Sugar Plums, New Friends....and shhh...lets just forget September.

Meet my new friends...I can't remember if I mentioned, but last December when Mitzi came for the wedding she gave me a crash course in needle felting. We were in the loveliest hotel on the pier in San Francisco, the night before she was to fly back home. We had gone to the city the night before because she had a much too early flight. We spent a lovely evening window shopping in the city, drinking cocoa, exchanging our Christmas gifts and her showing me how to needle felt as we sat on our beds in the hotel room (she also taught me how to wet felt with a bar of guest soap in the hotel bathroom)....Thinking about it now, I don't know how she had an ounce of energy left to show me and I'm shocked that I retained anything at all .... selfishly, I wish we could repeat our stay at this hotel five days before Christmas this year.... minus the exhausten and the early morning flight. :)

Please note that my new camera needs to be returned, it takes such awful pics and it really doesn't do justice to how cute my new friends really are, however, I'm happy to introduce you to...

Dough dough the Christmas bird (he is a royal). Harry (yes I know an unlikely name for an elf). The mad Christmas hare with his snowman tie... and in front, please meet "Plum". If you wish to speak with her you'll have to use sign language because unfortunately she's deaf due to a lack of enough periwinkle blue wool to finish her ears....

Poor, poor Plum, and she is the sweetest one of them all... hopefully tomorrow I can introduce you to a few more new friends as new ones are born each day, just in time to be adopted by way of gifts in time for Christmas. The original intent was to put a string in the top for ornaments....but as they sort of, kind of, start to come to life...I'm rethinking...I'm also selfishly trying to decide if I can even give them up for adoption now....

Today brought "Bitty", that would be 'Ms. Itty Bitty', who is a precocious pink wiener dog with white polka dots. Ms. Itty Bitty made fast friends with Little Miss Plum, as I knew she would because Plum is a friend to all.... Harry however thinks Ms. Itty Bitty is his pet pooch and you can imagine the upset around my house today as Ms. Itty Bitty let him know straight away that she is 'nobodies' pet! As the tantrum ensued, dough dough bird just sat quietly eating his gingerbread cookies and the mad hare stood stoically pondering the placement of the Christmas tree, which he has moved and rearranged at least ten times already...he really is quite mad!

This last week has also brought a new bread recipe... AH thought he was in Heaven and I had every intention of sharing it with you...but as it's quite late, it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Just a pinch more of catch up....September brought baby girls 23rd birthday. Pictured below is the birthday girl complete with her pearls and sash...and my big boy and his wife.

A few days later brought literally three weeks worth of misery for baby girl.... there were moments that I really didn't think either one of us was to live through this one... What seemed to be a typical visit to the oral surgeon turned into trauma and visits back to his office every other day...literally, I'm not kidding....thankfully she is all better now, but lets just write this last September right off the books... There was a little bit of irony and grins however....her oral surgeons name was Dr. Choo.... LOL, that doesn't happen everyday....

Sleep Sweet Dear Ones...
XOXO
Keke

More sugarplums.... with a pinch of catch up.

Remember the matchbox swap...well I received my swap back. Twenty five little boxes filled with tiny little gifts. No matter how good my intentions are to post everyday, inevitably each day passes with a blank page yearning to be written. The last time I had spoke with Mitzi about my dismay, she said, "don't worry about catching up, just go forward, always go forward..." Good advice. But somethings are worth being remembered.
Sugar plums are still dancing in my head.... I've started little odds and ends of Christmas yummies to be given if I manage the fantastical feat of finishing them in between my down times. But first...

The end of October brought AH to his alter ego... "Spiderman". AH has been in love with Spiderman since he was a little boy...and now he has become "Spiderman". I wish you could have heard the delights of all the little boys telling AH, "I love you Spiderman", "Hi, Spiderman!", "Spiderman, your awesome." You can imagine how this made AH's heart soar.

World Series week brought excitement, cheering, moaning, jumping up and down and all various sorts of chaos to my living room. I wish you could have seen AH...I'm still giggling about his shouts of victory as the "Giants" brought home the World Series trophy...

And then there was AH's favorite Giant, known in our house as "Timmy".


But in between spider treats and baseball dreams sugar plums still dance in my head...

Who would like to get a roll of cookies in the mail? BHG has wonderful holiday recipes and gift ideas on their website right now....



Or how about a little envelope of cheese straws laid on each guest plate? Maybe even for Thanksgiving...maybe instead of old paper, maybe a note telling each loved one around your table why you are so grateful for their presence. That envelope above actually looks more like a sheet of parchment neatly wrapped around the cheese straws. So much inspiration, so little time... which is why a girl whose never made a list in her life is making one this year. One for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas.... Little things done each day no matter how small...that way when the big day comes I'll be totally organized and if AH or baby girl needs to step in for me it will be totally laid out for them. And that my friends will make Merry!

Check out another BHG inspiration above. How darling, CD jackets with a beautifully adorned cookie on the inside peeking out the window. How nice would this be for a teacher, mailman, your favorite grocery store clerk, co worker or maybe an acquaintance that you just feel like doing a little something for. I'm in love with that idea.....

So for now...sleep sweet dear friends. I hope to visit with you more, offering a little inspiration along with a little catch up along the way. Be blessed and well! XOXO Keke

Dreaming of Sugar Plums before Halloween?

I have been dreaming of Christmas for months now. Why? I can't say for sure. It's complicated. Story of my life. I have a list of though.

1. First and foremost I never know when I will have a good/bad day (s) ... what I used to take for granted, all that I could accomplish and shove into a day, I now have to be well planned for. Additionally, the simplest task seem to wear me out now? Wear me out = dystonic tremors = bed all day. I find that to be the most frustrating thing of all.

2. For some reason I feel the need to amend the travesty of last years Christmas.

3. I just finished Count down to Christmas matchbox swap. I can not wait to get those little gems in the mail. I love decorating matchboxes....they are easy, I can do a little, rest and repeat.


Linda at, "A Swap for All Seasons" is truly the best swap hostess on the planet. {aswapforallseasons.blogspot.com }The idea was 25 matchboxes swapped for 25 in return and then opening one a day starting December 1. Kind of like an advent calendar only better. I have to give props where due and I couldn't have accomplished and finished with out baby girl's assistance.... (One more thing I hate and can't get used to....my own self sufficiency is ultimate to me...it's very difficult for me to wave a white flag) However...I am so grateful when she rescues me, esp when I'm refusing to be rescued.

4.The economy is tough right now, things are tight. When the kids were little and AH and I had so little money, I always shopped year round, I always had a gift closet filled with all things wonderful, it was truly an awesome thing. I never had to worry if the kids came home with a last minute birthday party invitation, etc. I was fully stocked, and enjoyed my friends making the comment, "I just don't know how you do it?". That my friends is how I did it. And actually, everyone ends up getting much lovelier gifts because I can find things at a fraction of the retail price by not waiting to shop until a week before I need it.

5. AH. That's all I need to say. I wish you could all see him on Christmas morning, it's like magic, his face is all a glow and his Christmas spirit is so real you can taste it.

I won't continue my list...we could be here all night, just thought I'd let you all know where my head was these days...it's truly a great distraction.

How cute are these paper dolls? I copied and shrank them to use like tissue paper to fold over the little goodies that was in each match box. I hope I posted this right so you can click to enlarge and print it out, I have a whole bunch of favorite girls out there who have little princess' that this would make simple projects for.... you know who you are. Think of having them cut these out to make pennant banners for Christmas with.... paper,glue, scissors,string and a printer is all you need.

A. Print out two or three copies.
B. Have the baby girls cut out all the little pieces.
C. Draw small triangles for them to cut out.
D. Paper punch the corners of the wide part of the pennant.
E. Glue dolls and accessories to the triangles.
F. Add any beads, glitter or embellishments that make them giggle with sparkly delight.
G. Tie pennant flags together with sting, ribbon, torn fabric, etc....
H. Hang like garland all over the house.

How much fun would this little project be? Not that messy, just glue, string, paper, etc.
Could be a ten minute project or an hour depending on how busy you want to keep them...and I think a sweet keepsake to keep or even maybe a tradition for years to follow. Uhhum...and I will be doing this, so I'm hoping I'm not a dork and the only one out there with a little girl inside that just wants to come out and play.... WALLAH!!! Yummy adorableness!!!!

When my match boxes come I will try to post a pic of each every day beginning Dec. 1, (if I can wait that long.... most likely I won't be able to. At least I have good intentions of doing this.... I'm also going to try to post inspiration at least a few times a week from now until baby Jesus' birthday. It makes me happy, and infinitely better and more motivating rather than posting my complaints and challenges. Speaking of baby Jesus, check out 'aswapforall seasons.blogspot.com' Linda's last matchbox posted was one celebrating him and it's soooo adorable as well as the story she posted along with it....did I tell you how much I love her and what a stellar person I think she is? You can also find link in my side bar.

All things frivolously mentioned above....I hope you are all better than well! Sleep sweet dear friends.... XOXO Keke

A Lovely Day....

Today was the loveliest day I've had in a very long time. I spent it with the most gracious couple pictured above. Mitzi's daughter Amy is in the city celebrating her honeymoon with her new husband and was generous enough to take a day to spend with me.

They came early this morning and then we drove up to the loveliest place on earth.... except it wasn't as lovely as it normally is....after a long hot summer everything lacked the green and glow that it usually has and was more crispy and brown. The flowers that are usually in abundance were barely found and a few of the shops and my favorite gallery was closed since it was mid week, and it was 90 degrees. Still.... all was right with the world because the two of them together exuded the glow that filled the plaza with that which was lost in the summer heat. We did see a few shops, had a nice lunch, sat on a bench in front of the duck pond and listened to the water fall. This afternoon we visited the champagne caves, but again, the caves were closed....so we sipped on a glass of champagne on the terrace over looking the vineyard and the mountains and chatted a while. We ended the day with dinner at a Thai restaurant before it was back to the city for them. Honestly more generous than I would ever expect, I would have been thrilled to have had lunch with them considering they're on honeymoon.... AH and I both really liked Amy's new husband, he is very friendly and out going and seemed to be very genuine and kind, all the qualities we want our daughters to find in a good man. I could tell that he was very attentive to her and it was sincere. Honestly.

As far as the above pics, I have to give credit where credits due...the beautiful pics above were taken by Liv in the Moment photographer, (because I seem to be so scattered and absent minded these days and I forgot my camera!) Ugh, dah! It's ok. Mitzi's little Liv is a far more talented photographer... I've posted about her keen eye before, but honestly you should click on her tab in my side bar...I'm not being a braggy aunt...she really is taking amazing pics.... And to that I'm going to say good night, it's been a full and lovely day...sleep sweet dear friends.

I hope this post finds you better than well. XOXO Keke

Let's Hear It For the Girls, Even If We are all A Bit Upside Down Right Now.

As always my near and dear faithful friends are always there.... humbly I thank you all. Everything feels upside down right now. As I visit each of you it seems we all have so many struggles to overcome right now and my heart is challenged to stop the tears from flowing....
I am committed to pray with out ceasing for all of us. How is it that such goodness and light be surrounded by so much darkness? I was thinking about it for the last couple of days, people are always so quick to quote, "God never gives us more than we can handle...." Sometimes the quote angers me...but I was thinking yesterday that maybe it's because we are not supposed to handle so much and in blind faith hand it over to him? Just a thought to make some kind of sense of the struggles we are all facing right now....

I have a new neurologist... Dr. Duncan. Yesterday after months of fighting with the botox pharmacy, insurance, etc. I finally received my shots. Now I sit and wait to see if they're effective. I did appreciate is approach, instead of the nine or twelve stabs that I have become accustomed to, he only injected me twice. One injection in the front of my neck and one in the back. He assures me that it will be just as effective and that there is no need to stick me as many times as the other neuro's did. I'm afraid he should have injected me one more time on the right side. It usually takes three or four weeks to see how they are working, but the right side is driving me crazy in excruciating pain tonight. I woke up this morning with my body so sore I felt like a mac truck had ran me over. AH liked Dr. D tremendously...I think he really like it more that I didn't break his hand from squeezing it yesterday...usually he holds my hand through the shots, but baby girl had gone out and bought me stress balls to squeeze instead....it worked pretty well. The shot in the front of my neck wasn't pleasant but no where near the pain from the one in the back left side. It felt like he stuck the needle so deep that it was going to come out the front.... but lesser of two evils and at least I have finally found somewhere to go where everyone from the receptionist to the nurse and doc were empathetic, friendly and professional. I told AH that usually my body goes into shock from the pain of the shots, but this time I think I was in shock by all of their kindness...sad but true, I have never been treated so kindly in the two years since I've developed dystonia. Amazing and sad to think about when you consider how many doctors I've seen. Still thanking God for mercy none the less.

I have much more to tell you all but I'll leave it with this for tonight. I hope all of you are blessed and that God will send you strength and his angels to surround you all so that you can rest if only for a moment in the feathery down of their wings.

XOXO Keke

P.S. Yes the cutie hanging upside down on the rings is Mitzi's Em. I could just bite her she is so adorable!

The last time I posted was actually an accident...I downloaded a new photo application and was trying to see if it would post to Cherry Kingdom.... Um...the I love unicorn pic would actually be one of Mitzi's beauties... Princess Em. I was also rushing to try to post as everyday spins out of control and takes a life of it's own around here....so much has happened and happens everyday it's not a wonder I'm exhausted to scramble to keep up. In any case, Em is Mitzi's baby, only she's not a baby any more. I thought I should post the proof... less she complains to Mitzi again that I am posting 'unapproved' photo's. ( She doesn't know yet that a bad pic could never exist of her, she's so beautiful it's just not possible!) I was speaking with Mitzi the other day and gasping over the latest photo's of her. I asked Mitzi "When did that happen" in my mind all her girls all live perpetually as little girls and obviously that is not the case.
Time is such a thief, and since sadly I don't get to see them everyday and I live by the photo's posted, I must say I'm in shock. Instead of beautiful baby she has become a beautiful babe....and that will take work for me to reconcile.

Speaking of time and thievery and beautiful babies....

Remember beautiful boy and girl got married and had a beautiful baby....I received an invitation to baby Alex's first birthday party....remember the ultrasound pics I posted the summer before last...well look at this beautiful boy!
Unbelievable beautiful boy....
As I struggle to re-engage in blog land because I miss posting and all of you so much....I feel like this last year has been stolen from me... poof! Gone! I have so much to catch you all up on...battles fought...still fighting...and the struggle to keep my head on straight. "No pun intended." I hope that this will be the first of a continuance and that you are all better than well! I hope your summer has been filled with warm sunshine, lot's of laughter and love from your family and friends....and for now I'm off to another doctor's appt. which is the appropriate segway for what I have to tell you either tonight or tomorrow morning.... Be blessed!

XOXO Keke

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink...I want to look like this woman...I swear I was born in the wrong decade! Although...living in Oz would actually permit me to dress like her and wear the up do without being questioned. I remember when I first moved here and I was complaining about not looking good and my good friend and the first friend I made in Oz...'Sarah' laughed and said, "Keke, haven't you figured it out yet? You can't look bad here." I remember looking around at every one that day and realized that what she said was true. Everyone in Oz seems to march to the beat of their own drum and it's not questioned... not like in the mid west where status quo was pretty much expected and you would not be able to present yourself differently with out stares and comments. Social prejudices, fear... I will say that every other day when I've decided I need to move away from Oz and struggle with 'where to?', I always put that acceptance on the pro side.

I'm rambling...I have much to catch up on, these last few months that I've been off line have been overwhelming. So much so that I find myself compartmentalizing my life now. I have put everything away in it's own little box and some boxes are only taken in small peeks, others not at all, for now....

I've decided that each day I will offer a small peek into only one box, otherwise this blog page would implode...and as I sit here trying to figure out how to rebuild my life it forces me to look at all the things that went wrong, my responses to all the wrongness, and most of all, how will I respond in the future should similar situations come along... and I know they will... What's that saying, 'What ever we don't learn we are doomed to repeat?'
In any case, getting started posting again is harder than I thought...but it had been calling to me for months...and I've so missed all of you.

The tutorial from yesterday, "How to make a purse out of a book" is dedicated to my dear Mitzi...artist extraordinaire and maker of book journals.... I think I will try to make one...a little differently though... I love that a man was doing the tutorial...for a minute I fantasized about AH being the star of that tutorial... "YUM!" it would then make him the perfect man, well, ok, maybe not perfect, but.... ERRRRCKKKKK... ok, sorry reeling it back in... You have to admit there's nothing sexier than an 'art man', hmmmm...clarify...during the day he's going to have to be a construction worker or a fireman or some other manly profession, I like a manly man with a dash of sensitive creativity...but he can't like handbags and shoes more than me. LOL I've gone to far...

I hope to catch up and visit all of you sooner rather than later...I hope you have a blessed day! XOXO Keke

How To Make a Handbag Out of a Recycled Book.

Hello my friends, I know it's been far to long since I've last posted. Hopefully, I pray that all of you have been well and I want to thank all of you for your kind messages and emails during this difficult time. I hope to be talking to all of you soon on a more consistant basis.
XXOO Keke