Pieces of Me

I started making some flip flops again. I have this pair listed on ebay along with a really nice vintage black and white purse. Ebay is so finnicky sometimes. I know the purse is a really nice one and so far there are 5 people watching it but no one has bid on it. I still can't believe no one bid on my little cross stitch piece last week-she is so cute! (At least I think so!!)
I'm going to make some more flip flops in different colors and list them on Etsy. I'm going to see if I have any better luck with Etsy than on Ebay.

There has been some really upsetting things going on in our lives lately. Yesterday, DH had to fly to Charlotte for a four hour meeting with his company. Basically, they are restructuring and after 7 years, 9 moves to 4 different states, they are moving him down to a store manager. It's very frustrating to him to not get any kind of recognition for all his hard work. And there are some other things that I just don't want to get into now. But life is trying to tell us something right now, and I'm really worried. I've cried almost everyday since last Wednesday when we found out. As much as I want to say that it's not fair, I know Life isn't fair. But I'm not going to let someone else take all of my dreams for me and my family away. I feel that all of this has happened at the same time and now Charlie and I have to work together and find out which direction we have to take.So for all my blogging friends,just say a little prayer for us. We could uses it :0)

{Dane helping me with my display for my ebay items}

That's What Dreams Are Made Of

I started reading a book about being an instant millionaire. Someone on another site had recommended it. It's a very short book, but I will have to tell you, it really had alot of punch.
I won't get into all the boring stuff, but the part that really got me was that the secret was loving what you do. And for me, being off work for a year and not really feeling like I'm going anywhere, it really hit home.
See, I've really been trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up :0) And the number one thing that keeps popping into my head is my little shop that I've dreamed of owning for about the last 20 years. But I always had an excuse for not doing it. One thing or another. And I can still put it off-we don't have the money right now. But I'm not going to. I am going to give myself a deadline to have all the credit cards paid off and my car and some money in the bank, and then I will do it.
And to really put the icing on the cake was this morning. I was looking something up on the internet and came across a blog that was started by a business owner for other women who want to open up their own shops!!! Can you believe it! Her name is Deb Neerman and her shop is Curious Sofa. Check it out.

If you have any suggestions also, I would love to hear them. I could use all the advice I can get!


Have you see the previews for Sandra Bullock's new movie? I can't wait!

DH has had a really stressful last couple of months and needless to say, both of us are in need of a vacation. So I've made reservations at a hotel in Orlando for Sunday & Monday and ordered us tickets to Sea World. I have really been wanting to take Dane to see Shamu. Hopefull, we can relax and enjoy ourselves minus a telephone ringing every few minutes!

My latest cross stitch. I had this listed on ebay, but no one has bid on it yet, so I think I'll take it off. I was going to complete one for us anyway, so I guess I'll just keep this one. I hate it when no one bid's on your stuff ;0(


I would like everyone to take a second and hop over to sweet Maija's blog and say a prayer for her and her family. Her mother was diagnosed with terminal lung caner. Maija, we will all keep you in our prayers.


P.S. these pictures are from a shop that was here in Tallahassee. It's since closed.

Better Late Than Never

Okay, I'm kinda late posting pictures from Dane's birthday party. Oh well!
We had a little party for him. Charlie had to work that day, so we planned on having the party after he got off from work.
I baked cupcakes and decorated them with the colors of bright blue and green and Charlie brought home pizza!!. Since we don't know many people in Tallahassee, I invited Mary Alyce & her daughter Chelsea.

Dane got some really nice things-some more pieces to his Fisher-Price train set and a cool castle from Playmobil.
Mary Alyce & Chelsea got him some coloring books and a neat tag set that teaches things in English and Spanish.
Of course he received phone calls all day long from his grandparents and great-grandparents.
Overall I think he had a great 4th birthday.
NOTE: Even 3 weeks later, as Charlie walks in the front door each evening, Dane asks him if he has a present for him :0)

The Kiss

It's finally finished!!! I started this on January 31...2003!!!!! And I finished on January 27, 2007. But I wasn't able to starch & iron it because, somewhere in a box in the garage is our iron. Then yesterday at a yard sale, I found a nice iron for $3-couldn't beat that. So here it is all pressed and ready to be taken to the frame shop :0) I can't wait to hang it in our bedroom.



Dragonfly pic is the detail of the four corners

Getting my MoJo back

I've been so busy with moving into the new house and trying to get unpacked, putting the other house up for rent and just taking care of life in general, I haven''t done as much crafting as I would have wished.
But now I'm trying to get together at least 10 items together and start selling on Etsy. I've been selling on ebay for quite awhile, and I'll still continue with items that don't fall into the Etsy guidelines.
I would really like to make a little money each month to contribute to the household.
When I stop and really focus on it, I have so many wonderful items in my head, they just seem to get covered up with all the other day-to-day stuff. So I guess for March, I will try to focus on the creative spirit inside me more and do things that bring that spirit to life.

GO SPIRIT!!!!

Happy Birthday Dane

It's been four years from this:


To this:

Our little man is growing up. We will have a birthday dinner for him tonight when Daddy gets off from work. I can't wait for him to open his presents. I really think he'll like all his toys. And I've been working on getting his room together. I still have a few things to do (paint the trim and get some organizers for his stuff) but it should be ready by the end of the month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANE

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you have a wonderful time today, even if you don't have a "Valentine" to spoil you. Spoil yourself! You are worth it!

Where there is great love, There are always miracles.
-Willa Cather

Goal Journal-January

Here are the January pages from my goal journal.The first page is a recap of what I've done to achieve my goals from December. What kind of steps I've taken. The second page is a list of new goals for January. I originally was just going to add 5 new ones each month, but since starting this I've discovered so many little projects that are unfinished, I think I'll go for 10 each month. Anywhere between 5-10 new gaols each month.

I've completed 3 so far. I completed the cross-stitch piece '"The Kiss" (but in the moving, my iron has been thrown in a box & I can't iron it out :0( I registered with Do Not Call.org. And we now own a rental property! We finally got our old house rented out.
I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do to reward myself for things accomplished. I was thinking maybe $2 per goal, so for every 5 I'd get $10-or should each goal be $5 so for every 2 goals I'd get $10? I don't know. I hate to make it monetary I just don't know what else to do. And I've got a list of things I want-Books (I have a whole List of Books) music and movies. Hummm, I'll really have to think about this. Anyone has suggestions? :0)

Crusade #4

Michelle at Green Pepper Press host Crusades and I've always wanted to do them, but well, I just haven't. Well, I did it! Her theme was "Rock Star Moment". What is a Rock Star Moment? It doesn't have to mean literally being a rock star, or meeting a rock star, does it? It can be defined any number of ways but mostly it means feeling like a STAR. A shining star. The spotlight might not be on you - but something that happens to you, you experience a moment that is significant to you.
I thought about this and couldn't think of anything and then it hit me. My wedding day! I remember being nervous and excited at the same time. I just couldn't believe that I was marrying Charlie Leaver!!!. Some one whom I'd know for a long time, but had just never thought that the two of us would be together. And then on our wedding day, everything was just so wonderful. My mother-in-law let us have the wedding in her back yard. And she had spent so much time making everything look wonderful. Then my best friend Kimberly came over early to help me with my make-up and hair. My sister-in-law did all the flowers for the wedding including my bouquet. Tracy, my best friend since 6th grade took all of our pictures. My parents where there the whole time helping with anything that needed it. My daughter-in-law and cousin were the maid of honor and best man. Everyone made me feel so special that day. And to top it off, Charlie & I got married on my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. I'm so glad that they were there to celebrate that day with me.


I had been wanting to make a collage of the two of us from the wedding for awhile, and now was the perfect time! The gold sparkly leaves are from my bouquet along with the white ribbon. I had saved my flowers but they just didn't look good. So I bought silk ones to replace them with. The banner along the top says "Always & Forever". I was going to put the glass back in place, but there wasn't enough space. After removing the glass, I think I like how the flowers fall out from the edges.

Finally, pictures of our new house!

DH & I went shopping Saturday & I told him I was unable to locate my usb cable to download pictures. So he bought me another one. And now, I can show pictures! Isn't it nice to be happy with the little things in life? :0)

Okay. On to the house. This is the front. The two small windows are the garage and the larger window on the right is the master bedroom.



The backyard with the deck.













My storage shed. I absolutely LOVE elephant ears & I couldn't believe it when there were so many of them growing around.


And for the last picture of the day, our orange tree. We actually have two of them. There were so many that Dane was using them as bowling balls!

I'm still unpacking and trying to get things organized. I have painted the kitchen and half of the master bedroom. But all of that will be for another day. Hope you enjoyed the tour :0)

Goal Journal

Last month, on my 38th birthday, I decided that there are still alot of things I want to do & time isn't waiting on me to do something about it. So I decided to make a Dream/Goal journal to write down what it is that I want. With the turning of 38, I realized that the big 4-0 is really close. So I will be keeping this going until January '09. Each month on the 12th (my birthday in 12-12) I will use one page to recap what I have done during the month to accomplish my goals and the other page will be a list of new goals. I'm trying to stay around 5 new ones each month. I feel that it's not too many and not too few. Some of the goals will take longer-Pay off our credit cards-while some can be done within the month-Complete cross-stitch "The Kiss". If you want to see all of mine so far, check out my list at 43 Things. And if you want to join me, I would love to have some buddies!

The card is actually from my grandparents-I'm so glad I could use it in this journal. I used watered down paints to make a wash for the pages. The rest are some stamps that I have.

NOTE: Not sure if you can read the title page.
Setting & Achieving Goals
1. Write them down. Make a list of ambitious & silly goals.

2. Must be measurable-Not too many & not too few.

3. Evaluate your goals regularly-add, edit, reward or remove at least a few goals.

4. Reward yourself & ask for support from family & friends.

Where, oh where, has my Bella Grace gone?

Hey ya'll!!! Did ya miss me? I will give a quick little run down of what's been going on since my last post.

December 22-SICK!! Had fever, chills

December 23-Dane is sick-fever of 102
December 24-decide not to go home to Alabama for Christmas because of sickness
December 25-Christmas-actually had a relaxing day doing nothing :0) Both Dane & myself are felling better , but I have a very bad cough
December 26-Drive to Mobile, AL to pick up my step-daughter who is flying in on the 27th. Did Christmas with family.
December 27-My step-daughter, Krystin, is here for a week
December 29- Close on new house!!!!
December 31-My best friend, Kimberly, and her husband & son arrived in town to spend the night with us on their way to Orlando for vacation. We went out to eat and then stayed up till midnight talking. It was really nice to see my friend.
January 1-met my sister-in-law at the half-way point between Tallahassee & Mobile. Krystin will be flying home tomorrow & she wanted to spend a day with her aunt.
January 11-my best friend Kimberly's birthday
January 16-My best friend Rachel's birthday
January 18-The ad for our rental came out today. I've been trying to get the other house ready to rent, DH hasn't had an off day in 5 weeks, so it's been alot of work. Hopefully, we will get some good news this weekend.

So that's a quick recap of my life for the last month. Somewhere in the move, my usb cable for my camera is lost, so I'm not able to post pic's of the new house. I'll get them up as soon as I can.

I have made a goals list for myself on 43 Things. I also have a journal that I'm working on. I'll see if I can get it scaned & posted for you. About the only thing I've done so far is read two books. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini & Tales from Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett. My goal is to read 24 books in 2007. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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)