A Handmade Christmas.

Long before the stockings were hung by the chimney with care & the pitter-patter of tiny hooves on the rooftop were heard our family decided a Handmade Christmas was in order. Considering the distance we have to drive returning to Texas & the time we wanted to spend with family once we arrived I was glad we opted for our handmade items as the majority of our family gifts. The girls had been beading, scrap booking & knitting for somewhere between full time job & college hours. I of course was not as on the ball as my girls & had some of my projects running right until I wrapped them up & placed them under the tree. I completed one more Tee-Shirt memory quilt & countless knitted items as well as some photo tiles with some of my black & white photos. Early mornings & a few late nights made it all come together in time though. Possibly one of the more enjoyable projects for me was the Gingerbread cookies we decorated late one evening while watching Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye sing "White Christmas". A holiday movie favorite was all the better when it involved Royal Icing & Spices. The blogging daughter posted the recipe here:






























I even picked up a new technique from my daughter when she taught me how she made her knitted rosettes! Now I am wondering how many things can I put these little rosettes on?






















The handmade Christmas items are the ones we hold close to our hearts for many years to come. The loving care which went into them make them treasures for a lifetime.

The little shop of Repujado!

Picking up a few new skills!

























This week in Torreon I went with Ro & Joan to the Repujado studio & worked on the Mexican metal craft called Repujado. This art form dates at least back to the 12th Century. Called repujado in Spanish and repoussé in French. Repujado is the craft of pushing, working or making a relief in metal. The metal elements differ but the process is exactly the same. We worked the metal images in a series of steps, then had the back of the relief filled with resin. Once it dried we glazed the pieces to give the luster & tone to the metal we desired. Once finished it is mounted on wood, framed, or often times on boxes of some type. I have a much larger project I am still working on...give me another day, week or month! Long range projects don't ever seem to be a problem here South of the Border, after all this is Mexico. So, I'm quite willing to take the "manana" approach to these long range projects. Somethings are okay to drag out, especially if enjoyable.


Ricardo & his wife Alejandra own the Ricale Arte Manual on La Rosita in Torreon. They are some of the most fabulous people I've had the pleasure to meet. They introduced me to what seemed like the whole family & made the whole experience an absolute joy!

Rosemary was quite busy with her hammer & punch. It's a great form of therapy! Think of the money we'd all save if we picked up a hammer or paintbrush to work those frustrations out~

Just for fun, staying cool in this heat!

In the course of the last several weeks we have had furnace like heat here in Mexico. The Celsius degrees seem a little better or easier to look at, than the Fahrenheit which seem to melt even the strongest of temperaments. I can certainly take more heat than bitter cold but a week ago when it was 1O9*, I seriously envied the friends who get sad about long cold winters...
The Mosaic is just for kicks but thought it was an entertaining, clean, non habit forming activity! Enjoy~

What would your answers or Photos be for the Questions?





















The Questions~

1. What is my first name blog wise or in the real world?
2. What is my favorite food?
3. What high school did I attend?
4. What is my favorite color?
5. Who is my celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do I want to be when I grow up?
10. What do I love most in life?
11. One Word to describe me.
12. My on line, blog or site name.

1. Texas
2. Mexican cuisine, go figure!
3. H.M. King High, Kingsville Texas, that is Henrietta King herself in that vintage Portrait, of the King Ranch dynasty fame.
4. Blue
5. I have not really had one since forever.... I might be dating myself with the Monkeys, David Cassidy & the likes...I was never really into that stuff too much anyway.
6. Sangria made the Mexican way
7. Somewhere I have not been, always dreamed about & is on my Bucket List!
8. Sacher Torte from Vienna at the Sacher Hotel.
9. A quiet Rancher woman with a few head of cattle & some fuzzy donkeys...yes donkeys. Being in Mexico has given me great adoration for these gentle, hardworking little creatures. *or I could do with a few Beach Cows & Donkeys! Only time will tell, I guess!
10. not what but who...my family, can not imagine life without them.
11. Peaceful
12. Dee, I am a Texan living in Mexico, somewhere South of the Border...

Knitting South of the Border

I have finally found a yarn shop here in Monterrey with very high quality yarns that I am used to being able to find at home. Perseverance does pay off. The shop was so well arranged & had beautiful skeins of wools, mohair & acrylics that I wanted to reach out & touch. I can tell I will spend alot of time in the "Crochet" shop...
I also had time this past weekend to finish my cable knit scarf. Now if it will only get cool enough again to wear it!

Quilting ~ A piece of home right here in Mexico!

I was invited to join the International Quilters of Monterrey Mexico. This group has been going strong for more than 20 years now. I don't profess to be a great Quilter by any stretch of the imagination but certainly hope my skills will improve around these extraordinary, skilled Quilters. They seem to a great group of talented, smart women.







I like the current IQMM monthly project it's the Square of the month & no two renditions are alike. Guess which Quilt Square is mine? (hint...it is in English!) Once all 12 months are completed, each of us will have a wonderful full sized quilt.

Thinking Green just before Turkey Day!

If this drink is good enough for Oprah then it is worth trying! I needed to use up the produce as we pack up & head to Texas for Thanksgiving. I juiced it all & it is really quite tasty! Salute & Buen Provencho!






Green Drink Recipe
2 apples, cored
2 big handfuls of spinach
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1 celery stick, chopped
1 thumbnail length of ginger root, peeled
1 lemon - juice only (use peel slice for zest)
1 medium cucumber

**I can't find lemons here & substituted persian limes. Also, he suggested adding sweet things if it is too tart. I added the juice from 2 small clementines. Anyway, one can feel quite virtuous having something like this a day or so before Thanksgiving~helps to stay the course!

Cleaning out & straightening up!

Pretty neat & tidy!

I cleaned out the refrigerator since we are traveling to Torreon for the week. I have a real adversion to returning to green & growing things that shouldn't be...

Post Script: After last night's dinner of veggies & left overs there aren't many green veggies left! Also, Patti we are waiting for another visit for the Dom...I'm trying to be good here South of the Border...

I made something today!

Picture this~I made an apron because a girl can never have too many of those! Yep, I did have a little furry sewing assistant. She is truly helpful in the department of texture & color!

Time Change~but not in the States...

Will try not to rant & rave too much but this weekend we had a time change South of the Border. We "Fall Back" & supposedly gain an hour but I don't see it that way when I am feeling tired on a Monday morning...Also, since television programing is from the states, both my computer & cable channel times are all off by an hour. **I do love my new Starbucks San Antonio mug my daughters gave me. Seeing the Alamo in the morning makes me smile!! Also, in case you wondered we had 54 degree temps here last night & this house is cold...I guess I will get over the time change here in a day or so!

What's inside my purse?

Inspired by an Flickr question; I thought I would show what was inside my purse....


















The only things missing are my cell phones which were charging this morning. I have a Mexico Cell phone & Texas Cell phone. Now the people who ask me why my purse is soooo heavy can surely understand!

Late night kitchen adventure~

A late cup of coffee can make many late night activities fly right along! A few apples, some Caramel wraps, dipping chocolate & Halloween sprinkles~the possibilities are truly endless...

Because she said it was funny ~ and it is....Mango Snickerdoodle???

Seriously excellent use of my time South of the Border. This was sent to me by my friend Nancy just for fun! Give it a try! Fun, fun, fun!! You don't have to but copy it & try changing it up yourself or blog it!


1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -"Cat Pacifica" (our first pet when I was tiny was a cat named Laurie & she had kittens:)
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) -"Mango Snickerdoodle"
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) "D-Kin" (yikes, sounds like an insecticide!)
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) -Blue Cat
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) -"Ann Jacksburo"~now that doesn't sound Redneck does it????
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -"Kinda"~hmmm, kinda what???
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) -"The Pink Margarita"
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) -Dan Charlie ~ that could work! Sounds like it could work in Talladega Nights!
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) -Sicily Kisses!!! Dolce & Gabana would be so proud to have that perfume as a stripper name!
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) -"Prescott Pasadena" (Pretty sure we caught Mr. Prescott shaving his legs one time!!!)
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) -Thanksgiving Rose.
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) -"Raspberry Pajamie"
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) -"Bagel Live Oak"
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) -"The Sew/Scrap/Photo/Blog Lightening Tour" **Sounds way busy if you ask me, but I couldn't take any of that away! It is what keeps me going down here!!

Dinner Napkins~

Thought I would sew up some dinner napkins from some great fabric I found in Torreon. More surprising patterns, fabrics & textures South of the Border! Pink background, marigolds & skulls. Perfect whimsical napkins for Halloween or Dia de la Muertos...it makes me smile anyway!

All those "Honey Do~Mom Do" projects!

As Marilyn said: "I'm very definitely a woman and I enjoy it." If Marilyn had gone to college today she would have loved all of the ultra girlie choices of decorating items.






















Getting "younger daughter" into her apartment this trip home meant we had some little "Honey Do" projects to whip together once Mom arrived in town. (besides it is hard to say no to "please Mom" & the look!) With a some sand paper, glue, glossy enamel Hot Pink Delta Zeta paint colors, we had most of our little finishing touches done in time to add to the haul going down to Campus. The better part of that move is the fact that the boyfriend came along & helped haul, put together & keep us from making a million trips up & down the stairs with all of her "stuff". Our baby girl seemed happy with the very girlie touches. Most notable was the shelf we decoupaged with the ultra girlie classic Marilyn Monroe photos which looked tres chic with her Marilyn posters. Thank goodness we were shopping for her apartment necessities in Austin rather than Mexico!!