My Christmas Angel

This Christmas I was visited by a Christmas Angel. Ten days before Christmas this basket appeared on my doorstep with a gift for me. I was instructed to leave the basket out each night and NOT TO PEEK. True to her word my angel filled the basket each and every night with a special gift just for me. I don't know what I did to deserve such generosity, but I can't tell you how much it was appreciated. At first I thought I knew who it might be, but toward the end, I decided I was wrong. So---I don't know who my angel was and don't know if I will ever know. I just hope she knows how much her selfless generosity meant to me. If you are a reader of my blog, just let me thank you once again. You made my Christmas very special this year. It has meant so much to me and I hope that I will be in a position soon to pass on your kindness to someone else.
Thank You!   Thank You!    Thank You!

Gifts Completed!

My pocketbook made it necessary for me to hand make the gifts for each of my girls this year and thankfully I got all three completed. I couldn't share the pictures until now, just in case one of them were to peek at my blog and spoil the surprise. For Matilda I made one of my rag quilts. A Tinkerbell themed one of course, and in her favorite color! I think she liked it. I saw a picture online of one of the wreaths that I made for Tracy. She is a great lover of books, so I was sure she would like this wreath made from book pages. I'm going to be making some of these to sell if it looks like something you might like. If it's for Christmas, it can boast a big red bow, but I didn't put one on in case it was something she wanted to hang up year round. She has decided to hang it in her office and wants a black bow added to it. Darn! Not quite finished with that one after all! And finally for Megan--I had saved the t-shirts from her cheer days with the intention of making a quilt out of them and this was the year I finally got it done. I think it turned out really nicely and I sure hope she likes it. I had also saved two of her sweatshirts which were too heavy to add to the quilt, so I made her a pillow out of those, putting one on each side.

Well that's it. During the next week, before New Year's, I plan on baking some cookies and whipping up some Muddie Buddies. Go Tonna!

Christmas in Tonnaland

I love Christmas and never love my home more than it is decorated for Christmas. That being said, it's not quite the same when you live alone. You can get a "What's the point?" attitude. Last year I let that attitude win and for the first time in my life, I did not put up my tree or any of my decorations. What a Scrooge! I must admit that I came very close to allowing it to happen again this year. In the end though, I got it together and got my decorations up, even if I am the only one who gets to enjoy them. I used to decorate two or three tress. My home is now much smaller and after passing my large tree and many of my ornaments and decorations on to my girls, this smaller tree is what remains. When Tracy stopped by and saw it, she asked if there was actually a tree somewhere under there. Ha! Yes, there is. The remaining ornaments are my most special and meaningful ones. I love them! Most are handmade and I can tell you who made each one. The ornaments purchased from a store were thoughtfully chosen especially for me and have their own special meaning. It is a tree full of memories that never fails to tug at my heartstrings.

My annual Christmas Crop was held today and I wanted to thank all of you who attended and all those who stopped by to do some Make-N-Takes. Thank you so much for bearing with me! It was very hectic, several things didn't go right and I really had to scramble. You were all so patient and understanding and I so appreciate it! In my frenzy and my haste I forgot to take even one picture, So just imagine us here having a good time playing with our paper and scissors. I still really love this wonderful hobby and I hope you all do to.

I stole this cute idea from a teacher at Megan's school while I was there and helped Matilda make one today. He is made from a brown paper lunch bag and he's super easy and super cute.

FIRE!!!

Well. most of you who read my blog will already be aware of this, but a huge part of Reno was victim to a massive brush fire yesterday. It was in the area where both Tracy's family and I live, but thankfully we are safe. The same cannot be said for many here and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Kindergarten Cutie

Here's my sweetie's very first school portrait. She's off to a great start. What a cutie!

Photo Shoot

Today after church the kids surprised me by taking me to Chevy's for lunch. It is one of my favorite places to eat and both of the ones in Reno have closed. I had a lovely meal with plenty of leftovers to munch on for the next couple of days. Also today, we went on a photo shoot to take pictures for Megan to include on their Christmas card. We got the Vegas sign during the day and then set out to try and get their picture with the lights of Vegas in the background at night. That didn't work out too well, so we went to the Belaggio to get a shot in front of their fountains. That turned out really well since Paris was right across the street. Someday hopefully they will be there for real, but for now here they are in Paris--Vegas style.

Early Thanksgiving

I celebrated an early Thanksgiving today with my kids since I will be gone before the real one. It was Megan's first time cooking one, so we did it together. It was a little cooking lesson for her and it was me teaching it. That's right--Don't laugh. I DO know how to cook a passable holiday meal. We cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams, corn, green beans and rolls. It was yummy, yummy, yummy.

Classroom Visit

Today I went to visit Megan's classroom and see her in action. I know I've said this before, but I'm awfully proud of her. While there I did a little project with the kids and this group picture shows the result. Aren't they the cute?! They had a great time flapping their wings and gobble gobbling.

Mrs. Ortega's Classroom

I made a little surprise for Megan today while she was off teaching. I thought it turned out pretty cute so I thought I would share it with all of you.

The kids go to a church here in Vegas called Canyon Ridge. I went with them to services today and it was SO BIG, and it is the smaller of the two they have tried here. I guess the other one was like going to church at Lawlor Event Center. They even had golf carts to give people rides in from the parking lot because it was so vast! Anyway, I tried to get a picture of the inside during worship. It didn't come out very well, but trust me--It was big! At the end of the service the worship leader said that a buddy of his from college was going to come out and do a couple of songs and it was Matthew West!  He is in town to perform at Winter Jam and stopped by. We bought one of his CDs afterward and got to meet him and get his autograph. He seemed very nice and humble. I'm sharing this picture of him with Megan. He was pretty cute too!

Vegas Baby!

Well, here I am in Vegas everyone! Don't expect to be hitting the town for anything spectacular, but it sure is nice to be here to spend time with my kidlets!

The Little Mermaid

Okay, now this is cute! I had a Little Mermaid costume that I made for Megan when she was in Kindergarten. One of Matilda's favorite movies right now is The Little Mermaid, so Tracy borrowed the costume and bought a wig for her to where with it for Halloween this year. Here she is at her dress rehearsal. Couldn't you just hug her to death and smother her with kisses?

Pumpkins

Here is another peek at something I will be selling at the craft show this Saturday. What a cute little decoration and when the season is over, you can store it away as is---BUT, if space is a problem for you, you can pull the stem out, fold up the fabric forming the outside and store it away like that until next year when you will give it new insides. Because---Guess what's in the middle! A roll of toilet paper! I heard about this cute idea from on of my Calendar Girls and just had to try it! How fun! These are for sale for $6.50 each.

Rag Quilts Arrive at The Red Hen

Well Girls---We have finally finished cutting, sewing, clipping and washing our first rag quilts to be offered for sale. Hope you like them. Contact me directly if you would like to purchase one. I would also like to invite you to visit our new Etsy store--The Red Speckled Hen.

Baby Girl Zoo Animal Rag Quilt---$40

 

SOLD

This quilt is a hard one for me to sell. I just love the colors and the super cute animal print. If I had a baby grand daughter, I don't think I could give it up. It measures 36"X40" and is made entirely from cozy 100% cotton flannel. The front has a playful print with zoo animals in cheerful colors of pink, green, and yellow. The back is done in a coordinating shade of green stripe flannel and the inside layer is white.

Batter Up Rag Quilt---$60

Sold

This quilt measures about 70"X57" and is made entirely from cozy 100% cotton flannel. The front has two different baseball related prints. The back is done in a red flannel and the inside layer is navy blue.

We washed and dried each quilt start the great ragging process. These quilts should get softer and more snuggly with each washing, we have been using many of ours for years. When needed wash your quilt in cold or cool water and dry in the drier on a cool setting. The rag part of your quilt may become a bit squished during shipping. If this happens just follow the above washing instructions to fluff it back up.

All of our items are carefully made by us in our smoke free home.

That's the Way I Roll Rag Quilt--$50

This quilt measures 41"X47" and is made entirely from cozy 100% cotton flannel. On the front a baby buggy is printed along with the phrase "That's the way I roll". The back is done in a coordinating baby blue flannel and the inside layer is white flannel.

We have washed and dried each quilt start the great ragging process. These quilts should get softer and more snuggly with each washing, we have been using many of ours for years. When needed wash your quilt in cold or cool water and dry in the drier on a cool setting. The rag part of your quilt may become a bit squished during shipping. If this happens just follow the above washing instructions to fluff it back up.

All of our items are carefully made by us in our smoke free home.

Disney Princess Rag Quilt---$40

SOLD

This quilt measures approximately 48" X48 ". We have used cotton prints on the front with pictures of the Disney princesses. This quilt was made from some left over pieces, so it has more Cinderella on it than anything else, but the others are there. The back is done with a coordinating lavender flannel and the middle layer is white flannel.

Craft Show Info

I'd love to have you stop by and see me at this show next week. Here are some sneak peeks of a few of the items I will have for sale....

We made these cute little pumpkins in the card class I taught this month. Your purchase of $2 will come with and envelope because you can easily fold your pumpkin up flat for mailing or storage. How great! A card that becomes a little piece of decor!

Aren't these cute? I just love them! The mummy cans come to you sealed with potato sticks inside (They are like potato chips, but are in stick form). You may give them as is, or gobble up the potato sticks and fill the empty can with candy. Your purchase of $5.50 includes a clear bad, ribbon, and tag should you choose to fill him with candy.

Pumpkin Patch

Today Matilda and I set off for Gardnerville to visit a pumpkin patch I had seen on-line. We're driving along and suddenly I hear a sweet little voice from my back seat saying....

Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkin Patch
Lookin' for a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch
Here is one, Round and Fat
Turns into a Jack-O-Lantern
Just Like That!

ADORABLE!!

October Card Class

Finally got a card class together. The cost of the class is $20 and we will be making at least 7 cards. This is a little sneak of the cards we will be creating. The class will be held at my new location in the KNPB building on October 12th. A daytime class from 12 to 2:30 will be held if there is enough interest. The evening class will be from 6 until 8:30 on the same day. Contact me directly if you would like to sign up. There are a limited number of spots available. Can't wait to share these with some of you.

The Red Hen Finds a Roost!

I have exciting news girls! At long last I have found a wonderful new home for my classes! I will now be holding classes in this lovely room at the KNPB building here in Reno. The room is great and I will be able to hold crops there as well. The ladies in my Calendar Class were the first to hear and tonight they were the first to take a class from me there. I took a couple of photos so that you can all see how nice the room is and how roomy. In addition to having plenty of space, there is an adjacent kitchen with access to a frig and microwave. It even has an outdoor patio with picnic tables. It is permissible to have food there, so there is no problem with our snacks and such at crops. I'm so thankful to have the room available to me and will soon be announcing a crop to be held there, so watch your emails for your invitation!

Fire!!

As I was coming home from class tonight, I notice the sides of some buildings lighting up. I went to investigate and there on a vacant corner across from the downtown movie theater there was a huge metal tower. There was music playing from large speakers and the tower was lighting up with fire to the beat of the music. There were people dancing around beneath it twirling fire, but by the time I got parked and over there they stopped. I've no idea who these people were, or what it was all about, but I snapped a couple of photos to share with all of you. Our own little downtown Reno Burning Man!

Goal Reached!

Well, another yard sale is under my belt and I am glad to say that our totals game in just slightly lower than our goal. All of the ladies in need of assistance WILL be able to attend the women's retreat next month. A big thank you to those of you who donated items for the sale and to all of you who came to shop.

Holy Smokes!!

Well, I can't believe it, but I'm having yet another yard sale at my house tomorrow. This time it's a fundraiser for my church. Once this one is over I'm calling the charity truck and claiming my yard back!

Matilda's Birthday

Today my one and only grandchild turned 5 years old. Where does the time go? I want a do over! Anyway, I wanted to share some pictures with you that were taken at her party at Pump It Up on Saturday, but I went and left the disk with the pictures on it at their house. I've included one taken of her at school today as the class sang to her with a promise to add a couple of cute ones from the party when I get the disk.

(Tracy posted one of Matilda and I on Facebook that I could grab and share, but I am refusing since my wrinkles and my hairdo make me look positively ancient---Am I really that old? I don't feel that old.)

Okay--Here's a couple of pictures of Matilda Jean on her throne at her Pump It Up birthday party. Is it just me, or is she absolutely adoreable

Night in the Country

I attended the Night in the Country concert in Yerington with Casey and Tracey again this year. Casey just posted this of us photo to Facebook and I thought I'd share it here.
Okay, I know I look ridiculous in that crazy hat, but it was HOT and it helped me feel a bit cooler. Besides---My hair was a mess!

PROUD---PROUD---PROUD!!

As I mentioned before, my Megan got a job as a first grade teacher at a private school in Las Vegas. She has been working hard to prepare her classroom and tonight was a Meet-n-Greet night to meet the parents of her students. She sent me pictures and I MUST share them. I am so very proud! What a great job she has done! The first day of school will be August 29th.
My baby is finally a teacher with her very own students and her very own classroom. Look out world, get ready for my baby girl! World's best teacher is on her way!