Through a child's eyes..................

I went to gather the mail,
As I crunched through the snow
Whata' wondrous surprise
Special handwriting I know!

I tried to be patient
For I knew what it contained
An envelope addressed and
Complete with my name!

The writing was placed
With the greatest of care
Two stamps in the corner,
Yes, two stamps, a pair!

But inside, oh inside,
I simply squealed Oh My,
A creation from Cooper
A treasure I spied.....

A card with snow people
An envelope lined,
A keepsake contained
Yet still I would find.

A simple gift I had given
And little did I know
How this little gesture
Would be returned to me more.

For Cooper had drawn
And then stitched with his heart
Four pages of pictures,
Then assembled, now one part.

My spirit how lifted
By the hand of this child
Drawn with love and affection
So tender and mild.........

Thank YOU dear Cooper
You'll never know what this means
The kindness you've shown
and the hope that I've seen.

So here's to the holidays
May they be cheery and bright
And may you all have a Cooper
Showering your life with light......

Ever truly, your Carz buddy, me and mine

Baby snow bunny.......................

Talk about a trooper, dearheart baby Sydney ranks right at the top!!!!! I managed to move enough snow to help her in getting down her doggie door ramp but she just bounced around like the joyful life source she is and made quick work of it and then dash away, dash away, dash away all................. And can you spot the concrete Scottie snow bunny on the back deck? You'll need to look closely..............

Dueling cameras.........................

Shirley and I had a game of dueling cameras going yesterday when I was trying to take a photo of her necklace that I made and she was trying to take a photo of my Scottie pin that I also made, talk about an exchange of good taste!!!!!!!

Ever wonder??????

Ever wonder where the idea for snowball cupcakes came from? Looks to me like they originated from glandular snow filled birdbaths...............

Humongo, Ginormous, Extremendous Praise

Susan Emory, owner extraordinaire of Quilter's Corner, having visited my blog for the first time yesterday, tried to leave this comment, yet when she couldn't, she sent me an email instead................

"WOW, Catherine! You are such an inspiration - hope some of your fabulousness will rub off on me just by being around you!
Happy Snow Day,
Susan"

OMG, OMG, Oh my gosh, how incredibly kind and groovy cool is that????????????? I am SUCH the happy, lucky, blessed girl..................

Life off-loom........................

Okay, here are some pics from our gathering at Quilter's Corner yesterday, and anyone viewing this that knows about the CP potholder exchange next month will understand the loom part............. But what you DON'T see is when my potholder was donned as my yarmulke for when I bakulke and make cup cakulkes but more correctly use my microwavulke................ I haven't laughed that hard in the longest, and YES, you HAD to be there, so just pretend and enjoy..............

Lonely Bits...........................

On my return trip from Madison last month, I stopped and lingered by this abandoned building. It was a raw, rainy and windy day which seemed all that much more appropriate in which to cloak this tired, tattered and lonely structure...............

Morning Blessing

Taking John to work last week, I actually had to pull off the road into the commercial area just west of the Chesterfield/Powhatan county line and take these pics as they simply took my breath away. What dreams are made of...........

Winter Samples........................

Just a few more QA samples for the winter quarter - disappearing nine patch baskets, fractured stars and exploding pineapple, enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

Leave it to Jenn...................

Couldn't help myself, like I haven't heard THAT already this year, and yes, the lovely Do Not Open Till Christmas ribbon was still very much intact but I just soooooooooooooo needed a Jenn fix and well................... OMG, OMG, OMG - I want to write, send, smile and adore this stationary till I can no longer grasp a pen or conjure a thought, so keep 'em comin' BFF Jenn, you'll never know how you have fed my ever lovin' Scottie heart...................

With gazillions of thanks......................

To my bestest pal Shirley, as between unveiling the 2009 BOM/SOM/Mystery/Design Challenge and my camera pooping out, I am soooooooooooo ever grateful to have HER simply faboo pics of it all to share with everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! I simply couldn't have done it without her and it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun either - WOO-HOO, whata' team and I am SO very proud of how my quilt turned out, BEYOND scrappy, totally whimsical, SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From recycled clothing to joyful fiber quilt, it was quite the ride, enjoy...................

You'd better sit down..................

I am so very proud of myself. There, I said it.
I didn't know if I would even be able to form the words, being so foreign to how I view myself. But the display at the library is up and it looks professional and polished ever so attractive and inventive - GO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And bless delightful, dearheart, darling Deb B. for coming to my aid in completing the paperwork, assigning letter codes and a corresponding inventory - I don't think I could have done it nearly so joyfully without her!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And bless the hearts of the librarians and patrons of the library for all their kind words, it was most greatly appreciated. Sooooooooooooooo, on with the show and just know that there are many, MANY more treasures to come, WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ever grateful

I found myself out early Monday morning after dropping John off and it was either a home center or Strange's to occupy my time till other peepers were popped, guess which one I chose, DUH! Began to wander the greenhouse and was simply overwhelmed with the grandeur of the season, a virtual sea of poinsettias, and keep in mind after 20+ years in the floral industry, they were NOT my choice for a symbol of the season but this experience made me do a 180, they were simply lovely and oh so very right to lift one's spirit and hold it on high to help buoy it through the ensuing onslaught of holiday high jinxes!!!!!!!!
Given the sentiment o' the day, I am sooooooooo very thankful, sooooooooo ever grateful for ~~~~ A camera that fell short of taking all the images before me, making me revel and cherish the images I was able to capture. Both legs, having been through way too much, that carried me through this experience and all of life's journeys...... Both eyes, still compromised, and yet helping me to realize the beauty of all that God has created. And my life in general, the fact that I have one and choose to celebrate life and all the treasures that combine to make this a wild and wacky, beloved and treasured escapade............. I purely and simply adore each and every one of you reading, forwarding, saving this entry, I wouldn't want to be here without all of you, you make my heart sing and my spirit soar..........

And yes, should I have enough pennies and fingers crossed it will still be there, I so very much want to bring home the Scottie/Westie mat, but should I not be able to make it mine, the wondrous option is that I can always create one myself, how groovy cool is that????? WOW, whata' ride, love it soooooooooooooooo very much and then some!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happiest of Thanksgiving everyone, love you more than you'll ever realize................