oh my...thanksgiving

my favorite holiday of the year is thanksgiving...but it also makes me sad that i'm not going to my parents house to celebrate - recipes passed on generation to generation are pulled out onto the table, tablecloths and candles set the special mood...oh how i do miss that....

our thanksgiving is traditional in food - but sometimes it is lacking the prettiness that i was raised around...for we have more of an open house party atmosphere, come when you can, as you are and bring anybody with you...part of this is because we live in a resort town, so not everyone has the day off so we just wing it...also we have a lot of friends that will be working on thanksgiving, delaying their celebration until the weekend when they finally will make it home...so they will be dropping in from time to time for a plate of yummy food....so all is welcome - whenever you come is fine by us....

and i'm starting to think about 'where' we will eat, for our teeny tiny house sits a table for 4 - so i will be thinking on that over the next couple of days - time to be creative...i won't stress out though, for it's a time to be with friends and family and to count our blessings...and i will never ever be close to being perfect, so i'll have fun instead...

but here is what will be cooked by eli and i:

succulent wonderful turkey

spiral ham

mom's pineapple casserole - out of this world - and you can only have a bit or you will get sick

pat's corn souffle - all the way from iowa

misty's cornbread stuffing

white stuffing

green bean casserole - yes you know the one

mashed potatoes and gravy

mashed sweet potato casserole - tastes just like pie

whipped fruit salad

fresh cranberries

jello - for that picky one

and that's all i've come up with so far...but i will add a couple more vegy dishes that aren't on the sweet side...i always like to try something new...and i will have plenty of victims to try them on...

i will make a dash for the pie to our local baker - long ago ordered for it is far better than what i can make

the party starts at 11:00 until 11:00 - so do drop by if you can...

have a wonderful thanksgiving - i hope everything goes as perfectly as you intend...

loved this....thanks dad!

my dad sent this to me - i thought it was great....ahhhhh true love.... Wolverton Mountain by Claude King

i'm not leaving the mountain....again....ever

and i mean it this time...

as you know i received a ticket 29 days ago last time i went down the mountain...the ticket was for nothing exciting, just an expired tag...(note for 12 days)....so i did what i should've done 12 days before that, and took care of that tag...

now the state trooper had told me if i come back "down" to the courthouse to show them that i got my sticker, they will drop the charges...hmmmm....i hadn't heard of dropping court costs before, only the ticket amount, which was only $25.00.

so weeks later as i'm worrying about having to go back 'down' the mountain, what seems like our entire sheriff's department was taking a break at the gas station...i walked in waving my ticket (can you imagine what was going through their minds...)....and told them what the state trooper had said; and explained that I had never heard of waving court costs ($130), and that for $25 of savings i'd rather stay home, save gas and work...

they assured me that i do indeed need to go down....can i read between their words, you bet...

so my time was up and instead of my going down today and having the drama that i always seem to suffer hubby volunteered to take me on down...sure himself that i may not find my way back home...so as we are heading down hubby gets a call from a friend saying - you do know they are closing the road today, right? and no we didn't - for they close the mountain from 12-2:00 ...yes you heard me right....they close the road on certain days to dynamite to widen the road....oh no, we are going to have to really hustle...

so we do find the courthouse which is highly intimidating....but first we find the downtown town square, hubby said, it's a small town, it's in the square (he seems real sure of himself)....so there it is, flat smack in the middle of downtown....as we are walking up to the courthouse i see on the door a sign that says museum...hmmmm....where did they move that courthouse? so me being me asked some people walking down the street, obviously from a small town too, so they are eager to help you, nearly volunteering to drive you themselves, and to our surprise one of them was head of the tourist board there, so we took his directions and off we went...

when i saw the courthouse i said to hubby - this can't be right, is this a prison?, this is far to big and scary, what is this? as my panic settles in i consider that this might indeed be full of nothing but horribly bad people all under this big roof...i was right...all i know is that i wasn't in kansas anymore...

the hint was when we went in and were greeted by a guard sending us through the metal detector and searching my bag...ewwww...and as i was walking through i saw the sign in large print ' No Knives...and we will not hold them for you so don't ask"....we did ask for directions however to where the DA's office was....he said, 'well you have to go up two floors, and then you will go through a mob of people, it's up there"....oh my....as we entered the doors, a mob of horribly bad people had taken over the entire hallway and there was hardly room to walk through to find our little sign - DA, this way....i'm just sure they were all gang members, killers and anything that could be worse than that...

as i followed the hall over the the DA's office i was feeling much better, it was empty....i went to the window and showed the woman my sticker info., and she happily said - ok, i will enter it into the system and drop the charge... well, how sweet was that? that was it, for $155 i thought? well honestly, i did learn my lesson - i will never ever have that tag expire again on my car for the punishment was horrible enough for me to have gone through all that i did...worry for 29 days, thinking of all of that $ lost for making a mistake, the (i'm certain), near death experience from all of those gangsters....yes, i learned my lesson....

i will never ever leave the mountain again....i will never ever get a ticket again....i will never ever walk into a room of gang members...i will always be good from here on out...always...




unless i'm going to new york, chicago, dallas or home to see my mom and dad...I mean it!

i love cello...

as far back as i can remember, the cello has been my favorite wood instrument...there is something so moving, dream like about the sounds that flow from it's strings and body....i found this on youtube as i was surfing for cello music...i think he's amazing....

adam hurst...

thank you Early Homes...

boy was i surprised when i received my copy of "Early Homes" in the mail this morning....did nobody go out and get the mail yesterday? did this treasure sit in the box all night through the storm? yes....so when i saw that the box was full i laid out my soaking wet mail on the table to go through...and to my surprise was the latest copy of the magazine with a little note attached - see page 64...

so as i flipped through the beautiful layouts my eyes settled on the photo of my game boards listed in their design center....what a nice surprise when something sweet is being done behind the scenes and you have not a clue until it's done...

"early homes" is a beautiful magazine that comes out with treasures biannually as a focus edition - sister of "old house interiors".... their focus is on the period 1700-1850, which my game boards fit in perfectly with... this special edition is THE magazine that focuses on product sources, so a great surprise to me...

if you would like to browse my collectible collection: http://www.dallisongameboards.com/

thinking of gift making?

it's that time of year when we want to cuddle by the fire, read a good book, watch an old movie and usually working on one thing or another that we are making as a gift...i have a scarf that i began a year ago, determined to give eli last year for christmas...yes i know....but i'm really really determined to finish it this year....

i stumbled upon these inexpensive ideas from 'design sponge' for things you can make to give or to decorate your own home with....we are talking nearly free with what you already have around the house...and of course you can modify these all you want to put your own spin on them...

above are little crochet cozy's - i know you can whip these up in no time...think of all the endless possibilities for these...you can use a small candle holder in them, or antique bottle to hold some water, and wallah - it's done...and i'm still in the teacher's gift time of my life, what a sweet thought this would be...

the above is as challenging as you want to make it...i've listed the instructions below...there are two ways you can do this, one for people like me - wrap some wire around the neck of the bottle, stick a nail in the wall, and you are done....or for others who want it to be perfect - here you go...

"Total cost for this project (if you don’t count the cost of the wine, because, well, you get to enjoy that in other ways) was under $5 per vase.

You will need (per vase):- (1) Empty wine bottle of your choice- (1) Top plate connector/ceiling flanges (3/8″ size)- (1) 1″ split ring hanger- (2) screws to fit and hold the top plate connector (you may also want drywall anchors if you are not mounting directly into studs or another material)- (1) piece of 3/8″ threaded rod, cut into 2 1/2″ pieces.- 1/2″ double sided foam mounting tape (optional – if your bottle’s neck is smaller than 1″, like ours were)- Silk flowers of your choice.

1.

With a hack saw, cut your threaded rod down to size. Ours were about 2 1/2″ long, as we didn’t want our bottles hanging out too far from the walls. If you are hanging multiple bottles, just be sure you cut your pieces to equal sizes.

2.

Position the top-plate connector on your wall, and mark the holes where the screws will go. Pre-drill the holes, insert any necessary drywall anchors, and then attach the plate to the wall.

3.

Screw in your cut rod pieces, and then your split ring hanger.

4.

If your wine bottle has a narrow neck (the 1″ split ring is loose around it and doesn’t fit snugly), apply a layer or two (as needed) of foam mounting tape to the neck of the bottle where it will be held by the split ring. Remove the backing from the other side of the tape, position the bottle in the split ring, and tighten the screws to secure in place. Pop in your flowers and voila!
Notes: We had quite a time finding the proper hardware. I think we went to a total of 3 Lowes around the city before we found them in stock and in the right size. Some stores had them in the Plumbing section, others had them in the Electrical. We’ve seen the connector piece called both a Top Plate Connector and a Ceiling Flange, who knows what it is actually called. The hardware (except for the threaded rod) comes in either copper or zinc (silver) finish, so you can choose whichever would best match your decor (or break out the spray paint)."

www.dallisongameboards.com

what would i do without music...

every morning i turn on the music...whether it's from the 80's, 90's or new artists i've stumbled upon...one of my 'not necessary' expenses is to Napster, my link to all music, every genre, new and old...i stumbled upon this artist this morning, which i think i could listen to over and over again...

missy higgins is not only a singer, musician but also a songwriter...personally i love a singer that is a songwriter too, for it's a poet to me singing their story...they have my utmost respect...as you all know by now, my son is a musician of many instruments, and a songwriter too...he was also blessed with 'perfect pitch', and it saddens me that he doesn't sing out loud, proud as a bird would...how many artists would be envious of this gift that he has? but, he states clearly, "not a singer"...but i can still hope...

missy higgins -

"Passionate and sincere, Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins is a welcome relief in a music landscape littered with disposable pop. The 24-year-old Melbourne native has enjoyed phenomenal success in her homeland, and a growing fan base in the U.S., in spite of, or perhaps because she shuns the usual synthetic packaging and tabloid tackiness. Instead she's adopted a more timeless approach, relying on her undeniable songs and unforgettable live performances to forge a genuine connection with her audience."

oh how i love november...

there is something about november that always makes me feel, well, at home....it's when the chill in the air is pretty constant, the down comforters are in full use looking like plumped whip cream; calling me in to nestle, to get warm for the night...

the leaves now have fallen, so the landscape is ruggedly beautiful as nature turns to it's own sleep...i begin to think of the holidays, pulling out recipes from magazines to be put on my pile of 'good intentions', and hiding a gift here and there for somebody that i love...

warmed apple cider and hot chocolate go hand in hand with my constant mugs of coffee throughout the day...friends drop in to warm themselves up with coffee and conversation, hubby's warm and comforting dinners by the candles as the sun now sets so early end the day perfectly...

it is a wonderful time to start my fire in the stove, turn on some music and savor the thoughts of what will come, and what will be while i'm painting...

the most perfect time of year...

to warm your eyes: www.dallisongameboards.com