Day 364 [S.A.M.]

Today the husband and I ventured into the city for a visit to SAM.

That's the Seattle Art Museum.

They are hosting a special exhibition of Picasso!

The first ever exhibit of Picasso in the US! 

It was quite something to take in...this is all work that is usually housed in the Musee National Picasso in Paris, which is currently under renovation. 

There is no photos allowed of the Picasso exhibit, but some were allowed in the main area of the museum.  

This particular piece is amazing!

It's made of 40,000 military dog tags.

Just stunning to see in real life.  Takes your breath away.

We had a lovely day taking in the art at the museum, strolling around the city, having dinner and then a hot drink after seeing the Picasso. 

Our last date for 2010 = a good one!

Day 363 [White Blanket]

This morning we arose to this.

We were expecting it, as they discussed it on the news last night.

Just more then a dusting.

Enough to make everything look pretty for a few hours, but it certainly makes for not ideal running conditions!  We are hopeful that the sun will melt it on the sidewalks and it will warm up enough for us to make it out for a run today.

Day 362 [Movie Date]

Yes, another picture of paper!

Honestly, the camera has been sitting the past few days as the days have been less then exciting.

Today was spent trading out cable boxes and modems, hooking up the new ones and undecorating Christmas.  We went for a run in the afternoon, our first in 4 days!  Talk about feeling sluggish!

Bailey had a sleep over at a friends, so we headed to the movies.

We attempted to see this on Christmas Day, but because I took too long making my hair look pretty, we missed the start time and bagged it that day.

We were delighted to find out that Tuesday is $1 small popcorn night at our movie theater....$2 if you upgrade to the bucket.  We stuck with the small...that really is more then enough for 2 people!

We really enjoyed The Tourist.

Made for an enjoyable evening out.

Day 361 [Lunch Date]

Michel and I headed out to meet a friend and his little girl for lunch today.

I failed to bring my camera out! Boo Hoo!

We enjoyed a good lunch with them at Claim Jumper, even though our waitress was less then chipper.

After lunch Michel and I headed over to Barnes & Noble for a stroll through the book aisles, then decided to 'pop in' over to the mall for a quick look.

NOT a quick pop in or quick look!  Parking was a nightmare! 

We really should have just left when finding a parking spot proved to be difficult, but no, we had to be victorious.  Once we got in the mall it wasn't too bad, but there was nothing of desire to purchase.

So after about 30 minutes of looking around we left, empty handed, and headed for home.

Day 360 [Friendly Competition]

The day after Christmas we had some friends over for a visit.

Chris and Stanley are two of Michel's childhood friends.

When they get together they revert back to those boyhood days and play video games.

It's cut throat, smack talking, competitive play!

We are talking serious business!

It's always a good laugh for Laura and I to take in this boyish sight.

Good times!

Day 359 [For REAL]

As I was about to post this picture as Day 360, I started to realize that my calculation was off! 

I went back and realized my mistake dates back to day 187....if you look, you will not find day 187!  I went from 186 to 188...so I've been off since July!

Anyway....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Today's post is about the BEST gift!

This is a gift that was not purchased in a store for me, rather a gift that came way of my Mother's china cabinet.  My Mom's Mother, my Grandma Severson, passed away when I was 10 years old.  I have very fond memories of the short time I was able to know her. 

One of my most vivid memories is of the day, not long before her passing, that she bought out a tea cup in her kitchen, showed it to me and said that it was mine.  Her Mother had given it to her on her 9th birthday (i don't recall if is was purchased new for my Grandmother or not)  and she wanted me, her eldest Granddaughter, to have this tea cup.  Her hope was that one day I would pass it down to my Granddaughter.

She told me that she would give the tea cup to my Mother to keep for me until I was grown.

It has remained in my Mother's china cabinet since that day, 30 years ago.

I have requested my tea cup many times since I have been married, but left sad and frustrated when I was told not until I had a china cabinet to house it in.

Since I have no need for nor plans to purchase said cabinet, I've been left without my beloved tea cup.

I requested the cup at Thanksgiving but left empty handed.

Last night, during gift exchange with my family, there was one box that was unmarked.  My Mom said it was for me, but it was not a present.  Confused and intrigued, it was the first item I opened. 

Inside was a note from my Mother, which brought me to tears, explaining why she had kept the cup for so long, due to her being very close to her Mother and having a hard time letting go.  She was sorry for keeping it from me for so long. 

This was by far the most touching and best gift I received last night.

I will be soon looking for a case for my tea cup so I can safely display it in my house.



Day 359 [Peace Be With You]

On this Eve of the birth of Jesus, I wish you a Joyous Day.

Day 358 [Ho! Ho! Ho!]

I have been looking for some fun little treat to make up for Christmas, like I did for Thanksgiving, and was coming up empty handed.  That all ended yesterday when I was looking at a friend's photo album on Facebook of her cookie party.  When I saw these little guys I knew I had to make them! 

How stinkin cute are they!?!?

SO easy too!  Nutter Butter cookie, tube of white frosting (for the 'glue'), pretzel antlers, chocolate chip eyes and an M&M nose.

Bailey and I worked together on these and had them done in about 10 minutes.

Fast, easy and CUTE!

I plan to package a few up for my nephewn to take home tonight to leave out for Santa. 

Day 357 [Classy Dining]

After a long day of shopping...I did all the holiday food and present shopping today!

Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

Michel took me out for dinner.

He wanted to go someplace different then our usual choices, so he chose the roadhouse in the next town over.  They have good food and the environment is very casual.

So casual in fact, there are peanuts on the bare wood floors.

I looked down during dinner and saw under our table the sight of this reciept, fork and peanuts.

I, quite honestly, couldn't have created a better picture to capture the place!

Since my camera goes everywhere I do, I pulled it out and got to snapping! 

Day 356 [Sugar Rush]

Today I picked up my little buddy and spent the day with him.

We baked and decorated cookies.

He did his fair share of finger licking the frosting off his digits.

We talked and talked, played SpongeBob Monopoly, had lunch, shopped for Legos and then said goodbye.

It was a fantastic day with my buddy!

Day 355 [Dreamy]

It's not quite as good as I was hoping for, but with practice I'll get it right.

I love the dreamy effect of the twinkle lights out of focus. 

Day 354 [Pretties]

I'm working on two albums for a client.

She has two kids, a boy and a girl.

I've been moving right along with what she's requested for their books and today I was so happy with this layout I made for her daughter.  I added some stickles to the center of this flower and glossy accented the rest of it.  I'm looking forward to see how it looks tomorrow after it's dried overnight.



Day 353 [Tree Debris]

This picture sums up the aftermath of the wind storm we had last night.

We have had a lot of windy/stormy nights this winter, but last night's was one of the worst!

It gusted winds all night, no rain, just wind.

The noise kept me from getting a good night's sleep...which makes for a grumpy lady in the morning.

We were a bit shocked by all the tree debris, missing for sale signs from their posts, and downed fence panels around the neighborhood.

Thankfully we never lost power!  We live a stones throw to the lake, according to all the patrons in Starbucks this morning, who live on or around the lake, we are lucky.  There were several trees laying on power lines on the roads around the lake and no power was to be had.

Day 352 [Sofa Effect]

Same sofa, different kid, different day, same effect! 

This boy was tuckered out this evening and fell asleep while watching the Jingle Ball on TV.

I do find it endearing, even as a teenager, there's still that sweet innocence when they sleep.

Day 351 [Sleepy Doll Baby]

Little Morgan came by for a visit today while her mommy had an appointment.

She had fallen asleep on the way over, so her mommy told me she may take a snooze if I set her up on the sofa.  After snacking on her orange and playing for a bit, I set her and her dolly up on the sofa with Nick Jr. on the TV.  5 minutes later, this was the scene. 

I love her little girl hands, her bright eyed baby doll and how peacefully she slept there, just like that!

Day 350 [Running Crew]

We've been at it for over four months and I'm so proud of the fact that we've stuck with it!

It's not easy some nights...with the cold, wet and dark, but we push on and get a run in.

We average 3-4 nights a week.



Day 349 [U-G-L-Y]

Took this one on my way home from a quick trip to Costco and the bank.

It was one ugly errand run.

The weather has been unruly at best since November.

We had high winds, loads of rain, thunder and lightening last night.

I was awoken by the sound of debris hitting the house then laid awake fearing the tall fir tree in the neighbors yard would end up in my house.  Thankfully we woke up with everything in it's place.

The rain was gone by run time tonight, just the wind remained and that left for a rather slow run into the wind. 

Day 348 [Peek-A-Boo]

It was a low key Monday filled with Lifetime movies and laundry.

I rather enjoyed the downtime and quiet, while my boys were at school and work.

With all the activities the season brings, it's nice to take time to be still for a day.

Day 347 [Friendship]

Today I went over to my friend's house to scrapbook.

It's been a while...too long, since we last got together.

We had lots and lots to catch up on.

creativity, sharing, chatting and friendship.

That's all the makings for a good day.

Day 346 [Cookie Exchange]

Today I co-hosted a cookie exchange party with a friend.

These are always a fun holiday event.

Everyone makes a favorite cookie or treat and brings enough for everyone to take some home along with the recipe.  I made some Buckeye Balls and put them in some bags that I topped with these cute toppers I made.  All the recipes from this party are new to me, so I'm excited to give them all a try! 

Day 345 [Freebies!]

We love a freebie and this one was a good one! =)

Michel had the day off today so we used the bogo card I got from one of *my* barista's to kick start his day off.  We also have two Sweet 15 free drink cards that arrived in the mail yesterday to use for a fine start to our weekend.  Freebies everywhere!  We LOVE it!

Day 344 [Candy Making]

Today was a day spent doing household chores and a little holiday candy making.

I chose to do Buckeye Balls, a delicious peanut butter/powdered sugar/butter & vanilla 'dough' rolled into balls then dipped in chocolate.  They are absolutely devine and full of fat!

I also decided to dust off an old recipe of mine, Almond Roca.

When I went to make it I realized when I typed out the recipe a few years ago I left off the sugar in the ingredients.  So, not knowing how much sugar I needed I had to go in search of the original handwritten recipe.  Thankfully it was still in the box I had stashed on an uppershelf in the recipe cupboard.

The second layer of chocolate is currently setting up in the fridge, while my husband waits somewhat patiently for his chance to nibble on some.

Day 343 [Double Delight]

We broke in the new (back up) Jonathan Adler cup tonight.

I was hankering for a hot chocolate and decided to mix one up for myself.

Low and behold, my guy said, Hey, I would like one too!

So I broke out the cup in waiting and got to mixing.

I made his extra special with extra whip and Chocolate Jimmies.

It's the simple things in life.

Day 342 [Little Guest]

Today I got to spend some time with Morgan.

She's little Jarod's cousin and while her Mommy was at an appointment I got to play with her.

We had lots of fun playing with her toys, petting the kitty and looking at the ornaments on the tree.

She is such a sweet, tender hearted little girl.

Looking forward to getting to hang out with her again next week!

Day 341 [Commissioned Project]

Today I started on a project requested by a barista at my Starbucks.

She mentioned back in October that she would be interested in hiring me to make scrapbooks for her two kids.  I thought about it for a few weeks before I told her I would be interested.

We met up last week to discuss the details.

She wants a book for each child, nothing fancy, really a blend of an old school scrapbook with a bit of the flair newer generation scrapbooks have, without getting too artsy.

She wants it to span about 10 years of her kids' lives, a place to document their school years, which is what I started on today.  She wants it simple so she can just slap a few photos in whenever she has a moment, maybe write a note, include some of the kids' art work, ticket stubs to fun outings, etc.

I'm so excited to create something for her that she would otherwise never have.

Stay tuned for how the albums turn out!

Day 340 [Gift Me!]

This pretty little one turned 7 on the 30th.

I have not been able to get over to her house to give her the little mini album I made her for her birthday until today.  She was excited to see me and couldn't wait to see the album she got to add to her collection today.

I was happy to get over there today....her delight was worth the visit.

Day 339 [Commuter Art]

We went into the center of our little town for the tree lighting and holiday festivites.

We parked near the commuter train station and passed by some of the art that lines the street there.

I have always loved the metal art work scattered around the train station.

I took the opportunity to capture some while we were on our way back to the car.

Day 338 [Snowflake Lane]

Tonight we took a road trip up to Bellevue for the show on Snowflake Lane, just outside the mall.

They have it lit up beautifully, at 7 o'clock the holiday music starts and out come the drummer boys.

I assume they are local high school boys and they are amazing with their drumming skills.  It was a real treat to watch them.  We got a front row view of two of them in the area we were standing.

One of the boys really ate up the spot light, hamming it up and putting on a fantastic performance.

We saw the Snow Queen in her pretty white dress, a penguin, mouse, and reindeer.

During the music it SNOWS!  The expression on the little kids faces was priceless.  Makes me miss having a little wee one.

The 'snow' is really bubbles....but somehow it looks like real snow. 

A fantastically fun family evening!

Day 337 [I Drool For You]

If you pet her, she will drool!

She loves to be pet, she will show her appreciation by purring loudly and drooling all over you.

Her fur is so long it just drips off in strings.

Don't you love her little tongue peeking out?

This always makes me giggle.

Day 336 [Dinner Guest]

My baby girl came for dinner tonight!

Makes my heart happy to have both my kids at the dinner table.

It's been too long since we've all dined, just the 4 of us.

A nice treat for middle of the week.

We talked for hours after dinner, such a lovely way to spend the evening.

Day 335 [Christmas Cards]

Last day of November...WOW!

Special Happy Birthday shout out to my uber fabulous Goddaughter!

Happy Birthday Kennedy!  Love you!

Today I got the last of the Christmas cards addressed, stamped and mailed out.

I'm super happy with how great they turned out and I must say...I LOVE Costco!

With my $5 off coupon, I purchased 100 cards, with envelopes, for under $24!

Love

Day 334 [Tree Trimming]

My boys decided to give me full rein of decorating the Christmas Tree this year!

What fun!

Since neither of them had an interest I took the time today while they were at work/school to make the bare tree beautiful.

I long to do a theme tree and a second tree with our collection of ornaments over the years, but for now I will stick to the one tree.  I sort of meshed the two styles together. 

I used the red/gold balls I bought last year that graced our staircase railing and used them on the tree along with a careful selection from our collection of ornaments.

It was really enjoyable to have full control of tree trimming this year.

I'm sure this will be a new tradition *smile*

Day 333 [Macy's Star]

Part 3 of our Friday festivities.

The final event of the night was the lighting of the Macy's Star.

It was very cool how they did it.  It started with the top of the star being lit first, then it fanned out until the long bottom tail was lit.

At that point the fireworks started to end the show.

We had a perfect position on the street to take in this event.

We were as close at you could get to the Macy's store, right at the baracade, dead center in the street.

It was awesome!  We had great view of the tree and primo view of the star.

Just as the fireworks began, so did the rain.

We were more then happy to head to the car and make our way home for some hot dinner.

The rest of the weekend was enjoyable as well.

Saturday we had dinner at my Mother In Law's house, afterwhich we stopped in for a quick visit with our friends, the Rosemonds.  It was a late night.

Sunday was a bit of a relaxing day.

I started the holiday decorating process, Michel and I went for a run (our first in 9 days, due to the snow and holiday) while Bailey met up with some friends at the mall and took in a movie.

Now my boys are settling into the bed to start their work/school weeks.

Tomorrow I will be getting the decorations on the tree...neither of the boys really has any interest in doing it, so I will crank the Christmas music and spread holiday cheer around my house, while doing laundry and other Monday chores!

Day 332 [Westlake Tree Lighting]

Maybe it's cheating, but I'm going with it.

I am taking a break from the camera for today and tomorrow to post about out family day out.

The tree lighting at Westlake Center was fun to take in on Friday.

It's something we have always wanted to do and I'm happy that we made the commitment to do it.

I got this shot of the tree after the festivities were over and we were making our way through the crowd to our car.  We had to pass by the tree so I was able to get a closer shot then from where we were standing.

The lighting itself was fun.  It took a while for them to get to it, with all the festive musical acts they had prior to the lighting.

We were just happy when the time finally came as it started to rain as soon as the Macy's Star was lit!

More on that for tomorrow's post...

Day 331 [Family Day Out]

We made Friday a Family Day Out.

Too bad our adult daughter was working and unable to join us.

We went into the city, Seattle, to take in the holiday festivities.

Parked near Westlake Center, walked down to Zeek's near the Space Needle for a delicious pizza lunch.

Walked back to the shopping district to mosey in and out of the shops filled with holiday shoppers.

Took a good long break in a Starbucks enjoying a hot beverage and watching the people walk by on the street.  Took our son to see the amazing building that houses the library downtown.

Stopped in at Borders for some leisurely browsing.

We then headed to the street to stake our claim on a primo position to take in the lighting of the holiday tree and Macy's star.

More to come tomorrow....

Day 330 [Turkey Day]

Turkey Dinner Day has arrived!

YUM YUM!!!

Today is a day we reflect on all we are thankful for in our lives, spend time with our loved ones, eat way too much food and just be together.

I'm thankful for a very blessed life.

We traveled to my parent's house for a delicious dinner.

We enjoyed a friendly game of Mexican train dominos after dinner.

The boys (cousins) played some kid games together then setteled in to watch a movie together.

It was a thankful and enjoyable turkey day!



Day 329 [Fall/Winter]

It's fall with winter weather!

We are still in a deep freeze here.

Snow is covering everything and now the remainder of fall is falling on top of winter.

Day 328 [Gobble, Gobble]

Since I'm snowed in today, I made up these little guys.

When I saw them on this blog I knew I had to make some up for the pilgrims on Thanksgiving!

They turned out so cute and were the perfect little project to do while watching tv on this otherwise homebound day.

You still have time to make some up for the pilgrims in your life! ;)

Day 327 [Seeing Red]

The beauty of a gift!

I saw this ceramic cup at 'my' Starbucks store last week.

I didn't buy since I have a daughter who works for Starbucks, I requested she pick one up for me....may as well make good use of her discount! ;)

She told me no problem, they had 20 or more at her store.

She had the next day off and when she went to work the day later all that were in her store were scooped up and purchased by a single lady.  Not that I blame her...just look at that beauty!

Bummer for me.

So I posted to Facebook my desire for this cup...my daughter was on the hunt.

I have GREAT friends...seriously, great!

Many texted me, commented on my FB post, etc., asking if I had gotten the cup.

When my friend Mary texted if I found one, I sadly had not, she promptly told me she found 2 at her Starbucks and bought them!  She brought it by my house today, snow day and all!

She wouldn't let me pay her for it either!

Thanks Mary! 

You are so sweet to remember me during your Starbucks run and even sweeter for making my day brighter!  I will enjoy my new cup for a long time with sweet hot drinks! 

Day 326 [First Snow Of The Season]

Today we are getting our first taste of snowflakes for this season.

El Nina seems to be showing she will be giving us quite a winter here in the PNW.

It's been snowing since I took this picture late this afternoon and isn't showing any signs for stopping.

I'm curious to what the morning will bring.  

Day 325 [Mt. Si]

The man and I took a little drive to the foothills today.

Our destination was the outlet mall in North Bend.

This was the view from the parking lot.

I believe that's Mt. Si, but I may be wrong.

In any event, the views of the hills from there are amazing!

It was cold today and the mountains have all gotten snow, enough to open the ski resorts...before Thanksgiving!  Not a common event in these parts.

We headed into downtown Seattle after this for a day of browsing in the stores and just being together.

I 'heart' days like these.

Day 324 [A Little Texture]

A texture shot of a large vase I have in my foyer.



Day 323 [Hairy Situation]

He got his haircut last night.

There's not as much hair to cut these days.

Seems to be less and less each visit to the chair!

He would like to just shave it, I'm not quite ready for that.

The good husband he is, he keeps what hair he does have, for me!

After his cut, he commented that it seems his hair is more grey then brown these days.

I didn't have the heart to tell him, it's been that way for a while!

Day 322 [Ariport Pickup]

I picked up a wonderful package at the airport today.

My husband!

He was gone for two nights and I'm happy to have him back.

He was down in L.A. for business.  Too bad for him, he had to leave the sunny 75* weather to come home to 45* rain and wind....with a potential chance for snow this weekend.  

While he was away I had to endure a wind storm that left me a bit on edge all by myself...well, I did have the 15 year old here, but he's not much comfort at night. 

I will be resting much better this evening with my love next to me.

Day 321 [Starbucks Peppermint Brownie]

This morning, while waiting in line to order my morning Starbucks, my eye happened upon a delictible treat in the case.  The Peppermint Brownie has returned to Starbucks for this fine holiday season!

One just had to come home with me, so I ordered one up!

I must say, it's delicious and I have absolutely no guilt over enjoying this treat as much as I did! 

I will have to limit my desire to devour too many of these this holiday season, but I figure a few between now and Christmas can't hurt! 

Day 320 [Stormy Night]

Sitting in the family last night I was listening with fright to the sound of objects pelting my house!

I was fearful that I would hear the sound of shattering glass, especially on the garden window, but thankfully we made it through the evening with all windows in tact!

At one point in the evening, there was a sound against the house so loud I had to see what it was.

Sitting there on the patio, narrowly missing the garden window was that large tree limb.

The backyard looks like a war zone this morning, but on the upside, all the fence panels are still in the upright position!

Day 319 [December Daily]

I took my freshly purchased number spots and got busy finishing up the bones to my December Daily book for 2010.

Last year I did a December Daily using recycled old holiday cards for my base.

I then added photos for each day and a quick jot of my thoughts for that day.

It's very similar to my photo a day album, just on a much smaller scale and made into a mini album versus and larger album.

I'm happy with how the bones of this book have worked out, I'll add the link to all the pages once I get pictures taken and it uploaded.  Likely a project for tomorrow.

Day 318 [Handmade Goods]

Last night I went to a fun event.

It was a holiday ladies night that offered food, conversation, and if we so desired some handmade goods for purchase.  My good friend E was there with her deliciously wonderful paper crafts.  She offers most of them on her Etsy shop...you should check it out! 

I walked away with some terrific number spots and chipboard tree cutouts for my December Daily book.

I also couldn't leave without this devinely knitted scarf with the fun felt flower pin, made by the most gracious hostess...Sally.  She's working on getting an Etsy shop up and running. 

Handmade goods = Love!

Day 317 [MIA Returns]

MIA is not her name, she's been Missing In Action the past week plus.

This cat has more lives then any other cat we have ever owned!

She's like the energizer bunny.

Years ago, when she was just a 2 year old cat, she disappeared for more then 3 months.

Her disappearance came shortly after her sister disappeared by what we assume was from the coyotes.

We figured she met the same fate.

Then, one day while my husband was mowing the front lawn, 3 months after we'd last seen her, he saw her going around the back of the neighbors house across the street.  They had moved out several months before so the house was empty.  Michel followed where she went, they had a pet door leading to the garage, the door was unlocked and sure enough, that's where she'd been all this time!  There were plenty of mice in the fields around our house to keep her fed. 

She never disappeared again for any length of time after that, until over a week ago. 

She hadn't been at the back door for breakfast or dinner for over a week, so we figured her 12 year life had come to an end.  She hasn't spent anytime in the house for the past 2 years, not by our choice.

She just prefers to be outside and so we let her be.

Tonight, our son was heading upstairs when he looked out the window and saw her running down the street.  He hollered, There's TOM!  busted out the front door and went after her.  I followed and sure enough, there she was.  Meowing her head off but not wanting to come near us.  I finally got her to get close, picked her up and brought her in the house.  Fed her some food, which she ate up in a hurry, then promptly headed to the door and cried to be let out! 

So, she's back to the great outdoors.  We only hope to see her in the morning for breakfast.

Day 316 [Fall Morning Sky]

It was quite honestly a gorgeous fall morning.

Hard to believe that the beginning of today looked like this considering how it looks now.

Dark and wet!

I was heading up for my morning Starbucks when I had to dig my camera out of my bag to capture the sky.

It took my breath away.

I love how those white clouds just skim across the sky like that.