Monday Monday... be good to me!!

Well I trust we are all rested and raring to get our New Year Week Started?? HMMMMM!!!

Boy I had every intention of doing just that very thing... but as I look at the clock and realize it is already 11:30 AM (mountain time) I am beginning to think that this first Monday of the New Year is not as organized and rock'em sock'em as I had hoped it would be... more of a two step forward one step back kinda day...but alas the day is still fairly young so anything is possible.

This is actually my first day 'back' (didn't really go anywhere I just place 'me' in a self appointed time out from work and life for a few weeks prior to Christmas..hoping to regenerate the old batteries etc) ... and truth be told...it worked wonderfully. I feel more energetic, at least 20 minutes younger, and have a clearer view of so called artistic horizon .. but... as it always is with me... frustration and confusion smacks me along side of the head with that ever nagging questions of "Now What"??.."Jodi, what do you want to do first"??..."Where do you think you should start"?? "You didn't plan this very well did ya sista"?? "You lookin at me" ???? ...I could go on...

I have never been one to plan well..organization is not one of my stronger suits...I am more of a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal. I had hoped that while on my 'time out' ..I would discover the deep dark secrets of organization, that I would emerge from creative hibernation into a clear vista of uncluttered mind matter and just naturally know the path to take....silly girl!!! I fear that I am as unfocused as ever and will continue to wade through the waist deep questions of life ... waiting patiently for that 'tap tap tap' on my shoulder from an idea wanting to happen... but then, maybe this is how I work best. ..and that to have all the answers laid out before me all neat and tidy may tend to freak me out a little ...possibly I thrive best on the element of artistic surprise...

I can tell you that my batteries are charged , there is a full tank, the windows are cleaned and the seat is in an upright position ready to blast into a new creative year ...I just need to find that road map....

Jodi

*Click*

Well the Year in winding down...slowly at first now it is picking up the pace a bit...soon 2010 will seem like just a memory... So many things to be Thankful for, a few reasons to feel sadness, Lots of Joy and sharing, Tears, always lots of tears... and memories enough for *two* two thousand and tens!! Each old year that closes and gives way to the New ..I always search my soul for the possible things I should have done, could have done, would have done... the events and issues that seemed to slip by me , never to return...the weight I should have lost or the phone calls I should have made, the trip I should have taken ... but in the end...I never regret a thing, the would'haves, should'haves and could'haves ...all seem small and unimportant in the scheme of things... I think if at the end of a year...or at the end of anything for that matter...if you can say to yourself..."My, that was fun and such a wonderful adventure" ... then you have accomplished just exactly what you should have ...the ability to smile at the end of it all.

I shall bask in the happiness of friendships here in Bloglandia well into the New Year...for love and friendships are really the only thing that bring the inner peace we all seek...

So until I see you all again in the New Year.... I am *Clicking* this photo of you all out there and keeping it close to my heart for whenever an extra smile is needed...

Happy new year One and All

Big Hugs,

Jodi and Richard

Christmas Memories...

As we grow ever closer to that Eve of all Eve's ...it always makes me remember and dream fondly of seasons past…Great memories always come flooding in….and thus my tears freely flow out. I always cry a lot this time of the year , never sadness tears, even of those I have loved so and lost along the way …those tears are special to me and each represents my own personal connection to those that made me who I am. The regular Holidays tears I always consider my yearly ‘soul cleansing’ …tidbits of sentimental and emotional chaff that builds and then releases upon the hearing of the first Christmas Carol of the year…and then does not stop until Auld Lang Syne is heard…. Everything is a trigger…commercial, cookies, kids, dept. store Santas, old movies, Christmas trees, pretty bright paper and bows, snow fall, tinsel, bell ringers at store entrances, holly, smelling pine…well …I could go on and on but you get the picture! Reading this is sounds as if I grew up in Connecticut …far from it…sunny Southern California …where Santa often times wore shades….but I did grow up in the ‘50’s and I do believe that 50’s were universal from coast to coast .
It is hard to pick just one fantastic memory of Christmas Time Past ..
I miss it so much ,lived as fully as I could the great times of my youth. ..and held (and still am holding) onto every tidbit I can…each a gift I give to myself over and over again year after year, I guess you can say the true Gift that Keeps on Giving!!.
I remember everyone gathering at grandpa and grandmas house Christmas Day… all the cousins playing and describing in detail the gifts Santa brought while the aunts and uncles sipped nog laughed and relaxed from a long winters night of Christmas Morn preparation.

I remember well the ‘sneaking’ around with gifts, hiding things hear and there…it was always my quest each year to ‘find’ those hiding spots…but…NEVER EVER look inside the bag, instead I loved the guessing of what could it be by the size and dimensions of the sack… that was a fun game.
I remember the cookies…soooo many cookies, every kids dream and delight, my eyes hurt from being ‘so wide’ for so long!!
I remember the singing…always the singing…and EVERYONE Sang…regardless of age …I can still hear my grandpa’s very deep baritone voice singing ‘Oh Christmas Tree’ in german…the only time he brought out his last remaining dialog of his youth…it was a treat I looked forward to each year.
Of course I remember the bikes (Goldie…she had a plastic saddle!!) , Barbies, Poor Pitiful Pearl, Micky Mouse Watch, Tiny Tears, Baseball Cards, Lincoln Log, coloring books with a brand new box of unbroken crayons just waiting to brighten my world…, and of course the homemade dresses, jammies, hats, socks new shoes….ugh!
I loved the Christmas Sock best… though we didn’t have a fireplace (which freaked me out a little each year due to the stories of Santas entrance into the home) Mom always explained it away with a “by the time he gets out west, he has eaten so many cookies his belly is to fat to squeeze down a fireplace anyway ,so at this point he prefers to use the front door anyway”…OK, I could live with that!! Our stockings were always placed near the front door or front window to make it easier on Santa… Stockings were the coolest cause I always imagined Santa ‘touching’ these the last thing after dropping off the gifts …I would imagine his big hands lifting up the stocking and carefully placing the LifeSaver Box, BIG Fat Candy Cane, Juicy Fruit Gum, Jacks, puzzles ,comic book and the typical assortment of nuts and a nice big orange…to me this was stuff that ‘he knew’ I liked and wanted.. Which meant Santa knew my style and tastes …he paid attention to me, these were the personal things that meant so much, gifts were cool but you made a list for all that stuff…Stocking Stuff’ were the things that you secretly liked and used…personal treats from the Big Guy! I liked Stockings best…

But in thinking back to all the fun memories of this Holiday Season …I always come back to when I was very young and we would decorate the tree…I loved the lights and the ‘light wheel’ that Dad would use…I was totally mesmerized by the twinkling and shadows cast…One year when was about 4 …the tree was decorate, light wheel placed. we all sat and gazed with joy at the pretty tree…and then my Mom said…”Oh look, there is an Angel in our tree” …WHAT WHAT…AN ANGEL???!!! WHERE??? Mom pointed out the shadowed profile of a beautiful angel on the wall behind the tree, when the wheel moved a certain rotation there she was big as ya please….it was truly magical that year. Next year not really thinking about the angel…we set up the tree and light wheel as usual …and there behind the tree was our Christmas Angel just waiting for us….WOW!! That was pretty cool…another beautiful Angel to share Christmas with us… following year..there she was again…even after dad moved the wheel to another position, I am sure Mom and Dad by this time are thinking that this was pretty weird…but they never let on to my sister and I. This became a yearly family Holiday tradition…Find the Angel in the tree…until one Christmas we spent on the road in Las Vegas when my Dad was with a band…we stayed in a quaint little motel for a few months…Mom always brought little items from home to make us all feel comfortable and more normal…including Christmas Ornaments … I was in a panic at this point…wondering if our Angel who had been with us for several years now would find us in the desert…. We decorated the tree ..and waited, no angel! Ate dinner and played a board game…still no angel..very bummed by this time… off to bed *sigh* … A short while later and fast asleep by folks came in and excitedly woke my sister and I up with “The Angel is back” . decked out in my Doctor Dention’s .and blurry eyed..I ran to the tree and there before me was our Angel…right behind the tree as she always was but lovelier than ever… now I will never know how or why she appeared later rather than earlier (I choose not to believe that Mom and Dad fiddled with the light until she popped out) but rather I tend to believe, even to this day… that I wished for her so strongly when I drifted off to sleep that she came through my dreams as my Christmas Wish….my best gift of all that year.

We saw her for many more years after that…changing shapes and sizes with the passing years..sometimes becoming so small that she seemed barely there…but we knew she was…
Eventually I grew up and started putting up my own tree.. and on certain nights if I squint ever so slightly and turn my head just so…I still can see her …

Merry Christmas to One and All
May Your New Year be filled with all the brightness that Happiness brings

Jodi and Richard

And There it Sits!!!

First off I do not want anyone to think I have lost interest in our tipi...on the contrary...we are both so excited that we find ourselves embarrassingly jumping up and down at random moments during the day... but timing is everything I always say and this exact moment is not the perfect one for setting up the tipi...

As you may have guessed...our New Tipi 'Cover' has arrived safe and sound ...and you are SOOOOO excited that..Ooops...wait for here...here comes the random jumps....ahhhh that feels better! The only reason it is not up yet and we are happily sitting in it is that there are a few steps that we must do first...DAMN I hate

being mature and responsible... UGH! First and foremost we must finish our doll work ...and find that perfect window of opportunity...then we have to stretch it out on the ground that we have cleaned (in this case the driveway) ...waiting for neighbors to go to work as they already think we are a bit round the bend... then we must draw out our design and then paint the top part of the tipi near the smoke flaps... let it dry....then tie all onto the lifting pole ...setting aside....tie new ribbons onto the poles , apply near rawhide strips , attach the horse tail, then erect the 16 poles (each is 22 feet long) ...then goes up the 80 lb (pole and canvas) lifting pole....placed in it's spot...then we unfold the canvas around the poles...then pound in the iron stakes at each tie point...until all is attached , then we tie rope inside for the liner at mid point and bottom of poles, attach the painted lining, place in rain guides at each pole under rope, then place in the flooring and then start to bring in our 'goodies' ...buffalo hide, furs, bags , pillows seats, boxes, baskets etc.... set everything up.... so that night we can enjoy our first fire.... then within a day or two we will paint the bottom part of the tipi while it is up and stretched... giving it a few days to relax and stretch...

As you can see we are excited to get started ...it is such an important part of our life...for relaxation , inspiration and personal entertainment...

Now to find that golden 'Window of opportunity' ...don't know when it will be but am guessing within the week we will get started ...weather plays a big part too... but as soon as it is up...we are safe for all manner of weather and storm... protected in mother tipi.

The above pictures are moments after the tipi arrived...first is kinda blurry of our dear Tess checking out her new tipi (she thinks we get it for her...well...maybe we do!!) and the second is the bag it all comes it...always amazes me how something so large comes in something that seems so small.... that is 60 pounds of small all neatly rolled...but trust me...after she is out of her canvas bag and exposed to the elements she seems to grow...and stretch...and will never again fit in that bag...

OK...off to finish a project so we can begin on our new adventure... what a wonderful Christmas it will be... hope Santa knows to find me in the tipi...I can see him now heading down the smoke flaps ..maybe I should write another note and tell him it's ok to use the canvas door...

Hugs to all on this Lovely Saturday!

Need Help!!!

Howdy to everyone out there in BLOGLANDIA!!! I have a BIG Favor to ask of you all...

What I need is your 'Vote' ...please look to the 'sidebar' and click the Union Pacific banner and follow the simple instructions ..

Basically what this is...it's a contest of sorts...something we never enter...but...this one is all about TRAINS...the UNION PACIFIC to be exact... My Dear Richard's Favorite train...for any of you that have read my blog you already know that my dear honey is a TRAIN NUT...his father was an engineer for the Union Pacific... and Richard has always dreamed of being one (woulda shoulda coulda) ...anyway ...along came this cool contest put out by U.P. (you can read all the simple instructions when you click that button at the sidebar of my blog) ...basically you 'Vote for your hometown where you would like to see the UP train come through (it actually will when voting is done)...we chose Boulder City, Nevada as that is one of the towns that Richard's Dad drove through and Richard is a Nevada Boy!! OK...so...from this link every time you vote (once a day) Richard receives an additional 'point' ...the one with the most points gets to Ride in the Locomotive as an Honorary Engineer...wouldn't it be nice to send my Hard Workin Honey on this Dream Trip of a Life Time...Please vote, oh and you can actually VOTE once a day we just started yesterday and he has 5 point so far, the lead guy has around 360 ...I figure with all my friends out there in Bloglandia we can pass this guy easily...but we do need help from our friends out there...please help my Richard get his dream.......

Hugs to All and Many Thanks to ALL our Friends....

Boy...is anyone as sick of Turkey as I am ??? GOOD LORD...if I see another piece I swear I shall bust o gut!! I am feeling like Italian just about now!! and what, it's been like 2-3 days!!
Hope everyone who celebrated the big 'T' day had a wonderful time with friends and family ... and that wonderful New memories were created for the coming years.
We had a blast...ate ourselves silly and laughed till it hurt... and believe it or not got to bed at a decent hour , all was cleaned and put away ...and little to no indigestion...to speak of!!... all in all a swell Thanksgiving seemed to be had by all...

Now Christmas...Oh CRAP!! When did that sneak in!!! I know I am not going to be ready for this one either...losing all track of time these days ...MY GOD, my neighbor across the street had her tree up yesterday...shining brightly in her front window ...ugh!! I need to get a plan of attack...and soon. Right now we are finishing up a few commissions and that's my main focus...then onto 'Holiday Ho Ho Ho's' ...first I need to buy some egg nog...saw that it was in the store during Thanksgiving... but I am weird with egg nog...can't buy it to soon or to late... and can't start the so called Holiday Season without a cup of that thick overly sweetened nutmeggy glog!! Always puts me in the mood! Next comes the songs...yes the truth can now be told...I sing non stop through this season and I drive Richard absolutely insane!! I adore Christmas tunes...both good and bad ones ...years ago we use to do the harvest festival circuit in California and each season would hear Elmo and patsy perform..."Grandma got run over by a reindeer' ...over and over and over and over and over and over ,...until I would almost swear Richard's head swelled up and looked like it would *pop* ... I now slip that song into my repertoire each year and then run like hell after singing with Richard in close pursuit!! Ahhhh it's the good times we remember!! tee hee...

A few days from now I will start digging out the ornaments and other holiday decorations ..I always hope to add new ones and shoot for new themes but alas this year like last slipped away from me yet again... So it will be once again Nog and Grog, Carols and Perils, gripes and lights...and so on and so forth....

Happy Holidays one and all... may the joy remain throughout the entire season...

Jodi

Turkey, Giblets and other Thankful things!

Thanksgiving will be here very soon...TOO Soon if you ask me...I am NOT Ready!!! I am once again having friends and family over for this special day (so of course I start to worry about everything!!) ...will be approx. 10-13 people ...this is the part I love the very most...the gathering!! I could have P,B and J's and still be thrilled..to me it is all about the people. Last year it was a go until...2 days prior and both Richard and I caught a friends bad cold...UGH!! Had to cancel and send friends and family into a turkeyless night...felt HORRIBLE...so now of course I live in fear this will happen again... I plan NOT to go into public at all a week prior ...which means I better get my ass in gear and START SHOPPIN!!

But it never stops with the shopping...I also Love to decorate the place...Richard wants to get the Christmas lights up prior (he better get his ass in gear...as we have dolls to finish)!!

I think we are going to try 2 turkeys...1 traditional and one smoked on the BBQ ...fun!

Good Food, Good Wine, Good Friends and Games afterwards.. it does not get much better than this...

So what is everyone out there in Bloglandia doing for Thanksgiving?

Hugs and Happy Bird Day to All...