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.

Father's Day Car Show

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a week since my last post!! No wonder no one reads my poor little blog! I guess I've just got too many things going on. We are still trying to sell our house & now we have the other house that was a rental to get cleaned up & we are going to sell it too. Add that to the other list of:
1) Hubby
2) Two kids
3) Three furry kids
4) normal house tasks
5) Cooking
6) Etsy Shop
7) Sneaking in time to read a book

No wonder I sleep so hard at night :0)

I think I will just post some pictures of the car show that we went to on Father's Day. Sorry if you don't like cars, but we love 'em around here!!





1969 Camaro


This one was my favorite. Lately, I have really been wanting an old truck & I loved the style of this one. It's a 1956 GMC.

I won't bore you with too many. Overall we have a wonderful day. And one last picture to share. On Friday, June 13th-yes Friday the 13th!-Charlie & I have our 6 year wedding anniversary!
He took the day off & we went to the park. You can't really see it too well, but I bought a t-shirt for him. It's a picture of a bride & groom and across the front it says "Game Over". He got a kick out of it!!

The Family Man

I'm trying to order something for Charlie for Father's Day, so with him being on my mind, I thought I'd share a few pictures.

Here he is working on the Camaro. This is the day he got it running-Yipee! There are still a few more things that need to be done, but he's been driving it back & forth to work. On Sunday, there are a few car shows in the area, so we are going to those.Have you ever heard of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with potato chips? Well, it's a new one to me & this is how my hubby likes it- And he could eat this everyday!! He's even got Dane asking for them.
And I think I've posted this one before, but it's one of my favorites. This is from last summer when Krystin was here to visit. We all went to the park & took some pictures. Krystin always takes a good picture. So does Dane, so them must get it from Charlie, certainly not from me!!
Sorry for such a short post. Got alot going on right now. I really need to list some new items in my Etsy shop. I'll post once I get some things listed. And please keep us in your prayers. We still are trying to sell our house and the other house that we had as a rental. The people were unable to pay any rent for last month. And since we are trying to move back to Alabama, we decided to sell both of them. And we are going to try For Sale By Owner. So please send a little prayer our way. Thanks!!

Blackberries-Yummy!

We went blackberry pickin' yesterday.

I waited until Charlie was off work so he could wait in the car with Gracyn while Dane & I picked the berries. Which was fine with him. But he did grab the camera & took some pictures of us while we were picking.
Let me just say, I've picked blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries (my grandpapa called them "dewberries") off the roadside, but I've never picked blackberries grown like this before. The owner said that in a few weeks, he'll have some smaller plants that he can sell.

And poor guy. He got stung on the cheek by a small wasp. Thankfully, it didn't leave a stinger in. And afterwards, every time he saw something flying, he thought it was a wasp :0( But this morning, he woke up saying his cheek didn't hurt.


I couldn't believe the size of some of these. They are huge!!

My grandmother always made the best blackberry cobbler ( I think everybody thinks Their grandmother makes the bet Something!). I'm going to see if I can find her recipe. I wish I had paid more attention to some of the things that she made, since I can't ask her anymore. I still miss her so much.
Anyway, I'll let you guys know if I make anything. We might just eat them all first!

The Birds and the Bees... and Bugs and Dolphins...

Okay, I have a couple of different things to share with you today.

First, this sweet picture.
Hubby & I had to make a delivery for a lady & when we walked up her front sidewalk, I saw this bird's nest in a bush by her mailbox. She didn't even know it was there! Because the bush was waist height, I could lean over & get this picture without disturbing anything. I love bird eggs. I've noticed all the pretty template illustrations with different eggs. I think one day, I might start collecting those.


Next, is this: Have you ever seen one of these before?


See the eyes?
Give up? It's a Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar!!!! We are such chickens. Even when we found out what it was, neither one of us would touch it!!! I found it attached to the front door kickplate and called Dane to see it. Once we discovered what it was(note: whatsthatbug.com, we've looked up a lot of weird stuff!!), we moved it to a flower pot beside the door. I noticed yesterday that the cocoon was empty. He had flown away! Fly away Mr. Butterfly, fly away!




In an earlier post, I mentioned letterboxing. One of the few things you need is a stamp. And it's nice to have a handmade one. So began my journey of how to make a stamp. After researching the internet, I headed to the craft store. The salesperson wasn't even aware they sold anything like this. I just felt that the material would be in the artist section (where the calligraphy pens & such are sold). Sure enough, I found it. Then it was back home & start cutting. It's not really cutting, more like carving. After about a hour, a cramped hand and back, I had this.

I thought I did pretty good for my first handmade stamp! I found the dolphin image on the internet but added the tribal markings myself. I then added the letters. Although they are for Dane's initial's , I realized they could also stand for Dolphin Lover!!
Next, I'm going to make a stamp for myself & then we should be ready. Oh, and we stopped at the dollar store & bought a fat little notebook for him to use as his journal. Once he discovers a box, he will stamp his journal with the stamp that he finds & then using his own stamp, stamp the journal found in the box. I might need to purchase a Marvy marker for his stamp. It's a little too big for a stamp pad. I used a marker for the picture above, but I don't think he needs to use pink!!