So I Was Just Thinking

Prettige Feestdagen! We received a great Sinterklaas gift today. I am glad when we woke up this morning we found this instead of finding that Zwart Piet had carried us off. Now to work on being good for next year. If last year's winter is any indication, I am sure I will be tired of this white stuff after a while, but coming from Texas where this would have delayed school for two hours, it is quite a novelty. At least it gave me something to post for December Daily today. So to answer iHanna's question on my calendar journal post: Yes, there will be snow in December! Haha.

Day 4: From the Sketchbook Challenge's Theme: Trashed, Ruined and Decay . These are the candle sticks that sit on my fireplace. I bought them in El Paso quite a few years ago. I went there to buy southwestern furniture and accessories. I came home with these and a pine end table. The store that sells them is known for their wrought iron. They keep most of it outside 24/7. Everything sits out in the elements which is what gives it character. When you buy something there, you usually buy a can of clear coat to preserve the rust and grime. And so we did, but not without it being rained upon a little more on the 10 hour ride home. Anyway, I decided to try my hand at painting the candle sticks rusty appearance. It was fun. Since then they have been dropped by my son more times than I care to think. He also thinks they make a cool sound when banged with whatever he can find lying around. The top on one is quite crooked. I don't think they will ever hold candles again. Day 5: The ...

Well, December Daily is up and running and me without my camera! What's a girl to do? Get out the sketchbook while sitting at the mechanics (again!) and sketch what I see in front of me. This was an older woman with what I think was an Australian accent (based on her pronunciation of "battery." LOL! This was a challenge for me because: 1. I don't do real people. 2. I only had a brief moment to capture her without staring at her. 3. I don't do furniture either. Yes, I spent my morning at the garage, but I am crossing my fingers that we are DONE! The one thing I will say is that they have been very nice and helpful. I had joked earlier in the week that I was going to place my name on a chair because I had been there so much. When I saw the owner, he was walking in with packages and he said, "Oh, you came in before I was able to get your name on the chair." It was a good laugh. When I left, I only had to pay for the parts. BONUS! Afterward, I me...

Although I love fall, I have decided that December is my favorite month and since fall doesn't officially start for a couple of weeks December still lands under the autumn category, especially in Texas. The leaves are just now changing color and falling from the trees. My poor son is dying to live where we can pile up leaves and he can jump in them. I don't think our new townhouse in Kansas City has any trees, so he will have to wait a little bit longer until we get a house. I will have to make sure it has lots of trees with leaves that fall off. (Note to self: Tell husband to buy a rake.) This morning is just beautiful. The sun is streaming through my large picture window in the living room. Even though it reminds me that I should get outside and clean off the dog prints, it brings a smile to my face. The wind is strong enough to wave the branches of the strange little ash tree out front but not so bad that you want to stay inside. I was talking to a girl last night who moved ...

I love presents. I love giving them. I love getting them. I have shown you one I received. Today let me show you what I gave. The first is just the packaging as I don't want the girl getting it to know what Santa brought her. My friend Ivette gave me these plain boxes (meant for stamping or whatever,) so immediately put one to good use. I cut up a greeting card and used it as an embellishment and then began doodling based on images I saw in the card. My secret pal also benefited today. Here are some little tags I made for her using some index cards and my favorite tool...markers! Only 10 more days until Christmas and 16 more days of December Daily! I know I can. I know I can.

I got a nice gift today from my Secret Santa. If I showed you what it looked like now, you would say, "Tsk, Tsk." So to my Secret Santa, Thank you whoever you are.

There were some interesting poinsettia (red for Christmas and blue for Hanukkah) in the grocery store the other day. They were so sparkly and I wanted to take a photo of them. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and only had my phone. I went ahead and took a close up of the flowers and sent them to my email. This is what I got. Then I played with Fireworks (like Photoshop) and got this. Finally I loaded it up to Picnik and got this. I thought it was fun and decided that even though I didn't take the photo today, I fixed it today so it is my Daily #12. I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah season.

I am part of a Secret Santa exchange. I got some cool markers from my Secret Santa that I used to make a card to attach to my person's gift. I love markers.

I live in a very strange place as many of you know. I drive through field artillery ranges that have free range cattle roaming through it. There have been more than a few times when I have had to stop to let a cow wander across the road. I was fortunate enough to have my camera and the time to stop to snap a picture. Today was Caitlin's band concert. Five junior high bands, some better than others, played their way through some traditional and not so traditional Christmas tunes the oddest being what the band director described as a Puerto Rican tune entitled "Winter Fiesta." What would my Puerto Rican counterparts know about winter other than it begins December 21st? When my grandfather came to visit me in Alaska in 1973, he had never seen or felt snow before. I know that the information superhighway has made such knowledge available to anyone with computer access, but really! How could they write a song about a Winter Fiesta? But I digress, as I am prone to do. The next...

Nose to the video game as usual. (Taken by cell phone.)

Yes, I already need to catch up. I know I shouldn't be behind at only day 4, but if you know me, that's par for the course. I decided to try out the "Fireworks" feature on my little Olympus Stylus. It basically is just a long shutter. There were a couple of interesting shots, but this one was my favorite. It looks like a chicken crossing the road with some little friends in tow. See you tomorrow. I promise. *wink*

We actually have real snow falling from the sky. Granted the snow melts the moment it hits the ground, but it is snow nonetheless. The wonderful thing is to see how the students from Caribbean are enjoying seeing snow for the first time. It made for a perfect Daily #3. Oh, to have that much joy!

Yesterday was the first day of December and the first day of December Daily where I get to take a photo a day for one month. Now that's a challenge I think I can keep up with. 30 days is about my limit when I finally say, I have had it, so I am going to complete this one. I told Rieni that I thought I had already messed up because the day was so miserably cold and rainy that there couldn't possibly be anything to take a picture of, but I was mistaken. Every Tuesday we have dinner at my Aunt Rose's house, and she is very into holidays and decorations. I took a little photo. I call this "It's beginning to look a LITTLE like Christmas." If you are not too busy Christmas shopping, card writing and the like, join me.