My Dandelion Wishes

Jars for my ribbons and what nots and the Peace letters I plan to alter with Christmas paper. The Blue glitter is not me.

I stepped outside my comfort zone and entered a Christmas card contest at Happy N Scrappin, an online internet store in Mesa. Thanks to family and friends who rallied behind me and voted I won! I have tried to put a pic of the card on here but somehow I can't get it to post. Thank you everyone for your votes! AND THE WINNERS ARE: 1st Place: Sherry Bamsey!! 2nd Place: Tracy Steinbach 3rd Place: Shelly Scott

Christmas 2005 was a very special Christmas for us. It is the first Christmas for Jennifer and John as a married family. We had so much fun, not only with the gifts, but playing games all afternoon. The POM Martinis were a hit. Of course John being a former bar tender had them down to a fine art. Modeling Sadera's knitted scarf and hat she made me. Great pic TJ I look very old! Jennifer sampling John's pom martini TJ helping Anthony with his dinosauer Sadera in her new reading chair

Merry Christmas family and friends. I hope this is a wonderful day for all of you. I know I'm blessed as TJ, Jennifer, John and kids will be with me today. I was shocked to receive my Christmas present from TJ on Christmas Eve. A new Gateway computer with all the latest and greatest bells and whistles. To say I'm thankful is a big understatement as my old computer was just about dead yesterday. It kept going into system error blah blah blah. Thankfully TJ was able to get 8 discs of pics and documents off it and transferred to the new one. I have video!!! I can make movies, slideshows and on and on. He was even able to load my Adobe Elements. Yipee. Okay now to get ready for dinner. TJ and I can't wait to try Colleens rum cake, pomagrant martinis and of course all the prime rib, ham and on and on. Pics to come later

Anthony at his soccer game Saturday. I couldn't go due to a nasty cold. Anthony's 5th BD cake. Dinosauer of course what else could it be. Practice run decorating for Christmas dinner Slowly getting things organized and done for Christmas. Key word is slowly New dinner plates and chargers. The chargers are a deep purple and the color in the pics doesn't do it justice.

We broke with tradition and held a Christmas lunch for the staff today. TJ found a new caterer and the food was yummy. Green chili chicken lasgna, chicken alfredo, stuffed spinach mushrooms ummmmm good!It was great to sit and eat and visit with everyone. Claudia Stuffed mushrooms with spinach and cheese Merry & Dr Letarte Peggy & Dr Letarte TJ, Kathy, Roxy Delia, Kathy Niki Delia, Anita, Merry, Irma Claudia, Warren, and 1/2 me good pic TJ

A Starbucks weekend. Not one but two Starbucks for me. Did you ever notice that there is a Starbucks on every corner? Love that Latte. It sure makes shopping enjoyable. Almost finished shopping. Have my folks, Jenn & John. Kids done except for Sadera and I have looked online as well as in the stores for the Vtech Nitro Notebook. Help!!!! No one seems to have it. Guess I will put TJ on it tomorrow. Haven't even gotten to play with my new toy MM Tag Maker. Maybe I need to get it out and play and some great inspiration will come to me so I can finish this project. Five days and counting till I need to mail gifts. Pressure is on. Off to play...

What a great day with two great friends and shopping. What more could one ask for. Yes I accomplished a little bit more. Found some unique gifts for my Office Manager, SW and Dietician. Sadera and Anthony got a couple more gifts! The rule is to downsize this year and not go overboard. I think I need to remember that. My sister's gift is ordered and in the mail as we speak gee I think I did better than I thought. Colleen gave me a Christmas gift and wow was it neat. She added to my perfume bottle collection, beautiful old plates for Christmas dessert, and a great book on Altered Books. I appreciate it so much Thanks Colleen. By the way 56 lb weight loss since Oct 13th you go girl!!!! 2 new perfume bottles to add to my collection. The new ones are on the right Decorative tablespoon from Colleen

Well... Saturday has finally arrived and the week end is here! No big plans except for SHOPPING. Need to get that Christmas shopping started and finished as I have gifts to mail. Of course breakfast at TC's with Beth and Colleen should give us a good start. It seems like I'm in a slump with my scrapbooking and I have lots to finish. No creative ideas. Goal finish something this weekend. One of my goals for 2006 is to step outside my box and submit something to a contest, magazine or forum. To that end I am submitting one of my Christmas cards to a contest. I have no great expectations or hopes but it is a small baby step towards my goal. On the news last nite they did a piece on how shopping is addictive and people receive a high from it just like drugs. Yeap that is me. Love to shop. So off to eat and shop...........

Yesterday was my grandson's 5th birthday. He is soo big now not our baby. He had soccer practice 1st one, Sadera had dance lessons and so family dinner was out. Anthony decided he wanted to eat at McDonald's for his birthday. Oh yeah according to my daughter one of her favorite places to eat. After Anthony opened his gifts he came up with the following per Jennifer "He said thank you and wants to send a thank you list to you and uncle TJ saying thank you for the wonderful presents and please send more gifts. " Had to explain the point of a thank you was not to ask for more gifts. really cute though...ahh the humor in a child's thinking..... Out of the mouths of babes!

Well slowly I'm getting the tree decorated. I didn't realize when I took the picture the parrot was visiable. He has given me a hard time with the tree. I had to pull his cage away as he was chewing on the tree, ornaments and lites. He is such a shit! At present he is trying to outsing my Christmas CD. Guess I mite as well turn it off as all I hear is his screeching. I'm so glad my son TJ left his parrot for me to have. NOT!!! I was going to get new decorations for the tree but grandkids love my snowmen so guess I will stick with this at least one more year. Off to add more ornaments. Later....

Since my DSL is acting up the past 2 days I have been unable to really post. I did get a couple of pics and then poof I was off line again. Had a great weekend. I didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped, but all in all a fun weekend. Saturday with Colleen as usual was a blast. Lots of shopping and why did I buy more paper??? I must have enough to stock a store. I collect paper! Sunday TJ surprised me and showed up so we went shopping. I think he finished his and I started. We called Jenn and her family and I fixed a wildly diverse meal and we had a ball dragging in the tree and putting it up. As usual unable to find the lights so there the tree sits bare as can be till I get lights. Little Anthony ran around putting out some of the decorations and everytime he found a spot for something he would say "Grandma this be perfect" what a doll. I'm very prejudiced. So, I still have Christmas cards to make and send, unfinished projects to complete and of course new projects ...

No decorations and unable to find the lights that I oh so carefully put away so that I could find them this year. Anthony and Sadera decorated my little kitchen tree with my S'More ornaments. Anthony thinks the tree is PERFECT!

I didn't think 3 pm would ever come. I was sooo ready to leave work at 12. I know not to be. Besides being busy with a capital B, it was the end of the month last minute billing issues. Don't ya just love these accountant type billers? Can we say anal retensive?? They make up new rules as they go from month to month. And please don't e-mail me in caps Ms biller!!!! Anyway it is 3:15 and we go to leave and what can it be?? the car is dead!!! So back inside no one has jumper cables. Come on people where is your diaster preparedness we talk about??? So one of the staff (Thank you Warren) goes home, gets cables, jumps car and we are off. I-10 to Phoenix is becoming a real joy with lots of construction traffic, OLD PEOPLE, and plan old idiots on the road. But... I'm home the weekend has begun and I can scrap, make cards, or do what ever I want for 2 whole days. Yippie. Thanks Susan K for the sweet email. To the messy scrap room and seious creating!

I didn't ever think the week-end would come. But yeap it is Friday! Just 8 hours or work and I am free to be creative or not. Thanks to Beth I have a wonderful new toy and can whip out those Christmas cards in record time. Looking forward to a trip to TC's for breakfast and then to check out the new products in scrapbook stores. Colleen & I have Annalis for sure on our list and we mite just make a stop at Devine Memories to see what is new. Off to work.

Wow, it is an early Christmas present from Beth. I'm so pleased and thankful as this will surely make my life so much easier and creating cards should go so much faster. You are such a good friend Beth. THANK YOU. Now I need to get busy and make my Christmas cards.

One of the Christmas ornaments we made.

Sadera now is the photographer with Mom and Anthony as the subjects

Anthony the photographer taking pics of mom and sissy

Anthony's ornaments. He made two out of his container of thirty and decided to put them up to work on later!

Bummer it is Sunday evening already. The past 4 dyas have flown by. I did accomplish alot scrapping and have one project for a gift completed and another almost done. Jennifer and the kids came over and we finished Anthony's birthday invitations, and Jennifer's work cookie exchange invitations. Made a new dish for supper called chicken pillows. Boy were they ever good. I had bought kids "PROJECTS" and they stayed busy making Christmas ornaments. We had a visit from Beth and Colleen who brought me clear glass ornament balls. jenn and Imade some really pretty ornaments. Pics to follow. Great weekend back to work tomorrow.

Old age, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body .. the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that older person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my friends, my good life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m., and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to th...

Ok Ok Anthony we are almost ready.

But wait little Anthony thinks he won to so he made a wish also. What agreat day we had. Thanks John and Jenn you done good!

Thanksgiving 2005 was held at our newly weds home in Tempe. Jennifer & John did an awesome job in preparing and hosting the dinner. John's Aunt & Uncle, TJ & I were their 1st Thanksgiving guests. Jennifer prepared the usual traditional food and added new items of brandied sweet potatoes, sweey potato casserole and cheese fondue with artichoke hearts. Food was soooo good and we are all soo full. TJ & I are so thankful that John is part of our family.

Yeah Sadera won!! Make a wish Sadera

Make a wish!!! last year Anthony won the wish so who will win this year??

Pic is pretty dark for some reason, but look at the square plates. John's Aunt and Uncle gave them their dishes for their wedding. They are neat square plates. Also note Sadera made place cards with everyone's name on them

Food is ready and everything is great and too much food. We are all stuffed and ready for naps!

Anthony impatiently waiting to eat, he is soo hungry. He was helping himself to the fondue and the rolls while he waited.

Waiting to eat. Anthony's kitty is sitting on Lezlie's chest

Finally, it is Wednesday nite and I am going to take the next 4 days off. Yeah! Will I pay for it when I go back to work on Monday you betcha but I will not dwell on the negative. Four days of scrapping, coming up with ideas for Christmas gifts, playing with the grandkids. Oh and don't forget my AB. Still no concrete theme or plan. Oh whoa is me. Gosh I'm not going to stress over that either. This has been a crazy fall with Jenn's wedding in October, busy at work, & taking lots of classess But tomorrow is a time to be with family and friends and reflect on how thankful I am for those special people in my life. I may be grumbling, depressed or sad but 99% of the time I have so many things to be thankful for and I am. So my scrap muse kit was on my doorstep when I got home tonite so it is going to be a nite of scrappin. Happy Thanksgiving to all my family, special loved ones ya know who you are, friends and to my Bates girl gang.

Invitation for Jennifer's work crew cookie exchange. We had a creative moment when Jenn and kids stopped by last nite. This was a spur of the moment thing and we had lots of help making the invitation.

Ok here is the pic from our Tuesday nite class at Jan's.Cute containers was this class. Colleen and I were the only two participants there but boy did we have fun. Great class Jan!! Jan's husband was there to greet us and what a super great guy he is. Scotch and cigars man now how do you go wrong there. Good going Jan. Now to my ranting and bitching of the day. WINTER VISITORS!!!!!! Got a love them or not. #1 If your Doc tells you it is not a good idea to travel to AZ why are you coming??? #2 Hello people we do not provide free yeap you got it free medical care in AZ #3 why do you have to shop on my days off namely weekends when you have all week to shop?? #4 Yeap we don't do things the way you do back home You are in AZ!!! Ok I feel some what calmer. So glad I live in Az but I hate 3 months of the year you got it winter visitor months. Notice I didn't even get into the driving issues?

Here you go Jo! These are a few of the Christmas cards I have been working on. Still thinking about my altered book. I mite just have an idea so will keep mulling it around in my mind and see if I can get a theme from it. Class tomorrow nite. Looking forward to Jan's place as we have a ball

Victoria our hostess. Victoria has a beautiful studio over looking the desert. What a great place to work for inspiration!

We have arrived. What a beautiful home Victoria has, Linda, Beth and Colleen

Road trip to Victoria's house in Carefree.

What a great afternoon. The 3 Bates girls had a late breakfast at TC's and then off to Carefree. A beautiful day and drive. Victoria has a beautiful home and is a most gracious hostess. Lots of good ideas for AB were discussed and Linda & Victoria shared their ABs with us. Now do I have a clue for a theme??? NO!!!, do I have an idea where to start?? NO am I anxious and stressed ??? YES!!!! Ok so I have till Jan 15 to hav a 3 pages spread done, a bio done, and a sign in page done ok I can do the BIO, the sign in I actually do have an idea but after that zip, nada, no clue. I know maybe a great theme will appear in the middle of the nite or on the drive to work HA!

Don't let anyone say WSD isn't on the cutting age of the newest and greatest technology. Our new cart for stocking supplies!!! Left on our property courtsey of the homeless. TJ and his staff love their newest cart!

Gosh, can it be that it is Sunday and my weekend is almost over. Boo hoo! Let's see did I do any cleaning, yard work, pool cleaning NO nada. I played all weekend bringing out my artistic side. Yeap that is right I have an artistic creative side. Warped at times but it rears its head now and again. Saturday at Ink It with Victoria, Beth and Colleen making paper from veggies. What a blast. Now which one of the 3 of us had the most creative unusual off the wall paper??? Of course without hesitation it was COLLEEN. She made black paper with corn silk in it. When I looked over it looked like good old black Iowa dirt with tape worms. I wonder what it looks like dried. I love Colleens total abdonment in creating. Nothing is off limits or restricted and her projects turn out amazing. Beth of course made beautiful papers. Mine hmmmm well some were good others yuck. I learned that red paper is hard to make. My beautiful red in the blender comes out a hot pink when pulled. So today the 3 of u...

Well, Wednesday is finally almost over. Yeah. Two more days and it is the weekend and play time. I continue to struggle with what I want to do for my altered book, but maybe by Sunday I mite come up with something. I do have ideas of what I want certain pages to look like but for a theme nada. My goal today is to figure out how to post a picture to my blog site. Guess I need to read and follow the instructions. Who me read instructions! Talked with Beth and Colleen tonite. Great news from Beth on her ultrasound and new appendage in PINK. Guess I need to get pictures this weekend Beth. Colleen continues to lose those pounds 38 lbs since surgery and when you add the 16 pounds before surgey that is a whopping 54 lbs in a month. You go girl!!!!! And tomorrow Thursday Colleen gets her first egg Yippee T.C. Eggington look out Colleen gets real food. ok enough rambling now to figure out this photo posting stuff. Yippee yahoo yeah this was painless and easy. Above pic was at our favorite scra...

Gosh it is Tuesday already. That means 3 yeap 3 more days until the weekend yipee!!! I'm really excited as one of the books I ordered for my altered book class on saturday arrived. It is soo cool but can't give away the details as I will use it. I also received Mermaid stamps. Now I can't remember ordering them but alas I must have, and they are so neat. I still don't have an idea of what I want to do with my altered book but I'm sure at sometime it will come to me. Ha ha. Today is Jennifer's BD, gosh it is hard to believe that 29 years ago she was soon to be born. Happy Birthday Jennifer!!!!

Boy, does this sound BORING. I just had the usual day at work nothing too traumatic. Now it is down to my addiction scrapbooking and stamping. I'm totally hooked on stamping right now. I belong to a great SU club with Jan as our demonstrator. Nights at her house are a blast. I learn new techniques and meet new people. Of course dear Colleen is an absolute riot. She is usually the first one done with all her projects. so what is it tonite?? Guess I will experiment with some new stamping techniques. Maybe eat and then back to stamping. I think I need to learn to add the photos.

Another attempt to stay connected and keep a journal on a daily basis. I failed miserably the last time I attempted to create a blog. As a single Mom to 3 grown kids and a Grandmother to two energetic grand kids I tend to stay very busy. I love my life most of the time. I enjoy the freedom that single life affords me and at times I miss the companionship married life brings. But I spend my money as I want, buy all the latest and greatest toys in the scrapbooking and stamping industry I want and no one complains. I have met so many new and great people this past 6 months. But two friends remain so special to me. They are there to support me when I'm down and out, to cheer for me when I finally get that thought right on the latest art project and love to shop like me. As the Bates girls or gang as we are known at TC's we have a ball. Victoria P and Silver Moon have opened up my horizons to the altered art world and papermaking. It is so relaxing and rewarding to try new stuff! So...