Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas, everybody!!!

Yesterday, we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Normally, our family has a big turkey dinner, but this year, we decided to change it up a bit.

Our family is scattered this year, so the plan was....

Christmas Eve menu was:

Pizza

Salad

and root beer floats

Christmas Day, we had my mom and dad, our two youngest children, my husband and me. I decided to have a Cajun Christmas dinner. The menu?

Jambalaya

salad

pineapple

corn

jalapeno cornbread

king cake

Today (Dec 26), is our daughter's 24th bday. She and her husband are both vegans, so I decided to have a vegan dinner. The menu is as follows:

Tri Colored Orzo (minus the feta)

homemade bread

apple salad

sweet potato fries

green salad

cookies and vegan ice cream

Tomorrow, we will celebrate Christmas, since all of us will be here. My son and his wife come in sometime this evening. Our menu will be:

Ham

mashed potatoes and gravy

baked sweet potatoes

apple salad

vegan dressing

macaroni and cheese

bread

vegan cheese ball and crackers

apple crisp pie

cherry pie

Even though our family is a bit scattered all of us were able to meet and be together at the end. 

Well, I better get up from here and get some stuff done before the last of the crew gets in. I'm sure the first thing everyone is going to want to do is open presents, then eat.

No One Yet...

We have had our house on the market for about a week. People keep asking if we've had anyone come look.

No one has even called

but....

To be honest, I really did not expect anyone right now. We had Thanksgiving, and now a major storm in our area. Most people were busy with family or out of town, and then Black Friday, and now ice and snow.

No, there won't be anyone looking right now...but maybe soon...

BRRRR....The Ice is Knocking on Our Door!

Yesterday, it was 75 and nice. I wore my capris and a tshirt. When I got up this morning at 5:45, it was 68! It was also rainy, which means a front is moving in....and it is going to be a COLD one!!!

See all that pink? That is coming our way. Pink means frozen. From what I understand freezing rain, sleet and maybe some snow are coming to visit Madisonville. eeeeYUCK!!!

Glad I got my 72 hr emergency kit ready. They say we could loose some power. Last time I was in a situation like this, we lived in Indiana and were without power for F-I-V-E days. I am getting prepared. Maybe it won't be so bad, and I did all this prep work for nothing...or...maybe it will be bad, and I'll be prepared.

 The Red Cross talks about emergency kits, and how they can help out in times like these. I also picked up this bag from Thirty One gifts. It's perfect to store all your emergency preparedness stuff.  It's called the Super Organizing Utility Tote, and you can check it out on my website....mythirtyone.com/terryjeanettecarter

Well, I best go finish my laundry, and cleaning my house. Want to make sure I have everything clean, just in case we do loose power.

Here We Go Again.............

Can you believe it? After 15 short months, we are at it again.

Yes, we are moving.

I really hate moving, but since we have to go, I am eager to get out of here!

There are a lot of things I will miss about Madisonville; 

all my friends, the YMCA, my dulcimer group, and all the wildlife in our backyard.

Kentucky is a beautiful state.

Louisiana is a beautiful state too.

So, it's good-bye Kentucky...hello Louisiana

As soon as we sell the house though.

Anyone interested?

FINALLY! My Craft Room!!!

So....here is my craft room, finally put together after 15 months of living in this house...just in time to move. Yes..move; better late than never, right?

Here you see a cabinet I first bought when we were homeschooling YEARs ago. Now I keep all my fabric, buttons, and other sewing stuff in it. The five gallon bucket on the left side of is something my daughter made for girls camp a looooooooooong time ago. We now use it to keep all our glue, tape, etc in. On the top of the cabinet, you will notice a couple of my Thirty One products. They work great to keep some of my jewelry making stuff in. It says...tappingflaming on the one box.  You will also notice to the right side is a desk, with all my early morning seminary stuff on it.

Here is my jewelry station.

Scrapbooking stuff in the clear drawers, and a lot of my Thirty One stuff, oh and don't tell the kids, but I have Christmas gifts hidden in there too...hehehe...

More of my jewelry making stuff...

Some earrings I've made.

In the cabinet to the left, one of my son's computers, which will be headed out to Idaho in January with him (sad face).

Well, there you have it...my craft room....

Sure hope it helps the house to sell...

We have a room for her,

and a room for him (a nice room with a pool table).

One Busy Life!!!

Life sure has kept me busy, but that is good! Keeps me out of trouble, lol

Life also has a lot of bumps in the road too. We have lived in Kentucky for about 15 months, and guess what!? We are moving, yep, you read it right, we are moving again....

When I called my daughter to tell her the news, she, of course, asked where. I told her to guess, then I told her where...back to Monroe, La. 

SILENCE on the other end....

Then she said, really?! You move away when we move to Louisiana, now that we are getting ready to move to NC, you come back?

Ya.....

Life has a way, sometimes....

That being said, I have mixed emotions about moving. We have had so many great things happen here in Madisonville, and have met some really nice people. I hate leaving my friends. 

When I first got here, there were my church friends I first met. My husband had already been here for about nine months, so he was able to get to know a lot of them. They are so nice, and have made me feel very comfortable. 

I joined the YMCA, and met a lot of really nice ladies there. Pilates, Yoga, and all my swimming classes have been so much fun, especially with all my "Pam" friends; seems like everyone there in is named Pam, lol. From one of the Pam's I have also found out about a photography club, a ladies stitch club AND my dulcimer group.  Each of these groups have very nice people in them too. So...in the short 15 months I've been here, I have met A LOT of people...all very wonderful individuals!

Another of my Pam friends also told me about a new coffee shop that was opening up that wanted local artisans to sell their crafts. I now have my jewelry in that coffee shop.

I know we are put where we are needed. Might be that we are needed in a particular place for others, or maybe for ourselves. Either way, I know we were met to be here in Madisonville. Many things have happened while we were here, that would not have happened if we had never come to KY.

Now off we go...back to Monroe. I have a lot of close friends there, so I am excited to go back and be with them again. Not sure when that will happen, as we need to sell the house. Hopefully it will be a lot quicker than last time. 

Honeymooning...

In September, my oldest son married his high school sweetheart.

They had a beautiful garden style wedding at our local city park. We could not have asked for a more perfect day.

The bride wanted a beach wedding, but since that was NOT going to be possible, they decided to take a cruise for their honeymoon. The groom's mother's parents already had booked a cruise to the Bahamas, as did the groom's parents. The bride and groom decided...what the heck, and so booked the same cruise.

We all had a blast!

The day before we boarded the ship, I took them out to the beach and we did a wedding photo shoot. It was a bit on the windy side, and a little bright, but I did manage to get some cool shots.

The first day of our cruise started out at a snail's pace, as we were about four hours late leaving port, but that was ok, we were in not hurry to go anywhere.

We went to Freeport; Half Moon Cay; and Nassau, Bahamas. I do believe everyone's favorite place was Half Moon. We could have stayed the entire five days of cruise there.

But, alas, it was time to say our thank yous to the crew and be on our way.

I do have to mention, though, that Thirty One made this trip easier for all of us in the group. Boarding the ship, I took the gray purse and purple bag shown in the photo above. Both are cross body, so I was hands free! One bag was to my left and the other to my right, lol

 As you see here, four of us took our Cinch Sacs. Two of the patterns you see in this picture are not available, but there are a lot of new cool patterns they come in. A couple of the bags you see in this picture have been on a couple of cruises and other trips, and still look brand new.

 I also took this great collection...again in an old pattern, but they have been on many trips and look brand new. The big bag I put my shampoo, lotion, etc in it, the turquoise bag had all my makeup, and then the long bags I had my flat iron.

We all had a great time, and talk of the time we will do this again.

Maybe next October...?

If you are interested in any of these or other bags from Thirtyone Gifts, let me know. My Facebook is Wonderful World of Bags, etc... My email is wonderfulworldofbags@yahoo.com, and you can see my website at mythirtyone.com/terryjeanettecarter

FUN IN THE SUN!

Less than nine days from right now I will be on a cruise ship with some of my family. Since the last time I cruised, I have become an independent consultant for a company that has some very nice bags. I have accumulated quite the collection and people have asked me if I plan to use any of them on our trip.  Well of course I am...and here is what I plan to take.

When you first board the ship, you will need your purse and some sort of carry on. I am bringing my Organizing Shoulder Bag in gray. I've added a pop of color by tying a pink scarf from Thirty One onto my purse. The pretty purple bag is one of the newest called the Retro Metro Fold Over in Plum Awesome Blossom. I just got it and am excited to use it. I can use both these as a crossbody, so I will be hands free! There is plenty of room for all our basic needs in the Retro Metro Fold Over. Since I can carry my husband's AND my stuff, he can just carry my camera which is in a backpack...both of us will be hands free !!! 

I love my Timeless Memory Pouches (Pink Pop Medallion and Best Buds prints). I use the larger bag to put my shoes in. They each hold two pair of shoes. I won't need the smaller pouches that come with the set for this trip. By the way, these have been used quite a bit, and have held up nicely...they still look new!

This next set was a hostess exclusive at one time. You can't get the Island Demask pattern anymore, but you can still get the Cosmetic Bag Set and the Flat Iron Case separately in other nice prints. I have used the heck out of these and they still look brand new. The biggest bag in the Cosmetic Bag Set has all my hair care stuff, lotions, soap, razor, etc. The smaller bag has all my makeup in it and fits right in the bigger bag, along with all the other stuff in it. They are both a very nice size.

Here is another bag I have used A LOT!!!!! It is the Retro Metro Weekender. Again, it is in the Island Demask, which they don't have. But they have some nice prints available. I love this bag. We will be in Florida a few days before we get on the boat, so I plan to put all the stuff I need (clothes, etc) in this bag. I will probably empty it out and fold it up for later use on the cruise. One does have to do some shopping while on the islands...right? And this bag would be great to put all my excess stuff in it that I accumulate on this trip.

The Large Utility Tote is another great bag! Again, in Island Demask, which they don't carry...can't you tell, I really liked that print, lol.  Anyway, I am taking some Christmas gifts for the family with me, and they will ride in this guy. 

While on the ship, I really don't like to carry a purse, so the Cinch Sac is going to come in very handy. We have a day at the ship's private Island, and I plan to carry this bag along with the Medium Thermal Zipper in Plum Awesome Blossom. I can carry a water bottle and maybe a protein bar. Probably won't need the bar, but since I do have hypoglycemia, I need to have something...just in case.  The thermal bag will keep my water cold and my protein bar from melting while on the beach. The Cinch Sac is in the old Flip Flop pattern which they no longer carry. 

Oh, I just about forgot about my wallet. I love this wallet. It's like a little file cabinet. It has two areas for your cards and money, and in the middle is a zipper coin area, and it all zips up nicely together. 

Maybe this time, I can mark something off my bucket list and go horseback riding on the beach. Doctor wouldn't let me do it last time, since I had just gotten out of the hospital.

Or maybe I'll just be lazy like last time. Lazy is nice...

If you are interested any of these bags or other bags that this great company has, check out my website at

mythirtyone.com/TerryJeanetteCarter

facebook at Wonderful World of Bags, etc...

or emal at wonderfulworldofbags@yahoo.com