Merry Christmas To You and Yours!

I've just finished my wrapping of presents complete with a few hand-made tags to apply.  It's been a busy time in my life again.  There's been a lot of hustling and bustling especially since we had a big storm a few days ago.  Tomorrow is finally the big day!
Yesterday I went to church with a friend and heard a wonderful message and can't wait to start in on a new and exciting 2013!  While walking to our cars to go grab lunch there was a couple women standing in the parking lot while some of our men from church were trying to push her car out of a small snow bank - in which her car was high-centered and was going no where.
Someone shouted out asking if anyone had a tow rope.   I was like, hmm, no... Wait!  I just recently bought a AAA car kit at Target and voila!  I had a tow rope!  I was so excited that they were able to get that car out quickly - especially since it was super cold out.
I had a great weekend - stayed over a good friend's house and hung out watching movies and exchanging presents.

I hope you all hold your loved ones close this holiday - my heart was broken after what happened in Newtown and I continue to pray for healing and peace for that community and our country.

Bless you all and have a Merry Merry Christmas!!

                                                                      photo by Angela 
                                                   
 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."   Matthew 1:23 

Looks Like Christmas!

All photos this post by Angela 

I'm happy to say that for the first time ever I have my Christmas tree up and decorated prior to December!

I've always admired those organized folks that whipped out their decorations and had their entire home full of holiday cheer as soon as the turkey giblets are put away in their fridges.  

                                                                                                                       

Me? Well I normally would help my mom (and dad) put up their tree since we spend Christmas at their home.  However, this year Mama just doesn't want to go through the trouble.  Instead she'll decorate the mantle with some silvery sparkles and mercury glass.
Good thing since my aunts, uncle and grandma are counting on having the place looking spiffy for a photo shoot with me being their photographer.

They are a fun bunch!  We're planning on fun props like Santa hats, candy canes, etc!   I get my great sense of humor from both sides of my family.  We just like to be silly.  I have no idea if any of that comes across in my blog posts.  

I just love these quilted stockings.  I picked them up at a craft show held inside a model home and admission was a canned good for feeding the homeless.   I love a good cause and a good excuse to check out a small craft show (the big ones are zoos)!  There's some cute little vintage Santas and cookies whip-stitched on them.  The buttons are a nice little touch, too!  

I'm sitting here listening to Christmas music and enjoying the heat coming out of the vent (it's getting chilly and we are expecting snow tomorrow).  Gotta get to some crafts and laundry now - have a great weekend!

A Bit of Thanksgiving Deliciousness

Hello!  Just wanted to share a quick pic or two from my Thanksgiving.   I had to show you the cute truffle turkeys my parents made after watching a morning show on TV.   Yum yum!

                                                                All pictures this post by Angela

I made some fruit ambrosia salad.  It was so good that after I went home I made some more to keep in the fridge!  I think I may make some more corn pudding, too.  Seems like I love the side dishes the best!  What about you?

Tell me, do you like cranberry sauce from a can like I do?  They had a whole episode from "How It's Made" about this and how people like the lines indented in the can to use for a guide to cut the gelatinous concoction.   We are easy, we like a lot of the instant stuff and just doctor it up a bit!

I'm using the weekend to pull out some Christmas decorations.   I don't have a lot of room in my current home so doing lots of editing.   I miss my shelving unit.

Have a great day! See you soon!

Gratitude

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." Brian Tracy

Well Thanksgiving is only a couple days away!  Are you ready?  I went food shopping with my mom and helped her price-match at the grocery store.  I go over my parents house and help cook.  We have a few extra guests this year so it shall be fun.  I hope they like to play games!  The guys usually veg out on the couch watching football.

I honestly cannot believe how fast the holidays have arrived and feel very behind in my creative endeavors.  It's been quite some time since I've sat down to really get creative.  All of my energy has been absorbed in the never-ending mini renovation of our kitchen.  It's hard to get it all done when working full-time and trying to live in that space as well.  Sprucing up this former bachelor pad takes work!  Woo wee!!
I had a wonderful and highly motivated friend swoop in and helped get 'er done! So I will share a couple pictures of our newly added back splash (which my dad installed).  It looks even better with the grout!  

                    The sink faucet will be replaced (can't wait) 

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     Valspar Macadamia Nut wall paint & fresh white ceiling paint...

I am thankful for so much and cannot express how much I've appreciated new friendships in my life, support of family and God's provision.  

I am sorry I haven't been blogging more fun holiday stuff but I know some out there appreciate some good ol' DIY home improvement posts.  

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!    

Christmas Is Coming Soon!

The chill is in the air and the furnace is on already!  I've been doing a little pre-Christmas buying and I took my Christmas totes out of storage and put them in the basement so they are nearby.

I need to get back into my craft room and start getting my creative juices flowing ... reading a lot of craft and photography blogs and everyone is getting their Christmas things in order.

Thought I'd try and put this cute countdown on my blog to remind me to get ready get ready get ready!!

P.S. Looks like it's a little squished in my blog format (someday I need to change it up again so my photos are bigger, too) but you can still see the days, hours and minutes.

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Fall Fun

Whew! What a weekend!  Ever get wiped out from looking for that perfect item?  That's how I feel after going to Junkstock on Saturday (and sneaked out there on Friday night, too).   It was my first time going to this event so I was pretty excited to check it out.
They had their first event this last summer but I was unable to go.  This time I made sure I put it on my calendar and asked my aunt to come along with me, too.  We started out having breakfast rounders from a local food truck called Localmotive then  met up with some of my other gals in my family to start our tour of the vendor booths.   My aunt and I were newbies to the food truck experience but I've heard a lot of good things from some foodie friends so I had to give it a try.  The rounders were good - with some aioli type dipping sauce.

                                                          Photo from Junkstock page

There were about 30 vendors - everything outdoors and on an old farm.  Lots of neat displays and
re-purposed items.   I was looking for old windows to alter and make into picture frames, chalkboards, etc.
I did find some but wasn't sure about the prices, the cost of buying the paint, boards, etc. I was also concerned over the weight of the larger ones that didn't have have panes.  Then I found this cute one already fixed up and I was sold!  The top is glass with vinyl bird stickers (I heard the crafter made it from a machine most likely a Silhouette but I'm just guessing) and the bottom is press board painted with chalk paint.   It made it light and the perfect weight for our old walls. The vendor is Simply Bungalow.

Photos rest of this post by Angela 

I still plan on altering an old window.  I have a high school friend who's going to give me a couple of them.  Her husband replaces windows for a living.  She was very nice to think of me!  

I also bought this cool twig wreath from A Little Rustic.  They had a lot of neat antiques and banners.  I could have left with a wagon load from their lot!  At least I know where to find their store if I ever want to take a road trip.  I also bought a few other things as well.   I didn't bring my camera because it was unpredictable weather all weekend.  One minute it was cold, windy and rainy and the next it was humid, warmer, then it rained later which took me by surprise after getting out of a movie that evening.  

Thought I'd share a few photos of my Fall decor sprinkled in the house.   All of my stuff is still in storage (sniff!) so I only bought a few new things for this year...

I just love that Kirklands came back to my town after being gone for a few years.  I scored this green ceramic pumpkin the week they opened and got it on sale, too!

Michael's already has their Fall items on clearance.  Found this cute lil wagon to put some faux pumpkins/gourds inside.  

And lastly my other find at either TJ Maxx or Marshall's ... sums up all my favorite parts of this season.  Only thing missing is mention of the leaves turning color.  Bright yellows, reds, oranges.   Sigh... it's such a short season but it's a favorite of mine.   I need to get out and take some pics soon.

What's your favorite season? 

  

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”

John Burroughs

Cabin Retreating Part II

Well I thought I'd better do my part two post on my little cabin retreat adventure before I share some more recent activities.  So technically we weren't in the cabin the whole time...  it was raining a lot the first couple of days so rather than sit inside the cabin staring at each other we ventured out.
The neighboring town close to our cabin is Louisville, NE.  It's a busy little town with a train going right through the center of it about every 13 minutes.  In their downtown area are quite a few fun girly shops.  One is called Cafe Poulet.   Here's a few pics of the cafe & shopping area

I just love all of the pretty pink in there and of course anything Marie Antoinette (and cupcakes!)

They have a lot of fun purses, jewelry and other accessories.  I left with a pretty necklace with lots of bling!

 What a fun place!  We had a little coffee and relaxed on these fun retro cafe tables.  I also checked out their other places Coop De Ville (everything has a "chick" theme) and Art Chicks.

Also on our weekend excursion we visited a local winery in Springfield, NE called Soaring Wings

All the grapevines were so pretty.  I've actually never been to a winery so it was a new experience for me

                                                       
                                                               The grapes were sweet

I made a little lunch for us and we bought a nice bottle of white wine  

Great fun with a friend dining alfresco with guitar music from the amphitheater in the background!

   

Cabin Retreating

Hi!  Happy Labor Day weekend!  I sure hope my U.S. friends are finding time to relax and not working.  This is actually my second long weekend as last weekend I went with my best gal pal Michele for a cabin retreat at her dad's "fishing" cabin.  My kind of roughing it (meaning it had A/C and satellite cable)!
It was so nice to just get away and do whatever.  We brought some of our art supplies, mags and books and possibly our entire homes.  I guess you'd call it "glamping" - haha!
I'm a big fan of artist Stephanie Ackerman of Homegrown Hospitality and she recently shared some lettering techniques that I thought I'd try on my little sketchpad.

                                                            All pictures this post by Angela 


The first couple days of our stay was rainy.   While we were in the cabin I noticed a bright yellow light being cast across the lake and through our windows.  I quickly grabbed my camera and ran out behind the camera with my friend and was able to capture the most beautiful sunset in the overcast sky!  We both felt like God was giving us a smile through the rain.

It was truly spectacular!  The colors of orange and blue cast across the Platte River ...

The black clouds look like huge mountains (um no mountains in Nebraska... they call it the great plains) 

I just couldn't stop snapping the camera....

Below is a daytime shot of the dock and pontoon (that we didn't get to take out).  This little fishing and pontoon lake was super peaceful and hardly anyone was out at any given time.   I actually saw a few cranes taking a dip in the beach and one actually flew over and snapped up a fish!  

The reflection on the placid lake looked like a mirror

I was super excited over two more things:

1) My first ride in a kayak (bucket list item) 

2) Seeing a bald eagle flying over the river 

Some people looked at me funny when I said that I saw an eagle and how excited I was.  They aren't in the city and I had no idea they were so close by along the river.  So this city gal was excited about it!  I am a bird lover, though.   I really should take up birding. 

I'll leave you with this silly glammed up deer as a "stay tuned" for the next post from my cabin adventure...  we ventured into the neighboring towns for a bit of girlie fun!  

Little Towns

Good day to ya!

                                                                All photos this post by Angela 



This weekend I hopped in the car with my buddy and we drove to Missouri Valley, IA for a little dinner at a diner.   I have been up for a road trip for awhile and even though this is about 40 mins away from the city I still love to get away and see something new.

We stopped at Wisecups Farm Museum and took some pics of old farm equipment

All I can say is that it must have been hard work even with these machines.  HOT!  

Guess a mama bird thought an old tractor was a perfect place to nest!  

Remember these?  I am craving a cold bottled pop at the moment... I had root beer at the diner!  

As you can see from the cracked dirt we have been in a major drought!  Only a little bit of sprinkles have touched the land and it's been hard on the farmers.
We've definitely been praying for rain!

In other news...   I recently celebrated my birthday!  It was a nice day off from work spent with my baby brother and my parents.   My BFF in Phoenix mailed me some pretty birthday cookies!  Mmmm!

... And the cute kiddos I babysit bought me multicolored roses and gift certs.  I loved my card from them.  Their mama is always so good about giving great gifts!  

Well it's time to gear up for the new work week!   Have a great one!