December Fun!!!!

This December was packed with loads of fun!  You will probably need to get your cup of coffee or tea and sit back while you read through my blog for December.  Really, I promise I will keep it short and sweet as much as possible.  Here we go......

First of the month started with the annual Santa 5K Run at Town Square Center.  So many Santa's....

Then there was the Rock and Roll Marathon on the Strip....sorry no photos....but you probably can get a visual of that on your own. A guy from Kenya won the race!
Also had the annual Doodlebug Craft Fair in Boulder City. My friends Jackie and Tanya were there with their ever so beautiful handmade items.  I heard they did well with sales!  Yippee!

The National Finals Rodeo was in town for I think the 30th something year.  Love those boys in Wrangler jeans!  But you got to love the one guy who can still wear them the best.....Dwight baby!  Yes, even now!  That says something about us "older people".  His concert was awesome! Had a great time with the girls and Charlie! (Had fun just practicing too....long story, but Charlie can explain.)

Me and a Bichon Frise after concert

So next was the Ladies' Christmas Tea at the Calvary Church.  My best friend, Lory, invited me to this annual special event. You have tea and pastries while beautiful music plays. There are about 40 tables with individually decorated tables by ladies from the church. The men did all the serving!  Can't beat that.

My place setting!

Delicious pastries!

Lory and me

One of many beautiful tables!

Beautiful music from the harp player

Yet another one!  So pretty!

Another beautiful table!

All the gifts so beautifully wrapped waiting to surprise us!

Now moving on to the Christmas Exchange!  It was again another fabulous time with lots of fun with all the gals. And some very creative handmade gifts were so awesome to see and touch. Talent galore in that room!  The appetizers and pastries were delicious!  Thanks everyone for a wonderful time!  And a special thanks to Colleen Mc for having the party at her home.  We love you! xoxoxo!

Susan, me, & Winston

Pat and her awesome gift! 

Betty & me with the gifts she made for me. Love them so much! They will have a special place in my home. Thanks Betty! 

This was my gift to Anne.  She couldn't make it to the party, but I wanted to share it with you .  I am so proud of this piece.  It's one of my favorite's.  It has a special meaning from me to Anne as she is a hand therapist.

At work, we have the Secret Santa event we do each year on my shift for those who want to participate. First we listed three things we wanted on a 3 x 5 card, then we chose a name.  We were to give a small gift, one for 3 days straight. It was for fun and not to be outrageous on spending. The last day, you find out who your Secret Santa is. Sonja gave me these nice gifts of Starbucks coffee & tumbler, the Greek Isles calendar, and the two movie tickets. Love them all! Special thanks to Annette who organized this all.



Celebrated Christmas with my parents on Christmas Eve due to having to work on Christmas Day. Got some really nice gifts from them. I got an ipad2 from them for my birthday last month, so for Christmas they got me a cover and a docking station.  My nephew and brother got me a real fancy ipad2 cover with key pad.  Thank you so much all!!!!

Mom and me

Bisquit in the Christmas spirit

This is a unique gift from my nephew & brother.....it's a mobile phone handset you can  plug into your cell phone.  Didn't know they had things like this.  

I got this "March of the Penguins"  DVD as a gift to me. If you haven't seen this, you must!  So amazing and unbelievable what they do for their young. And I got this because I will be travelling to Antarctica sometime in the near future cause I've wanted to go there for some time.  Call me crazy......







Well looks like I didn't keep it short and sweet......sorry.  Just had more to share than I thought.  I had a wonderful December and I hope you did too!  Happy Birthday to those December babies......Tracy and Susan.  Looking forward to the new year and what adventures and fun await for us......

Thank you all for my birthday gifts!

Earlier this month was my birthday!  I got some really nice gifts and well wishes from my friends and family.  I love you guys!  Thanks everyone for your thoughtfulness. The poncho from Pat (yes they are back in style and I've been wanting one), the travel journal and cowboy boot luggage tag from Jackie (can't wait to use them), the handmade rivoli pendant necklace from Colleen My. (love the colors and sparkle), the enamel piece necklace from Colleen Mc. (so cool!), the Pistol Annies CD from Tanya (got to love gals and their guns), my red sports jacket from my brother and nephew (need it for my running....yes I'm back at it). Mom and Dad, thanks for the ipad2(you guys rock!).  Starbucks even gave me a free drink (pumpkin spice latte was my choice....yummy!).  You all mean more to me than you know.  Thank you!!

Thanks to all the Veterans!

On this Veteran's Day, I want to thank all those who served our country in our armed forces and for your willingness to make sacrifices for our country.  Special thanks to my father who served 26 years in the military.

Jiffy Jewelry time!

My masterpiece

My masterpiece

My masterpiece

This is one of my favorite Jiffy Jewelry classes!  We used some of Colleen's new handmade enamel pieces.  Aren't they vibrant and colorful!  All these pieces were so fun to make and so easy peasy.  Thanks Colleen for another super class!

Patsy's masterpiece

June's masterpiece

No more "Cone of Shame"

Yesterday Bisquit got her stitches removed finally after 2 weeks with that irritating cone on her.  She somehow got used to it, if you can say that. Here's she trying to play with her toy.......so determined.  Next, is what she looks like after 2 weeks of wearing that cone......can we say bad hair day? Glad that's over with!  She is doing well now.  First thing she did when we got home is roll in the grass.  She's a trooper!

One sick puppy.......

Right after surgery at home......not liking that cone.

My poor Bisquit.  She had surgery yesterday to remove some moles mostly on her legs. They were irritating her and she kept licking them.  Doc says they are not cancerous but just something that starts to grow on some dogs as they get older.  She had a rough night but we made it through.  She hates the cone she has to wear but is getting better maneuvering around with it on. Two weeks of this for her but we are looking at the bright side for a better life without those irritating moles. Hang in there girl.

Trying to enjoy the morning......
her favorite thing to do lay on the patio.

Copper Skull Necklace

 I love Halloween!  So I convinced my jewelry teacher to have a Halloween type jewelry class this month. And boy did she have a "spooktacular" one for us.  This skull pendant is made of copper, an acrylic skull, and handmade rivets. I loved making this piece with the sawing of the copper, texturizing, and making the rivets (although it took me a long while to make the rivets and had to tag team with the teacher).  I know I complained somewhat about using the jewelers saw and broke the blade 3 times (sorry!), but I do like experiencing and learning new techniques. The look of the skull crashing out of the copper adds to this "spooky" theme. This one of my favorite pieces!  Thanks Colleen for another awesome class. Happy Halloween everyone!

One Drunk Puppy.......

Went to a wine tasting event at the Silverton Hotel this evening.  Proceeds go to the SPCA. Anything to help the animals is always a good cause.  In addition to the numerous wines to taste, there was a silent auction, appetizers, music, and more wines to taste.  I found the one wine I absolutely love......Orange Moscato.....so delicious!  Don't you love the slogan they used, "One Drunk Puppy"?

Early Birthday Gift!

Thanks Colleen Mc for my early birthday gift.  I only have one cookie jar and that was from my mom. And now I have this one. The more I look at it, the more I'm loving it. (I didn't realize at first the colors are the colors of my kitchen.....can you say duh?).  It's so very cute. Thank you much!!!! Bad boys, Bad boys.........

Comedian Henry Cho

Last week went and saw comedian Henry Cho at the Southpoint Hotel.  Very funny guy and he does his shows with no profanity, ever.  He's been on The Tonight Show and The Late, Late Show, as well as other TV and movie roles.  He's Korean but was born and raised in Tennessee......so you are watching an Asian guy with a southern accent......if your mind can wrap around that.  We were able to meet him backstage after the show (one of the girls is doing an article about him for an online Asian newsletter).  Very nice, down-to-earth guy.  Go check him out when he's in town again!

Friday Night Fun!

Just a bunch of gals having some fun on a hot Friday night in Vegas at the Blue Martini.  Sometimes small local bands have lots to offer and the band we listened to called TIC were just that.

From Phoenix they came to entertain and show us their talents singing a variety of songs from contemporary to the oldies including Katy Perry, ACDC and Michael Jackson.  Lead singer, Caleb, could sing and, boy, did he sing.  He also was nice to look at which of course heightened the experience shall I say........

Good music, good drinks, good friends, good times......

My summer book read.....

You know how you browse thru the books at the library and come across a good read by chance?  That's what happened with this book. The book jacket summary intrigued me......and so my selection for my summer read.  I have never heard of author Lisa Jackson, but after this book, she's on my radar for future reading.  I am not quiet done with this book.  Here's the intro:

Best-selling author, Lisa Jackson, delivers a gripping, edge-of-your-seat tale of deception and betrayal as New Orleans detective, Rick Bentz, is forced to confront the ghosts of his past---- and a killer's twisted vengeance......

Opening his eyes in a hospital room where he's recovering from an accident, New Orleans detective, Rick Bentz, sees his beautiful first wife, Jennifer, standing in the doorway. Then she blows him a kiss and disappears.  But it couldn't be Jennifer.  She died 12 years ago......Once out of the hospital, Bentz sees Jennifer everywhere, haunting, and taunting him, then vanishing without a trace.  Could she still be alive?  

Only 100 pages more to go.....