The process

I wanted to show my Christmas card with you. I wanted to wait until the cards had gone out, didn't want to spoil the surprise for my friends and family. My card.

With slight variations,

I sent the same card to everyone.

inside the card

signed and dated by the designer

For the first time,
I used a tri-level stamp (the weeds).
A separate stamp contained text.

I used three to four different colors of stickles to decorate the heads of the weeds.

Each item dried overnight. If the ink or stickles get smeared, the effort is wasted. cards dried on top of the table, on the seat of chairs on the ironing board

Because I waited to make my cards until days before they needed to be mailed, it was a tremendous amount of work in a short amount of time. I work full time, so everything was done in the evenings. I worked until I could barely move. Stayed up late. Fifty cards. Note to self: next year, start the process earlier!

A study of black on white

We may have gotten four to five inches of snow today.

Chelsea LOVES snow! black Corgi, white snow

" Chelsea?"
"Hey, Chels!"
"whatcha doin'?"

"How did you get all of that snow on your face?"
(she snuffles)

Deep in thought, deep in snow

First post of 2010

Happy New Year! A card I received from Dr. Amy

I started my New Year off with a bang! Or, rather, a bangity-bang-bang-thump-plunk.

On New Year's Eve, Doug and I went to Olive Garden for dinner (my request). Then, home to watch New Year's Rockin' Eve (bless Dick Clark's heart- isn't he the bravest)? Then, we sipped one glass of champagne and kissed at midnight. After that, we watched a movie that Doug borrowed from the library- "The Station Agent." It won the Sundance Film Festival in '02 or '03 I believe. In the end, we were up until 2 a.m.
I slept rather late. In fact, Doug woke me when he opened the door to see if I was still breathing. When I went to shower, somehow I slipped and took a terrible fall. I fell OUT of the shower, hitting my backside on the side of the tube, then hit the toilet so hard that it stripped one of the screws holding the seat on, then I hit the sink and finally fell to the floor on my back. Chelsea came to the door barking and Doug ran to the door yelling "unlock this door!"
I am o.k., but have been rather sore and my tail bone is bruised. (Painful as I sit here and type this.)
Saturday afternoon, New Castle Kathy came for an overnight.

This is how we spent Sunday afternoon.

When we were all out in Colorado, all of the guests gathered each evening in the lodge to play "chicken foot." I love this game and we played it over and over. We kept saying "one more game." It was one degree when we woke and playing dominos was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Other than my fall, the new year is off to a great start. I started a Pilates class at the Y and have walked three times with my new nano. I am fired up to eat healthy and to organize and get rid of. Not that you can tell by the looks of the house. I'm at that "worse before it gets better stage." I'm not asking for resolutions, but what are your hopes for the new year?