Elf on the Shelf and Christmas Decorations

After thanksgiving the Elf on the Shelf came to our house.

The elves get into all kinds of trouble.

Got our little tree decorated.

And the table

Ready for Santa to come!

November!

I missed the whole month! Work has kept me pretty busy, but here are some Thanksgiving highlights. 

We had Thanksgiving at Tim's. He made the most delicious smoked turkey - so good.  In fact the whole meal was yummy. Turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, Brussels sprouts. Stuffing by Karol. Pie balls by Andy.  

We went over in the motor home, and Mikey rode with us. 

We spent the night, and then the next morning, had breakfast and headed for home. 

A Little Princess

Every little girl, at least once in her life, should have a princess dress made especially for her.  This one is Holly's.

Simplicity.  Or so the package said. 

It took an entire evening to figure out the bodice inset.

Another evening to figure out those puffy sleeves. 

We were getting worried.  Two and a half days for the skirt. Not just a skirt, a built in slip, a skirt, and a fluffy overskirt.

Next came yard after yard of hemming. And a belt to finish the trim.

The finished product.

The princess in all her finery.

And little skeleton buddy

Random Playtime

Cheesecake Factory

A couple of weeks ago we were in the DC area yet again. We got lucky enough to reconnect with some old friends and meet up at

Yummy food, but even better company!

This is us with Ed and Barb Modzelesky.  Had not talked to them since something like the early '90s!

Seen in Florida

Little Buddy

We took little buddy swimming, or tried to the other day, but the pool was closed. 

So we went to Dario instead.

When little buddy comes down to take a nap, he always wants a snack first.

While the Farmer Was Away

John made a quick trip to St Petersburg to help his Dad out.  This is what went on while he was away. 

What are you doing in your messy kitchen Holly?

I'm cooking of course Nana, you silly. 

Dooley got his head stuck in a ball. After I rescued him, I took that toy away. 

Pups were lazy as usual. 

Andy and I tended the hydroponics. 

And snappy dressers roamed the farm. 

Mouseketeers

Cirque du Soleil

On a recent trip north I had the opportunity to catch Cirque du Soleil. The show was Amaluna, fantastic show.

Seen in St Augustine FL

Shared a diet coke with my BFF. On our way back north we stopped in St Augustine and had lunch in the Spanish Kitchen. Piccadillo, fresh bread, soda and a cookie. YUM! We used to come here a couple times a year to walk around Florida's oldest city. 

Birthday Boy

Mikey is TWO!

Daisy occasionally gets to be an office dog. 

Mikey loves the kitties.

Jelly and Bean.

Enjoying the fancy patio

It's always about the critters. 

Beat the heat

With Popsicles on the porch!

Time to dust off the sewing machine

I bought this really cool, but expensive dress for Holly. I wanted to see if I could make it. No pattern, just wing it. 

So I got some fabric I liked, and some matching quilt binding for the armhole and straps. And dusted off the sewing machine.

And ended up with this:

Deer Rescue

We helped rescue a deer this year. Feed them goat milk for a couple of days until the rescue could take them.