coming out of a whirlwind...

One hospital stay for chest pains and crazy high blood pressure(175/115), CHECK.
I'm now on meds for anxiety and reflux. Nothing is wrong with my heart at all, thank God. I'll be seeing my doctor in a few weeks to follow up. AND starting my yoga back up!!!



One family delayed by snow storm, CHECK.
My parents got about 17 inches of snow the weekend before they were to travel to our place! It was amazing to look at but had them unable to get down their driveway for several days.


(the horrid cat who loves nobody but his mama)

One nasty unprovoked cat bite, CHECK.
Tibert bit the crap out of my dad. He also bit Aaron a few times. I think he was very out of sorts with all the company, a new puppy-sister, Christmas goings on and so forth. He's never met my family and isn't used to so much activity.


Several crazy shopping days scoring lots of great thrift store goodies, CHECK.
I got some Christmas junk and two gorgeous vintage eelskin purses(pink doctor's bag for spring and a maroonish brown for fall), and some wool.(pics later when I find my new card reader again)


(girls ready to open presents)


(Sarah's Snuggi-wrap, she LOVES it despite her expression)

Many nice gifties for everyone, CHECK.
We did family gifts this year and got a nice rug for our concrete living room floor and a convection-toaster oven. The kids cleaned up with electronics, Mark and Ryan got cologne, and the girls got lots of clothes and such.

Crochet lessons for my mom, CHECK.
She is learning, slowly but surely. Being left-handed makes it difficult for me to coach her along though.

Delish tortilla soup, CHECK.
3 ckn breasts(boneless/skinless), cute in 3/4 inch cubes
1 bell pepper
1 onion
2 cans pinto beans, drained and well rinsed
1 can no-salt tomatoes(diced)
1 tsp cumin, chili powder, garlic powder
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
3/4 cup brown rice
8-10 cups of water

Brown veggies and ckn til pink is gone, add water, spices, beans, rice, and tomatoes. Cook over med-low heat for about 45 minutes. Serve with cheese and sour cream over tortilla chips.

Two huge batches of my special Honey Mustard/Deviled Party Mix, CHECK.
I make a large roaster pan full of this, using almost all of each box of cereal, plus nuts and pretzel twists. Mine has Quaker Oat Squares too. I used 2/3 stick of butter, about 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, generous sprinkles of garlic and onion powder, 1/4 cup honey, several good squirts of mustard(spicy if you've got it), and a dash of cayenne. It was inhaled.

Dozens of snuggles with a cute puppy, CHECK.


(Aaron and Sparkle, she was a huge hit!)

It was a crazy, hectic but fun Christmas celebration this year at the Sonier Casa and I wish my family didn't have to leave so soon!!

The post in which I hone my housework avoidance skills...

By posting pictures of our recent activity...


(Sarah swinging. this one is worth clicking to enlarge!)


(Sarah took this picture at the park, I think it is amazing, enlarge it too!)



(December sun on my black shelf)



(December clouds)


(first outing on the leash)



(next time I'll make it bigger and use a yarn that doesn't show the decrease holes. majorly modified from this pattern)



(December clouds again)

A Lucky Dog...

About a month ago Sarah started in on us about getting a puppy for Christmas. Of course we immediately and resoundingly said "NO". We already have 3 big dogs, half-dozen cats, and half-dozen guinea pigs, another dog was NOT in our plans! Apparently the powers that be took that as a challenge on Sarah's behalf. They saw an opportunity to play a great joke....

One night last week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday, Mark mentioned that there had been a stray dog or puppy under a storage building at the place he works for a few days. I didn't think too much of it, dogs wander around a lot and we figured it would be long gone.

It wasn't.

We briefly discussed the possibility of making Sarah's Christmas wish come true but were 90% sure the dog would move on.

With temperatures expected to dip into the low twenties, the puppy didn't have much of a chance Friday night so the employees worked Thursday afternoon and all day Friday to lure her out with no luck. She would come out about a foot and then scoot back under, causing them much frustration. The boss finally brought a trap and baited it with turkey legs, something they'd fed the dog the day before. I think he was afraid she'd die under his building and they'd have to move it to get her out.

At 8pm Mark and I drove down(an hour 1-way) to check the trap. Nothing. We were able to see her back under the building so we parked across the alley and waited. Nothing. Except that Mark's boss drove up and checked the trap too. I felt much better seeing that. We could expect that someone would be around if she ended up caught. Still it was hard to drive away without that puppy knowing she'd probably be dead in the morning.

Saturday morning, still nothing.

Sunday around noon his boss called to let us know that she'd been caught if we wanted her. We were in the car less than 5 minutes later, telling the kids that Mark needed to go on a "pick-up" run to Carthage and I was going to ride with him to discuss Christmas presents. They had NO IDEA.

I think Sarah was in shock when I walked through the door with a puppy! She has been quick to let me know that she does NOT like surprises.

So, here she is. We have named her Pashmina. The vet says she's about 10 weeks old, 6.5 pounds, and probably a good bit Schnauzer.

Merry Christmas Pashmina!! We sure hope you love living with us!

Christmasy Stuff...

But first a product plug!! My bloggy pal Autumn posted about a lip balm challenge over at Great Cakes Soapworks and I was chosen to test out one of her lip butters!! We opted for the Coconut Mango flavor and it is fantastic! It stays on forever, doesn't melt and slide off, it tastes great, doesn't make your throat dry(I can't be the only one to experience this with lip balm can I?), it smells SCRUMPTIOUS, and feels like silk! I plan to order an assortment of the yummy flavors she's got available(Vanilla Latte, Orange Creamsicle, Cinnamon Bun, Limeade,...) for stocking stuffers.
I think I'll even get one of the Lava Lip Gloss rollers because I would LOVE to be 13 again!

Now, onto the weekend...

Mark told me to wear shoes I could clomp around the woods in so I put on my Vasque hiking boots for the first time. They are a bit stiff but otherwise very warm and sturdy, LOVE them!



We drove over the river and through the woods to Danville Farms. We've been getting our trees from them for several years now and are never disappointed.



As luck would have it, I forgot to take the camera on our tree search but here is the shaking and binding station.



While Mark and Ryan were doing this...



Sarah and I warmed up by the fire.



Then it was time to go.






I managed to get the lights on and the girls put a few ornaments on late last night.


(its about 10 feet tall)



Before I forget, I got crafty last week and made some cone trees!! I don't know why I decided to do these, can't recall where I'd seen them. I figured out a pattern, found some online to look at and went for it! They turned out pretty cute, in my opinion! Hopefully the craft bug will continue to bite me, I have some ideas...






In other news....

Sarah rudely interrupted my "meeting Lisa Whelchel" dream with her barfing this morning. Mark and I have the queasies so it looks like the stomach bug is paying us a visit. Hopefully it will be short-lived and mild. I'd much rather have the crafty bug than the oogie bug. Sigh.

She did it again....

She went and had another birthday today, number 14 to be exact. Happy Birthday A-Claire! I love you!!!!

Isn't she lovely...

My day...

Sunday night I got a call from my brother. Seems he found "the" table set that he's been searching for all his life, in my neck of the woods. Nevermind that he lives almost 1000 miles from me...


(this is the best pic I have)

I can see how it would be hard to resist. It isn't really my style, unless, of course, I had the whole 50s kitchen thing goin' on, but cute nonetheless. The 80+-year-old couple who owned the table set had it since it was new. I called yesterday morning and it was still available so I made arrangements to pick it up early today. Aaron had also sent a link from the same seller for some quilts. I asked about them when we were finished loading up and the owner of the table said the seller was working with her things on consignment so the quilts didn't belong to her. However, she wanted to show me one she did have(but not for sale!). Her mother-in-law made this one probably back in the 50s or so. The hexagons are in between the size of a nickel and a quarter, in other words, TINY! It is just gorgeous! It came to her unfinished so she and her sister sewed a few stitches and hand-quilted it. I was positively drooling and politely asked if I could take a few pictures of it. She obliged...

(click to enlarge)








Oh, and an emu runs the woods behind their property...

Welcome November...

I think November is one of my favorite months. Here in northeast Texas we really don't have fall until now. There are hints of it in late October, a yellowing of the deep greens, but November is when the trees truly put on a show. Our oak tree is still in the yellowing stage but will look like this in a week or so.



"Behold congenial Autumn comes,
the Sabbath of the Year."
- John Logan, 1748 - 1788



"I am rich today with autumn's gold,
All that my covetous hands can hold;
Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,
A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,
Huge golden pumpkins in the field
With heaps of corn from a bounteous yield,
Golden apples heavy on the trees
Rivaling those of Hesperides,
Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread
Over all like butter on warm bread;
And the harvest moon will this night unfold
The streams running full of molten gold.
Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!"
- Gladys Harp



"There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!"
- Percy Bysshe Shelley



"There ought to be gardens for all months in the year,
in which, severally, things of beauty may be then in season."
- Sir Francis Bacon



"There is rhythm in the woods, and in the fields,
Nature yields:
And the harvest voices crying,
Blend with Autumn zephyrs sighing;
Tone and color, frost and fire,
Wings the nocturne Nature plays upon her lyre."
- William Stanley Braithwaite, Lyric of Autumn



"Pleasures lie thickest where no pleasures seem:
There's not a leaf that falls upon the ground
But holds some joy of silence or of sound,
Some spirits begotten of a summer dream."
- Laman Blanchard