2015: A Very Good Year

It seems that each new year slips by faster than it's predecessor.  As the old year draws to a close, I love to look back on my photos and take time to relive the memories that molded the year for me.
Good or bad, they are woven into my life and have brought me further along life's journey.
So, as we excitedly await the arrival of 2016, I'd like to share some snippets of my 2015 with you.

JANUARY ~ New beginnings in my repertoire of jewelry skills with the addition of learning the nuances of working with fine silver precious metal clay.

FEBRUARY ~ filled with Valentine love, Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows, Art Retreat in the Desert, and wonderful trip to Orlando to spend time with dear friends.

salt water etching metal

Orlando in February can be cold!

MARCH ~ I revisited my "paper art" with a class at Bluemoon Scrapbooking.  

We celebrated Melissa's 36th Birthday.

APRIL ~ Our Kiki celebrated her 40th Birthday in grand style with a girls' getaway to L.A. and a surprise Birthday brunch.

MAY ~ My sweet man and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary! I also got new "parts" with a cataract removal and lens implant, and the beginning process for two dental implants!

JUNE ~ We hosted a baby shower for Jessie and baby-due-to arrive, Maxton Duke.  

A lovely and much needed walkway and front yard patio was built.

JULY ~ all roads led to my 50th high school reunion!  A more perfect gathering, I could not imagine.

AUGUST ~ a return to OCMD and Sunset Island with old friends who are more like family.

SEPTEMBER ~ class begins for me at my parish, Sts. Peter & Paul,  on the 2000+ year history of the Roman Catholic Church.

OCTOBER ~ 2 Holiday Trunk Shows, one in Phoenix and one in Tucson. 

2 Broadway in Tucson shows, Annie and Phantom.

NOVEMBER ~ Thanksgiving, preparations begin for the Advent Season, and celebrating my birthday with family and friends was awesome and seemed to last all month! 

Thanksgiving

Advent begins

 The Christmas dishes appear...

And we unwrap the Christmas decorations.

DECEMBER ~ much merry making this month!

Luminaria Nights at the Tucson Botanical Gardens

A wreath making party and ornament exchange

Family night at the Gaslight ~ "Race to the North Pole"

Cookie baking

A snow scene at La Encantada

A Birthday Boy to celebrate

Our Christmas tree....

To....

Adorn!

I received the most beautiful surprise in the mail, this lovely ornament from my dear friend Katherine, who lives in Toronto, Canada.  Katherine has gifted me with a handmade lovely for the past number of years and they always have a special place on our tree and in our home!

Morning Mass on Christmas Day at our parish

As I scroll back up through this post, double check my calendar for events, scan over my photos, I have no doubt that this 2015 has been a very good year!

I will be participating in Ali Edwards class, One Little Word.  I haven't been in class since 2012, so I'm quite excited to get back to school.  My word for 2016 is ~

Wishing you all a most beautiful and safe final days of 2015 and countless blessings for you in 2016!

Now, Where Was I???

Gosh, it's hard to believe that it's not quite a month since our last chat!  I guess the calendar explains how time flew by...

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Throughout November, dear friends and family feted me for my Birthday...

Tucked in between my celebrations, we celebrated Thanksgiving...a traditional family feast with dishes that have been part of our lives since childhood, and priceless family time together...

In the blink of an eye, we welcomed Advent ~ preparing our hearts and home for this blessed season with...

our Advent Wreath

Decorating our home...

A trip to Luminaria Nights at the Tucson Botanical Gardens...

Family night at The Gaslight Theatre...

As mentioned last month,  I'm documenting the December's activities in my December Daily project...

Cover pages ~

Some of the dailies ~

There are still cookies to bake, a tree to decorate, presents to be wrapped (although I'm way ahead of the game for the first time EVER!!), and the Feast of the Seven Fishes to plan...

Oh, December, where have you gone?

Until January, wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!  Thank you for all your visits with me this year! XO

Life, As Usual...

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Life as usual has been the order of the day this past month, and that's perfectly okay in my book. 

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With the holidays peeking around the corner and all that means, daily routine is a good thing.

I took a little breather after my Trunk Shows, but had three commissioned pieces to complete for my clients before the holidays set in...

Halloween arrived and our girls were the Emoji Twins...

Even our little pug Alice got into the act as the Rufferee!

Celebrating at Stephanie and Jeremy's Halloween Party...
Our amazing hosts were the Stanley Cup and Black Hawks player...

The party was not short on fabulous decorations either!

November brought the annual Fun Day at our Sts. Peter & Paul Parish.  It was a fantastic success.  We were so happy to watch our Goddaughter, Serena, perform to "Say Yes" ala Michelle Williams, Kelly Rowland, and Beyonce. I think those famous ladies would be proud of sweet Serena's rendition.

A first for the Hess family this year was Tucson's All Souls Procession (click on the link to learn more)....  What an amazing event! 

Kiki, Jeremy, Stephanie, Shotzie, Kiko

My sweet SIL turned me on to preparing and freezing my Christmas cookie dough in advance, so I devoted last week to doing just that ~ all six batches!  I did this last year and found that baking them was not only a breeze, but a pleasure.

Wishing my new hip a very Happy 1st Year Birthday!!

Went in for my check up, had the x-ray, and doc said the hip is perfect ~ and it sure feels perfect!  Thank you, Dr. John Wild, Jr., staff at TOI ~ I love you all!

I'm embarking on a December project ~ December Daily with Ali Edwards.  I'm excited to be archiving the month with journal and photo entries for each day.  

I'll keep you posted....supplies have arrived and I'm already planning my foundation pages.

While I'm passionate about my jewelry creations, I also love getting back to my "paper roots."  Stay tuned!

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family!  We all have so much for which to be thankful...

As always, I'm thankful and blessed for your visit and support!