explore: the terre haute children's museum

On Friday, December 26th we celebrated Christmas again in Terre Haute. We dined with the Gottardi Family and then with The Charlie & Donna Williams Family. We enjoyed our visit and even made it downtown Terre Haute to see where Dad has been working. Dad was hired as the Executive Director of the Terre Haute Children's Museum in October. A new museum is being built and a capital campaign is underway. We're proud of Dad and his new responsibilities!

day eight: print

Jodi sent these great prints for day eight. I'll need to find a frame and a place for this lovely gift. I already have a few ideas! Thanks Jodi.

Day Seven: Bookmarks

Tasha made these very cute ribbon bookmarks. Maybe now I will finish Twilight!

on the sixth day of christmas

Day 6: Bottle wraps designed by Ann. These will be great for special occasions and for gifting great bottles of wine. Cheers everyone!

day five: fridge magnets

This is Day 5: Christine sent along fridge magnets. They are so simple and great! Watch for more fridge photos soon! Cheers!

christmas coasters

My friend Dawn gave me these great Christmas Coasters! Oh what fun it will be to have them on display at my annual Holiday Party. Don't forget, my party is next Tuesday 12/23 at 7 pm. Thank you Dawn.

day four: cards and tags

It is already time for day four. Amy made these gift tags and cards. Thank you so much Amy.

day three: charmed

Thank you Theresa for this very cute charm. Very darling! I can't believe you took on a soldering project! You go girl! Will you teach me at our next craft day!

day two: plant life

As a hub, Claire and I received packages at my house to distribute to the Saint Louis folks. Claire opened Tracy's box to find 4 terrariums. Unfortunately, two were broken. I have worked to repair the two for Claire and me. I hope to add a few more plants in the future. This will be so much fun, and especially for me since terrariums require so little maintenance. Thank you Tracy for such a creative gift!

it's the holiday season: new york city

Tracy and Brooke flew up to New York City to join me for a weekend of "girlfriend fun" in the city. We saw Times Square, stopped by the Today Show, shopped on 5th Avenue, viewed the Tree in Rockefeller Center , met up with friends in Union Square, and enjoyed a great night out with friends Becky and Emily in the East Village.

Here are the windows at Macy's Herald Square. The theme is Miracle on 34th Street.

day one: thank you brooke.

Today marks the first day of Midwest 12 Days. Brooke kicked off Day One with these darling little charms. Love them!

Birthday Weekend

Thanks to all who helped celebrate my birthday weekend. I did my best to enjoy it, though being sick on your birthday makes it quite difficult. I appreciate all of the kind messages: cards, emails, texts, and facebook comments.

My mom, dad, sister Claire and her beau Ron ate dinner Saturday night at trattoria marcella. The food is always great! The company too!

Now, I have arrived in the Garden State. Arriving into Newark is always exciting, especially when there are strong winds. Today was no exception. Upon approach into Newark Airport with wind gusts in the 40 mph range, our little regional jet was being tossed all over the place. Thankfully, the flight landed and what a smooth landing it was. Phew!

I'll be working in New Jersey all week at the OBI training center with a class of new hires. Oh, how the time flies, it was four years ago that I was going to my first training class at OBI and five years ago when I joined J&J.

East Coast time=losing an hour sleep. Must sleep.

OH, Christmas Tree

OH, here it is...the 2008 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. I will be in NYC in just a little over a week. I am so excited to see this gorgeous tree. Brooke & Tracy, we're definately going to have to stop in Dean and Deluca and grab a hot beverage. See you soon!

Group #1 Day Twelve: Ready for Shipping

Midwest 12 Days:

I have completed my project for the 2008 Midwest 12 Days. Check out this website for updates. I look forward to opening the gifts I will receive from Group #1 crafters.

More Giveaways! YEAH!

Yeah for more Giveaways....go enter now!

Check out this site for these items



OH so cute...and they look so YUMMY too. Can you believe they aren't real. Jenni B is addicted to making fake food. It is so fabulous. Last year, Martha Stewart liked it so much she featured it on her show. She even took pictures for an upcoming book. Help Jenni B celebrate and enter this contest.

I could have used this coupon yesterday. The $40 I spent on ribbon wouldn't have been such a blow to my pocketbook.

Coaster Crazy!

My friend Dawn has done it again...another great giveaway! A while back, she had a giveaway for some really cute journals. Now she is giving away these "oh-so-cute" holiday coasters. Check out her blog to enter. Good Luck! http://www.dhbuscher.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was a little girl, we spent many of our Thanksgiving holidays in Terre Haute, Indiana. My parents grew up there and most of the family still lives there! At that time, the song below was fitting! My sisters and I would sing this song as we drove through Illinois and over the Wabash River before arriving in Indiana.

Not so much anymore though. I don't remember what year it was when we drove to Terre Haute to celebrate Thanksgiving and no one was in town except for my Grandma & Grandpa Williams. That was the last year we have been to Terre Haute for Thanksgiving. My parents started hosting Turkey Day and all extended family know they are welcome to join us in Glen Carbon. Sometimes the house is full and somtimes we just have our immediate family. Nonetheless, it is always an enjoyable day to spend with family; cooking, cleaning dishes, and enjoying the lovely feast we prepare.

I hope everyone enjoyed the day with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cheers,
Holly
www.smart-central.com/.../overtheriver.htm


This Thanksgiving song originally appeared as a poem written by Lydia Maria Child in Flowers for Children, volume 2, in 1844. Lydia Maria Child was a novelist, journalist, teacher, and wrote extensively about the need to eliminate slavery.

Over the river, and through the wood,To Grandmother's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleighthrough the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood -Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the noseAs over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood,To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding",Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the woodTrot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood -And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood -Now Grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

another one bites the dust...

It is Thursday, November 20th and another squirrel has been caught in the trap! I think the frigid temperatures overnight had the squirrels searching for the warmth of my attic. That is another $79 brining the new total to $586, or 195.30 per squirrel. Time to call critter control.

attack of the squirrels...it isn't funny!

Have you been hearing scratching noises coming from above? Then you may have a squirrel in the attic problem! On Monday morning, I was working on my computer in my kitchen when I heard a "scratching" noise upstairs in my attic. With my attic being finished, I went upstairs to check it out. The "scratching" noise was coming from the low ceiling area by my television. I then heard little footsteps running across the ceiling. So after reading online about the destruction a squirrel can cause to your property, I called Critter Control.

On Tuesday morning, the tech came out for an inspection. He lifted the attic access point and the little suckers went crazy, running back and forth above the ceiling! Immediately, the tech determined the noises to be squirrels. He went outside and inspected the perimeter of the house, including the roof. He determined that the point of entry was the rooftop vent. GREAT! Next step, trap the little suckers! So, now that I have spent $259 for the initial inspection (this includes the first captured squirrel), let's find out how much more this is going to cost me! When the trapping process is complete it is recommended that I install a screen around the vent to prohibit future squirrel break-ins...estimated cost $169. Plus, each additional squirrel caught will be $79. OUCH. I will keep you all updated with the body count...right now, I am at 2 successful traps! Total cost $507, or $253.50 per squirrel!

soak, it's good for you!

i just went and had a massage. i treated myself this year and joined massage envy's membership program. the membership is $49 per month and entitles the member to one pre-paid massage per month. if the massage isn't used, it rolls over to the next month.

well, the past two visits i have been treated to a deep tissue massages. after the first visit, i was sore and felt bruised. diana, the therapist, told me to soak in apple cider vinegar and epsom salt in a bath tub full of water as hot as i can stand it.

i found a recipe, and here it is:

By placing 2 cups (16 oz.) in a bath tub of hot water. The water temperature should be as hot as you can tolerate but comfortable for 15 to 20 minutes. You can use 2 to 4 times this amount if your body conditions warrant it. You do not want to burn yourself. You want to rub your skin all over with a wash cloth to open up the pores for absorption of the Epsom salts. If some areas are sore, rub them a little longer. If you are treating an injury you should rub both the area of the involved site on one extremity and the same area on the other extremity (bilateral stimulation reflex). In rubbing both extremities you yield a little extra stimulation to the injured site. Do not rinse off before getting out of the bath tub. Just dry off and retire for the evening.

Apple cider vinegar can be used in addition to the Epsom salts soaking bath. Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar in the Ep som salt soaking bath treatment. The apple cider vinegar will leave the skin feeling soft and smooth, similar to skin softeners and lotions such as lanolin.
Both the Epsom salt soaking bath treatment and the apple cider vinegar addition are also used when you are going to need a lot of extra energy for the next day or when you really feel drained of energy. You can use both as often as you want without harm or problems, as both are nature’s remedies for the above-noted body ailments.

...i'm going to do this now! i'll let you know how it turns out!

enter blog world...

today, i will enter the blog world. i set up my user name and password through google many months ago, and i am ready to give this a whirl!

action abstraction

Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940–1976
October 19, 2008 - January 11, 2009

On New Year's Eve, I joined Beth and Tom on a trip to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the current exhibition Action/Abstraction. The exhibit features works by Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, as well as Helen Frankenthaler, Arshile Gorky, Philip Guston, Hans Hofmann, Jasper Johns, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis, Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, David Smith, Frank Stella, Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still among many others.

My favorite painting was this Jasper Johns Numbers in Color. And, also leaving messages for Beth and Tom in the interactive portion of this exhibit was pretty awesome.

As a new SLAM memeber, I plan to visit more often and also take advantage of the Sustaining Level of Membership which will grant me reciprocal memberships to many of the great art museums across the country including: The Art Institute of Chicago and The Walker Art Center.

Go see it today! Don't wait too long, Action/Abstration ends on January 11th.