Blessings & Thanksgiving

I have no art to show as I unexpectedly stayed in Austin this week.  Dad & Poppy went hunting over the weekend so Grammy stayed with Karlie & Mommy.  It didn't make sense to drive home to Argyle Mon. & then back to Austin today for Thanksgiving.  

I stayed and mostly played with a little bit of sewing for Ms. K and some handwork for the Dec. sale.  Mostly I just can just be with her and watch in amazement at how much she's learned in 3 weeks since I saw her last.  Having all this fun means really getting down to work when I go back home but it's worth every minute.

 

 It has been "unseasonably" warm in Austin this week.  I put that in quotation marks as in Texas you never know what to expect from day to day.  It's supposed to cool off tomorrow. We spent Monday afternoon at Barton Creek and Karlie didn't hesitate to go for a swim.  

The Red Lips show how much she loved sharing a snowcone with Mommy.  Other fav activities were swinging, hide & seek and chasing birds.

  

The Austin Children's Musuem has an hour for "Under 4's" on Sat. morning so Karlie & I went while Mommy was at sewing class.  Mommy made a really cute skirt for herself and plans to do one for little miss.  I guess being in a sewing family is rubbing off.  I can't wait to teach Karlie too.  In the meantime, she's mastering sign language and knows who to ask for snacks.  She's sweet to share as a guarantee of pulling on heart strings.  

For this week & all my many Blessings I am Thankful.  We will be with about 25 family and friends at Mitra & Marcus'; my heart goes out to those who are far from home such as our military and say a prayer for their safety.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be safe.  

We will stay the weekend at the San Marcos property.  If you're in the area stop by Sleeping Dog Studio Holiday Sale.  Ashley will be there with her jewelry.  

Happy Birthday Ashley

Today is Ashley's birthday.  We celebrated on Wed. with a day of sewing for her (a beautiful teal green silk dress for another wedding).  In the evening we had dinner at Gloria's, a favorite of her's in Ft. Worth.  It's El Salvadorian and super yummy.  Today was rainy so she got her wish that Frank would get off work early and they spent the day together in Dallas.

I've been under the weather for most of the week but starting to feel better.  Karl has gone off hunting so I'm hoping to spend tomorrow in the studio.  I've got a lot of work to do for the Cherrywood sale in Dec.

In the meantime here are a few more shots from Robin & Chase's wedding.  Friends made the fun Crescent moon which lots of guests enjoyed; Ashley made the Love Birds atop the cage where good wishes were placed; I did the bouquets and suppervised the table arrangements, carrying out the bride's vision using family keepsakes including her grandmother's tea cups. 

California

 We celebrated Sarah's & Elliott's 30th. They have been friends since HS.  Sarah welcomed baby Gwen 2 weeks later.

 It was exciting to watch Karlie grow more confident every day in her walking skills.

 I'd never seen olives growing.  Northern California is full of them.

 They say there's gold in them there hills.

 During the Gold Rush there were 10,000 Chinese in the Oroville area.  The temple has wonderful artifacts from the 1800's.

 Golden hills of California

 Origami jacket in Japantown, San Francisco.

 Ashley & I prepared for rainy day in San Francisco.

One of my favorite store windows of many in the city.

 Crab Chowder at Fisherman's Wharf. YUMMY.

Visiting Coit Tower to say goodbye until next time.

A Very Happy Day

I returned from California Wed. evening and got 2 days to catch up at home (you know the routine - laundry, mail & bills, groceries, more laundry). Next order of business was putting on my decorator hat.

I was dubbed "decorating sheriff" as I gave out directions yesterday to the fab crew of family & friends charged with turning the bride's ideas into floral fantasy extraordinaire.

Today it all came together as we celebrated the marriage of Robin Phillips & Chase Johnson.  We were blessed with beautiful weather and spirits to match. The whole event was a wonderful expression of  love & friendship, theirs for each other and many around them.  If the marriage is as beautiful as the wedding they will be truly blessed.

My camera wasn't working but Karl did get this shot with my iphone.  I'll post pictures soon from Ashley of the decorations and, Oh My Gosh, Dee's fabulous desserts. I'm a convert to Rubbarb Strawberry pie.