HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello Everyone!
I wanted to take a moment to close out 2013 and wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
My life has been just crazy the past three months with the impromptu bedroom remodel, having the granddaughters for eight days, hosting a luncheon for the Polish Sinfonia of Krakow Poland, dealing with a chest cold, traveling to TN for Christmas with my daughter and her family, the last we will see them for over a year. Let me tell you, knowing I will not have my granddaughters here in the summer or close enough for weekend hug trips hurts a lot. But I know everything happens for a reason and I will move forward - with a plan.

They are moving to WA state. The West coast is one of the most creative areas when you are talking about Mixed Media. There have been a couple of retreats in the OR area I would love to have attended in the past. But my main goal is to go in as a requested speaker/ instructor. So while I will still be making cards, getting albums caught up ( you know, the ones I didn't do last year) I will also be focusing strongly on art journaling and mixed media techniques. I will need to network with that circle more to get my name and work known.

While my GOAL list did not go as planned, I did make 15 hat/ scarf/ mitten sets for the local Mitten Tree. All of the items go to the local grade school a couple of days before Christmas break. I can do a scarf in a couple of days so my goal for 2014 is to make 1 scarf/ hat per week. I've already purchased the treat bags on Christmas clearance. Each scarf and mitten set tucks nicely into the hat then I put them in a treat bag, stamp a bag header and attach.

To back track, hosting the Polish Sinfonia was amazing!
I totally spaced taking pictures of the buffet. Everything was made from scratch. That's just how I cook. Bob made Chili and I made corn bread, chicken /w homemade egg noodles, dinner rolls, ham, mashed sweet potatoes, vegie tray and fruit bowl. There was Apple Pie (Steven's favorite) and Pumpkin Pie (Bob's favorite) for dessert. A simple centerpiece down the length of the seating table consisted of 5 silver trays with homemade turtles and chocolate cheesecake bites - both of which Adrian helped make.

I could not have done everything without the help of my loving husband, Bob.

Never mind that he was still in T-shirt, gym shorts and slippers when I welcomed International Maestro Steven Byess and his fiance, Sara Graef (an accomplished composer) into our home. They are down-to-earth people and accept us for who we are ~ country folk.

Bob was hard at work cutting fruit. He also hung back after the event to clean up and put leftovers away while I took Adrian to hear the Sinfonia play. They were scheduled for the annual performance at Birch Tree Elementary but school closing changed their presentation to Birch Tree Place, our local nursing home facility. The residents loved the event and hope the group will return next year.

As soon as the performance was over, I said goodbye to my friends and hurried home to load up the girls and head for Nashville. Talk about a crazy day! But I would repeat it every year to enjoy the blessing of family and friends. 

I will be back later in the week to recap my 2013 and talk about the new/ old goals for 2014. Regular postings will resume on Monday January 6th.  

Creative Blessings for the New Year!

Kelly