kellyr21
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,000 
Location: California
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Post by kellyr21 on Nov 29, 2023 0:44:22 GMT
Happy Tuesday! We have finally cooled off here and I am enjoying it. Thanks for all the positive words about my art videos. Now you know what I have been working on this year and it has been a great joy for me. I started out making one Sassy Stencil girl painting earlier this year and had no idea it was going to turn into a whole collection. LOL! I will be premiering the full art show probably this weekend. Can't wait for you to see all the paintings. I think there is 21 of them in the show. Hugs to you all and I hope this art fills your hearts with joy! nylene- Oh, I am glad you are feeling better!!! I have tummy issues at times and I have to be mindful, too. Hang in there! So happy to hear your dh has a project to work on. He is so talented with wood and I know all his creations will turn out fantastic. Did he grow up working with wood or learned as an adult? grammadee- Your tree looks great! Glad to see you have got some little helpers helping with the deco. linda-Sad to see the two cats leave and upset for a while in their new surrounding. We have a neighbor with a new puppy and I hear him crying while his people are gone. I guess he will settle down and get used to things soon. He has two cats there with him but I am sure the cats are no comfort.  kitbop & AussieMeg - I love those Sassy Girls, too. This one was one of favorites and glad I got it on video. I like seeing how art is made and thought it would be cool to share my process. |
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Post by Linda on Nov 29, 2023 1:45:56 GMT
I will be premiering the full art show probably this weekend. Can't wait for you to see all the paintings. I think there is 21 of them in the show. Hugs to you all and I hope this art fills your hearts with joy! how wonderful! you are so talented! ad to see the two cats leave and upset for a while in their new surrounding. They've actually settled in easily in their new home. Thumper didn't much like the drive but he fell asleep a couple of hours in which made it quieter for all of them (it was a nearly 12 hr drive). I keep getting photos of Thumper and Chai - they've made themselves quite at home. Dorian seems to have had a better day today and I'm hopeful that'll continue. I've made 14 Christmas cards so far and am headed back to my desk to make some more. Nothing fancy - I'm a simple card-maker. Baking was a bit of a disaster. My fudge turned out fine. I used a different recipe for the chocolate chip cookies (off the Aldi milk choc. chip package) and they didn't come out well at all - they taste fine but the texture is off and they look awful. Then I realised after I had scooped all the dough onto cookies sheets that I had skipped the oatmeal in the banana-oatmeal cookies -so scraped it all back into the bowl and mixed in the oatmeal. At that point I was over baking so instead of making cookies, I put the dough in a baking pan and made squares instead. It was also a new recipe -very dense and not as flavourful as I had hoped. Probably not one I'll make again either. |
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,043
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Post by joyfulnana on Nov 29, 2023 13:51:45 GMT
Happy Sunday! We went to church and a few stores. Hope you all are having a nice day. Here are two sneak peek videos of my upcoming new art collection. Enjoy! GiseleStencil Girls these are amazing! You're so talented! I can't wait to see the show coming up! Have you followed along with any of the cooking classes? nylene I'm glad you are feeling better. Surprisingly our snow is still around. It's been pretty cold and I'm not minding that lol. Wow 150 gifts on such short notice, I would be freaking out lol. I'll bet it's good for DH, keeping him busy doing what he loves. For all that I have boys, none of them are football fans. They feign interest for me (which I appreciate! LOL) And DS2 will sometimes watch with me. We played a game called #upsidechallangegame - it comes with these goggles that make everything upside down, then you have to do things like try to connect dots or high five the person next to you. It was fun but also exhausting lol. I haven't played aggravation for years, I might have to look for that one. grammadee I love the blue lights on your tree, and the photos are so sweet. Wow you have a busy week. I think this is the first year I don't feel like I'm terribly behind. It will get done, it always does, and I'm really trying not to sweat things so much. Taking a page from Shimelle and trying to put the joy back into the holidays. kitbop, they should cover shipping, but it's also hard to get return label coming from Canada into the US for some dumb reason. We have some stores here that take Amazon returns, like Kohl's a few others which makes it easier. Do you have anything like that? Linda has Dorian settled down now that there aren't so many other kitties? I hope he stops pooping in your craftroom. That's the worst. I didn't make it even through the Chiefs game before I was crashed out on the couch lol. I slept off and on the rest of the day. I'm feeling much more rested and focused today. I'm not sure I'll get around to any scrapping the rest of the year, unless we manage the Friday evening crops through the rest of the year. But if we need to take a hiatus, that works. I'm looking forward to starting them up again after the holidays. Work has been super slow this week and I can't even believe I'm "saying" that out loud. I don't want to jinx it lol. With my getting up earlier, Abby has taken it upon herself to try and get me up earlier than I like. She used to do that when I first got her, now I've got to get her back to being patient lol. Rudy is so determined to help with my tree that he cleared it with Mom to come over this Saturday to finish it. Then the following weekend we will bake cookies. Trimming the tree and baking cookies are his favorite things and that goes for every tree, he wants to help decorate them all lol. Well I guess I should go turn on my work computer and get to it. I do enjoy working from home this early, still in my PJs lol. I hope everyone has a great day! |
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Post by Linda on Nov 29, 2023 15:31:07 GMT
Rudy is so determined to help with my tree that he cleared it with Mom to come over this Saturday to finish it. Then the following weekend we will bake cookies. Trimming the tree and baking cookies are his favorite things and that goes for every tree, he wants to help decorate them all lol. how sweet! DD17 has outgrown her interest in baking and decorating - she did promise to set up my village though. has Dorian settled down now that there aren't so many other kitties? I hope he stops pooping in your craftroom. That's the worst. He's improving but there's still room for additional improvement. I think there may be some anxiety induced by either Mini or Pad-Bear hanging out too close when he's using the box. We have five boxes - in two locations upstairs and two downstairs but everyone's favourite seems to be the two by the washer and dryer and I think Dorian might be happier if he picked one of the other options tbh |
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nylene
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,779
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Post by nylene on Nov 29, 2023 17:41:33 GMT
Linda , I laughed out loud when I read about your scraping the cookies from the pan to add the missing ingredient. I can't count the number of times I have done that!! I'm sorry your loaf didn't turn out as tasty as you expected. I hope your little Dorian gets more comfortable in the house. Leaving a mess in the scraproom just won't do. joyfulnana , how fun to have Rudy for decorating and cookie making. I have Alex and a friend coming after school next week to bring up all the village boxes and other Christmas stuff from the basement. Every house has its own box and they are bulky, so it's a lot of trips up and down the stairs. I used to do it myself, but my knees can't take it anymore. Dh loves the house when it is decorated, but he would prefer that it just happen at the snap of my fingers. Maybe too many years of my doing it with the kids while he was at work. I am sorry your boys don't enjoy football with you. It's nice that they will watch a little. I am so glad you kept your job and changed the hours and are so much happier than before. What does Rudy want for Christmas? kellyr21 , I look forward to seeing the rest of your artwork. Thank you, thank you for recording it. Em watched it last night while I was getting ready for a Church Christmas evening. She loved it. She recognized your "style" from the girls on my wall. We all love your talent! It's bitterly cold this week. Does it ever get really cold in So. Calif? grammadee , are your lights all blue or do they change colors? I love those photos of DGS helping with the tree. I love that blue glow. If all your shopping is finished I hope you don't get bored before Christmas with all your free time....LOL, like you ever have free time. I hope you accomplish all on your lists. I am helping DH in the shop for a little while this morning, so I will quit and try to get back later. Have a great week, everyone. Waving to all the Pokeys!
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,621
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Post by kitbop on Nov 29, 2023 22:53:01 GMT
joyfulnana- oh, I do hope we can have a couple more Friday crops this month! I'm going to try to MAKE time for them. I find Christmas is hectic and I need to make time to step away. I'm good to open one this Friday? That is so sweet that Rudy pushes to be part of the traditions with you. He will probably continue to enjoy it even when he's too old/cool for hanging out otherwise. I know my boys never stopped loving decorating, and would always jump to help with putting up lights or going to the store to buy more decorations, and it's a great way to stay connected with them through the teen years if you establish the traditions early. Glad you're feeling a bit better and that work is manageable! Amazon canada is almost as good as the US version. We have lots of distribution centres here, one is being built about 10 km from me now. So we can often get 1 day shipping, and returns are easy, we just take it to any Canada Post and it's free. But thinking of the environmental impact of all this unnecessary shipping makes me cringe! Linda - I have forgotten a key ingredient so often - sometimes it's after I get the first batch in the oven so I can only correct for the 2nd batch! Once it was sugar in a cake...  I've *almost* decided to cut way back on baking this year. Normally I made about 15 varieties of baked goods. And last year I thought I'd do less but then everyone in the family decided they had a different "must have" item and we ended up with everything. It's hard to decide what to leave off the list. nylene- I think all the pokeys would LOVE the one-of-a-kind show! It's so massive. There are over 650 vendors and it's a lot of walking (we walked 3.5 miles and didn't backtrack), but slow walking and lots of looking. There are two rows of food vendors (like baked goods, tea, coffee, chocolate, syrups, hot sauces, nuts, dip mixes, desert sauces, honey...) and they give out samples so you can keep your energy levels up. It's mainly high-end goods...a little more polish than you see at a traditional Christmas craft market - more like you'd see in an established artisan store at a weekly market? Shall we plan on a Friday or weekend crop? I'm around this weekend and will adjust plans for Friday or another day depending on when people are available!
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Post by scrappyrabbit on Nov 30, 2023 0:22:12 GMT
kitbop I don’t have plans this weekend and can crop any day
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Post by Linda on Nov 30, 2023 1:08:46 GMT
Shall we plan on a Friday or weekend crop? I'm around this weekend and will adjust plans for Friday or another day depending on when people are available! I'm definitely available on Friday and probably on Saturday. Sunday is harder |
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Post by grammadee on Nov 30, 2023 3:05:11 GMT
kitbop and Linda , I think we have all left an ingredient out of a recipe when baking. Or doubled some of the ingredients and not others (or is that just me). I used to bake everything from memory, doubling quantities in my head, but a few years ago I took the time to write down measurements and cooking temps and times, so I now have all the favourites in my computer and can print a recipe when I am ready to start. How sweet that Rudy has made arrangements to help with your tree and cookies, joyfulnana . Dd and family will spend the night Christmas Eve out here at the farm (even though they live only 15 minutes away), b/c in Mikey's mind, this is where Christmas happens LOL. nylene , the tree lights and the outdoor lights (which may not go up this year) are all blue. I find it soothing. These light strings are LED, so are cool to the touch and have lasted for years. Don't even know if they are available now. I am home after a busy day yesterday (Hair appointment, then shopping for electronics, then supper with justjac & hubby and book club) then staying over at dd's. Today at her house I assembled all the calendars, so I should be ready to sort gifts and start wrapping tomorrow. Might mix up some cookie dough for rolling and baking Friday. I am hoping not to step out of this house until early Saturday morning for dgs's hockey tourney. (dd & I are tag teaming the early shift at the raffle table while dgs's game is in progress.) Evenings are not my most productive time, but I will try to join in a crop if there is one Friday evening. Maybe I can find a place I can chat and get Christmas cards ready to mail...
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Post by Linda on Nov 30, 2023 15:02:55 GMT
goodness that was a busy day grammadee - glad you have some quieter time at home before the hockey tourney. You're like the energizer bunny! Cold here today 32 (0C)feels like 26 (-3C) when I got up this morning. Should warm up to abt 67 (19 C) this afternoon and then we'll be back to lows in the 50s/60s (teen C) and highs in the 60s/70s(upper teens/low 20sC) for a bit which is more typical for us. I know even our cold temps are balmy for some of the Canadians, lol. going to start addressing Christmas cards today I think |
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nylene
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,779
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Post by nylene on Nov 30, 2023 17:08:33 GMT
kitbop, your One of a Kind sounds delightful. They have a Dicken's Festival in SLC that we attended a couple of times, but it's now too far to drive in the dark. All the carolers come in the evenings. Lots of handcrafted items to enjoy. We also have Festival of Trees in SLC, but again it's a long drive, park and walk in the cold. I feel like we are becoming pansies! I should be available Friday night for scrapping. Linda, it's bitterly cold here and it makes me slow down! The arthritis is so much worse as winter starts. What kind of fun baking are you doing this year? Will the kids come home since you can't go? Good luck with all you addressing of cards. scrappyrabbit, it will be fun to "see" you on the online crop. How's the baby doing getting days and nights straight? I hope you are getting some rest this busy time of year. grammadee and justjac, your dinner together sounds wonderful. I wish I had a scrapping friend that close! You are both so busy with teaching, tending, and getting ready for the holidays. I went in to get a joint inj. in my bad shoulder yesterday. It has been so bad since Thanksgiving that I can hardly drive. It is still a bit sore today, but I think it will take another day to limber it up. I need to go to the church today to switch out my fall leaves bulletin board to a snowflake decor. They are cut and ready, so that shouldn't take too long. We finished up Em's big project last night. She has really appreciated her dad and his woodworking talents. I snagged a few of the blocks to sit on my scrapbook window with pretty cards in them. Hope to see lots of you tomorrow!
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Post by justjac on Nov 30, 2023 17:33:55 GMT
I'm going to have to make some Christmas cards this weekend. I haven't counted by I'm sure I'm short. I am in the Pokey exchange and one other small online exchange plus friends and family. I may need to break out the sheetloads! I found out after getting my blood work done that I have Type 2 Diabetes, so I am on a new medication and revamping my diet. I had a rough few days as my digestive system got used to the pills, but I think I'm over that now. As a result, I'm cutting back on my holiday baking. I am probably just going to make peanut brittle since it is a tradition that I make it for my immediate and extended family. Your tree is beautiful grammadee. I am all about the colour, so our tree has music and the lights can change to one of seven colours and blink in time with the music. Admittedly I usually just leave them set to multicolour, no blinking, no music. kitbop your sale sounds wonderful. I am so out of shape I would need to find a spot to sit at regular intervals if I were walking that much. Linda your lows are our highs this week, but we have very little snow which is unusual for us here. nylene I love displaying cards. Your DH's project sounds like a beautiful way to see them daily. |
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Post by Linda on Nov 30, 2023 18:13:18 GMT
it's bitterly cold here and it makes me slow down! The arthritis is so much worse as winter starts. What kind of fun baking are you doing this year? Will the kids come home since you can't go? Good luck with all you addressing of cards. (((Hugs))) arthritis is no fun and I agree - it's worse in the cold. No - kids won't be home this year. DS has another TDY between now and Christmas and he's just hoping to be home for the holidays and then he'll be gone again in the New Year (for longer that time - abt 6 weeks). I hope he's home for Christmas (he's scheduled to be) so DD isn't alone. I went in to get a joint inj. in my bad shoulder yesterday. It has been so bad since Thanksgiving that I can hardly drive. It is still a bit sore today (((Hugs))) I hope it's better soon I snagged a few of the blocks to sit on my scrapbook window with pretty cards in them. that's a great idea! I found out after getting my blood work done that I have Type 2 Diabetes, so I am on a new medication and revamping my diet. I had a rough few days as my digestive system got used to the pills, but I think I'm over that now. As a result, I'm cutting back on my holiday baking. I am probably just going to make peanut brittle since it is a tradition that I make it for my immediate and extended family. Glad that you're adjusting to the meds -some of them are a bit hard on the GI system. I'm doing less baking also as DH and I are both diabetic but DD17 still deserves some treats and some baking is for gifts. your lows are our highs this week, but we have very little snow which is unusual for us here we never get snow - brief flurries every so often (years apart) but 1989 was the last year with measurable snow and it was only an inch or so |
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Post by grammadee on Nov 30, 2023 19:11:22 GMT
Good afternoon Pokeys! I was going to say good morning but I guess that got away on me…
I hope the shot works, nylene. I found when I got them in my knees that they worked best if I let the joint rest for a couple of days after the injection. Glad you snagged a couple of the blocks your dh made. Did you share a pic of them? (I have not been the best about keeping up with everyone's news or the Gallery).
Linda I would worry about the citrus trees at those temps. What is the coldest they can stand? And don't kid yourself: Canadians are actually kinda wimpy when we get away from our warm outerwear and boots, so we would be shivering with the rest of you down there. Nowhere near where I thought I would be by now, but gifts are sorted all over my bed and I got the first set wrapped ready to pack up to mail. Dh has been pretty bah humbug about the holidays, and I thought the outside of the house would be left unadorned this year, or quickly decorated the week before Christmas when dsil will be at home. But this morning he is talking about asking one of our young neighbours to string some lights. Maybe seeing the Christmas tree has lightened his spirits.
Okay. Gotta go and make some sense of those piles on my bed. The plan was to put gifts for each family in a separate box or tub and then wrap them in the order that I need them. Hoping that goes more quickly than the system I was using this morning. To give myself credit, I also had to FIND some of the gifts I had squirreled away...
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,043
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Post by joyfulnana on Nov 30, 2023 19:33:28 GMT
Hello Pokey's! Just wanted to pop in and say yes to cropping Friday night! I'll be back later to catch up |
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gramma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,114
Location: Sacramento, Ca
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Post by gramma on Nov 30, 2023 22:06:54 GMT
Sneaking in a break at work - I'm in for tomorrow evening
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joyfulnana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,043
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Post by joyfulnana on Dec 1, 2023 13:40:54 GMT
Happy Friday! Whew! Cold, wet and gross here today. We have some light snow coming this afternoon I've heard. I'm so used to getting missed by storms that it surprised me last night to suddenly hear a good downpour lol. Nowhere near where I thought I would be by now, but gifts are sorted all over my bed and I got the first set wrapped ready to pack up to mail. I'm nowhere near where I should be either, but it's all snuck up on me and then it's a short season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It will all be over with in just a couple of weeks! Evenings are not my most productive time, but I will try to join in a crop if there is one Friday evening. Maybe I can find a place I can chat and get Christmas cards ready to mail... Awwww you know us, we don't care if you crop, we just want to see your face and chat nylene I hope the injection works for you like it should. justjac that's a bummer, I'm just flying under the radar with a T2 diagnosis myself, so I'm cleaning up my diet after quite a while of very little cooking at home. I'm blaming trying Hello Fresh a few times for my recent dislike of cooking. Everything was timed to the second, there was so.much.prepwork. and it totally blew up the kitchen because it took every pot and pan every time. I'm just working on simple meals with minimal fuss right now lol. Getting back in a groove. I'm looking forward to see you guys tonight! I'll be finishing up my cards. Even those are going out later than usual this year. I don't know why time just seems to be slipping right away so quickly.  |
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nylene
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,779
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Post by nylene on Dec 1, 2023 14:59:07 GMT
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