The Last Pink Wednesday for 2008!

Wow. What a year, huh? I, for one, am glad to be leaving this past year in the dust. To say this past year was a year of challenges, is putting it lightly. Remember the bear?!! The REAL bear!! Who would have thought? It seems like just a bad dream now. However, we got through it and we have such delightful things and wonderous blessings to look forward to in the New Year!

I'm leaving this last Pink Wednesday of 2008 with a photo I took of a rose on the property at Mt. Pleasant. Bittersweet, it reminds me of all of the truly fabulous people I had a chance to meet while we were there. What a blessing!

I believe everything happens for a reason, and that each step we take, is a step we're meant to take. We learned some hard lessons. We also came away with the knowledge that we are, indeed, much stronger than we think and that family will always be there when we need them.

Another lesson learned? I really missed designing and creating my bears!! I'm back on track now though and will be introducing new bears again very soon. Yay!!

Warmest Pink Wednesday wishes and bear hugs, Aleta

A celebration....finally!

This is how we all felt about the snow getting in the way of our Christmas celebration.
This is how happy we are that the snow is almost melted and we are finally able to get together!! (Justin, Brittany and hubby, Jeremy.)

Even though our gift giving and dinner celebration was delayed, it gave us an even greater appreciation for being able to get together as a family.

Onward and upward now!! It's almost time to ring in a New Year!! Yay!!

Warmest and biggest bear hugs, Aleta

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and a joy filled New Year!

Blessings and warm bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday Wishes and Dear Santa.

Wishing you everything Merry and Bright!

Warmest Merry Christmas Bear Hugs, Aleta

P.S. Here is my dear Santa letter. Hopefully Santa will find it. I wasn't able to get to Macy's to put it in the box and the postman hasn't been here in three days.

Dear Santa,
Do you think you could have a talk with Mother Nature to see if she wouldn't mind turning off the snow and turning the heat back on over the Pacific Northwest? The snow has been very pretty. I think I like a green Christmas much better though, thank you.

Yours very truly, Aleta

STOP snowing already!!

First, we had nine inches of snow.
Then we had an ice storm that dropped a half an inch of a lovely ice coating over everything.

This is what I woke up to this morning. UGH!! Stop snowing already!! Now, at 9:40 it has dropped another three inches and it's still coming down. You can no longer see the brick line around the pool or see the rock retaining wall. Everything is being enveloped by snow.

Okay, who was it that put snow on their Christmas list?!!

Been stranded for nine days. NINE DAYS!! We tried to get out once only to be crashed into by a Hummer a mile from our house. A Hummer!! And I don't mean a hummingbird!! I thank God we were in Bill's big box truck. Significant damage to both vehicles....especially the Hummer!....but everyone is okay and that's the important thing. :o)

The sad thing is, we won't have our children with us for Christmas because, even living in the lower elevations, they can't get around in the snow either. They have even more that we do! At the rate it's snowing, we might not even see them until New Years!! Oh, how I detest snow!! It's not supposed to snow this much in Portland. Usually when we do get snow, it's just a day or two of misery and then it all melts away. I'm staring squarely at being stranded two weeks before it warms up enough to melt!!

The bright side in all this? I'm getting bears made!! :o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Rosettes or Green Frogs?

The bunnies in the nursery have been waiting very patiently to find out if they stay or if they move into the pink guestroom.

Would I have to take the pink rosettes off the curtains and attach little green frogs? Would the room be filled with big splashes of blue or stay with splashes of pink? Oh, the waiting to find out!!!

Everyone was taking guesses whether Brittany was having a boy or a girl. I kept my guess a secret. I would look at boy things and girl things and listen to and make comments on choices for both gender names. I have to say though, the crib I picked out might have been the tiniest hint as to my guess. I played it off though saying that a grandson wouldn't look over the edge of the crib and tell me, "Nana, this is a sissy bed!" Most everything in my house has fancy detail. My crib. My house. My choice. Nana's can do that you know. ;o)

So, when the day came for the sonogram I was on pins and needles. When I answered the phone the first thing out of my mouth was, "Is it a boy or a girl?!!" Brittany, the sweet stinker that she is, wouldn't tell me unless I told her what my guess was. I told here I thought it was a girl. Then she asked what Bill's guess was. He was guessing a boy. "Okay, okay! Which is it?" I asked.

It's a girl!! A sweet little princess we are all just soooo excited to meet. She's set to make her debut May 5th. I suspect she'll arrive in April just like her sweet stinker of a mom. We'll see! In the meantime, the bunnies will remain in the nursery as will the pink rosettes on the curtains. We'll save the green froggy's for the next arrival. ;o)

There is so much to be done. The crib will arrive in January. Oh my! That's right around the corner!! The time will arrive in just a blink!! And, Brittany and Jeremy's nursery needs to be ready too!! So much to look forward to in the New Year!! And, so many pictures to take of the progress!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Happy Pink Wednesday!!

The snow still has me housebound. It's okay though.....look at what I'm accomplishing!! Yay!! I've actually finished two little bears already but one had to go in the mail yesterday so I didn't have time to photograph him before the postman came. I've also started on a bigger bear!! The project for the day however, is to work on the dolls I started a couple of months ago. They're both snow ladies ( how appropriate, huh?!!) that I'd intended to have finished and ready for sale at Monticello's Holiday Faire. I'll just finish them anyway.....and keep 'em until next year!!

Tomorrow I'll share pictures of another project I finished using bottle brush trees, blocks and my vintage/antique glass baubles!! Ho ho ho! That's a wee hint of what's to come!

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

The weather outside is frightful!

This is the start of the third day stranded because of the snow and ice. It's supposed to snow more tomorrow and even more this weekend. (sigh) It's only 12 degrees this morning and the wind is still blowing. Brrrrrr.

For many parts of the country snow is no big deal. They're prepared for it. For Pacific Northwest cities, having a green (as in green grass and bare roads) holiday is the norm. Snow is not normal here. When it snows here, people lose all sensibility. They venture out in their cars and end up skating across freeways and highways playing bumper cars along the way. What on earth makes normally sane people get in cars worth thousands and thousands of dollars and venture out, only to end up as ornamentation around a light pole? I just don't get it!

Anyway, so I'm stranded. Stranded with Bill. He's in the office all day fielding phone calls from people wanting fireplaces installed and working on paperwork. In the office. In the office where the computer is. Bummer. No blog or chat time for me these past few days. I've been getting a lot of projects done though!! More on all that tomorrow.....I've commandeered the computer!! Ha!! Early mornings anyway!

Warmest bear hugs from the East Hills of Portland, Oregon! :o) Aleta

P.S. I'm dreaming of a GREEEEEN Christmas. Just like the one's I used to know. Where the treetops listen and children glisten, from rain, raindrops cold and wet...... :o)!!!

Missed again!

Another Pink Wednesday on Thursday. (sigh) Soo many things going on in my world outside of Bloglandia. Not to mention it being the holiday season. It's a crazy busy time! My mom is coming to visit and it's Bill's 50th birthday this weekend as well!! My cup runneth over! Whew!

I've been holding this picture for some time waiting for Monica to get her website up and going but I just can't wait any longer for you to see the beauty in this gift. It's a handpainted (by Monica herself!) heart box. So beautiful and such a surprise to receive. For moi? You simply cannot know what a surprise this was.... Thank you so very much, dear Monica. It makes me smile every day to see it on my desk. It holds the little bear tags that are sewn onto the backs of wee bears. Beautiful and functional!! Love, love, love it!!

Monica has a blog now so be sure to peek in. It's a beautiful blog chock full of lovely pictures from her home in Italy. Oh, and soon she'll have her website up and she'll be selling beautiful handpainted things and other assorted lovelies!! I can't wait!! Hurry, hurry Monica!!

Happy Thursday!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The show and sale starts tomorrow!

The Old Fashioned Christmas Show and Storewide Sales Event starts tomorrow at 8am!! The Christmas show will remain in the atrium all month long but the storewide sale is only three days: Friday the 5th through Sunday the 7th of December. Happy shopping!
Annie, Fannie and Abigail

Magpie Ethel

Colby Cottage

Vintage Trifles and Molly Mo's

My Shabby Roses

Bella Shabby

Most of these vendors have blogs so I'll try to get all the links straight so you can pop in for a visit. Mind you, this is not all of the vendors participating in this event. Some booths were not finished, had worker bees present or my picture ended up blurry. It's a royal bummer when the latter happens. :o(

I have to say though, this is the finest group of vendors for a Christmas event at Monticello. It totally ROCKS with a wide range of holiday (and everyday) appeal. See you there!!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A tiny peek!

Yup. Missed another Pink Wednesday. But!.....my space is almost ready for the Old Fashioned Christmas Show and Sale at Monticello!! Yay!! Just a bit of pricing and the addition of a couple of my bears and I'm all set. Whew. This chickiedoodle needs a vacation!!

I'm going to try to pop back in later this evening to post more pictures of all the great booth spaces. Oh my goodness!! There are goodies galore!! It will be hard to keep a reign in on the pocketbook this year!! Whoohoo!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta