French Bee

Lists . . . things we need to do yet. It's two days till Christmas! You should stop by and see Willzmom at Lots of Little Things . She has such an inspirational thought for today. I wanted to share it with anyone who stops in to see me.

This is the tree that twinkles . . . Do you see my little guy peeking around the corner? He is never far from my feet. This is the tree that shines. The angel on top holds a banner that reads "Hope". The reason for the season brings us Hope.

K made the snowman mitten ornament. She also made the Noel stuffed heart and the "Hot Cocoa" ornament that you may not be able to see at the bottom. Someone made the pine needle basket for me - a long time ago. Those are last year's tickets from the local theatre where M performed in the play "Christmas With Scrooge". The sign "Baby it's Cold Outside" - one of my favorite Christmas songs.

for Christmas! I've been decorating and decorating. I think I'm done. I can't believe it's 8 days till Christmas. We made our third double batch of Gingerbread men today. We love 'em.

It's cloudy, a little chilly and the Snows are here with the others. We are so excited.

. . . by the chimney with care. We love Christmas and all the trimmings. We're dreaming of a white one, but not holding our breath.

I only want a hippopotamus for Christmas. Check out this UTube moment. I used to play this 45 RPM single when I was a kid.

Where are you going for Thanksgiving? Maybe you are not going anywhere - what plans do you have to share? We are going to Florida to visit with family. My mother-in law happens to live at the beach. No, I will not be fixing a turkey - I like to cook, but turkeys aren't so easy. This picture was taken at the Sherman Gardens and Library where I had lunch with my mom. We also browsed the holiday boutique they hosted. I bought some French glitter postcards to put in my Christmas tree. There's that Eiffel Tower that I love so much.

I found this cute halloween fabric and made myself an apron. I will wear it when I greet the trick or treaters at the door. I sn't it scarey??

These are the photos I took yesterday . . . This is the Santiago fire. . . This is the orange moon . . . When the sun had gone down, we could see the orange glow and flames of the Santiago fire and the southern fires. Tonight I don't see but a small orange glow in the northern location. Not good, but better.

My French Bee Collections are now in progress! Here is my first apron creation and soon I'll open my Etsy shop. What do you think? This apron is fully lined with coordinating fabric as you can see at the hem. The fabric is a very soft 100% cotton in yellows, pinks and plums. I think it has a vintage look to it. As you can see, there are ties at the waist and neck, one lined pocket in front and a cute feminine ruffle at the bottom. There is a slight v-neckline cut. Double click on the picture for a close-up. I can see I have to improve my photography skills in order to give you a good picture.

Oh my, can I even tell you how excited I was today to find this package on my doorstep! I won Wende's contest . I think I had goosebumps while I was unwrapping the little surprises. Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! I found Mint Chocolate hand creme. Really - no kidding! I have such dry hands that I love to have bottles to keep in my purse. It smells like I could eat it! But I won't . . . My 'fantabulous' package has so much chocolate in it! There is a box of assorted chocolates, 65% dark cocoa chocolate (love that!), Swedish milk chocolates, gourmet hot cocoa, organic dark chocolate with cherries and vanilla - yeah! Hey there's more -Creme Chocolate Black Tea Leaves - no kidding! I wanted to try chocolate tea - cool. Get this - Mocha Java Grilling Rub for beef. Who even thinks of these things? She included a cute coffee mug with a pink rose on it. How perfect is that. My last little gem is Cocoa Lip Scrub with promises of becoming addicting! ...

I was putting out a few of my fall decorations today. I have this beautiful basket that was decorated by a dear friend, Kristin, that I bring out every year in time for me to put Halloween candy in. I fill it far enough ahead of time so we can sample the candies to make sure they are good enough for the trick or treaters. . . Ya know? T o my surprise, when I turned around, our precious Chloe had crawled inside the basket. She stayed there all afternoon as a matter of fact. I sn't she so cute ?? She loves the attention. I think she thinks she is funny. T he first day of Autumn is always celebrated with a homemade pumpkin pie. We love pumpkin pie, but I didn't have any whipped topping. We ate it anyway. Today, I made another pie. Yumm! I love fall, but I wish it wasn't so hot outside. M y daughter is listening to Christmas music now. We love Christmas too. There are 78 days till Christmas, you know.

I have so enjoyed visiting Wende, at Evidently . She had been waiting and waiting for her diploma to arrive and she decided to have a little fun with it and made a contest out of guessing the exact day it would arrive. If you could guess the date it would arrive in the mail, she would reward the closest guess with something CHOCOLATE ! I couldn't resist tossing my two cents worth into the guessing pot and I Won ! Now that's something. Chocolate is definitely in my future.

How many times have I gone to the grocery store and forgotten my shopping list or coupons! Take a look at this clever brown paper bag shopping tote ! I just might make one to keep my coupons in!

I was so disappointed when Victoria Magazine informed me that they would no longer be publishing this charming magazine. But, when I learned that they were indeed back in business - I was so excited. This is such a beautiful and lovely magazine to sit back with a cup of coffee and enjoy the beauty of it. I would encourage you to take a look at Victoria when the first issue comes out soon.

Finished! It's ready to give to Karen for her birthday tomorrow. I hope she likes it. I have made so many of these aprons but never one in this fabric - it's an original. I used a blue print on the reverse and a small print for the apron strings and pocket.

My friend, Patricia, has a new addition to her jewelry line. You have to see it. It's an espresso bracelet . I love it!

I was just reading about the Invisible Mom at Creative Outlet Design and it was encouraging and inspiring. When you have a moment you should read it. Sometimes I do feel a bit invisible. Sometimes it's selfish and sometimes it's a lack of focus and forgetting to love as Christ loved. When you really want to love your family - you desire to serve them the best way you know how regardless if they notice or not.