e-i-e-i-o !

We are back from our trip to the frozen tundra, I mean Iowa. It was 13 below on the day we arrived. I stepped out of the car, my eyes started watering and I swear the tear turn to ice on my cheek. Talk about a shock to the system! Despite the cold and the two day drive there and another two back, we had a wonderful time with our family. I didn't get to go sledding or snowmobiling, as it was just too cold. Drinking wine by the fireplace seemed to make more sense. I did get to take some photos of the farm animals. All of them cooperated except the sheep, they wouldn't stand still. Here are my favorites:

I was surprised to see the Llama, but they are great at herding the sheep.

Definitely a white Christmas

Greetings from the snowy Midwest! As I sit here, on a farm in central Iowa, there is the white stuff as far as the eye can see. We are visiting family, and it is the first time I will have seen a white Christmas in over 20 years. I like snow...it's the cold that goes with it that I hate. Having lived in the desert for so long, you totally forget what winter is like in other parts of the country. Ruby and Scarlett are not sure what to think. They do not like getting their feet cold and absolutely would not even think of going to the bathroom in the snow. We had to take them to a barn every time they needed on the first day here. We are making progress though. They've figured out if they go really fast, they can get back inside that much faster. I can honestly say that I never expected to blog about the dog's bathroom breaks, but oh well.
Today might be a first for me. I heard talk about everyone going snowmobiling. That ought to be fun until I get stuck in a snow bank.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

London Revisited

I have the hardest time coming up with things to blog about lately. Everything that I've made has needed to be kept secret. I'm fairly sure that a certain someone will guess that this gift is for her, but she should have it by now anyway. That is, if UPS came through. I saw the idea for these bulb forcers in Country Living magazine. They are made out of 1 liter bottles. The top is cut off and then inverted into the base. You fill it with water and then the bulb, in this case daffodils, roots and eventually sprouts a flower. I thought it was really clever and inexpensive.

I used some scrapbook paper with a map of London, one of my very favorite places, and then added a few embellishments. When we were were in the UK, we couldn't believe all the daffodils everywhere. I hope this gift evokes memories of a special time.

Live Love Photography

Since I still can't post pictures of anything that I've created recently, due to the fact that they are Christmas gifts, I'm going to brag, I mean blog, about my beautiful and very talented daughter-in-law instead. Her name is Tina, and she has recently turned her passion into a new business. Live Love Photography is now up and running. There are many of us who take photos in our family, but we started to notice that Tina's were getting better and better. Before we knew it, she started creating these wonderful videos of family get togethers and holidays. There is no better way to capture and remember a special event. Please check out her new website, and enjoy her galleries of photos.

Celtic Thunder

Last night was special, I went to the Celtic Thunder concert in Phoenix, with my sis, brother, and sister-in -law. I saw the "easy on the eyes" guys perform on PBS last summer. I really love Celtic music so when the tour dates were announced last summer, we bought our tickets. The show was fantastic. There's nothing better than a man in a kilt!

A thank you for my guests

As a thank you for sharing Thanksgiving Day with us, our guests will receive one of these soup mixes in a jar. It's called Gobble-Gobble soup, and it's the perfect way to use leftover turkey. I saw the idea in a Gooseberry cookbook. It's as simple as adding several spices and noodles to a jar that I decorated. All that's left to be added is some water, turkey, and veggies such as celery, carrots, and onion. They were fun to make, and I hope everyone likes them.

As you gather tomorrow with family and friends, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thursday this and that

While this one, Scarlett, is being her usual busy body self,

tormenting the geckos and chasing off the birds,

this one, Ruby, is doing what she does best. Napping! This is her new favorite spot to snooze in the afternoon. There's no doubt she thinks that the new patio was built just for her.

I've been such a lousy blogger lately. I'd be surprised if I even have any readers left out there. I have been somewhat creative, but I can't post anything because everything I've made is a Christmas gift. Too many of the recipients read my blog and there goes the element of surprise. Last night my husband announced that I was too hard to shop for and he had no idea what to get me for Christmas. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Me? Hard to buy for? Why that's impossible, I like everything! So, my question is what do you want for Christmas? I'd love to hear all about it.