Almost Wordless Wednesday

It's almost Easter and I'm sick of the snow and cold so I hung up my spring wreath.

I likey!

Easter Bunny Project at Archivers

Hip-pity, Ho-pity, Easter's on it's way!

Saturday after I picked up my Girl Scout cookies and lunched at HuHot we stopped at Archivers and made this adorable little Easter Bunny basket from a 6 X 6 paper. 

 

This would make a great party favor. The face is from a cloud punch and the ears are leaves. I could never think of that on my own.

My grandson looked at it and saw the cross. I'm not saying he is a saint, nor are we 'super religious', but it is so cool to know he thinks like that. 

Happy Easter week to everyone!

Playing On Monday

I'm suppose to be cleaning my house, but my grandson asked if he could stay over on Sunday night again. They are on spring break...I said yes. I was really hoping to accomplish something today... ......About the only thing I did that I'd say was to my benefit was to stay out of the thrift store. 

While J was napping (his meds make him sleepy) I finished the 2 little books for my granddaughters.The directions for making it from a 12 x 12 sheet of paper are in a previous post. 

Most of the pages are blank so they can add what they want.

J wanted to make a 'man cave'.....guess who made it?

Napping in the 'man cave' - in the morning and after lunch. He's easy to watch....

.....except on saturday night when he was NOT tired and was up until almost 2AM.

Almost Easter

I know Easter isn't all about cute little bunnies and chicks, or candy, the Easter baskets, and egg hunts, or the first holiday of spring. It does represent new life tho.the new life though, the new and everlasting life I have because of Jesus Christ, who gave his life to die a painful death upon a cross for me..and you!

I am not really into cutesy, little stuff to put up for each holiday..too much work for me. In fact I have 3 Nativity scenes from Christmas that I still have to put away (I know that is too much info for you). But I couldn't resist these adorable stained glass items.....there were more, but I only got these 2. Of course they were at a local thrift store for .50 each. 

I hung them on the patio door and then looked for something to balance out the cute theme

 and remembered I have the cross that we got and I helped make items for (several years ago). It stays up all year.

I think I have it covered. 

Today bff and I are going to meet my daughter in law and granddaughter to pick up MORE Girl Scout cookies, have lunch at HuHot, and do some shopping. More about that in a later post.

Have a great weekend!

National Craft Month/Little Book

March may be almost over but it's still National Craft month so I thought I'd share one of my projects with you. I made a cute little book for one of my granddaughters with just a 12 x 12 sheet of scrapbook paper. I know it's old, but it's so easy! 

• score the 12 x 12 paper at 3" intervals, turn and score again so you have a grid (as shown above)
• cut on the pink lines, be careful not to go past the scored lines (at the bottom and top where it is not high lighted)
• then you just fold back and forth......watch which end you start at (to be sure you get the color you want on the inside pages-you might start at the upper left or the lower right)

This is the front, I will add something pretty to it and possibly attach a ribbon with which to close it. I think I'll put something over the spine too.

You'll end up with a 3" square book, like the one below. I glued the back sides together so it can not be opened back up into the 12" square.

 I put blank paper on a couple of the pages and some stickers on some of the others. It's for her, so she can use it for what she wants.

I'll have to make one for her little sister too! She's 4 and easy to please.....and it's an easy project.

I love books, whether they are to read or write in.

Thoughts on Thursday

• The calender says it's spring...........but it certainly doesn't look or feel like it. I am still wearing turtlenecks and heavy sweaters and the ground is covered with at least a foot of snow. This year we had the coldest first day of spring in nearly 30 years.....and last year high temperature records were set. Yesterday when I got up it was 11 with a wind chill of -5. That is terribly wrong! I am so ready for winter to be over!  I am tired of shoes, sweaters, jackets, and ice. The only drawback I can think of is having to shave my legs every day....but I can live with that!
• There certainly is a lot of trash on TV lately....agree? I've seen a lot of gypsy programs. Real gypsies are rather intriguing....but the Gypsy Sisters (or whatever it is called) is just plain trashy. I admit it, I got sucked into it one night and watched several young women traveling in a limo, one gal was quite tipsy and belligerent. She started taking off her clothes and hung out of the window or sunroof (or both). The driver finally pulled over and made everyone get out and obtain a different form of transportation. If there's one gypsy show, everyone gets on board and there are 12 more...........who thinks of this stuff? I have seen bits and pieces of the wedding shows too, but nothing stuck in my mind like the limo scene. 
• Then there are the Amish programs. The Amish have interested me too,  and I am sure there are rebels and those who 'run' the community......I'm not sure about the Amish Mafia though. Breaking Amish ..... once the young people have been 'in the world' would they be able to go back to their family and their Amish ways?
• yup! once the TV producers find some sensationalism and trash that gets ratings (?) they look for 6 more like it! Oh, oh, I'm caught.....you're wondering why I know about the programs I call trash? Sometimes I channel surf and get caught up and watch it...just like a train wreck & I can't change the channel until a commercial comes on. Thank God for commercials!
• I have a short attention span and the programs I like now are the true crime ones: The First 48  is one I watch frequently, Snapped is another. The truth is often stranger than fiction. Sometimes I'm lazy and have the TV on while I'm trying to do something at home or other times the TV stays off until I go to bed. 

What is your favorite trashy TV program?

Reminiscing About The Weekend

Even though our winter weekends are essentially boring, I look forward to them, especially when it's a 4 day weekend. One of the highlights of the weekend (for me) is having our 7 year old grandson stay overnight on saturday. Sometimes we go on a field trip, or perform experiments, watch movies, play board games; usually whatever he wants to do. It gives him a break from his hectic home life and helps me be a kid again.

This past weekend I was, once again, organizing & cleaning my basement craft area on saturday afternoon. I did make progress....but........I found a bag of items that I had saved for my St Louis scrapbook (that I just finished-or so I thought). Guess I'll undo the book and add more pages...again. It's such a pain tho. Oh well, it must be done.

The good news is that the 'cable guy' came and picked up an old TV that we had just sitting around. A local sports bar has 42, yes 42, of that same brand of TVs. As long as they have so many TVs they see no need to update to the new flat screens. That saved us the $ to get rid of it and gave them something they could use. I love that-recycling. I once knew a woman who said she'd rather destroy an item than give it to someone. Boy, that rubs me the wrong way!!!

About 12:30 AM on Sunday morning my grandson woke up with an earache. I could tell he was really hurting. He didn't like the heating pad or a warm washcloth. I wanted to try some warm oil but hubby shot that idea down. That is what my mom did and I did for my kids. When I 'googled' earache remedies that was still suggested. Hubby doesn't believe in home remedies so when grandson J heard grandpa say  'who knows what trouble that could cause' J jumped on the bandwagon with grandpa. I called J's dad and he convinced J to take some meds for the pain. Then I asked hubby to drive 15 minutes to get ear drops at Walmart but he wanted to take J to ER. After many attempts to call the parents we finally got them. Hubby took him to ER and mom met them there. The DR didn't find anything and by the time they returned home, about 3 AM, the ear was OK and we all slept (happily ever after).

Sunday afternoon I piked up J's brother and took the boys to their cousins birthday party, when it was over they went over to Nathan's house to play for a bit. When I picked the boys up to take them home J wasn't feeling well and he fell asleep in the car during the 10 minute ride to his house. When he got home, at 6:15, he went right to bed.

After that I met 2 friends at a restaurant for the traditional St Patrick's corned beef and cabbage dinner. It was delicious. I remember going there last year....so is that becoming a tradition???

That was my weekend. Was yours better?

Today I'm off to the dentist.  I also have to make a decision as to whether I want to join the rest of the world and update my prepaid cell phone to one with a keyboard so I can text. What's the problem you ask? I call an additional $150 the problem......... It's still much cheaper than having a contracted phone, that would NOT be cost effective for me at all!

Have a great week!

Happy St Patrick's Day

I'm not Irish and I don't celebrate St Patrick's day....but here's a couple of cards:

 The clover is made from hearts, with just a couple of dots of glue in the center, the sides are bent up to give it dimension. We placed a gem in the center and attached a ribbon as the final touch. I love it!

cute kid's birthday card, I need plenty of those!

Simple card we made at the scrapbook retreat. I love the sentiment. 

Have a happy weekend! 

I hope to have some corned beef and cabbage....doubt if I'll have any green beer....ya never know tho!

Thoughts on Thursday

Whoa!!!! The thoughts in my head are scurrying around at warp speed....good, bad, and some ugly...... and I couldn't get online this morning to write them down.

• Hubby got a promotion (I think) and a much needed raise. Several years ago he quit his job b/c he was so depressed and he had to take a pay cut when his current employer hired him. He likes this job and they like him. He is now the 'official trainer' for new employees, shift leader, and he sometimes travels for the company. He does NOT want to be a supervisor and have a cell phone and be available 24/7. He doesn't even own a cell phone.
• I think it's truly disgusting when a 55 year old man blames me for his problems (many, many people have told him I had nothing to do with it).  He called our house for the 1st time in over a year and when I answered the phone he whispered a profanity to me and then hung up. Grow up Keith! I think he had 2 options if he didn't want to talk to me: 1) hang up or 2) just ask for hubby. It didn't make me angry, I was just aghast when I heard him. I don't think hubby was too pleased either. He is putting my husband in a hard place and continuing to make his own life sadder than what it already is. 
• I started a yoga class this week, I enjoyed it. I have always wanted to do it....but..... It's something I can easily do at home or nearly anyplace. The only thing I don't like is having to do something at specific time on a certain day.
• Today I was planning to stay home and tackle some of my numerous messes and 1/2 finished projects....but instead I am off to 'book munchers' with my grandsons at their school. Yesterday morning grandson J called me when I was on my way to work and asked if I could come and have lunch today and listen to them read. Of course I said 'Yes.'

Thanks for visiting.............the weekend is almost here!

Funny Photos/A Monday Morning Smile

Remember taking photos and looking at them after you got them back from where ever you had your film developed and saying "Oh no, that's a terrible picture!" ....aka - there's a tree sticking out of someone's head or eyes are closed? We thought it was such a waste of film.

Now, with digital cameras, we can look at the photo, delete, and retake it immediately. Or, if you are like me, you just snap away or even let the grandkids snap away and don't worry about the amount or quality of photos taken (until you download them).

Last summer my 7 year old grandson wanted to take a photo of me on our way out of the aquatic center. I adopted a silly pose for him, he told me to back up and move over.............here's what happened! We had a good laugh over it, he knew exactly what he was doing......I'm a bug!

 On my granddaughter's visit I snapped this picture while she was in a jumping house. She's the little one the pink sweater. I couldn't have planned a trick shot better in a million years. It looks as if the older girl in front is holding down T.

In this photo of me taking a photo my friend captured a shot of what looks like me perched on the stair railing. NO!  I am not sitting on it, it's kinda funny though (don't ya think?).

Happy Monday and happy daylight savings time (to those affected)!

More Thrift Store Finds, Busy Week, and Lots of Eating

 Yes, I did a lot of eating with friends this week. Monday morning I met a good friend for a hot drink and early lunch. We met at a local coffee haus/bistro. I loved the atmosphere, but the drinks and food was a bit pricey.

Tuesday night was our Red Hat club meeting....more food.....speedy, pleasant service... and lots of talking.

Thursday morning I went to help a friend tackle her craft room mess. Mine never gets cleaned up; just when I get close I'll get a fantastic idea...and I'm off to another task. That night was my book club meeting.....out to eat again. We had a hard time discussing the book because it was acoustic night and it was too loud to talk. 

This morning I met another friend for breakfast and a lot of catching up. Of course, I had to stop at the thrift store and here are a couple of my finds:

This cute little sewing needle kit, I bought it because I love the picture. It still contains quite a few of the needles but the most important part, the needle threader, is missing. I'm sure it was under $1.

I also found this Tastefully Simple rolling tote. No, I'm not selling Tastefully Simple, but it's a great, sturdy tote. It won't fit 12 X 12 supplies, but it has 3 re-positional  shelves (1 is not in this photo), a telescoping handle, and I can use it for other scrapbooking items when I go to retreats. It's in excellent condition. The shelves have Velcro and they are hard to move. In fact one of the volunteers in the store came over to me as I was trying to get one off.....it was so noisy as I was pulling and pulling. My big tote that holds my 12 X 12 scrapbook as papers is sitting next to it, so with these 2 I should be able to bring every thing I need. I almost forgot.....it was $5. I bet they sell for a lot more in ebay....I'm just sayin'. I picked up some other small things too, but these were my favorites!

Back to eating...........the Girl Scout cookies are here. And I've taste tested a LOT of them. The packages are smaller than ever and I believe the quality is down too. Do ya think that will stop me from eating them? No way!

Have a great weekend!!!

Yummy Muffins

I love muffins, not cupcakes, but heavy, healthy muffins. On the days I work I have one mid-morning. I always have some in the freezer. The ones I baked Monday were yummy!

The recipe for these Apple Oat Muffins is here. I didn't have any buttermilk so I had to substitute regular milk with lemon juice and I also used a whole egg instead of the 2 egg whites. They were moist and very tasty!

A Couple of Books~ THE CHAPERONE & TANGLED ASHES

Yes, I've been reading...back into it :-) Mostly I read at night, before I go to sleep. But sometimes I read for 20 minutes while my grandson does his reading for school. Yesterday he told me he's "kinda getting into books" - I'm thrilled!!! Before he went home last night he told me to turn off the TV and he was going to read, he suggested that I get my book and read too (which I did). He's a very good reader and reads many different things. I recently bought a place mat with all the presidents on it. He's been reading and discussing that. I encourage any kind of reading, it all counts in my book.

I posted my Friday 56 regarding the Chaperone by Laura Moriarty earlier this year. I really enjoyed the book. It takes place in 1922 when a young housewife agrees to chaperone a rebellious teenager to New York for dance school. They develop a relationship, although unlikely. Cora, the chaperone, is searching for her birth parents; Louise, the teenager, is struggling with growing up and being her own person in that very strict time frame; and Louise's mother just doesn't seem to be cut out to be a mother. Louise becomes a movie star and Cora finds love. I found it to be a very interesting book as I read about the changing times and the intertwined lives.

I entered a drawing and won the book TANGLED ASHES by Michele Phoenix. I was in between book club books so decided to read it. I loved it! While the contractor is in France to renovate the castle he uncovers several mysteries..... about himself and WWII. There's mystery, a love interest, and some unexpected things. I'm glad I won and it and read it. Read it if you have the chance to. It is available for ereaders on Overdrive.

Recurring Dreams

Do you dream? I do, and it seems like lately I have the same one quite often. Early in the morning is when I have my best dreams....or that is when I remember them because it happens right before I wake up. Many times I know why I dreamt about a certain thing....the other day I dreamt that my hair was very long - probably because not too long ago I found a photo of me with long hair and also because I want to let it grow a bit and get a GOOD haircut. Yes, sometimes I dream about something that is on my mind. One night I dreamt about spirits contacting me, 'they' were trying to smother me (actually my pillow was on top of my face) and I shouted out to leave me alone and asked Jesus to help me.  The Bible says no one who's passed can contact us, but yet it seems that some people can be contacted. Since my mother's passing I've been thinking about it, so am sure that is what brought that on.
What I am dreaming about most often now is going to school, I think it's high school and I need to graduate so I can go on to college. In one dream I wanted to buy a car and move into my own apartment. In my dreams I don't go to classes, don't remember where to go, I just have no ambition. I try to get the office to tell me my locker number and to change classes.

What does this mean? As I was 'googling' to see if recurring dreams was correct I came across Dr Oz's page and it seems like he did a program about that very subject and going back to school is one of the 5 most common recurring dreams. This is what Dr Oz says:

The Lesson: There is probably some unpreparedness, uncertainty or even vulnerability with your job or career that needs to be addressed. There is a lesson to be learned here, so sit up straight and pay attention! Your dreaming mind is placing you back in school because it really wants you to succeed in real life.

I am really not sure if I can relate that to my job....I want to retire in 2 years. Maybe I shouldn't??? I need to! I want to! I will!

I haven't dreamt this in a while, but often I'd dream that I was spitting out my teeth. Here's what Dr Oz says about that:

The Lesson: Your dreams are trying to show you that you must be careful about what comes out of your mouth because once it is out, like a tooth, you can’t put it back in. Paying attention to your teeth dreams helps you to monitor and improve the way you communicate.

That could be very appropriate! I sometimes try to be funny but it doesn't sound funny to the other person. Sometimes I think I need to be more like my hubby and say nothing.

Your dreams?
Your thoughts?