Happy 2010!!!

I decided I would start the new year with a blog post and at least wish anyone reading a very Happy New Year.  I hope that it's very prosperous for everyone.  Last year had a lot of hard times for people and I hope that 2010 will be a lot better or at least bring on the start of many good things.  Hard to believe another year has come and gone.  The holidays are a blur now.  A couple of days before Christmas John and I went to eat at our favourite Mexican restaurant in Palm Springs called Maracas.  They have a halibut with a mango, ginger, habanero sauce he just drools over.  The chef sort of gave us a run down on how he makes it but some of the things he said were not things that are in the title of the sauce so I am going to have to try and figure out how to make it.  This years cooking shall include some sauce class 101.  I welcome any and all recipes.
I have a thing for t-shirts with funny sayings and of places, etc.  I saw this in one of the western shops near the restaurant and it just made me smile.

Christmas day was very quiet for us.  We made a barbeque rib supper on Christmas eve. then a traditional ham supper for Christmas day with all the fixings.  After a bit of dinner jake got into one of my old balls of yarn and managed to wear himself out and eventually fell asleep in his little house.

While shopping for dinner goods I had come across a wine that I just had to have.  I am not a wine drinker but the bottle just called to me.  I went to try it after our Christmas dinner only to find I couldn't locate a cork screw.  A few days later I finally got to have a glass.  All I can say is it tastes like wine.  If you are a wine drinker please do not go by my review because, as I say, I'm not a wine drinker and have yet to find one that I like. I don't know why I thought this one would be any different, but you just never know till you try something, right?  Now as for the bottle and vinyard I highly recommend it.  They even have a cool website called Vampire.com .  It has all sorts of products under the vampire name such as coffee's, chocolates, wines, various books about vampires and even some videos.

The vinyard itself is called vampire vinyards.

John got me a bat necklace and another with a heart and cleaver that says heartbreaker on it.  I think they are pretty neat but that's probably just my weirdness coming out.

I also managed to make a sign for my cousin, Alison.  We were suppose to get together after Christmas but things just didn't work out.  She's more religious whereas I am more spiritual but like me has gone through various ordeals that get her down.  I made this sign as kind of a reminder that she is loved.

I layered the large flower with a crochet base then added a die cut piece of dictionary paper, then a die cut piece of jeans material then a prima flower to top it off.  The little dangly bits are charms that each have a word on them.  They say: Be ... Here ... Now ... I think that is something we tend to forget to do.  We worry so much about the past and future that many times we forget to be in the present.

In the upper left corner I added a peace charm along with an angel and some dangling charms off the peace.  One is a heart that says "Made with love"

The shiny coin is the serenity prayer.  The coin comes from a group she belongs to and I thought the prayer went well with the rest of the sign.
My 2010 wish for all is a healthy, happy and enriching year.  ~Peace