Ahhhhhhh....The end of a Year draws near.

Reflecting on the past year is a bittersweet emotion.  Ready to rid myself of sadness pertaining to death and the many funerals I've attended, not to mention the emotions of everyday struggles in the area of home life.  Grateful for what I have but always wishing for more.  Strife with family members with no one ready to give up their own stubborn ways.  Rekindled friendships with long lost people, ready to let go of the one sided relationships.  A Union contract settled, and a President Position lost.  No more working Nights (9 years) but ready for normalcy in sleeping habits.  Giving sound advice, wallowing in resentment.  

Fresh Starts.............I LOVE THEM.

My 2011 goals are for a Joy filled heart and Peaceful thoughts. 

I never got around to posting my picture of Ed and I in front of the cardboard fireplace.  How I wish I did!  It's cute.

I got some wonderful gifts for the Holidays....

Julie the BFF got me DROID !!! Ackkkkk awesome I know!, Massage with the works, Digital picture holder for my keychain, Chanel Chance Perfume, a Chihuahua Cell Phone Fob. 

Aunt JoAnn got me a Gorgeous Vintage Angel Tree Topper still in the Paramount Box and a gift card to my fav ..........  Barnes and Noble

                                                         ISN'T SHE TO DIE FOR?


Aunt Carla got me a few things but I really really like the felt Snowman table runner she made. The Snowman has tiny little jingle bells for buttons.    ( Aunt Carla has always been the crafty one.  We have this in common).

I cried when "THE AUNTS" gave me my gifts.  While I had a few drinks under my belt, it was more because they both know my hearts desires and some of the things I most enjoy in life.

Sister in Law got me a $50 gift card too helllllllloooooooo  Barnes and Noble.  I'm thinking I might save the both of them  for my Birthday and buy me a Nook Color.

 

On the advice of a professional........A Christmas Memory

Having grown up with little money but NEVER ever without I'm recalling a Holiday from long ago.  My twin brother, Ed and I must have been around the age of 4.  The picture, which I will scan later when I get home from work, is of the the two of us in long sleeve shirts and underwaear sitting with our Aunt JoAnn next to a newly setup cardboard fireplace.  I can remember waking up from a nap and all of the Christmas decorations were strewn across the living room.  It was a very exciting moment.  When we were babies, my mom had a friend that made Ed and I the most adorable Christmas stockings.  I still have them.  Anyway, we got to hang these adorable stockings on that cardboard fireplace.  That is the only time in which I remember this "fireplace".  I wish I could add in a funny story of how it was destroyed or some other misfortune that may have taken place.  But I just can not recall why I never remember seeing that fireplace again.  I do remember  little person thoughts I had though.   Like..................Is it a rule that you must set up a cardboard fireplace if you dont have a real one? This is kind of small.   Why cant we keep the fireplace up all year long?   If we didn't have this where would we hang our stockings.  Oops, it fell over!!!  Kind of flimsy, isn't it? 
I was able to locate this picture from the web.  

Pretty snazzy, huh!

and Old Fashion Ribbon Candy

I believe this was the same year that I got from Santa.................

I loved her. 

If not mistaken.  You slapped her butt and some sand jostled around and within several seconds Lazy Dazy fell over and went to sleep.  This was fine unless you were pushing Lazy Dazy in Pam Sims babydoll carriage and hoping everyone would admire my new addition.  Turns out that Christmas everyone on the block got

Baby Alive.  

And she did it all.

Pooped

Peed

Ate

Cried

and most of all

  SLEPT

Everyone enjoy your day.  And may you take time to recall a fond Christmas Memory.

SNOWMEGEDON DECEMBER 2010

 One week ago today the snow was falling like something fierce.   In my line of work there is no "closing".  Knowing the night before my, Husband Rick, readied the 1 Ton-4x4 1993 Ford F350 for me.  The snow was predicted to start falling around midnight with 3-5 inches on the ground by the time I was making my way to work at 0530.  The worst of the snowfall was to be between the hours of 0600 and Noon.  After this then more snow with winds gusting giving us the Blizzard like conditions.

As the day wore on, it was apparent that it was going to get much nastier then everyone had anticipated.  Working in Public Safety can be trying on "normal" weather days.  But this was just down right CRAZY!  We had Ambulances, Fire Engines and squad cars stuck all over the place.  At one point we needed to send a replacement Medic Rig because one of the stations just could not get out due to the pile up of cars in front of there location.  We called in City and County Maintanence Crews to assist with getting Public Safety Vehicles unstuck in emergency situations. 

When we get weather like this some police departments will implement the "MORGAN" plan.  That is, we only respond to emergency calls.  No report calls!  No my ex-boyfriend took my ipod.  Basically medicals, fires, accidents and domestics.   On this particular day all agencies went on the MORGAN plan.

By 2:00 pm.  Most cities had pulled their plow trucks.  The Metro Bus Company pulled their Buses.  And I was wondering how was I going to drive the 17 miles home.   Well, needless to say, I did make it home that night about and hour and a half.  

As I walked into the comforts of my warm home at about 5:30 pm.  I immediately took a shower, put on warm flannel pajama's and cracked myself a nice cold beer.

I was off on Sunday.  And I stayed in those PJ's all day long. 

Remembering MOM

Has it really been 2 years ago since you passed?  Where does the time go.  I still miss you madly.  So much has happened that I would like you to have been apart of.  But then again, you were probably already there smiling down upon us.   I love you!  You were a good mother.

It's my first day back to work after having had 3 days off.   The first day is always the worst.   Back in a uniform.  Up at 4:20 am.  I'll be exhausted by the time I get home.   Almost always NO cooking on my first day back at work.  So I started out on the Fire/Medical side of things then at 11:00 moved over to police.  Not the ease into the program I was hoping for.  On a brighter note.  I am only working 3 days then I will be off for 5.  And those 5 days I must get all my shopping and wrapping completed.

My daughter Madison is in a DanceTech Studio performance on Saturday evening and I am really looking forward to this.  It is the first time she has performed since my mother passed away 2 years ago.    This group will also be preforming for the elderly at Birchwood Nursing Home on Monday evening.  How fun.

Weather Forecast is Snow on Saturday and Bone chilling air.   I must remember to get some Baileys. 

Kudo's to my BFF Julie.  She interrupted her schedule today to make a delivery of my desire.  Gotta love her.  Like Ophra said of Gayle King.  She is the sister I wish I had. And a friend that everyone deserves to have.  Tissue please.

I was just informed that tomorrow is a NON uniform day.  Now if I only had clothes that fit.

I spent about 5 hours the other night preparing my "studio" for up coming productions.  hee hee  I swear I put more time into rearranging paper than anything else.  I had items to put away from the Operation Santa Tag event too.  Also I am the coordinator for an upcoming Stamp and Scrap Retreat.  It is the Weekend of Jan 7-9, 2011 at Lake Place Lodge in Wisconsin   her is the link http://www.lakeplacelodge.com/ I have been to this particular place 2 other times.  Beautiful place.  I will be posting more about this as the date approaches.

Thank goodness today is payday.  

OMG.....guess what I did today?

 I was visiting one of my all time most favorite Blogs, Creative Breathing.  You can visit her yourself here if you would like  http://creativebreathing.blogspot.com/    Anyway, I sooo much fell in love with her blog over the last 9 months that I just knew my opportunity had come today when lo' and behold she had an invitation open to all to participate in a year long tag swap.    Oh I am still so giddy with excitment.  Not only that.  But Elizabeth herself came over here and posted a comment to my Blog.  Can you imagine that?!  I still dont believe it.    With my love of Papercrafts and Vintage how could I possibly go wrong?

Today is a workday and a long one at that.  On top of my 10 hours I will be staying an extra 4.5 hours to help out one of my co-workers.  So there is no picture posting or craft exposing posts to be done today.   I am on the police side of dispatching today.   During the Holidays we generally see a spike in Bank Robberies, Domestics and Suicidal Calls.  Up to this point it has been pretty  shhhhhhhhhh (quiet).


I did get some online Christmas Shopping done. Luxury Plush Slippers from http://www.restorationhardware.com/  . I bought 7 pairs. Only one pair are for me....I'll decide which color will adorn my paws when they arrive at my home. This purchase was the recommendation of Nicole over at http://www.papertreyink.com/

 2nd day of Weight Watchers Points Plus.........um  on a scale of 1-10 I'm doing about a 6 today.  It's the little Hershey Kisses that are killing it...................

 

O Christmas Tree.................O Vintage Tree

Well lookie here.....I have posted just like I said I would.  This is my lovely "vintage" tree. 

Here's the Story...........

My Mother In Law decided she no longer wanted her Christmas tree (downsizing, I guess) and I couldn't bear the thought of just chucking it in the roll off dumpster.  For the last 20 years we have always gone to the tree farm had a little argument and cut down our own.  I convinced Rick that we should try this and see how it goes, plus the fact I've always got to figure out my Tree cutting event around his hunting schedule.  I set the actual tree up over a week ago and decorated it last Monday.  After 20 years of collecting vintage Christmas ornaments I officially have enough to decorate a 7 ft tree.  If you look closely you'll see that I've only put on 2/3rds of the branches.  It would have been way too much for our little living room.  I'll post another picture with the tree lit later this week.  Stay tuned for the rest..................................

Here I am..................

Oh Dear....I seem to have misplaced my mojo and mind.  I didn't realize how long it has truely been since I've posted to this BLOG. 

As some of you know I have had several deaths in my family over the last 3 years.  My mothers death was the hardest one of all. 

And lets talk about drama. Unnecessary Drama has taken up a big portion of my life over the last 2 years also. 

I was the President of our Local.   Done with that.  Someone else won the election.  However I was part of the "new" contract settlement.  I was very bitter in the begining, but have since let it go.  Life is too short.

In with butterfiles out with the dragons.

I quit smoking in April.  I've gained weight! Not a drastic amount but enough to make me uncomfortable in everything I wear. 

I'm still a Police/Fire/EMS dispatcher.  Talk about strange people.  I work a really odd schedule.  But pretty much it is like this.......3 weeks of 4 days on 4 days off then 4 weeks of 5 days on 3 days off.  Today happens to be my first week of 5's but it is my last day on.  (in the industry we call it our Friday)  So even though today is Saturday on the Calendar I call it my Friday.

With all of this "unhappy" stuff.  I looked around and saw that I did not like anything that was going on in my life.   Work, Family and Friends.  So I've decided that I'm going to be the change I would like to see.  While rediscovering who I really was.  I was reminded of the fact that I really and truely do love crafting.   While I have always had a passion for Vintage Fare.  The last 6 months vintage seemed to find me wherever I went.

I hope the few followers that I have will tune in this week.  Here is a tenative goal list for posting.  Christmas Tree (all vintage), Mitchell (my darling 13 yo son) hunting experience, a get together of coworkers to make 500 christmas tags using my "stash" for a Ramsey County/St. Paul Police charitable organization we call OPERATION SANTA.   http://www.operationsanta.net/   I'll explain it all later in the coming days. 

Attitudes are Contagious.........Is yours worth catching?