A "Charming" Addition to the Table

This year, I am dressing up the Thanksgiving table a bit.

I needed new wine glasses anyway (the last set has met their demise stem by stem), so I decided to finally take the time to make a set of wine charms.

Now, I've always thought these were a great idea, especially since I have a habit of setting my glass down & forgetting where I put it.

I headed off to Michaels to pick up a few things with an "autumn" flair. I've been spending so much time there lately my husband is starting to wonder who this "Michael" guy is!



I also dug around in the jewelry supply stash & pulled out the Swarovski.

Nothing says "Celebrate the Holidays" like a little sparkle!



I decided to keep with an Autumn color scheme that will also complement the table; olivine, smoke black, topaz...



It was easy enough to bend up the corners of the earring wires so I didn't have crystals running amok to try & search down once the festivities were over.



I'm almost thinking of running back & picking up another set of the leaf charms so I can make extra charms in case my guests would like to take one home! I have a hard time parting with some of the things I create!



And my daughter liked them so much, she informed me I need to pick up a bottle of sparkling cider so she can have her own glass & charm!!



Visit Melissa at The Inspired Room for more great ideas!

The Bucket List

I don't usually cross-post from my My Space blog, but I took the challenge from Maven & here's what I came up with :

The Bucket List. You know...the things you want to do before you "kick the bucket."

Mave challenged her reader's to compile their list, and I'm not one to back down from a challenge.

Last year while Christmas shopping, I came across the book "2001 Things to do Before You Die" which was written along the same lines. The author provided a list as inspiration to get you to think about the things you would really want to do or try in your lifetime.

I was laughing out loud at B&N, which I do lots.

But I also sing in public.

Yep, to know me is to love me.

Anyway....I stood in the bargain aisle reading the list of things I should do, & realizing I had already done an awful lot of them.

And, yes, some of them are a bit risque & will not be put into print here.

It IS a family page after all. My daughter drops in sometimes. And so do her friends.

And lord knows I embarrass her enough as it is. (See "sing in public" comment.)

My head was still ringing last night from the Edgar Winter concert (which was quite fab by the way) & I couldn't get to sleep, so I started thinking about my list.

It's silly, but on the top of the list is to have someone write a song about me. A song that you happen on while listening to the radio & go, "Dear god, that's me!" and smile.

Now, to be honest, I did have a song written sorta about me once. And performed in public an awful lot. And running into the guitarist (& co-writer) last night jogged the memory. But, it wasn't exactly the type of song I had in mind. Let's just say it contained the lyrics "Little Miss Twister, that's your little sister, Little Miss Twister, she's a dancin' fool."

Singing in public is not all I used to do.

A lot.

I also want to visit Stonehenge. At Winter Solstice.

Except, now they have that blasted fence around it to preserve it. So, it kinda wrecks the effect.

Now, I have been to a dolman in Ireland, a druids' alter & grave entrance. We drove all over the burren looking for the silly thing & would have driven right past had my son not spotted it in the distance. It was near the Vernal Equinox as luck would have it.



All the travel books make it look so impressive & huge. We almost missed it because it was probably only 5 feet high.

But, it was still pretty cool.

I want to travel the Great Ocean Road in Oz.



There is just something so inviting about it.

And, I want to retake the family castle.



Or at least spend the night there. Along with the ghosts.

And, I want to go horseback riding on the beach.

On a desert isle.

On the Black Stallion.



:)

And I want to be considered an artist & author.

Legitimately.

I'm working on that one at the moment.

Oh, & just once, I want to make risotto.

When I think of the things I've already managed to accomplish on my "looking back at the things I want to do" list, it's pretty impressive. And most of it was accidental. You know, "life along the way" sort of things. Which probably makes them that more special.

I've met some cool people, been some very neat places, & had some amazing experiences.

And, hopefully, there is a lot more ahead.

I think maybe my bucket list is filled more with just wanting to enjoy the life I'm living, take it all in, & pass it along to others more than actually wanting to "do" anything.

Yes, Virginia, There Is A Thanksgiving Tree

Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away. The abandoned son is returning from the desert for the feast this year. This makes for a much happier mom, that's for sure.

In fact, we've actually started decorating, for the first time ever.

Most of the Halloween/Harvest decor is still around; I just took down the stripey stockings. They are safely tucked away for next year.

The little Halloween tree received a wee make-over today as I added a string of red lights.



It started out as a silly little idea really, but we are now planning to keep it up all year round, changing the lights to match the season. I stocked up on different colors when I ran an errand today.



It's amazing what a little light will do to create some atmosphere!

We also had our first little snowfall of the year. It was really only flurries, which makes it pretty to watch, but not at all a hassle to drive in.



It makes me very thankful indeed that I don't live in the western Dakotas right now!

Spiced Cafe Mocha Cookies & Dragonlings

Sundays just seem to be good days to experiment.

I'm still trying to decide on cookie recipes for the big Chorus fundraiser coming up. Chalk it up to my competitive steak, but I'm not going to settle for a simple pan of brownies when it is supposed to be a caberet themed affair

The Italian Lemon Cookies from a couple weeks ago were a hit.



Today's mission was to find something equally delicious, yet complimentary.

I decided on a little Cafe Mocha inspiration. With spices. And you can never go wrong with chocolate.

The results? A very nice blend of spices & coffee flavor amid the chocolate. You know you've found a good combination when the cookies start disappearing while they are still hot!



I'll try & get the recipe up on Stuff We Eat by tomorrow.

After one mess was cleaned up, I decided to play with polymer. Sculpy is pretty much the grown-up version of Playdoh. I had done a bit of sculpting a while back, & figured I might as well use up some of the material I had left. I've been cruising the Elfwood site & settled on attempting a dragonling.





Never ceases to amaze me how a tiny little craft can yield a bigger mess than 5 dozen glazed cookies! I think I'll be cleaning up mica powder for a week!