I'mmmm BBBAAAACCCKKKKK!

This is my family 'surfing' the alligator...We were on our way to Raliegh for a craft show and stopped at this crazy little spot along the way. It's filled with creatures like this one, HUGE flamingos...It's really funny. There must have been 100 billboards along the way to make sure that we didn't miss it. Guess what? It WORKED! We had fun with all of the animals...

We had a nice time together...lots of laughs...lots of fun...

Enjoy your family time! You never know when you might have it again!!!!

Sunday, June 1st!!

Bark at the Park Day

Logan, Gome, Ellie and I had a nice time at the 'Bark in the Park' here in Columbia. I think that we all enjoyed seeing the beautiful dogs! Ellie had a great time - any booth that we would stop by immediately gave her a cookie or something! They had booths for people ice cream and doggie ice cream! There must have been 50 tents of crafts, doggie treats, doggie apparel and even doggie massage therapists, and psychics....Hmmmm...

WE had a nice 'family' day even though we missed Lane. It was a breezy early morning, but it was a fun 'girl day' for us!!

These beautiful Irish Setters and their 'people' are enjoying the ice cream!

The Rosewood Crawfish Festival

A very very breezy day downtown Columbia that day. as you can see in the picture we brought garden pavers to help anchor the tent! Met alot of great people and everyone loved the new items! My neighbor set up a tent as well. Even though they were slackers and didn't come early enough to be beside us (we had a palm reader instead???) she had a great turn out, too. WE thought that it was funny because we had been planning this for months and getting our inventory together and then once it was over we didn't know what to do with ourselves...we had free time that we weren't working on anything...Yikes...we weren't stressing about packaging and pricing and displays...funny...It is nice to have a purpose for crafting. We are going to look for our next 'purpose' and get started on that crazy path again! Yippee!!

The 'Stephanie'

(one of the new additions to the spoon collection!!)

I hope that catches everyone up a little bit on what's been going on in South Carolina...I will make sure that I blog when I get the pictures downloaded from our Memorial Day festival here at Sparrow Pointe!!

Well, take time to enjoy your family - don't forget to call them occasionally (my speech to myself) they like to hear your voice as well as seeing a blog and/or email!! Send pictures so they can see the fun you are having and most of all tell them that you love them!!

Enjoy!!

Saturday, February 9, 2008

The bait is set...

Ellie is ready and waiting....

Baby Kitty is ready and waiting...

Lucy is ready and waiting...

Yes, that's right we are all having a little touch of the Springus Feverus...Usually brought on by the beautiful days of sunshine and the warmer weather...Also the fever is usually spiked by the longer days of play time...

So until the official calling of Spring Time and until the day that the groundhog DOESN'T see his shadow, we'll all wait patiently by the door dreaming about the birds and squirrels that will be there to chase!!

Enjoy your warming days with silly things like squirrel chasing and bird watching!!!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

My 15 seconds of fame...

So, we've all heard about Mitt Romney's argument with a reporter about Lobbyist running his campaign...Well, guess WHERE that little argument happened??? That's right...at my little Staples store in Columbia, South Carolina...Our District Manager called about an hour before the whole 'thing' landed on us...A bus load of reporters, his body guards, and his 'handlers' arrived first and then he made his entrance. I handed him an Easy Button and shook his hand and he said that I was very kind...hmmm the presidential candidate thinks I'm KIND! Those were some nice words from a nice man. He was supposed to make it to the upstate but they were snowed in. I really don't mind being second choice because it was really exciting!

(we might have jinxed him, though...he received only 15% of the votes...eekk! Sorry!)

My 15 Seconds of Fun...

The night before the big Romney 'visit' it actually snowed in Columbia! Lane looked out the window and screamed 'SNOW'! like a little kid and went running around the house to find his shoes! We got bundled up and went outside to play. It was dark but you could see the quarter sized flakes! We must have took a hundred pictures but this one is my favorite. You can really catch Lane laughing because I was blinding him with the flash ( I was holding the camera in front of us)... That's Lane for ya...brings a LOT of fun and laughter to my life!

Take time to enjoy some laughter and silliness even if there isn't any snow...find a reason!!

Sunday, Jan 13, 2008

Baby Kitty, the jungle cat!

Just thought this was a great picture of Baby Kitty trying to hide! The picture really doesn't have anything to do with anything going on...just a really cute picture that really grabs the personality of this cat. We 'inherited' him from one of my customers at work. He and his siblings were found in a parking lot in Columbia. This was the last of the family and I was suckered (didn't take too much to twist my arm) in to making him a part of the family. He was skinny, sick, flea infested...and now he is a strong healthy playful cat.

Just wanted to make sure that you all knew that I have an updated website now! It's officially up! It's at palmettocrafts.com. A friend of Lane's really did a great job! I'm hoping it will help me with my business (if that's really what you can call it at this stage)!!

So, take an minute and visit it and ....you know the drill...

ENJOY!

(my two little Guitar Hero's)

Thursday, December 20, 2007

I know, I know, I know....

I can't believe that I haven't blogged since September, either!! My husband asks me every day if I have blogged and I just keep laughing at him...

A lot of things have been going on lately. I've really gotten into the crafting business lately and that has really used up any free time that I've had. I've been to three craft fairs and have done really well. I'm working now on my catalog to send out to the little boutiques that might just order some of the goodies to carry in their spring line. We'll see what happens. It's a fun venture no matter how it turns out. It's still a creative outlet, too.

This Holiday season has really turned out to be a real revelation to me. This really has been the first season that I haven't felt like I could just pass out after working all day. Goodbye to soft-lines forever!!! We have our craziness because the best gifts are electronic these days - digital frames, cameras, GPS, etc. so that part gets crazy, but nothing like cleaning out fitting rooms every 30 minutes to find out that you can't even see the floor because of all of the clothes!! My manager is even taking the week of Christmas off!! Who's EVER heard of that??? I'm taking the next week off and I'm really excited to get some crafting work done and to relax and clean up the holiday decorations. I really have had time to enjoy my family and my LIFE this season. This is really a first for me and sometimes I'm not even sure what I should be doing at times. I've gotten all of my Christmas gifts made for my staff, I got my presents off early to Texas and I'm really up on things. What a holiday season!!

We've planned to have a ham for dinner on Christmas Eve. I'm making my famous Mac'n'cheese (yes, from scratch if you can believe it!) and Lane is making is all famous mashed potatoes (again, no box will be used in the making...) The ham is coming from Heavenly Ham, so that's the only cheating (?) we'll do this time around. Logan is with us on the Eve so we'll celebrate and open our gifts then so we can sleep and make a nice breakfast for Christmas before Logan goes back to Mom's to have another celebration...So, yet another day of fun and relaxing.

Sunday we are going to the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert here in Columbia. I just can't wait. We haven't done anything like that as a family EVER! We are going to put on our Sunday best - no holey jeans, no tennis shoes...They are supposed to have a light show as well as a really exciting musical Christmas story. I'm tellin' ya - I JUST CAN'T WAIT!!

One of Lane's friends is working on a new website for Palmetto Crafts. I can't wait until everyone see's it. It's soooo professional looking! Lane is trading his computer building services for her web design services. She and Lane worked together and now she is working at a Columbia based web designing company. So, I'm getting a great look!

Here are some pictures of my crafty booth and the family at the latest craft fairs....

Take time to rekindle with your family this holiday season. Remember what it's REALLY about... Enjoy!!

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Kitty

1999 - 2007

(Soo many things have been going on with me lately that I just can't seem to get focused on blogging. )

My dad's mother passed away two weeks ago. She lived to be 96 years young! She worked every day of her life. The only reason that she went to the hospital in the first place was that she told one of her co-workers that she was feeling tired. So, her co-worker took her to the hospital to see what was wrong. She had had heart problems for a long time and we were wondering if it might be the issue. She ended up having pneumonia, and a few other minor things. But all of the minor things really brought her down. When she didn't end up getting any better she ended up having cancer all of these years and we didn't know it. She lived in a the same house for about 50 years. Her streets were made of bricks! So, anytime a car went by it sounded like horse hooves going by! We sure squished about 100.00 worth of coins on the railroad tracks behind her house. That was the silly fun we had - placing the coins on the track, walking back home, listening for the train whistle and letting out a squeal of glee as we all raced to the tracks to search for our squished prize! Simple pleasures! She sure led a full life and everyone was there to send her on her way. She was buried near my mom and she had her funeral in the same chapel. She was soo beautiful. She was a crafter like my mom and they shared sooo many crafts. I figure that there will be a little more crafting in heaven with those two paired together again!!

The Life in the Yard...

Our Orange plant is really making us oranges! Who knew! We had to spread a little Seven dust and put some chimes near them to keep the critters away!

Our Tried-n-True Gerber Daisey! Never fails to bloom and bring color to the dead yard!

And even though it never bloomed this year due to a late frost, our hydrangea never looked heartier!

And who would have thought that our gardenia bush will STILL be making the backyard smell so good?

And my personal favorite - the hibiscus! It has the most beautiful samony/red HUGE blooms on it! And they just keep coming!!

For some reason I sure get a lot of happiness from our yard. I'm not sure why...I just love to mow it, water it, and then enjoy it... its that simple!

It's getting hard to type because the baby kitty has moved to my arms (like a baby) and I only have one hand now...

So, enjoy your family. Celebrate them here and now and when they are gone, think about the fun things they have ahead of them and who they will have fun with...Enjoy the simple things like a yard, a flower, a little baby kitty trusting you in your arms...Enjoy your family, no matter where they are, how furry they might be...

Sunday Part 2

Logan's Request

So, Logan wanted to make sure that you saw her pool pictures. They were all making up cheers and stunts in the pool so she wanted for everyone to see them. Well, here are the girls...playing in the pool...
Funny girls...


Again, enjoy the silliness while you can....




Logan

Savannah

Crystal

Sunday August 19, 2007

High School Musical 2
Sleepover!



I just can't remember being sooo excited for a movie to come out on TV! In my day you couldn't wait for a movie to come out at the THEATRE!!!
Well, I guess that things have changed and the Disney Channel has as well! Logan planned a little sleepover for her friends to enjoy the movie. We moved the coffee table out of the way and put up the blow up mattresses and Wa-La a slumber party pad! We taped the movie as it was playing so they could watch it all night long if they wanted. The nice thing about them being downstairs is that we were UPSTAIRS! They had all night long to be silly and loud. I think that they crashed about midnight and the TV was still going on at 6am when I got up. We made pancakes and bacon and the girls spent the rest of the next day in the pool! A really nice time was had by everyone. The girls are so nice, polite and they play really great together, too. You really can't ask for a better party as a parent than that, right? Only one time did one of the girls get their feelings hurt, but after I heard all about it and made everyone hug and say they were sorry, I was back out of the picture and they were back on to playing in the pool together!

So, enjoy these times when they are young and let them have some fun. You never know what 'parties' will be like when they are 16...

Monday, August 6, 2007

Tough times in the neighborhood...

When we first moved into this house we met all of our neighbors. We had a nice elderly couple behind us - Sarah and Mr. Bob. We chatted with them frequently over the fence - admiring their yard, chatting about the weather, etc. We found out about their family in Texas...The neighbors to the left of them had a black lab that we would always feed treats to. Occasionally the dog, J.J., would make her way to our front yard (found a sneaky path through the houses) and we would call her 'dad' and she'd call her and she'd come running back...A really nice neighborhood. Well, we hadn't seen them much this summer. We just thought that maybe it was too hot or too hard from them to get out. We saw their neighbor and they told us that Sarah was in the hospital. Then, she didn't pull through. So, Mr. Bob went home to Texas with his kids and now the house is up for sale...wow...

Then, we met our next door neighbors. They are an elderly couple. Tex and JoAnn. They spent their life in the military. They lived overseas and settled here in SC. Their kids live here, not to far away and they have one grandson. They have a beautiful backyard, garden, yard. We used to laugh that Tex would get up EVERY morning and mow his yard, edge it, blow it and then take the dog for a drive...He really does have the best yard! He's not very appreciative of us walking through his yard to get to our friends yard, so we take the long way and walk down to the street and then over to our friends yard...We try to be respectful. Well, JoAnn is becoming a little forgetful - maybe Alzheimer's? She asked me the other day if I was her new neighbor...I told her that I just hadn't seen her in awhile and that my hair was different. Maybe she just didn't recognize me. She said that she had never seen me before. I didn't realize then that she really didn't know who I was. Now, every time she sees me or Lane she asks if we are new to the neighborhood and what happened to the couple that lived in the house before us...wow. Sometimes I tell her yes, just to get through her frustration AND mine...When we are all outside, she comes out to figure out who we all are. Tex comes out and calls her to come back in. I'm not sure what they would do without each other...

Lane has started a new job with MicroPrice PC. It is a very well known PC Tech business to all of the small business downtown Columbia. They just had a big promo with MicroSoft. They had the big MicroSoft bus come for a promotional event. It was really neat. I went up to help out and got to meet a lot of the business owners of Columbia. A lot of the Chamber of Commerce members, City Council, lawyers, suppliers, architects, etc. It was really interesting. I meet a lot of great people at my job, too, but not like this. This was more personal. Shelly, the wife of the owner was meeting and greeting and I was kind of her gopher. I got everyone water, helped with the prize drawings and offered a smile to the people. It was fun. I took a nice picture of them in front of the bus and had it blown up at work. It was a great memento of the event!

I'm off to working my six day work weeks. BTS is taking over the world right now and I have to help sell and clean up after all of the craziness...

Here's to enjoying the joy of the kids getting back to school, football games starting, the air starting to chill...

We enjoyed the summer - now let's enjoy looking forward to the fall...

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Craftiness...

Meet Sadie and Sam...My latest 'sockies'...I found the cutest book and am just inspired by ALL of the toys inside. These are the first two cuties that I attempted and boy did they come out cute. Sadie is supposed to be a monkey, but no tail? Her dress was a little to thick to 'smock', but she's cute.







I can't remember this dolls name. Logan came up with one (you know the same person that came up with Inga and Flocka...so, no surprise that I can't remember this one...). She is from that cute book too. Her arms are kinda kooky, and Logan thinks that her pants are ugly, so we'll revamp her outfit and then she'll earn a face! AND maybe some shoes. In the book there are all kinds of clothes patterns for her.

And here is the book, the picture on the front that inspired me and the inspirees?? You have to check out the book or just email me and I'll send you pictures. You do have to enlarge most of the patterns to 200% so as long as you have a scanner at home or like me access to a wide format machine at work, it's easy.

And finally a craft I'm constantly working on. When my mom passed away we were talking about how she always knew EVERYONE's birthday. We thought that she had some great memory or something...Well, when my dad was packing to move, he found my mom's secret trick. A little recipe box with month tabs that had an index card with every one's bday/anniversary, etc. on it!! Well, I was at Goodwill about a month ago and found this vintage box with the month tabs ALREADY in it! I bought some colorful cards from work and started the process. Then I decided that these little glass pressed flowers that I got on my last trip in Texas needed to go on the top...I'm continually going to work on the box. I'm sorry to Donny, but this is the first time that I remembered (or even knew) that it was your bday! And I sent a card and a little crafty! And as I look through the tabs, the next group isn't until September! I'm ON it!

That's about it from here...I was digging for pictures to share with my friend from high school, so as I blog today, I'm scanning in some really embarrassing pictures from long ago to share with her here...

Enjoy the day, the things you make, and the way making something makes you feel!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Blast from the Past...

So, I got an email the other day from my best friend from high school. Wow...Soooo many memories came blasting back. She and her family are living happily in Texas. She has been married for 19 years and has 4 kids...That's the life.

Ever think that there is divine intervention some how at work?? It's funny. I had been thinking that my husband has led such a diverse life - from crazy times in high school to growing up in the country with friends and homemade meals...It's not that he talks about it all of the time, but every now and again I get 'snippets' from his past life. We've only known each other for about 7 years now. I didn't know him growing up, from high school, from work...I just met him when he was going through a 'new' chapter in his life just as I was going through one, too. I was thinking that the only thing that I've done in my life is work with a little (very little) craziness thrown in for fun. When my long lost friend emailed me, it reminded me of the silly times WE had growing up. She reminded me of the days at the lake with our friends, just driving down the street playing music really loud, band practice, the blisters on our thumbs and fingers from twirling our flags, the white tape we would carry religiously to protect those blisters, the leg warmers over our jeans at band practice...and the boys of course. We were really good kids, we just had good clean fun - a little drinking here and there and some mean games of 'quarters' but we had 'silly' fun - not hurtful, mean, disrespectful fun...

I have to say that I really thank you, Sherry, for emailing me and reminding me of the fun we used to have. We learned a lot about life those years, shed a lot of tears, but I really feel proud of the Flag Corp team we were a part of - even to this day I can only think of the good things. (yes, I'm still a 'glass half FULL' thinking girl) You emailed me at a time I really needed to remember those times and you and our friendship. I don't really remember what happened to us specifically, I just know that we headed in different directions when all was said and done. I don't keep up with Nollie, Marsha, or Mary but Lisa White and I found each other a few years ago and she kept me up on the gossip with the group. I don't know what ever happened to Angie, Shannon or Eric but am really scared of that groups outcome...

So, I'll dig out some crazy photos of us during those years and shock my friends and family who keep tabs on me here...

Thanks, again, Sherry.

Enjoy your life. Enjoy your friends and family - past, present and future.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Back to Swapping...

Yes, I signed up for another swap. It's been about 2-3 months since I last swapped...I had lost my crafting mojo and have just recently found a few things to inspire me. I kinda forced myself into this one - signing up on the last day available so there wouldn't be any turning back. Not only did I sign up for this 'birdie' swap, it had 5 partners AND international!! When I tiptoe back into the swapping game, I really stomp on in with my big ole feet, huh? Well, anyway, this is my little birdie. I made five of them, but I can only get about half to actually stand. They really all have such cute personalities!! After I made these five, I got a cute little book with cute little stuffed animal patterns. One is a sock monkey (not your tipical one) and patterns for their clothes...I took the book to work and enlarged all of the patterns and they really are coming out cute!! I think that I'm getting inspired again to craft! YIPPEE!!

What are friends for?

It was bath time for Ellie - a little stinky from digging, playing, rolling, etc...So, she layed down and enjoyed the attention of us scrubbing, washing, picking at her, etc. Then, I brought her inside to help prevent her from rolling in the dirt again. Along comes her buddy to help dry her. Ellie takes the front, and Kitkat takes the back...They sleep together and sometimes you can see Ellie dragging something white and fluffy behind her - KitKat loves to pounce on Ellies tail and sometimes likes to go for a little 'drag' with her...They are really funny. So, I'd say that she is feeling just fine now. Our neighbor 'vet' said that she had had her front legs broken before, her whiskers are cut and she had a bad infection in her chest. Poor thing. She has a good home now until we find someone to take her in. She is a little tooo feisty for the other cats and I think that they see her as a nagging little sister. Funny.

Well, it's Back to School time at work and you just wouldn't believe the craziness. I didn't realize the competition for School supplies is soooo fierce. We had to move up one of our 'penny' ads just to compete with Office Depot and WalMart. We had pencils, pencil sharpeners, pencil boxes, glue, folders, etc. all for one penny!! So, if anyone needs any of those items, I promptly spent my .25 and got a few things to stow away. This week we are having a great .15 sale on paper, etc. Craziness.

We are getting plenty of rain around here now. It almost seems like time for fall because of how the sky looks. I know that my Texas family is getting drenched constantly, so I really can't complain about a few days of sprinkles and thunder! Hopefully they will dry out soon!!

Enjoy the rain, the great sales at Staples, and the thought of the kids going back to school!!

July 5th, 2007

Happy-Day-After-The-4th-and-Time-to-Clean-Up-After-the-Festivities-Day

Here we are in all of our tie-dye wonderfulness...We had a really nice day and we loved our coordinating outfits! The weather was nice and mild and the breeze was just enough to keep us cool. We enjoyed the day with the neighbors and cooked the usual hamburgers and hot dogs. We were all supposed to make food that was red, white and blue but I fell a little short in that category. Logan, Lane and I decided that we would make a cake and mix up some icing in those colors...Well, once we got started with the icing we fell a little short on the colors...

So here is our cake that is celebrating the country of IXPLADKLFN and their independence day. We celebrate ALL countries in our little Sparrow Pointe....

Logan and her patriotic self! She and the other girls were drawing flags and goodies with the all time favorite item - side walk chalk. You can never have too much of that!

You'll notice that there aren't any pictures of Ellie as she is a fradey-cat when it come to fireworks. She was decorated with plenty of ribbons during the day to be a festive part of the family, but when it was time for fireworks, she became a happy dog in the laundry room with the door closed. That is her favorite spot when there are storms and fireworks. We read up on a lot of issues with the Golden Retrievers and the experts say that they need a spot that is THEIRS that is dark and quiet so they can relax and feel safe...Well, thanks to a big laundry room that is in the middle of the house with no windows, etc. we can put a load of laundry in for a little drowning out noise and she's a happy camper!

I hope you all enjoyed your 4th. We did and we enjoyed our day with our friends!

Time to clean up the neighborhood now!

Enjoy the holiday!

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Getting ready for the 4th!

We decided to 'make/create' our 4th of July fashions this year. So, we dug out old white tshirts, found some Ritz fabric dye and went to work. We rubber banded them and used string as well and look how great they came out! We also made a ground cloth for the firework show so we can sit on the grass comfortably!!

The only thing that I'm afraid of is the red...you know how sensitive that color can be when it gets next to white in the washing machine...The directions for the dye said to add a cup of salt and a teaspoon of laundry detergent...Maybe this will help the 'setting in' process??

Introducing....KitKat....

We have added this little baby to our menagerie....She was found running around a parking lot with her family and a customer of mine was trying to do a good thing by rescuing them all. I'm not sure that she was prepared to do all of that. She was telling me the story and she had one baby that needed a good home. I told her to bring her to the store and I would take care of her. Well, she was flea ridden, someone had cut her whiskers and eyebrows and she was bone thin. We have a vet that lives right across the street from us, so she took the poor thing to work with her. She treated her for fleas, worms and everything else and now she is recuperating from an upper respiratory infection. She has been running a temperature and just has been listless, but with her shot she got she should be pouncing away at the other family members! She and Ellie have become good friends - the baby has taken over her dog bed and Ellie sleeps nearby. So, we'll keep you up to date on the little sick thing and keep you up to date on her progress.

The Flowers

I had someone email me about my last blog and the flowers that we were making in Texas. She wanted pictures...

I beaded the petals on about 3 of them, but for some reason, I really like these just like they are. I have ordered some glass beads in the shapes of butterflies and dragon flies, etc. so maybe they'll become additions to these flowers...not sure. Anyway, they are silver spoons. I drilled holes in the spoon after I flattened them with a hammer. I took just plain 24 gage wire and started looping. I experimented and came out with some of my most favorite crafts and most memorable. My dad and his tools came in handy. He helped them come to life in more ways than one!!

Okay, I think that should just about catch everyone up on the things here in SC.

Remember to enjoy what you do and who you do it with!!

Wednesday, June 7, 2007

A big HOWDY from Texas!!

I'm enjoying some time here with my family in Texas this week. My middle sister has moved down here too, so when I come to see my family I mean I come to see my FAMILY!!! My big sister lives about 15 minutes away from my dad and my middle sister lives only 2 minutes away from her!!! It works out really nice. They all have someone to watch over things if they are out of town, if they need something and the other is in town they pick it up for them....It works out really nice. They are all here to look after each other!!

We have had fun just being silly together. It's been an enjoyable week just chillin' and visitin'. My middle sister brought some books over and I saw a craft that I just HAD to do - they are flowers made from silver plated flatware. I know it sounds crazy, but you would have to really see them to appreciate them (but you can't see them until I get home cuz I can't download the 500 pictures that I've already taken). So, my sister had the flatware and I had the plan and my dad had the tools to complete it, and my other sister had the beads to decorate them....so it was truly a family activity! My dad has this great work room/shack that he builds all of his airplanes in. He has all of the tools you would ever need and has all the ideas in his head of how to accomplish them. I told him that he reminds me of my husband. Lane always helps me figure out how to get from point A to point B using his creative mind...my crafts are his crafts...

Today we went to see my sister's new office. She will be teaching SPED classes at Texas AM in Commerce, TX. While she was out visiting with a colleague, Pam, my dad and I decided to make her office feel like home. There was a name plate hanging outside her door. We found some labels, so we covered up the name 'price' and used a magic marker to make it read 'Dr. Harader'. We also made her a 'welcome' sign from an old dingy chart board. We dug around and found her folders, a groovy 1950's green tape dispenser, an old pink message pad and a few coffee cups/shot glasses to complete the look. We rearranged her furniture to a more 'fung shui' look and the place already felt like hers...maybe just to us...I can't even describe the funky stuff we found to put together her desk...I'll show pix next time...

Tomorrow, my sister leaves for her last ? trip to Kentucky so we said our 'goodbyes' tonight - sadness...She is a tough cookie - strong, smart, caring and soft...(Thanks for everything while I was in town. I know that you had a lot going on w/unpacking and settling in, but thanks for taking the time out! I love you!)

My big sister, dad and I are headed to the 'city' to poke around a little tomorrow. I've not been to a mall in ages and what better to do on a vacation than do crazy things like that, right??

I found a great old picture of my mom when I was at my big sisters house. There had been pictures of her 'eyeing' this big tree on the other side of a wire fence. The tree had soooo many fall leaves on it and it seemed to be the only one (or the first to recognize the season) by the picture. As you go through the pictures the very last one is of her grinning, walking towards the camera with a handful of leaves...She had managed to conquer getting to that tree and getting what she wanted. It was a great picture as she had this playful little grin on her face as she came towards my dad and the camera. Looking through all of the pictures at my sisters' there were one right after the other of her and my dad laughing. It was really nice to see and remember that silly side of her as we (I) hadn't remembered that for a long time. The last few times I saw her she was week and seemed mad about it. She wasn't able to be silly - I'm not sure if she could hear me or understand the silly stories we were telling at the kitchen table...I do know that after this week, I am able to understand/remember a lot of good things about her. I just know that she would have come up with some great ideas for Dana's office 'redecorating'...She would have been laughing with tears and we all would have been rolling...I really miss her. But, I'm glad that my sisters and I can still enjoy our time and my dad is now more a part of our time together. That has been the best part of this week. Being with my dad...

My husband and I have been communicating through the phone and texting. I really miss him, too. We are ALWAYS together and trips just aren't the same without him. We made the right decisions about him not coming this time even though it wasn't a fun decision...It's never quite the same 'telling' someone about a funny moment or a serious moment especially when you are used to having them be a part of those moments...We'll re-strategize next year!!

I got to see my niece and her fabulous kids this week, too. She is really going through some hard times and all of us want to help her. She has kinda kept to herself about everything so we aren't sure what we can/should do for her. I know that she has a best friend that she can talk to, but it's her family that can be objective and can give her the best advice as we have ALL been through it...I'm sure when she's ready she'll come around...

Well, I'm not sure what else to share. I know that I'll share pix when I get home (Friday) so you can see the things I'm talking about...

Until then, enjoy your family, miss your family and love your family. They are what make you who you really are and who you really should be...

I'll see you soon, honey!

Jill

Almost one month later...May 26, 2007

Gosh! A LOT has been going on this past month...I can't believe that it's been a month since I've actually been back to blog...Here is my past month - as told (again) in pictures...

SADNESS...

We had to drain the pool because we were having liner issues as you can see...We had to fight with the warranty company (10 year warranty on the liner - in bold print on our paperwork)...So Lane is swimming in it after three days of watching sadly as the water drips down the driveway...

A little bit of happiness...

Our neighbor unpacked her inflatable water slide in our time of need for a 'water' fix...This thing is HUGE...It's like one of those bouncy things that you can rent for a party...only she got this one at Wally world last year for a bargain and now her backyard turned into 'KIDland'...Logan and all of the neighbors just had a blast!! The kids have to climb up one side by putting their feet in holes and making their way up. Then at the top (about 7 feet high) they are sprayed by water as they jump/slide the whole way down. At the bottom of the slide is a spot where the water accumulates. So, as they come down, anyone nearby gets a little washing...It's really fun and the kids have a blast. It's really cool how it stays inflated. Once we got them lathered up with sun screen, they were REALLY slick and we had to put another float at the end because they kept slipping off of the end!! FUNNY!!! About 3 hours later, we were all tired. They kids from playing and the adults from laughing at the kids playing!! Good times...

A lot of happiness...

The guys finally arrived after I had a 'sit in' at the REC Warehouse (where we bought our pool)...I had the day off and we had emptied the pool like we were supposed to...I called and called and called and finally I decided to actually go see the manager...I told him that I was going to sit in his store (we knew that his regional manager was going to be there that day, so we could always use that avenue if we had too - I'm in retail so I know how the game is played - even though I NEVER need to play games - really I don't)...So, after sitting with Lane and Logan for about 45 mins. the manager came back with good news! He got a hold of the installers, upgraded our liner ( REALLY nice) and gave us 100.00 in credit to use at the store...HMMMM...he could have saved himself 100.00 if he just would have helped us out in the first place!! Anyway, here's the final pictures of happiness. The pool is filled, chemicals are in (thanks to the credit) and the sun is warming it up for us...

Future Happiness...

And now I'm counting down the days until I head to Texas!! I'll be heading out next Sunday morning!! Maybe I'll actually be able to swim before then - hopefully!! It's funny...every time I plan a vacation, there is always something big going on at work. We have a really big regional visit on Friday (the first day of my vacation). So, needless to say, I can barely think about my trip because I'm trying to stay in 'work' mode to get the place cleaned, organized, etc...I was off last Wednesday and will work all the way up until Thursday just getting things together...So, I'll be enjoying my Friday and Saturday just becoming a human again!!

This trip isn't our normal Texas trip. Logan and Lane are staying home this time. We usually make a road trip of it and laugh the whole way...This year there are just toooo many expenses and Lane doesn't have vacation time yet...GAS - 3.15 per gallon! YIKES! For me to fly round trip is less than the gas that it takes us one way! So, I'll be trying it solo this year. I already told both of them that next year will be back to normal and we all will fly so that we'll have more time to spend there and less money spent!

My sister is moving there so everyone but me and my family are officially TEXANS! One of these years we'll make it out there. We have to figure out the geography thing with Logan since she has two families and we really aren't the 'main' one that can make big decisions like that for/with/about her at this point...We'll get something figured out sooner or later. So, I'll spend the time in Texas helping everyone get settled into their new homes and leave the SC casa to Lane, Logan, Ellie, Louie, Kitty and the crazy fish. We'll see how they fare...I'm sure that I'll be calling them every day and will be sending them pictures of 'wish you were here laughing with us' moments. It'll be nice to spend some time with my dad. I figure that with about 4 different places to 'bunk' I won't be worried about a bed to sleep in while I'm there! And I'll get my dog 'fix' from my sisters, my craft 'fix' from my sisters, my cat 'fix' from my dad and my kid 'fix' from my niece!! I'll be well taken care of!!

Make sure that you ask for what you want - even if it's loudly and while sitting for 45 mins in a store...

Make sure that you find some time to get away and have fun- even if it's in a neighbors yard with the neighborhood kids...

Make sure you let your family know how much you miss them - and how much you'll miss them while your without them...TX family AND SC family

And most of all...ENJOY the times!!!!

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Signs that Summer is just around the corner...

(as told in pictures)

We sure have fun with our neighbors...all of the girls playing in the sprinklers...Maddie and Logan in the pool...the first peony...our hard work of cleaning up the 'beach' area...the neighbors in the hottub...the sun going down on a nice day at our backyard 'beach'...and finally the chance for Lane and I to put up our feet and enjoy our day together...

Enjoy your time together, too!!!

Saturday, April 21, 2007 (again)

Pictures of the new neighbors!!

How cute are they??? I think that if i asked Logan to name them she would say Inga and Flocka...When she was about 5 years old she had these Swedish names that she would come up for all of her animals/babies...Funny. So, they are officially named Inga and Flocka! I think that the names fit!

Inga and Flocka

Take the time to seek out your new/old neighbors! Take time to enjoy them!!

Saturday, April 21, 2007

She's Done!!!!

I finally finished the 'art doll'. I packed up all of my other swaps (delaying the process of course) and even packed up a box for my sister...(to further delay the process). Then, there she was...just sitting on my table staring at me. There wasn't anything left to work on, BUT HER. So, I went to SwapBot.com and read the profile of my partner. She is really into gardening, so...BAM. I started digging through my beads and found a ton of butterflies and some great beads that looked like flowers. I began the process. I kind of decided to use her as a canvas instead of a 'doll-like-thingee'...and it worked. Well, I can't really say if it 'worked' or not, but she's done, packed up and she's got a label on her to find her new home.

Yipee! Anyway, there are no more swaps to work on. I'm taking a break from crafting for a little while - or at least until I'm inspired. So - LET THE INSPIRING BEGIN!!!

I think that I'll try to concentrate on the yard and the house for awhile. I've almost let the weeds win the battle, but I think that I'm going to fight back even harder. We've put so much week killer on that I think that they are immune to it now! We are going for the Turf Builder next...With this crazy weather I just don't know what to do anymore!!

I'm headed to start enjoying the craft free day!!

Enjoy and don't let any crafts get the best of you!!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

I might have gotten a little of my mojo back. I came home from work and started working on my Swap Bot stuff...I got all of my envelope organizers done. They turned out really cute. I was stressing out about the envelope part - I just didn't want to have to make a ton of envelopes out of really cute paper...So, while I was at work today - I found a really cute pack of fun note cards that had really great envelopes! They were blues and greens - ON CLEARANCE and right under my nose!! That's all it took - a little inspiration found in some envelopes at work! Who knew?? Well, I found some great stickers, got them personalized and found a great hot pink ribbon to tie around them. I got them packed up, and they are ready to go to Berlin and one to the UK...I only have one more swap to finish and then I'm going to take a break from it all...Of course I HAD to pick this one called ART DOLL. Didn't I write earlier about how I didn't inherit the 'art' gene? That all I can do is matchy-matchy-happy-color-theme things? Didn't I say that the only gene my family carried on was in my two sisters? Well, for some reason I thought that I could do this one. It is just sitting on my desk staring at me...waiting for me to finish her - it? I just made my own pattern of a happy little dancer and made her outline out of red felt...I am just waiting for that inspiration to keep going with her...I just want my sisters to finish her for me...I'll figure something out. I'll dig out the beads, the wire, the 'words', and we'll see how it all works out. If I get going maybe it'll all come together. I tried viewing 'art doll' on that website FLIKR to see if I could get inspiration...Nothing yet. I just will never learn and accept that I'm not an artist - I'm just a crafter. A happy crafter, a proud crafter, but just a crafter...

Work is going good. My boss reminds me everyday that it's just a job. You work hard, work hard while you are there and then you clock out and go home and play hard. It's funny because my job is usually my hobby. I see it as a game - a challenge. I want to see how much I can get done and how much I can get others to get done...If I can get all of the 'things/tasks' done then it leaves me more time to chat with the customers. There is this one lady that comes into our Copy Center. She owns some sort of bridal business and comes in to make her brochures and things. It's kinda fun trying to figure out how to get them the way she likes and to make them look good. We use the glossy paper, we use the legal size so she can fold it in half to make a nice little booklet...it's fun. The guys that work there (which, again are most of the population of the workplace) just don't get the crafty/craftsmanship of it all...She was glad that there was a lady in the house!! There was a gentleman that came in today that needed a GPS for his trip to TEXAS!! I told him how we use ours to get there to see my family...it was funny to chat with him. He was a retired navy man that was going to see an ole buddy that he was friends with in the military. They both were in communications - he was telling me about the Morse code he would send...How times change. It's really interesting to meet all of the people and what they do in the world (or what they did in the world)...

Well, my family is laughing at the fact that I'm typing sooooo fast and sooooo long. Logan can't believe that I'm my third paragraph...Lane is laughing at the keys tapping so fast...So, I can take a hint and I'll head on to bed and quit typing!!!

Well take the time to enjoy the people around you - the ones you know and the ones you don't. They could really surprise you and what they know and can tell you about...

ENJOY!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

It's funny how I go check out some of my favorite blog spots and when they haven't updated anything or have new pictures it kinda makes me crazy - and now I'M ONE OF THOSE who hasn't updated anything in awhile!!

Well, we have 3 new members to the Sparrow Pointe Family. The birds who return to build their nest in our cat birdhouse have three new little chirpy babies! We heard them in their today just chirping away! Here's a picture of the mama - I haven't gotten brave enough to take a picture of the babies just yet - give them about a week and we'll peek in!

Here is Holly and Jack - the newest drivers in our neighborhood!

Work has been a little weird lately. I've been the un-popular person lately. I've been trying to challenge the schedule lately. We have certain hours that we can use each day and only in certain departments. We get grades (or maybe I should say that 'I' get grades since I'm the Ops manager) on our 'effectiveness' of our schedules. Some of the associates' availabilities fit within those parameters...So, there is one associate that really works hard and is really dedicated to his department and the store. But his availability to work doesn't fit with the schedule of his department. I spoke with him about maybe getting hours from another department since there weren't enough hours in his current department. I really thought that I was trying to help him with his schedule as well as his paycheck. I didn't want him to have to go and find another job or even quit! Well, he went to the other managers and even the district manager telling them that I didn't think that his department was important - that he wasn't important. How was he going to be able to get his work done by himself and with only a few hours per week...He really misunderstood my intentions. And this is one time that I really felt like I was trying to help someone out and they didn't appreciate it nor did anyone back me up. He doesn't speak to me and now I feel like I'm the 'bad guy' - the new manager that has come in and changed everything that was working for the past 9 years!! I guess that I shouldn't really care - that I'm just doing my job - but to me working WITH everyone in the store is my job. Working TOGETHER to get things going is MY job...I guess that it hurt my feelings that no one understood my intentions...I am really trying to bring in a little 'softness' to the group. All of the guys (there are only 4 of us girls) just yell at each other to get things done...Maybe that's the way they work. I just can't work by force...Oh, well. What can you do?? I'll just do my best at making a difference one way or another and then go home to my quiet little neighborhood and family. (I keep telling myself that so that it'll be okay...)

I'm starting to count down the days till June! We are planning our trip to TEXAS!! I'm really excited about taking this trip. Lane, Logan and I always have such fun on the road trips and I just can't wait to see my family!! We laugh sooo much during our trips that I just can't wait!!! Happiness!!

I've gotten into a crafting 'funk'...I told Lane today that I've lost my crafting MOJO. I can't seem to put anything together lately. Last weekend I made this really cute doll - squirrel. His name is Bleak. He is REALLY cute. After seeing a picture I decided that I could make my own pattern and create a really cute mixed fabric softie of my own. I DID IT!

Then after I finished him I made a penguin for Lane. He has all kinds of crazy colors and came out REAAAALLY cute, too!! Maybe they sucked it all out of me...I just can't seem to get started on anything else. I have 3 swaps coming up and I'm almost waiting until the last minute to finish them up. I think that I need to take some time away from the the crafty room and re-energize. Maybe my yard work MOJO has taken over???

(Bleak the squirrel/frog and Pingy the Penguin!)

(MOJO stealers!!!)

Well, here's to heading to bed and trying to retrieve my crafting mojo!!

Enjoy!!

Monday (even though it feels like a Sunday) April 9, 2007

The Sparrow Pointe Easter Hunt was a success. Even though we didn't put a lot of effort into it, we probably had even more fun. (My sister and I always had the philosophy that the amount of effort you put into an event was directly proportional and or equal to the amount of fun you WOULDN'T have.) I think that this philosophy worked for this event, too! Here's Logan and her BFF Savannah being the bunnies of the event. They are now the oldest of the kids so they have taken it upon themselves to be 'helpers' as it is no longer cool to hunt the eggs with the 'kids'. Funny...We do enjoy their help. We can pawn sooo many things off on them now that they are the 'older' ones - helping clean up, babysitting the kids, leading the kids as they find the eggs...

Here are a couple of my most recently received Swaps. One came from Finland (the matchboxes) and one from Portugal (the crocheted purse). Wow - who knew that there really are all kinds of crafters all around the world. The purse is beautifully made with a little crocheted flower and all on it. The matchboxes and crafts were decorated and filled so uniquely. Just some fun crafting that makes me happy. It's interesting to see what the mailman will bring next... I'm working on a couple of swaps now. One has an Ocean theme - I received a little crochet octopus from my partner on that one. I made a felt dolphin and a cute little jelly fish. The jelly fish was made from felt with all kinds of ribbons hanging down as his tentacles...All mixed/matched and cute! I made a couple of drawstring bags and filled them with shells, too. It really turned out cute!

I'm going to have to remember my hydrangea bush like this - in this picture. We had a crazy frost over the weekend and even though I covered them all with trash bags, they now look as if they were boiled cabbage...SAD!! This picture was taken Saturday!! Our news forecast said that it was colder yesterday (26) than it was on Christmas!! We set an ALL TIME record - not just for the day, month, year - ALL TIME!! The peonies survived and the Gerber daisies were saved by putting them in the shop, so we were able to save a few!!

Now this plant defies everything. Lane sent this plant (a much smaller version) to me at work about 5 years ago. It just won't stop growing! It LOVES this corner and seems to just want to take it over! I think that it's a begonia - the prettiest pink flowers you've ever seen. It will sit out on the porch during the summer and just keep blooming and blooming!!

Well, we are all heading back to work and school tomorrow. I've been off since Saturday and so has Lane. Logan had spring break last week and today is her Easter holiday. I'm ready to get back into a groove. I'm starting to feel a little lazy! I'm looking for a reason NOT to take a nap and screw up my sleeping pattern - to work by 5am tomorrow!!

Well, happy Easter to all! I want to say happy spring, but it just doesn't seem like it when it's 40 degrees outside!!

Enjoy the cool weather - we'll be belly-aching about how hot it is soon enough!!

Monday, April 2, 2007

This is a really old picture - Lane and I went to Charleston for a day. We try to always take a picture by holding up the camera and snapping a shot. We didn't do that this time when we went to the mountains...Hmmm...So, I'll use this one!

Well, it's the second of April already. This month and all of it's holidays (April fools and Easter) really snuck up on me this year. Logan and I usually plan for MONTHS what we are going to do to Lane for April Fools day. One year we sewed all of his underwear together, one year we put his car keys in a huge bowl of jello (in a baggie of course)...but this year, we really thought about it around 9pm the night before. So, in the short amount of time we had to plan, we decided that we weren't going to do anything, we were just going to make him crazy by making him THINK that we were doing something. We kept telling him that we couldn't wait until he found 'IT'...We taunted him all day long with that! It worked! He was crazy by the end of the day! It was funny because Lane tried to get Logan by setting her alarm really early - but she caught him and turned it off!!! A really silly day!

Now, usually we have a big Easter Egg hunt here in our circle. We have about 20 kids, and all bring goodies to share. The night before a neighbor and myself hide about 200-250 empty eggs (you never want bugs or runny chocolate) and a few 'golden' eggs. We start the kids out by age and we give prizes (that we've collected all year - 1$-5$ goodies) for this and that. (each kid will end up with a prize of some sort - even if we have to make up a category for them!) Well, we sent out invitations and wanted to get some RSVP's since a lot of the families were going out of town next week. I haven't heard a thing...Maybe it's sneaking up on all of us!

I haven't even decorated the yard - except for the Easter flags!! I have these really cute wooden bunnies that I put out every year and little blow up eggs that we put in the trees...I think that if I get in the mood, I just might do it on Wednesday...I'll get the lawn mowed (a jungle of weeds and that crazy stuff that grows under the bird feeders!) and maybe the bunnies will make a short appearance...We'll see. If it does get done, I'll post pictures of the proof...

Swap Bot sure is going good. My sister is even playing on there now! I got the cutest little 'softie' in the mail. Her name is Gertie. She came all the way from Spain. I'm not sure what 'it' is that makes her sooo appealing - it's something, though. She really has personality!

Logan even hosted a swap. She had a 'kids only' swap with an Easter ATC theme. She got hers from a little boy in California. He did a great job! He also sent stickers and an Easter Bunny 'jacks' game complete with ball! It's really been a fun hobby!

Well, find some time to enjoy your hobby - or just enjoy trying a new one out!

Enjoy the day!

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Well, as my husband has reminded me, this blog thingee is becoming weekly instead of daily/biweekly, etc...Since the weather has turned out so nice I find myself playing outside more and just wearing myself out with only the energy to get in the hot tub and then to bed. So, tonight I will catch you all up with the happenings of South Carolina.

Lane and I headed to the mountains on Friday. We spent the whole day playing, walking, shopping, looking and just enjoying the day. We always seem to make it to this one shop where we find something to craft together. There is a really cute place called 'Express Yourself'. They have mosaics, pottery to paint, stuffed animals to put together and dress, beading and scrap booking. Lane and I are addicted to the mosaics. We have made one of each of our animals - 2 cats and a dog. This time we made a cat that looks like Lane's mom's cat so we'll give that to her for her Bday or Easter...We'll see. He came out really cute. We have decided that we are spoiled because we have a quiet neighborhood and a really soft bed. We could barely sleep in the hotel because of all of the cars/bikes going on all night and the REALLY firm bed just didn't bring out the 'ahhhh' in either of us...So we decided to check out a day early and head back home to enjoy our home, yard, bed, family, etc. We BBQ-d on Saturday and we were lazy all day on Sunday. It was a really nice weekend.

Work has been good. I'm getting into all of the things that I do best - I organize, clean, teach and try to help the other associates have fun while doing all of this. They learn to like to work for/with me so they stick around to help customers. I greet the customers with a warm smile and they seem to like it and tend to come back. All of this seems to make a business successful and brings me great rewards - bonus, promotions, etc. I guess it's easy for me, but alot of people don't see the 'retail' side of things. It's a true profession that you either like or HATE. I really don't think that there is an 'in-between' when it comes to retail. I just am on the side of the fence that likes it and likes the challenge. I see it kinda of like a game. It's my goal to make the highest score on audits, having the best associates, having the most/happiest customers, and just challenging volume potential...

Lane is really making a difference at his job - even though he would probably say differently. He's understanding the ease of retailing as well...And he would say differently to that as well. He has a lot of fun people that he works with, so that's a good thing as well.

I'm counting down the days until our trip to Texas. I'm ready to get a little family time/laughs/silliness in my blood. It'll be nice to be there in my Dad's new place just enjoying time.

I had this really weird encounter the other day. I had this elderly woman come into the store - very frail. She needed a few things and had a little list. I offered to help her with the list - I'm a true believer of the 'divide and conquer' rule in anything. I met her back at the front counter and her daughter had made it in. The woman was bragging about the service that she had received from me. Her daughter whispered that she was 92 years old and didn't get out much. I told the woman that she was a 'spry young chicken' and I'd be happy to help her anytime. She told me that her bday was in September. GUESS what DATE!! Go ahead - yup - the 19Th. So, of course I had to go into the family low down and she let me know that she had 4 other people in her family that had that same bday, too!!! She said that all of her other family members were born on Fridays. I guess that everyone has something that makes them special - and to think that I thought we were the only ones...Hmmm...Anyway, it did make me miss my mom tremendously.

I'm off tomorrow from work and plan to enjoy the day just piddling...

Enjoy your day tomorrow, too!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Well, I have finished my long work week (7 days in a row - some starting as early as 4am). My dogs are barking (feet hurt) and I'm out of black pants and boy shirts (my uniform)...So I timed it perfect I suppose...
But HERE"S THE GOOD NEWS...Lane has arranged for us to go to the MOUNTAINS in North Carolina! YIPPEE! So, at least there is something to look forward to...Quiet drives up the mountains, cooler weather, time with my man...And tennis shoes all weekend to make my dogs happy...
Work is getting better by the day. I'm building my confidence and reminders that I really can run a business successfully and have fun at it, too! I haven't had that confidence in awhile so it's good. I even had a customer write a letter to the home office to thank them for the great service that I gave her... I got all of the registers cleaned and have given everyone my disease of throwing stuff away that either has dust on it (because you don't use it) or things that you haven't a clue the last time it was used. They had YEARS worth of paperwork that you only keep for 90 days...So, anyway...
Logan is with us tonight so we are headed out to get her bike - Ellie is ready to go out with us, too!!

Well, I'm off to get a bike, take some aspirin and get rid of this crazy allergy headache/sinus/migraine...

Enjoy the day!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

I can't believe that I haven't 'blogged' since last week. I've been on that long working schedule so that I'm off next weekend. I was off last Thursday - just enough downtime to get laundry put away, grocery shopping, cleaning done, etc. I've been trying to work out my groove of the gym, work and family, too...So, I'm waiting for a couple of patterns to print (that came from Hillary Lang's website 'Wee Wonderfuls') so I thought while all of that was printing I'd just check my site out...

(I found this picture from our trip a couple of years ago to Paris, TX to see my folks - thought it was cute - sorry, a little reminiscing on my part)

Work is going better day by day. The guys are so funny that I work with. They keep my laughing all day and we all work really hard, too. Sometimes that's a hard mix to find. I made a lot of merchandising moves trying to get things cleaned up and organized so that felt really good today. I got my schedules and all of my paperwork done yesterday so today ( and the rest of the week) I can play...We'll see how everything goes...

We had a frost the other night, so the trash bags came out to put over the plants. We saved the tulips and the daisies! The orange plant even made it into the garage thanks to Gome. She makes sure that she puts all of our plants in a safe place...

Ellie LOVES it outside now. She hardly wants to come in. She starts pacing from one door to the next looking at you as she passes by...

We BBQ'd tonight. Got the lights on the umbrella blazing...Lane even brought out the telescope while we were cooking to gaze at the moon and search for planets. It was a nice night outside. We ate, cooked and watched the stars while we were outside all evening...IT IS SPRING!

Enjoy the day!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Well, today was my first day as the only manager in the building. No one had to babysit me!! Yippee! I really got a chance to do my own thing. I cleaned up some of the crazy merchandising areas, and made some merchant decisions, too. It felt good. The only bad thing is that I keep forgetting that I'm the OPERATIONS manager. I have to make sure that I get all of the reports, reviews, paperwork, etc. done. I'm already behind in schedules, postings, etc. I just had a little too much fun today - tomorrow will need to be a little different...

Anyway, I started back with my aerobics classes. I take it three times per week - trying to get ready for swimsuit season and short season. I need to get my stamina back up to help out in my new job, too. I want to make sure I can go the distance when I work at 5am, get home around 4pm, do laundry, clean or something until 6:30pm for my class and then back home at 7:30pm to start dinner...Hmmmm, just reading that makes me wonder if I shouldn't just go for 2 x's per week??? I'll get back to you on that one...

It was about 80 degrees outside today. Ellie is officially the 'panting constantly' dog...Poor thing - just too furry for the weather. I'm going to have to look into seeing if there is a cut for her that will still protect her skin, but will get rid of some of that hot hair...Anyone have an idea??

I'm off to watch American Idol and then hit the sack...

I'm going to try to Enjoy!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

(Ellie enjoying my chair while I cook)

Another lovely day here in South Carolina. We tackled the back yard 'water park' area today. I started by spraying all of the weeds, but there were sooo many that I couldn't wait for them to die so I decided to pick them all!! WHEW! That was a chore. I raked the leaves out of our 'beach' area, used the blower to get rid of the pine needles and mowed the yard! It was really nice to see it all come together.

Our neighbors invited us to dinner (BBQ, of course) so we packed up our goodies and walked on over for a nice dinner.

We ended the day with Ellie playing in the sprinklers and jumping into the hot tub...

Life is good.

Tulips (reminds me of the yellow ones from Uncle Eddie)

Our Welcome cat that Mom and Dad sent a few years back - still holding on!

Enjoy the day!

Friday, March 9, 2007

It was too beautiful outside today to be crafting, so I decided to be crafty with the yard. We mowed for the first time (those poor weeds didn't know what hit them) and then put some crabgrass/turf builder down...I planted some beautiful flowers and rearranged the lawn 'art'...It was nice. We just can't believe how beautiful the weeping willow tree is already! It is happy and green! We are amazed every day how many leaves appear on it! Lane is the happy 'weeder' shown here with the new spreader. Our old hand held one gave out last year (after about 10 years!) We filled up the bird feeders, we hung the hummingbird feeder, we watered all of the plants - we just need really warm weather to see the newly planted tulips happy, too! We'll have to enjoy a little dinner outside in the backyard tonight to complete the whole 'outside' day theme! Hmmmm - ribs? steaks? Last year we found an umbrella with solar lights on the inside of it. We found it on sale at the end of the season so we will be pulling that out to enjoy tonight, too for a little mood lighting!!

Enjoy your day! Get outside! Plant some flowers! You'd me amazed on what it does for your spirit!!

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

So, my husband says that I should blog everyday...He reminded me that it's been since Sunday...

So, I've been at my new store since Monday. My boss is nice, my co-workers are nice, and I'm one of the few girls!! I'm working on getting in my groove and getting my systems down at work. I worked slowly but surely through the mounds of paperwork that has gathered over the past years...I got new binders, new dividers, and threw a ton of old ones away. It was nice to try to make MY place in the store. I have my own desk, my own bulletin board, and two filing cabinets. I'm not really sure how I'll use all of that space now that I got rid of most of the paperwork that was filling them...I'm sure that I'll figure something out.

Enough about work, I found the GREATEST sale on crazy fabric at JoAnn's. I have been looking at all of these dolls in Flickr.com. They always have the greatest colors and fabrics. Well, I've found some GREAT fabric that I can mix and match and make some goodies. I'm just excited about being off on Friday so that I can try out a few things. I have a swap coming up that is themed 'bag of goodies'. You are supposed to use all of your scraps to make a little bag and fill it up with goodies. Well, I won't be using scraps - just some of my new fabrics in pieces and parts...I'll take some pictures when I get them all done.

My last craft - shrinky dinks...I just can't seem to find HOW/WHAT to do with them that fits into my kind of crafting. I can only think of how to use them as 'adornments'...I just can't seem to get into this go round. I'm going to put them away and come back to them when I'm feeling inspired or see something different made with them...Maybe I should host a shrinky dink swap...I'm afraid that everyone would just send a little circle charm - I'd like to see a little creativity.

Anyway, I'm headed to bed - an early day tomorrow...THEN I'll be able to start some cute fabric crafting...


Enjoy!!

Sunday, March 4, 2007

I did not inherit the 'altered art' gene...

I was talking to my sister the other day about shrinky dink crafts and the numerous possibilities of things that you can do - dolls, charms, butterfly wings, beads, etc. My mind was reeling when I got off the phone - I just couldn't wait to get started! So, I started with a pattern of a cloth doll that I made and I made it so that her arms were separate, her legs were separate and holes were punched in the right areas so they could be attached...During the baking time, my sister sent me some pictures of what she had created -- they were FABULOUS! (my sister has the 'bam' factor that whatever she makes/sees/thinks of is soooo creative! I didn't get that gene either!) The pictures were these great dolls with patterned bodies, butterfly wings, faces, glitter, and all kinds of embellishments that made them just 'ART' like. (Not crafty like mine things usually turn out like) So, I decided that I would step out of my comfort zone and go all crazy with the 'altered art' them on the dolls. So I sat there,....tick....tick.....tick....tick.....tick....Nothing. NOTHING came to my mind of HOW to 'alter her', how to decorate her, how to embellish her - NOTHING. Blank...I started by just thinking that I would just cover her in stickers and maybe some inspiration would come to me...So, I stuck about 50 stickers on her- and then started picking them all off of her. I just couldn't do it...So, you'll see what I ended up with - I love her. Clean and simple. Just like my crazy Virgoian sign rules me and my crafts - organized, clean, obsessive, straight lines, geometric shapes, matchy-matchy...(it's a sickness for sure!).

So, here is Sally. She needs a little more embellishment - I have a purse ready for her and I think a bracelet and necklace are in order. I'm going to try to make some shrinky dink accessories for her...I'll show you her when she's completed - Altered or not!

Enjoy!