it's comin' on Christmas...

...they're cuttin' down trees...

You'll have to forgive the Joni Mitchell reference. But now that Thanksgiving is officially over, it means time to prepare for Christmas. I'll be gone for a week or so, but when I come back Christmas will go into full gear. Button cards are already started. Ornaments for the swap are taking shape. The December desktop calendar will arrive soon. Plus I have plans for some other fun surprises...

The biggest project, once again, is making all the ornaments for the family tree. They get made fresh each year, and this year, all will be edible. More on that to come...

Have a blessed week!

ahh...vinyl...

My birthday is in a couple days, but my dear sister just couldn't wait to give me my gift. Four 7" vinyl records and a CD EP from the lovely folks at Shelflife. This small independent label has some great artists, many of whom have a slightly retro sound. Playing the music on an actual record player (I have a little portable one from when I was little) makes the sound even better.

My sister is the best. Thanks, Anna!

the gobbler...

This gobbler is a yummy cookie.

The Gobbler Motel and Supper Club is another story. I may have posted this before, a long time ago, but something this good needs to be shared again and again. This Wisconsin "resort" is no longer with us, but the photos documenting the monstrosity are. After you've feasted today, gather the family around the computer for a laugh. And be sure to check out the commercial. It'll help to burn off the gobbler...

Happy Thanksgiving!

being sad while giving thanks...

Another portion of the themed project from my first Illustrator class was this illustration, based on an old painting. It's a bit rough, but it was a good start. I think things have improved (I hope).



When you think about that first Thanksgiving, it too was a bit rough, but a good start. They had just gotten through what was probably the hardest time of their lives, but they had hope that things would improve. In the midst of celebrating and thanking God for all He had done, you have to wonder if there was also sadness in the air. How many of those folks (Pilgrims and Native Americans alike) had lost loved ones since coming to America?

On the day before Thanksgiving, I'm always a bit sad, because it marks the day that our Sweet Baby James left our home to live with his birth family. I miss him so much. But, like at that first Thanksgiving, we give thanks for all God has done to get us through the rough times, and for giving us all the good times.

Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. -1 Thessalonians 5:18

making the turkey...

If you're not much of a meat eater, you may not be able to fully enjoy the Thanksgiving meal. I don't know about you, but tofurkey just doesn't sound appetizing. But whether you eat turkey or not, you can adorn your holiday table with a fantastic looking bird that would make Martha proud. Head over to the MAKE: Blog, then print and assemble. (Okay, so it's a bit more complex, but you've gotta admit...it's pretty cool!)

gobble...gobble...

Way back when, in my first Adobe Illustrator class, I created a Thanksgiving themed project. Well, I got to thinking about that, and decided to dig it up. And so, here is part of that project: instructions for making an apple turkey!

hopefully they'll last until Thursday...

With only a few more baking days left until Thanksgiving, I have officially gone into how-am-I-going-to-get-everything-done-before-the-holiday-mode". I'm in charge of desserts, and have big plans. So far things are kind of on schedule, but my "real work" list is filling up for Monday/Tuesday. But here's where I'm at so far:



These jam thumbprints from the Barefoot Contessa are amazing. At this point, these are the cookies most likely to disappear before Thanksgiving. I've also decided that they will need to be baked throughout the year...they are just too good to save for holidays. You can find the recipe at Food Network.



Then there are the sparkly sugar leaves. These are from Wilton's Autumn Blaze cookies, but I used maple extract instead of almond. A good choice. Also, I tried the trick of keeping the cookie cutter around the dough while adding sugar, which was perfect for getting that even coverage.



Finally, we have these acorns. They're made with the same dough as the leaves. When they were all baked and ready to go into a container, it was pointed out that they looked like they needed faces. Since none of the other desserts would be having faces, I knew that my sister was right. And so, all got happy faces, except this one. And it reminded me of a song that was on an old Wee Sing video (did you ever watch those?). A little acorn sang this song:

I'm an acorn small and round
Lyin' on the cold, cold ground
Everybody steps on me
That is why I'm cracked you see
I'm a nut, I'm nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut

spot the ugly...

Let me start by saying, yes, my sister and I realize that we are far too critical. And if you, or someone whose taste your respect, likes any of the following ugly, then I ask forgiveness now.

That being said, my sister and I like to play a game that we call "Spot the Ugly." It works like this: While looking through a catalog (this is the perfect time of year for this game, by the way), I spot something ugly and show it to Anna. Perhaps this snowman.




Then she would have to search and find something uglier. I'd guess she would have found these shoes.




But then, I would go and find this monstrosity, and the game would undoubtedly be won by yours truly.




But tonight, I must say, Anna won. Because while while shopping at a discount closeout store, she discovered a pant suit. With tassels. But then she outdid herself, by finding a ladies hat that was so over the top, it could only be modeled by one of the pastors from our church who happened to be shopping with his wife. He looked stunning.

all in the famile...

Last night my sister and I convinced the parents to watch "Danielson: A Family Movie" with us. Wow. What a great movie. This documentary is about Daniel Smith and his musical journey. Danielson Famile's music is truly unique...outrageous even...and filled with the fantastic message of Jesus.

While I admit that my taste in music style is different than that of Danielson, the life that Smith and his family live energizes me. They are doing something about what they believe in, listening to God's call and following His lead. How refreshing is that?

Along the way the film shows their friend, Sufjan Stevens, joining in, and going on to great things. His style is more my thing...makes me want to cry...in a good way. And speaking of Sufjan, his is the only Christmas music that is acceptable to play early.

Now, see if you can get your hands on a copy of "Danielson: A Family Movie." It's good for a laugh, but also for getting some thoughts going about what you're doing about what you believe.

sharing ornaments...

It seems like there are many things that I want to share right now, but they'll have to wait until another day. For now, I'm excited that I am going to be part of the freshly{blended} and cake & pie "Second Annual Holiday Ornament Swap"! I only just found these delightful blogs, and now look at the fun I'm getting into. Next, onto planning ornaments...

add it to the "must try this" list...

My mother tells me that she and her friends were doing this years ago with old Wonder Bread bags, but to me, it's new. Etsy Labs has a wonderful tutorial on fusing plastic bags together. They create this nifty looking plastic fabric that can be sewn into different bags, wallets, and more, etc. My mom says they used theirs to create raincoats, which is perhaps out of my league/style. But I'm very excited to give this a try. Who knows what kind of Christmas gifts this could lead to?

how the pumpkin felt...

On Halloween we never stop to think about how the pumpkin feels, getting his guts scooped out and then being cut up, only to wear a goofy grin for a few days. Why not let the poor things be whole and happy through Thanksgiving?

This pumpkin doesn't feel, but it is felt. I finally pulling out the needle felting tools and supplies that I bought this summer, and put them to use. It was really easy to do, and so much fun. I'm looking forward to playing around with the technique a bit and seeing what all it could become. This is made with orange and green wool roving, shaped into a pumpkin, and with a pin back attached. A gift for my mom to wear through the end of the month. Next up in felting, a snowman, I think.

a taste of the highlands...

My family and I have been going through all of the seasons of Monarch of the Glen on DVD. It's really a sweet show, and all have enjoyed it. Even my 5-year-old brother, who says Duncan is his favorite character, but really fancies Lexie. He told PJ about the show tonight, and PJ came to report:

"Max is telling me about Monica D'Glen. Who's she?"

the turkey is getting nervous...

...because Thanksgiving is coming near. Now that Halloween is over, we can start thinking about Thanksgiving. Or if you're in retail, Christmas. For over a week (at least) Christmas has been in the air. My mom even has heard the music playing. (no comments about it just being in her head...) Grr.

But since it's officially November, and time to prepare for a lovely day of giving thanks, I offer the Nervous Turkey Calendar Desktop. Download and count the days until that poor turkey's worst fears come true...