Blogger has changed things...I don't like this!

I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted to my blog. Where did the icon go to upload photos go? And all that other stuff that use to be on the "new post" page. Hmmmmm...I don't do well with changes and I'm not doing well with this one at all.

So, I guess I'll go for now and try to figure this out on another day. When it's not 2:30am and I may have a brain cell that's still awake. Hee hee hee!

Big Squishy Hugs!

A beautiful red cardinal! I had only seen them in photographs before my visit to Shelley's home in West Virginia! There was a freak Winter snow storm last night and today. Hopefully, the weather will be nicer tomorrow so we can do a bit of sight seeing.

I've been having a lot of fun here. Shelley and Mitchell are so wonderful to me. Shelley and I have been working on some beautiful art projects.

I fly home on Tuesday. I'll be sad leaving Shelley and will miss her terribly. But, I'll be glad to be home and with my Shawn.

Well, I'm off to do more beading! Have a great evening and Big Squishy Hugs!

The sign outside The Bead Monster shop in Morgantown, West Virginia. The bat on the necklace is available inside the shop - I just HAD to get myself one of them! I got all sorts of seed beads to play with. We did a bit of sight seeing today. Shelley did too much standing and walking so now her back is really hurting and is in spasms.

Tomorrow we are going to work on some craft projects! Yippie! And right now, I'm going to get my beads and play! Double Yippie!

Big squishy hugs!

Everyday is a Holiday is having a give a way! Go to their site and enter to win a wonderful little Cuttlebug! Watch the videos to get a great idea of what this little machine can do for you. I can only imagine all the fun that I'd have making embellishments for cards and mixed media projects. Go to this link and check it out!

http://everyday-is-a-holiday.blogspot.com/2011/10/who-wants-to-win-cuttlebug.html?spref=fb

The Animal in Me Doll Exchange

This is my finished Animal in Me doll. She is boxed up and ready to make her long travel to Australia. Shawn will take her to work with him and mail her from Portland, probably on Tuesday. I had so much fun making her. I'm thrilled that she actually turned out better than I expected. This was the first time I used a wool fiber for hair and then I wasn't sure how I'd get her hair finished. I'm not good at hair design. Not even doing pony tails! You can notice that the beak of the bird mask is brown in color. That's because I burned the sculpty clay. Oops! I was going to paint the mask, but I liked the brownish turning into the purple clay - so, it was left alone. This is also the first sculpty doll I've made using wire joints. It was an experiment that sort of worked. I can improve this technique and make it easier to do and, hopefully, make the joints move better. But, it was all new to me and fun to play around with.

Next Tuesday, I'll be on a plane and heading to West Virginia to visit my Most Perfect Sister and Bestest Friend, Shelley! I can't wait! We are going to have such a great time and drive her poor, poor hubby, Mitchell, insane! Hee hee hee! She has some wonderful plans for us to go shopping at Monster Beads, visit a Civil War battle field, and other places of interest. We also plan on finishing our journals for each other and begin our new round robin adventure. Next up will be dolls for us to dress and embellish! That's going to be a HOOT!

Well, I need to get busy around here. Lots to do and I've been lazy and not working on much of anything. So, have a great week and I'll yak at ya later!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Dragonfly toes. My Sissy Sandi found this poor fellow stuck in the window at Les Schwab's in Mt. Shasta. She told me about it, I took a photo of it in the window, then put my foot near it. It climbed right onto my toe and I was able to walk carefully to the door, open the door and away it flew to freedom. It was freakin' huge!

Our trip to California with Mom and Dad was stressful. On the way down, just outside the town of Mt. Shasta, the car's brake rotor froze. We made it to the rest area, and as luck would have it, a Les Schwab worker was there in their fix it truck. He checked the tires, determined it wasn't a flat (duh!) but couldn't figure out what was wrong with the car. He gave us directions to the shop and told Sandi to drive slowly and carefully. We get to the shop, and that's when they discover the rotor had frozen. They called a local business man, who owns some of the hotel/motels in the area to come and get us and take us to one of his places. We'd have to spend the night since it was close to closing hours. After dinner, Mom laid down on the bed and started having a burning in her chest. 911 was called and she was taken to the ER. Praise God! It was only acid reflux and not a heart attack! The hotel owner had left us his van for the night "just in case" we needed it. He was our Angel! The next day, after Sandi called Les Schwab 3 times to find out about the car - it was fixed and the person they sent to pick her up to go get the car never showed up at the hotel! - the 3rd time the office manager left the shop and came to get Sandi. We packed up the car and off to Black Bear Restaurant for a very late breakfast! We finally made it to Aunt Billie's and were able to finally get some rest. Not much, but some. We had good visits with Aunt Marian, Cousin Ron, Cousin Anna, Aunt Pauline, and Little Joseph. We always have a good time with Aunt Billie! Got to see Uncle Jose and that was very nice. He's still working hard on the ranch. Harder now that the owner passed away and the son is trying to run the place. The son doesn't know what he's doing or how to run the ranch and is creating more work for everyone.

Not much else to report at this time! I'm soon going to be packing my bags again to visit my Bestest Friend, Shelley, in West Virginia. This is going to be a blast!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Stinky the Cat with eyes glowing green.

Still need to be working on the Animal in Me doll. I've worked on 2 different skirts for it...they did not turn out how I wanted so it's back to the beginning on that part. Still need to make an animal mask for it too. Need to get busy since I'll be leaving next Thursday or Friday for Northern California with Mom, Dad, and Sissy Sandi. We'll be out and about for a week and a half, maybe two. I'll get home in time to do my laundry and repack and head off to West Virginia to visit My Most Perfect Sister, Shelley!!!!! We are making a lot of fun plans and I can't wait to see her again. Even if all we do is sit at her beautiful dining room table and play with art stuff, I will be happy!

It's dark in my house. No one turns lights on or opens the curtains. We are mushrooms.

That's my update for today! Big Squishy Hugs!

Pretty flower where my Sissy Sandi lives.

I'm so happy today! It's raining! I realize that a lot of people like the sunny days. It is fun to drive with the top down on the convertible. But, I love the rainy days. The sound of the splattering on the tree leaves outside the window. The clean smell in the air. The plants being greener.

I wish I was at the coast. I love the rainy days at the coast! To walk on the beach, pick up shells, stones, agates, and pieces of driftwood. Return to the room, with the ocean view of course, have a nice cup of coffee, a snack, and look over the treasures of the day. That is my perfect day!

Well, this is definitely not getting any projects worked on. My "Animal in Me" doll now has a corset type outfit on. There is so much more I need to add....like the animal mask! I like how the corset thing turned out so instead of covering it up, I'm thinking of adding a sheer skirt to it, add some/a lot! of embellishments and just seeing where it goes.

So, I'm off to play, not with the doll, but on a beaded bracelet.

Big Squishy Hugs!

Salvador Dali. An amazing person, phenomenal artist. His work still amazes me. To try and understand how he saw the world around him...I think it would be a trip into insanity. I wonder, what did he dream about? The world of art has changed in so many ways. So many new materials to experiment with. Mixed Media and Collage Art have become part of the main stream art world. I wonder how far Salvador would have taken this art form. If you look at the jewelry he designed, I think he would have taken the materials available today and had a hey day!

Right now, I'm in a terrible art slump. I've gotten too comfortable and continue to do the same old thing. Even when I try something new, it ends up being the same old thing. I haven't drawn anything worth the paper I've scribbled on in ages. I'm frustrated. I've made some dolls from sculpty clay and need to make an "Animal In Me" costume for one. I liked how the dolls turned out at first, but have quickly gotten over that. I look at them and see how I could have made them better. I know it's a learning process. I know it's trial and error and there are "no mistakes" especially in the creation of art. But, I'm 55, soon to be 56, years old and I would think that I'd have found my heart's passion and moved forward. Instead, I'm stalled, tired, and boring.

My house is cluttered and such a mess. I can't find the art materials I want to work with when I need them. I have a spare room upstairs that has been used as a "catch all" by Shawn, Carston, and Nick. You can't even walk through the door of that room! I want it cleaned out and made into my studio space. Want to organize all my supplies so I can create without spending hours searching for supplies. I just keep thinking that one day I'll have my studio space and I'll be "home". I look forward to that day of bookcases with my art books, shelves with my supplies all in place, and a desk with space for my computer, sewing machine, and papers. So, whatever I desire to do I will have a place to work.

But, for now, I'm just feeling lost. Alone. Sad. Depression sucks big time.

Big Squishy Hugs

This was taken on Sept. 2nd. Christine holding her new baby brother, Remington. Who I like to call, Vincent. Mostly to annoy my daughter.

Daughter and I are going to plan some adventure days, going to museums and art shows and trying to boost my creativity. I've really gotten into a slump. Not drawing at all anymore. Making the same old, same old stuff. Afraid to discover new things, I think. I don't know why I've let myself get so far away from creating and exploring art. I don't know why I've let my house get so far out of control and cluttered. I do know that I can't live on "what if's" and "should have, could have's".

Motivation? I have none right now. I have projects I need to be working on, but here I sit with my laptop, accomplishing nothing.

Well, I'm hoping that viewing art through my 5 year old granddaughter's eyes will help me to see things all new again. Nothing like the view of a child to motivate, inspire, and energize a tired Creative Muse.

Big Squishy Hugs!

I need to get to work on a doll for an exchange. It's called "The Animal In Me" and I'm planning on doing a Masquerade costume.  Of course, my plans may change once I get started. These dolls do have a way of demanding what they want and how they want to look. It's quite funny how they develop their own personalities. At least I have the doll made and one extra just for fun. I just need to get busy on the costume and mask and have a blast! Weeeeee!

I have so many ideas but right now I'm just too lazy to do much. I'm going to blame it on the heat. Ha!

Hope everyone is having a fun and creative week!
Big Squishy Hugs!

My soon to be 5 year old granddaughter, Christine, took this photo of me! Pretty good for a cheesy head shot! HA!

Not much has changed since my last babble session. I'm still working on a beaded goddess doll for a friend. I have a journal I need to do another page or two in and send back to my Bestest Friend, Shelley. I need to start a medicine pouch for my Uncle Jose as a Thank You gift for sending me Aunt Claudine's craft supplies. I have "The Animal in Me" doll to work on - that's a swap project. I have the naked doll made and ready to paint, dress, and embellish. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out what animal I want to use for the mask and costume.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting up with my friend, Sheryl, at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus. We'll have a nice lunch and I'm going to see if the admin office can pull up my ancient records and find out how many credits I would need, what classes I would need to take, to get my Associates Degree. I'm hoping that Carston goes with me so he can look around the campus, get some information, and see if there is something there he may be interested in following up on, taking a few classes, etc. Then, it will be off to Costco to do some shopping, and maybe a swing through Sonic for a treat and drink. Especially if we make it during "Happy Hour" and the drinks are 1/2 price!

Wednesday, I have a doctor's appointment in Portland. It's on NW 23rd and Hoyt Street. If I'm feeling up to it and have plenty of time in the parking lot (you have to pay to park but it's fairly cheap) I may do some window shopping. There are such wonderful shops there! I'm going to see if Carston wants to tag along on that trip also. Just to get him out of the house and seeing the world around us. If Nick is around he may tag along also.

Well, that's the big update for now. Have a great week!

Big Squishy Hugs!!!

My soon to be 5 year old granddaughter, Christine, took this photo of me. Cheesy!

I finally crawled my rear out of bed at 2pm, took my shower, cleaned the litter boxes, took the bathroom garbage to the kitchen, unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded the dishwasher, got laundry started, put the turkey breast in the oven, sort of cleaned the bathtub and bathroom sink (did a quick scattering of Comet cleaner and then wiped it around), made some iced tea, and made a pot of hot coffee. And, all this was done and I was sitting on my couch by 3pm. So, you see, when I want to get something done, I can. It's just getting me up and moving that's the challenge.

Well, Shawn just got home and we need to go pick up prescriptions and a few groceries. Then, come home, finish cooking dinner and that's the end of my night and babbling!

Big Squishy Hugs!

YUMMY! Costco chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling! With a cup of coffee and I'm close to heaven! Tasty good! This was at my daughter's baby shower. She received a lot of nice gifts and fun stuff. It was a good day for everyone.

I'm working on a beaded goddess doll for a friend. Really need to stop goofing on the computer and get busy on that. I made 2 sculpty clay dolls the other night that I need to paint and dress. One is for another doll exchange called, "The Animal in Me". I'm not sure how I'm going to embellish the doll yet. Was thinking of doing it more like a masquerade ball type thing. I did something new for me, Shocking!!!! I used wires to make "joints" for the dolls. It actually worked! I'll need to scan the dolls in and show how I did it. It came to me in a dream...need to pay more attention to my dreams I guess. Except the ones where I'm hunting big bugs or fighting a zombie sea captain. I also need to start a Thank You gift from my Uncle Jose. My Aunt Claudine passed away in April, she was into making all kinds of crafts. Mostly she did Native American crafts like dream catchers, beaded work, leather works, etc. Uncle Jose didn't know what to do with all her supplies and material. Aunt Billie - aka: Auntie Funny Fun - told him that I did a lot of crafts so Uncle Jose had her pack up her Outback and bring it all up to me. I'm so touched by his act and all the beautiful things that were sent up, that I want to make him a special gift. I was thinking of making him a leather Medicine Pouch, doing a bead work design on another piece of material and attaching to the front of the pouch. I haven't started this yet, still trying to think of a design for it. I love ravens so maybe something like that. I'll also put in it some agates that I picked up at the beach and shells.

Well, that's it for now! Off to work on the goddess doll which will be finished in the next day or so, I hope! Depends of if I stop goofing on the computer or not.

Big Squishy Hugs!

Was gonna post a photo....

Unfortunately, every time I tried I got an "internal error" message about the jpeg. Oh well, I'll need to find another way to get the photos on my laptop so I can use them here.

HEY! Head on over to Aileen's Musings at:

http://aileensmusings.blogspot.com/2011/06/1000-steampunk-creations.html?showComment=1307407238686#c4442463588833107016

for a chance to win a great Steampunk idea/how to/inspirations book! YIPPIE! I know I don't have a lot of followers but the few who do check in really need to look at her blog site! She's got tutorials, supplies to order, and a ton of great ideas! She's an amazing artist and I'm always inspired when I check her site out. So, go there and check it out for yourself and you'll have a blast!

Not much going on here in Stinky St. Helens, Oregon. I spent the day with my Parents, which is always a fun adventure! Dad drove us to visit with Sissy Sandi in Vancouver, WA, area. I know how to get to her new home but have no idea what the address is! LOL! We had a wonderful lunch from "House of Bejing" and I bought some donuts from the "Donut Nook". Great food! Yummy donuts! Hot coffee! Mom, Dad and Sissy Sandi! Great day! Would have been better if Sissy Cat-A-Lina was with us then we'd have had a huge party instead of just a little party. Hee hee hee!

Well, that's it for now! Have a great week! I need to get ready to take a walk and then figure out what's for dinner.

Big Squishy Hugs!

Willie and Scarletta

Scarletta arrived last week from Australia. She felt right at home when she met Willie. They are best buddies now! I think I'm in for a lot of trouble, those two will be plotting some horribly fun plans, I'm just sure of it!

Shawn and I had a wonderful time at Newport Beach 2 weeks ago. I wish I could have stayed there forever. It was so very peaceful and relaxing. I hope one day to live at the beach. I walked every day! Shocking! I know!!! Once back home, I'm plopped on the couch and that's about it.

Tomorrow, Cathie and I will be heading over for lunch with Mom and Dad. If Mom's feeling up to it she wants to go to Scappoose for lunch and then shopping at the Grocery Outlet. It's been over a months since she's been there and she wants to see what's new. I want to see if they got the really good cheese back in! Yummy!

Carston and Nick went off to visit with a friend, Shawn is still at work and I'm getting some "quiet time". I need to sign off the computer and get to work on my journal. My Most Perfect Sister and Bestest Friend, Shelley, and I are doing a journal exchange. It's been so much fun and I'm running late this round. So, off to play! Double Yippie!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Oh! A week away at Newport Beach was just not long enough! Believe it or not, I walked every day! Nye Beach is a few blocks away from the hotel where we were staying so I was able to wander there to the shops, places to enjoy a leisurely lunch, and look through some art galleries. Some day, I want to have a small home at the beach where I can be at peace and just enjoy the salt air. I felt so much better there. More energy, more positive attitude, more of everything! Even when it was raining I could sit at the little table, look out the window to the ocean, work on some projects and just relax. I didn't want to return home!

Other than that, things are good. Dealing with some slight headaches, due to stress. Stress of living in a pig sty! Not really, just the stress of not being able to find the items I want to use when I want to use them! So, I'm off to play a game instead of cleaning up around the house or working on a doll that needs to be finished and then sent off to Australia.

Big Squishy Hugs!

My latest beaded creation. A bracelet, pin and necklace set. It seemed to take forever!!!!! As always it didn't turn out how I imagined it but I do like it. I'm working on another bracelet/necklace set using the same gold hex-cut bead as in this set and royal purple hex-cut beads. The center/focal is a paua shell cabochon that is purple in color.

Other than beading and going over to visit Mom and Dad things are pretty slow. So, I'm going to waddle back over to the couch and get back to beading until I drink all my iced tea and then off to bed.

Big Squishy Hugs!

Goofing around in the car while on our way to Ocean Shores, Washington. I get bored so easily and it's a darn good thing I have a camera to keep me busy. Sadly, the batteries died the night before our drive home. So, I bought a book, "101 people you won't meet in heaven" and read it on the way home. Interesting book on serial killers and the such. A very quick read and I could have added quite a few more people to the book and made it about 1001 people....

Not much really going on. Just thought I'd stop in and add another photo. Hope everyone is doing well and having a great beginning to Spring! Big Squishy Hugs!

Mom's 80th Birthday Celebration at Ocean Shores

HEE HEE HEE! I tried to take a photo of Mom blowing out the candles. My camera was a bit too slow so I got her leaning away from the cake, the smoke from the candles, and my sister, Cathie, in the mirror. This was just too funny!

We had a great time at Ocean Shores. Staying at the hotel with the small casino and a restaurant was very nice. Aunt Billie, Shawn and I tried to walk on the beach on Saturday. It was so windy and cold that we didn't make it very far. But, Shawn found some bird bones and skull so I got them in my red bucket and brought them home! LUCKY ME! We did find a few shells but we didn't really stay too long on the shore. It started raining and got even windier so we were back in our rooms in no time to warm up and hit those slot machines!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and that your week will be filled with joy and fun creativity!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Bead and Gem Faire in Hillsboro Oregon!!!!

Bottles of size 15 seed beads and lots of cabochons for me to play with! I had such a good time with Shawn last Saturday at the Bead and Gem Faire! The little triangular shaped cabochon is just for me! I forget what it is, other than pretty and sparkly! We walked a lot on the hard cement floor and had a fun visiting with other bead people. Shawn looked at some crystals but he didn't buy any. He should have and then put them on the lighted bases....so pretty!

Well, that's it for now. Off to play with my new pretty beads and cabochons!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Sarah Jumping.....

I drew this a very long time ago. My daughter, Sarah, was in high school and a friend took a photo of her jumping. This is my adaption of that photo. I think Sarah my have stolen that drawing. The poop!

I'm thinking I may use this as my postcard for this month in the postcard_xchange group on yahoo. My brain really doesn't want to think up anything and I've been working on more beaded bracelets/necklaces/pins. OH! Shawn took me to the bead fair in Hillsboro last Saturday!!! I got lots of new seed beads - size 15's! Yippie! And, some other great sparkly beads. AND, some beautiful paua shell cabochons and some imitation turquoise cabochons. We had lunch at Panera Bakery which was really YUMMY! It was a great day and I had a lot of fun. Not so sure Shawn did...he got to pay for everything! HA!

Have a great week!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Another day....

and I finished up another beaded bracelet and necklace set. Started a new set on March 16th.

Not much else going on here. Carston has a flu bug. I'm trying to stay as far away from him as possible. Shawn had a crapadiddly day at work. So, I'll stay away from him. And, I'm just in a crappy mood. So, I'll try to stay away from myself while I'm avoiding everyone else. I think I should have stayed in bed with the covers pulled over my head.

Mom's 80th Birthday is coming up the end of this month. I have NO IDEA what to give her. I think my sister, Cathie, has some ideas and we will go in on a gift together. That works for me!

Well, that's it for now. It's been a long, tiring week so far and it's just the wee hours of Thursday morning. I think I'll go to bed, pull the covers over my head and wait for Friday morning to arrive.

Big Squishy Hugs!

More bead work

Busy making more necklaces and bracelets. This time sets! Whoopie! Daughter, Sarah, and I are hoping to get busy creating stuff so we can sign up next summer for the Crafty Wonderland Bazaar Sale. This year we plan on attending it and seeing for ourselves just exactly what it's all about. If we like it, then we're going to work our fingers to the bones to get a large inventory of creative goodies stocked up and ready to sale.

Other than that...I'm working on a journal round robin with my bestest friend, Shelley. I finally have mine finished and just need to get it in the mail. Hopefully, I get that done on Monday, Tuesday at the latest!

So, that's about it from Stinky St. Helens, Oregon. A town run by idiots who think that putting some stupid sculptures on the highway will bring tourists into the town to spend money. Yeah....$100,000.00 for sculptures instead of cleaning up this pathetic excuse for a town! How about the city father's get on the landlords and the store owners to clean up their shops, paint the buildings, and get rid of the garbage. The city could add some nice park benches every few blocks with some flower baskets and, oh, yeah, public restrooms would be a bonus! New sidewalks so you don't trip over the cracks and break some body parts would be nice for shoppers. Right now the majority of shops we have are "resale". If that's our biggest tourist attraction then change the name of the town to "ReSale Alley". UGH! Well, enough of my complaining. Doesn't make much difference because it falls on deaf ears around this town. Sadness. This use to be such a darling little town, with lots of unique shops. Now, a town full of resale, bars, and churches. Not much of anything for anyone here anymore.

Big Squishy Hugs from a boring town

My nephew, Michael Scott, his wife, Jenny, and their darling daughters, Paige and Izzy came for a visit one day last week. They will be leaving for Okinawa in a few months and are staying at Scott's Mom's house for a visit with everyone here in the NW before they fly out. I think they will be there for 3 years. Scott is a Captain in the Marines. We are so proud of him and his family!

Now, you can tell by this photo who the goof balls of the family are and who the more serious one's are. HA! I love this photo! We had such a great visit with them! The girls are so sweet! I do have a goofy photo of Paige but I promised her I would not post it on Facebook or anywhere else. I will keep it for myself because it's just a lot of fun! The girls are so full of energy and life that it was just a joy to spend the afternoon with them. We had a wonderful visit with Scott and Jenny and I know that Mom and Dad were so thrilled with the visit and can't wait to see them all again. They love and miss their Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren. It means a great deal to them when they come for a visit, especially when they have such a limited time here in the area and they make a special trip to visit Mom and Dad.

Well, enough of my babbling. I need to get busy on a Journal RR with my Bestest Friend Shelley! Mailing date is this coming Monday!!!!! Uhm...I got an antique photo put on the front cover and that's it! Not, quite ready to go out in the mail yet. Hee hee hee! So, I'm off to work on a fun project!

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Big Squishy Hugs!

My Mom's Christmas Doll House

This is just the beginning of working on Mom's Doll House. I still need to get the roof shingles cut and put in place. The inside is all painted white except around the inside of the windows. I've got to figure out how I'm going to get in there with a tiny paint brush to get the trim painted without painting the plastic windows. Next, we will need to go shopping for some scrap book papers to use as the wall paper. And, to search for furniture. Shawn had a great idea of getting the little charms that are photo frames, printing out old family photos (like Mom and Dad's wedding photo!), putting in the little frames and hanging them on the walls. So cute! I may have to get out the crochet hook and make some woven carpets for the floor. Really depends on just what Mom wants in the house. I'm so glad that I remembered that Mom wanted a doll house. She had told me this 30+ years ago, before I was married and still living at home. Why it took me so long to remember is beyond me! I'm so thankful that Sissy Sandi, Sissy Cathie, and Sarah and Jeff went in on this adventure with me and Shawn. Daughter, Sarah, ordered it for us and had it delivered to her work place in Portland. Son-In-Law, Jeff, put the house together. Sissy Sandi and Cathie helped us pick out the house and pay for it. Cathie is also helping Mom choose the colors for the house. I get to do the painting....hee hee hee! It's fun! Sissy Sandi would be helping more but with Winter weather she's not able to come visit very often. Once the weather gets better we will be working more on getting the house finished! Right now it's on display in Mom and Dad's front room. I would like to get it more complete so she can really be proud and show it off to all their company! Mom was so very happy when she got the doll house...we made her cry! OOPS!

So, the moral of the story is...if you know something that one of your parents has wanted since they were children...or something they had but has been long lost or broken. Don't wait to get it for them! Parents are hard to buy gifts for since they usually have everything they need. Get them something they want and will treasure. You won't believe how wonderful you will feel when you help make one of their dreams come true.

Big Squishy Hugs!

TerriME

New Beaded Bracelet! Whooopie!

I do like how this beaded bracelet turned out! Shocking since I don't like many of the projects I complete. I've also just finished a bracelet and necklace set. But, I've been too lazy to scan them in. I'm now working on a birthday gift for a friend. She likes cats so I'm making a beaded cat pin. It's turning out a bit LARGE! Oh well, she can put it on a shelf or something so it can collect dust bunnies to pal around with.

Now some fun news. Red Lead is having a wonderful Give Away on their blog. Go here:

http://redlead.typepad.com/artsee/2011/02/leave-a-comment-win-a-boxful-of-valentine-love.html#comments

scroll to the very bottom of the page and leave a comment to get a chance to win a box full of Valentine's Goodies! Go NOW!

Well, that's it from me. Have a great rest of the week!

Big Squishy Hugs!

Busy week ahead.

It's almost 1am and I should be in bed. But, I wouldn't be asleep anyway, just laying there, tossing and turning, day dreaming, sitting up peeking over Shawn to see what time it is (3 minutes since the last time I looked), and then starting over with the rolling around trying to get comfy. I have a doctor's appointment in Portland at 2:45 pm, so I'll need to be up at 11:30ish so I can shower and get ready to go. Then, the good part of the day! I'm going to meet a good friend, Linda, at Start Street Pizza! Yummy food and good company! Tuesday, I'm going to head over to Mom and Dad's and start painting Mom's doll house. Mom wants to bake some cookies also. She bought cookie dough from the Shwan's man. Which sounds good to me...fresh pot of coffee and warm out of the oven cookies. Another yummy day! Wednesday, Sissy Sandi is planning on coming down for a visit. That will be nice, especially if I don't eat all Mom's cookies so we'll have a treat while visiting. Thursday I'll stay home and work on the beaded bracelet with matching necklace that I started a few days ago. I've almost finished beading the bracelet so that's a good start. Shocking! I know! Then, Friday, back over to Mom and Dad's for lunch and a visit and maybe work on the doll house some more. Depends of it they want to go gallivanting around town or now. I have no idea what the weekend will bring. Maybe I'll just stay home in my pj's all weekend. That could be fun!

Have a great week and yak at ya soon!

It's been quite a while since I've gone to Krispy Kreme. I think I want a donut! Or maybe a dozen donuts!!!!

I'm so glad the holiday season is over. The tree has been taken down and put away. Decorations, few that we put out, have been packed up. Except, I keep forgetting to take the wreath off the front porch and toss in the yard debris container for pick up.

We (sisters Cathie, Sandi, and I) got Mom a pretty doll house for her main Christmas Gift. Mom picked out some paints last week for it. So, I'm thinking I need to get my rear to bed, get some sleep, get my lazy butt up at a somewhat decent time, take a shower, and head over to Mom and Dad's to begin painting the doll house. I have the paint brushes, some Gorilla Glue to fix a couple pieces that got knocked off, and the CO2 detector ready to go. Mom and Dad were told by the last person who worked on their gas furnace that the detector would be a good thing to get. We picked them up at Costco - one for Mom and Dad's house and one for our house.

Well, can you tell I need some sleep? I sure am babbling a lot! Hope you all had a great Christmas and that your getting a wonderful start to a fun New Year!

Hugs!