WHAT A WEEK+2: November 23-December 2, 2014

My vacation began with a trip to drop off Barkley at the dog sitter's.

Then it was back to Charlotte to catch the late night flight. Direct, of course. 

The lady in the shuttle asked me if I played college basketball. I said "no that it was just a sweatshirt from the college I went to." She said "Oh I thought that was your name." So I'm officially renamed to Kearney Nebraska. 

The next day, mom and I went shopping for gifts and looking at cute boutiques. 

And I had a little too much fun playing with hats and displays. 

Lunch was at Baby Blue Sushi which I love!!  Mom, not so much when she heard "eel sauce."

On to the next day of food and fun. First stop...El Bee's. 

Yes, please!

And after a few errands, we met up with Dad for the Tuesday $5 movie deal "Nightcrawler". Let's just rate the movie a bit of a snore. 

Wednesday was our Thanksgiving celebration. And I was tasked with making the "turkeys."

It also included the daily Facetiming with Brax and Angie. 

Thanksgiving Day was a 5 mile run/walk and lots of crafting time. 

The rest of the week was spent lounging, shopping, venturing around Valley. And of course eating yummy food. 

Even Barkley and Brutus wanted to say hello during the week. Such little buddies. Love 'em both. 

And after a brunch at Egg & I, it was time to reverse the trip. Flight then pickup Barkley.
I missed that lil guy. 

He was so happy to see his mama. And to go home. 

DIY: Fabric Holiday Trees

Heading home for the holidays = crafts for me to do for the family. 

My mom had this one set aside to do...

So I began, and boy did it take a while to pin on each little triangle.

The basic philosophy is:

Cover the bottom of cone with a large piece of fabric.

 Cut several 2.5" squares...SEVERAL.

  Then double fold the triangles and place around the tree 2 times,  pinning each corner and overlaping the row below. 

Place decorative button or bow on top.

 

This is the video used for the creation:

Quilted Christmas Tree Tutorial (No Sew) | Fabric Tree

In the end,  it was worth it as I decided to make 3 more SMALLER one to complete the Tree Family.

 

I grabbed some funky zebra patterned fabric in bright colors and plan to make some for myself ...I would love to see what fun designs everyone creates.

WHAT A DAY: December 8, 2013

Yeah for the weekend, and holiday fun!!  Catherine Anderson invited us to her studio for an Open House. Add that to the fact Judy Sy was going to attend, Melissa and I were sold.  So we ventured out in the brisk, rainy afternoon.

Catherine is such a sweet soul & so glad she has played a part in my life's journey.  Her studio is a great retreat for all walks of life & her family is a great host.  Her mother (recognized by her wonderful accent which I would like to acquire) greeted us so kindly when entering and made us feel at home.

We quickly took her up on that offer and gathered some fabulous tea & goodies.  Melissa and I attempted to have some tea drinking etiquette, but not sure how successful we were in that.

This tea is sooo yummy ...and yes, it tastes like Chocolate.

Catherine even had some simple, yet fabulous craft project available for us to do.  So love the concept.  She displayed her paper trees on a platter with glitter underneath. So simple, and such a statement.

And the food just kept appearing thanks to Catherine.  Olive bread was a huge hit.  It was so warm and yummy.

And finally Judy Sy made her appearance...Geesh, about time (only 2 hours after her guesstimated arrival time) but she did have a fabulous gift for us.  A super small screwdriver set called "Teeny Turner"

THANKS JUDY!!

After catching up a bit, Catherine, who is from South Africa,  had a special song for us to remember Nelson Mandela & to remember life is a celebration.

Around 4:30, we gathered our goodies, said our well wishes and headed to grab a bite to eat at Penn Station East Coast Subs.  Love their Philly Cheesesteak.  (And part of the meal's conversation was on beauty products to which I said I wash my face at night with whatever soap is at the sink aka hand soap, soft soap, etc.  Boy was I berated for that...but it works for me and it is, what it is.)

However, before leaving we did stop to capture some of Catherine's glorious landscaping and decor.

And coincidentally got mobbed by the papparazzi aka Judy Payne Sy.

Since Melissa and I are participating in a Photo A Day prompt....the day was titled "I Shop Here"

So I added names of all the shops my attire was accumulated.

After eating, we ventured out to Beauty Brands as I needed some shampoo/conditioner.  And low and behold......a CLEARANCE section.

And yes, you read that right.

Aside from the 65% off the shampoo, the other 5 bottles & OPI nail stickers were all $.98.

Total purchase $24.46. I saved $214.47

The day wasn't over as our goal was to see the movie "Frozen".  So we stopped by Dean & Deluca and grabbed a Shirley Temple soda & a huge rice krispie treat before heading to Stonecrest Cinemas.

Although the movie was good, it was not my favorite Disney cartoon. 

Probably the least favorite of the Princess movies.

The day ended with Melissa grabbing a cotton candy ....and listening to the Panthers game on the radio.

And then watching the Panthers lose...but what a streak they had.