A White Christmas: Fun in the Snow

The family spent a little time out in the snow with Janine's new pup on Christmas day.  They had fun running around, throwing snowballs at one another, and breathing in the fresh air.  The puppy ran after anyone who was running.   Puppy picked up a large snowball and began running around with it in her mouth like she was part of the fight. 
Janine named the puppy Annabelle.  She may not know her name yet, but she definitely knows she's loved.  Janine has always wanted a dog and now, at last, her wish has come true.  It truly has been a special Christmas.

This picture is of Matthew trying to grab the big snowball from Annabelle's mouth.  Puppy had fun running all over with that huge snowball.

Bruce in making a snowball.  He enjoyed throwing them at me as I took pictures.  I wasn't bothered at all by that because I was inside looking out the Kitchen window.

The snowball is in Annabelle's mouth.  I think she plans on getting somebody with it.  She may be trying to communicate her snowball fight plans to Matthew.  However, Matthew is being pelted by Bruce and his sisters and is having difficulty translating the muffled puppy talk.

Christmas fun

Love this picture.  It was taken by Aimee Blume while looking through  the clubhouse deck door at the party inside.  See Santa?  That's Barbara Barrett.  She brought in a sack full of presents for guests.  They had to roll doubles for them.  I guess the Indiana Calendar was a hot item.  Lisa Mathis ended up getting that.

Barbara Barrett is standing next to the food table.  The dips and finger foods there were made following her family recipes.  They were scrumptious!  Barbara is an Attorney in Evansville, but there's a whole other side to her that's creative and artsy.  She sews beautifully and also enjoys writing.  Anyway-- thank you Barbara for taking on this party!

This is the beautiful Busche De Noel Ammie Blume made for the party!  It is a Yuel Log-- really a work of art.  Aimee teaches Culinary Arts at Ivy Tech and she writes for the food page of the Courier & Press.  I'm happy to say she is also in my writing critique group.

Thank you, Aimee, for taking the time to make this wonderful cake for the party!

Taken from the Blog: Famous Funny Quotes, Love Quotes, Inspirational Sayings, Short Quotes, Cute Life Quotes, Cute Poems, Movie Quotes, Friendship Quotes.

Unique iPad and iPhone Cases

Recently Zazzle introduced some new products for us to design. A couple of the latest ones are iPad cases and iPhone 3 and iPhone 4 cases. Now there is no excuse to have just a plain black case unless of course you simply like black cases. I’ve been designing some pretty cool looking iPad cases with abstract and striped designs as well as some florals and ‘green’ designs. Some modern and trendy looks for the young and older crowd.

This first one is a grape coloured link design with a soft mauve background and the second one is a blue and chocolate link design with a soft blue background.

Here are a couple of my iPhone 3 cases that I designed. Stripes seem to be popular!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally here are a couple of the iPhone 4 cases that I’ve designed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see the other designs I have pop by my store Designs by Shell

Technorati Tags: designs iPadcase iPhone cases stripes links artwork

Invitations For Special Occasions

This time of year you’re probably getting ready to either host or attend holiday and Christmas parties. Traditional invitations that you hand out or mail are a fun way to invite your guests. I know some of you are thinking an e-mail invite is fine but really we all like to get an invitation that we can get excited about. The look you choose can really set the theme or mood for your party guests. Here are a couple that I think would be great.  These are totally customizable too!

Birthday parties are still going on in December too, so here are a few of my popular designs. Some would be great for kids and some for adult birthday parties. These can be customized as desired.

Here are a couple that are suitable for kids and adults!

Well I hope these get you inspired for your next party! I have lots more designs under the invitation category in my store. Pop by to see more. Designs by Shell 

Technorati Tags: invitations,christmas,holiday,birthdays,kids,adults

Memories...

Here I am in my late thirties performing a kata to earn a black belt.  I was pretty flexible and strong at that time.  The woman in the background is Karen Braun.  She was someone I practiced with.  I moved away from Kenosha in 1999 not so long after this picture was taken. Karen continues on in that program and has a 4th degree black belt now.

Of course performing Katas was just one part of what we did to earn our belts.  We also had some sparring.  Three on one.  I am facing all the black belts in this picture.  They are in one big horizontal line.

I enjoyed being part of the program at Parkside University in Kenosha Wisconsin.  Although I'm not in shape and wouldn't be able to remember most of the katas, there were other lessons learned that will never leave me.

Special Gift Ideas for Teachers

Many of you are running around wondering what to get for your kids teachers this year. There are the usual things like chocolates, flowers and gift cards but I thought I would share a few ideas that might be memorable gifts for the teachers on your list. Whether it’s for a school teacher, music teacher, dance teacher or another teacher or instructor a thoughtful little gift is always appreciated. Remember gifts don’t have to be expensive it really is the thought that counts.

  Ornaments with sweet sentiments for a great teacher can make a memorable gift. These ornaments can be customized if so desired. Add a year or even a teachers name to make it even more special.

Tote bags make great gift ideas as they are reusable and the teacher will think of you often as he or she grabs her bag and throws papers and supplies to tote to and from school. A bag with a inspirational message or saying makes a great statement.    

   Here’s another one that has been popular.  A snowman with angel wings and a halo. A great saying ‘ Teachers are angels in disguise’

 

 

 

 

                                                    Magnets are another cute gift idea that can be easily slipped in with a Christmas card. Here are a couple with inspirational messages. I have several other designs in my store so pop by for a few other sayings and ideas.

Designs by Shell