The Gift

Guard dutyJust making sure the stocking are OK

Hey there, you need a little Christmas Cheer!The Little boy above is my Christmas Present this year. He still doesn't have a name, grand kids are working on name suggestions. He is spoiled rotten already, and a real baby. He thinks he has to be in my lap all the time. We did have a little problem the first night, we put him in our bathroom and he started to howl and cry, he did quiet after 20 minutes. The second night I decided to put him in his room early so he would calm down and go to sleep. That just didn't work as he cried, whinnied and howled until I finally had to move him to the laundry at the other end of the house. Guess he was just to used to being with me that he didn't want to be in the room by himself. So last night, I decided to give him the shirt I had been wearing all day and that seemed to work as he didn't make a peep. Guess my scent was enough to calm him. The other dogs are not happy that he is here. He tries to play with them, but they ignore the poor little guy so he will either go and get out a toy and play with it or he ends up in my lap. He is a typical Pomeranian as he doesn't walk, he prances, he doesn't run, he hops... he is three months old and he is doing really well with his potty training, he loves the big yard.

Any suggestions for a name?

All the stocking are done

The stockings are finally finished, Everyone here and in Pa have a new stocking made by Nana this year. These were kits that were started right after Halloween, I wasn't sure that I would get them all done for this year but I met that goal last night. One is Missing from the pictures, it is the one that went to Sean's Mother in Ohio. Hers was called winter birds and it was the reason I started making the stockings. Hers had a birdhouse and birds on it, and I found those kits on ebay for $179.00 If I would have know they were selling for that much I would have sold it. I found hers in a box of craft items that I had bought at a garage sale. Oh well, it is finished and his Mother loves her new Christmas Stocking.

Candy is done

Another chore off my holiday list, The Candy is done. All the candy and a lot of the cookies this year will have Pecans, Pecans, Pecans. This is due to me asking hubby if anyone at work was selling Pecans, as in past years we have bought a bag. Well, one of the girls he works with has Pecan trees and brought in two BIG bags of Pecans for him and she didn't charge him anything. We shelled and shelled and than I made two smaller bags and sent off to Melanie and Jenny (I just got tired of shelling the Pecans) Besides I had two large bags in the freezer and that would be enough for us. So now that I had so many nuts to use I needed to come up with some recipes for Pecans, Hence Pecan cookies, Pecans added to cookies, Candy with lots of Pecans, like Pecan Brittle (which is really good) Carmel Pecan nut chews coated in Chocolate (this is good too). But the third candy I tried to make was a flop. Melanie wanted Divinity and said no one would make it for her, and now I know why. This is a hard candy to have turn out right. I tried but guess I just didn't beat it long enough as it just flopped and I ended up getting upset and throwing it in the trash. I may or may not try it again, if not they sell the stuff at Wal-mart....
Packages are wrapped and under the tree, packages that were sent to other states were delivered today, cookies and candy are made, cowgirl outfit is finished and in its box, all embroidery work is done, there is only one thing left to do and that is to finish the last two stockings which I hope to get done this weekend.... Finished Kyle and Jack's last night, Just Morris and Becca's to make yet, than all the grand kids will have new stockings for Santa to fill.....

COOKIES!!!!

I am still taking the holiday preparations one day and one chore at a time. Today was cookie day, yesterday I mixed up batches of cookie dough and early this morning Melanie came to help with the baking. We worked all morning and part of the afternoon, baking tray after tray of cookies, I had Melanie do the tasting just to make sure they were OK. We got all of the batches done and even mixed up another batch of Chocolate Chip cookies. Tonight I also made a batch of Spritz cookies, these always look so festive with the colored sugars and besides I like playing with the cookie press. Tomorrow will be candy day, I have three kinds I am planning on making, Pecan brittle, Chocolate turtles and surprise. I am so tired from standing on my feet all day, just glad that I have some sit down type things that need getting done. I still have 4 more stockings to make before Christmas. Last night I finished up with the embroidery items that needed to be mailed out this week, I also finished a Santa Hat Purse for Melanie. I do have one more big sewing project which is a western outfit for one of the grand kids. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am really starting to think that I will have all my chores done by Christmas.

All Wrapped Up

I am wrapping gifts today, trying to get another holiday chore off my list. I did take time to fill my bird feeders and make fruit kabobs and peanut butter seed balls for my daily feathered visitors. I think the birds are starting to tell their friends that the buffet is open at the Coleman's as we have hundreds of birds visit daily. So now that that chore is done for a week, I can start back trying to cross off holiday chores. I have a ham in the oven, gifts for the grand kids scatter all over my living room and a husband who is willing to help, what more could I want. Well, he is kinda, sorta willing to help....hehehe... He really is good with the wrapping, but he keeps asking where I intend to put it all once it gets wrapped. Guess he forgot that putting the gifts under the tree is his job as he is the one who plays Santa. I had the piles equal, yes I said equal, I try to make sure that I have the same amount of boxes and spend the same amount of money on each grandchild. Well, the piles were equal, until last night, we went to Wal-mart to pick up some gift cards and we made the mistake of walking around the store. Did you guess what happen? We spotted these little puppies that moved and whimpered and we had two little girls who wanted them, so I put them in the basket and than we had to look for items to make the other kids piles the same, not even going to mention the cost of the bill last night, hubby just gave me a look... Oh well, they are only young once and they do grow up so fast. The little ones are so easy to buy for, teens on the other hand, well, we do gift cards or take them shopping.... I do have a grand daughter who is really into Christmas this year. When I had asked for wish lists she was calling me every day to add to her list and if her sister asked for something Lizzy would tell me that she wanted that too. She thought that it was funny when I told her that her list was the biggest... She is so cute, we took Morris's birthday present over yesterday and Lizzy came running out of the house as we were leaving and she said " Nana, I need to tell you what to add to my list for Christmas, I think I told you but I want a dress up trunk." Guess this is what she really wants this year as she must have told me 10 time so far. She is getting the dress up trunk. How could I resist this beautiful little girl, asking so quietly and so many times LOL.... better stop here for now and get busy wrapping..... Oh and I do intend to stay away from the stores until after Christmas, well, we do need to make one more trip as I forgot to pick a certain item for Melanie last night. Yes I do make sure that I spend the same amount of the adult kids too, I just can't get the box number to come out the same.

Gingerbread house

The wonderful aroma of Gingerbread baking is filling my house. I am finally done with all the houses. These were made for friends and family for the holidays. Cross off another holiday chore off my list, now on to baking cookies, than candy making and in between those chores is finish making stockings and wrapping gifts. Just taking things one at a time..... I might get everthing done in time.

Warning, warning Snow is on it way

It is Winter and if I still lived in PA I would be dealing with the cold weather, Ice and Snow.... So I live in Florida, not south Florida where it is really hot, but Northwest Florida. Most of the time the weather is like a spring or fall day, what I like to call sweater weather. NOT TODAY, we were watching TV today and there was a winter warning in the corner. What state is that for I asked, had to be one of the northern states. Hubby went to work and soon he called me as he has access to really up to date weather updates and sure enough, It is snowing in New Orleans and you guessed it, Snow is heading this way.. Now, I have heard that it has snowed here, but I have been here for 11 years and have never seen the white stuff falling to the ground. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of snow falling, the crunch when you walk thru the white stuff, the crispness in the air after a snowfall. I did not like having to shovel the white stuff, the slip sliding trying to drive on the icy streets. To be truthful a snow shovel just doesn't fit my hands anymore and I would love to keep it that way, besides we don't own a snow shovel. Guess we will just have to wait and see what happens, it would be nice to have a little of the white stuff for effect on Christmas Eve, but that is all that I would like to see. Tonight I will be working on the last of the Gingerbread houses so let it snow, let snow, let it snow.

SHOPPING

This year we promised the two teen grandchildren that live here, that we would let them shop for their Christmas presents. Both had decided that clothes were what they wanted and I would never attempt to shop for a teen, style changes in the blink of an eye. Well, Heather is the Shoe girl, she just loves shoes, Emily followed her lead and also decided on a pair to go with her Skinny Jeans.... Each girl was given a set amount to shop with and Heather spent most of hers on one pair of shoes, Emily got shoes, jeans, jacket and still had money left. We had to take Em back home, so we being the nice grandparents went to the mall and got the necklace from the Twilight Movie (newest rage for teens I am told, might have something to do with the Hot boy that Heather picked out in a poster... Oh well, at least the kids are reading the books. Heather got her pricey shoes, CD, and two posters of Hot Boy Vampire.. Of course now her thing is, Christmas won't be a surprise because we know what we are getting.... Little do these girls know but we got them some other things to open as a surprise.... It was a fun day, we had Melanie with us to help in case the girls wanted some off the wall type thing. And then there was Kyle, poor kid, he had to deal with not only his sister picking on him, but now his cousin. The girls must have been having a good time in the back of the van, because all we heard was giggling, laughing, weird jokes and them picking on Kyle. I think next year we will just get them gift cards and let the parents do the shopping..... I think I was in tears most of the day, laughing so hard at the off the wall things Kyle said, sometimes I really worry about the child. We also had went to IHOP for breakfast and the Steakhouse for dinner, Even Kyle said he was finally full. Melanie and I, both took doggie bags home. Now I just have to put away the purchases from today, that will wait till tomorrow....

Let there be Lights, Lots of Lights....

The Lights at the Coleman house this year and our cast of critters.

HO HO HO!!! Merry Christmas

Deck the Halls.... with boughs of Holly

Well, we really didn't use Holly, we did however get the blue and white icicle lights up, decked out the bushes by the garage, hung the big snowflake at the peak of the house and hung the dancing snowflakes on the porch. Now I know it doesn't seem like much, but it took most of the day. Sean was up and down the ladder numerous times,he had to figure out how to get all the lights wired and he also got the snowglobe set up out front, and the deer by the pond. It all looks so nice, but than... As I make my way to the road to view all the lovely lights, Yep I look up and right at the peak there are lights out. It never fails, always some that just don't want to light. We checked the lights when we brought them home, oh yes these are new. We checked them as we unpacked them, and we even checked them as we were putting them up. But when all is finished, SURPRISE some are out... Sean said he will get out the ladder tomorrow and check to see what is wrong.... Tomorrow we will be getting the rest of the blowups set up in the back yard.. We have a lot of the blowup Christmas figures and I try to get a new one each year, so a couple of years ago I started having Sean put them up in the back yard. It makes the back look festive, they can be viewed from the street and they are always a hit with the kids.... Sean is not sure if he will be putting lights on his workshop this year... I pity the dogs though, they go out back and next thing they see is a giant polar bear, a rocking house, a bear that jumps out of a package, penquins and snowmen on a ride, the dogs are barking like crazy at all the strange creatures invading their space...
Leftover turkey for dinner, dishes to do than just take it easy the rest of tonight.

Happy Thanksgiving

What I am Thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful that my husband now has his health back. I am thankful that I am healthier this year. I am thankful that we have wonderful children and grandchildren. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can be thankful for what ever I want to be thankful for. I am thankful for all my friends and relatives. Have a wonderful day and take a minute to be thankful for all you have...

Sticky Bun Sunday

It has been another busy weekend here. Saturday we did our normal running, we headed to Pensacola to visit Jenny and drop off Pecans. Than on to JoAnn's fabric, I needed more material for Christmas stockings I am making for the grand kids. Last stop of the day was Winn Dixie to get the rest of ingredients for Thanksgiving.

Sunday I cleaned the outside of Sean's workshop and used a sealer on it. Just a little preventive type work. I also worked a little in the garage, arranging things and setting up the work tables. Sean put wheels on my craft cart.

Opps, I almost forgot the best part of the day. I got out the bread machine, and mixed up some dough for Sticky Buns.... They took the better part of the morning to make, with the mixing, making the topping and filling and the waiting for the dough to rise. Than there is the baking and finally the end result, ooey gooey warm sticky buns right out of the oven. OK, I know I am not supposed to have this type of food, but a little taste won't hurt me. YUMMMMMMMM So good, just as I remember them from back home..... Don't they look good.....

Winter is on the way

I have been dreading this time of year, the time that the plants lose all their leaves and freeze. Yesterday I pulled in all the potted house plants that had summered on the front porch. I am just hoping that this year nothing was hiding in the pots. Last winter I had a chamelon stow away in a plant and he stayed in the house all winter. Weather man was calling for frost last night and he was right. I found ice in the bird bath this morning so I know that it got cold... I think the heat did come on last night, not something it does that often this time of year. I also had to wear a coat this morning as we headed out for the Medical Center so Sean could have his test done... I really am not looking forward to cold weather, but at least we don't get snow and most of the time it is cool rather than cold here.
Sean and I are both are healing from falls we had, mine was two weekends ago. I tripped over a tree root and used my hands to break my fall, had x rays done and nothing broken, just some soft tissue damage. This weekend it was Sean's turn, he was headed to the car with a box of glass items from the auction and he tripped over a cement bumper in the parking lot. He went down, still holding the box. He skinned his hand, knee and elbow. Sunday he spent the day in his recliner with ice packs to relieve the swelling. This is not good, we are just getting to old to be rolling around the ground like that. He, like me felt stupid when we fell. We both looked around to make sure no one saw us...
I have been steadily working in the garage getting things in order in my new studio space and I am almost done and ready for the work to begin... Spent three days just cataloging the paints and glazes, I still have to finish the molds. I also found storage room for other craft items and last night I cleared out the dining room of all craft items.... slowly making progress here. besides it will soon be time to decorate for the holidays, which are fast approaching.

Scary Night

Witches and Monsters and Ghosts, "OH MY!" Witches and Monsters and Ghosts, 'OH MY!" Must have been Halloween....... Friday night this house was visited by Princesses, supermen, Pirates, and an array of characters all looking for a treats. This is only the second year that we had children out Trick or Treating. In past years we didn't have any as we are a little out of the way and the houses are so far apart and there just wasn't that many kids that lived in the neighborhood. In the past two years we have had families move in the area with kids and we also have new homes being built.

I really love this time of year and to me Halloween means the start of the holiday season. In just a few short weeks it will be Thanksgiving time and Christmas is not far behind. Which means that I need to really get busy working on the Christmas Wish lists for the Grand kids. Of course that means that my bedroom starts to get smaller and smaller, have to hide the gifts in that room just in case the kids come over.... I am done with a few of the kids, and have a good start on the rest. It does help that I shop most of the year (clearance sales are good) As for the grownup kids, I am done with the girls, but haven't started on the guys yet. I really hate having to run around at the last minute trying to find things on everyone's wish list....

'

Auction Addict.....

I was requested to write a testimonial for the Auction House that we go to every month. Below is what I came up with, do you think it will work for them...I thought it was cute. Such a nice Auction House with a wonderful staff.


AUCTION ADDICTS TESTIMONIAL

My Name is Bonnie and I am a auction addict!

I admit it, I am an addict, an auction addict that is. There is no cure for my addiction, and I blame my addiction on Florabama Auction Services. How do they fuel my addiction you ask, good question. Could it be the hunt for that one treasure that I might find, could it be the excitement of the bidding, the thrill of winning or the agony of defeat. I find myself in the weeks and days before a auction, going to the web site daily to see what new items have been added. The day before a auction we stop by get our number and take a up close and personal look at all the wonderful things that will be going on the auction block. The day of the auction we arrive early, we need time to say hello to all the wonderful staff and find out how they are doing. Than it is time for the gavel to come down, and for Cherylynn to get busy and start the auction. Jasper and Vance take their places on either side of the room and take turns bringing out the wonderful items, of course you have to take Jasper's descriptions with a gain of salt sometimes, he is so funny, "One ugly bowl and plate",he will tell you . Cherylynn will start to repeat it, she catches herself just in time and then she just gives Jasper a look and continues on. Jessica is the lovely clerk, but we are not allowed to feed the clerk, talk to the clerk, I think we can look at the clerk, but really this young lady is very serious about her job of recording all purchases. Debbie and Jo you will see taking the items from the front to the storage shelves or bringing out more items for sale. Jo also is the lady with the key to the jewelry and Fenton cabinet, see Jo if you want something from the special cabinet put up for sale. Linda and Kay are behind the counter making sure things are put in their proper place and also they are responsible for checking out the bidders and getting their merchandise. Debbie also does double duty as the snack bar lady, and she will fill in where ever she is needed, a multi-talented young lady. Cherylynn is the lovely auctioneer, she is such a sweet person, taking time before the auction to talk to as many of the people as she can, she makes everyone feel welcome and treats them like a part of her family. Steven is the General Manager, he makes sure everything runs smoothly during the auction and in the days before and after the auction. If you want to consign items he is your man. We also recently met Steven's Mother who was visiting from South Florida, She was such a sweet lady, I can see where her son gets his personality. She also informed us that she is planning on moving to this area and becoming part of the Florabama Auction Services Family. All in All, Florabama Auction Services in Milton Florida is the number one auction house in this area We have been to many auction houses in Florida and Alabama,and there are many we will not return to. If you are looking for a fun time, fantastic items and great deals , come and join the gang at the Florabama Auction Services location in Milton. Check the web sites for date and time of auctions, make sure you look in the gallery at all the items coming up for sale. But beware, You could become a AUCTION ADDICT to.....

F enton
L ladro
O ranate pottery
R ings
A utograph pictures
B ox lots
A rmani
M emorabilia
A ssorted sports cards

My aching back

I know that I am no longer a spring chicken, I know that I can no longer do all the physical things I used to do, I also know that while I know these things, I still attempt to do all the things I did in my youth. Now when I do these foolish things, I pay the price, FOR DAYS. This past weekend we moved Sean's woodworking machines and tools and other stuff from the garage to his new workshop. His workshop has been the temporary storage for my ceramic molds and paints, so they were moved from the shop to the garage. We did use the trailer that was hooked up to the tractor, which saved a lot of energy, but still all four of the movers were moving slower by the time we were done. Oh wait a minute, Sean and I are the old people here, Melanie and David are the younger generation, but they to were moaning and groaning. We took them to the local Steakhouse when we were done and when we got ready to leave we all had a hard time moving out of the booth. OH MY ACHING BACK.............and legs, and neck, and arms, Spa tub here I come.

Alabama Peach

This is Melanie, our Alabama Peach. Mel was at the house Sunday and I did the last fitting for her Halloween Costume, That is Kyle in the background, he didn't know that he was in the picture. So do you think she will win the best costume prize this year, we do. Now that her costume is done I can get back to the major task of getting the sewing/craft room back in order. Also we will be working on the garage and workshop this weekend. Can't wait to get the garage set up for ceramics and stained glass, its been so long since I did any of those projects. I also have a couple of quilts that need quilting, so that is also in the plans for this winter. Saturday we are planning on heading to Bagdad (small local community) They are having numerous events in that little town, there is Depot Days ( held at the old train station, craft and food booths, as well as games and rides for the kids) than there is the Front Porch Stroll (local artist have booths) there are also two churches in Bagdad that will be having their Fall Festivals. In Pensacola the State Fair will be getting under way this Thursday. For the most part the fall events in Florida are much like the events we had in Pennsylvania (fairs, craft shows, festivals and Octoberfest). The main thing I miss is the changing of the leaves, no beautiful fall color in the south also no snow. I don't miss the mess of snow, but I miss the beauty of it, the fresh, crispness in the air after a snowfall. Guess you just can't have it all, oh well, give me Spring and Fall weather any day, and that is pretty much what we have in this area.

I'm being followed

Yesterday and Today I had a yard sale, people were in and out both days. Thursday was on the slow side, almost as bad as the flea market last weekend. Today, however was much better, things were leaving here all morning long. It was in between my sales, there was no one around, I went into the house for a brief moment, when I looked out my door and spotted this little black and white dog. I stepped out my door to see if I could find a tag on the little strangers neck, when all of a sudden I turned and there to my surprise was the little dogs big friend. I turned and ran back into the house as this monster came after me. He was huge, all muscles and had the biggest head of any dog I have ever seen. He was what appeared to be a brindle Pitt Bull. He left the porch and I bravely stepped out and tried to chase him away. It worked with the little dog, he took off and I didn't see him again. This monster was another thing, he once again came after me and in the house I went. This is great, I am having a yard sale, many people are coming and I can't get out of the house. The big bruiser was now standing in front of my door, looking into the house, was he sizing me up for his next meal. NO his tail was wagging, and he was drooling all over my storm door. OK, I am brave, outside I go, trying again to chase him away. He is stubborn, he won't go, he wants petted, wants attention and he is now following me everywhere. I tried walking him to the side yard and leaving food for him. But the minute I left, he stopped eating and chased after me. He would not let me out of his site. OK, I returned to the house and shut the door hoping he would just leave, Nope, not this guy. A guy pulled up for the sale and the monster dog was the greater. The man said he started to get back in his truck but noticed the dog was wagging his tail. Monster dog greeted many of the shoppers, all seemed to think he was mine, because of the way he attached himself to me. OK, enough of this, I called the pound and let them know about my visitor, they were going to send someone out. I got a leash and attached the bruiser to the column on the porch and we waited. Another lady came and they like the rest remarked how cute the big brute was. I told the lady he came to the yard sale and he seemed to adopt me, and that I had called the pound to come and get him. She than informed me that if his owner didn't come and get him from the pound that he would be put to sleep. OH NO what had I done, he was a big goofy puppy, he was to nice to be put down, just because he was a Pitt Bull, but they have their rules. Well, as luck would have it as the dog catcher arrived there was a car behind her, and a guy shouted there he is. I asked him if this was his dog and he said yes, that they were visiting from Alabama and the dog escaped from his mother yard. The Monster dog was saved, he got in his owner's car and I walked over to the dog catcher and told her that his owner was found. She got the guy's information, and everyone left happy. Me, I continued on with my sale, minus one brindle shadow.

Buy of the day

Last Weekend: I have been a little busy and have not been able to post on here for awhile. Last weekend was a sort of moving day for us. We started the daunting job of moving all Sean's woodworking tools and machines from the garage to his new workshop. I will than be taking over the entire garage for my stain glass studio and my ceramic studio. Maybe once the garage is organized I will be able to get some of my projects started.

Last Week: I have been working on a Civil War Era Southern Belle Ball Gown for Melanie. She works in a nursing home and all the staff will be dressing for Halloween. Melanie had mentioned that she needed to dress and she might go as a Hippie. I told her I thought she needed to dress up and that I had lots of satin material and she said OK can you make me a dress (Open mouth insert foot). So off to the pattern shop where she picked out the neatest dress pattern. We had gotten a ton of a peach Satineen material at a auction a few weeks ago, which will make a great dress and was super cheap. I even found a 4 hoop skirt slip on ebay really cheap and ordered it so I didn't have to make the slip for the dress.

This Weekend: I decided that we needed to go to our local flea market and try to sell the rest of the Halloween costumes we had won at a auction. Guess I need to explain, this past spring we were at an auction where they had a huge rack of new costumes, no one bid on the costumes against us and we got them at a steal. When we went to load the costumes up was when I realized how many we had. There were hundreds of them, mostly for smaller children. We called all the kids and asked what sizes and how many they wanted for their children. We shipped some to Pa for the grand daughters there as well. And after giving out many costumes, we still had a bunch, so I decided we needed to try to sell them along with some others items we had stored. Well, we arrived at the flea market early, set up our tables and hanging items. We were now ready for business. What a bummer, not that many people, seems I picked the wrong weekend. To many other events happening this weekend. OH well, I have now decided that I will have a yard sale Thursday and Friday, and whatever is left over Melanie will pick up and try her hand at a flea market next weekend.

Now for my BUY of the day,with the booths at the flea market not being that busy, I decided that I needed to walk around a little and see what else was for sale. I stopped by this guy's booth where he had a lot of little items. I spotted this cute little basket that was filled with hair clips, Nothing was marked so I asked the guy if the basket was for sale and how much, He said two dollars which was good for any basket, but with turning this basket over and looking at the bottom there was the stamp and initials from Longaberger. OK, I now have the buy of the day, or maybe week or month. I bought the small purse Longaberger basket with fabric liner for $2.oo which sells for about $50 to $60 dollars. When I returned to Sean he just gave me a look, and then I showed him my treasure.... MY BUY OF THE DAY..

Weekender

This past weekend was yet another busy one. Saturday we once again returned to the ceramic shop and again loaded up the van. We got mainly molds this trip, a few cases of paint and some accessories. Saturday evening we went to the auction in Milton and added to our collections. We have so much fun at this auction house. Cherylynn the auctioneer is a delightful person and her staff are always such fun to be around. This auction house has mainly top quality items, no junk here. Just a fun way to spend a Saturday evening.

Melanie came over Sunday with Heather and Kyle. Melanie didn't get her birthday lunch on her birthday because Heather had gotten sick. So this was the make up date for her lunch and the kids decided to tag along. The girls get to choose where they want to have lunch at and Melanie like Jennifer had chosen Red Lobster. I really don't know why Jenny chooses Red Lobster as she usually wants to order chicken, oh yea that right she loves the biscuits and mashed potatoes there. Kyle had the Chicken Alfredo, Heather and I had the Snow Crab legs and Melanie and Sean had the Ultimate Feast. We had a great time at lunch and afterwards we headed to JoAnn Fabrics to look for a pattern. Seems Melanie has to dress for work on Halloween, so I volunteered to make her a costume. I had gotten a huge box of lace and satin at a auction really cheap and this would be a good way to use up some of the material. Melanie chose a Civil War style southern belle ball gown. The gown will be in a Peach satin with white trims and lace. I did cheat however, JoAnn's had a pattern for the hoop skirt slip, but I didn't buy that one. I did go on ebay last night and ordered a 4 hoops skirt slip, I paid less than what it would have cost me to make the slip. Last night I cut out all the satin and tonight I will be cutting out the lining material, than it will be off to the sewing room. I will be making a few modifications to the dress, can't wait to see Melanie as a southern belle she will be a Georgia Peach oh guess I should say a Alabama Peach.... We also picked up the items needed for Melanie to make a era style necklace. From JoAnn Fabric we headed to Sam's club where we ran into Jenny and her family. We searched the isles and ended up getting some snack items and cereals for the kids. We always have such fun spending time with the kids, you just never know what they are going to say or do, especially Kyle, he comes right out of left field sometimes, he is so funny, a true delight to be around.

Think Pink

Today was a little scary for me. I had my yearly mammogram done on the 10 of this month and thought that things were fine as I didn't hear from the Ann Baroca Center. Well, last night the phone rang and it was a nurse on the other end telling me there was a problem with my test and I needed to come back in asap. So I made a appointment for this morning. They did the more intense pictures, the tech came back in the room and said more pictures were needed. So more smashing, more pictures. She left to review the pictures with the doctor and than once again returned to the room I was waiting in. This time I was told that she needed to do a sonogram and this test would tell if the mass they were seeing was a cyst or tumor. When she looked at the mass, she told me it was more involved and that it appeared to be a tumor. OK Seems that I was going to be the third person to have a biopsy done. But, NO, Wait, the nurse looked and what is this a bruise on my breast, Gee, what a relief, seems the mass is just this bruise. So I received a passing grade for now, however I will have to go back in 6 months for a recheck just to be on the safe side. So what I am trying to say here ladies is that next month is National Breast Cancer awareness month. This means that if you haven't had your yearly mammogram, than Now is the time to make the appointment. I was scared today with the thought of possibly having breast cancer and I do have my yearly check up. So now is the time to have yours done. Also if you go to Thebreastcancersite.com and click on the daily click you will be helping those women who can't afford to have a mammogram done get one free. Please click every day to help in the fight. THINK PINK.....

What a week

Mom and Mike at the beach

4 generations of Coleman

Emily's Bat Mitzvah is now a thing of the past. Her Great Grandmother and Great Uncle Mike flew in from Ohio for the event. They arrived last Wednesday and that evening Sean had to go to work so I took them to the local Bar B Que restaurant. Thursday, I spent the day in the kitchen and Sean took them to the beach. Friday we delivered the food and then we headed to Biloxi, Sean's mom was not all that keen on the idea, but Mike wanted to visit the casinos again. Mom and I lost and Sean and Mike won. Saturday at 9 we arrived for Emily's Bat Mitzvah which lasted until noon. Jenny had set up a lovely luncheon done in a Luau style. We than returned home and watched a movie. Saturday evening we headed into Pensacola for a dinner with Phillips family. Emily did a wonderful job leading the services, I could not believe how brave she was. Sunday Melanie made Chicken and dumplings for her Grandma and when they returned home Mike and Sean repaired the lawn tractor and then preceeded to mow and trim the front and back yard. Which was really needed as I was worried about losing the little dogs in the jungle out back. Sunday evening Jenny and Phillip showed up with the kids so we decided to take them to Pizza Hut. Monday morning we were all up and out of the house super early as Mom and Mike had to be at the airport at 4:30. Their flight was on time and they were back home in Ohio by 1 PM, they had a long layover in Charolette. All in all, it was a very busy week, and it went by just to quickly for me, seems they just got here and than had to leave so soon.

Just Another Saturday

I am so glad that this Saturday is over, Sean and I are both ready to crash. We started out early this morning, went to the ceramic shop and loaded the van again with molds and cases of paints. It took us two hours just searching and loading things up. Most of the molds we picked up today were Angels, Santa's, Snowmen, and 4 boxes of small molds. We still need to go back for the rest of the molds we have set back, just not enough room in the van. I think Sean is a little disturbed with me as all these paints and molds are being stored in his workshop. It is just temporary till he clears out his machines out of the garage and than I can turn it into my ceramic and stain glass studio....

Tonight we went to the auction in Milton and once again spent to much. For me we added to our Fenton collection. We got a beautiful gold and ruby basket, hand painted and signed and a painted glass hat. We also picked up some other glass ware. We did pick up something very special for Melanie for Christmas. I can't say what it is but she will laugh when she sees this item, to be truthful I can't believe I bought this for her.... I try to keep my ears open to the girls and find out what they are collecting now,Then it is on to the hunt. By the time Christmas comes around we have a collection box for each girl. Jenny is the hardest, she isn't into collecting, and never hints that she needs anything. But this year she slipped and mentioned something she would like to have, and boy is there a surprise waiting for her. I laughed really hard when I found this item, she will never believe that I actually found this item.... I know you two girls are reading this, so just keep wondering what I found for you, hehehe.......

Well, time to sign off of here, kick back and just relax for the rest of the evening..

Just doing my thing

How I wish I could be just doing my thing, which is crafting, crafting, crafting. But I am in the process of doing a deep house cleaning, in anticipation of my mother-in-law and brother-in-law coming for a visit next week. I can't wait till they get here. Sean is planning on taking a few days off so that we can take them places. I think we will be making a trip to Biloxi one day, hope we all are winners... Mom and Mike will be arriving next Wednesday and there will be so many things for them to see and do. I know the girls are going to enjoy their grandmother coming for a visit. Of course the main event of their visit is Emily's Bat Mitzvah which is Saturday the 13th. I just hope that all the storms in the gulf go elsewhere and leave us alone.
Today has been a day of packages, first one to arrive was rug yarn that I had won on eBay(this is to finish a rug that my mother in law had started many years ago) 2 nd package was vitamins from Puritan pride, they had a great deal, buy one and get two free, So I stocked up. I just love getting things in the mail, feels like Christmas even thought I know what is in the boxes. I also love eBay, the excitement of the hunt, the thrill of the bidding and the reward of winning. I keep a look out for things for the kids and stuff that we collect. Right now I am in a search mode for a Quilting frame for my sewing machine. I have two quilt tops ready to be quilted, one that is almost finished and three quilt block kits to work on and three quilts in the planning stage. I do not hand quilt, just give me a frame and my machine and I will be good to go... My Mom was the hand quilter NOT ME, I just don't have the patience for it.

Bargins, Bargins, Bargins

Any one who knows Sean and myself know that we are always in search of bargains. After all we have a bunch of kids and grand kids to buy for so any kind of bargain really helps stretch the budget. Well today had to be one of the best bargains we have found in a long time. I was bored last night and went to Craigslist, just being nosey. I found a couple of people that had craft items so I called and made arrangements to see what they had to offer. 1st man had a bunch of craft items for sale. We arrived early this morning and found that he had two huge tubs, three boxes and two bags of craft items. He wanted 65 for all but sold everything to us for 40. Oh to the house to unload the van, than on to 2nd location. This lady advertised ceramic molds, I also asked her if she had any paints or glazes, she had thought that most of them would be dried out. We arrived and OMG Big Ceramic shop stuff to the max with all kinds of items. We started picking out molds and loading them into the van, Sean disappeared, he sent Dottie to find me. Sean had found a stash of new holiday molds and tons of glazes. We started loading cases of paints and glazes. Two hours later the van is loaded with more paint than molds and she also gave us three boxes of soap making stuff, well two boxes the third one ended up being a box of beads. We asked Dottie to put back the holiday molds and the rest of the paints for later pick up. Did I mention that all this was free, Sean did slip Dottie some money which she didn't want to take, but we told her to take her grand daughter out to dinner tonight on us. To be truthful, I didn't realize how many paints we had in the van, Sean knew it was a lot due to the way the van was driving. We got home and started to unload into Sean's workshop (Yes, I am taking over his shop but only Temporary till the garage is cleared out) We will also be picking up a pouring table when there is room to move in her shop. Dottie is such a sweet lady, I found this really neat snowman and she gave him to me, Melanie is our snowman girl and I am always on the lookout for snowman for her. We are now finished with the unloading, we plan to kick our feet up and just take it easy the rest of the night.

Friday's are Fun, Fun, Fun

Today started out as a typical day, Had to run errands and then have lunch with Jenny for her birthday. So Sean and I started out on our normal day, first item on the agenda, Stop and pick up 4 Koi fish from freecycle lady. We found her house with no problem, Cathy was sitting on the porch waiting for our arrival. Sean stayed in the van and I proceeded to the back yard with Cathy to get the fish. OPPS, she forgot to tell me that fish have to be caught. This is not an easy task, 4 huge Koi in the pond, bunches of babies. Big Koi want to get into nets, baby Koi want to swim away and hide under the many water plants and pumps and rocks, OK you get the picture. So here Cathy and I sit by the pond with nets in hand trying to catch fish that are determined not to be caught. I start feeling a wetness on my knee, oops seems Cathy had set a bag of water there for the fish to be put into and it fell over and my knee was in the way. After a lengthy effort we decided to call it quits. Cathy put some water plant starters in the bag and said she will call me when she catches the fish. Wonder if I told Jenny about the fish and that the fish might one day become part of her inheritance, Koi can live to be very old fish, sometimes to one hundred and these were just babies. So with plant in hand, I returned to my husband who had been waiting for me.

On to Pensacola, we had time to waste before meeting Jenny, so it was a quick stop by Michael's. We searched the store for any bargains (always looking for bargains) and we found some items that we will be giving as gifts to the grand kids. They all love making crafts, especially Mr. Kyle and the girls in PA.

From the craft store we headed for Red Lobster to meet Jenny. This restaurant was her choice (she says she doesn't get to go there often). We had her youngest two children with us. The kids could care less about eating at a restaurant, just give them crayons and something to color and they are happy. Morris and Rebecca shared a lunch, which was a good idea as Morris just didn't want to eat anything. Morris was a little upset as his Mom had told him if he didn't eat than he couldn't have Ice cream. So no treat today. Poor little Rebecca, she was so good even though she looked like she is coming down with a cold.

Back home and hubby is off to work, me I am cleaning out my sewing room, which is a huge job. We are getting ready for Sean's Mother and Brother to come down in Sept. for Emily's Bat Mitzvah. I can't wait for them to get here, Sean's mom is this little bitty lady who so much fun to be with. She makes me laugh when we go shopping, just some of the things she says and does. Mike is a trip as well, he is a hyper guy, always going a million miles a minute, he makes you tired just trying to keep up with him, but he is a sweetheart. I am glad they are coming as I know this trip will help ease their minds about Sean and how he is doing after his heart surgery. They want to see for themselves that he is OK.

Thought that I was done with this, Doing the edit and than the phone rings, its hubby. So I talk to hubby and wait what is this I smell, something smells hot. I jump up look in the AC door, nope thats not it, off to the kitchen, OK now I remember, I had water on to boil for tea. I got so wrapped up in this blog that I forgot all about the water. Hey you can't burn water, it just evaporates and the pan gets hot, I got to it just in time. Put on another pan of water, gotta make my tea don't you know. Hopefully this is all the excitement for one day.

Have a great day and a great weekend
We in the south will get prepared for some stormy weather.
Gustav GO AWAY, you are not welcome here..........
Bonnie

The Beginning

Here I go, off on a new adventure called blogging and learning how to set up this blog. I enjoy reading my step daughter's blogs, Jenny's blog always makes me smile. With Melanie's Blog I learn so much about what she is up to and what the kids are into now.

It has been a really laid back type of Sunday, I did the laundry and we spent the day bringing out all the yard items. We were all prepared for Fay to hit this area yesterday, but I am so thankful that she didn't come to visit. I had spent Friday Putting up all the outdoor items, like patio furniture, planters, and bird feeders. Putting up the feeders really upset the birds yesterday. They kept flying to the porch of Sean's workshop and looking for their dinner. But now that the feeders are back where they belong the birds are so happy.

All the chores are done, dinner was made and dishes washed and put away so now is my time to play. I am off to work on a latch hook rug, this one is an American flag.