A New Kit, "A Child's Xmas"

December 10, 2012

Good morning.  It's 6:10 a.m. and the Mrs had a very good night last night.  She slept most of the night, and is in a good mood this morning.  Right now, I'm waiting for the weather man to stop talking about football and such, and give me the weather report.  (It's 46 F degrees, and it's going to rain all day.)

Yesterday morning on my way from work, I was noticing that lots of yards had five and six foot layers of mist (fog?) and I was hoping for a chance to stop and take a photo.  By the time I got to  the cemetary, I just had to pull over and get my camera out of my work bag.  Sad to say, I only got to click a couple of photos when my battery went dead.   Groan, groan, why me?  There were so many great photo shots to be taken, and I had to go home without them.

But at least I got a couple pix to share with you.   The mist can be quite eery and beautiful in a cemetary.

Today Su and I will be posting Parts 1 & 2 of our new collab kit, "A Child's Xmas".  I will post my preview and links now.  Su will be posting hers later this morning.  Everyone in her house has been sick with colds.   I feel bad for her because it took weeks for the colds to clear up at my house.    So, here's my preview.

And here's your download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ka22rrw0hht3nlp

Later this morning, head on over to Su's website and pick up her Qp"s.  Do stop for a moment to say thank you.  It is most appreciated. 

Now I have to check on the Mrs again before I pack up to go home.  Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Hugs,  Edna B.

OOPS - I Made A Faux Pas! (extra post)

December 9, 2012

I made a huge boo boo in my post.  So, to Judy in Australia, I apologize.  However, I do wish you some snow one day.  Earlier in the evening, I had been visiting at Sugarbutt Designs, and that is where the snow is.  Prior to posting on my blog this morning, I had just been to Judy's blog.  So because she was on my mind, I made the mistake in my post.  Again, I apologize Judy.  My little guy is older than yours, and he still loves the snow.

Hugs, Edna B.

Beautiful Amaryllis

December 9, 2012

Good morning.  It's only 5 a.m., but I've been busy.  The Mrs has been sundowning for quite a while now, so we don't really get many winks here any more.  Before the sundowning got so noticeable, we could usually get two or three hours of winks.  Of course, we have a monitor not far from our ear so that we can hear her. 

I just looked up sundowning on Google, and I've tagged a page that I think I shall email to one of her daughters so that they can learn a bit about it.  As the days go on, the Mrs gets more and more agitated and confused, and sleeps less and less during the night.  During the day, she naps on and off in her chair.  Most of the mishaps take place in the evening, during the night, and in the early morning.  So much for the glory of the golden years.

On to something more cheerful, how about some photos of the Mrs' beautiful Amaryllis?   At the moment, she has some that are a deep corally red, and some that are a deep mauve.  Aren't these gorgeous?

We just planted an Amaryllis a few days ago, so it will be a while before ours is big enough to bloom.  DIL Janet brought me a gorgeous fuschia Christmas Cactus a couple of weeks ago, and all the little buds on it will be blooming soon.  One blossom is already out and it is simply beautiful.  I shall have to take some photos of it to share with you.

Last night, after the Mrs was all tucked into bed, I was able to work on finishing up the new December collab kit which we will start posting tomorrow morning.  Gosh, it's turning out to be quite pretty.  But, that's all the hint I shall give you. 

My tree did not go up yesterday, and it will probably have to wait until Monday (tomorrow).  I was thinking that I would do it this morning when I get home, but now I think I need to go to bed after Pogo has his breakfast and get some sleep.  It will be another long night tonight.

I'm thinking that I'd like to check out Canon's newest point and shoot camera.  It has a 50x zoom, and might be a lot easier for me when I'm at work and when I travel.  I love my DSL, but sometimes it would be easier to leave it at home and carry a much lighter camera.  Hmmmm, I think I just might look into it this coming week.

Judy in Adelaide, Australia, has been wishing for snow for a while now, and late yesterday she finally got her wish.  Lots of snow for her and her little boy to play in and maybe build a big snowman.  Have fun, and please please do not send any of the snow my way.  lol.

Now I think I'll try to catch up on some of my emails while the Mrs is asleep.  Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Only Seventeen Days Till Christmas!

December 8, 2012

Good morning and welcome to my soggy little patch of New England.   You guessed!  It's raining.  This week, the weatherman is promising us four rainy days out of seven.  Well, I guess that's okay.  I went by a nearby reservoir, and the water level was down a bit.

I went through the "drive through" window at the bank yesterday, and put smiles on at least four people with my "Rudolph" car.  That makes the whole idea of the car costume worthwhile.  It's always good to make people smile. 

I'm not getting on a bandbox this morning, but oh boy, what a sticker shock I got at the post office.  Costs for mailing packages have increased 50 to 100 percent since last year's holiday mailings.  I know it's expensive and I plan for it, but wow!  Such a big increase!  The clerk did tell me to try to keep package weights under three pounds, and it would be much cheaper to ship.  Hmmm, food for next year's thought.

BUT, I feel so much better now that most everything has gone.  I have one box left to mail, but not until next week.  And, I have one gift left to buy.  That too, can wait till this upcoming week.  I have a couple of fruit baskets to make, but I like to do them very close to Christmas.

I moved things around a bit here, and got my table in place, ready for the Christmas tree.   So, depending on my schedule and how tired I am, the  tree will go up today or tomorrow.  Now it's time to get busy working on next Christmas!

 Today's photos are ones that I took a week or so ago when we had the snow.  I know some of you are hoping for snow, so these are for you.

My little munchkin, Pogo, loves curling up in fuzzy fleecy blankets.  I got him a blue plaid fleecy throw, and he immediately rumpled it all up and crawled into it for a nice little nap.  Here's my little guy enjoying his new blanket.

Now it's time for me to put on another cup of coffee and maybe think about running the vacuum around a bit.  Till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Here's Rudolph!

December 7, 2012

Good morning.  I'm at work, so this will probably be a short post.  It's looking pretty gray outside so far.  Somewhere though, the sun will be shining because there was a lot of pink mixed in with the gray clouds on my way here this morning.   I'll have to put on the weather channel to see what's in store for us today.

I have a cute photo to share this morning.  Yesterday Deanne and Eddie came by and outfitted my car with a Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer costume.  I haven't seen these before, but they are sort of cute.  At least you know it's me coming down the road.

I took the photo when I got here this morning.  See the antlers and the cute red nose?   Gosh, what will they think of next? 

There was an article in the newspaper a couple of days ago that really bothered me.  It said that parents who have a low income and long work hours tend to have children with problems such as obesity, teen pregnancy and high dropout rates.  Really?  I wonder just which neighborhoods and families were interviewed for this study.  To be honest, it's plain rubbish.

When my kids were growing up, we never got out of the poverty level income.  I worked two and three jobs whenever I had to to pay the bills.  BUT, my children were raised to take their education seriously, pay attention in school and do their homework.  They were taught morals and values.  None of them was obese or pregnant.  They were good kids, and I'm quite proud of them.

Folks, your income and job do not make fat, pregnant (girls) drop outs.  It's the values that a lot of parents do not teach their kids.  When you have a lot of kids with no morals and values, a lot of other kids tend to follow them.  I think instead of trying to find something or someone to place the blame on, parents (and communities) should take more responsibility for how their children turn out. 

When you pour a lot of money into your schools to give kids every advantage you can, you expect to see it reflected in your kids.  However, if the kids do not want to learn, or have been taught that they only have to do what they want to do, they will not learn no matter how much you give them.  You can only educate kids who want an education.

Again, this goes back to the homes where the kids live.  If the parents have no respect for morals, values, education and law, it stands to reason the kids won't either.  My daughter tells me that the cities and towns are eligible for more government money if they can come up with studies like this showing how needy they are, and how it is making their kids go bad.  Sad to say, this is true.

I will admit that even though a lot of parents do teach their children right from wrong and how to be responsible, sometimes it's not enough.  There is a lot of peer pressure and temptation for the kids to go wrong anyway.  But, that is only a small percent of the kids.  Our school graduation ceremonies still have lots of kids looking forward to a good future, so lots of parents are doing their best to teach their kids to become responsible adults.  I give these parents a lot of credit.

Okay, I'll get off my bandbox.  It's eight o'clock and the Mrs will be awake soon.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.

Yeahhhh, I Made It!

December 6, 2012

Brrrrrr!  Goodness it's cold out there!  I feel so bad for taking Pogo outside in this cold, but until he decides to use the potty patch it will have to be.  The good part is that the sun will be shining soon.  I can see it getting very bright behind the tree tops.  (7 a.m.)

Well, my packages got here yesterday and I was able to finish up my wrapping.  When Joe gets home from work later today, we will load up my car and head for the post office.  Yeahhhhhh!  So, to everyone who gets one of these boxes in the mail, Do Not Open Till Christmas!

One of the things that I made for Christmas gifts is note cards featuring some of my favorite photos or photo art.  I have to say that I am quite pleased at how they look.  Here's an assortment of  the first batch.

My calendars came out pretty good too, because I have orders to sell two of them.  Hmmmm, I've never thought of selling them before, but at least that tells me that they look okay.

Janet came by after work yesterday, and we had a nice relaxing visit and supper.  Later, I was able to sit at the laptop and do a bit of designing.   I feel pretty good now.  There is just one gift left to buy, along with a couple of gift cards.  Tomorrow, once the bulk of the bags and boxes are out of here, I will be able to put up my tree.  Now if only the housekeeping fairy would drop by and do her magic!

I'm thinking that I have to take Pogo shopping for a new coat already.  That one pound that he put on has made his winter coat feel a bit too tight.  I will look again to see if they have tiny boots that will fit him, but I don't really know if that will help.  He does not like walking in the rain and snow, but then again, I think maybe the boots would just hinder him.

Well, now it's time to settle in with a hot cup of coffee and catch up on my blog reading.  Till tomorrow, Y'all have a fabulous day.

Hugs, Edna B. 

A Big Temperature Drop Today

December 5, 2012

Ah, good morning.  Today is supposed to be another great day before the cold temps smack us in the face again.  Pogo and I just came in from outside, and it is warm and wet.  It's 57 degrees F with light rain.  Along with rain on and off this afternoon, the temps will drop to the mid 40's, and then tonight they will drop to the mid 20's.  Brrrr.

I really shouldn't complain because Winter is officially only 16 days away.  But then, Spring is only about 106 days away too!  I guess putting it that way, it's easier to get through the Winter months.

Today my packages are supposed to arrive.  I am all set to get these goodies wrapped and into their respective boxes.  Joe (dwarf) says he will go to the post office with me to help carry the boxes.  I'm hoping to do this tomorrow or Friday. 

I'm hoping to get to designing later today.  I have a few projects on my laptop that are wanting to be finished.  One of these days, I need to get back to my photo class lessons.  I was doing so good with them before they dwindled away and stopped.  By the time they started up again, my interest had waned, so now it is a chore to get back to them.  I would think that teachers would be aware of this sort of thing, and keep breaks between classes to a minimum.

How about a couple of warm photos?  I took the Tufted Titmouse a few days ago at work.  The second photo is the view out my car window as I sat in the Drive Thru line at McDonalds this past Monday morning.  On my way home from work (mornings) I stop to get breakfast and coffee for Pogo's sitter.  I took this photo because this is not the normal view for December that I grew up with.

See that sign for Newman's Own coffee?  Let me tell you that this is pretty good coffee, either hot or iced.  See all that green grass?  We never used to have green grass everywhere in December when I was younger.  Hmmmm,  big changes coming?

Well, now I'm going to make a cup of coffee, and whip up some breakfast for Pogo and me.  This morning we (Pogo) are going to try some of Newman's Own organic doggie food.  Me, I think I'll have Raisin Bran cereal.  Mmmm, sounds good.  So, till tomorrow, Y'all have a wonderful day.

Hugs, Edna B.