How cute is this?

"Charlie is a wild-born coyote who was unexpectedly delivered to my doorstep this past April after both his parents were shot for killing sheep. Whatever reservations I had about raising a wild animal simply didn't matter - couldn't matter - when I realized his survival, at least in the short term, depended on me."
—Shreve Stockton

To read more about Charlie go here. I found this here.

Peace

My blogging community is relatively small. While I don't visit each site every day, I feel like I actually know the folks on my blog roll. And today, one of my friends -- and her family -- need the strength, hope and courage to deal with a devastating loss. If you can offer words that might help Stephanie and her family on this path, please do.

Come . . . share . . .

Two of the nicest words one can hear from friends are "come" and "share," and that's just what we did on Thursday.Monica and Bill invited Jack and me to share Thanksgiving with their family.The aroma of turkey and fixings greeted us warmly as we walked in the door, and Monica handed us each a glass of champagne to accompany the delicious smells.A small kitchen fire put their stove out of commission just when it was time to make gravy, but the ever-resourceful Monica took the ingredients outside and put together gravy on the tailgate of her son's truck.Good friends. Good food. Good time.

*We had Thanksgiving #2 on Friday, and I cooked, but I didn't take any pictures. Still, we had a great time with my kids too!

Courtesy

“Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of the pleasures, it costs nothing and conveys much. It pleases him who gives and him who receives, and thus, like mercy, it is twice blessed.”
- Erastus Wiman (1834-1904)

Tonight I was the recipient of a fine courtesy from Heather Bluhm at Bluhm Studios, and I feel blessed. In fact, I am doing a happy dance here. You see, I've been feeling a little small. My blog . . . it just didn't measure up. So much black space surrounding the content. I'd drop in on e.b., swing past home, and need to pull out my reading glasses.

So, I shot off an e-mail to Heather, who quickly gave me the solution to this dilemma. (If you use Blogspot, you can extend your page by using the Minima Stretch template.) Why didn't I think to ask her sooner? She even offered to go into my Blogger site and work on things. Okay, so now my banner looks a little slim, but I've asked her to work on that for me too.

(Pause for twirling.)

One of the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving is Heather. I hope she feels just a little blessed too.Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Everyone deserves a Second Chance . . .

Oh boy, do I love this store! I so wish that there was a shop like this closer to me. Second Chance Antiques in Omaha. They don't even have a web site. I'd have linked to them if they did. Really, if you can get there, go. I got this stuff there. Nina Bagley has been posting the most wonderful jewelry on her site using old bisque dolls. So funny that I came home with these little treasures, and so sad that I missed her Etsy offerings.My grandfather used to collect promotional pens and pencils. I guess that apple didn't fall too far from the tree. I'm pretty sure he would have snatched up these old bullet pencils.And old cigar tins . . . love them!I bought these thinking that Kiran would enjoy playing with them in a few years.I had a lot of fun visiting with family after Silver Bella, but I also learned a couple of things when I looked through my photos at home.Lauren is going to have very cool hair.And opening the aperture all the way will not necessarily produce the best picture. (Still, Hannah is adorable!)Finished the top of my journal box -- now to the rest of it!

Silver Bella

Gosh, it's been an entire week since Silver Bella wound down, and I'm just now posting about the event. What a fun time! I can't tell those of you who attended a single thing you don't already know, but here are some pictures!Love, love, love Second Chance Antiques . . .Where else can you shop that they separate their vintage jewelry by color?Second Chance welcomer.Lee and I made a couple of great new "artsy" friends with Dede Warren and Vicki Grobels. Look up "fun" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of these two.Lee looked smashing in her cowboy hat.I "heart" Rebecca Sower even more now that I've met her.Teresa McFayden (Mrs. Bella) throws some glittery party.And Miss Megan -- a.k.a. Princess Lasertron. Is she not just the cutest? Loved meeting her and her lovely mother.

Also loved meeting cutey-pie Jill Assman, but I didn't take a picture. Darn. E.B.'s baby sister is a delight!Who could forget the divine Kim Kwan?I spent a few days in Omaha last week visiting with family after Silver Bella, but I'll save those pictures for my next post.

Glitter, Grunge and a Mea Culpa. . .

My friend Cari, says she firmly believes that glitter and grunge can live happily together. In fact, she may just stitch that on a pillow! I'll be meeting Cari and 124 others in Omaha tomorrow when I get to Silver Bella -- the event I've been waiting for since June!It takes hard work to obtain grunge. Just ask Judy Wilkenfeld. See what came in the mail for me today -- all the way from "down under" and Judy's wonderful etsy shop! These rusted elements are going to Silver Bella with me, so we'll see if glitter and grunge truly can live happily together. I'll be sleeping with these under my pillow, so don't get any ideas.Look what else came from Judy! This beautiful old bible was printed in London by Eyre and Spottiswoode who were printers to “The Queen's most Excellent Majesty.” The date says 1804. It was hand-inscribed to Miss E P Hall in 1892.It was a good mail day.This little beauty came from Geraldine Newfry. It is the third book I've gotten from Gerri's etsy shop, and I have two more on the way. I really love her little book gems, but I have yet to actually write in one. Maybe once I have 10 or 12!I have been writing in this one though, and worked a little on its cover this afternoon.I've also been working on this little journal box (which will hold one of Gerri's books). I have been so inspired by Laurie Mika's book Mixed Media Mosaics. This box top is not finished, nor are any of the tiles even glued down yet, but I am filling the spaces.I am so very late in acknowledging and passing on the wonderful You Make Me Smile award I received from Sue Pieper last month. Forgive me Sue! I hope I still make you smile!For now, I've got to finish packing for Silver Bella. I'll be needing these!