OUT AND ABOUT...

Create Your Life,

annie!

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BEST OF SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was rendered speechless, when the MC of 

the TAMPA BAY SURFACE DESIGN GUILD's 

FEMALE VOICES EXHIBIT at the Octagon Art Center

looked at me, and said, 

"And Best of Show goes to...annie! Wade."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's ME!!!!!

I'll post more later...as soon as I get pictures. I forgot to bring my camera that night!

Create Your Life,

annie!

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Once again...I'm feeling the love of all you lovely people.

When I arrived, my sister...who's address I use when in Colombia...

Claudia's birdie...named Claudia...hanging with her post card and one of my little door knob quilts.

sent me a couple packages with goodies that just tickle my heart.

Claudia Montieth...otherwise known as Cedarstuff on Flickr...

sent the sweetest little birdie ornament across the pond...from London,

which I will treasure and hang in my new house as soon as we close on it.

YEP! We have a house 'under contract' and hopefully closing before we have to return to Colombia in March! 

We looked at 40-50 houses and honestly...in our price range...I was pretty disappointed with what we saw.

Anything that was on the 'nice' side was gobbled up as soon as it hit the market. So, I'm thankful that we were in a position to gobble up the one we did. 

As soon as we saw it...we both loved it. Both of us. That hadn't totally happened before.

I'm not going to show pictures (other than the one above) until it's officially ours...but it's an exciting time...for sure. 

I also received these small pieces from a dear blogging friend, Waggonswest.

I'm not sure what I'll do with these...but they're among the top of my already growing stack of stuff to work on!

Thank you both so much for the lovely gifts! I feel loved! I am loved!

Thanks too to all of you for your continued encouraging, uplifting comments and support. I wouldn't want to be without you.

Create Your Life,

annie!

JUST LET GO...OK?!?

When we decided to leave Barranquilla,

we knew we wouldn't be bringing most of our possessions with us.

We may only bring a couple more suitcases full when we finally move here in June or July.

As I was packing for this trip,

I collected the items I would want to take with me

 - right away - 

if there were a fire.

My daughter, thankfully, 

wants and has room for 

most or all of our old family items...

and my hundreds of photos and photo albums. 

Who knows, she may even take time to scan them all into her computer? 

(I can hope) :)

Anyhoo...I ended up bringing 80 pounds of costume jewelry...

a couple huge zip lock bags of buttons...

2 stuffed animals that I couldn't bear to part with,

some select fabrics that I didn't want to leave behind...

my Juki sewing machine...which Customs MADE me check. 

And it wasn't wrapped properly because I thought I was carrying it onto the plane with me. 

It's in the shop now, but I think it'll work just fine.

Oh. And I also brought all my favorite clothes 

and ALL my artwork, including gifts that I've received from friends.

When Sophia saw me packing my art...she said, 

"annie! grandma...what are you going to do with my artwork"?

And I told her, "I'm going to take every bit of it with me and mod-podge it to a wall in our new house".

And I will. 

So, I packed 58 years

into 4 checked, overweight suitcases, 1 carry-on (cuz remember, they made me check my Juki, and 2 personal items.

I love the idea of starting from scratch. (most of the time)

It's quite liberating.

Create Your Life,

annie!