Oh Geeze, I Was Tagged and Have To Be Honest

My dear friend, Cheryl, from Gratitude Gal, tagged me. I have to list ten things about myself that you may not know, tag ten others and link back to Cheryl. Mmmm. What unknown entities do I wish to share . . .

1. I am the third of four siblings and was always the most social and outgoing, smartest, prettiest, etc., etc. (None of my siblings read this so I can say what I want)

2. I am claustrophobic and afraid of heights.

3. I have been Rachel's Girl Scout leader since she was in Kindergarten. She's now going into 10th grade.

4. I went to sleep away camp every year when I was a kid. I even won a free week at camp for bringing the most kids to Sunday School.

5. I love to do laundry, but hate to mop the floor. I do it, but I hate to.

6. My very first job was at Hot Sam, a pretzel shop at the Livingston Mall. At the end of the night, after everything was all cleaned up and put away, I had to mop the little floor in front of the shop. I hated it. That's probably why I hate to mop the floor now. I was able to bring leftover pretzels home at the end of the night. My dad loved that!!

7. My favorite number is seven. I was born in the seventh month. My dad passed away at 77. Whenever the temperature in my car reads 77, I think of my dad.

8. I really do not like to travel. The furthest I've ever been from home is Toronto and that was a recruiting trip for work. I've never been further west than Tennessee.

9. I used to have a plum tree in my backyard as a child and I planted 300 red tulip bulbs beneath it. It was just gorgeous when all were in bloom. I miss it every Spring.

10. While it really stinks to not be the youngest wherever I go anymore, I really like the person I've become.

Okay, now I'm supposed to tag ten, but I'm only going to tag seven because that's my favorite number. Only do this if you want to. I won't be insulted, but I'd like to read your list too!

1. Glenda - Many Fond Memories

2. KeKe - In My Sepia Studio

3. Deb - Garage Sale Gal

4. Cheryl - Mommy and Me

5. Michele - Country Vintage

6. Kay - Musings

7. Sherri - Sherri's Jubilee

I leave tomorrow for New Jersey. I haven't seen Rachel since June 22nd. I'm missing her quite a bit now so I hope she's ready for some cracked ribs - not really, but she will be getting a gigundo hug from me and kisses galore!!

And The Winner Is . . .

Thank you all for leaving your comments and sharing your talents. It's always nice to hear people give credit to themselves for something they're good at. To select the winner, I entrusted the help of my co-worker, Cynthia. She has worked with me for the last five years, helping to keep our office running smoothly. I am very proud of Cynthia because while she was working full time with me, she attended nursing school full time also and just graduated! Cynthia is now an RN and is getting ready to start her nursing career at a local hospital within the next couple of weeks. So after a couple of years of hard work learning how to be a nurse, Cynthia has more than doubled her salary and will soon be at a hospital near you. Hard work and perseverance does pay off.

Now for the giveaway winner . . .

My trust little handmade bag . . .

All of the commentors names in the bag . . .

Cynthia selecting a name . . .

And the winner is . . .



Oh wait. I can't see it. Let me put my glasses on . . .


Yeah!!!

Victoria Lynn of Sweet Victoria Antiques!!!

Your package is packed, ready to go and will be in the mail to you tomorrow! I hope you enjoy.


Had to share this picture of my Logan with Katelyn. We went out to dinner tonight and I thought this was a cute picture so had to share.


Katelyn was Logan's first girlfriend in 8th grade. They say they're just friends now, but they sure make a cute couple to me . . .

Time For My Giveaway

I love this "little" blogging community of ours and I am happy to be a participant. It is such fun to see what people found thrifting over the weekend, or who rearranged a room, purchased new bedding, created new artwork, made a tasty dish, had a memorable family celebration, shared a woe, took us on a sightseeing tour or any one of the many things we all blog about. Who doesn't feel they have friends here in blogland? I remember when I first started, I had the hardest time keeping people straight and remembering how I got to certain blogs. Now I love to find new blogs and make new blogging friends.

To thank you all for bringing joy to blogging, I am having a little giveaway. Just leave a comment between now and Saturday, July 4th, and I will enter your name. I have a few things to offer, so read all about it . . .

First is this adorable milky white pedestal with a lace edge. I found this at Home Goods and couldn't resist.
I love little creamers. I think it's fun to have a variety to suit your mood on any given day. This one is made in Portugal.


Don't you just love these dinner napkins?


Here is a nice little memory book you can make with lots of embellishments included.


I love chipboard! You can do so much with it. I just found this little set of seven sweet birds on a little chain. This would be really cute dressed up to highlight special photo's.


Have you ever used Grunge Paper? I just found this Tim Holtz paper and had to get another package to include here. You would not believe all the things you can do with this. It is really fun to work with.



There you have it! If you would be interested in being the recipient of these goodies, please leave me a comment and tell me about one of your talents. My background is Human Resources and I am always trying to find out what people are good at. It's amazing the hard time people have coming up with a talent! We all have them. For me, I am a positive person. I can always see the good in people or situations. I love to tell someone when they've done something great, or that they look good, or that they're really good at something. It makes me feel good to make others feel good.

All commentors will be included, but if you do share a talent, I'll add your name twice.

Celebrate 147 posts with me and my one year blogaversary back in April. I hope you all have a great week!!

My New Purchase

Guess what I bought today?



I have been wanting this Trek Hybrid Bicycle for quite some time. I think I first started dreaming about it a year ago. I spoke to lots of people about road bikes and Trek came in as the most recommended.

Rachel and I have been riding a Schwinn, but it's too big for me and makes me nervous. This Trek is 14" and fully adjustable so it fits me perfectly. I got the whole works - the lock, the handlebar bag, the computerized odometer, helmet and car rack. I have been saving my money for this and it was the highlight of my day to put this bike on the back of my car and drive away.

I went for a nice ride around 8pm tonight, but that was too late. It got dark while I was out and until I'm more used to riding, I'd rather ride during daylight. I plan on getting up early tomorrow to hit the road before the sun is too high.

It's amazing how good this bike feels. It handles so well, looks really great and makes me feel like I've found my niche. The guy that owns the bicycle shop told me about a really great bike trail on the island of Palm Beach. The trail goes along the intracoastal down to the inlet, for a total ride of ten miles of beautiful scenery. This is going to be fun and I'm so excited.

So Much To Say

First of all, is this not the cutest???

I'm not ready to hit the highways or byways just yet, so Rachel is practicing driving in the church parking lot across the street from us. It's fun, well at least for Rachel. I'm still jumping and braking and breathing heavy, but it's cool.

Next, remember how I was kinda looking forward to Rachel going to visit my sister in New Jersey? Well, the day came and she's off . . . Here's a shot of Rachel and my sister, Lisa, getting ready to board. They flew up together to my other sister, Carol.

Logan is on his way to Lake Erie tomorrow with friends. My darling son is amazing in many ways, but he's always gotta be doing something to kinda drive me nuts. He went through the long hair stage in high school and I so totally hated it. He finally cut it right before graduation last year. I was thrilled. Not to last, though, of course! He looks like a mountain man in this picture at the airport when Rachel was leaving. I always cut the top of his head off in pictures. I'm 5'2"; he's 6'5".

He decided to spruce himself up for his trip tomorrow so he cut his hair. Yeah!

But, Logan!!! You forgot to get rid of the hair on your face!!!! Ugh!

So now that I have ten days without children, I have incredible plans! I'm so excited! I have a really cool purchase that I will be making on Saturday, which I will share with you then. And I plan on creating! I have been buying so many supplies that my cupboards are overflowing. Now I need to use them and I cannot wait.

If you want some inspiration, go check out Jennalee at Artrageous Afternoon. She's looking to see if anyone is interested in her newest creative swap. I think it looks like a lot of fun. She hosted the Easter Egg Swap not too long ago and I still can't bring myself to put those darling eggs away!!

Next, I joined my first E-Zine that Teresa McFayden offers. It starts next Monday and it's called, "A Journal of Interest" and looks to be a lot of fun. Teresa is a very talented lady and has much to offer at her Paper Bella Studio.

I'm looking forward to my "me" time. I don't get much of it and I'm one of those people that's always thinking of others and not enough of myself. I am now going to be selfish. I can't wait!! And I'll share all the details with you, so stay tuned . . .

Oh No!!!!!

Yep. She's cute. She's got a nice smile. She's well liked. In volleyball, her coach calls her "the beast"! Andddddddddd . . . she now has her permit!!!! That means she can drive! How can that be? Didn't I just give birth to her a mere 15 years ago??? She's not old enough to drive!!! Look at how sweet and little she is!!!!! She's my baby and she now can drive a big ole car????? Lord, help me!!!!!

In the wonderful State of Florida, you can get your driving permit at the age of 15, after successful completion of a four hour drug and alcohol test, as well as a written test. She did all the requirements, went with all documents in hand and that Kodak moment above, was my sweet Rachel posing for the photo for her driver's permit. She can't get her actual license for one year, so there's plenty of time to send her to driving school and get lots of practice before she's "let loose". She's already got her car picked out. Again, Lord, help me!!!!!

On a lighter note, today Tom and I are married 26 years. That's a looonnnnngggg time! A good day to get a learner's permit.

Where For Art Thou?

Don't know why I've had such a hard time blogging lately. It's not like I don't have things to write about. I've been busy - going places, doing things, creating, rearranging. Perhaps I'm too busy? I've been reading blogs, but not commenting much. I guess I'm just in a blog-slump. I have great items I've been collecting for my giveaway that I've spoken about. Now I need to get my act together and post about it. Giveaways are such fun! They strengthen the bonds of friendship.

In a recent issue of Somerset Life, I was reading an article written by Rebecca Sower. Have you visited her blog? Visit her here. She said that there are so many things she could blog about, but she sticks to the creative part of her life because that's what her readers want. I'm all over the place. Is that my problem? I can't analyze it. I love my blog - though I want to make it prettier. I love to blog - though I haven't been good about it lately. I like writing about whatever strikes me as interesting on any given day. And I guess that's the way it shall be. Happy Tuesday!

Sweet Summertime

I thought I'd be relieved when school was over. I thought life would be a little easier, less of a commitment to get somewhere by a certain time. I thought there would be relaxing summer nights, gabbing outside with my sister, watching the birds come home for the night. But nooooooo. "Mom, can you take me here?" "Mom, we're all going to Janie's." "Mom, can you take us to the beach?" "Mom, can you take us to the mall?" "Mom, can you pick me up at 11:30pm when Lindsay's birthday party is over?" "Mom, there's volleyball practice tomorrow. I need knee pads." "Mom, can I sleep over Vickie's?" "Mom, can we go to Walgreen's for the new Seventeen magazine?" School's not even out for a week and I'm exhausted already!!

Can I change my name?? Can I tell you how I'm counting the days until my darling daughter goes to visit my other sister in New Jersey for three weeks, count em . . . three weeks!!!!! At least I don't have to rush around in the morning like a madwoman trying to get the dear to school by 7:15am. I don't have to worry about making nutritious meals as soon as I walk in the door. I don't have to worry about homework or studying for exams, uh, hers, not mine. No more track meets, after school study groups or signing this or that which must be handed in yesterday, or $5 here, $10 there, and the yearbook is only $85.

Yes, I know. It will soon be over. Freshman year flew by in a flash and I know the next three years will zip by also. For now, I'll try to enjoy the sweet summertime. Pina colada anyone?

Bella

Remember Bella?

Bella was 9 months old on May 1st. We had her spayed this past Friday. I was a nervous wreck all day, because, after all, my baby was having surgery. She came through fine.

As you can see, I wasn't the only one worried about her. Logan was worried about Bella.

And Rachel was worried about Bella.

It's amazing how attached you can get to a dog!!

Handmade With Love

We are in the very slow process of cleaning out my mother-in-laws home. All the time we spend selecting and arranging things in our home for our pleasure and then one day we are no more and our home is dismantled and our things are dispersed and it is sad. But this is not meant to be a sad post. This is a post giving honor to my wonderful mother-in-law, Denise.

My dear MIL devoted her life to her family. She loved her home and took great care and pride in everything in her home. She did not work outside of the home, but worked so diligently inside to make it a haven for all who entered. There were many things Denise loved to do, but needlepoint was one of her favorites. She had many pieces she worked on so lovingly and I want to periodically share some of Denise's special things with my blogging friends.

This piece below hung over Denise's television in her living room. I am going to hang it in my office at work. It will give me peace and comfort knowing that something that was so special to Denise, something she spent many hours working on will share my workday space with me. Isn't it beautiful?

Can you imagine the time spent working each stitch? I love it and I will so enjoy looking at it as I go about my day. I spend eight hours of every day at work. It's nice to have special memories from home cozy it up a little bit.

Pretty Painted Roses

On Saturday, my friend, Hope, and I went to a craft show at the South Florida Fairgrounds. I used to go to this particular craft show whenever it was in town and inevitably, I always found something to bring home. My favorite vendor was "Sweet Dreams". Linda and her husband, Walter, work together to make a variety of items with very pretty pink roses. I could never leave without buying something from Linda and Walter.

This clock is one of my early purchases.

I've always kept my Snow Babies on this pretty little shelf. I love the creamy white against the pale pink stripes.

I couldn't resist this birdhouse.

My absolute most favorite item is this rocking chair. This is an old chair that I inherited when my grandfather passed away in 1991. It always sat in a little area of my grandparents kitchen and it was where my grandfather would sit and listen to "nana" tell us stories of her youth and falling in love, or where he'd sit and watch us bake cookies, or play hangman. My nana loved pink. As a little girl, I was amazed that a grown-up liked pink as those were the days of "harvest gold" and "avocado". But everything in my grandparents home was pink, including my grandfather's little rocking chair. I was thrilled when I found that no one "claimed" this chair when my grandfather passed away.

Through many years of use, the pink was faded and worn. When I finally decided that it was okay to change the look of this family heirloom, I commissioned Linda and Walter to refinish it with the pretty pink roses that I've always loved. They did a great job, I love it and I am so happy this little rocking chair is mine!!!

Having not been to one of these craft shows in a couple of years, it was a real pleasure to go on Saturday. I was very happy to see that Linda and Walter were still there, still making things with pretty pink roses. Not that I needed another clock, but this was Saturday's purchase.

It was great to see my crafty friends again. It's always interesting to see the many ways we connect with people in different places and spaces.

Finally Had Time to Make Something

Life has been a bit out of the ordinary lately and I haven't been able to do any crafting. I was very happy to sneak a little time this morning to finish up my mom's birthday gift. It was such fun! Here is the before picture.


And here is the finished product.

I am so pleased with how it turned out and I think my mom will love it. It was such fun to make and really did not take that long. I can't wait to see what she thinks.

Thought I'd share some pictures of the Palm Beach shoreline on a recent evening. It was so peaceful and serene.

This is why I live here . . . because it's not always hurricanes and hot, steamy weather.



It's my little corner of God's big, beautiful creation . . .

As the sun goes down on another day, the moon will light our way . . .

Hope you have a great week!!

To All Mom's . . .

Hope you enjoy the day!

May Day

My mother-in-law passed away on Friday, May 1, 2009 at 7:30 pm. I am so happy that I went back on Thursday night to tell her my feelings. I was going to go home and talk to her on Saturday because I couldn't be there on Friday. My brother-in-law encouraged me to go talk then and not wait. I could barely get out what I wanted to say as I was crying so much, but I told her how very special she was to me, all the wonderful lessons she taught us all by the way she lived her life and the beautiful memories I will carry with me forever. I thanked her for all the love she has given and assured her I would do my best to take care of things when she was gone. I told her I wanted to know she was okay, but please . . . do not come back and visit me. She loved that!

And so a beautiful life goes. We are here one minute and gone the next and our legacy lives on for those that love us. My mother-in-law was a unique individual in that she told it like it was, oh the stories I could tell, but her unconditional love was everlasting and that is what I will always remember and hold close to my heart until we meet again . . .

Seize Your Moments

Life has been so very interesting lately. My mother-in-law became a Hospice patient last night. She left the hospital on Monday for rehab and it was determined yesterday that she was unable to participate in the rehab plan of care due to her progressive decline in cardiac functioning. She will be evaluated this coming week for the next step. Thank you all for your well wishes. Only God knows our journey. We need to make the most of our ride.

I've been so immersed in my MIL that I forgot to acknowledge my one year blogaversary this past Sunday, April 26th. It is such fun to have this outlet and it has been wonderful making many new blogging friends. I want to have a giveaway because they are always a hit. I'm debating on finding something really unique, fun and pretty to give away, or to offer a gift certificate to perhaps either Michael's or Home Goods. My personal life situation right now will have to be my determining factor, so I will see how things go the rest of this week and whether I'm able to go blogaversary shopping or not. Either way, please check back with me. My goal will be to post my giveaway by this coming Sunday, May 3rd. Keep us in your prayers, please - strength for God's will. Thanks!!

A Crafting I Will Go

I am crafting tonight and loving it!!! My life has been a bit nuts lately with my mother-in-law being hospitalized and all that goes with that. Looks like she'll be discharged tomorrow which is a good thing, but she can't even get out of bed on her own so we need to find a rehab until she's strong enough to go home. That's a whole other story.


Anyway, back to the good stuff. My mother's birthday is coming very quickly. Her name is Esther. I am going to embellish her initial "E" with buttons, pearls and silk roses. So far I've painted the letter an antique white. Tomorrow I'll get out my trusty glue gun and glue away and cover everything with glitter when done. One of our fellow crafty bloggers, and I unfortunately cannot remember who, made a very pretty wreath covered in white buttons and pearls. I thought a wooden letter would look pretty done the same way. Hopefully I'll finish it in time for my mother's birthday and I'll be sure to show you the finished result.


It's so much fun to make something!!

Rachel . . . Again

I don't understand this whole track thing. I'm thinking it may be a South Florida thing, because they do things a little differently here, but I really just don't understand it.

About two weeks ago, Rachel had a track meet to determine who would qualify for the county meet. Rachel did not make it.

Today there was a district meet to determine who would qualify for the regional champs meet. I don't understand how you can have a meet for county champs and not make that, but then have a district meet for regional champs and make that.

Yep - Rachel made it to the Regionals!!!! That meet is next week in Coral Springs. They miss practically the whole day of school and I have to figure out who can cover me at work so I can go.

Rachel starts out slow and steady and sprints like wildfire once she comes around the last bend. She usually passes three or four runners in that last section. She's got a reputation for her phenomenal sprinting finishes. It just amazes me how she can go around four laps with such ease and dig so deep at the end to bypass half of her competition. Yes, I am very proud of Rachel!

Just Checking In

This is where I'd rather be . . .

But this is where I've been . . .

My mother-in-law just got moved out of critical care last night and what a week it has been. She had a heart attack last Wednesday and things pretty much got progressively worse from there. Why is it that the minute you get into a hospital bed, things just spiral? She wound up in kidney failure - a result of the dye from the cardiac catheterization, most likely. Heavy doses of fluids would help with many, but with the multitude of cardiac and pulmonary issues my MIL has, she had congestive heart failure. Okay, so a little of this, a little of that . . . steroids to strengthen her lungs gave her an incredible rash, she also wound up with thrush and best of all - massive confusion, which led to another whole series of "stuff". But, she started rolling her eyes and tapping her fingers last night, so that's a good sign.

We're moving along . . . slowly . . . and I truly miss my life. Does that sound selfish? Okay, I'm being selfish right now. I do not like being on constant overdrive. Years ago, I thrived on that lifestyle. Not any more. One of my biggest pet peeves is negativity, so I'm not going to moan any longer. Just want to say I miss you all!

Life Goes On

What a week! We had a surprise visit on Saturday night from my brother-in-law and his son, both named Mark. They live in North Carolina and decided to make a quick trip to us for Easter. It was such a pleasure to see them both. My nephew has been living with his mom in Illinois most of his life and only came to live with his dad last November. I haven't seen him since he was about 8 years old, and now at 18, he has grown into a nice young man.

Easter was wonderful! It's such fun to watch a bunch of teenagers going nuts looking for the hidden eggs with money in them (forget the candy)!! Guess it doesn't matter how old you get!!

It's always busy when out-of-town relatives are visiting, and we were all thrown a real curveball when my mother-in-law wound up having a heart attack and subsequent hospitalization. We've now been busy visiting her in ICU and waiting for test results. Fortunately she is at the hospital I worked at for many years and am still well-remembered, so I know all of the "back doors" to tap on.

Rachel's last track meet is today and while she did not make "county" as we had hoped, she's looking forward to this last meet. She's got a real positive outlook in that she has no regrets for not making it. She said as a freshman, it's not her time, and was happy for all the juniors and seniors that did make it. She told me not to worry about it, that she would be there when she was ready to be there.

So, things happen and life goes on and we try to keep up with it. It's times like this that I so miss the normalcy of my life, you know, watching Dancing and Idol, tossing clothes from the washer to the dryer, figuring out what I'm going to make for dinner, squeezing in time for the fun things I enjoy doing - like creating, blogging and reading. It is all those "mundane" things that really do give our lives value, purpose, peace and happiness.

Easter Egg Garland

I received my Easter Egg Garland in today's mail. I was so excited to see the eggs I received.


Aren't they pretty? Jennifer at Artrageous Afternoon hosted this fun event. Jenn is a very together person. She is a mom, an art teacher, very artistic in all she does (go check out her blog) and she handled this egg swap with such comfort and ease.

We get different things from the different blogs we visit and we visit for different reasons. The end result, though, is usually always the same. We leave the blogs we visit with so much more than when we arrived and growing in any way is always good.

My one year blogaversary is at the end of April. Every year in our lives is full of changes and blogging has been such a positive change for me. I have met some truly wonderful women that have inspired me to be creative, motivated me to be resourceful, made me more aware of the beauty around me and encouraged me to visit new places. I've had proud moments, happy moments, embarrassing moments and enlightening moments. I wouldn't trade any of them. More than anything, this is fun!!

I never did a 100 post giveaway so I will make up for that at the end of the month. I'm looking forward to giving something back for all the good I've received over this past year. Stay tuned . . .