Happy with Pictures

I am so happy.  Thanks to my sister we have a computer.  It's one she doesn't use any more and wanted to get rid of.  Hubby figured out (or should I say taught me) how to download pictures from the camera.  The process is different that what I was taught previously, so he had to teach me something new.  (Remember, I'm not interested in technology.)   We still don't have access to our hard drive :-(  but we have a computer and the ability to download pictures.  I'll take it!!! It just means all of those groovy, cool things I've been saving to show you will have to wait a little bit longer.  But I do have some recent pictures, not the best ones mind you, but they are pictures!   Above are my knitted Easter chicks.  They are fun to make and turn out kind of cute. 

Here are a couple of crocheted recycled plastic bag baskets filled with jelly beans.  These are fun and easy to make.  I always have too many plastic bags around and decided I would use some for Easter goodies.

 

Beginning of a cat fight!

BEER!!!

Crafty goodness spread all over the kitchen table. 

This is how it looks when I say "I'm on production".  This means I am in the craft zone, leave me alone and I'll get back to you in a couple of days.  My family hates it when I'm "in the zone".  I haven't been there in a while.  It felt kind of good going there last week while getting ready for my mini craft show.  I hope I can spend more time there. 

So there are some of the pictures straight from the camera.  I hope you enjoyed them half as much as I did having the ability to post them.  I am sure we will be in touch again soon.  Keep checking in and I would really appreciate hearing from you.

Stay groovy.

Rescued Joy

Bunkie aka "Wild Man"

About 6 years ago we made the decision to add a cat to our family. We have always been dog people, but our little girl really wanted a cat. Our beagle was about 14 at the time and took to having a cat in the house better than we all thought. Scruffy was the beginning of our adventure in being owned by cats.

Scruffy Russell

 About a year after Scruffy joined our family our beagle died. Scruffy was lonely. I convinced hubby that she needed a companion and he reluctantly agreed for us to adopt another kitty. That is how we came to be owned by Bunkie. Bunkie was not so much a cat but more a cat/dog. He had a lot of dog traits that made him funny and trouble.

Bunkie

By the time Bunkie was about a year old he had become a great escape artist and it was common for me to find him outside when I would come home from work; even though I know he was in the house when I left. One day when I arrived home I spotted Bunkie behind some bushes with a little white puff. He had brought home a kitten that the vet assumed was about 4 weeks old. She weighed 3/4's of a pound and was covered in ticks. After much debate about a third cat we ended up with Indi, better known as "Bunkie's cat".

Indigo Grace

Scruffy and Bunkie were both rescue kitties. Scruffy was saved from a certain death at the shelter on her last scheduled day on earth and Bunkie was tossed out of a car by someone who decided they didn't really need a kitten. Both were taken in by my veternarian and introduced to us. It is so hard to say no to a sweet scabby face when you know they so desperately need a home.

Scruffy was named for her appearance as a scabby, snotty faced, sickly kitten. She was a horrible sight, but so full of love. Bunkie was named for his crazy, fun personality. Indi's full name is Indigo Grace, because of her blue eyes and being saved by the grace of a loving tomcat.

Those of you who are owned by cats can understand the joy and frustration they bring. 

This is the look Scruffy gives you when you tell her you can't hold her right now.  This is the look a split second before she pounces on you, climbs your body and perches on your shoulder - all 14 pounds of her!

This is Indi's favorite spot - sitting in my lap no matter what I'm doing.  This gets frustrating and everything I knit includes cat hair - whether you like it or not!

My sweet, sweet Bunkie - oh how I miss him.  He passed away last October of complications from a urinary track blockage.  He was only 4.  We still laugh about him and his shenanigans.  He was a ton of fun and we miss him every day.  

If you have it in your heart, adopt a pet - cat or dog.  Remember it's a life time commitment that can be hard at times but it will bring you more joy that you could imagine. 

(Note: Computer still down - thank goodness I had this draft blog that I've been saving for just a time as this.)

Technology, Spring Swap, and Party Update

Good Morning,

We are still without our computer (at least our hard drive) so I am working from the laptop this morning while drinking lots of coffee.  Hubby is working on getting a way for me to load some pictures to this thing.  It is an older laptop so it doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles that some do today.  Hopefully something good will happen this week and we can get a computer and our hard drive back up and running.  You don't realize how much you depend on technology until it's gone.  I said in the very beginning of this blogging adventure of mine that I don't like technology, I think it is going to ruin us all (again, I will admit I know I'm crazy).  I don't have a lot of technical knowledge.  I don't know how these things work and don't want to know.  I don't want to waste my brain space with that type of information.  So please forgive me if I am making a big deal out of this computer thing when it should be a simple fix.  

My newest friend Rosario received her swap surprise from me this week and wrote the sweetest blog about it.  Check out Rosario's blog, Dona Maria, and you can see what I made for her.  My surprise from her is still making it's way across the Atlantic ocean and should be here any day.  I can hardly wait!

My gold party / craft sale was a success.  I was so pleased that people actually came.  I think 4 or 5 ladies sold their old gold to the buyer and were very happy to make some money.  We sold several crafts items and made a good bit of cash too.  I was so happy that people were excited about the craft stuff.  The night had a party atmosphere as we laughed, talked and enjoyed each others company.  Hubby spent the evening on the back deck enjoying his homebrews.  He just couldn't take another hen party.
The party turned out better than I expected which was a relief and gave me great satisfaction.  I will post pictures of some of my craft goodies as soon as I can. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me as we work through this computer issue.  I appreciate you stopping by so much.  I hope you have a great Saturday. 

Love you all!

Technical Difficulties

Boy have I missed you all! We are currently having technical difficulties at home.  The stupid computer died!!!  I have missed blogging so much.  I have so much to tell you and write about.  I have pictures I want to share with you. We are working on fixing the problem but it may take us a while.  Our funds are very limited right now so it will probably be longer than we would like.  I decided this morning to break all the rules and update you from work.  (Dear Co-workers, please keep this to yourselves.)  We do have access to a laptop that I will probably start blogging from but I do miss my desktop. 

I will be having a mini craft sale at my home tomorrow night.  I am excited and anxious at the same time.  I combined this with one of those gold parties.  You know, where a buyer comes and buys your junk gold.  I thought this might be a good way to earn a little cash.  I decided to do this last week, so I have been in a crafting frenzy ever since.  I feel pretty good about what I have gotten done and will make candies tonight to hopefully sell.  Keep your fingers crossed that people will come. 

I will update you again as soon as I can.  I have been checking comments and emails from work, so keep 'em coming.

Miss you!

What Happened to the Gingerbread House?

Day 1 - Some minor damage.

Whole on the left side and chew marks on the right.

Gum drops and candies are missing.

So what happened to the gingerbread house? Here are the pictures I took of the progression. I took it down to the woods and placed it on a well-traveled path. It was positioned so we could see it from the house. At times we could see squirrels and crows working on it.

Day 2 - Appears to have been a struggle.

House was taken off its foundation. The left side window is gone.

Close up of damage on Day 2.

Day 3 - Looks like something has been busy.

The tray only has crumbs at this point.

Day 4 - Pieces laying about.  This is it.

Day 5 - All gone.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a gingergread house? 

A one... two... three...four!

Susan Brabeau

"Ladies Garden Club"

Susan Brabeau is a friend of mine as she is to so many.  She is an unbelievable artist whose talents are far beyond what I could imagine.  I don't know alot about art, but I know Susie's work is amazing.  She is a painter, a singer, an actress, and so much more.  Her paintings are incredible and you can see her work here at her website.   The puzzle above is from a painting she did.  This is the kind of art I can afford.  I was forutnate enough to find some of Susie's puzzles in our local Target the other day and picked up the one pictured above and the one below.  They will look so pretty framed and hung in the master bath and guest bedroom.  I can't wait to go back and pick up some more (if there are any left).

"Kids Half Price Day"

"Walking the Cows"

The puzzle pictured above is one of Susie's that I bought at our church auction a couple of years back.  I fell in love with the cow and little girl.  It may be hard to see because of the glare from the camera flash. 

My all time favorite work of Susie's is the one shown below.  Again the camera flash does not do it justice, but I think you can see it well enough. 

"The Patient Elves"

This is a giclee that I was fortunate to receive from Susie because my Little Girl posed as an elf for this painting.  I think it is so sweet and love it.  This hangs in my dining room year round. I love to tell people about it and the artist.  It is a joy to have such a talented friend.

Share your talents no matter how big or small.  They are ALL a gift.

Beautiful Sunday

Pale Ale and Irish Red

What a beautiful Sunday we had.  Absolutely gorgeous!  It was so pretty that Hubby and I spent some time on the back deck enjoying some homebrews with chips and peanuts.  I love times like this.  It is so nice to sit outside, enjoying his company and his beer. ;-)  We both commented on how we could hardly wait for the warmer weather to stay for a while so we could have more times like this.   The only bad thing was we spotted our first mosquito - already!

The real highlight of the day was that we got to visit with Grand Baby!  It is amazing how much they can change in just a few days when they are so small.  She is prettier and even sweeter than last time we saw her!  I didn't think that would be possible, but she is.  

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday and the week ahead will be filled with good things.

Anxious

Yesterday we had a nice sunny day.  The wind was a little chilly, but the sun shone brightly all day.  Today is supposed to be as pretty and warmer.  Days like these really make you anxious for spring. 

I have been working on my swap project and find myself a little worried.  Will it be good enough, will she like it, are the colors okay?  I can only hope so.  Then I think maybe I've picked the wrong project and maybe I should just start over.  I never thought I would be like this over a fun craft swap.  Am I the only one with these thoughts running through my head?  Don't get me wrong; I have truly enjoyed working on this and being a part of it. I love it!  I guess its just first time swapper jitters. 

I have been feeling much better over the past couple of days.  However, Little Girl came home early from school Thursday all yucky.  She has really been sick this weekend.  I know a lot of folks with this nasty stuff.  I hope it will quickly run its course through our house so we will be done with it. 

I am really hoping to go see Grand Baby this afternoon.  It has been 9 days since I've seen her.  Not that I'm counting or anything, but it has been so long.  I made a point to stay away because of this terrible cold.  I don't want to risk her getting sick.  But today may be the day that I can once again hold her. 

I hope the sun is bright and warm where you are today!  Enjoy.

Early Saturday Morning

Me, this morning, wrapped in my first quilt attempt made many years ago, wearing my favorite socks.

I love to get up early on the weekend, especially Saturday.  I know that may sound wrong to some, but I do.  I love to get up, fix a cup of coffee, sit on the front porch and watch the world wake up.  Even this morning when it was 25 degrees I just had to go sit outside.  It is so peaceful.  The birds are busy collecting breakfast and singing the praises of the morning light while everything else seems still.  There is just nothing else like it for me.  Just look at the sun peaking through the trees.  See how warm and hopeful it is? 

As I examined the picture of me this morning I had to laugh.  I am sure one of my friends will comment on the socks, as I have been known to wear them to work on casual Fridays. Yes, they are those fuzzy, cozy, house socks that some people think you should only wear at night as you prepare for bedtime or when you are lounging about.  But not me, I love them.  I wear them all the time. Why not?
I am also sure this same friend will comment on the coffee cup as she was my accomplice when we each "acquired" a cup from the famous deShas Restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky while on a business trip.  Isn't it great to good have friends?

I hope you enjoy your Saturday.  Take a minute to stop and enjoy a simple pleasure.

My Week, So Far...

Been one of those weeks.  I started feeling that little scratch at the back of my throat Friday afternoon.  You know the scratch I'm talking about, the one that lets you know you're getting sick.  I stopped on the way home from work and picked up a couple of things that I thought might make it go away.  None of it seemed to work.  By Sunday, I was feeling pretty bad, but had some things at church that I needed to be at so I filled myself full of cold medicine and felt really bad the rest of the day.  I don't do well with most cold meds, they give me the shakes and make me want to sleep the day away.  Anyway, made it work Monday and made everyone around me miserable, so when Tuesday rolled around I decided I was too sick to drag into work.  That is not a good thing because I have mounds of work to do.  Needless to say I am still home, sick and miserable.

One good thing about my down time is I am watching all of season 2 of one of my favorite shows, Breaking Bad.  This is such a well written, well played series, I can't stand to miss a minute of it.  The 3rd season starts March 21, so I thought I would watch the 2nd season to refresh myself and be totally prepare for season 3.  Love it!

We had snow AGAIN yesterday and last night.  It was beautiful and another good snow, one that doesn't stick around.  The schools were delayed 2 hours this morning.  I actually have the house to myself this morning, which is rare, so I think I will go finish up season 2 of Breaking Bad.  I am on episode 9 of 13. 

I keep thinking I will pull out my knitting, but I just can't bring myself to it.  I must really be sick! 

Hope you are having a good week.  Keep in touch!