These are a few.....

of my favorite things.... we made a trip up to spend some time with Santa at the Buffalo Nickel Antique Mall today where we re-did my booth....my very own little endeavor at being in the retail business... Somehow, everytime I'm inside that big old barn I find my spirits being uplifted and my creative juices flowing. I could spend hours just drifting from booth to booth checking out what other dealers have found as treasures to sell... my oh my, how I wish my dad was still living to help me create some of the pine furniture pieces I love. It's one of my favorite places to spend some of my "free time".

Birthday Boy #2

The "50" yr. old birthday boy celebrated by shoveling and watching what he called "a storm" outside....being a good old northern girl, I called it a "light breeze with some snow".....thanks Bean and Jim & Johanna for the birthday cards, and thanks too Ann for sending me a piece of birthday cake!

Now that was funny.....

The Big E entertained us during his first birthday party today....for those of you who remember Ryan when he was little you'll understand why this is funny....when Elliott finally got to stick his fingers into that great cake his mom made him, he pulled his fingers away, looked at his daddy and immediately tried to wipe that sticky stuff off those fingers on his daddy's sweater! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... Ryan never could stand to have those hands of his sticky or dirty.....He really liked the Diago Airplane G'ma and R gave him - not sure his mom and dad liked all the noisy music and runway propellor lighting it gave off though.... could see Ryan contemplating hiding that thing in the corner when I left :-) Wish everyone could have been there to enjoy Elliott's big day.

1 outta 7

Looks like everyone but Carter has been naughty instead of nice this year. His is the only stocking G'ma S has finished hand -stitching and hung from the fireplace. Looks pretty lonely. Better get back to stitchin'.

Simply Buffalo

I've come to fall in love with the little city of Buffalo. This picture certainly gives you a clue as to why....When you come into the downtown area, you are immediately drawn to the beauty of the lake and shoreline which touch right up to the city streets. I just had to stop today and take in the beauty of this scene.... the City clears a large area for kids to skate and puts up a huge lighted real Christmas Tree right in the center of the skating rink. With the calmness of the morning and the heavy frost, it was a scene right out of an artists library somewhere, and here it was real andright in front of me. If I didn't want to move back home, Buffalo is where I'd live out my years. Great choice of town to raise your kids in Ryan and Ann!

Miss Jillian!

I was the lucky Grandma today who got to take Miss Jillian to her pre-school Christmas Program.....After a healthy dose of "lip gloss" she was ready to go :-) She's the one on the very right hand end of the bleachers. As her teacher told me after the program "that little girl sings her guts out" ! Our favorite song was the CHRISTMAS one...we got to see her classroom where she displayed her cubby and showed me the baby Jesus nativity scene. How special to go to a school where the real Christmas Story is taught. We had a treat, met her friends and then headed back out to the car where the always exuberant, always excitedly announcing something Miss Jillian pronounced "Well Grandma, WAS THAT A PROGRAM OR WHAT !!!!"......We then met up for a great lunch out with Mommy, Delaney and the Big E who had all attended Delaney's kindergarten program at her school. What fun!

So Ria....

does our yard look like mr. santa and his reindeer flew over and threw-up again this yr?