Black Book

I read one time in a scrapbook magazine that you could take all those weird and otherwise useless pictures and turn them into a "Black Book" album, for purposes of blackmailing!! I would never do that to my mother, but I just have to laugh every time I see this picture! If there is a nose around, Gracyn is intent on grabbing it. This is what she did to her grandmother at Thanksgiving!


This is a another funny picture!! On one of our trips home, we met my MIL & SIL for lunch. My niece was with us that day, the cute blonde with pig-tails. This was the greeting they gave my MIL!!


Can't leave hubby out, but since he always seems to take a good picture, this was about the best I could do. This was Dane's birthday party, earlier this year. I might have already posted this one.



I don't think I ever take a good picture, so a decent picture is a treat for me. And right after I finally got a new pair of glasses. I should have been wearing them for the last 12 years, and that was how old my last pair was. It had gotten to where I didn't like driving at night. When I got the job at the Preschool, they had eye insurance, so Hubby & I both got a new prescription & new glasses!!

All of this is giving me the idea to put a quick book put together for a few family members as a cute little gift. I hope you share your "Black Book" nominations! I'd love to see them!

It's My Birthday

eap, the Big 4-0!! (Actually, it was yesterday) but I felt so bad I didn't even make a post. Then one of my best friends, Rachel, called to wish me a Happy Birthday & to tell me to "Update the Blog!!" So here I am, 40 years old, thinking about the things I've done in my life & the things that I wished I'd done. I guess one good thing about having a birthday so late in the year is that it really helps you think about the things that you want to do for the coming year. I've written a few things down in my day planner, but I haven't made an "Official Goals for 2009" yet. Just been reflecting on older goals that I really wanted to achieve but haven't and trying to decide if I need to abandon them, tweak them some or push forward & make them happen. I'll get back to you on that one :0)

I've had a horrible cough. I've coughed so much that I feel like someone has punched me in my chest. And if I eat something a tad bit dry, it just makes it worse. Gracyn was sick last week. Dane has had a little cough. Thank goodness Charlie is okay, but he's been working so much, I don't think he's had time to think about it. If he ever gets an off day, he might get sick then LOL!

I haven't had much of a chance to explore around town. I did discover that the post office & the library are about a half mile from our house! We've already been to the library twice. Gotta have a book to read!!

We still have some stuff at the old house in Tallahassee, some of that being all of our Christmas ornaments! I had one Christmas bin that had lights & a few odd little decorations. So last weekend, we bought a tree & I pulled the lights out. Of course, out of 8 strands of lights, only 4 worked. Since we had no ornaments, I set out to make some. I saved two frozen pizza boxes, turned them inside out, browsed the internet for some pictures, printed them out as patterns then set down to trace & cut out. Ha! That took me a whole day! Then the next day was spent painting. Some other things I don't have yet, all of my paints, so a quick trip to Wal-mart (We don't have any kind of craft store here-Yikes!). We only bought 4 colors (Earlier, right after moving into the new house, I had climbed on top of the kitchen cabinets to place some knick knacks & found a bottle of bright blue paint!) & a pack of glitter paint. Our theme was for Sea Life, so we found pictures of dolphins, seahorses, octopuses, crabs & a shark (Dane loves sharks!)



Sorry that some of the pictures are sideways - Blogger is flipping some of them for some reason :0(

We've also made some snowflakes. I'm still working on painting those, so hopefully we can finish those today & I'll post some pictures. I love making the snowflakes. I'm going to have Dane make one for each of his grandmothers, one for his Aunt & one for his Big Sister.

Hope everyone has a Wonderful day!!

**This is my 40th post** How cool is that!!

The Corn King

Have I ever told you guys how much my son loves corn? A few weeks ago, we were going to grill out so I had purchased some hamburgers, Conecuh sausage(for me!! Love this stuff) and some corn. When I got back from the store, Dane came in to help me with putting groceries away. And this is the reaction to the corn:








I was laughing the whole time taking these pictures. Talk about a great scrapbook page!! I'm really getting the itch to do some scrapbooking & of course, everything is packed up. Maybe it's because it's getting close to the end of the year. I am working on an album for my Mom & Dad for Christmas. I think I will get it finished.

Well, it's official. Charlie got the job with Advance Auto Parts. He is the new store manager in Crestview, Florida. We are driving over today to look for a place to live. We have a few people lined up to show us some houses for rent. And in case you are wondering, it's about an hour & a half from Mobile, so we still aren't too far away from family. I think if we go home for Thanksgiving, it will be the first one in a few years. We usually skip it & go home for Christmas. And with Crestview being a smaller town, the cost of living will be less. It looks like a lot of people end up commuting to Pensacola for work. The more I've thought about it, I think this will be great. Charlie has a new job, we are a short distance from all of our family & friends & only 30 minutes from the beach!! Once we get settled in, I really want to take Dane to the Navel Air Museum. And I can't wait until the Blue Angels have their next air show!! Dane is going to love it!!

Hope everyone has a great Veterans Day. I know there are a lot of sales going on today. I've never been one to do the big sale thing. And the day after Thanksgiving? Nope, this chicky is staying home!!!

Nightmare On Our Street

Greetings & Salutations!! Sorry about the delay. Last week, Dane stayed home from school on Monday & Tuesday due to being a little sick. Not too bad, probably from the change in the weather but he had a little fever. Then on Thursday evening, we left for Mobile & stayed all weekend. So I wasn't able to post.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween. I didn't get everything done that I wanted, I never seem to !! And I always seem to find more ideas each year & say that I want to do this next year. I just LOVE Halloween. I have a few pictures to share...

Dane & Gracyn. Don't think you can see, but she has a little tee that has a picture of Frankenstein & says "Little Monster"

Our $2.50 jacket & our homemade Frankenstein jug!!

Dane with his cousin, Alyssa, the Princess.

Gracyn's First Halloween



We had a nice trip home. Hectic, but nice. It's always a rush to try & see everyone in just a few short days & then with trick or treating it's was a push to get it all done. And then we rush so just to jump back into the car & sit for 4 hours on the drive home. Hopefully, things will be changing soon. I'm not going to say too much, I think I jinked myself last time when I started talking about the house too soon!! Because...

The buyer has backed out!!!! There was a septic tank inspection on Wednesday & the drainfield test failed. The moron who did the inspection told the buyer (who was present) that it would be $8-$10 thousand dollars to fix!!! We just had one of the drainfields fixed prior to us moving in & when I called those people ,the guy said there was no way it would cost that much to fix. He even doubted there was a problem, but he said there was a number of ways to fix it without it costing so much. But it undoubtably scared the buyer so he is pulling out. When my Realtor told me this, I cried. Yes, I did. This has been a nightmare. But there is a good side. At least now, when we move, we can take our refrigerator with us!!! It was in the original listing as staying. But now we are re-listing the house & taking the refrigerator out. Just keep us in your prayers. With Charlie getting a new job & the house selling fiasco, all prayers would be greatly appreciated.

And speaking of prayers, I pray the the new leader of our country knows what he is doing. No, I didn't vote for him, I'm not going to lie. I really wasn't crazy about either of them although I did like Palin. I just really have my doubts. For once, I hope I am wrong, maybe things will get better.

Charlie is off today & we are having to drive to Albany, GA to deliver some car parts that he sold on Ebay. Might do some sightseeing. Hope everyone has a good Wednesday!!!

Kids

I thought I would take some time today & do a little show & tell of my babies!! Hope you enjoy!







Charlie is off today & we are planning on going to a local church that has a Pumpkin Patch & picking out a pumpkin & taking some more pictures! It's the one thing we have done every year since living in Tallahassee. Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

I (Heart) Tracy Porter

I know I have mentioned my love of all things Tracy Porter before. She has an email subscription that you can sign up for along with a link to her blog. Well, I get the emails, & dang her, if she would just STOP designing all of these beautiful things!!!

Thank goodness I have my own little blog here where I can wish away, because I fell in love with these awesome boots!!

Maybe it's my cowgirl side coming out, but I just think these are fab! If you have never had a chance to check out any of her other stuff or her blog, take a peek. Tracy Porter is definitely on my list of people I would love to meet.

Dane stayed home with me yesterday because Charlie had a job interview. He thinks it went well, but they said they would get back to him within the next few weeks. But Dane & I had a good time making Chicken Salad. I have been craving some for quite awhile, so we made some yesterday & then went on the back deck with Gracyn & had a picnic!! We then worked on his costume some. He is going to be Frankenstein for Halloween & I went to the Goodwill store on Monday to find an old men's jacket. All the clothing is half off on Monday's so we only paid $2.50 for the suite jacket. I tried to dye it black, but it didn't work too well. I did dye one of Dane's white undershirts. It turned out more of a gray color, but I think it's going to be a good mistake. I need to see if I can take the jacket up some in the sides, but I think it being big & hanging off of him will add to the look. I need a little pair of black pants for Gracyn's outfit. I have found some wonderful Halloween sites with all sorts of fun things to make. I might save all of that for another post.

Wanted to mention a really good book I finished.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It is about a young boy named David who lost his mother & is learning to cope with his Father's new wife & the arrival of a new baby brother. Then one night, David hears' his mother voice & follows it to the garden where he falls into a hole & into a totally different world. He discovers a fairy tale world where dead children turn into flowers, trees bleed real blood & wolves walk & talk just like a man. He also befriends a Woodsman who tries to help David discover his way back to his old life. The Woodsman tells him he needs to travel to the King's castle because the King is the only one who can help him. He encounters some fantastic adventure's along the way & eventually arrives at the castle. But throughout his whole time in this new world, he has meet one constant figure, that of the Crooked Man. And when he arrives at the King's castle, he discovers the Crooked Man there & begins to realize that it's not the King but rather the Crooked Man who can release him from this nightmare & return him back to his home. But he has to make some very important decisions first & these decisions will be the deciding fate of how David will spend the rest of his life. ** NOTE: I really loved this book, but it can be very graphic is some parts. If you have ever read any of the original Grimm's fairy tales, you will know that they vary greatly from the Disney-fied versions of today.

The Squeaky Wheel...

I had a talk with our realtor on Thursday. He had the contact info for the person at the Mortgage Insurance company that was holing up the short sale. The realtor said he had talked with him & that they had gotten into a heated discussion & the insurance guy was unwilling to budge on the two options:

1) Sign a promissory note for $18,0000

OR

2) Bring $5,000 cash to closing.

I said that I wanted to call the insurance guy & talk with him. Our conversation went alright, he did ask me how much money we had. I laughed & told him we had no money, but two kids! I then asked him if Charlie could call him & talk. Charlie at least got the guy to come down to a $9,000 note (from the $18K). So all night I tossed & turned worrying about it. On Friday, first thing, I called the insurance guy back to ask some other questions. He seemed a little aggravated that this was still going on. And then in an instant, he said "Your husband wanted to sign a note for the $5,000, so I'm giving you guys that." It's the $5,000 they wanted in cash, but we get to pay it off in a note!! When the insurance guy finally agreed with us, I had to think of a saying my father was fond of: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I really think that by my realtor calling him, Charlie calling him & then me, he just got aggravated with the whole thing. And then the guy hung up on me!! But I really couldn't care!! We can deal with $5K. And this way we won't have to file bankruptcy! See, they were threatening us that if we didn't take these two options, they would foreclose on us & file a judgment against us for a larger amount. Oh, this has been a nightmare. But wait, there's more!! We are also running about a month behind on my car payment. We received a letter in the mail from them, saying "We are sorry for the disasters that have effected your area & are willing to help out". So I called & talked with a sweet girl named Lori & she postponed our September payment!!! Okay, yes there is one more-you know these come in threes!! Charlie got a phone call & he has a job interview on Tuesday for a District Manager position. The job is for either Mobile, AL or Biloxi, MS. Obviously, we would take Mobile, but we lived in Biloxi for awhile, and I know everybody thinks of Katrina, but Biloxi is a beautiful place. I really felt at home in Biloxi when we lived there. I've never really felt at home in Tallahassee. So he now has two good leads on jobs. The Lord is so good. I just read awhile back the phrase: "Let God surprise you". Well, he's certainly doing that!!

I thank all of you for your kind words & support while we are going through this mess. I hated to post about it, but it was affecting everything & without talking about it, I didn't have much else to say. But I've started doing a few others things, trying to move forward & I hope to have more creative post in the future.

I have been working on stripping an antique vanity that I featured in an earlier post. I have a friend who is planning on having a antique/craft show at her house in November & I would like to have this piece finished by then. I was originally going to paint it black & use a black & white toile, but I've had a different idea. I'm thinking about a "vintage travel theme" & I would like some feedback on this. Please be honest. I'm thinking about painting the vanity either a soft blue or green (think of an old map: see above pic) & then use pages from a vintage atlas to line the drawers. Not sure what kind of handle, made just crystal. Then find a nice lamp & decoupage a shade using vintage travel posters. I also have some vintage suitcases that I could sell. I love getting into themes & I can see this one going for awhile.
What are the new decorating trends? Do you think this one would sell or are there other one's out there now that are more popular? I haven't been to an antique sell or craft show in so long, and I know that the "Shabby Chic" style has faded somewhat. I would love any suggestions that you might have. I hoping to have the vanity finished stripping & sanded today & hopefully will start to prime it. But I must confess, I'm really excited about my "Travel" theme!

Image from Pottery Barn

All Creatures Great & Small

I was so excited yesterday & I really wanted to post, but Dane stayed home from school & we were quite busy. The reason he stayed home was because Charlie had to drive my car to Crestview for a job interview!!!! So I had no way of picking Dane up from school. So he stayed home with me. We had a picnic on the back deck & then spent the day playing with Halloween decorations. We've decided that he will be Frankenstein this year for Halloween. I had a mask from a few years ago that I had picked up of Frank & then a few weeks ago, I went to Target & they have those blasted $1 bins right at the front door. But I found the cutest lap tee for Gracyn with a picture of a cartoonish Frankenstein that says "Little Monster". So Dane will be Big Brother Frankenstein & Gracyn will be little sis' Frank!!

I really don't want to say too much now about the job interview, because I don't want to jink anything. Just that please send prayers our way.

A few weeks back, we had a house showing & I would always pack up the kids & leave the house. Sometimes I really didn't have anywhere in particular to go so I would drive to a nearby neighborhood until the realtor would call to tell me they were done. Well, this day, I drove into a very high-end neighborhood & found a house that I just loved. I think it just recently sold. Very cottage/country looking with wicker furniture on the front porch. And I love the color. A sage green with a creamy white trim. Oh, to have a home to call our own...sigh. Anyway, I took a few pictures & just drove around waiting and then all of the sudden, I see something in the front yard of a house & I just slammed on brakes. I'm telling Dane, "Come look, come look!" Now, remember, we are in the middle of the city, not out in the country.

Yes, wild turkeys!! I couldn't believe it! And then...
They just walked right across the road into a wooded lot.
It was the most amazing thing to see these birds walking around manicured lawns like they were at home. I will say that we have seen a menagerie of animals while living in Tallahassee. We see many hawks, more than I've ever seen living anywhere else. And then there are the foxes that we've seen in our own neighborhood. Again, Dane was with me one night when we came upon a young fox walking down the middle of the road within our subdivision. All of this just brings me back to my old dream of owning a lot of land so that we can enjoy all of God's creatures!! I just love animals! Have you ever seen any animals that were out of their natural habitat but seemed to have adjusted to their new environment? I'd love to hear about it.

Once I find my camera charger (I think I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached- at least that's what my mom always told me!) I'll post some pictures of my Halloween decorations. It's not going to be a lot because we are planning on going home that weekend but I just love it too much not to do anything!!

Short Sale Deficiency

Here I am. Just trying to make some sense out of the craziness that has come & taken over our lives. It's almost too much to even comprehend but I am sure that God has a plan & I just pray that I have the strength & courage to step up to the challenge.

I will try to make a quick update on the house selling situation. We are having to do a short sale ( sell the house for less than we owe on it) The Realtors' said that if it was a good enough offer the bank would accept it & call it even. We were very adamant about this because I could see how in the world the Realtors' were getting paid. They assured us it would all be taken care of by the bank. We got a number of offers, the bast one being almost $5K above the asking price. So we submitted this to the mortgage company & waited. And waited. Now they have come back with a counteroffer.: We sign a no interest promissory note of $18K, payable by $100 per month installments for the next 179 months (BTW that's for the next 15 years!!) Sorry guys, just can't do it. I can not lay my head down every night to go to sleep knowing that I am paying for a house that I no longer live in, until the year 2024!!!
After a few days of me worrying my self sick about this, we finally got an email that they could take $5,000 dollars, due at closing. Uhm, we don't have $5K. If we did, we wouldn't be so far behind on the mortage payments & two months late on my car. So, here we are, waiting again to see what their next offer is.

Charlie has had a few good interviews with two companies. One might be in Pensacola, FLorida & the other maybe Mobile, Alabama.

Dane is loving Kindergaten. He now knows 7 words to spell. And is getting excited about dressing up for Halloween.

Gracyn is getting big. Maybe teething. She has been awfully fussy the last few days & had a fever one day.

I have been trying to sell some stuff on Ebay, I even have a few books listed on Half.com and need to look into Amazon. I figured since I love to read & seem to always sniff out the books at any yard sale/ thrift store, why not see if I can make some money. I've also been trying to purge some things that we no longer need & box up stuff that we can live without for awhile.
I've also started making something for Dane for Christmas. It's a plastic canvas Nativity that I think he will enjoy. He's old enough now to have some understanding of the story & I feel that by having his own set, the story will have more meaning to him. I'll post pictures once I get some of the pieces made. I do need scrap yarn if anyone has any laying around.

I hope that all of my friends are doing good. I will try to make my way through everyone's blogs to see how everything is going. I have missed the interaction, but with all of this weighing on me, I just feel like we are in the Twilight Zone-I'm ready to wake up & have a normal life back LOL!!

Thanks to everyone who has remained with me. I'm sure God has some wonderful things planned ahead for me. I hope to share them with you soon.

Banana Bama

I know this might sound un-American but I've never been one to love Oreo's. I'll eat them when they are put in front of me, but I've never "craved" them or purchased a bag from the store. But one day on my shopping excursion, there was a display for the Banana Split Creme Oreo's. I thought they looked appetizing so I purchased a bag. And boy were they yummy!! No one else in the family even wanted one, so I got to eat the whole bag all by myself ;0) And to make the whole thing ever more unusual, I'm not a big "Banana" person! I walk right by the yellow fruit & won't even give them a second thought. The last few times I bought them was due to Dane asking for some. But I Loved these cookies! I really need to go buy another bag, maybe even two. If you get a chance to try them, let me know. I'd love to hear from anyone to see if they are as good to you as they are to me.

Not too much else going on. We had another appraisal yesterday for our house. It looks like the bank is moving forward with the offer that was made, but still no final answer. Charlie hasn't heard anything back about the job, and I'm planning on having a yard sale on Saturday. I was a little worried about Ike, but I think he;s on his way to Texas. I told Dane we would make some Lemonade to sell at the yard sale. I am going with the idea that we will be moving soon, so I'll sell as much as I can. I would really like to get rid of all these Department 56 houses & accessories that I have. I've tried on Ebay a few times. One day, I hope to sell all of them & buy a Cody Foster cardboard house ~ A Christmas one & a Halloween one!

Rain, Rain Go Away

Finally, it's stopped raining, at least for a little while. But as I'm typing this, it's looking cloudy again. And there is another storm out there, Gustov. The joys of living on the Gulf Coast. But I love it here, don't know if I could live in the snow!!

Fay really dumped a lot of water on us. We had one tree to fall due to the ground being so saturated. You can see how close the tree was to the house. We were thankful that it went into the yard instead of the house. The one good thing I can say, it that because we were inside the whole time, I got a couple of scrapbook pages done for Dane's scrapbook & we made cookies together!



A few weeks ago we went to Mobile for a job interview for Charlie. While there, I got to visit with my best friend, Kimberly. She & her husband own a seafood market & she had to work that day, but we did get to visit for awhile. She has a son, Aidan, who is one month older than Dane.
It was great getting to visit, but I wish we lived closer. We used to do so much fun stuff together! Maybe one day soon, we might get to move back home. I've been thinking how nice it would be to have family to help out. My Mom & Dad would love to watch the two kids. And it would be nice to actually eat dinner together sometimes. I've been praying & I know God knows what's best but sometimes it just so darn hard to be patient! There are a few things going on right now with this, but since it's so up in the air, I'll wait to post anything until I'm a little more sure.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. Charlie was off for the weekend but has to work Monday. We went to the local Whatburger for the monthly car show last night. It wasn't a big turn out, but he enjoyed talking cars with the other guys. And Dane was invited to a friends' birthday party at Fun Station, so he had a blast. Now, if I could just sneak off to the local Antique store (and find some extra money from somewhere... LOL!!

Take care this weekend!!

Getting So Big

Due to all the craziness with the house selling & hubby looking for a new job, I postponed enrolling Dane in school because I had no idea where we would be. I would have loved to enroll him in the Kindergarten class at the school where I worked last year, and they even said they would hire me as a substitute again, but the cost for him to go until 1 pm (a full day for that school) & Gracyn going to the crib room was almost $500 a month! And there is no guarantee how much I will work. Good news is they need me to work there all next week for pre-planning where the teachers get their rooms ready for class. They start school in September. And I can take Gracyn with me. So that would be a blessing. But for Dane, I decided to check out the local elementary school. So on Tuesday (yes, a day after school started) Dane & I stopped by there to have a visit. Filled out the necessary paperwork & got a list of records that he needed to have & a supply list. And the poor boy was heart-broken when I told him it was time to go! He want to go to his classroom right then! I told him we had to make sure he had all of his current shots & current physical. So yesterday, Charlie was off & we went by there to drop off the medical information, plus I wanted Charlie to see the school. Again, Dane wanted to know why he couldn't go to class & we had to explain that they would get him a classroom & he could start the next day. All last night he kept asking me if it was tomorrow yet. I told him that he had to go to sleep & when he woke up, it would be time to start school. So this morning, I woke up about 6:45 a.m so I could have a cup of coffee & start packing a lunch. I wasn't up 5 minutes when he walked into the kitchen, saying "Mom, is it time for school yet?" Finally, I got to answer "YES!" He helped me with his lunch & gathering all of his supplies, helped me feed Gracyn while I got dressed & then gave Daddy a kiss bye & we were off! Got there early & meet his new teacher & visited the classroom. The teacher has two fish tanks, a turtle, some kind of lizard & a snake! I already think he is going to love it! So my little boy is now a Kindergartener!

(Not sure what the hand thing is all about)


And not to leave anyone out, here are some pictures of Little Miss.

I Like You

I've been reading alot lately & I've put a link to my bookshelf on Shelfari so anyone can look & see what I've been reading. But this book deserved a post all on it's own. You might have heard of Amy-she's been on a number of latenight talk shows & a movie called "Strangers With Candy". Anyway, she wrote this book & I had to read a cookbook for a game I was playing in my group on Shelfari. I checked my copy out from the library. Here is a review that is on her website promoting the book:
"Sedaris's sidesplitting guide to throwing parties hopes to return readers to the times when the word entertainment was "charmingly old-fashioned, like courtship or back alley abortions." While her tongue is firmly in cheek, novice party-planners will actually find some helpful hints along the way as Sedaris offers instructions and real recipes. Her tips run the gamut from how to properly freeze meatballs (freeze them on a cookie sheet before putting them into a freezer bag so they won't stick together) and deal with the inebriated ("Better to cut them off rather than pretend it's not happening and then allow them to stay over and wet your bed"). She's a generous but crafty hostess ("A good trick is to fill your medicine cabinet with marbles. Nothing announces a nosey guest better than an avalanche of marbles hitting a porcelain sink"). Etiquette pointers include inappropriate introductions ("This is Barbara, she can't have children") and things to avoid saying to the grieving ("Did she smoke?" "Was he drinking?" "Where were you when this happened?"). Her advice is both practical and hilarious; her instructions on removing vomit stains ends with "or just toss it, chances are you've stained it before." Sedaris's first solo effort (after Wigfield with her Strangers with Candy co-stars, as well as several plays with her brother, David) is an outrageous and deadpan delight, greatly enhanced by her deliriously kitschy illustrations and photos."

-Publishers Weekly (July 17, 2006) - starred review

I will warn you. There are some really off-the-wall things in this book. But it's just so darn corny that it will make you laugh. I actually think it would make a wonderful gift for someone who likes to entertain & has a good sense of humor. Check it out & let me know what you think!

A Moment Of Panic

An update on what's been going on the last couple of weeks. We went to Mobile for Hubby to have an interview. So far, nothing. He's been putting applications in over the internet most nights after he gets home from work. While we were there, I lost my camera. And I got really upset. I think it was that time of the month too & things got a little more emotional than normal, but boy did I get upset. Here I had just started to really try & sell some stuff on the internet & obviously you need a camera to do that. Plus I knew I couldn't post any pictures to my blog. And then just the plain fact that I had just received the camera at Christmas. It felt like such a waste. I called every place to stopped at to eat to see if I had left it anywhere. And no luck.
So anyway, we had let Dane stay in Mobile to visit with family & we were going back in a week to pick him up. We arrive at my SIL's late Monday night & lo & behold, my camera is sitting on the bed! She had found it behind the t.v. We guess it fell to the back & I didn't see it when I packed everything up to go home. I actually had to go sit down & say a prayer. Oh, I was so grateful! I hate losing things. It seems like I spend half my life looking for something. Sigh...

And for any of those who might been wondering, the house selling has taken a bad turn. It's positive now that we won't be able to sell the house for our payoff, the house prices have fallen that much. We can either do a short sale or we'll end up in Foreclosure. I have been so depressed with all of this that I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything. But I'm praying. I've listed both houses on Craigslist for rent. And they are both already listed with a Realtor for sale. I figure even if we can rent them, it will be some form of making a payment. Anything!! It funny how when things get really desperate, you start thinking of all kinds of odd-ball things. Like taking in boarders or renting out rooms. Things are just tough right now.

I will leave you with a picture of my Mother-in-law & Dane, Alyssa, his cousin & Gracyn. Have a good day!

Fortune Cookies & Lemonade

We are leaving tonight for Alabama. Charlie has a job interview tomorrow. So today we had lunch together at a Chinese buffet. After we ate, the fortune cookies were brought out along with the bill. Upon opening mine, he handed me his so he could pick up Gracyn. I couldn't believe what I was reading!

"Be prepared to accept a wondrous opportunity in the days ahead!"

I have been praying so hard lately for some sign that things will get better. I've been very depressed lately & I've thought a lot about my blog, but I feel like I don't have anything cheerful to say so I just procrastinate about it and hope something good will happen & then I can have something fun to talk about. I had an open house yesterday. Started cleaning like a mad person on Saturday when we saw another house in the neighborhood was hosting an open house. Since we are having to sell our house by owner, we are limited to the amount of people who can see it. So I thought we would take advantage of the other houses' open house & have one of our own. It was from 2-5 pm. And we had one couple stop by. Yes, one. That's all. But, I did make homemade lemonade with Dane while waiting for people to show up. Then after the open house, we carried the ice chest out onto the front lawn & he got the neighbor to by two cups!



My two little bugs. Gracyn is now 4 months old. She will be 5 months in one week. And she is laughing so much now.

I've been reading some. Instead of going through all of them, you can see my shelf on the right. But there is one in particular that I want to mention- I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. I loved it! An excellent book about romance & bohemian lifestyle. It has been made into at movie which I haven't seen yet. I'm hoping to check it out sometime.

Well, I need to get packing. But I hope you will please keep us in your prayers. For this new job & that we can find a buyer for both of these houses. I don't even want to think about the alternative.

God bless each of you who has keep up with me for this long-I love all of you!!

Happy (late) 4th!

Hi Ya'll!! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th. Dear Hubby had to work, but as soon as he got home, we fired up the grill and had steaks and kabobs. And grilled corn. I have started grilling the corn with the husks on and it turns out so sweet. And I also made some coleslaw. Earlier in the day, Dane wanted to make lemonade & sell. I am ashamed to say that I have never made homemade lemonade. And I was looking through recipes online & came to the conclusion that we would need a juicer. So off we went in the car to three different stores trying to find an inexpensive one. Finally, at the last store the clerk said I could probably use the back of a spoon. And that is exactly what I did!! 6 lemons later I had a cup of lemon juice. And I think I made the best tasting lemonade ever!! By this time, Dane had moved on to other interest. We might try to sell some today. I told him I would make some cupcakes too! But we might have to go back to the store for more lemons since I drank most of the lemonade at dinner!!
Then around dark, we drove to the park to see the local fireworks show. We were a little too far away, but it was still nice. It was a nice breezy evening and everyone was so laid back. Until it was time to go, then the craziness started. Where do people learn to drive!!!??? We are pulling out onto a 6 lane highway trying to turn left, and two cars pulled up on our left hand side and turned IN FRONT of us going RIGHT!!!! ARGGGGG!!!




I wanted to show a project I am working on. A neighbor had a yard sale last weekend. And I saw an old vanity. At first, I thought it was a desk, but after calling my friend & describing it, I realized it was a vanity minus the mirror. I started sanding it down that day, and discovered that under the black paint is the green antiquing that everybody did in the fifties. So I decided to take all of it off and start fresh. I'm thinking about painting it back black again, and making a swat cushion for the chair in a toile. And on the top, gluing down French-looking love letters. Not that I have any to use, but I think I've seen some on-line before. Anyway, I have the idea in my head, just have to get it working. Also, the original knobs were removed & some used only single knobs. So I need to find a set to replace them with. There is a really neat salvage store here in town, I might so by there & see what they have. I was think that if I went with the black & white theme, that clear glass pulls would be pretty. Give it a sophisticated look.

Ciao for now!

Storm Front

Hi-meet Envy (I named her thus because of the weird green color reminded me of the saying "Green with envy") She is made by Dakin, which was a company that at one time, I would have nothing else in my stuffed animal collection than a Dakin. She was not part of my original collection, as I purchased her at a thrift store many years ago. But now she needs to find a new & loving home. So she is now listed in my Etsy shop. Along with some pretty green vintage glasses. Can you believe that these have REAL 22 ct gold trim at the top? If these don't sell, they might find their way into my cupboard!!!

I wish I could put video up. I know you can do the youtube thing. I guess I'll need to figure that out. And here is way:

Last night around midnight, sweet hubby woke me up and told me he needed to show me something. Thinking he wanted to show me some kind of project he had finished on the Camaro, I got up & trying to keep my eyes open so I could walk through the house and to the garage, he then led me outside. By this time I'm thinking, Okay this is weird. Then we both stood outside. And let me tell you, it was a show!!! A lightning show if I've ever seen one! It was so bright & went on for so long, that the total blackness of night was the exception rather than the norm. It probably went on for about 2 hours. I even got the video camera out & took some footage. Both of us were like to kids, laughing about all the scary movies it reminded us of. And then saying how we were the idiots standing in the middle of it taking video!!! It was really amazing.