July Craft Day...

Adrienne's 

Saturday was busy, but fun. The ladies decided we'd paint this month. Adrienne found a painting tutorial on YouTube, so we we set up to followed along on her television as we painted.

Kim's

I sat next to Kim, and Marie and Adrienne sat across the table. (Arie sat at another table with George, who painted his own project. He's such a rebel!) 

We all felt apprehensive during the process, so there was a lot of stopping and starting of the video...and more than a little sighing or nervous giggling.

Aria's

But in the end we were all content with our finished watercolor Aurora borealis" paintings..

Marie's

Once we lined them up, we all said what we liked about each other's work. Some of us (😑🤚) decided painting is not our forté, but we had fun nevertheless.

Mine

Linda didn't make it to craft day, but I went to her house after, and we had a great visit until it was time for us to go to her son and new daughter-in-law's wedding reception.

They were married last month out of state, so this was an informal party to celebrate. It was nice to see everyone I hadn't seen in a while, and to congratulate the happy couple.

Sunday was a true day of rest. I have PT this morning, and then I'll get pack to my butterfly. Happy Monday!

June Classmate Dinner...

Back row (l-r): Dan, Brad, Deb B, Handsome and me Front: Bruce, Deb N, and Lisa

Handsome joined us again this month for dinner. As always, we had a great visit, and shared events since our last get-together.

One of our regulars, Cal had surgery last week, so he continues to heal. We'll see him again next month.

I made two dozen cinnamon rolls, and with the exception of the four I kept at home, sold almost all of them to my buddies. Deb B. was so enthused, she opened her duo and tore one apart to let everyone know they were tasty. 

I was originally going to bring one two-pack back home until our waitress asked if I had any left because they looked so good. She ended up purchasing my last pack, so I came home with an empty tote. Yay, me!

I'm going to work on my Etsy shop today. My plan is to update current listings, and add a new category or two. I should have new items up by the end of the day. 

Now I'm going to pour a cuppa, feed the birds, and then get busy. See you later!

 

Fall In Love With Your Life...

For me it's time with Handsome, family and friends, our pets, needlework, sewing, and preparing the goodness that comes out of our farmhouse kitchen. Plus, a hot cup of tea. Yes, definitely a hot cup of tea.

So Much Fun...

I went to town Saturday afternoon to spend time with family, and friends who are family. We were celebrating my second-eldest niece, and my eldest niece's daughter who both had birthdays this month.

One flew in from Colorado and the other came from Minnesota with her mumma. Also in attendance were my sister Lyn's widow, and her ex who essentially raised her two daughters. (Yes, the guys do get along well.) Add two aunties, a nephew, dear friends, and besties, and we had everyone we needed to have a great celebration.

I stayed about four hours and then came home. I was so happy to see everyone and share in the celebration. The girls were staying at my Mother's so it was a short visit for me. I hope next time we can have them here for an overnight. It was a great start to our holiday weekend.

 

May Classmate Dinner...

 

Front row: Al, Brad, and Cal  Back row: Deb, Bruce, Donna

We changed our dinner from Wednesday to Thursday this month to accommodate folks who couldn't join us on Wednesdays. As it turned out, Thursday apparently didn't work either. The result was a wonderfully small group of regulars.

Unlike the larger groups that end up with multiple conversations, we were all part of each story. We got all caught up, and truthfully, I heard one of these old friends laugh harder than I've ever heard him laugh in decades. It was great.

We're going back to Wednesdays from now on, but I'll file this month away as one of my favorites. I sure do love these people.

You're Important...

Gone too soon. I miss you, Krisann.

 

April Classmate Dinner...

Back row-Janet, Bruce, Deb B., Lisa, Donna and Cal. Front row-Deb N., Max, Dan and John

We had a nice-sized group this month. Couples who'd been on vacation returned, and as usual, the conversation was spirited and lively. A fun time was had by all.

We decided to change the day next month to accommodate schedules of our regulars, and give others who may be busy on Wednesdays the opportunity to join us. We'll see how that works out.

 

Friendship and Fast Fur...

Goodness, we had fun last weekend! I met up with Judy, her husband, their friends Bruce and Paula, and dogs, Elvira and Thumper. 

Judy was gracious enough to take the time to explain the process, and then we watched Elvira earn her 43rd ribbon, while Thumper earned number 7.

After every event, Judy's tradition is to slip the pups into something cute; clip her Bluetooth speaker to her belt, and play each dog's "theme music" as they pick up their awards.

Watching them earn their awards was great fun, but watching them collect them was just adorable.  

We gathered and put our lunch plan together before heading to Judy's friends' home for our barbecue meal. I left for home a respectable time later.

After Judy's dogs compete for more points Sunday morning, they'll be leaving for Tennessee. We exchanged hugs and goodbyes, and I left.

Once I was back home, I told Handsome all about FastCAT competitions. He was intrigued. So after getting a It more information from Judy, we went back down Sunday morning with Bella and Carly. 

We couldn't take one and leave the other home, so we entered Bella in the non-official fun run.  Her time to run 100 yards chasing a lure was just over 10 seconds each time. She reached 19 (plus) miles per hour, having never done it before.

Pretty impressive for an 11 year old, right? When she wasn't running, she was still amped up at the prospect. That's our girl.

Carly was pretty impressive, too. Once she understood the assignment. She ran the 100 yards in 9.2 and 9.5 seconds, and she got up to 22 mph doing it! By the time each of the girls accomplished their two runs, we were all a muddy mess. 

You know what that means. The back of my Explorer was a muddy mess, to say nothing of the girls. Baths were in order when we got home, and thank goodness I thought to put towels down to avoid having my car looking the same.

Handsome and I discussed how this could be perfect for us and the dogs. We're not quite fit enough for agility or hunting anymore, but this was right up our alley - plus, both girls loved it! We're definitely going to enter more in other events areas of the state.

I have an appointment this afternoon, so I'm going to enjoy my cuppa and get busy. I also decided what I'm going to do for a table runner  more on that tomorrow.

 

Another Month, Another Gathering...

Front (l-r) Al, Bruce, John and Brad. Back: Mary, Donna, Deb B, Cal, Lisa and Dave

No married couples yesterday, but these old friends shared a lot of laughter over dinner. We were all saying what a blessing it is for all of us to be able to spend time together. 

We talked about classmates who'd passed in the last month, as well as a few that are pretty sick right now. It reminds us just how fortunate we all are to be in good health. 

There were discussions about upcoming vacations, as well as reports on recent destinations. A few of us homebodies listened intently, but then agreed "there's no place like home" for us. Even so, we can't Wait to hear about our friends once they're back home. We'll look forward to that next month. 

The next dinner date is set. We hugged and said our goodbyes, and all headed home. Until we see each other in April...

February Classmate Dinner...

Front l-r: Deb B. Lisa, Brad, Bruce and Janet. Back: John, Cal, Dan and Deb N, Donna and Handsome, and Max

We had another classmate dinner yesterday, and this time we had three couples attending. Dan and Deb, and Janet and Max both started dating when we were all in high school (I think Janet and Max started in junior high), and got married after graduation. Of course, Handsome and I were the third couple. Two of our group are widowed, and the rest are married, too, but their spouses didn't attend.

It was pretty much guys on one end of the long table set up and gals on the other, but we chatted back and forth. As always, it was nice to see everyone and find out who's getting ready for a trip, or what else is going on. Deb and Dan will be gone for a month on vacation out West, so we'll miss them next month. 

The temperature got into the mid-50s Wednesday with plenty of sun, so we all looked forward to getting out to visit. The weather won't hold like this though. After all, it is February in Wisconsin, home of the Frozen Tundra. We know that it's going to get cold - and snow at least once more. Shelly always says that the robins have to be snowed on at least five times before Spring actually arrives for real. We make the most of the good days when we can.

I'm taking the WMBBD to the vet for a diagnostic appointment today, and then I'm going in to work for a couple hours to cover for my boss who's getting ready to leave on vacation tomorrow. I've been working on a 30-minute daily purge program (getting rid of stuff), so I'll do that again for a bit when I get home from work. Then, I'm going to stitch for a while. I'll be back tomorrow to share the latest. See you then!

January Classmate Dinner...

Front: Lisa, Cal, Bruce, Donna and Handsome Back: Julie, John, Mary, Deb and Brad

I'm so glad our dinner was planned for yesterday and not today. It's supposed to be wicked cold today, and lots of folks are canceling events. I'm sure we would have, too.

As it was, we had a nice-sized group for our gathering this month, and Handsome joined us! Everyone was so wonderful, asking him how he's been since he healed from the emergency surgeries two summers ago. They really are a great group of friends. We all checked on each other's health, and then got down to just having nice visits.

We took our monthly group photograph, set the date for next month, and were on our way back to our homes by about 4:30. Aren't we a bunch of "old fogies" now? lol (Early bird dinners, and all.)

I'll share photos of the finished feathers tomorrow, and a few photos of some really special feathers, too! See you later! Stay warm, friends.

Happy New Year...

Today is the beginning of a brand new year. A year filled with hope, possibility, and promise. May the next three hundred sixty five days bring only the best to all, peace for our world, and creativity and good health to every heart.

I've chosen my Word of the Year and am ready to share it with you. I actually found it in a scripture a friend shared. It's from Isaiah 43:18...

"Forget the former things. Do not dwell in the past."

My word for this year will be "Release". I'll be releasing everything that does not serve me well...tangible and intangible. Time to release all the old burdens, and look ahead. 

Do you adopt a new word to guide you each year? If so, what is your new word? How will it manifest for you? What are you looking forward to in 2026? 

Thank you for once again joining me on this journey. 2026 marks fifteen years that I've written a near-daily post. I'm so glad I changed settings so that we could converse when you leave a comment for me. They really are the highlight of my day! 

I step into the near year immensely grateful to be sharing my life with you. May God bless each of you richly in the coming twelve months (and beyond) with good health, happiness, and enduring love.

Always,

December Classmate Dinner...

L-r: Front: Brad, Deb N., Bruce, and Lisa. Back: Deb B., Donna, Cal, and John.

We had another lovely classmate dinner last night. Lisa is celebrating her birthday this month, too, so she brought homemade cookies that we all enjoyed for dessert. 

The restaurant we always go to is Schmitty's on the lake, and they've got great food. While we eat, we catch up on what's been going on in our lives since the last time we were together. Our group has become dear friends, so it's important to make sure everyone is okay (health, home, spouses, etc.). 

As usual, we set our date for next month, hugged each other goodbye and were on our way home by 5 pm. I went home with half of my meal, which Handsome was happy to take off my hands when I got back. A cup of tea and I was back in the studio working on my quilt top.

The top is nearly finished now. I've decided to add the names of all our retrievers to the open blocks in the center of the quilt. I'll be doing that today, and then I'll be ready to assemble the front and back. I may add Tag and Fezzik's names in a small corner. They both fetched pretty darn well, too! If I decide not to do that, I'm sure I'll do something special for my lowrider boys another time. (Maybe an embroidery!)

I'll make sure the feeders are full, and then I'm heading back up to the studio to work toward finishing Handsome's quilt. I can't wait to show you what it looks like!

Happy Thanksgiving...

Sharing my favorite Thanksgiving image again this year. We got the wind and snow that was forecast for our area yesterday, so our plans to stay tucked in here at the farmhouse work out perfectly for us. 

Whatever your plans for today - good food, family, friends, or just peace and quiet at home - I wish only the best for you, my friends.

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours.

Donna & Handsome

(Bella, Carly, Claudette & Crystal, too!)

November Craft Day...

November Craft Day - L-R: Donna, George, Adrienne, Linda K, and Marie

Our November group was small, but all the participants are held closely in my heart. Linda is one of my dearest friends, and I've known her since I first moved to Portage in 1976. I lived there until 1981, when I came back to Fond du Lac and met my now husband. 

Linda and I have stayed close ever since, and as I've shared previously, her daughter Marie, granddaughter Adrienne, and now Adrienne's children, Belle, Bowen and George are also dear to me. Being able to see them so frequently is just like a mini family reunion, and getting together to craft is just a welcome excuse.

This month, Marie rounded up her paper and paint assortments, wooden tree forms from Hobby Lobby, and plastic peel and stick tiles from Dollar General. From there, we painted, cut, and glued our projects together to see what is photographed above. Aren't they fun?

I especially loved Marie's color theme, but every single one of theirs is unique and wonderful. Of course, I immediately focused on the music-themed papers and settled on one that had a cardinal in the corner. Once I fussy cut the design to fit my tree, the rest came right along. I may still add a star to the top of my tree, but I haven't decided what it will be yet.

George came up with the idea to cut a tree topper out of the tile, and then his mom followed suit. He was pretty darn proud of his once he finished it, and of course, we all told him how talented he was (is).

Having my tree photographed

Marie always shares our monthly projects with a craft group she belongs to on Facebook, so we always take photographs of each participant with their piece. Mine made it onto my camera this month, so here I am with my musical tree. Hmmm. Perhaps my tree topper should be a bell or a drum? I'm going to see what I have in my embellishment boxes that might be appropriate. (I know I have some grand piano buttons and a pin.) 

Linda's Owl Shawl

A few months ago, I saw this wonderful owl shawl crochet pattern and had to share it with Linda. She loves to crochet and is very good at it. She told me she bought the pattern and was working on it.

Well, after fifty or sixty hours' worth of work, she finished it and wore it Saturday. It is really magnificent! I had to share it with you. The pattern didn't call for the trim on each feather, but she used a sparkling brown yarn, and it was just the perfect finishing touch.

She told me she purchased a dragon shawl pattern at the same time, and Belle said if her great-grandma made it, she'd absolutely wear it. I told Linda Belle could wear the goldwork dragon brooch I made for her on it, too!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what we did for our monthly play date. I was on my way home by noon, so I spent the rest of the weekend with Handsome. We put up our porch lights yesterday, because the weather is forecast to get ugly later this week, and I really don't want to be doing that in frigid temps or biting winds. 

We turned the lights on last night just so we could see how they looked, so I guess I'm guilty of "decorating before Thanksgiving" now. I have a different idea for a tree this year, so I'll share that once it's accomplished. There are other things to write about first though. You'll have to come back tomorrow for that. 

Give Thanks - Web Image

November Classmate Dinner...

Front Row: Brad, Deb B., Donna, and Al. Back Row: Deb N., Lisa B., Dan and Cal

It's always a treat to sit at the table and watch each old friend walk through the door. Such was the case last night. We always ask how everyone is doing and get the latest update on doctor's appointments, healing from the latest procedures, and otherwise. Then, we move on to family updates and finally settle into our usual chatter about how classmates are, who we saw recently, who needs prayers, having to purchase a new appliance, or whatever else is going on since the previous month. You know. The stuff old friends always cover when they see each other. 

Yesterday was no exception, and like good old mature folks, we all hugged, said our goodbyes and were on our way home by 5 pm. We are a hoot. We set our next date for the week before Christmas, so our calendars are already marked. I'll send out the monthly date email and Facebook post to let everyone else know when the next one is, and we'll see who shows up for the last get together of the year. 

Can you believe it? December is right around the corner!!! gaaaaaahhhhhh! I've half a mind to tell everyone in the family to forego gifts this year and we'll just get together for a big party. Except grammie's jammies. I'll make those until I can't anymore, or until the kids tell me to stop. I need to finish the bluebirds so I can get into "holiday mode". Best get the blinders ready and call the elves. It's almost time!

Devil or Angel?....

Halloween Workers

I've told you I don't do Halloween, but when I got to work on Friday, these two were already wearing their "costumes". Actually, Kim (my boss/friend on the left) bought these get-ups for her two Golden retrievers' photo shoot. She brought them to work for her and Teresa (my pal and Tuesday work mate) to wear. The silly baubles I was wearing were waiting for me when I got there.

I will say, my headgear had me laughing all night. I'm usually running around quite a bit on Friday nights. I answer the phone for takeout orders of fish or chicken (and the rest of our menu), but I'm also a runner for the kitchen and to help Brandon (the cashier) get orders out when our customers come in. Every time I moved my head, these balls bounced around and were making me wObBLy. Understand when I say "run", I don't mean literally, although I do get around remarkably well these days.

So, this is how I looked Friday from 3:30 until 7 pm. My "regulars" thought they were amusing, but I was glad to take them off at the end of my shift. 

The weekend was dedicated to a little baking and a lot of laundry. I really felt accomplished when I went to bed last night.

Kim asked me to cover for her a couple hours this afternoon, and I'm working four hours for Sara tomorrow (my usual Tuesdays resume next week), so I'll have my days chopped up a bit this week. I'm going to try to start the cutting and piecing for my bluebird hanging today and tomorrow while I'm home, and then I have some more canning on my agenda Wednesday. I'm as interested as you are to see what I can actually accomplish. For today...It's off to the races! See you tomorrow.

October Classmate Dinner...

Front row: Cal, Mary, Deb, and Dan Back row: Donna, John, Deb, Karen and Brad

We had our monthly classmate dinner yesterday and were told to come dressed like the '70's. I figured they meant age. (Not really. lol) I wore my class ring. There were actually only two who came dressed up and you can probably tell from the photograph.

We did have fun, like we always do, and a nice bonus was that all the music the restaurant was playing was '70s music - even though we never mentioned or asked for it!

The photographer said, "Do something silly now".

Yeah. I learned a long time ago never to make funny faces for the camera. They always come back to haunt me. However, there were some who were perfectly happy to comply. I'll let you click on the image to enlarge it, so you can get the full effect of the silly faces. sheesh. lol

Deb (center, back row) brought the felt flowers and painted peace signs for everyone, and if you look at the table, she also brought peace sign ornaments that were made out of sparkly pipe cleaners. She was all-in, for sure.

As usual, we gathered at 3 pm, and like good old-timers, we were all headed home by 5. Two hours spent telling stories, getting caught up on medical and life issues (thankfully, not mine, for a change!), and eating good food. 

We've set our November dinner for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Someone said something about dressing up like pilgrims. I can guarantee you that's not happening! I'll just take some Indian corn to decorate the table and maybe some autumn-themed cutout cookies, but I am looking forward to seeing them all again. Until next month...

September Craft Day...

September Craft Day - Adrienne, Donna, Linda K, Marie, Nancy, and Sara

  

Last Saturday, I drove over to Portage for our monthly Craft Day with my girlfriends. This month, Marie had this great idea that we use buttons to create something with the Autumn theme. You'll see by the photograph that we all took it seriously, and our interpretations were as unique as we are.

We had Dollar Tree wooden cutouts of leaves and pumpkins, blank canvases, and lots of buttons to play with. Adrienne and Sara grabbed leaves. Nancy and I chose pumpkins. Marie chose a free-hand wreath design, and Linda K. played with paints and a pumpkin print ribbon that caught her eye.

*** Remember: You can click on the image to enlarge it.

I noticed that every time Handsome and I have passed a pumpkin wagon in the area, I'm always drawn to the light green ones, so that was the colorway I chose for my piece. I do love Nancy's understated orange one, too. Adrienne and Sara's leaves turned out really cute, and I'm sure they'd be perfect for hanging on a door or cabinet. Marie had a canvas, but glued a really cool barn board print paper on top of it before gluing her buttons and leaf forms into a wreath shape. I really love how that turned out, too. Linda K. was the rebel this month. She hand painted a sunflower in the center of her canvas and glued ribbon on two corners. Then, she added buttons to compliment her painting. We giggled that she went in a completely different direction, but we all loved it.

Not too far from Adrienne's home is a really wonderful farm stand, and this time I year I always stop on my way home to see what they have. This trip I purchased 50 pounds of locally grown potatoes (the Portage area is potato country in Wisconsin) and only paid $15 for the full bag! I also bought onions and green peppers to make more zucchini relish, as we still have four large zucchinis to deal with. Then I finished my shopping by adding a small acorn squash, a small pie pumpkin, and a few fresh tomatoes for eating on sandwiches. My whole shopping spree only cost $46, and I was a happy shopper. 

Of course, that means I'll be doing more canning yet this week. That's okay, though. I'm loving how our pantry is filling up for the upcoming winter and spring, and some of these stores will likely carry us past next canning season. 

I completed stitching my commissioned bridal brooch yesterday, so I'll be doing the finishing work on it today. I'll present it to my client tomorrow, and will have a photo to share with you then, too. Lots to do now, so I'm off to the races. I'll see you later!