Vacation

I don't like to post pictures of my nieces and nephews faces on here, so the following is just little bits and pieces of my vacation, in pictures...

Walking with my Bro-in-law and nephew to pick up my niece from school

With my brothers and sisters in law enjoying a local donut shop

Putting together a puzzle of my brothers face

Endorsing a glue stick at my niece's preschool

My brother eating a cricket

Central Market

My fried food extravaganza at market...it includes fried pickles!!!!

Salvation Army waiting line on half price day.  Ridiculous.

My kit from US Airways for inconviencing me...the "Apology card - Made in China" made me laugh.

Some crafty things I made....a superhero set for my my nephew

A skirt for my niece...using this super easy pattern

A travel art case for my niece that I pieced together after looking at multitudes of ideas and tutorials online. 

The art case opened up in 3 sections...a zipper pocket, a pencil pocket, and a paper pocket.

Probably my favorite picture from my whole vacation...my nephew demonstrating his super hero set.

I read a blog post today that explains my vacationing perfectly.  Read it if you want some insight. 

Trying to put some plans together with friends for tonight.  Hoping it will be a relaxing evening at someone's home (preferably mine!!!!)

Back to work in 3 days.  Oi.  Don't think I'm ready yet.

The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.
~ Dodie Smith

Return

Back home after a whirlwind 10 days on the east coast.  Sad to leave, but happy to be back.  Vacation pictures to be posted at a later date...

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.

~ Erma Bombeck

O Christmas Shoes!

Celebrating a 30th birthday with a friend as I'll be missing her actual birthday on my vacation...

We spent a couple hours at the gym and rewarded ourselves with high calorie food and wearing fabulous shoes. :)

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
~ Dr Seuss

O Christmas Dog Hair

In case any of you get a present with an overwhelming amount of dog hair on it....

It looks like he doesn't have a tail because its wagging that fast...

I apologize in advance.  This is what happens when I leave my project on the floor in search of pins.

Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live. ~ Dennis Miller

O Christmas Sun

We've been having fairly beautiful weather for the PNW.  In the 30's or 40s every day and not raining.  Not necessarily sunny, but NOT RAINY. 

Atticus has been exploring every corner of the yard and often doesn't want to come inside when its time.

I took these 2 days ago from the kitchen window without his permission...

Last night Atticus gave me a good scare...I had left him outside while I took my shower and got ready to go out and when I called for him, he didn't come inside.  I went to look for him and saw that the roofer who had been here just hours before never closed and locked the gate (like he found it!!!!!) after he left.  So, Atticus was in the great unknown - new neighborhood, new street, new smells, etc and had been gone for at least 20 minutes.  Pretty much fighting back panic, I stood in the front yard and whistled, and heard him in my neighbors yard - he found his way in but couldn't find his way out.  Long story short, I rescued him and in the process met my super nice neighbors on the left side of me.  So very thankful #1 - for my neighbors, and #2 - that I guess Atticus is old enough and wise enough and maybe I taught him well enough to not wander too far. 

Whew.

Now I need to get seriously sewing - went on a shopping spree at Joanns yesterday - before I spend the night at the gym tonight.  Well, not the night, but a serious part of my evening. 

No matter how carefully you stored the lights last year, they will be snarled again this Christmas.

~ Robert Kirby

O Christmas needles and pins

The sewing frenzy has started. In between long 6 hour naps.

So far I've ruined about 10 pins due to the fact I like to sew over them whenever possible. 

Only a couple have made the ultimate sacrifice - speared in half and stuffed into where my bobbin sits. 

This used to be one piece with a little red topper on one end...

So far I've found them all...I need to start being more careful though....

Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas. ~ Johnny Carson

O Christmas Vacation!!!

Finally finally finally finally finally on vacation.  Too happy and exhausted to complain about my week.  Just happy to be gone from work for the next 3+ weeks. 

Atticus and I celebrated our morning by playing with tennis balls and a santa hat...

I turn my back for one minute....

There is a remarkable breakdown of taste and intelligence at Christmastime. Mature, responsible grown men wear neckties made of holly leaves and drink alcoholic beverages with raw egg yolks and cottage cheese in them.
~ P.J. O'Rourke