BIRTHDAY

Mom would have been 84 years old today. She passed in 2003. It's been 8 years since I've been able to call her up and share our news. Eight years since I've heard her voice. My mom, Renee, is missed and loved every day.

IT WAS A VERY SCRAPPY DAY

It was really great to scrap yesterday, especially with Tracy. We haven't done that in quite a while and we hope to again on Friday.

Stephanie at about 2 1/2 - in New Jersey

Great memory for Steph...making juice with her grandmother down in Clearwater, FL

This one was at a family reunion on Memorial Day in New Jersey

Thanks for stopping by!
:D

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN...

This week at the 52 Week Project the challenge is to post something green...very appropriate for St. Patrick's Day! These are some of mine:

This is from 2009 but I just love it. Frank and I were in Nashville, IN in '09 and came upon this huge sunflower. Of course, Frank had to stick his hand in the pic to give this a little scale.

These next 2 pics are from the road just outside our neighborhood

And the, of course, how could I pass up my place of employment, JoAnn's. Green is our main color but there was so much more when I went on my green quest inside.

So, Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone, and think green today.
:D

Scrapping The Music

This is my layout for the song "Chances Are" by Five for Fighting.

MISSING MOM

I've been missing my mom a lot lately. She passed in 2003 after a long bout of emphysema. So I used a little scrapbook therapy.

ACTUALLY PROUD OF MYSELF

When the chill in the air started to seep into the store I knew I had to do something to help my poor little hands. Once they get chilled they stay chilled...down right bone cold. So, I bought a $1 pair of knit gloves that we sold in the store and proceeded to cut some of the fingertips off (so I could still handle the register). This worked for a while until, of course, the raw knit edged started to unravel.

"There's got to be a better way", I thought to myself... It was then that I decided to knit myself a pair of fingerless gloves. Sure...I could do that! Bought the pattern; bought the (sock) yarn; bought the (yikes) size 2 double pointed needles. I was ready.

It really only took me a couple of weeks to finish both of them and not without a few mistakes, tear outs and some very choice words. So, here is the end result---

I really fell in love with the yarn and the great colors...and it hides some of the imperfections.

I had to add a clear snap to each flap so that they didn't just fly around. I was getting them caught in the register drawer! Awkward.

The end result may not be perfect and maybe only I can see the mistakes, but I am very proud of myself for actually finishing this project! AND, I got tons of compliments on them at work. Unfortunately, I didn't have them for the whole winter and haven't needed to wear them in about 2 weeks but I know they will keep my hands nice and comfy next time I need them.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

(p.s...I still can't get my blog background changed!)

WOW! 4 MONTHS...REALLY?

So, What have I been doing for the past 4 months that I haven't had time to stop here and post? Who knows!

Let's see... Went to work. Steph came to visit in October and we all went to Natural Bridge and Red River Gorge. Had a great visit!

Went to work. Adam Luther had 2 friends visit for Halloween. Adam was a doctor, J.D. was Robin Hood and Ridley was Woody. The 3 of them have a surprise for next year! Went to work. Went to a really neat Jack-O-Lantern Glow Display at the Bellermine campus. There were hundreds of them scattered over a large open area. Went to work. Frank and I went to Memphis in November and we ate way too much BBQ! Of course, we did Graceland, Sun Records, and Beal Street too. Went to work. I landed in the hospital over Thanksgiving and didn't get to work Black Friday (I was really looking forward to it...no, really!). Went back to work. Had lots of new doctor appointments. I've been knitting like crazy. Went to work. My Cabbage Patch collection is now about half it's former self. Went to work.

I've made my very first Christmas stocking for a dear friend's first baby. I've known her since she was 5!! And, yes...went to work.

I've also been working on figuring out how to make my reflux better and get rid of headaches.

Here's a list of foods I've cut out, so far...

For reflux:
Chocolate
Caffeine
Citrus
tomatoes
pineapple

for migraines:
chocolate
caffeine
dried fruits
processed meats
hard cheeses


Oh, I know there's more but I can't remember them all right now. I think onions are supposed to be on there somewhere but I just can't manage that one right now. After a few weeks I'll start to add a few back in to see if the trigger. I have appointments coming up at the Leatherman Spine Center and a Headache Center at U of L. I hope we can find some answers.

And to top off a really crazy Fall, went to a very Red Hot Christmas Party.
So, lots of things happened and I haven't fallen off of the earth yet. I hope to post more often. Thanks for checking in on me. Hope 2012 is a great year for everyone! OOPS!! I meant 2011!!
:D

I GUESS I REALLY NEEDED ANOTHER HOBBY...

I decided to take up a little jewelry making. And, not just any jewelry, but jewelry with a purpose. I've had some of my mother's old costume jewelry in my closet for the past 7 years. They were pretty ugly! Couldn't even sell them in a yard sale. So, I decided to revamp them. I cut them all apart and sorted the beads and stones. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a "before" picture of them. But, what you see here comes from those necklaces. I've used mostly those beads and stones in these pieces. I did, however, had to fill in with a few newer items. So, now when I wear them, I'll think of my mom!

KENTUCKY MEETS AUSTRALIA BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Happy Early Birthday to Tracy. Way back in our Girl Scout days, our troop took a field trip to Kentucky Down Under near Bowling Green. Tracy was sick and couldn't go. So, when I asked her what she wanted for her 27th birthday, she said she wanted to go to KDU. Her wish was granted yesterday.


Our temperatures were in the high 80's and mid 90's. We were the only ones in the park for a while and the other brave souls showed up; 2 or 3 other families...that's it!

This is a Paupan Frogmouth - betcha didn't know that! Kinda evil looking. And, yes, it's a bird.

Tracy took every opportunity to pet whatever they let her pet.

four of the different sheep they had on display...I bet they were hot!!

They asked for volunteers so I encouraged Tracy to join the fun. There were 4 of them and hers was the slowest eater.

And, when will she ever get another chance to milk a cow? Her name was Sugar, by the way.

No explanation needed...and he had 3 horns too!

herding demonstration

Down Under Kentucky Down Under. This cave was discovered by a 13 year old girl.

After the park we headed to a scrapbook store in Glasgow, KY. On the way there we saw these giant roosters. On the way back we stopped for a photo op. There were 4 of these - 2 on each side of the road.

Thanks for stopping by!
:0)

SCRAP, SCRAP, ONE AND ALL!

When the bankruptcy trustee released all of our assets we knew we had to have the biggest yard sale ever! Well, we did that today. At one point, you couldn't fit any more people inside our 2 car garage.
There were rows of tables making 4 walkways...and just tons of women!
The sale was a huge success and I'd like to thank a few key people. Karen helped me get ready and came early this morning and spent the whole day working a yard sale that was not hers. AND she brought most of the tables. Tracy, who spent the past few weeks helping to sort, bag and price the merchandise from her scrapbook store. Barb, loaned us a great ladder and a collapse-able canopy to help us stay out of the sun (never got it set up...we couldn't figure it out). All of the friends and acquaintances who passed the word around and also came back for seconds and thirds.

It was exhausting. We're glad it's over. And, yes, there is still some merchandise left. All in all, it was a HUGE success!

Thanks for stopping by.
:0)