To the End of February

Busy days with little things to celebrate at the end of the month.

February 20 - Muffin Day

I picked up a honey corn muffin mix at the $Tree and made them.  Sadly, they were not all they were hyped up to be on the package.  It was optional to add sugar to the batter and I only added a smidge instead of the recommended amount and afterwards knew I should have added it all.  HWNSNBP ate them though.  

We took a quick ride to the Great Swamp Nursery to pick up a couple of plants (see tomorrow) and on the way back we had to wait for the goose parade to cross the road.  This was the first brigade.  There were many to follow but they all got across safely.

February 21 - Paczki Day

A short trip to Tim Horton's supplied us with a couple of Jelly Donuts to mark the day.

I also got to visit with a former colleague from school who is home recovering from back surgery.  I put together a little basket of snacks and included one of the plants that we picked up at The Great Swamp Nursery the day before.  I will have to apologize to her the next time I see her for the not-so-great corn muffins I included in the basket.

I have a few of the paper zinnias I made in my stash and used one of them to make a tag for the basket.

February 23 - Chili Day

Wendy's has pretty good chili.  Had some with crackers for lunch.  

February 24 - Tortilla Chip Day

Found these Guacamole tortilla chips at the $Tree and saved them for this day.  They were pretty good.  I would definitely get them again.  It would have been nice to have them with yesterday's chili.

February 25 - Chocolate Covered Nut Day

I should have planned ahead when we were at Trader Joe's earlier this week.  I'm sure they had some kind of chocolate covered nuts but we didn't come home with any.  Out of the blue, HWNSNBP decided that he wanted ARBY's for lunch and I volunteered to go with him for the ride as long as I could make a somewhat quick stop at a $Tree on our way back.  It takes about 20 minutes to get there and when we did we got in the drive-up line.  There were about 8 cars in front of us and we hadn't made much progress going forward in 15 minutes.  So before we got to the point where we would have been forced to stay in line, I suggested to HWNSNBP that it might be easier if he just went in and placed the order to which he agreed.  He wasn't in there long before he came out empty-handed because he said there were about 7 people in line in front of him and only 2 people working.  That explained why the line wasn't moving outside.  That quickly put a damper on his craving and we decided to just wing it at home.  We did make the $Tree stop at a pretty new store on the way home and I found some of what I was looking for.  I couldn't find any chocolate covered nuts there though and I was going to get a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup thinking it was not much of a stretch - afterall, it is chocolate covered peanut butter - but I decided not to splurge.

February 26 - Pistachio Day

We did have a snack pack of pistachio's upon our return from an early morning trip to visit our son and DIL.  I brought what I called a "magic" orange for GS1.  He asked me why it was magic and I told him that it was magic because it was not orange inside.  It was a blood orange and he liked that.  Especially when he peeled it and the juice was on his fingers and he told us it was "the blood of the orange".

February 27 - Strawberry Day

Have you tried Pineberries?  They are white strawberries that have a faint taste of pineapple.  We found them at Trader Joe's.

February 28 - Floral Design Day

Well, it's not a design but here's some of the orchids that are blooming right now.

This is the first time that all 7 of these are blooming at the same time.  Six of the smaller ones on the plant shelf are also blooming.  Sorry, no picture.  

What's coming up in March?  Well, traditionally March is National Craft Month.  And then there's Flying Pig Day, Banana Cream Pie Day, Dress in Blue Day, Son's Day, and Cheese Doodle Day to start with.  What will you be celebrating?

Thursday's Throw Aways Reboot

If you've been here with me from the beginning you may remember a feature that I did during the first year or so of my blogging experience called Thursday's Throw Aways.  I tried to create something using something that would have been normally thrown away.  Although I can't promise that this will be a regular weekly feature, I thought I might resurrect it and in the process use up some of the "stuff" that has been hanging around.  Or at least, in some cases, use a bit of it before I throw out the balance.  Going through stuff sometimes reminds me of the ideas I had that lead me to save it in the first place.  Some of it, admittedly, is just trash and gets tossed.

What didn't get tossed recently were the metal sewing findings that I have accumulated as I've collected jars and bags of buttons at flea markets and garage sales over the years.  That button project that I did recently turned up more than scads of buttons.  Remember this?

Having the tray of buttons and findings still within eyesight got me to wondering what I could do with all those snaps and fasteners.  So I started playing around with them and this appeared.

I originally laid it out on a sheet of paper and then transferred it to a 5 x 7 flat canvas board I had in my stash.  Initially I was getting very frustrated as all the tweezers I was trying were all magnetized and trying to push the findings off and place them just right wasn't working.  I finally found a pair of tweezers in a cheap manicure set that weren't magnetized and they made such a difference.  I was able to pick the finding up with the tweezers and touch it to a blob of glue so I could then glue it in place.

Couldn't make up my mind as to whether I should lay in color on the background before I got started but I'm glad I decided against it because I think the silver ones would not have shown up as well.

If I come across more of these metal things as I'm going through my stuff I might try to make a partner for this one.  Or maybe I should try another saved material.  Hmmmmmm, I'll have to think on that.

Jingle Belles - My Sweet "Embossable" You

Trying to sneak this in for the Jingle Belle Embossing challenge ending tonight.  I watched a video with a technique that featured both dry and wet embossing and wanted to give it a try.  I found it on Sandi Mac Iver's blog - click here for her post containing a video.  She saw the technique originally on @ritzyhag on IG and got permission to make her own video.  I did not have the exact supplies that were featured in the video and tried to make due with what I do have.  Unfortunately, the only embossing folder in my possession that I thought would be relatable to this technique is not a 3D folder so you don't get as much of the lovely definition of the embossed flowers.  And, I used powders for the colored parts as I couldn't get my hands on the inkers that I originally intended to use.

Basically, you wet the paper and add the color and let it dry or dry it.  Then it is dry embossed using a dark ink in the recessed areas.  I then swiped my VersaMark ink pad over the design and added some gold embossing powder.   Once the gold was embossed I was able to go back with markers and completely black out the recessed areas.  It came out okay but it's not a show-stopper like the samples I saw in the video.  

Funny thing is that I was on the fence about ordering the 3D folder that she featured in the video and decided the day before I put in my order not to order it........and it was on sale.  Missed opportunity.

This is definitely one of those cards that looks better IRL.  Anyhoo, time to check out all the beauties over at the Jingle Belles. Won't you join me by clicking here?

Where is Winter? And What Are we Celebrating?

I have to say that, knock on wood, we haven't had much of a winter as far as snow goes.  This past week the temps were in the low to mid 60's and I've been seeing postings all over the place of spring flowers already blooming.  This would include our Lenten Roses (hellebores), which, when I looked it up, traditionally bloom from February to April encompassing the 40 days of Lent - thus the name.  These would seem to be just a tad premature, but they are much earlier than they have been in the last few years that we've had them in the gardens.  Our daffodils are about 3" of leaves through the ground, and the bluebirds are actually starting to bring nesting material into the nest box outside the dining room window.  I hope they don't start laying their eggs yet.  

Saturday, February 18th was World Pangolin Day and I did a quick watercolor and washi tape card to go along with the homemade marshmallows that I made for my blogging buddy and Jingle Belle hostess Lauren.  I had promised them for Valentine's Day as I didn't get to make them for Christmas.  I had to use a different source for my cinnamon candies that we couldn't find before the holidays.  In the recipe, if I want to flavor the marshmallows anything other than vanilla, it calls for replacing 1/3 of the sugar with ground hard candy in the flavor you want.  I have tried wintergreen lifesavers before with okay results, but I haven't endeavored anything besides vanilla and cinnamon.  Note: Pangolins are not pink, I took artist liberty with that so it could match the marshmallows.

I found some gold cording and seed beads and added that to the little button heart project.

I had also found some gold tinsel-like thread that I was able to separate into individual strands and I used that to couch the cording and sew the beads on.  I'm almost tempted to either use gold foil or gold paint on that outside rim, but I'm afraid that it would make a mess of the fabric and I can't take it apart at this point.

We've been trying to have fish at least once a week and I noticed this on the package last week which made me shake my head.  I should certainly hope that my salmon fillet contains fish.  

Now, this may be hard to see clearly but let me try to explain.  This is the view of the garage with the light on inside from the kitchen window.  Unfortunately taking the picture through the window catches the reflection of what's nearby.  Why did I take it?  I told HWNSNBP that it looks like a dead alien lying on that shelf from where I'm standing.  Or maybe he's taking a nap.  

A better view would be of the little friends that I still have out for the season.  Gnomes, snowmen, polar bear, white mice, a husky, and my new little penguin (thanks Sabrina!).

I never got around to decorating this tree for Valentine's Day.  But it looks nice just the same.

Today was our son's birthday and we didn't get to see him in person but we did wish him a happy birthday.  We used a bonus gift card from the Cheesecake Factory to get a couple of slices of cheesecake for us to have in celebration.  They had all those special offers before Christmas where if you bought a gift card for a certain amount you would get an additional card in a smaller amount free.  We only had until the end of this month to redeem it, so today was a good day for that.

If you're looking to celebrate something this next week, here's what's coming up:  Monday is President's Day, Cherry Pie Day, and Muffin Day.  Tuesday is Mardi Gras and Paczki Day.  Ash Wednesday is this week and it's also Margarita Day.  Thursday is Chili Day and National Tile Day.  Friday you can celebrate Fish Fry Day and/or Tortilla Chip Day.  And Saturday have some Chocolate Covered Nuts while practicing your Tongue Twisters.

Valentine's Day Projects

To be honest, these projects didn't get finished until Valentine's Day.  They are both made with items from the $Tree.  I couldn't find the truck wreath rail at a store near to us and persuaded HWNSNBP to take a ride to one that is a bit further away that is also combined with a Dollar General.  We first went to that store a month ago and I was bowled over with how clean and the content of the store compared to others we've visited.  I even complimented the manager at the checkout at how nice the store was.  He said it was hard to keep it in such condition on that first visit, but I was pleased to see that it had not gone downhill in the month between.  

Here is a picture I found of the wreath rail before it's decorated (I forgot to take one of my own).

Basically, what you do is paint, or perhaps decoupage, the top part of the design.  I painted the truck red and used some pink shades for the hearts on mine.  I did paint the rails white, but I don't think that's absolutely necessary because it will be covered completely with your bows/ribbons.

There are three bows that I created by layering 3 different ribbons together and securing them with a pipe cleaner which is how they are fastened to the rail portion.  There is no tying involved with all that ribbon.  The center bow has an additional layer of white ribbon.  There is also an additional wooden heart in the bed of the truck.  This is not very heavy so I was able to use some thick double-sided tape to secure it to the window frame.  (The tape is clear and is easily removed.)  They have wreath rails for St. Patrick's Day and Easter coming up and I'm thinking another trip to that store will be in the near future.

This was also a project made with $Tree items.  The pink wooden plaque, the beaded wire wreath, and the pink berry vine were all cobbled together.  I was looking for something to add to the center but didn't come up with anything so far so rather than have it sit on the table, or put in a box, I hung it up as is.  I debated whether to paint those beads white and I still might take it apart and do that.  

I figure these can hang around for another week or so before we move on to the next holiday decor.

What didn't hang around long was the "heart" shaped pizza and the chocolate covered strawberries that HWNSNBP ordered from Joe's Meat Market.  I had mentioned in a previous post that we had a pizza and some delicious brownies from there last week and this was the special that they had for Valentine's Day.  I was a nice treat.

We took a ride on Valentine's Day to deliver Valentine's to GS1 and his parents because I forgot to get them in the mail early enough.  We were there in the morning and didn't get to see them of course, but were able to leave them for when they got home for the day.  On the way home we stopped at Delicious Orchards and picked up some lunch fixings and I got some cherry slice gumdrops to have to celebrate Gum Drop Day on February15th.  

If you're looking for something to celebrate in the near future, Friday, Feb. 17th is Random Act of Kindness Day and Cabbage Day.  Saturday is Red Sock Day and Battery Day.  Sunday is Chocolate Mint Day.  And don't forget that Mardi Gras is next week.  Happy celebrating!

Happy Valentine's Day

This year's Valentine cards.  For the grandsons, the kids, and HWNSNBP.

What's to Celebrate So Far in February

February 1

Do you say Rabbit Rabbit before you say anything else on the first day of the month? According to folk lore, it is said that it is good luck to practice this.  They say that some people say "white rabbit" or "bunny bunny" instead.  It is thought to bring good luck for the next 30 days if you practice this.  And, if you should forget to say it first, then you can say "tibbar tibbar" at the end of day.  

Well, I have heard of this practice before but I keep forgetting to say it.  I think that I will have to put a post-it note on the mirror in the bathroom on Feb. 28th to remember for the month of March.  Though now that I'm thinking about it, what about those months with 31 days?  Are you at the mercy of bad luck on the 31st?  Hmmm.  

February 2 - Groundhog Day, Kiwi Day, Tater Tot Day, Hedgehog Day

Yes, there were all those things to celebrate on this day.  As you can see, I had some kiwi with my strawberries, but kiwi has other meanings.  There was someone on TV that day that wasn't aware that a kiwi was also a bird native to New Zealand and that New Zealanders are sometimes referred to as Kiwis.  I think my blogging friend Sunshine in New Zealand can correct me if I'm wrong about that.  

Hedgehog Day historically precedes Groundhog Day and was celebrated by the Romans going way back.  It was interesting to find out that hedgehogs were introduced to the wilds of New Jersey back in the 19th century.  I knew someone who had a pet hedgehog, but the poor thing was blind.  I started a card with hedgehogs on it but it's still on the craft table unfinished so I can't share it yet.

And let me mention that HWNSNBP had his stand-by tater tots with dinner that day.  They weren't very celebratory however.

February 3 - Wear Red Day, Carrot Cake Day

We did splurge on a slice of carrot cake today for a special dessert.  

February 4 - Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Homemade Soup Day

A local Ice Cream Shop was having a special fund raiser and was serving ice cream for breakfast.  I talked HWNSNBP into taking part.  They had a special menu which included choices for a baked item along with your ice cream of choice.  I chose the apple crisp, he had the waffle bowl.  It was a nice treat after our early morning debacle that day.  He went to the bank first thing in the morning to withdraw some cash and the ATM machine ate my debit card.  This happened before the bank was officially open for the day, but he banged on the door and someone told him he'd have to come back with me to take care of it.  So, we had to go back and make sure that card was cancelled and get a new one.  Then, after our breakfast, I had to go through our accounts to see which of them were associated with that old card and change the information.

I took care of that while I put a pot of chicken soup on.

I like lots of carrots in my soup.  I usually put a whole bag of them in with the chicken and a package of "soup greens".  And the thin egg noodles are cooked separately.  

When we first started dating, HWNSNBP and I were having lunch at his house - his mother had made chicken soup.  It was delicious, and I remember my grandmother asking about it.  You know those grandmothers can sometimes be "competitive" when it comes to cooking.  I told her that the soup was good, but it was a little tricky eating it because there were these black bits floating around in it and it took me a while to realize that they were bugs/beetles that must have been in the package of noodles.  I can still hear her laughing about that.  She also laughed when I told her that his mother thought it was strange that I saved the chicken for last and asked for some ketchup to put on it..... like my grandfather always did and therefore, so did we.  I still do that at home.  

February 5 - Nutella Day

I made a treat, a sandwich cookie, out of a couple of Biscoff cookies and a smear of Nutella.  It was so good, I ate it before I took a picture.

February 6 - Chopsticks Day

I really thought that I might do a craft with some unused chopsticks that we had gotten when we celebrated Chinese New Year last month, but I got sidetracked.  Instead I'll give you a short list of other ways that you can use those "free" chopsticks.

Paint Stirrers

Plant Markers/Supports

Toasting Marshmallows

Cleaning Tight Places (I like to use them to clean the hummingbird feeder with a little piece of paper towel and get to the bottom of that container)

February 7 - Send a Card to a Friend Day, Pizza Day (2 days early)

A local store mistakenly advertised Pizza Day for this day instead of the actual day of 2/9.  They were offering their pizzas at half price for the day, so HWNSNBP and I took advantage of getting one for lunch.  The owner, who we know, was a little embarrassed that they had made that mistake, but they must have done a great business that day anyway, because they were sold out very early.  Oh, and they had these delicious brownies as an additional special that day.

The next couple of days I was doing some Valentine projects for posting later.  But on 

February 11 - Peppermint Patty Day

We took a trip to Delaware with some Valentine goodies for GS2 but I did have a peppermint patty when we got back and

February 12 - Super Bowl Sunday, Pork Rind Day

I put pork rinds on the morning shopping list so HWNSNBP could have them as a snack during the game.  He didn't eat very many though because he mistakenly got the spicy ones which were even too spicy for his taste.  

Happy Blogoversary - About That Notice

Picture it - Sunday, February 10, 2008, about a yard from where I'm sitting at the moment - a blog is born.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

OK - Here We Go

Welcome to Paper Vernissage. I guess I should start off and explain the title. Well, the "Paper" part of it comes from my latest medium of choice - paper. Be it cardstock, scrapbooking, wrapping, tissue, handmade, whatever. Paper is easy to come by and for the most part, it is easy to create with. And "Vernissage" is a one person art show. Fitting, don't you think! I hope to be able to figure this blogging thing out and share my latest creations. Wish me luck!

Back to present day.

So I think I have figured most of it out, though Blogger has thrown in some changes along the way.  As is often the case, changes are supposed to make things better, but sometimes they don't.  They sometimes make things more complicated and take the familiarity of certain tasks away.  But, it probably would be said that that is how we grow - adapting to change.  There are probably a bunch of tricks that I am not aware of, but I try to make things work for me, and hopefully my handful of consistent readers.  

Paper was my new medium of choice back then but often, as was evident in subsequent posts, it was accompanied by other artful enterprises and family events.  There was even a spin-off writing blog that has since been put to bed.  But, that is my creative life going in all directions at once.  

And there were early visitors and places that I visited that are no longer around.  I wonder where some of those people disappeared to - how they're doing, what they're doing, and if they still come around.  If they do, I say "hi!", missed you.  Let me know how things are going.  In any case I thank you for being there to spur me on and wish you the best.  

I spent a little time going through some older posts recently.  As I mentioned the other day, I received a couple of flags on a post from my blog.  I assumed that it was in reference to the most recent post as it appeared at the top of my post listing dashboard that only the blog creator sees.  And it doesn't say what the flag is for, only that it violates community rules and if not taken care of, there are a list of consequences.  I also heard from a friend who visits regularly that she had a blog shut down after getting a notice.  I really didn't want that to happen.  This is so much a part of me.

What I didn't find out until later last night was that I did receive e-mails from Blogger referencing the specific posts - yes there were 2 of them - but it didn't say specifically what was wrong with them which I found very frustrating because both of them were from 2012.  Yes, 2012.  Not 2022.  So why all of a sudden were they being flagged?

The first one was a pictorial description of HWNSNBP and myself making glass pumpkins at a local glass studio.  I read it and reread it and quite frankly was bewildered.  Did using descriptive language to illustrate the process suddenly become offensive?  It is the process of blowing glass afterall - no suggestiveness or innuendo to anything else intended.  But not having a way to know for sure, I edited and changed wording that even remotely could be mistaken.  I also removed one picture of HWNSNBP using his breath (see what I did there) through a tube about 6-8 feet away from the instructor that went into the tool (r o d) that held the pumpkin in his lap.  Then I asked for the post to be re-evaluated and it was clear to publish again.  

The second one was a post about a Teapot Tuesday card, again from 2012.  But this time in addition to changing some wording (really, didn't your mother or grandmother ever tell you to take that [Pu$$] off your face?) I removed a link to a sample that may have now contained a virus or malware.  Resubmitted it and it was clear to republish.  

So I don't know if all that re-submitting and republishing showed up in your reading list, but if it did, this is why and I apologize.  

I was going to include the holidays that we've (I've) been celebrating since February started in this post, but this is rather lengthy and I won't keep you any longer.  Look for that in the days to come and thank you for being here to begin with.  

Another Embroidered Birthday Card and Getting Sidetracked With Buttons

My godmother's birthday was this past weekend and she's had some recent health issues so I wanted to send her something a little special.  I used another one of the embroiderable die cuts to make her card.  This time I went with shades of purple and pink and I added beads.

I think you can see the beads better with this close-up.  I was able to find a piece of the flat thin foam to use over the top of the card in order to make it mailable without having the beads puncture the envelope.  That should also help prevent them from getting smashed in the cancellation process.  

I used the leftover beads from the temperature project of 2022.

Last week, about the same time that I was working on this card, I was visiting Magpie's Mumblings and clicked on one of the links that she had that day regarding buttons which took me to a Pinterest page of which was like falling down the rabbit hole.  I too have an extensive amount of buttons and I also have a Pinterest page where I have collected ideas for their use, but I hadn't been there for a while and was curious to see if there were any new ideas.  Needless to say, I added a few more sites to my board that day but it also spurred me on to actually do one of the projects.  

After I finished the card above I went on a search in my craft room for some white buttons that I had already sorted out into a bottle, but I couldn't find them even after checking the other possible rooms they might be in.  What I did find was a pickle jar with a collection of buttons that I must have picked up at a flea market or garage sale.  There seemed to be a decent amount of the white buttons that I was looking for so I brought the jar downstairs and started sorting things out.

When you buy jars of buttons I've found that there can be all kinds of things in them.  This jar had a lot of metal snaps and clasps.  Some new and some used.

It had buttons that were already clipped together, but mostly loose ones that weren't new.  I sorted the ones with thread out of the bunch and later went through and cut the threads off.

After I'm done sorting, I gently wash the buttons that I'm going to use with a little dish soap and spread them out on a paper towel on the counter to dry.  A lot of the buttons in this container were well-worn, especially those made from shell.  You can tell by the difference in the thickness that shows it had been handled many times putting a garment on and off.  I wonder if these days people still cut buttons off clothing they are getting rid of?  I've been going through my closet this week because, well, I haven't worn a majority of the clothing in there since even before I retired and Lupus is coming for a pick-up later this week.  There were a couple of items that were really not worth passing on and I did cut the buttons and ornamentation off those that had it.  HWNSNBP laughed at me for doing that and for some of the other things I was saving he thought I should get rid of, but it felt good to have a lot more room in there. 

I also needed some wire for this project and found some rolls of wire thin enough to go through the button holes.  It came in several colors but I chose to use the silver for this project.

I did five of them and I'm trying to decide if I should add ribbon to the top or not.  The satin ribbon that I have more than enough of to choose from seems a little stiff once I tied it.  I think I need something more like seam binding or perhaps torn fabric to make the bow flowier (if that's a word).  

I also started something else from some recycled mesh fabric that was wrapped around the last bouquet of flowers we got.  I have some in purple and green that I've saved along with this kraft color that I chose to use.  This is a 4" embroidery hoop and I just free-handed the wonky heart with the disappearing gel pen (which I haven't made disappear yet in the photo).  These buttons were on the creamy side of white and some of them are even the back sides that I thought were more interesting.  I used white embroidery floss to do the meandering stitch.  It was a little precarious stitching on this as it tears easily and holes are almost always permanent.  I'm thinking I want to add a little gold on here either in the form of thread or beads.  It's still in the works.

Any bloggers out there ever get a post flagged for being inappropriate content?  This is the first time that I've gotten a warning and I'm not even really 100%  sure why.  I did change the title as it originally referred to going down the rabbit hole only it said button instead of rabbit which I thought was pretty innocent, but apparently not.  They didn't specify the wrong-doing.  I'm sure there are sewing blogs that talk about button holes.  We'll see if this posts.

Jingle Belles - Stuck on You

I am always amazed, and I shouldn't be, at what I find when I start searching for something.  This week it would be the search for holiday related stickers in my stash for the Jingle Belle sticker challenge this fortnight.  There was one in particular that I was looking for - and found it - but upon seeing something else, along with a scrap of scrapbook paper peaking out of a box of scraps, I went another direction.

The stickers I used were the foam gingerbread people.  What you can't see from this picture is that they are on a "cookie sheet" cut from some metallic silver cardstock.  (And I took this picture in what I thought was good daylight....go figure.)  There's also a panel of a textured metallic silver paper behind that baking utensil piece, which, btw was the scrap that appeared out of nowhere.

There were 3 sizes of stickers to choose from and I went with these because I could fit two of them on the sheet.  I was pleased to find another piece of plaid paper that had most of the colors in the baking piece.  

Maybe I'll get to using that other sticker on another card in the next day or so.  There's been so much going on here.  We've had more people through the house the last two weeks than we've had in ages.  We bit the bullet and ordered a whole-house generator in August that took till January to come in.  They have been in various stages of installation, inspection, and today finally turning it on and testing.  Thankfully it works.  We just need the final township inspection.  In the midst of that, our furnace decided to be cranky.  First, we replaced a pricey part and then HWNSNBP noticed a leak.  Fast forward to the decision to not replace an even pricier part and go for a new one...... with a two-day installation process in the middle of winter.  Luckily, again, they were able to spread the work out in a way that we didn't have to be without heat and hot water overnight.  And then there was the well issue...... see what I mean.  People in and money out.  But hey, we're warm, toasty, and hydrated.

Speaking of hydrated, I meant to mention in my last post about something I learned about hot chocolate in different parts of the world.  I know that in Mexico, cinnamon is added to hot chocolate and I have enjoyed that myself.  But did you know that in Columbia (and Ecuador) they add cheese to their hot chocolate?  It sounds strange, but if you think about it, cheese is a dairy product and they say that when it melts in the hot chocolate it makes it creamy with just a little bit of salt.  There are probably stranger things to add.  

Well now let me unstick myself from writing and go see what stick-to-it-tiveness the Jingle Belles have been up to.  You can join me by clicking here.

Last of the January Celebrations

I really wanted to celebrate Chocolate Cake Day on January 27th but HWNSNBP couldn't find chocolate cake with white icing on his trip to the grocery store that day.  They only had chocolate with chocolate icing and I figured if I was going to splurge on cake it should only be on what I really liked and not settle.  

January 28 - Daisy Day, Ladybug Day, Lego Day

I wanted to paint a daisy with a ladybug on it on black paper and when I went searching for my black sketchbook some dried maple leaves fell out of the cabinet with the book so I decided to paint them on the leaf instead.  There is a ladybug there on the lower daisy.

We saved the Lego Day celebrating for the next day.

January 29 - Carnation Day, Puzzle Day, Corn Chip Day

I still have baby carnations from the bouquet of flowers that HWNSNBP picked up at Costco last week.  Why did he do that?  Well, before Christmas he bought flowers for the house and I split the bouquet and put some in a vase in the bathroom.  Well, turns out he liked the fresh flowers on the sink and decided we should have that more often and bought replacement flowers.  I put these in my dancing frog vase on the kitchen island so I can see them all day.

We actually combined Puzzle Day with Lego Day on a visit with our son and DIL and GS1.  We found out a couple of weeks ago that our Little Lego Master recently competed in a Lego Building Contest at a local hobby shop.  He did very well in the contest.  There were 3 builds to complete from one kit and you couldn't have any help.  The kit made three animals.  He came in 3rd. A 12-yr-old came in 2nd.  And another 6 yr-old came in first but his mother was helping him sort his bricks so it was a questionable win.  He knew it wasn't fair but seemed to accept it as a lesson that things aren't always fair.  He also completed a truck build that was recommended for ages 18+ in one weekend which he is so proud of.  So I knew that I had an expert to call upon to put together the Lego Valentine Lovebirds that I had sent away for.  Here he is with Papa watching him go at it.  

And here he is with it finished.  He was so happy to give it to me.  I told him that I got the set because I missed my little bird and he told me that he missed the "cheez-it eating bird" too.  I told hin that Papa stopped buying cheez-its and I missed that too, and he sweetly told me that he had some in snack packs and he could share them.  

He wanted to play one of his games with me - Battleship - but his mom and dad said it would take too long as it was almost lunch time, so we settled for Don't Break The Ice.  We played a couple of normal rounds and then he said that we should play without the penguin on the top.  When I asked why he told me, with a mischievious grin, that it was pretty sad that the penguin had to fall in all the time.  So we spent the next 10 minutes setting up those ice cubes and banging on them over and over and laughing the whole time.  No more sad penguin.

January 30 - National Croissant Day

There is a bakery not too far from here called Paris Baguette and I had seen their advertisement for their specialties for the month of January and was interested in their Coffee Croissant Donut which turned out to be perfect for celebrating Croissant Day.  

I don't drink coffee - maybe once in a blue moon - but I do like the flavor in ice cream and baked goods so I really enjoyed this.  The cream filling inside was very yummy.  I'm glad that we got there before the end of the month so I didn't miss out on it.

January 31 - National Hot Chocolate Day

I had one hot chocolate bomb left from one of my Christmas gifts and we happened to have milk in the house so it was the perfect day to enjoy it.  

Some people are celebrating the fact that we haven't had any measurable snow in a record number of days.  I'm still holding out hope that snow will be in the future because there are some natural benefits to it that help with the growing season ahead.  We'll see.