Snow in Vancouver

Frosso sent me these photos of the snow that has been falling in Vancouver.

Her little dog Sasha loves it, and it sure makes everything look fabulous...

Keep on shovelling dear Fro, while we bask under just slightly over-cast skies!!

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Additional news:

Cindy got her wrist/arm cast off yesterday so she is one happy CHICK. Can't wait until she has all the range of motion back so she can get back to crafting!!

My new banner today was made with Cindy in mind!!!

Alanna's quilts for Orphans..

Check out Alanna's blog

Alanna's Orphans : http://alannaorphans.blogspot.com/

Alanna and I met in Nelson where we both had a B&B...She was crafty and so was I..that lead to a friendship over the past 10 years or so.

She now divides here time in Kuwait and here in AZ...She is trying to get 95 quilts made to deliver one to each of the orphans that she has met...check out her blog and if any one wants to help or contribute a quilt, please get in touch with her.

She sent me a photos of these quilts this morning while we were chatting on line..

Australia...The Movie

Jim and I went to see Australia last night, and it was wonderful!! An epic filled with love, longing and such breathtaking landscapes...well worth the nearly 3 hours!!

Definitely a country worth going to..it is on our list!!!

Shane and Laurie are will have some good times showing us around when we finally get there.

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Australia is an epic and romantic action adventure, set in that country on the explosive brink of World War II. In it, an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) travels to the faraway continent, where she meets a rough-hewn local (Hugh Jackman) and reluctantly agrees to join forces with him to save the land she inherited. Together, they embark upon a transforming journey across hundreds of miles of the world's most beautiful yet unforgiving terrain, only to still face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor.

My Mittens...

Just cut out a mitten shape, add embellishments, and glue a clothes pin to the back...I used the small clothes as had them already and the mittens are quite small!!

Totally fun and easy to make.

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Good news to share: Cindy gets her wrist cast off on Thursday.

She will be baking cookies by Friday I am sure!!

Mittens....

From Martha Stewart

These mittens won't warm chilled hands, but they will generate good cheer when clipped to gift tags. Cut a mitten shape from cardboard, and trace it onto a piece of felt. Cut along the lines, and glue the felt to the cardboard with clear-drying white craft glue. Adorn the felt side of the mitten with bits of felt in complementary colors -- dots made with a hole punch, a monogram, felt trim edged with decorative shears, or a Christmas tree cut out with a decorative craft punch. Glue a standard wooden clothespin to cardboard, then glue a magnet to the back of the clothespin. After the gifts have been opened, use your mittens to display greeting cards on the refrigerator.

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I will post the ones I made later on today.

I thnk they will make a cute addition to any small gift.

Cool here again today, have to wear a vest inside the house!!

Imagine that.

Winter golf attire...

My brother Heinz in his winter "snow attire" waiting for the next 12 days when they can leave Williams Lake to come south to the Sun and golf!!

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Marlene and Heinz's snowy but beautiful house.

Only 11 more sleeps and they will be on their way in "Brutus" their Motorhome to join the group down here for 6 weeks!!

Christmas Party...

Jimmy and I heading out last night to our Solera community Christmas Party.

Postcards from the Edge...

As found on e-bay...

Advent Calendar finished!!

It was a lot of fun and now it is done and up...just in time!!!

Work in progress

Working on an Advent calendar, (better hurry, eh?) on a bulletin board.

Work in progress...

Supplies all over the guest bedroom. Ev and Richard aren't coming back until the 22,

so I am in luck...

Hopefully I will get this finished tonight and have it up!!!

This is such a fun project to make as each tag is handmade. I will post the final product tomorrow.

Tuscon...

The start of our excellent adventure, on the Pinal Pioneer Hwy from Queen Creek to Tuscon, about 1 hour and 15 mins.

Many many Mexico pots...took this one for you Cindy!!!

Jimmy and the girles checking out the desert!

Great colors on all these pots

We had a lovely sunny day and lunch at El Charro Restaurant. It is an authentic Mexican place where the locals go and it has been there since 1922. Love Mexican food...It was great to be part of this vast desert known as the Cactus Forest.

Felted pincushion cupcakes

I brought down some of my felted sweaters to make into new cupcakes, and these are the ones I made yesterday. I am very happy with how they turned out and will put them on a clear glass cake stand.

I am all out of wool, so will need to make a trip to the Sally Ann to find more sweaters to felt. I will be giving these away at Christmas as they are really pincushions and adding a small sewing kit.

A lovely homemade gift.

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We are off for an excellent adventure today, my Jimmy, the "girlies" and I to Tuscon.

I am scoping some new places to take Cindy and Christa when they come down, really, it is an R&D kind of trip!!! I will take lots of photos and share what I have found. It is very windy and quite cool here so a perfect day to have fun!

So my Cindy with your wrist still in a cast, this one is for you.

Christa, I hope you will be able to fly down sometime this spring as well.

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Golf Cart Parade...

Our Cart with lights! I was all bundled up as it gets really cold here at night, especially driving around in the cart.

Santa's cart...

Houses all dressed up!!

Faster than a speeding golf cart!!
We had 26 carts, all decorated and it took almost 1& 1/2 hours to drive thru the complex. People were sitting outside, clapping as we drove by.

After we did the drive, we had a wonderful desert social put on by the ladies and $800.00 was collected for a food bank.

Next year we will have more carts and brighter decorations.

Congratulations...

Congratulations to Carmen and Brad (Jim's son) on their engagement today.

We are so happy for the both of you!

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Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

~Robert Heinlein

@ Shannon's Garden

It was a beautiful sunny and a bit windy day up at Shannon's.

I spent the night at her place and we had fun going to a couple of garden centres and bringing home a few more plants to add to the beauty of her desert garden landscape.

Evey time I am with her, I am inspired to continue to plant and learn more about this wonderful Arizona desert and the plants that grow here.

Thank you Shannon for the warmth, love and special friendship that we share.

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In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

~Albert Schweitzer

500th post!!!

Jim practising at our driving range.

The practice green.

The golf swing!!!

Ev and Richard leave today to fly to visit our brother Werner in Cabo...for nearly 3 weeks. I am dropping them off at the airport then heading to see Shannon in Scottsdale..Jim and the dogs will have 2 days of quiet....

Happy birthday to Lisa today, Brad yesterday, and it would of been our Dad's 85 birthday yesterday..

Pottery Barn Seminar..

Pottery Barn puts on a couple of decorating seminars a month and we try to go and learn some new decorating tricks and have a day out...always a good time with lunch after with the girls.

Happy Birthday, Christa

Here she is, my buddy Christa. Today is her birthday and she is up in Edson,Alberta enjoying her time with 3 of her 4 grandbabies...I miss you and hope you have such a wonderful day filled with all kinds of grandbaby kisses.

Happy birtday, dear friend!!!

Good-bye Deane...

In Loving memory of Deane Williams.

April 26, 1941 - November 19, 2008.

Loving husband to my dear friend Layne. He will be deeply missed.

Our love and sympathy go out to you and your family.

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Life begins whan a person first realizes how soon it will end.

Marcelene Cox.