Happy New Year!!!!

Okay...I should have spent the bucks to get wi-fi years ago!  The pictures were downloading faster than I could choose them tonight!  On dial-up, I used to open four or five tabs and click back and forth between them hoping for something to download.  Invariably they all timed out, so I never got to see pictures and definitely not even the shortest video.  Now I turn on the computer, turn on the wi-fi, hit a few buttons and I am done!  It is such a time-saver!  Yahoooooooo!

Okay, enough of that frivolity.  Here's a pic of the socks I made my mom this fall.  She likes shorter tops, which I do in a K3 P1 pattern.  A Deborah Norville sock yarn.

Prepare yourselves...I found sixteen (16) bags of Christmas M&Ms on sale last week.  So guess what colors your M&Ms will be for quite some time?  Yep, red and green!  Just giving you a heads up.

This is a mutant M&M.  No, it is not a peanut one.  Just a regular M&M with multiple problems.  Coating missing in places, enlarged pores, slurred writing.

And this is the other side!  A giant divot!  I wonder what happened along that assembly line?

Thank you to one and all for the friendship, laughs and good cheer in 2013.  Let's make 2014 our best year yet.

I am praying for good health, good friends, and supportive families for each one of you.  You are truly special and I value each one of you.

Happy New Year Hugs,

Sharon

For Your Amusement

While reviewing some photo files recently, I've been amazed at the places I've been and the things I've seen.  Here are three pics I thought would bring a smile to your face.  So creative with metal--who knew?

Talk about having your knickers in a bunch!  Happy new year's eve eve!

Blissful hugs,

Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to Mystery by Jonathan Kellerman and just finished reading Something Borrowed, Someone Dead by M.C. Beaton (an Agatha Raisin mystery).

Can You Feel It?

The days are getting longer!  I know I feel perkier with every minute we are gaining in daylight.  Of course, with the clouds and snow/rain/sleet, it's hard to know if it's day or night!  I don't care.  Soon the year will change and great new adventures await.  What are you hoping for in 2014?  You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.  

And, can I just say--YAHOO to wi-fi!  I am doing more on the internet in a shorter amount of time than ever before.  I've even been able to watch short videos on blogs and all the pictures actually download without timing out!  It truly is a Christmas Miracle!  Worth every penny!

Blissful hugs til next time,
Sharon

Dickens

Dickens is keeping an eye out for intruders--or the birds and chipmunks who are

brave enough to stand just on the other side of the glass.

And he wants to tell everyone Happy Holidays.

He's been in the Stroud household a year now.

It seems like he's always been here.

More soon!

Sharon

Merry, Merry

It's been a day spent with family and friends.  Good times, lots of laughs, and food--lots and lots of food!  It's not quite as bad as the turkey coma, but it's definitely a feel-good time!

Cold, blustery--who ordered this stuff?  Those few days into the 50s sure spoiled us!

Okay, it's time to get a bit of sewing done before bed.  [Shhhhh, it's a secret...NEVER tell anyone that you are making them something for Christmas.  Then, when it's not done in time, you finish it after the holiday and hold it for the next Christmas (or birthday).  Stops all that rushing and frustration and usually a few bad words.  And NEVER give something unfinished as a gift.  Then the pressure is on--when will you have it done, can I see it, when will it be done, you're not done yet?  You get the drift.  Remember, mum's the word!  This, of course, does not work if you are crafting for children--they will not be the same size next year--just sayin'.]

Enjoy the remainder of this holy day and remember the reason for the season.

Blissful holiday hugs,
Sharon

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Travel safely--Mother Nature is being quite contrary this year!


Holiday hugs,
Sharon

At Long Last

It's been so long since I posted that I had almost forgotten the sequence!  The good news?  I finally have a wi-fi hotspot!  I just couldn't face another second wasted on posting on dial-up.  I have already saved so much time!  

It's been a mixed bag around the Stroud household.  Let's just chalk it up to being behind me and I, for one, cannot wait to see the rear end of 2013.  I'm not usually one to wish any time away but....

I have the long-awaited blog contest prizes ready to mail on Thursday!  Then I can reveal what the prizes actually are.  I hope everyone loves them!  (Two have already been delivered in person--they had forgotten they won!)

So, if the wi-fi works out, you can count on seeing more of me, more pics, and dare I say it in writing?  Perhaps some short videos--okay, okay, don't get too excited.  I think it's the fumes from the hotspot device!

Emily, hope you are doing better than okay.  Cindy, how was the surgery?  And to all my friends and loyal readers--thank you for being patient.  

And as a lovely finish to this post, please enjoy this stunning Mariner's Compass made by Cindy O.  Hand pieced, of course!

Special holiday hugs to all,
Sharon

P.S.  This picture loaded in just seconds...I'm almost giddy!