what a difference a week makes!!

last sunday i was sitting out in the "virgin islands" in my swimming suit getting what will probably be the last tan of 2013. the temp was in the high 80's.

when i posted this picture on facebook last week, i got quite a few comments about it!! my favorite was: "are you naked?" ha ha ha!!!! sorta looks that way!!!!!

this weekend has been cold & rainy. yesterday the rain was a mist that almost felt like sleet! today the temp is in the low 40's & i'm wearing socks, boots, jeans & 2 sweaters!!!!

after church i took geronimo to the dog park. (i wish i had taken my camera! -- next time!) i promised him the other night that we would go this weekend. suzanne has taken him quite a few times when she's been home & i went with her a couple weeks ago. my 1st time. i didn't even realize there was a dog park so close to home. i think suzanne took ME to the dog park so i wouldn't be scared to do it so i would maybe do it on my own. i really liked it & am looking forward to taking geronimo more often. he loves running loose & playing with the other dogs. (it's funny how the big dogs are intimidated by the little dogs!!!) he'll come back to me to "check in" then he's off again. when he comes to me i ask if he's ready to go & he takes off as if to say, "not now, mom!!"

when we got home i made a big pot of potato soup. my living room looks like "santa's workshop"

-- making christmas presents,

sorry, that's all you get to see for now!!!

& i finished a wedding present for my friend cindy's son. (i'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog, so i'll post the picture now!!)

it's different from any of the name frames i've ever done. it's HUGE & has a burlap background. the "flowers" are the paper flowers that cindy & i & several others made for the wedding. they were on the reception tables. i scooped up a bunch -- felt really conspicuous doing it too!!!! -- & hot glued them directly on the glass of the frame, so it has a real 3-d effect!!!! it's pretty cool looking, if i must say so myself!!!! i hate when i make these neat personalized things that i want to keep but can't because they're personalized!!!!!!!! it would be a real conversation piece though......"why do you have the name 'stadler' on your wall?" "because i like it & didn't want to give it to the people i made it for!!!"

i just got done talking to my little sister -- we don't talk much. for as long as i can remember she hasn't been a very happy person & it was very difficult to talk to her. i've been thinking about her a lot the past couple days so i called her this evening. we only talked for about 5 minutes, and i didn't really say much because SHE was talking up a storm!!!!!! her husband died last spring and this might not sound very nice, but i think that's the best thing that ever happened to her!!! he wasn't very nice to her & i think that had a lot to do with how she responded to others. she couldn't help it because she was miserable. well, now she's like a new person!!!!!! she couldn't talk long because she was about to go to a meeting, but i wish we could have talked a lot longer! i can tell she's happy now & i got the best blessing of all -- she's been going to church!!!! my sister who said she'd never set foot in another church again because christians were hypocrites, is going to church!!!! thank you, Jesus, for answered prayers!!!

AND she has a male friend!!!!!! we didn't talk long about him, but he seems nice & 180 degrees different from her husband. i'm happy for her. happy that she's happy.

we hung up & i shed a bunch of happy tears.

i have this big urge to put up the christmas tree!!! (i'll do a post later about one of the reasons i'm so anxious to put it up!!) but, i'm going to wait & go back to the sewing machine, pop in a few movies & hopefully knock out a bunch of christmas presents.