Weird Stuff

Okay, this is going to be a posting of just weird stuff. Yesterday it was so cold I decided to make Lasagna. Look how pretty it is. I told D, it could be in a cookbook.

I was a little disappointed in it. D loved it but I thought it was just a bit bland. More garlic and parmesan cheese next time. I used Ricotta cheese this time and felt it was lacking a bit of flavor. It sure is pretty though.

I was wandering this afternoon and decided if the house ever burned down, I'd move the garage to the other side and make this the view from the living room and master bedroom. It's the only side of the property that doesn't show all the growth of new neighborhoods. So the best view of the house is in the garage. LOL!

I love how the slides have etched themselves into the hillside. The lake is a real icky mucky brown. Cool!

I swore I wouldn't post any more deer pictures then went out and there was a herd of about 15. Only four of which were females. In the 25 years we've lived here, I've never seen so many males clustered together. It was a very strange sight. These are youngsters.

Look at this little guy. He only has one antler left. Look how close to his head the other one broke off. He even tilts his head funny. LOL! No....Nana, I didn't see the antler around anywhere. Hahahahaha!

A few weeks back I told my friend in Australia I was in to drinking hot tea these days. I hate coffee, don't drink soda or alcohol. I get tired of milk, OJ and water. Tea is good for you so I thought I'd give it a try.

Anyway, he sent me some tea from Australia. It's FANTASTIC! I really love it. It's mild with just a hint of mint.

Since it's real tea and not in bags, I had to go out and buy a little dokicky to put the loose tea in. This is what I came home with.

I went to Macy's and they only had one kind. It was by Martha Stewart. It was pricy and awkward to open.

I ended up at Bed Bath and Beyond and they had about 7 to choose from. The salesperson laughed at me because I had to put on my glasses to see what the different styles were. I asked him what was the difference between the $4.00 and $14.00 ones. He laughed and said, "Oh about 10 bucks!" Hahahahahahaha!

I picked this one because you just squeeze the handle and it opens for easy cleaning.

Yep, I told you this was going to be a weird posting. Just a mishmash of thoughts. I bought a purse a couple of weeks back and am embroidering a claddagh on it as I type this. Maybe I'll come up with a design for the back side of the purse and then take some pictures.

Well, if I don't post tomorrow or Friday.....everyone have a safe and wonderful Christmas!

Just Wandering....

D and I decided we'd go out yesterday (Monday) and see what was new at Blackhawk Shopping Center.

I think it's been about 15 years since we've been there. It's never been very enticing but in recent months they've remodeled to give the store fronts facing the parking lot display windows with pretty awnings. Big beautiful iron gates open and invite you in.

Compared to the malls in the Bay Area this Santa set up is very tiny. But it was adorable and the line was short so the kids didn't have to wait long. Santa spent lots of time talking to each child.

He was a great Santa! Really looked squeaky clean with elderly cheeks and a little ball nose. The beard was fake but the long white hair was definitely his. It was cool.

When we got there it was barely drizzling. It was one of our warmer days even though it was wet. I think there are more restaurants than stores here but I couldn't swear to it.

This is looking up at the Behring Auto Museum. You can't tell but it was pouring when I took this picture. I got soaked in the short time it took to get to the walkway and snap the picture.

I'm not sure if these are geese or swans. I think geese. They were pitch black and had a huge spray of white feathers hidden under the black ones. You normally can't see them but they were shaking them out in the rain.

I took lots of pictures hoping to get a shot with lots of white showing but it just wasn't working. I was getting wet and decided, the pictures I had would just have to do.

It was nice and relaxing wandering around just looking at the cool stuff. Not many people out so it was a nice Christmas stroll.

The Crazy Gene!

I'm convinced I've inherited the crazy gene. For a woman who deals in color and design on a daily basis...this combo is a bit over the top.

Those are my first pair of socks Nana made me. Because of the dense fog this morning, the cold seems to creep into each crack and crevice of the house. Soooo...to keep my legs and feet warm, I put on my Nana socks and pulled out a pair of the leg warmers my mother in law made me back in the late 70's. Yep, I have matching hats for each pair of leg warmers.

Once in awhile I think I should throw the leg warmers away, then a cold day comes along and out of the drawer they come. They're sooooooo warm. I can keep the upper part of my body warm but the lower legs and feet can't seem to find heat these days.

For you knitters out there, I'd suggest knitting up a pair of these. Ignore the funny looks the family will give you when you put them on over your jeans. Just smile and enjoy the warmth they bring your legs.

Other than the 5 days it took me to put up Christmas decorations, my house has been spotless the past couple of months. I'm really enjoying just giving it a lick and a promise each morning.

I was looking for my Christmas bedding and just couldn't stand the linen closet. I pulled everything out the other day and got about 1/3 of it put back in order. Today I think I'll tackle the rest of the job. I get a bee in my bonnet about this kind of stuff about once in awhile. Why I picked Christmas to make this mess is beyond me.

Again, I'm convinced it's the crazy gene.

Christmas

It takes me 5 full days to get all the Christmas decorations up. I got almost all of them out this year but gave up and didn't get to the third closet of stuff. I always have a village over the planter area. It takes about 1 1/2 days to put together so I decided to skip it this year.

Luckily, I had lots of 4 legged help. I turned around and there was Nisie up on the footstool I was using. I don't know how she got up there. In one big jump I believe. I wouldn't have noticed her except Nuttie was whining. I checked to see what she wanted and there she was. She couldn't get up with her daughter.

I could just hear that little black dog laughing at her mom. LOL!

Well, the reindeer stockings made it up. I'm happy with the way they turned out. The designs could actually have been a bit bigger. As it is, they're pretty large so I'm not going to worry much about it.

They look so much better than the old red glue and glitter stockings. They're more professional looking and just darned pretty.

I ran out today and bought some red pillow cases to go with the Christmas bedspread I use each year. Luckily, I haven't had time to reupholster the headboard so the hooker red goes just fine with the Christmas theme. LOL!

My sister C, sent me a combo Christmas gift and birthday present. Because the birthday present was included, I got to open everything together. They're gorgeous! Gladdagh earings and a necklace with my birthstone. I love them! They're so ME.

I'm wearing what my sister E gave me. Can't tell you what they are because....well, it's Christmas and I don't know who'll read this. I will say, I'm toasty warm. Thanks Nana!

I had to do a change on the gifts I was doing for the sisters. The original idea is going to take me about 3 days each, so I had to run out and buy something else today. While at Kohl's, I found this pretty sweater. I liked it so much I changed into it in the car! It goes great with my new boots which were like walking around in slippers. They were worth every penny I spent on them.

Oh yeah....I also bought the sweater in red.

Well, time to start working on the sister's gifts. Talk about changing directions in mid stream. No pressure!

Monday's Snow....

This is the little bit of snow looking out the front door. The mountain to the left which you can barely see in the photo had much more snow yesterday. I was going to post it but all of the sudden the pictures won't load onto the computer. Dang! Another project to add to the list of things to do.

These are the hills looking toward Tracy from the master bedroom deck. They still had some snow yesterday (Tuesday) but it was growing thin fast.

I loved how the air smelled crisp and clean. My arthritis hates it but my nose loves it.

Little talk, lots of pictures!

Yesterday was sunny quite a bit of the day but COLD. I went out to check the thermometer on the porch and it was stuck at the bottom and wouldn't move. So much for working in the cold weather.

When D got home last night, I told him it smelled like snow. After almost 40 years, he's not surprised when my nose sniffs out a strange prediction.

The wind from the day before was nice enough to blow all the leaves off the Raywood Ash. It stacked everything neatly under the tree in a huge circle. It reminded me of playing in the leaves on Gilmore when we were little girls.

Put the Bear out this morning at 7 and it was snowing. Very slightly but you can see it stuck to the dog. The nose is rarely wrong! Hahahahaha!

The snow melted when it hit the ground but stuck to the tarps and BBQ. This was when it started at 7.

At 9 this much was still on the BBQ. It's 10 now and it's all gone.

Between jobs I've been trying to catch up on, "To Do" projects. I've been embroidering Christmas stockings. These are for S & S's cats. I still have the dogs and humans to complete.

The stocking wouldn't fit in the machine over the arm so I had to take out the right seam before hooping. I'll sew up the seam sometime this week.

I always have stockings for the reindeer decorating the shelf above the glass wall in the family room. I made some about 15 years ago out of glue and glitter. To say they look like a child made them is being generous.

I've wanted to embroider new ones for 3 years. I finally got them finished yesterday. I like the way they turned out. I just wish the camera didn't wash out the colors so much.

My goal was to make each one different and not repeat a pattern. I also wanted Rudolph's to stand out and be special, so he's the only one with a white stocking.

Now just imagine those colors brighter and shinier and you've got the idea.

I'll split today between embroidering and putting up Christmas decorations. I got about 1/16th of them out yesterday.

Time to quit messing around and get back to work! Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Itzall about me day....

Yesterday was a long awaited "ME" day. I've been working for everyone but me. D, the house, customers, friends, family. I decided I needed a day for myself.

I knew yesterday was the day when I woke up to one of my favorite mornings. Fog all around except our house sitting in the bright morning sunlight. I love those days because all the houses within seeing distance are hidden in the haze. It takes me back to when we bought the house 25 years ago and no one knew where Danville was.

Those days are definitely long gone. Civilization has found us.

I returned things to several stores. The shortest line I stood in was 9 people ahead of me. That was at Kohl's return department. I didn't mind waiting because I could see the two women at the counter were funny and really nice to the customer(s) when they got to their window. They made the wait well worth it.

My goal was to return items to three stores. WalMart being the longest line (15 ahead of me) and having the worst customer service.

I finally got a little ahead with PAW's finances so I decided I really...really needed a new chair. My back has been killing me with the long hours I sit and digitize.

Here's the old chair. It's a hand me down. I'm tired of hand me downs or chairs that were on sale so...."will do". This chair has always been too big for me. My feet don't hit the ground, there's no support for my tush and I'm always sitting on the edge of the seat with a pillow to fill the space behind me so I can lean back. Also, it won't let me pull up close to my desk because the arms get in the way.

I gave myself a $350 budget. I sat in so many chairs and took lots of notes. I didn't care about covering, cloth, mesh, leather, vinyl. I did want arms and they did have to be covered. That immediately threw a bunch of possibilities out the window.

I didn't look at price because I didn't want it to sway me so I'd do the, "I don't want to spend that much!" attitude.

I'd narrowed the field down to a black mesh but the lumbar support was just off a tad. A pretty black ultra suede with a mesh back but the seat felt just a hair long. I was at my last store, I was pooped and a bit discouraged. They don't make chairs for short people. This was most likely about the 80th chair I'd put my butt in and it was heaven. I was wheeling all around the desks, swiveling and loving the chair.

The sales clerk came over and asked if I wanted him to plug in the chair. I must have had a funny look on my face because he then proceeded to show me how it vibrates for upper and lower back. He plugged it in, I turned it on and it was instant love.

It's a pretty brown leather with a well padded seat and back. The lumbar is just right and the arms are thickly padded. The best part is.....it's for short people. D hasn't seen it yet but he won't like it because he'll say, "It's too small!" Yep...that's the point.

The chair in the store was perfect. My feet hit the ground it was comfortable. When I brought mine home and put it together, my feet don't completely hit the ground. I've found that is a common problem with stuff after I've put it together. It's never exactly like the floor model.

Oh the best part is...it was on sale for $99 and I had a discount coupon so for once in my life I bought the extended replacement warranty. I know this chair is going to get a workout. So the discount paid my tax and all but $2 of the extended warranty. It's a match made in heaven.

Luckily, back in the mid 1970's my husband made me an oak footstool I used at work. I could never find a secretarial chair that was short enough. Every time I'd transfer to a new department people would laugh at my footstool then try it out and ask if D would make them one. I always said, "Nope...this is a one of a kind".

When I retired, I kept the stool and put it to good use when we turned one of the bedroom into an office. It's been with me ever since. So, as I type this, I've got good posture, my back is being massaged and I my feet are firmly placed on my little wooden stool.

D worked until 11:00 last night. After I put my chair together, I checked to see what was on the tube. Nothing of much interest so I grabbed my Kindle, put on my PJ's and curled up on the bed in front of the fire D made for me to enjoy when I got home. What a nice surprise it was.

I was so relaxed I actually fell asleep somewhere around 7:30. I didn't hear D come in. It would have been around 11:30 or so. I got up this morning refreshed and ready to take on a new day. Yep....my ME day worked out just fine.