Wishing you all a Holly Jolly Christmas!

It seems you can take the girl out of needlework, but you can't take the needlework out of the girl.

Whenever I go to antique shops and antique malls looking for treasures to use in my jewelry designs, I always seem to find a lot of antique sewing stuff....pincushions, emeries, tiny scissors, wonderful buttons.

When I was a little girl, my parents had a farm in Frederick County, Maryland.  It was just a small farm, but it was the perfect place to grow up.  On one of my birthdays, somewhere around my 8th or 9th, my parents gave me a tin doll house.  One of those big ones that is open in the back and you can arrange the plastic furniture in each room.  I HATED it!  I was SO offended that my parents would get me such a girly, babyish gift.  I probably let my feelings be known because soon after my father built me a barn.  A wonderful wooden barn with a tin roof that I loved beyond reason.

Actually, it feels kind of silly to call it "labor" when I love doing it soooooo much.

I'm back!  After a L-O-N-G day of flying home yesterday, I finally made it home about 11:00 last night. 

Sorry for being mia for the last two days.  And, sorry too that I have not one single photo for you.  I suppose I could dig up some jewelry photos, but I get the feeling you've had enough of those for a while.  So, it's just plain me!

We are now in Montana, though not yet to Anne's folks' house.  We're almost to Billings and will have another 5 hours to drive tomorrow.  Today alone, we went through South Dakota, Wyoming and started into Montana.  I got a speeding ticket in Crook County, Wyoming.  I was doing 84 in a 75 zone.  Crazy, huh?!  I could show up in Sundance, WY on January 12th to contest the ticket, but somehow I don't think that'll happen!  At that point, we set the cruise on 78 and kept going.

In Wyoming and Montana we saw herds of deer, antelope and two mule deer.  The mountains are gorgeous!!  We went through lots of snow and cold and wind.  When we woke up yesterday morning in Iowa, it was 15 degrees.  The dogs' morning walk was F-A-S-T!!

The dogs have adjusted to their temporary life in hotel rooms and the car.  They sleep in the car and are happiest when in our laps.  Once in the hotel rooms, they go a bit nuts, but then settle down.

So...we started in PA, when through Ohio, Indiana,  Illinois, Iowa,  a bit of Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and now we're in Montana.  It's only taken us 5 days!!  LOL  When our husbands rode out here last summer on their motorcycles, they made it in 4 days.  Oh well!  We figure we're having waaaay more fun!

More soon!