My One Word for 2011

I popped over to my pal Cindy’s blog http://rick-rackandgingham.blogspot.com/ and saw her last post for 2010. I remember my word for 2010 was “DO”. And I am happy to say that I did “do” more than I thought I could, I challenged myself artistically and was pleased and surprised with the outcomes.

My life has had incredible changes as you all know in 2010, and most of them are decisions I would have chosen not to make, but had no choice in the end. I have learned that I need to be able to take care of myself better! Emotionally, physically, and most of all spiritually. My soul is really been crying out and I wasn’t listening!

So….this is my One word for 2011…..

“FORWARD”

No matter how difficult and hurtful and unrelenting this year will be I must move forward to find…..me! My dear friend calls it my “authentic self”. I told her I feel like the doors have all been shut and I cannot find a window to climb out of or any doorknob to turn to leave this space. Not yet,anyhow. But I do have faith that it is here… for the first time ever, I am not questioning why God has put me here, there is a reason to have to go forward without my partner of 31 years, or finances ( how incredibly hard this is to write down) …..It just hasn’t been revealed yet….so I am going to move forward in every way I can, not to look back too often and cause more pain, but to look forward and see if I can be…my authentic self. I will never be homeless, or hungry or unloved, (Thank you Bryan and Chris for your never ending love and support!) As to the rest of you wonderful people in my life, you know who you are and how appreciated and loved you are! All of the material items in my life may very well go away, and that will be hard! But I guess if they are meant to be gone, then that will be the outcome, and I deal with that then, the prospects have to be positive, the fear that resides in me right now is overwhelming!!!! This fear has to be banished somehow, and replaced with strength and a knowledge that I am going to not only survive this but be renewed! And so I go FORWAD, and I have people that have told me this process can happen one day, one hour, sometimes just one minute at a time…OK….here I am God, let’s do this! :):)

May all of you have a fruitful 2011, whatever way it needs to happen!

(photo courtesy of Cozy Home Chronicles)

I once more want to thank you all for your words, prayers and thoughts. They have keep me lifted up more than you will ever know!

A Valentine Swap!

OK…..I can’t take much more of this quiet! :) Thank all of you again for such caring and support. I feel better( for right now), so let’s get the next party started!

If you are a follower of Elizabeth at Bluebird Papercrafts. You know of her ability to think ahead! LOL And so she has started a Valentine Card Exchange. Now even though her exchange is closed, there are others out there doing them also…..and I have decided to go along for the ride! :) My exchanges can be any style or type you love…..I am a vintage children’s card kind of gal, so chances are that is what mine will be!

I will do 12 13 card exchanges. So far I have:

1. Elizabeth from Bluebird Papercrafts

2. Sue from Sue Loves Cherries

3. Patti from Paintin Patti’s

4. Betty from She’s Sew Pretty

5. Deb from The Garage Sale Gal

6. Joyce from Scrap for Joy

7. Paula from Paula's Palace of AltAred Art

8. Allison

9. Linda from Lambsworld

10. Nan from Retired in Alaska

11. Sweet Bee from Sweet Bee Cottage

12. Kitten from Kitten Creates

13. Tamera from Stone Fence Cottage

So if you would like to exchange a card with me, please leave a comment, I have five spots left! I think 12 is a good amount to have to make, anymore and I get scared I won’t get them done! :):)

This is from Elizabeth too….isn’t he just too cute?????? I love the frame behind him with the vintage Valentines too!

No Words…..

In the last 6 months my life has changed so dramatically I thought it would never stop spinning. Then two weeks ago it went from bad to worse. I let the people I care about here know that I was in trouble, and I needed some time. The responses were overwhelming and they continue to be that way! I have received emails and cards and sweet messages thru this time that have given me the strength and courage to keep going….there are women who have taken time from this busy holiday season and have made me feel loved and cared for,so,so many of you! “Thank you” just doesn’t even begin to cover it…..

Gratitude: thankfulness, or appreciation is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received.

I have such a huge amount of gratitude for all I have been given here, and a real knowing that I am loved and cared for. Please know that without ALL of you I would be in a much sadder and desperate place…..

Grace: is that no matter how desperate we are, how hopeless things seem, we have a future and God has plans and hope for our future. Grace is that even if things aren't better tomorrow, they will be better.

So many of you have helped me to see this one very wonderful gift we get from God every day! It has been hard to see it at times in the last few weeks.

I am starting to feel hope again in the smallest of ways, and I know that day by day it will be better…..I just have to take it one day, one hour, sometimes one minute at a time….you have all helped me to realize this! God Bless you all!

To All of you….Thank you

I just wanted to take a moment and let you all know how very much your comments and support mean to me! I know I have to take this one day at a time! Your love and caring has helped me see that!

I wish you ALL a heartfelt Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I will see you all in 2011…..

A different ME Monday

This is a little different ME Monday with Vicki at Cherry Chick ….

Here is what I want to share…..

I have been blessed with some very special friendships since I have been blogging….and I wanted to let you see how blessed I am by their friendship and gifts!

My first one is a lady I was fortunate enough to meet early this last year. Her name is Joyce and her blog is Scrap for Joy. Joyce has had a difficult year with her health, but she is always there for you! I recently got a box in the mail and when I saw her addy I was so excited!!!! Joyce is a wonderful crafter! I had seem this journal on her blog and asked if it didn’t sell in the craft fair to please let me buy it. Well, unbeknownst to me she held it back just for me! And this adorable vintage plate……I was just giddy! And that is a hard thing for me to be lately….. see what I mean?????

And a homemade PSE card, if you love Cosmo Cricket and you are a digital scrapper you must check out Jessica Sprague’s website!

Then another box showed up from my swap partner Betty Bates from She’s So Pretty. It was a mug swap from Viv at Viv on a Whim and I was just again so happy to see it all!

Look at all of this wonderful ME Christmas enjoyment!

A Mug Rug made just for me!

This is an adorable vintage add all sparkled up! The girl looks just like my cousin Jan when she was little!

One more shot of all of the goodies! Thank you Betty so much!

And then I got a set of these! From my dear dear friend Elizabeth!!!! It has been like Christmas for days!!!!

Please check out all of the other fun ME items…..

Oh! And this is one of my ME Christmas candy dishes!

Hope everyone had a good day. :)

Vintage Children’s Christmas Cards!

I had totally forgotten about this set of cards and wonderful box I had won on Ebay last year, I had thrown it in with my ornaments! Gasp!!!!

These are the piece de resistance of collecting vintage cards!

The box alone was worth the price!

1940’s ?????

Cutest box ever!!!!!

Just a couple were missing….

Look at these colors! As a gift to my blogging friends I am going to scan these and put them on Flickr for Elizabeth’s card group….below is a link to my Flickr where you can see them!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18232970@N06/sets/72157625564296114/

Have a great day!

PS...Shameful plug...I do have an CD with over 100+ vintage Christmas card images on it, these included, if you are interested, email me! :)

My Norwegian Heritage at Christmas

I have Norwegian in both of my parents lines. My maternal grandfather was a first born American from a set of Norwegian parents. And my paternal grandmother was also a first born American from Norwegian folks.

So at the holidays there was a lot of Christmas items baked that were from the old country.

One was lefse, it looks like a flour tortilla but it is made with potatoes. My grandmother would boil potatoes and then rice them and then make the dough, then you roll it out and cook it on a large round hot griddle for a very short time, otherwise it burns. It was a long process but oh so good! My family would eat it rolled up with butter and sugar. I think a lot of people put the lutefisk in it….but that is another story! LOL

Another item only made at Christmas was Sandbakkels. They were a dough that was hand shaped into little metal “cupcake” style tins.

I can remember my Mom sitting in a chair with a bowl of dough and those tins, pressing them as even as you could get them and brushing off the odd ends at the top. They were wonderfully sweet and crunchy! I wish I had taken her tins when she passed.

I am hoping to share a few items every few days, as there was a lot of baking and preparation every December…I really miss those days, so long ago…..

I am hooking up with Cindy at Rick-Rack and Gingham… what are some of your Christmas cookies that are from your childhoods?

A Christmas ME Monday with Vicki !

It is ME Monday over at Cherry Chick’s Jewelry once again and I have some fun things to share that are from my Christmas stuff. So hop over and say hello to Vicki and see all of the wonderful Mary Engelbreit goodies!

My Mom always kept the Christmas baking in tins, and so do I. This is one of my favorites!

A set of fun boxes I got from a Home Goods Store two years ago…..

And the last ornaments I always put on my tree!

Have a wonderful Monday everyone! And thank you for the emails on the ornaments! :)

Bradford Victorian Ornaments for Sale- CHEAP!

Ladies,

I have been going to use these for years, I think I bought them in the 90’s????? Any how, they have been in a tin ever since. These are beautiful depictions of Victorian Santa’s as only Bradford Exchange could do! There are no chips, scratches, nothing, they are pristine!

I am selling them in three sets, the teardrop set, the red set and the white set. These were originally over 20.00 each with shipping. I am selling the 6 piece sets for 15.00 total! That is only $2.50 each! Shipping will be done the cheapest way I can to your home. UPS or USPS. Insurance is a must!

Here are a few photos…not the best but email me if you have questions….these need new homes!

Set One:

Set Two: THIS SET IS SOLD

Set Three:

These are all porcelain and sizes varied from the first set being about 5 inches tall the other sets about 5 and a half inches tall. They all have wonderful little Christmas items at the tops! And a few sweet words on the backs having to do with celebrating Christmas. These are wonderful gifts for your Victorian Christmas lover! Again, if you need more photos or such please email me at sanjos333@yahoo.com. I do not usually do this, but I can use the cash for Christmas and these are being wasted sitting in a tin every year. Thank you for stopping by!