Sunday, November 23, 2008

Catching up...



Finally finding a few moments to B R E A T H E! Seems I've been playing catch up since I got home last weekend.

It took a few days to recover from the flight home - or should I say from the day trying to GET home! I arrived at the Miami airport at 10:00 am on Friday and made it home to Fort Wayne, Indiana at 2:30 am. Kinda hard on these aging bones! First problem - all flights were oversold, next problem - I had to connect through Atlanta where they kept closing/opening the airport due to heavy fog. When I did finally get home, my luggage did not. You'd think with all that time waiting, the luggage would make it. *Sigh*. I'm just happy to be home! I don't think I will have to travel again for work until next April - hooray!

Now for a little eye candy - I've been holding this one back for a few weeks, not because I wanted to, I just didn't have time to sit and post...

In October I received a happy little package from my pal Monica. It always brings a smile to my face when I see unexpected packages from friends. I usually receive my mail in the afternoon and there is no better way to end a day than to see such happy packages in the mailbox. This one was no exception. I bring the package into my office and set it aside. Complete my work for the day and savor the fact that I have something neat to look forward to.

Then I tear into the sucker like I haven't had mail in months. Paints a pretty picture doesn't it? I'm usually alone so I can do it with reckless abandon and not worry about the sideways glances! I can squeal with delight and begin to imagine the possibilities!

In this package, I found a beautiful pincushion - lovingly created by Monica, it is pictured at the top of this post. What you can't see is the really cool tag that spells out 'Girl gone thread wild' in thread (of course). She had some listed in her Esty store, but it looks like they are sold out and I can see why. I LOVE mine!


And dolls, glorious dolls! See that cute little green one with the stamped body and hips just like mine?

How about the orange and black dolls with the cat face buttons? Cute overload!!! I have actually added beads to one of them and meant to send it out to a family member with an October birthday, but time got away from me. I will take photos of it and post it here at some point later and then send it on to it's intended recipient.

And last but certainly not least is the yellow doll with a wonderful face by Dottie Hoeschen. I love those faces - I just bought a couple more the other day. She does incredible work!

Here's a photo of the entire booty. I am a lucky, lucky girl!



I wanted to let you know too that I have many email messages/comments in my inbox that I am still sorting through. There are several that I want to follow up on - Sue and Timaree, I'm looking forward to reading the stories of your fathers. I also like to visit any blogs of folks that are new to post. I start to do that and find that I follow link after link and before I know it, an hour (or more) has passed and I still have not commented on the original blog I visited. There is just so much great stuff out there and never enough time in the day to see it all.

And one last note... did you notice my new badge in the upper right corner??? It's almost that time... for the One World One Heart annual giveaway. The brilliant idea was conceived by Lisa (Oceandreamer) and is one giant giveaway in which hundreds of bloggers participate.

It is SO much fun! A great way to get to know other artists as well as win some really neat items. I found many of the blogs I follow today through this event last year. If you get a chance, please click on the badge for more info. It doesn't happen until February, so there's plenty of time to prepare!

For those of us in the United States - we have Thanksgiving coming up this week. I have so much for which I am thankful. I'm doing my best to get another post or two up before the weeks end.

9 comments:

Padparadscha said...

Nice to hear from you, Grace. Looks like you've been spoilt, good for you !

*~tabby~* crooked heart art said...

hi grace
so glad you are home safe and sound-now for your luggage to come home :)
what fun stuff from monica!
i love love the chesire cat form
that will be a fun one to bead and the pin cushion is just the bomb:)
have a happy thanksgiving grace
enjoy your day now that you are home
tammy

Timaree said...

I am sooo glad I don't have to fly these days. I read an article that said now that people are paying for their luggage there should be more outrage and penalties for all this lost and late luggage. You are now paying for a service you arent' getting.

Looks like you have enough dolls to keep you busy for a while. Enjoy them thoroughly. Oh, and I do know how one blog or link leads to another. Sometimes I'll have 20 tabs open to read at one time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

abeadlady said...

Neat gifties! Have a great Thanksgiving!

girlgonethreadwild said...

I was just about to sign off and thought, "how's Grace doing?"

*ahhhh* Imagine my surprise to see the lil pincushion being put to use.. HAPPY BEADING my friend!

And I know that in no time you'll have those cat doll spurring.. per the lil green bod.. isn't that a hoot? I found it in a box marked VOODOO doll.. should I have shared that?

YOU deserve to be rewarded for all you do! I can't say enuff how much YOU mean to me. Maybe one day we'll actually MEET!

Til then... have an amazing Thanksgiving holiday with friends & family.

your pal, monica :)

p.s. too funny that I am working on a batch of pincushions NOW, will have those up soon... thanks for PIMPIN' these out. lol

girlgonethreadwild said...

and..

(there's always an AND)

THANK YOU for affirming in me that I stayed HOME for a reason. Flying this time of year is baaaaad.

One World One Heart already... time flies!!!!!!

ABOVE: make that "cat dolls purring"

I can be such a bad typist!

Pursuing Art... said...

Oh Grace...you are a VERY LUCKY gal!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the pin cushion and the dolls. Just flippin' out over the cat...too CUTE!!! And, Monica, well, she's just a DOLL herself!!! Can't wait to see them beaded...they'll be delightful. Loved the picture you painted of tearing into the package with reckless abandon and squealing with delight!!! LOL! I can see the BIG smile on your face too!

Glad you are home safe and sound and not needing to travel again until April. Traveling is not easy...especially work-wise.

I just wanted to swing by and say Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!! Have a nice long holiday. I'll talk to you soon.

Hugs...~Lisa ;-)

P.S. Checking out Lisa's OWOH...I remember it from last year and never did it...sounds like fun!!!

Cotton Picker said...

The contents of your surprise package are wonderful. The kitties, especially, made me chuckle.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Cathie said...

Hi Grace. Oh what a dapper little kitty. You are most deserving of Monica's generosity! Enjoy them all.

Leaves of Grass

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body - Walt Whitman