Happy Holidays 2017 Keeping it Simple

Happy Holidays from The Gallop's  we are so THANKFUL for everyone who supported our dream this year and without each and everyone of you we would not have our dream.

 

Julie our Pit Bull Mix doggie watches me put every decorations on. We have had her more than a year now actually 18 months and we were able to rescue her from The Paws of Hertford County. Although she rescued me I always tell her. I had had my should surgery when Colten showed me the website and I saw her and I wrote a long story of why we wanted her and come to find out she had been there since February of 2016 and it was August at the time of 2016 and she was still there. I told the boys she was just waiting for us!!! We all love her dearly!

 

Tomorrow we get to open this to test if it is ready......so exciting!!

 

 

These are the BEST OF NINE from Instagram. These are the picture that got the most likes throughout the year. I was glad to see the soap made one of them of the drying rack. Of course the honey in the comb. When Ledger was born. Amanda's beautiful cake for Aubrey's 1st Birthday. The one of the boys running on the beach in the OBX. Some of our nature walks. Aubrey's first birthday pics. Skylar and I together one of our last pics before she went back home.

 

 Skylar and Dusty running on the beach for the warmer times of the year. We have been cold here and I do not care for the cold...already looking forward to summer.

As I was think too this should be a week you need to reflect on your word for the year coming up. Are you going to do daily journal entries. Are you going to post daily to Instagram. Are you going to do a 52 lists project or maybe a index card a day? Or even the Tiny Buddha's 365 Tiny Love Challenges. These are some ideas to be thinking about this upcoming week. As you look forward into the New Year,  

 

Hiking 

OBX

Bruce and I have been married for 32 years now This was a little video my phone put together of us. All mostly with in the last two years except one was FROM LIKE 8 YEARS ago.

We had a wonderful holiday and mostly I'm just so thankful I have been able to rest and catch up on some house work, paper work, cleaning, and life in general when you run a farm this size and its basically just Bruce, Colten and me doing all the work. Its very hard and exhausting. We really never have much down time or movie time or just relaxing. Example last night 2:30 am one of the hens was making noises which never happens and Bruce and I had to go outside in the cold on Christmas Eve and see what was going on. As I tell everyone we never close.  

 

 

The YouTube Video of the Pics

 

Some of my favorites of Skylar.

 

Look at this beautiful gift our daughter Crystal sent us.

 

The boys got a Battleship game as a Christmas Eve gift and have been playing over and over.

Simple fun!

I got them one of those Ugly Sweater Cookie Kits and they had such a  great time with it.

 

You can see the laughs on the boys faces

 

Dusty and his cookie frosting got all over his face and his looked like he had seriously ate a lot of sugar. #FUN

 

This was our Christmas Eve Supper of Zaycon shrimp which you could get your order here zayconfresh.com/refer/zf484673 and let me tell you its the BEST!!!! I meet the truck when I have orders and pick up some of the best meats available. So if you are interested check it out.

 

This was the turkey we cooked. Cooper said it looked like a VIKING Turkey, lol! I guess because it was going to be a feast.

I soaked it in a brine and then cooked it. It turned out wonderfully.

 

My handmade potato salad.

Has our pickles on it.

See below for recipe. I really never measure it but I am sure you can make it just start small you can always add more but you cant always take away.

 

 

 

My potato salad recipe I usually use one medium sized onion chopped in the food processor, approx.. 3 celery stalks. Ranch dressing powder I use approx. 1-2 Tablespoons, 1/2 cup of my pickles chopped and approx.. 1/4 cup of juice. 2 tsps. of celery salt. You can add celery seeds too approx. 1-2 tsps. that is optional I do not add them because the boys don't like them. Paprika and salt and pepper to your taste. I do the peel the potatoes if others are going to eat it but if we are at home

 I don't peel them. Mix all ingredients in bowl and chill or eat hot the boys like it both ways.

Bruce got the gag gift from Alexis. A blow up beard of bees. Everyone has laughed.

This is the terrarium kit that Dusty got he loves plants and planting which of course makes me so proud.

The kit is from here AMAZON 

He had a blast making it and I can see more to come his Ideas were flowing.

 

This is what it looked like in the dark.

 

This is was Christmas Morning we didn't have many gifts but the boys got what they needed and a few requests. We kept it real simple and everyone was able to enjoy what they did get and Dusty was sad that Bruce and I had no gifts o unwrap then they saw Alexis had sent us a box of goodies. I told Dusty we didn't need anything we were happy to see them get a few things and that was all that mattered. We had gave to the Salvation Army every chance we could and that made us much more happy than any materialist items. We certainly enjoyed a simple Christmas.

#KEEPINGITSIMPLE  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Week 3 of 48 Weeks a Class Taught by Donna Downey ~Make Each Day a New Day~

This is my take on Week 3 this was my first week that I was able to start when I signed up, you can read more about it HERE
This again was a lot of fun and this theme was perfect for me, I used broken sea glass in my flowers and wrote the quote I found on the Internet that spoke to me.
I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut the flowers, and the "wheat" that I turned into sea oats....love! Of course teals and neon's are my favorite colors ....well at least when I buy stuff I seam to be so attracted to them....on another note here lately I have been gravitating to purples.....which NEVER have been my thing....but it has been more in the clothing aspect of it. I recently had a reading done by a true psychic and when I sat down the first thing she said was "Is this color a new color for you? (I was wearing purple that I just bought for the very first time) and I said YES and she said well it looks very nice and you and truly is your color.....so now I'm seeing purple in a whole new world. You can join in 48 Weeks at anytime....and catch up or work anywhere you might want to begin....I'm having a blast and I know you will too!
You can see other classmates work HERE
If you would like to look at my Week 2 Go HERE
or my Week 1 Go HERE
 

 

Love the orange flowers

I hope you liked Week 3 I will try to get the next class done as soon as I can to share.

 

Close up of the flower from 48 weeks class 3.

 

I have a few more things to show you on my next post until next time go forth and be artful!

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Spellbinder's Turtle and Ice Resin Copper Mixed Media Necklace using the Roll Mill " You Gotta Keep Swimming" and a few Beach Pics of the Summer

 I started off making a tutorial for what someone had asked me to do.......but it lead into this...so much for the tutorial...well that's next I'm guessing??

This is the Spellbinder's Turtle it is brass, which I hammered and added the copper shell that was sent thru the roll mill. The base is copper 22 gauge and has molten solder that has been stamped into for the texture. The bezel cup has Ice Resin with shards of sea glass. The baby turtle also from Spellbinder's I added a copper shell to his back that was hammered and soldered on.

Another view of the turtle necklace

Different angle of the turtle necklace

                                                         Here you can see the shell better of the turtle

 

A good view of the Ice resin

Some beads that a dear friend gave me.

Me once I finished the necklace I couldn't wait to show my family so I snapped a pic to start showing them. This was before the liver of sulfur.

 

  A collage of the turtle necklace

 

                                           My granddaughter came to stay with us for two weeks!!! It was fun!!

We tried to take her fun places that everyone could enjoy.

 I am trying to sneak a few pics in on my yields from the garden!! All I can say is WOW!! It must be all the rain. I have canned tomatoes, salsa, blueberry jam, pickles....not to mention the freezer items.

                                   My sunflowers have once again amazed me with their beauty!
                                                                 A Hipstamatic pic!

                            The butterflies have been so beautiful and vibrant on the buddleia this year.

  Of course we have spent ALOT of time at the beach, OBX. The boys really enjoy it and glamp all weekend each and every weekend we can at our glamper!

Colby works really hard to master Skim boarding....he does an excellent job!

  Crystal came back home to pick up Skylar after her two weeks of vacation at camp grandma's.

Skylar liked the sand...right in the mouth, lol!

                                                         Love the action shots Dusty gives me.

Leaving the beach, Uncle Cody toted Skylar back to the car.

We go fishing every chance we can......the boys have really enjoyed that each and every year more and more.

I hope you are having a fabulous summer!!!!

Enjoy it while it is here!!

Skylar by the pool!

I try to take the boys to the pool as much as possible each day.

 

 

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A few GIFT Ideas with the Tiles and Vinyl great for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Teacher Appreciation, Birthday's, and Holiday's. Made with the Silhouette Cameo. A few Summer pics too.

This is one of the vinyl cuts from Silhouette Cameo it is a great quote from Henry Adams. Made on a 12x12 tile from Lowes. The stand is from the craft dept. at Wal-Mart. I also buy the stands from Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and AC Moore. I'm sure you can find them at the frame shops too, they are made for plate, and/or picture stands. I purchase the vinyl from Mario at VINYL VILLAGE

he ships fast, will do what you ask, and packs the product well!!!!

 

This is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse cut from the vinyl on the Silhouette Cameo also on the 12x12 tile from Lowes. This frame came from Hobby Lobby. I love this one I made for my neighbor as a gift who collects lighthouses.  

 

This one also done on the Silhouette Cameo, I made for my mother for Mother's Day this year. Again the vinyl from Vinyl Village was used.

 

Another one for my aunt, made from the vinyl on the Silhouette, I love my dog.

 

This one here I made for our school principal on a floating frame I bought from Michael's I designed the whole piece using several cuts from the Silhouette. Love how it turned out, so elegant. The vinyl worked well, I found a little trick in the process with the frames, is to step away for at least an hour and then they peel up without any difficulty. Here Colten is graduating from the fifth grade.....hard to believe all ready!!! The children did an amazing job on the presentation of the graduation! Once again our teachers ROCK!!!

 

Here is one I made for the Librarian at our school, Mrs. Brickhouse she lead the E-BoB the Battle of the Books team this year and at our pool party I had the children and parents sign it as a thank you to her for all her hard work and dedication. The kids did an awesome job!! Thanks again to our wonderful librarian. This is also a Silhouette cut and the 12x12 tile from Lowes. The vinyl from Vinyl Village.

 

I thought I would stick in a few pics of the fun we are having at the beach already this summer.

Dusty and Colten at the OBX

Pure Hipstamatic

Another vinyl creation of the LOVE made from the Silhouette using the vinyl I made this one for Alexis who is getting married soon.

 

                                                           A shell Colby found on the beach.

A seagull on the beach.

The Avalon fishing Pier area

                                                 The Lifeguard stand at the Jeannette's Pier

                                            The kids at the beach, Colby, Abigail (my granddaughter),  Cooper.

                                                                      Dusty and Abigail

I will Always Love you! A Mother's Day Plaque made with the Silhouette Cameo using the vinyl. I made this one for Crystal for Mother's Day. Love this one!!

 

I hope you enjoyed some of these vinyl creations.

Cyber Hugs, Dawn Gallop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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