More Sophisticate

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/eq0d38yx1bz2a7tldb17c/ws_TheSophisticate_el_2.zip?rlkey=a52hlhhxpabf3ru69tcvtawdv&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/z84pn5eai0ubz2y2dsycu/ws_TheSophisticate_ppr_3.zip?rlkey=yzwj31kc5c03b5jmn07fwjmdv&dl=0

How is 2024 Treating You So Far? & New Kit

Hope you are having a good New Year. Our first week wasn't too bad. We learned my husband's vision was worse and cataract surgery is going to be scheduled; not a surprise. We had ordered a new battery pack for my Dyson stick vacuum which had stopped holding a charge and kept going on and iff when I tried to use it. Hubby cleaned everything on the machine, put in the new battery pack and charged it and got same results. Later, talking to my son I learned he had experienced the same problem, tried everything and finally gave up. Plus hubby learned that the battery packs can overcharge and explode! This week? I'm hoping it doesn't continue like yesterday. I had ordered a Shark upright vac from Amazon and it wasn't expected until Monday. My husband decided to go to the grocery store right after opening and came home, lugging bags up to the porch to find a big box (the vac) blocking the doorway. He was outside calling to me (okay yelling my name). I was sleeping and had to get up, throw on my robe and rush to the door not knowing if something was wrong with him or what the situation was. In my rush, I somehow tripped, couldn't catch myself. Hit hard on my right knee and went down completely. He, of course, had no idea what was taking me so long. Took me a minute but I managed to get up, limp to door, and take the bags he was holding out to me as he tried to move the box completely away from door opening. We got the groceries into the kitchen and the box in the house. He had picked up breakfast so I ate that then swallowed 2 extra strength Tylenol, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and headed to bed where I could put my legs up. And that did for my day! When I ventured into the living room later, I learned that the sound on our TV is going in and out. Well, we've had it many years now. So now we will be needing to get new TV; he can't get through the day without it. Still, things could be worse. I didn't break anything in my fall and we can afford to replace the things we need to. Now better news. I have a new kit for you that is suitable for any New Year's party photos you might have or any such occassions.

A couple of zips while I wait for Tylenol to kick in, then more another dayu. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2irw31xt2p4prkls5vyag/ws_TheSophisticate_el_1.zip?rlkey=mxtea92sw51v4n4tfcavku0u8&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2dq2hjowy9ksy2dtjal4d/ws_TheSophisticate_ppr_1.zip?rlkey=sirshwijzjvdwb0ge3jgbs3eh&dl=0

Correction on January Girls

It was brought to my attention that I made an error in first post of January Girls and gave link to papers_1 twice. Here is the link to elements _1 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fuwu43t6xdj2dd727da4o/ws_JanGirls_el_1.zip?rlkey=hlop8ignj54ep26fasbu8nmjo&dl=0 I'll also correct this in original post.

January Girls part 2

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4g6f490pre0a118by44zf/ws_JanGirls_ppr_2.zip?rlkey=cbb63sr1bdmots4qv5nnglrpd&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nnlz5gb19ezorihmvd6ac/ws_JanGirls_el_2.zip?rlkey=vjhzomhiz6mbvn7o9hu00f5mf&dl=0

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.Ours was pretty quiet this year. We need have a surprise visit from a friend who lives in Nellys Forge, VA (near Wintergreen) and then on 12/26, our grandson and his little family came over after GDIL got off work. We had turkey leftovers together, then played with baby Taylor who is now 8 mpnths old. such a sweet, happy baby! She is now sitting up and babbling. I got on the flooe on thw quilt we'd spread for her and her mother and I introduced her to her new toys. She played quite happily - her idea of playing right now largely consists of sticking everything in her mouth. Got to taste all sides of things lol. Later, while she was sitting on my lap, she grabbed my thumb and stuck it in her mouth and gave it a light bite to show off her 3 teeth. It was so cute how she let go after the little bite, leaned back and looked up at me with a big smile. She's a charmer!

I had pretty much completed a kit for you when a friend and I got to talking about birthstones. I needed to make a mini kit for my challenge on Just Art and decided I'd start with January's birthstone and flowers and see where it took me. I just kept adding things. It only needed to be 6 papers and 12 elements. So, I made up the mini to post on JA 1/1 then combined it with all my additions to make a kit for you I'm calling January Girls. Here is the preview:

There are 4 zips. I'll give you the first two tonight and the others Wednesday. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9u4atj0t835bsc7q4li6a/ws_JanGirls_ppr_1.zip?rlkey=k97xwm0me4wvnzauqsjitfwut&dl=0 * corrected link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fuwu43t6xdj2dd727da4o/ws_JanGirls_el_1.zip?rlkey=hlop8ignj54ep26fasbu8nmjo&dl=0

Merry Christmas and a Little Gift For You

Hi Everyone, I spent an entire day yesterday cleaning the master bath. Yes, I know how silly that sounds, but every time my back started to hurt, I'd take a break and lie flat on my back for a while until it eased up. Accomplished a few other things but not all I needed to. By bedtime I had to take anti-inflammatory but between the jitters it gave me and muscle cramps in my legs sllep was elusive. Got up for warm milk and read some chapters in a James Patterson novel, played a few hands of solitare on my Kindle. Got up again when the neighbor's dog began his early morning bark-a-thonm because I remembered I'd forgotten to take the trash can out to the street. Pulled on some clothes, went out into the cold (30 something here) and took care of that, then headed back to bed. When I finally woke up it was late afternoon. Still waking around in my robe and taking it easy. Tonight I'm making chocolate chip cookie dough because that's the favorite cookie of husband, son, and grandchild. I've got to make some batches of microwave fudge which is a big favorite. Tha's about all the holiday baking I'll mange this year. Didn't even try to put up my little tree as I've got too much catching up to do on housework after being down over a month with my back. I did order a new wreath since the one I'd made years ago went to children's hospital thrift. Wouldn't you know, it was the one thing I ordered on line there was a problem with. It was due on 19th but when I tracked it, the darn thing hadn't even shippd yet! Cancelled that order. Oh well. On the positive side, it turns out that grandson, his wife, and our baby great-granddaughter will be spending the 26th with us! The baby is sitting up now and babling a lot. Since I'll be frantically busy the next few days, I wanted to stop and wish you all the Most Merry of Christmases and offer best wishes to a healthy and happy 2024. I've made you a little Christmas kit and will see you again in 2024.

Links: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1jjc21avr3dp8n6ail0fs/ws_VicChristmas_el.zip?rlkey=lrqaq7zohgmwafajm93dp6j1m&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/soe9omc6x3af42aw0b5od/ws_VicChristmas_el_2.zip?rlkey=qaq53q3m5s445fizgm6yhuhct&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qg0zgvx9o85hp22y85w4l/ws_VicChristmas_ppr.zip?rlkey=ssx89gvah8p9tg55n66kkeitk&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pj1czzzmbgpkrqh13xxiv/ws_VicChristmas_ppr_2.zip?rlkey=urt1t87adnv139q4oqb8updku&dl=0

It's been so long but I have a freebie for you

I made my little weekend trip last month to see my friends. Lots of driving (about 8.5 hours by me) and riding in a pickup (driven by Kelly - about 12 hours). First I drove to Amelia (near Richmond, VA) to meet up with Kelly. Spent the night, then next morning I hopped into her pick-up truck with her and her Jack Russell and we headed out to the far western tip of Virginia, Grayson County, where Virginia touches on Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Her family has a cabin there and her mother, my friend, Sandy, had driven up from Georgia to Winterize the place. Short visit as Sandy had to head back to Georgia next morning. Kelly and I headed back to her home in Amelia looking forward to hot showers and more visiting before I left next day to return home. No hot showers for us. In fact, no heat and temps were in 30s! The heater had crashed. So we bundled up in quilts, popped some popcorn and chatted for hours, not looking forward to cold beds. Next day when I arrived home I was stiff from all the travel. Dumped everything in the living room, got my hot shower and crashed. Unfortunately, when I woke up I could barely move, couldn't totally straighten up, had severe lower back pain. That was November 15. I had the female version of A Boy's Dreams ready for you but could barely get out of bed. One week muscle relaxers with no improvement. Six days of prednisone let me pretty much straighten up. Hard getting around. Could only sit for about 15-20 minutes at a time. X-rays showed "no significant abnormalities" just "degenerative discs, arthritis, and scoliosis." Just those things aren't significant when you are 72. Gor anti-inflamatory pills which I'm supposed to take twice a day. Discovered I can't take them at night because it makes me jittery and unable to sleep. I do feel better, can straighten up, walk a short while, sit for about 30 minutes now before I have to go lie on my back/ Progress there. House a wreck, no holiday decorating or baking done. Oh well.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6j85or9nons12cw73ml39/ws_AGirlsDreams_ppr.zip?rlkey=4eb3robfgfkdvv23jki01shwu&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nd6winfti6svbtj3dnj7r/ws_AGirlsDreams_el.zip?rlkey=0yy0jacoi0khdrsn0du1y5s0v&dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/86vete1i6iimqjxbp8eqo/ws_AGirlsDreams_el_2.zip?rlkey=7y4a48s82n6x30mbved8o4pyo&dl=0 Hope you like it. I hope to get a Christmas kit together for you but no promises. Stay safe and if I don't get another chance to do so, I wish you Happy Holidays!