Friday, December 28, 2012

Our Second Storm


Hello to all my blogging friends. I hope this post finds you all well and happy!

Wow,this second snow storm last Wednesday was bigger and much worse! Mind you, I am now certain it can get worse than this. I just want to be on a nice comfy house when ever it does happen! This last storm was still a first for us though!

Wednesday's storm gave us about 5-6" of snow. We experienced icy rain, sleet, huge snow flakes and it was colder than what I had felt before. In Calif. we got hail the size of a dime from time to time, but this was like being pelted with lots of little ice pellets. I still need to look up how rain turns into snow!!! The best idea I have is that rain is shaped like a popcorn seed and some place in the atmospherics it pops and makes a snowflake? I bet there is a more scientific example of this lolol.
We are supposed to get more snow tonight (Friday) and Saturday. Does this go on all winter??? Now I know why this state is so green, ya'all get a lot of rain.

Look how high the snow is on the deck. The dog's house was almost covered! Marley gets very invigorated playing in the snow. (Yah it's cold) I don't know how he stands it lolol.

Our neighbor Ernie was kind enough to shovel the snow in front of our house and the front porch until we invest in a snow shovel of our own! We added snow tires, snow shovels and snow chains to our list of have to have items this winter!








Even though it was snowing the woods were alive with movement. Birds eating, Marley and Ashes playing, Ernie shoveling snow and life was still going on. We could not get the cars out of the parking area because we were snowed in. Jeff had to stay home from work Thursday until we got chains. (Bummer right!) The road that comes into the property is a bear to get in and out of. We are told that you might want to park at the top and walk down to the house if you need to go anywhere.

 Jeff got me Binoculars for Christmas so I can look at all the wild birds in the woods. I have been feeding them on the deck so I can get a better look at them. We had quite a crowd as you can see from some of the photos. There were quite a few on the fence and on the deck. I have seen about 6 different types so far. I really need to get a Bird Watchers Field Guide so I can put a name to their faces so to speak!

The last photo I took is of three things 1) The walk way cleared  you can see we got 5-6" of snow.  I also wanted you to see that the snow was right at the bumper of the car and the bottom of the door. 2) I kept seeing these cute candles that most of the houses around town have in their windows so I got a couple. They are set on a timer and really look great at night. 3) Look at all the snow on the garland piece I put outside on the window, it is almost entirely covered in snow and icy rain.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas at My Little Patch of Dirt

Hello to all my blogging friends. I hope this post finds you all well and happy!

I have a few pictures to give you an idea of how I decorated our new place for Christmas. It also gives you idea about what the new Patch of Dirt looks like. Next time I will show you the outside it is really beautiful.

I hope you all a very Merry Christmas. Here is to an Amazing and Wondrous New Year!









Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas Eve WV Style

Hello to all my blogging friends, I hope this post finds you all well and happy!


Merry Christmas Family this is what we got for Christmas! We love and miss you all very much!

It's snowing!!! You  have to remember, I am a Californian and this is the first time I have seen snow first hand. I was so excited, I kept taking pictures all day long! So here goes  I took the pictures every hour well until it got dark. Jeff took me out driving around the block to get some more pictures. I even made Jeff go out in the snow and take pictures with the lights on the house. I took a picture of the snow with a take measure but you couldn't see the numbers very well. It was over 3 inches deep.
 HO, HO, HO  A Merry White Christmas who would have thought!!!!














Thursday, December 20, 2012

Sketch Frenzy Friday 12/21/12

Hello to all my blogging friends. I hope this post finds you all well and happy!

Wow! It sure has been a long time since I created something fun for Sketch Frenzy Friday and it feels really good! Hi Ladies, I am back and ready to stamp!

Looks like a few changes have been made to the format since I made our move across the US. As you probably know already he he! (I'm the one who has been away right!)  Looks like we are no longer putting on a mini blog hop but, we are only posting our cards on the main web page and our own blogs now.

I am so happy to have gotten my fingers inky I can't even tell ya! I even showed Jeff my hands, he laughed and knew we were finally settled in and I was getting back into the swing of things again.

This weeks sketch was designed by Robbie Rubula.


What do you think of this one? Fun right!.

While we were making our trip across the United Stated we got the opportunity to stop off at my BFF's  house in Missouri (Hey girl). Carey and I had so much fun creating in her Stamping Tree House. I showed you that Ornament we made on Tuesday's Post. While there, Carey so generously split a pack of the SU Merry Moments Simply Scrappin` kit with me. I love my BFF so much.
I decided to put the kit to good use on this card! I used a strip of one of the beautiful border pieces that kit contains. I cut it into two strips and attached the strips to black and red scratch pieces of card stock.
The images are from the Tags til Christmas set. I used 2 punches to out line the images; Extra Large Tag and the Scallop Square. Then I cut a 1 1/2" circle from the Circles #2 Die. For the background texture I chose the Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder.

I had so much fun making this card. I hope you like it my friends. It feels so good to be back and to be stamping again. You were all missed. I hope you enjoy this card and get some inspiration from it. You can still post your cards for us to see here http://www.sketchfrenzyfriday.blogspot.com

Hope you drop by again real soon and have time to create something fun.
Chat soon,
Patrice

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Christmas Orniment

Hello to all my blogging friends. I hope this post finds you all well and happy!

I Bet you have seen this beautiful ornament before.Maybe on the front cover of the SU Holiday Catalog and probably all around the web!


This particular one I wanted to share it with you because one of the highlights of our cross country adventure was that we were so lucky to have been able to stop off at My BFF's house in Missouri
(Hi Carey,Dean and Rosco) for a few days for a much needed girlfriend catch up visit. What makes this one so special is that we made it together in Carey's awesome crafting tree house. Carey is the person responsible for my card making passion. Better yet she got me addicted lolol.

I really like the diversity of the ornament design. We have so many cool products in our catalogs that no one ornament has to be made exactly the same way. In real life these ornaments are stunning. You should give it a try.

Use the Ornament Keepsake Bundle that includes Dies and Stamps paired with Scalloped Tulle Ribbons and go to town. They are fun to make, and really produce a stunning ornament beautiful enough for adding to the top of a present instead of a bow. Kind of like a gift on top of a gift.

Looks like it has started to rain again. I used to keep track of how many times it has rained since we got here but, I have lost track by now. Remember it never rains in sunny So. Calif.  WV is so different than CA and the desert I came from.

Hope you get inspired by this image and try making one for your self.
Chat soon,
Patrice
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

My Little Patch of Dirt WV


Hello to all my blogging friends, I hope this post finds you all well and happy!

We made it to BEAUTIFUL Martinsburg West Virginia in one piece. We have been her for a few month now and are able to find our way around town with out getting lost. This is a photo of our new Little Patch of Dirt. I'll have more to share with you so stay tuned!

I have so much to talk to you about but, that will have to wait. As you know I haven't posted in a while, my computer broke down and I just got it up and running .Thank God!!! It seems to be doing pretty good now so I'll be able to fill you in more in the next couple of days.

 It's been so long since I blogged I've forgotten how to do it many of the simplest things I did several months ago with ease. I lost some programs and have had to relearn new things so give me a few days to get myself together.

Life has been real crazy for us since the move. Thank goodness there has been more good than bad which is a blessing.

One month after we moved in my big dog Bear was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer (Stage 4). We had to have him put to sleep a few weeks ago. From diagnosis to his passing it was less than 2 months, he went down hill so fast we just can believe he is gone. I'm just getting to the point where I can talk about it with out bawling. I really miss my furry companion.


That's all for tonight my friends. I will chat with you again real soon!
Patrice