Catching up at the end of the year!

Time has just flown by and I've been meaning to post about various things but haven't gotten around to it.  First of all, Duane and I 'shopped small business Saturday' after Thanksgiving in her neighborhood, Seminole Heights.  Love the stores there and both of us did quite a bit of Christmas shopping that day.

If you keep up with national news, you'll know that Seminole Heights was dealing with a serial killer until just a few weeks ago.  He hadn't been caught before the shop hop and our buddy, Greg, owner of Cleanse Apothecary, told us that he had been escorting customers to their cars if they felt uncomfortable.  Everyone was on edge and businesses like some of the restaurants really felt the difference in their evening hours.  However, the man who has been charged was caught due to a tip from a co-worker, so the residents and businesses in Seminole Heights were very relieved.  Four people were simply executed on the streets.  No connections to each other and, as far as the public knows, the alleged killer did not know any of his victims.  So tragic for the families.

On the recording front, The Online Stage released a collection of Mike Murphy's radio plays on Audible.  I had a role in the play The Return of Cosmo Draper which is included in A Radio Play Collection:


Six quirky radio dramas brought to you by members of The Online Stage. Featuring the voices of Amanda Friday, Brett Downey, Susan Iannucci, Alan Weyman, Leanne Yau, Beth Thomas, Lucy Perry, Ed Humpal, Charlotte Duckett, John Burlinson, Eileen Tipping, Denis Daly, Nancy German, Jeff Moon, Peter Tucker, Ben Stevens, Ron Altman, K.G Cross, P.J. Morgan, Marty Kryz, Maureen Boutilier, Noel Badrian, Bob Neufeld, Lee Ann Howlett, Joseph Tabler, David Prickett, and Tovarisch.

Program
Danny MacIntyre Meets the Molecule
Family Tree
Happy Birthday, Dear Emily
The Forever Pill
The Gift
The Return of Cosmo Draper


You can listen to the sample and/or purchase from Audible here.
                    

I'm currently recording another true crime book for Wildblue Press called A Special Kind of Evil: The Colonial Parkway Murders by Blaine L. Pardoe and Victoria Hester.  It should be for sale on Audible in February.  I'll post here when that happens.

 I actually managed to make some Christmas ornaments this year for my three nieces.  I found this great pattern to crochet a snowman face that you then stretch over a battery operated tea light.

I made three just like this one. The left pic shows it unlit and the right side is with the nose lighted.

I used this free pattern here from Ravelry.  So fast and easy to do!  I didn't even need to purchase any fabric paint.  I just used some blush on the cheeks and dotted some red nail polish for the mouths.  Easy-peasy and the girls loved them. 💟

More on the Christmas front, including 'Ugly Sweater Family Night' where my mom lives.  My sister Carol made ugly Christmas sweaters for our mom and her three granddaughters.  They were a pretty big hit -- lights and all.

My mom as a fireplace with my 3 nieces as a reindeer, snow globe, and Christmas tree.

 

Taylor, the reindeer, from the back.

Then the Friday before Christmas, we held a painting party at Painting With a Twist for an early celebration of my mother's birthday.  My mom, her four children, five grandchildren, and one fiancee, all painted a pic of various animals 'bringing home the tree.'

The painting party.

My, ahem, masterpiece.

Christmas was spent in rented condos on the beach on Treasure Island.  Below is a pic I took from the balcony.  I'm not a great photographer but it was beautiful weather.

Christmas at Treasure Island beach.

My whole family was together this year including my youngest sister, Heidi, her husband Charlie, and their two girls, Bailey and Taylor.  They live in northern Virginia.  (George's hometown area.) We all had a blast.

Sheesh.  I need to go back to blogging more often.  These long posts are tedious.  😜

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉