Thanksgiving

We had a good time yesterday. Lots of good food! My house is full of flowers, I love it! Sam brought home the lilies, I also have a beautiful bouquet of orange flowers, and the most gigantic poinsettia you have ever seen!

Black Friday Sale

I hope you all ate tons of turkey and had a good day. I just wanted to let you know that you can take part in Black Friday without leaving your house! I've got a big sale going on this weekend starting today on Black Friday and ending on Cyber Monday. I'm offering free shipping on everything in my shop! Now through Christmas you will also receive a free ornament with every purchase. Check out all the other great deals going on at Etsy. You can do a search by typing EtsyHolidaySale, or EtsyFreeShipping. It's a great time to buy a handmade gift!

Turkey Tunes

Here are some good tunes for cookin' up your turkey and mashing your potatoes

-Edit- We didn't realize the songs below are only 30 second previews. If you click on the title "Songs about food" it will take you to the actual playlist on imeem, and you need to sign up (it's free) to listen to it. It's worth it though, because you can stream pretty much any song out there and make and save your own playlists to listen to.

Songs about food

Thankful

I'm feeling so thankful and fortunate right now. I've had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know some beautiful people. I have been blessed. Last night at Jacobs Well we had a thanksgiving meal and it was a crowded house. I think we served around 200 people. We planned and prepped, and you never really know how many people will come. It all came together so well and it was so cool to see so many people coming together to make it happen. I can think of 15 people right off the top of my head that helped out in various ways- it's more like 45 people who came and brought something, helped serve, washed dishes, planned the amount of food we needed to buy, pulled all the food together and got it cooked in time, decorated and set up the tables, took out the garbage, restocked the plates and napkins, and cut the pie. I can get so stressed and high strung in the moment trying to do whatever- I'm a crazy woman, I felt that way last night- but stepping back and seeing it all was so powerful and hard to describe. Where I was weak and freaking out, someone else was strong. That is the cool thing about a body, we all have our weaknesses, but together it all works. I was able to help organize it, so it really was amazing last night to look around and see smiling faces of people eating, and talking, serving, laughing and getting to know each other better. I've loved making friends and chatting while peeling potatoes, serving, and washing dishes. I'm so thankful for Kathy, Jim, Linda, Lisa, TJ, Andrea, Kelly, Charity, Joe, Mike, Valerie, John, Susan, Aaron, Amanda, Eric, Jessica, Jason, Will, Sony, JoAnne, Roger, Tina, Kimmy, Sam, Jenny, Sue, Shirley-- and I'm sure I'm forgetting many more who have helped out with the meals. I'm glad that Roger came and helped out last night. He was so happy. Being a part of this community is so cool. I am constantly learning and being humbled. I was nervous, there were a few things we didn't have planned or accounted for, but God provided the right people at the right time. There was the right amount of food and plenty of people to come and enjoy it. I look forward to many more Tuesday night dinners of good food, and fun people.

The First Real Snow

I love the shape of this tree. It reminds me of an english cottage garden.

First, I'd like to thank all of you for the kind words about my craft fair. It really meant a lot to me. Like I said, it wasn't totally a bust. I'll be reporting back a little later on a few things I have up my sleeve.

We got the first batch of snow that really stuck. I am vowing not to be a grump this winter. Sam and I got outside and took the camera along. It's the best when the snow sticks to the trees. We're only a couple hundred feet up, but it makes a difference enough for the snow to stick around awhile longer- I don't mind! Even if I never get around to learning the manual settings on my camera it won't stop me from enjoying taking photos. These are all taken just on our block. Taking pictures makes me stop and notice the simple beauty around me. Give it a try! It's a good time of year, a beautiful blend of the colorful fall colors and the more subdued muted tones of winter.

No Impact Man

I'm excited to see the movie No Impact Man next week at the magic lantern. I first mentioned the No Impact Man in one of my first blog posts back in 2007 (I remember it because it's when I first figured out how to make a hyperlink!)

I'm excited to see this movie. I'm curious about it. Sam and I have done some things to try to reduce our impact, but not at all to the extreme of not using toilet paper! You can learn more about him here.

A Total Flop

This was the display the second day. I moved stuff around a bit, hoping it would help.

Here is Sarah's jewelry

Sarah and her mom Beth

This was the display the first day

This is my funky garden hose handle hanger piece. Sorry for the blurry photos- indoor lighting and no tripod means blurry pics

I really don't know what to say. I had high hopes that this would be a good craft fair. It's the biggest and most well known show here. There were a ton of people... and yet, I hardly sold anything. Literally nothing- 3 items!! Sam and I put so much work, money and time into making a big display. There were so many vendors- like 260! There were 3 huge gyms filled with vendors. So I'm kinda sad and worn out today- totally discouraged. I was so optimistic about this. I walked away from it learning some things. Most people in Spokane have never heard of etsy. I think they looked at my stuff thinking it was totally crazy or something. I must admit, I know I like really bright colors and that isn't for everyone. I just really thought I would attract a younger crowd. I had things at different price points- from $3-$40. I did go in with Beth and Sarah. So we had magnets, scarves, neck warmers, and jewelry along with my stuff. We could have used another space. There were a lot of good things that I went away with.

Maybe I'll share more tomorrow. Right now though, today- that's all I can say. I'm off to get groceries. I'm cooking soup for 100 people for our community dinner. I'm excited to make my annual chicken and corn chowder. Being in the kitchen will be good, I can forget about this a bit.

Walking

Sam and I went on a nice stroll down Grand Ave. on Sunday with a thermos of cocoa. I love walking down that street. It has a boulevard lined with trees that are all yellow and pretty. All the houses are craftsman style and so unique. I was looking forward to taking some pretty pictures. It got dark, and most of the leaves had fallen. I was able to look up at the street light and capture this one shot. I love crunching in the leaves and kicking them as I walk. Is it just me, or does every single town have the most charming Grand Avenue?

This morning I went on an early morning walk. It's so crisp, quiet and refreshing early in the am. I love this time of year, can't soak it up enough!

Aprons

Just popping in here really quick to share a few of the little aprons I crafted. They were fun to make. I've been busy and am looking forward to some all night crafting sessions to prepare for the CV show this weekend.

Happy Halloween

Some little ATCs from the halloween swap along with some estate sale trinkets!

Hope you all had a happy halloween. I found the cutest little vintage nursing dress at the thrift store. Sam- Indiana Jones. We went to the candy carnival and handed out a ton of candy to cute kiddos.