Happy Thanksgiving my fellow Americans!

I'm up bright & early to get Scotty off to work, however, it's not very bright out. It's dark & dingy...raining & foggy...and our snow is SHRINKING!! YESSSSSSSSS!!!
Our 14" of snow is down to about 6, if that, and big patches of green can be seen where Scotty used the snowblower. Gotta love it!

I'm thinking...hmmmmm...maybe, just maybe, I should crawl back in bed an take a little nap. But, before I do that, I wanted to post and tell all my family & American friends out there "I'm wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. As you reflect on what you have to be thankful for, let's not forget our Military, serving for us in a far away land...fighting to keep us free. God bless them and keep them safe.

Today will be a rather wierd day for me, but a good one. I know (from past years here) that I'll be sad at times and happy, too. Doesn't that sound wierd!! I know it does, but I speak the truth. Sometime today, probably a few times, actually...I'll wish I was able to be with my Mom today...(just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes) but I know that it's just not possible and that wll be ok. That has got to be the hardest part of being here, in Canada with my Canadian Hubby, I miss my Mom, dearly and I miss my best friend, Debby. Deb doesn't have a computer, so it makes it extra hard, but we burn up the phone lines now and then, and it's good. I miss my Aunt Gail and the relationship we had. That's not to say I don't miss my other family & friends (& my dear nephew)...cuz I do, but I'm closest to my Mom & Debbie. Oh dear, I'm rambling...
ok, straighten up Ret...*chuckling to myself*

I am grateful today, thankful that I have a wonderful, loving (& sometimes crazy) husband who loves me dearly. I'm thankful that my Mom is still living and is in relatively in good health, I'm thankful that God see's to it that she's able to get around well by herself and that she's happy with her life. It means so much to me, to know she's happy. I'm grateful for my Aunts & Moms love and care. I'm so very grateful that I have some very good and wonderful memories of my dear, dear Dad. We were so close, and even tho I still miss him so much, I'm awfully glad I have the memories that keep him alive in my heart, it brings me peace. Altho, I'm perplexed that I don't have a close friend here in Canada, I'm thankful for the aqaintances I do have. I'm also grateful for my cyber friends that chat with me and check up on me, making sure I'm ok and doing well. I'm thankful that I'm able to have this blog and that I'm able to write and get words out the way I want to. I'm grateful that I'm able to touch people with my words, my pics and my thoughts. I'm also thankful that I'm creative, that I have the ability to put stamps, paper and ink colors together, creating something that will bring a smile to someone's face when they look at it.

I could go on & on & on about my life and what I'm thankful for, but I won't bore you with it. I just wanted to share with you a part of me...and I did, so I'll close for now. Have a wonderful holiday and if you're lucky enough to be with your family, enjoy their company! If you're alone today, have a thoughtful, thankful, peaceful day, full of love and memories. Know that somewhere out there, each of us has someone who cares about us, and we're so fortunate that we do. Enjoy a lovely dinner and don't eat too much turkey!!! lol
Happy Thanksgiving
and hugs to each of you,

Ret

Do you know what this is?

Awwwwwwww, Abs looked out that window the whole time Scotty was snowblowing watching her Dad. I couldn't resist snappin this pic and sharing with you.

Thanks for tolerating my doggie pics!
hugs,

Look what we woke up to!

YUCK! Oh goody, the first MAJOR snow storm of the season. This is a six foot fence, and you can see we got well over a foot, then it drifted in places up to 2-3 feet. YUCK!!





Needless to say, Scotty (dear hubby) is far from impressed. We have one of those carports that you put up yourself, and down it came. It's been there about 3 years, but this time, it just couldn't make it thru it. The metals posts collapsed, and I won't tell ya what Scotty said when he saw that. lol

Abbi is such a little trooper. I opened the door to see how bad it was and she went right out, jumped right in, did her business and ran thru the snow, or should I say, jumped thru the snow and didn't stay to play, she wanted IN! It's a good thing she's light, she kinda stayed mostly on top. Spooky, on the other hand, isn't tiny, and she did NOT stay on top, so it was hard work for her. She gave up and came back in. Her Dear Daddy will snowblow the yard for her. awwwwwwwwwwwwww! lol

Scotty is outside trying to clean up this snow, because another foot is on it's way tonight. Arghhhhhhhhhh!! And I am being the very helpful wifey and I'm staying in the house, taking pictures, like any good wife would do!! chuckle, chuckle

And that's the report from the Cudmore house this morning in snowy Nova Scotia!
I'll be back with a card post later. Til then, take care...
stampin hugs,

It's wayyyyy too early for this...

As long as I've lived here (almost 8 years) we have NEVER had snow this early, so I thought that I'd share it with YOU!! I'm not a big fan of snow, but then again, I don't do any of the winter sports activities. I do have to admit, though, that I do like the look of fresh, bright white new fallen snow on the ground and the trees. It's just so serene. After the first day, I have absolutely no use for it, so it can melt & melt fast!! lol

Just wanted to share this pic of Mother Natures beauty with you. Have a greattttt weekend. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving comments. I get such enjoyment out of reading your comments. Take Care!
Hugs,

Baroque Motifs Silver

Hi Stampers,
Hope you're all stamping up a storm and having a good week! I apologize for not posting a card last week. I was working very hard on getting ready for a craft fair. I'm in them every fall, but for some sily reason, I never put my stampin projects in it...atleast...not yet. I've decided I'm going to introduce them into the show next fall. It's just that I fill two tables as it is, so I've got to decide what I'm going to leave out, so I can add my stamped goodies!!! I didn't do half as well as I've done in the past couple years in this show. Most vendors didn't. I guess it's just a sign of the times. **sigh**

I'm posting a card I made a while ago, thought you might enjoy it. It's very simple, but I love it! I'll post the recipe later tonight, when I have more time. I just feel so guilty about not posting...so here's the picture part, anyways. :)

Thanks for your patience, it's just been crazzzzzzzzzzy here! You all take care!
hugs,

hello again, hello

Hi, my friends! Well pretty obvious to say that I never made it back to post a card.
I'm pretty busy here with the craft fair. today should get me all set up!! yayyyyy!
Just wanted to let you know, I really appreciate the kind words you've either commented or email me. So kind of you!! It's good to know how many of you out there
in cyber land are patiently waiting for me to get thru this craft show and support me. I'll get back to you later in the weekend.
big hugs,

Sad news

I haven't been on for a few days, I'm sorry. I've been busy trying to get ready
for a craft fair this week-end. I thought I'd be able to post a card this morning, but as it turned out, I ended up at the Vet's. I will try to post one tonight.

I'm sorry to say that our dear Patches is no longer with us. As most of you know she was 18 yrs & 8 months old. She had a heart problem along with severe emphazema,
but she was so driven and strong willed, she wasn't ready to let anything get her down. She still played and had a good quality of life. Until last night. We heard a blood curdling scream, it was her. But she laid quiet for a few minutes
and got up & ate a milk bone. She had a quiet night, but this monring she was not good. Not good at all. It was time...she was tired of it all, and it was time.
She went very quietly. It's been 2 months to the day, since we lost Emmy. Atleast they are both in peace now. Needless to say, it's a sad day here in the Cudmore
house. I'm working on more crafts and I'll try to get back on tonight.
Take care, all. And thanks for listening.
hugs,

A Light Unto My Path

Hi Everyone,

I apologize that I haven't been around for a few days. It was a busier week than usual for some reason, and I am just tired right out. I have Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so sometimes just doing normal things makes me soooo worn out. Depending on my pain level, some days it's hard just to put one foot in front of the other. I know there are alot of card makers that have the same problem and understand what I'm talking about. I know it could be a whole lot worse, so I'm not complaining. I get by and try to make the very best of it, and I'm really grateful for good days!

I did make one card made! Yay!! This is a beautiful set, I love it and I wish I owned it. I used alot of layers on this card and added and effect by using "direct to paper" technique. All products are Stampin Up. Here's the recipe to make this card:

Stamp Set: A Light Unto My Path

Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Bashful Blue

Inks: Chocolate Chip

Ribbon: Bashful Blue

2 Antique Brass Brads

I hope you light this card, I do, it makes me feel so peaceful when I look at it. Love it!

You take care I'll be back sooner, I promise. Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Follow My Blog

I have added a new Gadget to my blog. It's called Cards n Crafts by Ret Followers. Please click on the "Follow this blog" button on my right sidebar and add your name to my followers list. This way when I add a post, you won't miss it, because you'll automatically be notified. Thanks for joining my Followers.

Introducing the rest of the family

I thought as long as I was showing you pics of Abbi, that I would show you our other furry kids. Patches is a cockapoo and is 18 1/2 years old. Spooky is lab/cocker mix and is 15. They get along well with Abbi, altho I'm sure she wishes they could keep up with her when playing! lol

Thanks for looking,

More pics of Abbi

Doesn't it look like she could fly with those bigggg ears! hehe














And here is sleeping beauty!lol Abs took a nap while I was cooking supper...it bored her...so she caught a few winks before she wanted to play again. That dog bed came with her & it is 38" x 36"... for just lil Abbi! She looks so tiny in the middle of it. lol

I hope you don't get sick of seeing Abbi, she's just such a good buddy and I love
sharing her with you's. I'm off to bed, but will be back here tomorrow.

Take care, my friends,

Always

Hi Everyone!

I hope you had a great start to your week. This weekend I brought out my "Always" stamp set and played around with it a little. I'm pretty happy with what I came up with and I hope you like it.

I can't post today without mentioning Abbi. We have had so much fun with that little bundle of energy. She is learning lots of new things and is turning out to be a really, really sweet little thing! And happppy! I swear she smiles!! Okay, Okayyy, I'll stop!! hehe Here's the recipe to the card:

All products are Stampin Up.

Stamp Sets: "Always" stamp set and "En Francais" Background stamp
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Punches: small oval & large oval
Ribbon: Chocolalte Chip Taffeta
Post a note pad for masking technique
Sponge for adding & sponging color around edges

I hope you enjoyed this, if you have any questions feel free to email me directly.
Please take a minute and add your comment, I get such a kick out of reading them, they make my day!!!

Stampin hugs,