Christmas Tree...



Christmas tree 2012

 I'm still playing with Picasa... thus, the blue tint.  As you can see, our tree decorations have been minimized over the years. Since the  kids have grown, we have eliminated the tinsel and garlands. Now we make due with the tiny white lights and ornaments that mean something (either the kids or grand kids made them or were given to them, some came from our parents' tree, etc.)... and of course we have the unbreakable ones at the bottom for the cats to play with. As we get older, we may also have to minimize the tree size... but so far we have always had one of the boys around to help us get it into the house.

I started this post yesterday, but had to get to Yoga class then over to the doctor's to get my flu shot.  Intended to finish it when I got back home, but ran out of time.  After picking up grandson at school and cooking supper (Chicken Tetrazinni), I was wiped out... and fell asleep on the sofa. When I got up to go to bed, my arm where I had gotten the shot was throbbing. During the night my arm really hurt as well as my head... so this morning I may have to ditch my original plans which was the pottery studio and another doctor visit this afternoon (we try to get them all in before the end of the year because of the insurance deductibles).  However, I just got up and had some coffee and a Tylenol, so we shall see.

The rest of my 'huge mugs' were out of the kiln on Monday. The ones that were in the oxidation kiln came out OK... not exactly what I hoped, but OK.  The last 2 are still bisque, but I'm glazing them in the same colors (Slate, Celadon, and either Butter or Tamaku - sp?).  But I will fire these in reduction.
Once done, I will post a picture.  The picture below is a ceramic rose I made... just for fun.




ceramic rose



And just FYI:   Our 'baby girl' (new grandbaby) is doing fine.  She's a week old today! Thanks again for all your congrats and good wishes...

the day is done... (Thanksgiving that is)

rose from our garden

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  This photo was taken of a rose that DH brought in from the garden a few days ago.  He brought it in as a bud, but when it opened, it was huge and really beautiful... a deep pink with red highlights. Don't know the name. We used to have lots of rose bushes (and knew all the names), but as time went by, we've not had as many or paid as much attention.  But this one caught our eye!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I cooked for 3 days.  DH smokes the turkey, I made Bourbon Sweet Potatoes with Pecan and Marshmallow topping, my mom's Oyster Stuffing,  a new Green Bean Casserole (all fresh - no canned - but similar to the traditional recipe), a Hatch Chili stuffing (for the Vegetarians at the table), cranberry sauce, and cheese biscuits... also a traditional pudding recipe that has a cookie base (boys HAVE to have this) and an apple pie.

We ate, we laughed, we discussed the new baby who was sitting at the table with her mom and has not yet decided to grace us with her presence (she is due to make her appearance anytime). Then we all adjoined to the den so those who were inclined could continue watching the football games while others of us could either knit or sleep... until it was time for more coffee and dessert!  My daughter and her family (who live in the hill country and weren't with us for dinner this year) kept texting us and her brothers as to what was going on at her house.  The boys kept sending her pictures of mom's food.

All in all, it was a nice day. The cats enjoyed it too.  They laid around in baskets and on the sofa with the family... except for Molly who decided to sit on the bench next to DIL during dinner.  Mostly the cats are not allowed near the table while we're eating and they're pretty good about it. But Molly is 19, so when she joined us, no one was offended.  She just sat there and listened to the conversation. The weather was beautiful. This morning it's a bit cooler - 59 or 60 I believe.  




quilt we saw at shop in Celeste, TX

 Took this picture of a quilt my friend and I saw at this little shop in Celeste last week. I fell in love with it. My friend is the quilter, not me. I have one that I did start and it is almost finished except for the last bit... but as it turns out, when I have time on my hands, I'd rather work on the wheel or knit (and so it has sat unfinished in my closet for about a year). Truth is, I LOVE quilts! Just not making them myself. So we bought the material and she is going to make it for me.  She is one of those people that has quilts started and finished everywhere in her house. But, as I told her, there is no hurry on my part. I'm just excited to have found one that I really like. There are so many designs and materials out there that it makes my head spin. Some are gorgeous... just not my house style. This one is perfect.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!