Secret Santa Soriee UPDATED Post with Pictures

 Here are the updated photos for what I sent my Secret Santa.....this time no eggnog was involved!!!! Merry Christmas Secret Santa!!!!


It is that time of year again, and time for shopping for my secret Santa. I participated again this year in this swap hosted by Decisionally Challenged Blog. It is really great fun...this year, there seemed to be a bit of a mishap, and here is the story told by Toby the Penguin. I hope my blogging friends don't think too badly of me after they read this very exaggerated story.

Hi, I'm Toby, and I am the first gift Coloradolady purchased for her Secret Santa. So I have been around for all of the excitement. Oh, the shopping part was so much fun, we had a grand time, and I was even impressed Coloradolady took some of my advice on the gifts.


However, there was a bit of a mishap when we went to have a photo shoot of the loot. See, that was part of the rules, Coloradolady had to take photos of what she was gifting to her Secret Santa....its all about the giving after all...not the receiving, so that is the focus this year.

Anyway, it was time to take the pictures and wrap. So Coloradolady was watching White Christmas and getting all in the wrapping mood, when she remembered on a whim, she purchased some eggnog as she wanted to try it because she had never had it in her entire life. I warned her not to do it, but she waved me off and said it was the holidays....and guess what?? She liked the eggnog a little too much......spiked eggnog????? We did not break the rules, we did take the photos.....but Coloradolady also had a bit too much eggnog.......anyway, here are the gifts for Coloradolady's Secret Santa partner. And I  am not sorry to say, that at least the photos of myself were not too bad!!
 

Her swap partner stated she liked things with her initial.....so we found something that was really cute.

 This is more like it.....my secret santa got a journal, and initial note cards. The heart necklace was wrapped as a Birthday surprise since her birthday is Sat. (I made the necklace)

Her swap partner also stated she liked girly things...well, that was not hard to find a few girly things to send.

 This photo is for the next mishap photo too, since my secret santa liked girly things, she got nail polish, emery boards, raisers and lip stick. Hope the shades were right.

Some things have a bit of pink in them....hopefully that will be OK...but they are girly.

Coloradolady's secret santa partner had lots of choices on her list.....and we found exactly some of the things she added to the list. Is that funnel not the cutest thing???

 My secret santa said she loved Kors by Michael Kors and could not find it...well, I had a heck of a time, but the internet was my friend. I found these vials of the perfume and it came with a spray bottle and little funnel. I sure hope this put a smile on her face.

Her partner also collected a few things.....we found a twist on one of the collections.

 I found these barn star ornaments and thought they were perfect for my friend.....I think they are so cute. And she did state she liked barn stars.

My idea was everyone needs a little comfort for the long cold months ahead.....it is perfect for that.

 And because my secret santa lives where it is cold all winter and she might need to snuggle and treat herself to a little relaxation, I made her this afghan to snuggle with on  a long winters day. The door holder is jingle bells that will let her know when and if her kids are trying to sneak out!!!

We shopped and shopped, and Colorado even made a few things for her partner.....on a girly sorta way.

(this photo is of the necklace above)

Her friend said her favorite color was green......now I argued she did not say lime green, but Colorado again waved me off.....I promise this was all a result of too much eggnog and Christmas  cheer. I am insisting on a new photo shoot, so check back this week for a do-over!! 

 And because my partner has wiener dogs like myself....we could not forget them...Toby loved snoopy right away, so we sent this toy!! Merry Christmas secret friend!!!!!!

Merry Christmas to my swap partner, don't pay too much attention to what Toby had to say, I think this penguin is exaggerating what really happened.....but I will attempt a do-over and rectify this little mishap on my post today later this week.

A Warning About Opening Text Messages In Public Places

Hello friends, this post is to serve as a warning about opening text messages in public places. To do so, could result in having to explain yourself, and then botching it up in a ridiculous way. Doing so, could also annoy others when you don't really know enough about your phone to turn the message off or worse, when you think it is just a text and not one that is equipped with sound....very loud sound in fact when you are in a space of waiting patients in a doctors office.

This is a true story....it is not meant to offend anyone....it happened, and I hope I remember to wait until I am in the car if I am ever in a public place again to open a text message......just sayin'

Last week, I had a doctors appointment for a mammogram. Sorry if there are any guys that have found their way here today, you may want to click off now, or if your curiosity has gotten the better of you...well, you have been warned. Anyway, it was as always, hurry up, get there and wait. Once I was called back, the not so nice lady, (think old fashion school matron type) proceeded to order me to go change, put on the top...blah, blah, blah. And you guessed it, wait again. And for the life of me, I always wonder why in the devil it is always freezing in that place....hello......sub zero degrees is really not necessary.

There were benches outside the room where the mammogram is done, and I was waiting there rather impatiently with two other ladies about my age....40ish give or take a few.....anyway, my phone beeped...I had a text message. I thought it might be one of my kids...but it was from a friend.

So what do I do? Open it right there in the hallway that was so silent you could hear a pin drop to read it. Actually, I was rather happy for the message...anything was better than staring at two other ladies robed in a half gown knowing they were bare chested like myself....seriously.....

See that sweet little message...that is what was on my phone when I opened the message...I smiled thinking about my friend who sent it, and THEN it went off like a cannon.....click the arrow to hear the message!!!



One of the ladies looked up and asked me: "Is it your anniversary? How sweet of your husband to send you that!"

Me: Huh??? Oh, no....it is from my girlfriend.....I love that girl.....

Lady: "Oh, I see..." with raised and knowing eyebrows... (why at that moment did I feel her glance at my chest??)

Me: Puzzled then realizing what she thought...good grief, she thinks I like women......I exclaimed, "Oh, no...I'm married......"

Lady: raises eyebrows even more and opens a magazine......sorta smirking....

Me: ...."To a man.....my husband that is,.....this message is from my friend...who happens to be a girl....."

Guess you notice I was digging a deeper hole with trying to explain.....and really, why did she think it was any of her business and why did I feel the need to explain myself.....just because I said I got a message from my girlfriend.....did that mean I liked girls??? I find that today, so many people seem to be jumping to conclusions over the silliest things, but jump they do.


And wouldn't you know it about that time I glance up and the old school matron looking lady is standing in the doorway looking agitated and like she did not believe my story for one bit. Who's name do you think she called? Mine.....

All I could do is stand up, throw my shoulders back and say as I passed her standing in the doorway, "lets get these boobs picture taken ...I have things to do today"....and with that, I heard a loud gasp as I left the lady waiting on the bench and walked inside. But heck, if all those eyes wanted to look up behind open magazines and look and gawk, I was in the sorta mood to give them something to gawk at.....and I guess I did....I mean I had the nerve to say..."boobs" at a mammogram clinic of all places.  And that school matron looking lady, seemed to find great pleasure in turning that crank a little tighter that day....but I swear, I did not flinch one bit.

So if you would like to save yourself the humiliation of having possibly to explain a text message with sound attached, I strongly advise not opening it in the doctor's office...or at the very least the mammogram clinic...but to my sweet friend who sent it, I meant what I said when I text back to you, "I love you more." I bet you could not have imagined the predicament that message would find me in.

Have a great weekend everyone...and if you have not had a mammogram this year, schedule yourself one, but leave your phone in the car.

I'd like to say Thank you to Alisha's friend, Brad who turned this text message into a video.....I could not figure out how to do it!!

Don't Forget to Turn Back Your Clocks: Wisdom According To Maxine

I don't know about you, but I would prefer the time to stay the same all the time, and day lights savings time would be nice for me. But that is just me.

I think Maxine has the right idea about this one! Oh, to be able to just turn the dial and be able to dial back to when you were 20 or heck, how about even 30!

And this is how I feel all winter long!!!! Maxine hit it right on the head for me!!!

Today we set out clocks back one hour, so we can come home in the dark....man, I hate the sound of that!!! And while you are at the task of setting your clocks back, be sure to check the batteries in your smoke alarms, and replace if need be.

Stacked....But For How Long??

When I was first married, I tried to impress my husband with his favorite, chocolate cake. I'd try baking round cakes, stacking them, and frosting them....more times than not, they went into the trash. Why you ask? Well, the darn layers just slid off of each other into a big mess on the kitchen cabinet. True.

So I gave that up rather quickly. If I could not make a cake in a 9X13 pan or a bundt cake pan....well, it just did not get made. I really have self esteem issues with round cakes. But today, after 25 years of staying away from the round cakes, I purchased the cake pans and tried again.

I ran, literally and got the camera while the cake was still stacked.....we'll see if it starts to slide as the afternoon progresses.

My grandmother made beautiful round stacked cakes. They were the picture of perfection and the taste was to die for. I make really good tasting cakes too....but they have to be in a sheet cake pan or well, no one would want to try it. I really need to get over this phobia of round cakes. I mean, how hard can I possibly make this? I see cakes all the time online and it does not look like there is any real secret involved. I just need to get over this fear of failing and just go with it.

ummm....in the meantime however, I don't think the local baker is worried about any new and upcoming competition.....just sayin. Oh, and in case you are wondering if the back part of the cake is a little lower than the front...well, as a matter of fact it is....must be something wrong with my oven...ahem!

......yeah...for the time being....stacked....I just don't know for how long!!

~ This should not be this hard!!!!!

A fashionista I Am Not...

I have a problem most of the time when it comes to shopping for clothes, and finding the right things to wear on special occasions. I say occasions loosely, because if I am honest here, I am a dress down sorta girl. I wonder if this is due to my incredible lack of style, or the simple fact, I have become lazy over the years. Comfort is the over all importance, in my choices most of the time. It never has bothered me before, so why is it bothering me now? Thoughts to ponder.....

Let me give you an example. Recently, I met a friend for lunch....same said friend whom I grew up with years ago and was recently reacquainted with. I stood in my closet and all that faced me was t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and tennis shoes. Well, there were a few other things in that closet, but nothing I intended to wear. Not exactly the look I was going for. So I did what most of us would do, headed to the mall. Pure torture! I tell you sometimes, I feel like a candidate for the TV show, What Not To Wear. There are too many choices, and I seem to always pick the wrong things, I pick the comfy clothes over the stylish trends.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I always start out with great visions of picking out the perfect outfit, something exciting, something sophisticated, something super chic...but somehow, the clothes I chose just fall short...in my opinion.

This is the very shirt I purchased. And looking at this model, it looks pretty good on her, maybe if you look closely, a little sophisticated, or at the very least, a little chic, no? If you don't agree, maybe that is my problem all together.....I don't have a clue! Of course, I paired the shirt with dark gray jeans, a black cami and tennis shoes. Sorry, I know what your thinking, but they were nice tennis shoes, and, they are comfortable. just sayin'. But I am here to tell you, I looked nothing like this model. But I can say this, I was comfortable......sorta.

Now, my friend showed up for our lunch date looking like a model from Vogue. A black shirt, not this one, but a really cute black shirt, jeans, not high waist-ed jeans like these, but cute dark jeans, wonderful accessories, cute sandals....pure sophistication. (picture is just an idea of the difference in our choices) She really was better put together than this model here, she looked fantastic. We are the same age, well.....I am a month older, but why did I feel like someone's granny, which I'm not, but wished I was....and why was it my sweet friend, looked like she stepped out of a fashion magazine? And why am I willing to bet, she had no stress whatsoever on what she was going to wear.... unlike me.

Does this happen to you guys, or is it just me. I think I have just gotten used to dressing down all the time. I work in an environment that does not warrant nice clothes, so I only have a few things I consider dressy, and that leaves hardly any room for in between stuff. If I made better choices to begin with, maybe I'd not have a closet full and overflowing with clothes I feel just don't quiet reach the mark. I have a feeling this shirt will fall into the same pile of never to be worn again clothes....after all, it made me feel like a granny for goodness sake! That's right....blame it on the shirt...easy way out!

And to be honest with you, if I could be on this show and it not be televised for all the world to see my lack of style, I'd fill out the application today...I wonder sometimes what Stacy and Clinton would say if they followed me around with a hidden camera for two weeks....I shudder at the thought.

Anyone else ever feel this way?.......... Hello? ...............Anyone there?..........I don't want to be a granny lady......well, I do want to be a granny.....but I want to look like a young granny, not an old one.....Style....it is all about the style......or lack of...I think.

Do You Ever Wonder What People Say About You???

This was mailed to my husband last week.....hhmmmm......makes you wonder right??? I won't name any names as to who was a party to this....but let's just say.....everyone seemed to think this was hilarious........ hope it brings a smile or a laugh...at my expense!

Pssst....I Have A Foot Fetish!

My daughter and I are huge fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette TV show. We never miss a season. I always say I am done, and will not watch another season, but alas...I always watch.

This season of the Bachelorette, Tanner P. from Dallas proved to be a wee bit different from the rest of the guys.....and I am not sure in a good way. This guy, as cute as he was, had a unusual foot fetish with girls' feet and it was no secret. What does this have to do with me? Well I will tell you....I have a foot fetish myself....yep it's true, just be careful who you tell that to.

My foot fetish involves these little paws. So small, so sweet, so special.

Did you know that there is actually a foot cream made especially for dachshund's feet? I kid you not! It's called "Paws Protect" and they sell it at Petsmart.

Now, just because I said they sell it, does not mean I have it and use it. First off, Sophie and Dora would not have anything on their feet, and I can just imagine what a mess that would be on their feet as they would not sit still long enough for it to soak in.

I think they have the sweetest feet for a dog.....

Feet that play hard, run fast and dodge each other in antics all day long, but they look so sweet when they are resting.

Dora always sleeps with her feet tucked under......always.

And Sophie and Dora care very little for pedicures. In fact, they would rather not have their nails cut at all.....Dora even bites.....she means business.....wants no part of it. And you can forget ever trying to paint their nails with nail polish...not pretty....not one bit.

Here is Sophie's paw, notice the little crooked toe.....well guess what?

Dora has one too. Yep, they might not have been born of the same mother, but they are one in the same in heart and toes.....Oh, and by the way......I have a crooked toe too....different mother too......sisters at heart I tell ya, all three of us.

And if you are not thinking I am just plain weird by now.....I will add one more random thing about my pups feet, so you can be on the lookout for a padded room for me....with a doggie door please.....

Sophie's feet have the best smell in the whole wide world. Seriously. They smell so good all the time....Dora's.....not so much....ever......and just in case you are wondering.... I am not going to tell you how my feel smell.....not today anyway!

Tanner P. from Dallas, may have gotten the boot on this season of The Bachelorette...but I hope you guys will overlook my unusual fetish and keep me around a bit longer!

Find the little things in life to smile about....it is so worth it and it will definitely bring light to your day!

Be sure to sign up for my giveaway...HERE!!
.....and you don't have to show your feet to enter!

Beginner Quilting Class: Second To The Last Class

This week, we have two different blocks to sew together and have completed by next week. I will talk about that, and tell you a funny story at the end of this post...at least I think it is hilarious.

Here are the log cabin blocks. I have thought all along that these would be the most difficult. I really dreaded making them, as I was for sure that I was going to run into lots of problems.

I am happy to say, that rang true for the whole class except myself...well, for the most part that is. I may have had a heck of a time with the darn pressing at the beginning, but I felt pretty good about myself that I grasped this block pretty quick.

There is just one problem. Leo said to sew a "scant 1/4 seam" and well, since I don't have a machine that will move the needle over for me, I had to try and eyeball it.....as you can see there is just one small problem. The block is supposed to be 6 inches and well, my "scant" has caused this block to be a bit over sized. What to do?

I am going to drive to the quilt shop in the morning and ask one of these knowledgeable men what I need to do, I am really hoping I do not have to remake all of these blocks. It took me all day Thursday, and I still don't have the other blocks sewn yet. But at the risk of messing the whole project up, I best find out from Leo what I need to do. I can already hear it....if I had a Bernina.....this would correct my problem....yadda-yadda-yadda!

I know there are some experts here reading this....what are your thoughts? Start over? Can they be salvaged?

I did manage to sew one of the Friendship Star blocks together. I just love the colors in this block.

See, here is the rest of my homework for the week....that is if I am not remaking the Log Cabin blocks. Time constraints are a tail kicker for me....I will be glad when I am not so stressed over finishing things by the next class and trying to do all of this and work at the same time!

Now, speaking about that Bernina machine. Remember me telling you about the little old lady who just purchased her new machine? She let Leo talk her into buying that Bernina 440 quilting machine, promising she would see wonderful results and a real difference in her sewing....really, I heard all of this myself. Well this was the first time she had it in class....Bless her heart, she was sewing her blocks backwards, and all wrong all day....she was so frustrated, I really felt so sorry for her. She would sew, and then have to rip out....sew, then rip out.....I think I would have just called it a day....

The owner of the shop was sitting by me, and Leo was out of the room.....she just all of a sudden, very loudly announced "Well, me buying this high dollar machine has done me little good! I am not doing any better with this $3ooo.oo machine than I did with my $100.00 machine." Then she tossed her block on the floor and said, "Well, how do you like that.....do you offer refunds?"

If I tell you I just about fell out of my chair, that is an understatement....not at her frustration, but at her testimonial over the sewing machine.....I turned to the owner and said, "Well, I bet this is not the kind of testimonials you are looking for here at all, is it?"
He just about turned twenty shades of red and stuttered, "indeed it is not!" Poor guy had no idea what to say. I just chuckled and kept right on sewing on my $75.00 estate sale machine....Bless its little heart, it sews like a heart of a lion!!

I really hope that little lady works through her frustrations, I felt so sad for her, but it was so funny at what she had said about the machine. It just was not her day...and that can be a headache in itself.

Well, I am thinking next week, we will put the blocks together, as these are the last of the blocks for the quilt, then we have to put the borders on. My main border is the flowers outer blue fabric in the Log Cabin block. I am really ready to see the end results.

Oh, and in case you are wondering about the desserts, I took my Strawberry Shortcake Pie, and Leo made Plantain Bananas, Black beans and some type of little breads stuffed with mozzarella cheese....it was heavenly. This class better end soon, I am starting to enjoy this dessert business....please...don't repeat that...OK?

Beginner Quilting Class: Yes... I am that person.

Well, I survived another week. Thank goodness. If you are reading this crazy post and wonder what is going on, you might want to start at the beginning to get a better understanding of my Friday post about Beginning Quilting. I am really writing this as a journal to keep with my very first quilt as a record. If you find yourself chuckling at my shenanigans along the way, that's great. It is good to laugh and laugh at yourself.....luckily, I have the last part covered.

The highlight of my week was finally understanding about the pressing. I spoke with a lady named Judy on the phone, and she explained the art of pressing seams and how to never make a mistake. It was rather simple really. She told me to always make sure I knew which way I wanted the seam pressed, and make sure that fabric was always on top when I pressed. At last....no more problems. That was a huge relief.

Here are my flying flocks....I mean flying geese.

If I tell you nothing went right in class this week, that would be an understatement. I felt really bad to begin with, and then, everything just did not go my way. From the sewing of the blocks, to the pressing to the construction of the blocks....boy was I upset.

To make matters worse, everyone else's work came out perfect. No problems. Even the ladies whom had never sewn before had no problems. Again, the instructor said that the machine I have will not keep up with the seamstress. Once again, he suggested I use one of their Bernina machines. Nope. Not going for it. By the end of class, I had a really bad attitude. And to make matters worse, one of the ladies who used her old machine like mine, quit class. Just quit, said it was too stressful.

This gadget according to Leo, our instructor is a life saver. This is called a seam finder - the ultimate seam guide for quilters. He told us how it would save lots of time by not having to draw lines on the backs of the squares that needed to be sewn on a diagonal. He even most graciously said if we purchased one, he would set it up for each of us and we would be set....How many people do you think purchased one? Everyone! There was just one small problem.....for me that is.....

Do you see how there is nothing under the seam finder to hold it up? yea...small problem. You see I do not have a fancy shamancy machines like the other ladies, and they all have one of these....

It is a sewing machine table extender...I think that is what it is called. See with this, it allows for neat little gadgets like this must have seam finder. I had to use a box....literally in class, and it was a pain in the rear. Nothing came out right, lined up right, and I was having a hard time. Nothing a new machine would not fix! I was so discouraged.

I only got two blocks completed during class. I had such a frustrating time, I did not even try and sew when I got home that evening. I just put everything up and did not touch it. I was ready to quiet if I am being honest with myself.

I did a whole lot of thinking and talking to myself....I was not going to quit. I knew if others can sew on machines that are not top of the line, than I am just stubborn enough to think I can too. After all, I am a firm believer that I have the sewing gene running in my blood. My grandmother was a master seamstress and I like to believe I take after her in many ways....and she never had a fancy-shamancy machine. Ever.

After much debate in my mind, I settled on a plan. I found a piece of foam board in the shed, took my trusty quilting ruler and a knife and went to work. I bet you are wondering what foam board has to do with quilting...well, nothing unless you are one of those types of people who are going to try and figure out how to improvise on the cheap...Yes, I am that person.


I cute five pieces of foam board, stacked them up, and took a roll of tape and started covering the foam board.

I covered every square inch..... now, can you guess where this is going?

Right up under my new gadget...the seam finder. It fits perfectly, serves my purpose and cost me nothing but about 10 minutes of my time.

And guess what? It worked. Once I had something more stable, I was able to whip out those blocks all in an afternoon. I hope they turned out correct, but they all look the same, so if they are not right, I need to figure out what I did wrong on all of them....but you can be sure, it was not that the sewing surface was not level or secure. I fixed that problem.

Here are a few of my flying geese. I have them all done and pressed for the next class. All I have to do now, is cut the friendship stars and the log cabin fabrics and I will be ready for the next class.

When Steve came home he asked me what my homemade contraption was....I told him. His next question was, "Surely, you are not going to take that to class and use it there, are you?"

I smiled and replied, "You bet I am." In fact, I just have a feeling that once I pull this little baby out, that will be the end of trying to sell me one of their high dollar sewing machines. Yep, I just bet that will be the end of that. I am really looking forward to seeing Leo's face....I hope I can contain a chuckle.

Steve looked mortified....asked me again how much the machine cost Leo was trying to sell me. I told him to forget it, and guess what....I meant it. If I can sew on the machine I have, I can sew this quilt together and quilt it. I am set on reaching this goal no matter what, even if I have to buy some more foam board and make a bigger surface, I am going to do it......on the cheap....because I am that person.