It's Been A While.....

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blog...I've been busy. Fixing up my house to sell it, selling my home, packing, moving to my daughter's house, looking for a new home, getting frustrated, being overwhelmed,  finding a new home, moving, unpacking,  being excited about new things, being afraid of new things, looking forward, looking backward, crying because I was looking backward, crying because looking forward meant losing what I left behind. Trying to be me, trying to be a better me,  being mean, being angry, being sorry, being kind, not being sure about anything, disappointing people I love and people I like, disappointing myself, surprising myself, terrifying myself .   Life has been hectic..but I think it's calming down...I hope so.  We can all use a rest from me.

How The Vanilla Turned Out......

 

A while ago I showed you the start of my homemade vanilla....I started it on August 2nd...here is a photo of how it turned out before I put ribbon and tags on it and gave it as Christmas gifts.You can see the actual jars (With the old vanilla beans) that I made it in, behind the full bottles. I took all the used vanilla beans, put them into a jar, added more vodka and started a new batch of vanilla. It's an addiction. :)

I made the vanilla from two different kinds of vanilla beans....Mexican and Madagascar Beans. I think that I prefer the Mexican because it's a softer, slightly sweeter scent. I haven't baked with it yet and I haven't heard if anyone has tried it and liked it yet....but I'm hoping it turned out well. It smells great!

Love Cards...

    Valentine's Day is the next holiday coming up.....lots of hearts, candy and love....with a little bit of houndstooth check thrown in.  :)

Now...On to Valentine's Day....

All the Christmas and New Year creativity is packed away until 12 months from now, so on to Valentine's Day!

 Here is a super fluffy, frilly, feminine card...perfect for someone's special Valentine.

Decorating The Tree....

Decorating the tree is much easier for a bird....he can just flutter up to the top of the tree to string the lights and ornaments up high.  The little red bird is practicing being the tree topper while he hangs the lights. The blue bird is thinking more about how he can eat the candy cane instead of putting it on the tree.  Merry Christmas!