Ahhhh, My Friend

It is still 2013 here in Phoenix as I write this post.  The New Year has come already to the East Coast.                                  Happy New Year Family and Friends!!

Every year, my friend Kim and I swap Birthday gifts.  I think opening her gift to me is the highlight of my Birthday each year!! (My birthday is December 27th)
Well, this year she sent me 3 lovely charm packs (Fig Tree & Co.), some white yardage, and a pack of English paper piecing papers (The 6-Pointed Diamond).  You know, all I need is another addiction!
Being the thoughtful person she is, Kim told me it was for me to have hand work to keep me busy on the plane when I travel and for those lonely nights in my hotel room.  (I have a job that requires quite a bit of travel.)  Well, I had to take it out, touch it, feel it, research it . . .

                                                Oh My!!!! This is turning out to be quite fun!

So Dearest Kim, Thank you very much!  I will be sure to post photos of the finished project (at this point I have no idea what it will be!)

Don't forget to return during the Kona Blog Hop!

Happy Sewing. . .

The Best Christmas Ever . . .

I am sure I am not alone when I say the last couple of weeks have been a bit crazy!  Those projects for Christmas gifts that need to be done "just right", the extra things that come up - like wonderful out of town guests you want to cook for, shopping for the perfect gift for loved ones, making sure those who live out of town get their boxes on time . . .
Here at the Rayes house, we had a little extra excitement.  My youngest son, Joel, was coming home from Afghanistan!!!!  We knew he would be stateside by Christmas and thought we would surprise him with a trip to El Paso (Ft. Bliss) to spend Christmas Day with him. Then, I received notice from the Family Readiness Group there would be a homecoming ceremony in Phoenix the day before Christmas!!  That meant the soldiers would all be here! 

Joel - Child #8, son #5 -

This photo is a couple of years old.  Lots of pictures were taken at the homecoming but gosh darn - I can't seem to find any!  Will post some later if my kids share with me  :)

Just having Joel back made for the perfect Christmas!  He has had to put up with hugs and kisses at random times.  I think he is OK with that though!  I haven't heard him complain!  Joel's wish for Christmas was to be able to see and spend time with his family.  I think this was his best so far too!

Scrubsations

This post is to let you all know of a great product I recently came across.
Here's the scoop:

The Compliance Team I work with had a team meeting the first week of December.  One of our fun activities was to have a "White Elephant" gift exchange.  There were 23 of us and I drew number 22.  How fun to get to see all the gifts opened and then have the opportunity to choose what I wanted!!!

Being the coffee snob (Starbucks Fan) that I am, everyone thought for sure I was going to go for the gift that was all coffee related.

 Ahhh, not so! 

When one of my teammates opened a gift that was homemade, I quickly decided THAT was going to be my choice!  Each gift could only be stolen three times so I was crossing my fingers behind my back, just hoping it would not be stolen to prevent ME from being the ultimate thief!

Alas, my turn came and the gift was available.   So, WHAT was the gift?   Homemade Sugar Scrubs!
My friend Beth and her daughter made these yummy sugar scrubs that are TOTALLY edible (but that is not what they are made for), and smell like heaven!! I guess you could say they were heaven scent.

I ordered some and here is a sample of what I got:

The scents available (so far) are:  Ginger Lemongrass, Lavender, Vanilla Brown Sugar, Spiced Coffee, Peppermint Sugar, and Mechanics (a sandalwood scent). 
She made me a special one - Spiced Coffee (YUM).  I will let you know what I think  *wink*
These are available in plastic or glass containers.  Beth was very clever to use the plastic! She was thinking ahead to hazards of oil, bathtubs, glass . . .

You can order from her too!  Here is her information: 

                                             Beth Ringwald, Scrubsations, 720-252-2514

Let's help Beth and her daughter with their new endeavor AND benefit from their talents!!!