Forgiveness...And more PIF

Over the next few days (most likely until the end of the month) I might not be posting alot or at the very least, short post. Reason: everything is on "GO" for us to get a new house, so I am left with all the packing. Once we get to the closing, I'll also need to do some work on the new house-painting and getting carpet in the guest rooms. So I am asking ahead of time for forgivness.I left a little stash of goodies out in hopes I might get a few mintes to make something, but I wouldn't bet on it.
I have some more "Pay It Forward" stories to share. Hope you enjoy them :0)
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Dear FlyLady, I had a great chance to pay it forward a few years back. I was living in Memphis, TN., where the crime rate is high and the police work hard. I had just picked my young daughter and her friend up from school, and we were in the drive through line at a fast food place ordering ice cream shakes. A police officer in his cruiser was in line behind me. I paid for my order, then asked the woman at the window how much the next order was. (I had limited cash with me, and if he was getting dinner for the entire precinct I couldn't have accomplished my "gift.") The order was only around $7.00. I happily paid for it. The woman who I paid was incredulous. "Why are you doing that?" I told her it was in appreciation for a difficult job. As I pulled to the edge of the road, the police officer got the news that some stranger in a mini van had just treated him to dinner. Over his loudspeaker he announced, "YOU JUST MADE MY DAY!!! THANK YOU!" The kids in the back seat waved like mad and we all grinned and giggled all the way home. I try to pay it forward often, but this instance was a memorable one. Cheers! Flying High in Maine * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hi Flylady, I was feeling miserable. Recently plagued with a multitude of illnesses, 10 pills a day. My kids. . .recently all diagnosed with adrenal disease. Husband took a big pay cut. . .bills piling up left and right. Mom's got a muscle disease, dad is broke, grandma is an angry old lady, the list goes on and on. I wasn't whining. . .just. . .feeling sick and tired of being sick and tired and broke. Then today, with borrowed money that I desperately needed. . .I went to the store. And as I passed, I saw the Salvation Army guy. He was standing there in 18 degree weather tonight. Collecting money, ringing his bell. Smiling. Saying Merry Christmas. I pouted. There's not a dime to get my kids anything and they have so little to start with. But then I thought about the man outside, freezing, while I was in a nice, warm Wal-Mart store. And my heart began to stop weeping for the unkind year I have been having. A thought grew in my mind and raced through my blood. . .a way to feel better. . . So, at the end of my shopping trip I took a dollar and some change and went into the McDonald's and bought the Salvation Army man a large hot chocolate. With the change from the purchase I put it in his red bucket and handed him the hot chocolate and said "here you go, Merry Christmas". He beamed a mile wide. Tears welled in his eyes. He said "thank you, thank you so much" and as I touched his frozen gloves I smiled and said "no, thank YOU very much, Merry Christmas". And inside of me grew a warmth so fantastic that I had to come home and tell you. Happy Holidays Flylady, Jen A., a PA flybaby

Anyone for Cookies?

I have to say, I LOVE my new banner!!! Thank you Heather! You are one talented chick-ie! I haven't switched to the beta version yet, and Heather gave me instructions, but I'm so afraid that I'll mess something up, I'm scared to!!! We'll just stay like this for awhile.

I've found a few little things I wanted to share with everyone. At Tracy Porter's site, you can get some gift tags to download for free & at Mary Engelbreit's site, there are lots of goodies, even full page drawings from her! I've follwed Tracy's career for many years, actually before she had her first son. I've always loved her style, but it's also the way she lives her life. She is so inspiring.
And Mary's magazine, The Home Companion, I'd go nuts without it. I have every copy (missed the premier) that I've received. I'm thinking of all of this because it looks like Charlie & I are going to get our new house & I've started packing and I have to pack ALL my books & magazines!! Oh the joy!!

Why I am such a pack-rat, I don't have any answer for. I can't bear to throw something away if I think it still has some life left in it. I have been purging magazines and even after I got through them, pull out all the pics/stories that I want to keep, I still hold it in my hands and wonder if I missed something! LOL And the way things are looking, our banker is pushing to try & have a closing date BEFORE Christmas!! Part of me is happy because my step-daughter is someing to spend a week with us on the 27th & my best friend & her fammily are spending the night with us on the 31st on their way to Orlando for New Years at Disney. So it would be great to have a bigger house, but I just don't see all of this happening before Christmas. Not with all the "junk" I've got (and I say the word junk with total affection LOL)
So if any of you fellow bloggers are in the Tallhassee are within the next week & need something to fill your time, please look me up. I'll even bake some cookies if you stop by :0)

Pay It Forward

I belong to a website called Flylady and the last few weeks they have been sharing Pay It Forward stories. If you've never seen the movie, add it to your Christmas Wish List. It's one of the best movies you'll ever see. I wanted to share some of the stories with you. Hope you enjoy them. I think there are more on her website. And if you have any stories of your own, I'd love to hear them! :0)

Dear FlyLady

Don't know if this will really qualify as a pay it forward incident,
but wanted to share anyway.

Last fall my family was facing winter with no insulation in our house
and no source of heat. We had moved into our incomplete house out of
necessity and due to unforeseen financial difficulties were able to
pay our mortgage payment and utilities with no money left over for
extras. Although we live in the south, we still have winter and
temperatures at and below the freezing point (as an example, this week
we had a couple of nights when the overnight low was 11 degrees!).

An acquaintance gave us a wood burning stove, which another
acquaintance helped my husband to install over the Thanksgiving
weekend. Now we had a heat source, which helped some, but with a
house that is just a shell, any heat that is generated is quickly lost
thru rafters and exterior walls (remember, no insulation, but also no
interior walls or ceilings either).

It was a real struggle to stay warm during this time, but by wearing
several layers of clothing and using electric blankets at night, we
were surviving. With the approach of Christmas, we had begun receiving
Christmas cards. Two weeks before Christmas, a card came in the mail
addressed to me. The return address on the card was Santa Claus,
North Pole. I opened the card to find a cashiers check for $500.
Inside the card, the sender had written that his elves had told him
that we were having a hard time this year and to please accept this
gift from him. The card was signed Love Santa.

I still have no idea who the sender was, or how they found out about
our situation. The post mark was from 1000+ miles away. We were able
to purchase a good deal of insulation with that gift, and it went a
very long way toward keeping our us warm last winter. Each time I
think of the generosity of the giver, it also warms my heart.

Warm and toasty in North West Alabama
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Dear FlyLady,

Last Christmas, my husband and I treated ourselves on a cold winter
night here in Missouri to a "Mugs Up" hamburger, fries and a icy
glass mug of root beer. This is a favorite treat for us. The little
"Mugs Up" drive-in has no indoor seating but rather has old-fashioned
car hops! They don't use roller skates but still take orders, run
trays etc., in the cold weather. Our waitress left our tray on the
window-it was so cold we pulled the food into the car to eat and
rolled the window as high as we could with the tray on it. Our total
check was about $6 (big spenders!) and we routinely tip $4. But this
night in addition, to our usual payment I slipped a $20 under one of
the root beer mugs. My husband wanted us to hurry and drive away
before she could say anything but I told him, no, she needed to know
we meant it or she might worry that we made a mistake and feel
guilty. So I hesitated and sure enough, she ran back to the door of
the drive-in and yelled "Wait, you made a mistake!". I just rolled
down the window, waved good-bye and replied "Merry Christmas!". She
started to cry as she said "Thank you-it means a lot!"

This may be a long way to relate this kind of "pay it forward" but
you have to appreciate that those kids work where tips are slim and
the conditions aren't the greatest and my husband and I value their
hard work!

My husband has also recently taken to anonymously buying the dinners
of World War II veterans that we spot having a meal in our local
grocery store's deli-restaurant.

It is a great feeling to do something good without anyone expecting
it and without expecting anything in return. I highly recommend it
to other Flybabies. If you are blue because you are lonely or the
holidays just bring back too many memories-try "paying it forward"-
pretty soon your mood goes from blue to glowing and you understand
what the Spirit of Christmas is really all about!

Emily
Flybaby in Kansas City Mo.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Kristal.. from the Blog Banner Fairy!!
Enjoy!! xo

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to me...

Yahh!! Today's my birthday!!! I've made it 38 years. And what to show for it. It's actually got me to thinking about what I've done with my life so far, and I've decided to start a journal listing the things that I've done and the things that I would like to do. I am going to update it each month on the 12th until my (gulp) 40th birthday!!! Then I'll see how far I've come. I know one thing is my " Dream Home" that I have picked out. It was the HGTV Dream Home for '03 (I think)



I was hoping to have a surprise for everyone, but it might be here later today. Charlie is out of town today, so I'm not sure what he's got planned. He always surprises me at the last minute. So far, just about all my family & friends have called to wish me a Happy Birthday. And I even won a gift from Laura. She is such a sweetie!!! I never win anything.

If any of you would like to journal your goals with me, just let me know. Maybe we can start a little "group". There are some of the usual things like paying off all our credit cards and learning yoga to traveling to Italy!!! I am going to have a list of things that I feel are accomplishments like having a wonderful husband and a beautiful son. I'll be posting my page once I've completed it. I'd love to hear your goals & accomplishments.

Divine Love

An atc I did for Kristy's Christmas Swap. The background is a contact paper transfer of the 2nd chapter of Luke. The image is cut from a box of Christmas cards that I had laying in a drawer. I haven't used cards the last couple of Christmases, I've started making a family newsletter. Which reminds me, I need to start making right now!!

Please keep your fingers crossed. We've found another house that we like & have made an offer. We're just trying to agree on a price$$$. I'm starting to get nervous :0) Not looking forward to the "packing & moving" but I'd love a bigger house. It's also a newer home (2005) and has almost a full acre of land.

Everything you can imagine...

My first canvas! I tried putting it on the scanner, but it's bigger than the scanner, so I just took a picture. I made this for my studio (and to send to Heather for my blog banner I'm giving myself for my birthday ;0) This is my grandmother, Grace, known now as Gigi. She just turned 93 yrs young last month. I'm not sure how old she was in this picture, I need to find out. The quote reads: Everything you can imagine is real-Picasso
I just painted the background in the colors I'm using in the studio. some stamps and I cut the birds from an old book. You can't see it but I took some colored pencils & added some blue to her eyes & red on her lips. Very subtle. I'm very happy with it. I'm even thinking about making another one & giving it to my grandmother at Christmas. I think she'll get a kick out of it!

Christmas Parade

We went to a Christmas Parade on Saturday. It was a nice clear evening and we had a wonderful time!

Of course, my camera battery died half way through the parade, but I still got a few good pictures.
The Geek Squad

Dane loved the Fed Ex truck!


Charlie taught Dane to shout out "Over here!!". I wish you could have heard him, he was so cute. As you can see, he got lots of beads!! And candy!! We had a great night :0)

It's Beginning to Look...

I've started doing a little decorating. With us putting in offers on houses, I didn't want to do alot. We're going to get the tree on Sunday (Charlie is off). But I saw this on an episode of "Curb Appeal" and thought it would work on the wall by the front door. It's just a big, plain wall. The whole thing cost less than $20.

The snowflakes, moss & buckets are from Dollar Tree. I got the glittery picks from Michael's-3 for $1. The greenery is real. I went to Lowes and asked if I could have the braken branches-They said take all of them :0)


I'm thinking about getting some more "glitter" picks to add a little more sparkle. Overall, I think they turnes out nice.




Hope everyone has a safe day. It's really nasty weather here today. I'm going to meet the realtor today to look at another house. The one that Charlie & I both really liked had another offer put in on it at a price closer to the original asking price. Both of us REALLY liked that house. Oh well. Ciao!

House Hunters

We've been looking at houses for the last couple of weeks. Let me tell you, it's not as exciting as I thought it would be. Dane & I rode with our realtor, Mary Alyce, for three days in a row. He now considers her his new friend :0) I told her that she could hire me as her assistant LOL We've put two offers in on two different house, but we couldn't get to the price we wanted. I keep trying to tell myself that when the right house appears and we make an offer, the Lord will put everything else in place. But that is so much easier said than done!! We are going Wednesday to look at some more. Keep your fingers crossed!

DH is off today. I think we will go look for a Christmas tree. I've started making a display at the front door but need some fresh greenery to complete it. Hopefully, I'll finish today & post pics tomorrow. Again, I haven't been a good blogger and updating on a regular basis. I promise, I'll do better. Pinky swear.

I have some ATC's that I need to make for an up coming swap. I need to get going with that. And I'm trying to complete a cross-stitch piece that I've been working on forever and it's comsuming all my spare time. But with the house hunting and knowing that we'll need to start packing it's just really got me discombobulated. I don't know if I should pack (technically we haven't found a house) but we know we are going to move (our house right now is too small - 1,096 sq ft). What to do, what to do. I have been trying to purge a little. That's so hard for a major pack-rat like me!!! But I look at it like I'm blessing the world!!!
**Hope everyone has a wonderful day**

gobble, gobble

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. And may all the madness start tomorrow!!

Vacation

Thought I'd post some pictures from the Greater Gulf State Fair in Mobile that we went to while on vacation.

It was a big group of us along with alot of kids so there was plenty of people going to different directions.

Thankfully, it had turned a little chilly which always makes it nice.

Charlie with our niece Alyssa. She just loves having her picture taken!!!






Charlie
with
Dane & Alisha













Dane & Alisha on their first date!!!

These two tried to ride everything
together, but Dane is a little
younger & shorter, so he couldn't ride
everything with her. And I was the only
adult left to ride the swings with her!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

In case you've been missing me, we've been on vacation and it was really hard for me to get to the computer, so I haven't been able to update. Starting tomorrow, I'll start posting pics. I've missed everyone terribly. I've felt so "out-of-the-loop". Charlie says I'm just plain "loopy" anyway!!!
And hop over to see Audrey at Small Creations and wish her a Happy Birthday!

Hope everyone has a
Hauntingly Happy Halloween!!!!

100th Post & A New Banner

Couldn't sleep, so I decided to get enough courage to try to make my own banner, and it worked!! (after 2 hours of html and almost 10 tabs open at the same time :0) And for my 100th post at that!! Ain't life grand? ;0)
I have to say a big "Thank you" to my dad for letting me use his photo for the banner. If you look back a few post, you'll see the original hanging on the wall above a Halloween vignette. I might to beg for some more when we go home for vacation. He's got some really wonderful pieces.
So, tell me how you like the banner. That means Leave A Comment !!! Ya know we all need comments in our lives to know that we are loved!!
Okay, I guess I need some sleep now....
Ciao peeps!

The Diva Lounge

Look at all my goodies!! Thanks to Evelyn Louise-my Diva buddy(from Paperback Swap) for October! She put together an absolutely awesome package.
1) A Haunted House tart burned
2) Six different tart scents plus a package of votives
3) "Altered Book Collage" by Barbara Matthiessen
4) Halloween pair of sock with kitty jingle bells
5) Disney ornaments: Lady & The Tramp
6) hot pink book light
I lit one of the tarts-Chestnut & Brown Sugar-and when Charlie came home from work, he thought I was baking a cake. He was really upset to find out it was a candle & he wasn't having cake :0)

Thank you Evelyn Louise

Pumpkin Pete

I finally finished!! This was so much fun to do. The fabric is dyed with coffee. I added a few of my own changes-his pants were a denium blue-but I wanted some green ones. And I added seed beads for the kittys eyes' and Pete's buttons. Also, the border was supposed to be solid brick red, but I blended the red with a sweet potatoe orange. I really like how it turned out. Now I need to get the rest of the set. There is a snowman, an Easter bunny & one more.

Well, off to have lunch with my hubby-Enjoy the day
{{HUGS}}

Here's "Inking" At You

This is Dane trying to "ink" at ca' !!! And the part that you can't see is that he scrunches up his nose while his doing all this. It's just too funny. I think I see another scrapbook layout evolving :0) I guess it's things like this that we need to hold on to.
Before we know it, he'll be 16 with a cute, little cheerleader sitting beside him & they will be holding hands (to say the least).
Yes, he is growing up too fast...Yesterday he came running into the house holding a lizard by his tail. He said Sasha had bitten it. The lizard wasn't moving, so I layed it down on the table. Then I noticed it take a breathe. So we kept an eye on. I am not trained in the art of CPR on reptiles, but I did my best. He hung on for awhile, but then I noticed he wasn't breathing anymore. After Dane woke from his nap, he asked about it. I told him the lizard didn't make it. So we went outside & buried him in the flower bed. After that it was back to the Power Rangers, life was good.

For those of you that love Halloween as much as I do, I found a fun site for making some Halloween goodies. There are some cute ideas in there.
Here is another site, good for the kids.Ideas & coloring pages you can print out.

I have alot of things to get checked off my to-do list today, so I better get started. I need to finish a Halloween cross-stitch piece, make some more recipe pages & make some atc's. Plus we need to go grocery shopping today & I need to run to Big Lots. And I've only had one cup of coffee so far. So, SEE YA!!!!

Yard Sale Goodies

Some goodies that I picked up yesterday.

1. A fall wreath

2. 3 loaf pans

3. a pair of pink
shoes

4. fall-colored skirt

5. 2 Mad Libs bks

6. Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub

7. Gray sweatpants w/ sequins

8. set of ice cream spoons

9. Pair of wine goblet tea light for outside

10. small LOVE pillow-for MIL

11. Blk & pink purse w/ "A" -for SIL

12. And the best find of the day: A 23 pc set of Franciscan dishes.

All of this for:
$21.50 !!!!!

Saturday Salad Bar

I did some Halloween decorating this week. I love this little vignette. The garland I purchased from a craft fair many years back. The witch came from Target awhile back, and the black & white photo above is an original from my father.




Talk about weird sleeping habits!! I found Dane asleep on the sofa like this yesterday :0)

















I sent out a reminder email for the Halloween Swap but I'll post a reminder here too:

HALLOWEEN SWAP 2006
All atc's are due this Friday, October the 13th. I'm so excited. I've received a few already & everyone did an outstanding job!

Well, off to hunt down some bargains. Ciao for now!

Dogs, Venting & Halloween

I read this the other day, and thought I would pass it on to all the people who have pets or if you know of someone who has a pet. Especially with the holidays coming up & alot of people baking.

NEW YORK (Sept. 30) - Keep those sugarless treats out of Fido's reach. Veterinarians warned on Friday that a commonly used sweetener might cause liver failure in dogs, and perhaps even kill them.
Their report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association appears to strengthen the suspected link between the sugar substitute xylitol, thought to make dogs sick, and possible liver failure.
Xylitol, a naturally occurring product, is found in many sugar-free chewing gums, candies, baked goods and toothpastes.
Researchers Sharon Gwaltney-Brant and Eric Dunayer with staff at a poison unit of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Urbana, Illinois, gathered information on eight dogs treated between 2003 and 2005 after eating products containing xylitol.
Each dog became ill, and five died or had to be put down because of liver failure, possibly from ingesting xylitol.
Gwaltney-Brant said for dogs, ingesting even a small amount of xylitol can trigger significant insulin release, which drops their blood sugar and can be fatal.
"A 22-pound dog who consumes one gram of xylitol should be treated," she said, adding that further studies were needed to definitely establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

After reading this, I now discovered that the yummy Trident gum I've been using has xylitol in it. No, I've never given it to my dogs, but if a piece had dropped on the floor, I would have let them have, not thinking anything about it. I know our dogs love sweets, so every now & then I give them something. Sasha loves Hot Tamales!!!

And now the vent of the day. As you might know, I quit my job in February & since that time our family hasn't had insurance. For Charlie to get it would be $1200 per month. Crazy. So we've done without & been fine. Then 3 weeks ago, my foot became swollen. It's still swollen & painful. So I finally made an appointment yesterday at a clinic that I had already been to. Spent 2 hours in there with Dane (he was being so good) taking x-rays & a preg test ($25!!!! just had my period 3 days ago) & they tell me they don't know, I'll have to go see another doctor!! $180 of I Don't Know!!!! I just feel like they send us running around, telling us "I'm not sure, go see this person" while each one is still raking in money. And people wonder why insurance is so high??!! I had so many other things going on yesterday, I didn't get a chance to call the other place yet, I want to find out first how much everything will be. We are going on vacation at the end of the month & I don't want to spend alot. At the clinic, I should have asked about a payment plan, but none was offered & I was so upset that they couldn't tell me what was wrong, plus Dane was starting to get cranky, I just whipped out the debit card & paid. And the $25 for the preg test really made me mad when I can go to Dollar Tree & buy one for $1!!!!! AGHHHHHHH!!!!!!
O-Kay, I'm done.



On a happier note, I'm planning on decorating for Halloween today. Charlie has to drive to Tampa for a mgr's meeting. So I want to get it all done before he comes home tomorrow. I really want to make an outdoor scene, something with some bales of hay & maybe a scarecrow. I don't think anyone else on the street will do much if anything. I saw some sunflower plants at Wally World yesterday. And there is a church that has a pumpkin patch that I want to take Dane to & pick out a pumpkin.

See ya peeps!!!!

Saturday Salad Bar

Some more recipe pages. I really enjoy making these. Charlie said I should sell them!! I don't know to whom, but I thought it was funny. I guess that was his way of saying he liked them!


And now for the funny & bizarre-This week was my week for the monthly thing. Yeah, I know. NOT what you needed to know, but wait, I'm getting to the point. As I was getting ready to use my pad w/ "wings", I looked down, and there, on the sticky paper is a message. Yeap, a message that reads "Have a Happy Period". I had to read it twice. I couldn't believe it. Even to my best friend, I wouldn't tell her to "Have a happy period". What the hey!!!! But just knowing that someone, somewhere is wanting me to have a "Happy Period" makes all the cramping better. Don't you agree?

I'm not going to spoil it, but I've already received two of the swap entries. And they are just GREAT!!! Thanks to Joy Eliz & Marcy.

Have a great weekend everybody :0)

Scrapbook Layout & Recipe Page

Here is a scrapbook layout I did of Dane.I haven't done a lo in a long time, and I had come across this picture and just left it sitting on my desk. I loved the look on his face, plus the fact that it's a little blurry. The background paper-a napkin from the $1 bins at Michael's! I used my stamps for the corners & my own handwriting on each corner. I'm still not happy with my style yet, but I fell like it's getting there.


This is a recipe page I did for my recipe book. I'm also making a book for my mother for her birthday next month so it's given me inspiration to make some more pages. She's always asking me to give her the recipe for this or that, so I decided to buy her a book the same size as mine (it's a K&Co. 8.5 X 8.5) then I'll make a color copy of my page. I want to have at least 12 pages in her book when I give it to her, then I'll just keep adding pages to hers whenever I add to mine.
We are going home next month for a week of vacation & I am so excited! We've been going home the last few weekends, but we don't get to leave Tallahassee until Saturday afternoon & then come home Sunday evening (it's a 3.5 hr drive). So everthing is so rushed. I 'm looking forward to enjoying everyone & not feeling so rushed. All of our family lives in Mobile, so when we go, we have to see EVERYBODY or else someone feels left out! But the week that we are going is also the week of the State Fair! I (heart) the fair. Something about all the rides and the smells. The smell of candy apples & cotton candy. Of all the animals, hay, polish sausage with peppers & onions, diesel fuel to run the generators. And you have to go at night. It just not the same in the daytime.
Dane went for the first time last year (which I need to make a lo for :0) I'm so glad we get to go again this year. Can't wait!!!!!

More Bookmarks

Another set of bookmarks I made. It's about the only thing I've made lately. I'm still working on my cross-stitch piece. Almost done with it. I'm very excited. It's the largest piece I've ever done. It seems that when I got this "allergy" bug, it has just done me in. I'm finally starting to feel like my old self. I've got alot of things I need to get caught up on. And now DH is taking us to Mobile for the weekend. I'm excited, but it's just such a long drive.

So what are your plans for Autumn/Fall? I Love Halloween! Can't wait. We are going on vacation the week before, but I'm going to start decorating next week. Have you seen the current copy of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion? The Halloween article is fab! Lots of yummy goodies to see! Found a few websites I want to check out.

Also, have you seen that Hallmark has a new magazine out? I got an invitaion to receive a free copy. I wasn't expecting much, but after it arrived, I am really impressed! I even made two new dishes last night for dinner from the mag, & DH ate his dinner plus all the leftovers! It's loaded with lots of great articles and wonderful pictures. Good ideas and recipes. You should check it out.

Well, I'm going to try & make something today :0) Besides a mess LOL.

Hope everyone has a wonderful "First Day of Autumn"!

Yummy Yummy

Even though I was feeling bad yesterday, I had a craving for some really good chicken salad. So, guess what I made. And it was G-O-O-D!! Another recipeI get to add to my book.

Thanks for everybody who played tag.

Ciao for now!

Joys of the South

Along with the scorching sun and stiffiling humidity we also have to deal with the wonderful seasonal allergies. And I have done some suffering. It started out innocent enough. But yesterday, it really kicked my bu-tay. After taking my temp (100.4), at 9 pm last night, I crawled into bed wearing socks, flannel pj pants, a long-sleeve tshirt under a short-sleeve and an extra quilt on the bed!!! Around 4 am, I woke up alittle confused where I was, but there it all finally sank in and I realized that the fever had broken. I'm felling a little better now, but I'm going to take it easy today.

I received an email this morning from my friend Christie. I may have done something like this a long time ago, but because it was so long ago and I still have the lingering effects of a fever, this sounds like something I can do right now.

So here goes:
4 Things about Me...

Things you may not have know about me...and you have not have even wondered...

Four jobs I have had in my life...
1) Sam's Club 18 years
2) Video store (p/t)
3) receptionist for a hair salon
4)

Four movies I have watched over & over...
1) Indian Jones-Raiders of the Lost Ark
2) Finding Nemo
3) Alien
4) Sweet Home Alabama

Four places I have lived...
1) Mobile, Al
2) Biloxi, MS
3) Pensacola, Fl
4) Longview, TX

Four tv shows I like to watch...
1) Supernatural
2) Rockstar-Supernova
3) Ultimate Fighter
4) Gene Simmons' Family Jewels

Four places I have been on vacation...
1) Orlando, Fl
2) Mexico
3) Jamacia
4) Ontario, Canada


Four blogs/web-sites I visit lately....
1) A Life Unrehearsed
2) Small Creations
3) Paperback Swap
4) Maigirlz Madness

Four of my favorite foods...
1) Lasagna
2) fried dill pickles
3) cheesecake
4) sweet potato casserole

Four places I'd rather be right now...
1) back home in Alabama
2) "NOT" sick :0)
3) Italy!!!!
4) Cabo San Lucas

Four people I will tag...
1) Bonnie Rose-A life Unrehearsed
2) Audrey-Small Creations
3) Maija-Maigirlz Madness
4) Laura

Hope ya'll have fun!!

Saturday Salad Bar 9-9-06

These are some lovely postcards I ordered off ebay. There is a story about the kiss for Charlie & I, so I try to collect "kisses" whenever I can. And to make it even better, after I received them, I noticed on the back that they were made in Italy!! As for the 1913, as soon as I saw this card, I had to purchase it. My grandmother, Gigi (pronunced gege) was born in 1913! It is postmarked on the back 1912, written in French, but I believe it is wishing a Happy New Year for 1913! I'm going to make a card for her using this scene.


Charlie stopped
so Dane could pet
some horse ,
but I think Charlie
was just as happy
as Dane was :0)








Have you ever seen one of these? It's a velvet ant aka Cow Killer. And get this, it's not really on ant. It's a wingless wasp. Not the thing you want to step on with bare feet.

















SOUP OF THE DAY:
If you help others, you will be helped, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps in one hundred years, but you will be helped. Nature must pay off the debt...It is a mathematical law & all life is mathematics.
~Gurdjieff
DESSERT OF THE DAY:
Be who you are and be that well.
~St. Francis de Sales

Weekly Recap

Hello All! Again, I haven't been a good blogger and haven't posted very much the last couple of weeks. I have started too many projects and have gotten in way over my head. But I have prioritized and am hoping to get a handle on everything. But this doesn't mean I will stop adding to my list! I've already added jewelry making. I've seen some really cool items and I just have to try making them.


I hope everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. My DH had to work Monday. But he was off Tueasday and will be off Thursday. We went out to eat on Mondayand last night we went to Osaka-Japanese hibachi. Always a treat. Dane loves the fire!


I do have a few funny stories. On Saturday, we went to see the movie "Invincible" with Mark Wahlberg ( my sweet hubby knows I could look at Mark all day :0) It was a really great movie. As usual, we bought all the goodies: popcorn,cokes & candy and had been muching through out the movie. About half way through, Dane starts to get a little wiggly. We keep telling him to be quite and watch the movie. At one point, he's sitting in his chair being quite and during a quite part of the movie too, he just toots. Yeap, he lets one rip. Charlie & I both look at him and start laughing. Then the couple behind us start laughing. And Dane laughs too. He's too young to really understand being embarrassed. We all got a good chuckle out of that one.
Then on Sunday, Dane & I went grocery shopping. After hubby got home from work and we ate dinner, he was wanting a snack. So he gradded some Jell-o pudding out of the frig. Well Dane saw him eating it and come up to me and said "Mommy, I want some black yogurt." (It was chocolate). Of course, I had to look at him for a few seconds to understand what the heck he was talking about! When it finally downed on me, I started laughing. Chocolate pudding sounds yummy, black yogurt not so yummy.

Some bookmarks I made yesterday. I have two more books to mail for Paperback Swap and I thought I'd surprise each person with a bookmark. (I actually like how they turned out, I was thinking of keeping them :0) The hardest part was finding the words. I cut all of them from old magazines. The background paper on the Red Magic is also from a magazine. They were fun. I guess I'll make myself one some day.
SOUP OF THE DAY:
Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary.
~Sir James M. Barrie
DESSERT OF THE DAY:
When I give, I give myself.
~Walt Whitman

Saturday Salad Bar 9-2-2006

Some goodies I received this week.
The book is from Paperback Swap. I had read a condensed version and really loved it. So I wanted to read the whole thing. I've already sent out 4 books and had another email this morning for another one. Yeah!!
The cross-stitch pattern is from my friend Roz on ebay. If you are ever looking for anything dealing w/ x-stitch, she can help. The pattern is called Pumpkin Pete. It reads:
Pumpkin Pete picked patchwork pants puttering in the patch to peruse plump pumpkins with this playful pet Penelope.
There is actually a tongue twister for each season. I might have to do all of them ;0)
I received the Mame Wanko book from Blair. She let me purchase her copy. I love dogs and I have to see if I can make these.
And last, I got a cute little ATC from Lin via postcardx. I love postcardx. It's so interesting. I've been really lazy this week (my monthly visitor)but I did sit down one morning and make almost 15 postcards. I try to send out 5 RAK's a week. Even if it's a simple "Have a nice day". I think it's nice to open the mailbox and see something besides bills!! Plus, postage is only .24. I'm going to make some nice bookmarks to put in my PBS books that I mail. Again, something to just say "Hi".

I also received my cards from the ATC swap I was in. Instead of showing you mine, take a look at Audrey's blog. She uploaded everyones' and is it a sight to behold! All of them are simply to die for. I think it took her three days to get everyone's pictures uploaded. She had almost 45 people participate. You should really take a look.

So, what are your plans for the weekend? I hope everyone has a safe and happy one. Be careful.

SOUP OF THE DAY:
Just living is not enough...One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
~Hans Christian Anderson

DESSERT OF THE DAY:
Don't hurry ,Don't worry. You're only here for a short visit. So be sure to stop and small the flowers.
~Walter C. Hagen

Saturday Salad Bar

What not to let your husband and son do on a Sunday afternoon after watching the NASCAR race!



This was a lightning storm we had one night a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, I know, not the smartest thing to do. But it was more like heat lightning. And it just keep going. I've never seen it lightning so many times! It was so beautiful. The whole nighttime sky would be lit up like daytime. This picture was taken at about 10 pm.



This is Dane & Alichia last weekend in Mobile. If you read a previous post about all of us staying with my best friend Rachel aka: Martha Stewart, then you will understand why Alichia is already being the perfect little hostess!

Chinese Beef and Snow Peas

A quick little layout I did yesterday for my recipe book. "Chinese Beef and Snow Peas", it's super easy and yummy! I started working on it and remembered that I had picked up a vintage Chinese cookbook at a yard sale. That's the images of the cows in the snowpeas. It also has a section in the back with the symbols and names, so I made a little tag with the name for beef (Niu Jou) and snow peas (Wan Tou Chia). Then I
wanted to add a little fortune so I grabbed my stash of foutunes (I always keep them!) and the very first one I pulled out read: Now is the time to try something new. Thought that was perfect. As for the background paper, I played with all my pp for awhile then remembered that I had a vintage children's book about a Chinese boy. I pulled it out to look at all the pictures and this is the end covers of the book. So I stopped at Staples yesterday and made a color copy.Super easy. I can't believe I finished this so quickly. It usually takes me DAYS to finish! I'm going to try and do another one today. Dane isn't coming home until Sunday so maybe I can do one a day :0)

I have to go to the post office today. I joined a book club called Paperback Swap.I had heard of it before, and then Bonnie Rose posted it on her blog, and she got points if I joined and used her as a reference. I've already had three books requested, so I have to go to the p.o. and mail them (you pay to ship them, but when you request a book from another person, THEY pay for shipping, kinda like a wash). I've already requested one book, it should be on the way. They even have it where you can print out a shipping label for your printer and wrap it around the book and mail it!! Pretty cool ! Check it out and if you join, use me as a reference-Thanks!!!

FIrefox is Hot

The clouds this morning on my walk.
I don't know why I keep taking pictures of clouds, but I love all the different formations they make.
Every day they are different. Today, it looked as if this was the front of a line of rain clouds moving in. Very pretty.



A quick update to yesterday's post about downloading Firefox. Yesterday was DH off day, so he usually sleeps in late. After finally waking up, he was asking me what all I wanted to do (since Dane is in Mobile, we were thinking about going out to eat at a fancy resturant or a movie. Instead we stayed home, ordered a pizza and watched a DVD-man we're really living the single life !!!!) We chatted for a few minutes, then I carefully started telling him that I was still having problems w/ blogger & pics and that after searching on blogger, they too recommened Firefox. He starts to tell me to "go back" on the computer to when everything was working right & so on. So I took a deep breath and said"Well, I already downloaded Firefox." He just looked at me shaking his head. He said " I knew you were going to." Man, does that man know me or what LOL! He then just asked me if that seemed to help and I said yes. So, that went alot better then I expected. Then this morning, I received an email from FlyLady titled: What Browser are you using? We love Firefox! Can you believe that! I love it when things like that happen. Coincidences. Yea, I am easily amused.
Ciao for now...

Weekendd Recap & ATC Book #2

Another little ATC book I made. All in one afternoon. I'm sending this to my friend, Laura. Her challenge about Make, Create & Inspire prompted me to make a set of cards and I owed her an ATC anyway.

I tried all day yesterday to upload this pic, but blogger wasn't letting me do it. So I check out Firefox like Audrey said and sent a link to DH (he has forbidden me to download anything until he checks it out). Well, as I was telling him my dilemma w/ blogger he starts with " Well, you never had that problem before yada yada yada....So I went to bed. And this a.m. guess what I did...downloaded Firefox :0) Can't wait to hear it now. Can I come stay with somebody for a few days? :0) Men!!

Recap of this past weekend. We left for Mobile on Thursday night. Spent Friday visiting with my grandparents. On Saturday, My MIL & I went to an antique show. I'll post pics of my finds later. Saturday afternoon, my best friend Rachel asked us over for dinner. Both of our DH's were going out to play cards, so the girls were just going to hang out. We ended up with 7 kids and 5 adults spending the night at her house. In the morning, she fixed everybody french toast and juice. Then for lunch she fixed slow-roasted chicken on the grill with coleslaw, baked beans and macaroni & cheese (homemade). Yes, let me say now, Rachel is "da bomb". Love ya girl {{hug}}

ATC Book

YEAH!!! I made this cute little book to put all my ATC's in.


Thanks so much to Audrey. She's the Creating Queen :0) If you get a chance, check out her blog. It's full of wonderful goodies.





I'm trying to pack for the whole family. We are going to Mobile for the weekend. I had a small list of To-DO's before we left, but now it's turned into this HUGE thing. Why do I do that to myself. I've really been trying to keep up with my weekly chours. I've even made a list of things to do each day and I check them off as I go. This has helped me so much. Because I open my journal, look to see what day it is and right then I know what's to be done. Yes, I know some of you might not have that problem, but visit Fly Lady and you'll find out that I'm not alone :0) Thank goodness.
Anyway, I had just a few simple things to do, but then I started adding to them.
I've washed DH's car, been on the computer WAY TOO LONG, washed more loads than I needed to, worked on my ATC book (good thing) and alot more little things. So I guess on that note, I'll sign off for now. I'll try to post over the weekend.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

ATC Swap-Children With Party Hats

These are a few of the ATC's I've done for a swap with Audrey . The theme is children with party hats. The one on the left is actually a pic of my mother. Isn't she cute? (sorry about it being blurry :0( It says: I see the moon and the moon see me.



And the one below is my mother-in-law!!! Both of them are going to die when I show this to them. They are both very quite ladies. But I kinda think they'll get a kick out of it. We are going home this weekend, so I'll give it to them then.



I made sets of fours of each of these cards. One for the swap, one for me and one of each for the ladies.











I also have some more cards done, need to put some finishing touches on them along with a few other thing I'm working on. I'll post the rest tonight. For now, I need to run some errands.
Hope you have a good day!! :0)