have to find a way to make the recipe my own =)

Easy Toffee Recipe

2 ½ sticks of butter, divided (no substitutes)
Saltine crackers (I used graham crackers and I like the way it turned out)
1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
1 - 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of chocolate chips (I was making candy so I melted the candy chocolate I had)
chopped nuts

1. Preheat oven at 425º. Cover a 15x10x1 jellyroll pan with heavy duty foil
2. Melt the ½ stick of butter and pour into the jelly roll pan
3. Cover the pan with crackers, breaking them to cover the small spots. Set aside.
4. In same pan, melt the 2 sticks of butter
5. Add the dark brown sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well.
7. Pour over crackers and spread evenly.
8. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until bubbly and the top begins to brown.
9. Remove from oven and set on wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes.
10. Sprinkle chips and allow them to get shiny. Spread over the toffee.
11. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on top, lightly pressing them into the chocolate.
12. Let cool for 30 minutes on counter then place in refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

Cut and enjoy!!

It tastes so good and people would think you slaved over a hot stove LOL!

God bless!!

Holiday Traditions Dec22 Blog Carnival

Growing up my family had the typical traditions centered around the Christmas holiday. We hung stockings. We set out goodies for Santa and his reindeer. We got our parents up at the crack of dawn (not knowing they had just fallen asleep after assembling various gifts). One thing my parents did that I will always remember because it was so magical. We would have a live tree each year. It wouldn't come into the house until Dec. 24th. My father was in charge of the lights. Other than that when we went to bed it was not decorated. It was always so wonderful to wake up and see the tree with tinsle and ornaments just sparkling and shining. We were told that Santa took care of it! (I sure wish Santa would come take care of my poor litte 4 ft. tree that is sitting in the corner of my living room!)

Every Christmas eve, we would eat fish. We would even have shrimp...such an extravagance!! It would be ham for dinner the next day, and the next day, and the next day.

My traditions with my own children are similar. One thing we started doing when they were very young was reading "The Polar Express" and listening for the bells. We would also make a birthday cake for Jesus because, after all, it was His special day! My daughter (at 16) still puts out a plate for Santa...I must confess it keeps the little girl inside of me alive.

Merry Christmas and God bless!

Ms Moo Makes Great Soap!

First I must say...I love the shop's name...the owner of this lovely little etsy shop is lovingly referred to as Ms. Moo! She is an actve member of the Etsybloggers Team! It is a delight to just browse through the items she has for sale. The pictures are just wonderful and many of the lotions, scrubs and soaps look good enough to eat! (it would be wise to just use as directed!) Ms. Moo (Linda) is coming up on her one year anniversary on etsy and has many sales and satisfied customers. Below are some items currently for sale that I know I would like to see wrapped under my tree.

Vanilla Whipped Sugar Scrub

Razz Nill Soap

For the lucky guy...Bay Rum Soap

Limited Edition - Christmas 2008 - Candy Cane Soap

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a product tester and I got to take some Sparkling Champange Whipped Shea Butter for a trial run. It was fabulous. The scent was intoxicating! And my skin felt wonderful!

Ms. Moo takes lots of care in her creations. I hope you will stop by and give her products a try. I am hoping for some Christmas cash so I can do some shopping there too!

Happy Holidays and God bless!!

Christmas Party

Last night was my company's fancy smancy Christmas party. Here are a couple of pictures of me and hubby dressed up and ready for a fun time!

God bless and have a great weekend!!!

My Fat Bottom Zippered Bag

Well...here it is...my original creation...The Fat Bottom Zippered Bag!!!

I even got fancy and put a pocket on the inside!

I can't wait to make more for my etsy shop! Let me know what you think.

God bless!

Mondays

It is Monday morning and I am exhausted! Busy, busy weekend ~ but all went well. Last night the concert was amazing!! I am struggling to find some Monday motivation. I am faced with a list of items to do at work and I am so not motivated! Hopefully, with a cup of tea and diving in, all will get done.

I didn't craft at all this weekend ~ maybe that is why I am feeling a bit low. I always feel so much better when I have touched my creative side. There is such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when I complete a project. I really want to begin working on some Christmas gifts for the friends that bless my life. Thankfully, this week looks like I have two evenings I can do just that.

I am excited about a sewing project I have. I am calling it the "Fat quarter Fat bottom make up bag". I made one for my daughter (she always gets my first try at a new project). Then I made one for me with some improvements like a pocket inside the bag. It has a zippered closure and fits all my make up. Most bags are just too darn skinny and I can never close them. This just might be the first sewing item I will put in my etsy shop. I will get a picture and post it soon...sometime tonight I hope.

I am truly blessed!

~Music - such a blessing to be a part of a congregation that is soooo talented!

~Family - they can be quirky but I love them!

~Christmas - just the fact that we can celebrate any way we choose is a blessing!

Let me leave you with an etsyblogger team member, Tulips Treasure Box, and her amazing necklaces....check out the listing here

God bless you all!!

And the Weekend Begins

Busy, Busy, Busy this weekend.

Tonight is date night with hubby. We are going downtown to Oceanaire. The best seafood restaurant in landlocked Indianapolis.

Tomorrow, up bright and early and heading to church for a marathon concert rehearsal.

Back home to pick up my lovely daughter and off to the salon...I have gone seven weeks this time and my hair is a little worse for wear!!! Can you say ROOTS?!

Sunday morning up and out the door for church then back home and then off to church for our Christmas concert.

In my downtime I still have to drag our decorations out of the shed, go grocery shopping, do laundry, and work on my etsy items! What a blessing to have a full and busy life!!

God bless!!!

I am in a treasury!!

Thank you to ImagineThatInc for including my Raspberry and Sage drawstring bag!

My Grandmom's Brownies

When I was growing up, every Sunday we would head to visit family about an hour away. One stop was always at my mother's mother's home. She lived in the right half of a duplex across for the fire station in my Mom's hometown. As you walk in the front door, you enter a closed in porch. The house was small and so was Grandmom. As we grew up, the biggest milestone was when we were taller than she was.

My grandmother made the most delicious brownies ever! I am not sure she used a recipe. When you asked her for it she would say "Some flour, some sugar etc" She never knew exact amounts. She would just mix them up and they were perfect!

The best part was she always seemed to have a tin of brownies on her front porch. I can still remember how they tasted. I have never had better since.


I miss you Grandmom...and your brownies.

God bless!!!

Moving Forward

I feel like I can finally move forward. Turkey day is coming and I have a 5 1/2 day weekend!! We close at Noon tomorrow and I took Monday off. Time for me to get busy!! I need to catch up with all my Etsyblogger friends. I have items that need to get in my shop. And, I need to dust off the Christmas decorations!

Last night, I finally spent time in my craft room with my sewing machine. I made two sets of coasters. Not totally perfect but I may just put them in my shop. One is for everyday and the other is holiday themed.

I finally finished the baby afghan...I will post a picture later this week. I just need to weave in some ends and do some trimming and it will be ready to hand over to my friend.

I feel like the holidays have crept up fast this year. I turned around and it is almost December.

Hope all is well with all of you...I need to get back on the Etsyblogger team track and get some posting done.

Blessings...

~busy hands...

~holidays with family

~fun fabric

God bless!!

Prayer request

It has been a difficult weekend. My daughter's high school is dealing with a tragedy. Read about it here. This man was a well-loved teacher and friend. I would like to ask each of you for your prayers for this man's family, friends and the students, both current and alumni. Please ask everyone you know for prayers for this community. This is the third death in two weeks that the students have faced.

God bless you all...thank you for listening.

Promised Pictures

Okay....I promised pictures...I am starting with Halloween since I hadn't downloaded my pictures since before then.

This is our front door...we were waiting for the Trick or Treaters to arrive...

This is Max...waiting patiently for the ghosts and goblins...

This is my handsome husband LOL...waiting to scare the Trick or Treaters...

This is my first attempt at a mini tote...

This one isn't too bad...still not shop ready...

I was feeling sassy so I got some cloth diapers and decided to try my hand at embellishing them...

I picked up some more materials for the weekend...

I am off to the craft room now...I can't wait to start creating again!!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and God bless!!

A Bloggy Promise

I promise to take some pictures tonight of my latest sewing attempts....cross my heart!! And I will rush right over to the computer and get them posted on my blog!!! First I need to finish my day at the office...come on 4:30...then pick up our Friday night pizza from this yummy pizzeria called "Pizza Doughmain" It is the closest thing we have found here in Indiana to the pizza we used to get at the Jersey shore. A bit of an indulgence on the diet front but we don't splurge too much anymore...who can afford it these days. I will let you know when I have some pictures posted!!

Sewing Away!!

I do believe that sewing is becoming my new crafting addiction! I spent Tuesday and Wednesday nights sitting at my sewing machine working on simple tote patterns. I broke two needles, messed with the tension, sewed up the wrong side, managed to work with the zipper foot, fixed a sweatshirt for my daughter, and ripped out a number of seams =) I am getting better…believe me. I actually made a mini tote that I gave to a co-worker today for her birthday. She loved it…it was the perfect size for her lunch!

Now that I am inspired to sew and create I headed off to the fabric/craft store on my lunch hour. I found some lovely fabrics in the remnants bin. One is soft paisley corduroy that looks like it will be fun to work with. I also bought some batting…my co-worker gave me some tips on quilting I might try this weekend if I get up enough courage. I also embellished some cloth diapers for burp cloths. Not perfect but I think I am on the road to getting some items in my shop.

I also have to work on some bracelets. I haven’t touched my beads in weeks. I want to get some holiday inspired items together. And there are a couple of paper projects I have been dying to try. Not enough hours in the day. Isn’t that always the way?

Right now the trainings are finished until the end of the month which should mean things are quieter at work. I finally had some time to organize my stack of papers and filing. I feel like I have a better handle on things. At home I need to get on the computer to download some of the pictures I have taken of my sewing attempts. I will only post them if you promise not to laugh!!

I need to count my blessings…I haven’t done so in a while. Let me see…

…learning something new! ~ I never thought I would enjoy sitting at my sewing machine as much as I do!

…fabric remnants and fat quarters ~ so many choices so little time!!

…my hubby and daughter ~ they are very complementary when I emerge from my craft room with a newly sewn item!!

God bless you all…I will venture around to your blogs sometime soon!!

It's Beginning To...

look a lot like CHRISTMAS!!!

The cold has settled in over the Midwest and the holidays are heading our way at a dizzying rate. My Terrific Tuesday Treasures are etsyblogger team finds with the tag of Christmas.

First is a Happy Holidays Towel from Sewitsforyou...

In Ellequilts' shop I found Merry Christmas Coffee Mug Coasters

that would make a lovely gift or stocking stuffer...

Spottedcowsoaps has Limited Edition - Christmas 2008 - Candy Cane soap

with a crisp peppermint scent...

This Polymer Clay Christmas Tree Necklace by AKeepersJackpot

just might be the right finishing touch to a holiday outfit...

Send holiday greetings to loved ones near or far with this

Christmas Tree Card by Angiecrafts...

Doesn't this group of treasures make you want to sing Christmas Carols?! I hope you have enjoyed my picks and God bless!!

A Sew Sew Weekend

This weekend I was determined to get some practice sewing in and, boy, did I ever? I headed off to the fabric store for some supplies after searching the net for some easy projects. I am getting more comfortable with my sewing machine and my seams are getting straighter. I had some tension issues but I did what my manual said and the problem was fixed in a jiffy. I even brought one of my projects to work to show my co-worker who sews and she was impressed. That definitely gave me a boost of confidence. I am not up to selling my items on etsy yet...but practice makes perfect! That was how I taught myself to crochet!

Another thing I did this weekend was head to the local library and straight to the section with the crafting books. I could spend hours just going through the books. I ended up bring home ten books on beading, crochet and sewing and one script for an audition in January!

Today at lunch I headed over to Half Priced Books and picked up a sewing and a rubber stamping book. If I don't like them I will just sell them back to the store. Both books look like they had some helpful hints in them. Hopefully, I will get a chance to look them over tonight.

I didn't spend much time online this weekend because I was buried in sewing books and fat quarters. I definitely need to catch with everyone. I need to get my etsyblogger posts together. I also need to get some pictures of my latest creations!! It gets dark too early now to take them outside...I have to find another option.

God bless you all!!! I need to get back to work!

What's the Buzz!

So much happening I am not sure whert to start.

Halloween - We had about fifty to sixty costumed little ones at our door. We didn't run out of candy. It was such a beautiful night my daughter, husband and I sat on the front porch greeting the ghosts and goblins. Of course, hubby had to have his werewolf mask on. We saw many Hannah Montanas and Spidermen with huge muscles LOL...Of course my favorite was the little ladybug!!

The Weekend - We didn't get to Brown County like planned. Sometimes, that is how it goes. We hung out at home instead. It was the first weekend that there was nothing truly planned. I did some crochet and cleaned up the craft room! I started on my custom order and I have two new scarves to put in my shop...I just need to get the pictures downloaded. I loved that we had an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning. What a blessing!! And the Colts finally had a win over the Patriots!!! Go Blue!!

This Week - I have tried to catch up on everyone's blogs...I think it will take me to next January!! I am so glad we are a chatty bunch. I really have missed my bloggy world!

Voting - On Tuesday, I stood in line for two hours to cast my vote. I voted for Obama and I am so proud of Indiana turning blue. I had choir practice on Tuesday night for my church choir's Christmas program "Agnus Dei" by Michael W. Smith. Guess what?! I have a solo!!! It is going to be a very big deal. We have a 35 piece orchestra and extra voices to round out the choir. Right now we are practicing twice a week and sounding fabulous. When I got home I turned on the TV and was channel surfing for the latest results. I dozed off right before the West Coast polls closed and awoke about fifteen minutes later to the announcement of a new President! I couldn't keep my eyes open so I missed the acceptance speech...I am sure I can find it online.

The next two days have been meetings, trainings and workshops. I do love being busy...makes the days fly by. It is now Thursday and we are heading into the weekend!!! Not much on tap this weekend as far as events go. There is a Gift and Hobby show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. I want to go but with finances being what they are I don't want to spend much. I am still trying to make up my mind.

It is going to get colder so I am sure homemade soup will be on the menu! I have to dig out my recipe of Unstuffed Pepper Soup. Or maybe hubby will make his wonderful chili!!

I hope to get back to a regular blog and my Terrific Tuesday Treasures. I leave you with Bumble Bee notecards by Cards by Jenna

I am buzzing off now to more workshops!!! Leave me a comment and let me know what you have been doing!! BEE back soon ~ I promise!!

God bless!!

Time to Catch Up!!

First of all ~ Happy Halloween!!! I hope you are ready for trick or treat tonight!! We have a bucket filled with candy for our lucky trick or treaters...I especially love the little ones dressed up like super heroes or princesses. I can't wait!

This week has been...well...BUSY! I work at a not-for-profit organization and we publish books about liberty, economics and political science. Not my idea of light reading LOL! We are in the process of switching to new software which means training and training and training. Four days of training from 9 to 5 each day. I have to be in all of them since I am the Assistant to the VP of my department. It has been a long week! All in all, it went well but I am glad it is over for now.

On Monday night, I went to the Encore Awards Ceremony. These awards go out to community theater. Sort of like the Tony Awards but you have to be an all volunteer organization. Everyone dresses up and has a wonderful time seeing all friends old and new. Each year there is a costume parade of all the shows nominated for Best Costume Design. I got to take part this year and modeled a costume from a show I wasn't in but got to see. What fun!! A show that I was in last year won for Best Musical Production!!! That was awesome! It was a fun night!

I have finallly started crocheting again...I am working on scarf #2 right now. I also got asked to do a custom order for a girl a work. She wants me to do a baby blanket for her friend. I whipped up some pattern swatches and she picked out the one she liked best. Now I need to get the yarn and get started on it. I probably should have it done by Sunday. It should work up quickly. This is the first time I am doing a custom order!!

I want to catch up with everyone. I have visited the etsybloggers' thread and it is way too long to even think about reading it all. I am going to try and visit everyone's blog posts this week and comment when I can. I have stopped by a few already.

Tomorrow morning we are getting up bright and early and heading south to Brown County, Indiana. It is called the Artist Colony of the Midwest. I love browsing through the shops! Lots of talented people in that town. It should be the perfect day weather-wise...not too hot and not too cold. I hope I can get some inspiration there too! I will try and remember my camera so I can post some pictures of our day trip!

I must say I have missed you all...thanks for being patient with me and stopping by. Now I need to go and catch up with all of you!

Blessings today ~


Halloween - just love the little ones all dressed up!


Family - how could I live this crazy life without their support?!


Friends - in life and on the net...friends are a treasure!!





God bless!!!

Quick Post

Hi all my bloggy friends!! It has been extremely busy at work (that = overtime!!) and by the time I get home I am exhausted. I have so much to catch up with!! I am missing you all and hopefully will get to post at length soon. For now, back to training!!!

God bless!!

Fabulous Friday!

Today is fabulous! Why you ask? Because I got a wonderful present from an awesome friend for my birthday! I took this picture with my cell phone so the quality isn't the best but I absolutely love this little gal!!!

She is sitting on my computer making me smile! What a blessing! I just wanted to share!

God bless!

Not Much

I don't have much to say today...I have enjoyed reading and catching up on my bloggy friends' post. I found a tutorial for putting a fabric lining in a crochet bag here. This is something I definitely want to attempt. I love making bags but hate the way they stretch out once you load your wallet, keys, cell, etc into them. This looks like the answer to that problem.

Taking off from work early to take my daughter to the orthodontist. If the appointment goes quickly I might be home by 4:30. That will feel like I have tons of extra time at home. I have my to-do list...laundry is #1...want to tackle it today and not wait until the weekend. This weekend I want to work in my craft room...get my many piles of craft stuff organized and put away!!! Usually when I start going through my various yarns, papers, beads etc I find some inspiration. Who knows what I will come up with!!

Many blessings in my life at the moment...
~flowers at work from my hubby =)
~my daughter...I love her!!
~crafty inspiration...you never know when it will hit you!

God bless!!

Wednesdays are for Crafting

We do the neatest thing where I work. Every Wednesday, from Noon till 1pm, the crafters meet up to craft, laugh and learn. It is a lovely group of women. Sometimes there might on be two and other times ten. We have scrapbookers, beaders, knitters, crocheters, stampers and whatever else there is crafty wise. We all look forward to it...helps us over the mid week hump! I try not to miss craft day. When I do, the week is just incomplete.

Oh and I sold two of my scarves!!! What a blessing! Thank you Star Willow Studio!!






That's all for now...got tons to get done before quitting time...God bless!

Terrific Tuesday Treasures!

This morning I thought, "What can I feature in my Terrific Tuesday Treasures?" Well...LADYBUGS of course, from our Etsy Bloggers Team!!!

This set of lovely greeting cards comes from Cards by Jenna!

Ladybugs in my Bath from Spotted Cow Soaps!

How about this Gold Ladybug Bracelet from Roseworks Jewelry!

I love the colors in this adorable scrapbook by Jleigh Designz

And finally from Two Zany Zebras this onesie that is as Cute as a Ladybug!

I hope that you all find a little luck with the Ladybugs today!

God bless!!

What a Weekend!

What a crazy busy weekend! I had a plan to get some crafting done and...well...that didn't happen. I took Friday off and had a plan...that sort of fell apart. I ended up napping in the afternoon...which is rest I really needed. Off to the hair dresser on Friday night. I was looking for a change. My hair had been some version of blonde or highlighted since I was sixteen years old. Taking inspiration from the fun wig I got to wear in the show I went a coppery brown. Woohoo~ I feel like a new woman!!! I love the red that comes out in the sunlight. I have gotten many compliments too! Hubby isn't too happy because he says he didn't marry a redhead LOL!

I also got a wonderful surprise...I am featured on a fellow etsyblogger, TiLTcreations, treasury blog. Stop by her lovely shop...you might find this waiting for you...

Saturday was another busy day with errands, grocery shopping and Girls' Night Out. I had three friends over for dinner since hubby is away on a fishing trip. We then went to a local theater to see a show...it was fabulous! We came back to my house and had a fire in the firepit and enjoyed a few cocktails and lots of laughs.

Up early on Sunday for church then my daughter and I got to see "Avenue Q". A wonderful day!!! When I got home I was determined to get some new items in my shop. Here are some of my latest creations.

This aqua scarf is trimmed with some fun yarn!

This is a fuzzy, warm hat and scarf set!

This is a stash buster scarf of some of my favorite purple yarns!

Doesn't this one make you think of autumn leaves?

I still have a number of items ready to be put in the shop. I just ran out of steam. It takes me a while to get things posted. Tomorrow night I will try and get some more soap pouches and other items in the shop. So check back often!

It's late and I need some sleep so God bless and I will see you in the morning!!

Unispired

I am just unispired today. Maybe because it is gloomy and grey outside. I am not sure. I guess I could talk about some of my projects I have been working on.

First one is a purple scarf. This one was a stash buster. I took three different purple yarns and crocheted a scarf. I worked down the length instead of the typical stripes going across the width. I rather like the way it turned out. I don't know if I want to put it in my shop or give it as a gift to a friend. I am still debating that one. I will have to post a pic this weekend and see what you think.

I went to one of my fav craft stores on Tuesday. I was looking for a reasonably priced shadowbox. I found some lovely unreasonably priced ones so I decided to cruise my favorite sections: yarn, beads and paper. I found some colors in yarn that I just fell in love with: celadon, terra cotta & aqua. Together I think they are a stunning combination. For the last three evenings I have been working with this palette. I love this combination so much it may become the colors I use in my bathroom whenever I get the motivation to take the ugly old paper off the walls. The ugly wallpaper is really starting to get on my nerves...I really want to make a change. I am tired of burgundy and blue. Everything in my house is either burgundy or blue (except for my craft room and my daughter's bedroom) I need a change...slipcovers for the furniture and a new color for the walls. I want to do something...but what?...I am at this moment....uninspired.

That's my blog today...I may be unispired but I am still blessed!
~crisp cool Autumn air
~friends
~dreams

God bless!!

My Terrific Tuesday Treasures! ~ Pink

What a terrific Tuesday to be in the Pink!! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and because pink is my favorite color, I went in search of some Etsybloggers Team treasures. Here is what I found...

I first spied this "Never Be Seen" brooch by leafgreenhandmade...

then this "Serenity and Pink" bracelet by roseworksjewelry
and finally these "Pinky Purple" burp cloths by graciouscreations

I hope you enjoy my terrific Tuesday Treasures and God bless!!!

It's Monday Again

Happy Monday everyone!!! I am sleepy today. The show ended yesterday and as a part of the production it is all hands on for striking the set. It took three hours to take everything apart. And because it is a not-for-profit community theater everything that can be recycled gets recycled. Then the whole cast and crew headed out to dinner together one last time. We had an amazing run of a great show. Now it is time for rest!!

There are so many projects that I want to do...I am having a hard time prioritizing them. I have found some things I want to do with decoupage, some paper crafts, more jewelry to make and more items to crochet. There are also some close-to-being-finished items that just need a bit of attention before I can get them in my shop. For tonight, I am going to put my feet up and relax. I need a breather.

Some blessings...
Unexpected cards in the mail from friends...that will always make me smile!
Caffeine...got to have it today!!
Mums...they come in some many colors now!!

God bless!

October's Featured Etsy Blogger!!

Isn't this the cutest bracelet?

This is a baby friendly bracelet for moms. I wish I had something like this when my kids were tiny!! It was made by our October Etsybloggers Team featured member Jen of Baby Friendly Beads and Mama's Magic Studio! Congrats, Jen! Here are a couple more beautiful items from her shops!!

You can learn more about this talented lady on her blog! Don't forget to leave her a comment and let her know you visited!!





God bless!!

Relaxation

What do I do to relax? I get in touch with my creative side, of course! Anything I do crafty is my escape. It started with cross stitch. I could sit for hours and cross stitch...I laughingly called it my therapy! Now, I frequently crochet. I love doing small projects to get the satisfaction of finishing something. I love to bead. Spreading out my bead collection and getting inspired is such a blessing!!

My one other relaxing thing to do is sudoku...I LOVE it! Once I got the hang of it, I was hooked!

Another uplifting thing to I do, especially when life gets chaotic, is count my blessings. It always gives me peace and puts a smile on face!

Have a blessed day!

Finally Pix from the Show!!

Finally I have some pictures from the show! This is my favorite costume of all.-------->

I am on the right in the picture below.

I am somewhere to the right of center stage...this was our closing number

Fourth from the right in this one - our bows.

I hope you enjoyed these...I should have more sometime soon.

God bless!

Random Thoughts

I really have no idea what I want to blog about so I will begin and see where this leads me.

My first thought is my bloggy friends! Isn't it interesting that I feel so close to you all and we have never met? What a blessing it is to have the ability to get to know people from all over the world that we would have never communicated with without the internet! Each morning after reading my emails, my next step is to check the blogs I follow and catch up on everyone's blogs. When I am unable to do that (especially when work gets in the way! Imagine that!) I feel like I have missed something that day. It is hard to put into words what a blessing this is to me. I have even got in touch with a "real-live" friend through etsy and blogging! Vicki is so special and she has two beautiful daughters! She lives in the same town as my mother and I never seem to get back there as much as I would like. The internet has made it possible to keep up on the happenings in her family's life.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a meet-up? I just want to give hugs to those that have been reading my humble thoughts and made comments. I wish there was some simple way to make it happen. Just another random thought!

I am loving Fall!!! The leaves are really showing off ~ this morning driving in there was more yellow, red and orange than even yesterday. My husband got out some of our Halloween decorations for the yard over the weekend and I have a happy not-so-scary scarecrow welcoming visitors by the front door. The chill in the air each morning is so invigorating! This weekend here in Indy we are expecting a warm-up to the low 80s. For now, it is wonderful to have the windows open with a gentle breeze blowing through the house.

I get so inspired by my friends that sew. I really want to be able to make some of the lovely items I see. After this weekend, the show will be over and I will be able to concentrate more on all my crafts. Right now I am searching the internet for easy projects that involve the most basic skills. I look at the beautiful things that involve zippers and such and I can only hope I will be able to master more difficult skills. The thought of even attempting a quilt makes me nervous. I can only hope that someday I will have the courage to dive in and make something resembling a quilt.

Enough randomness for today...make it an awesome day!!

Blessings...

blogs ~ I love reading all about my new friends

cool weather ~ just seems to make everything crisp and clean

crafting inspiration ~ it comes from the most interesting places!

Very inspiring Woolly Bear Button Scarflette

from the Etsy shop of the very talented LazyTCrochet!!

God bless!

Surprise!

Imagine my surprise when I was called to the front desk. I never get called to the front desk. To my delight, this beautiful bouquet was for me!!! If you remember last week I hardly posted a blog because work was crazy! It was crazy due to the meetings that I had to set up and the lack of readiness on the part of the presenters who were training us last week. We hadn't received the training materials before we started the training. Let me tell you ~ it was 210 pages long. I had to scramble to find binders, copy all 210 pages for everyone and attend the trainings!

After all was said and done, my boss talked to the head of the company we were working with. He had been to our office on a previous occasion and complimented me on my job skills. After finding out the people from his company didn't hold up their end of the bargain, he sent me these gorgeous flowers as an apology! Talk about being validated ~ my boss is loving it too!

These are so beautiful I couldn't wait to share with my bloggy friends! And they smell so wonderful too! What an unexpected blessing!!

God bless!!

~gloria