Happy New Year!!!!!

It's 10:45 pm...rapidly approaching the New Year.

It's been a great year. Each month has brought challenges and changes, some joys, some sorrows. Lots of changes, lots of learning.

I'm looking forward to 2011. I hope to make more changes, learn more, get out more, do more things, and of course, the standard, exercise more!

I hope your New Year's Eve is safe and sound and that 2011 will bring you lots and lots of happiness and joys. Don't forget to count your blessings....they're abundant!

Recent Happenings

The cypress tree is gone - gone - gone!!!! I know all you tree huggers will think it's just terrible to remove a perfectly good, live tree. (See photo of full tree a few posts earlier than this.) Get a long-haired Shih tzu and THEN talk to me. Schiz loves to be brushed...and she doesn't go outside more than 2 or 3 times a day unless we're just goofing off outside together. But cypress leaves (? - are those called leaves ?) are highly attracted to all that hair. Cypress "droppings" are kind of like little cedar branches..not really sticker-y, but when you try to pull them loose they come off in pieces. I hated that tree!!! So earlier this week a friend with a couple of chain saws and a trailer came by and we removed it. This is all that's left...hopefully in the spring it'll be rotted enough to remove most of it (we've treated it to kill it and will do more in the spring to tear it up.)

And, speaking of "tearing up"....last Friday some jackass ruined a tire on my car....oh yeah...that was ME!!! I was on a schedule, you know: places to go, people to sniff....and it was about 10 after 11. I had lunch plans with a couple of friends at 11:30 on the northeast side of town. I was downtown, needed to go to Dollar General (and I won't go to the one that's close to me because the manager is a ........oh you know!). So I was going to run by the one at Sherman and Adams. Well....there was this "person" that was poking along in front of me and so I decided to turn in an earlier driveway to get to where I was going. Honda Fit Sports have a spoiler on the front end so they're low anyway. The driveway has always been pretty smooth there. I'm 99.9% sure I did not hit the curb...but I did take the driveway a little faster than I probably needed to. Anywho...BANG!!!! By the time I tried to park in front of Dollar General, I knew I had a problem. Hopped out, looked, hopped back in, and eased it across the street to Cooper Tire.

Now, Cooper Tire has EVERYTHING anyone would ever need for tires!!! They've always been my "go to" place. They got my car right in and pretty soon the guy came back and said, "I've got good news and bad news!" (I was honest and told him what I'd done to cause this problem.) So, I didn't ruin the wheel or anything else, but I ruined a tire. AND they don't have that tire, can't get that tire, etc. He had a used tire, different brand, little bigger, that he could put on the back and put one of my originals on the front. I suggested we call Conklin Cars (local Honda dealer). They did...and Conklin has that size. So Cooper put on my spare (ha ha ha...talk about a donut!!!) And...typical Cooper's....they didn't charge me a single dime for all their work!!! Good place...good people!

I went on to lunch with my friends...then to Conklin's to get a tire...which turned into two tires! Seems they didn't have a matching tire (Dunlop 185 55R16)...but they did have the right size. But I had two years wear on my original tires (23,000 miles) and if I put on just one the difference would cause the differential to do something weird. And to this I say, "Yeah. boys...I'm a mere woman...I won't know if you lie to me....." I called a guy I know for advice and because he's male he knows everything too, he said I'd probably be better off to get 2 new tires. So I did. $356!!!! And I didn't even get kissed first! They're not Dunlop's, they're Bridgestones, but I guess they'll do the job just the same. Today I went online and probably could have bought exactly what I had had for $94 each. Oh well..............

Anyway....it's December in Kansas. Today is supposed to be 58 degrees!!! I'm going to get my car cleaned up and go for a bicycle ride before the day is over! Christmas is less than a week away and it's a beautiful time of year! And next Sunday I can take all the Christmas decorations down and clean house! I love the way the house looks all decorated and pretty....but by Christmas day I'm SOOOOOO ready to get back to normal.

Have a very Merry Christmas and please....count your blessings!!!! I do every day!

December & Craft Fairs

Ahhhh....'tis the season. I've been doing LOTS of craft shows lately. I did three shows in October, then the Prairie Patch at Gypsum on November 13th, followed by a two-day show on November 19th and 20th called Christmas in the Foothills held in the Domestic Arts Building at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Another GREAT show! Then this past week end (Dec 4) I was at the Hutchinson Recreation Commission Christmas Fair at Memorial Hall.

There's just something about getting out and doing these things that draws me. I genuinely enjoy getting to meet to all the people. Because it's getting close to the end of the year, my inventory is way down, so I asked my friend Mark to supply me with some more of his wonderful goats' milk soaps for this last show. (I also had those at the Gypsum show.) Again...a very very successful show.

So now there's just one more before year end. Last year some friends and I decided to have a craft show at my home. Well...since then I've moved and downsized considerably. So when the subject came up this year, I was hesitant. But....we're doing it again. I agreed to and thought we'd have only four vendors (I had 11 vendors last year - and a much bigger house.) So as I talked to people (vendors) they're all the same place I am....low on inventory. So we've decided to have a lot of different vendors...all with smaller inventories!!! So far, I have thirteen people lined up to bring items for our show! Some will stay with them, some will just drop them off and we'll watch their items for them.

Some of the goodies we'll have available will be: plasma-cut metal artwork, goats' milk soaps, Iris-folded greeting cards, candles, Tastefully Simple food products, painted gourds, embroidery work, jellies and salsas, painted screen-art, sterling silver jewelry, beaded jewelry, purses, Christmas ornaments and more.....plus we'll be giving door prizes and having lots of treats to sample.

All this is on Saturday, December 11th, from 10 am til 4 pm. If you're in Hutchinson, drive out east 30th, watch for signs around the Health Equip area and follow the directions....or email me and I'll send you an address. Should be a fun time!!!!!!!