We should all read this every day!

'You Are Worthy'

Do not undermine your worth
By comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different
That each of us is special.

Do not set your goals
By what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted
The things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life.
For without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your life slip through your fingers
By living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
You live all the days of your life.

Do not give up
When you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over
Until the moment you stop trying.

It is a fragile thread
That binds us to each other.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances
That we learn to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life
By saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

In addition,
The best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope,
To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life
So fast that you forget
Not only where you have been
But also where you are going.

Life is not a race but a journey
To be savored each step of the way.
So smile and let the sun shine through.
For there's someone,somewhere, watching over you.

slooooowwwww down!

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 41 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
13. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
14. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
15. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
16. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
17. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
18. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
19. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
20. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
21. The most important sex organ is the brain.
22. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
23. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
24.. Always choose life.
25. Forgive everyone everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
30. Believe in miracles.
31. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
32. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young..
33. Your children get only one childhood.
34. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
35. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
36. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
37. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
38. The best is yet to come.
39. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
40. Yield.
41. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

for dog lovers

Ten Favors a Dog Asks From a Man - Author Unknown

1- My life lasts between ten to fifteen years. Every separation from you means suffering for me. Think about this before you decide whether or not to take me!
2- Give me time to understand what you are asking from me.
3- Instill confidence in me - I thrive on it!
4- Do not be angry with me for a long time and do not lock me up for punishment!You have your work, your pleasure, your joy - I have onlyyou.
5- Talk often to me! Even if I do not understand you completely, I do understand the tone of your voice when you talk to me.
6- Know that, no matter how I am being treated, I shall never forget it!
7- Keep in mind, before you hit me , that my jaws could crush the knuckles of your hand with ease, but that I do not make use of them.
8- Before you scold me when working with me, consider: perhaps I am uncomfortable from digesting my last meal; perhaps I was exposed to the sun too long; or perhaps I have a wornout heart.
9- Take care of me when I am old -- you too are going to be old one day.
10- Be with me when my going gets rough. Everything is easier for me when you are beside me.

blonde joke

Two blonde girls were working for the city public worksdepartment.

One would dig a hole and the other would follow behind herand fill the hole in.. They worked up one side of the street, then downthe other, then moved on to the next street, working furiously all daywithout rest, one girl digging a hole, the other girl filling it inagain.

An onlooker was amazed at their hard work, but couldn'tunderstand what they were doing. So he asked the hole digger,

'I'mimpressed by the effort you two are putting in to your work, but I don'tget it -- why do you dig a hole, only to have your partner follow behindand fill it up again?'

The hole digger wiped her brow and sighed, 'Well, I suppose itprobably looks odd because we're normally a three-person team.

But todaythe girl who plants the trees called in sick."

why women lie

One day, when a seamstress was sewing while sitting close to a river,her thimble fell into the river.

When she cried out, the Lord appearedand asked, 'Why are you crying?'

The seamstress replied that herthimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help herhusband in making a living for their family.

The Lord dipped His handinto the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with sapphires.'Is this your thimble?' the Lord asked

The seamstress replied, 'No.'The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a golden thimblestudded with rubies.'Is this your thimble?' the Lord asked.

Again, the The Lord reacheddown again and came up with a leather thimble.'Is this your thimble ?' the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, 'Yes'The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all threethimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband alongthe riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappearedunder the water.

When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and askedher, 'Why are you crying?' 'Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into theriver!'

The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney.'Is this your husband?' the Lord asked.'Yes,' cried the seamstress.

The Lord was furious. 'You lied! That isan untruth!'

The seamstress replied, 'Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is amisunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'no' to George Clooney, youwould have come up with Brad Pitt.Then if I said 'no' to him, you would have come up with my husband.Had I then said 'yes,' you would have given me all three. Lord, I'mnot in the best of health and would not be able to take care of allthree husbands, so THAT'S why I said 'yes' to George Clooney.

And so the Lord let her keep him.

The moral of this story is:Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and inthe best interest of others. That's our story, and we're sticking toit.

oldie but goodie

Happy Halloween


A couple was invited to a swanky costume party. The Mrs. got a terrible headache and told her husband to go to the party alone. He being a devoted husband protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some aspirin and go to bed and there was no need for his good time being spoiled by not going.

So he took his costume and away he went. The wife, after sleeping soundly for about an hour, awakened without pain and, as it was still early, decided to go the party.

Since her husband did not know what her costume was, she thought she would have some fun by watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him.

She joined the party and soon spotted her husband cavorting around on the dance floor, dancing with every nice woman he could, and copping a little feel here and a little kiss there. His wife sidled up to him and being a rather seductive babe herself, he left his current partner high and dry and devoted his time to the new babe that had just arrived.

She let him go as far as he wished , naturally, since he was her husband. Finally, he whispered a little proposition in her ear and she agreed. So off they went to one of the cars and had a quickie.

Just before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away, went home, put the costume away and got into bed, wondering what kind of explanation he would make for his behavior. She was sitting up reading when he came in, and she asked what kind of a time he had.

He said: "Oh, the same old thing. You know I never have a good time when you're not there." -

"Did you dance much ?" -

"I'll tell you, I never even danced one dance. When I got there, I met Pete, Bill Brown and some other guys, so we went into the den and played poker all evening.


But you're not going to believe what happened to the guy I loaned my costume to...."

stolen...

Totally stole this from another blog, but doesn't this make a great statement about adult thinking?

Halloween crafts

I am absolutely in LOVE with some of the craft ideas I've seen for halloween. I'm determined to make a few but time is running out quickly.

I just found this one today, how cute are these!!! At my old house, we could have as many as 300 trick or treaters, not the case where we are now, I'm not expecting any at all! These would be great though just to fill with candy corn for friends.

I'm also a bit obsessed with these. I'm trying to figure out if I actually have to go to a cake store to get the edible markers though. I know Michaels would have them, but I would rather just pick one up when I do my grocery shopping.

Finally, here's a roundup with several cute cute ideas!

laziness and twins

I missed a couple kitties last weekend in my picture taking extravaganza, so here's the guys I missed via cell phone pics.


A terrible picture of Molly and Lucy. Sisters from another mister. Molly is on top of the nightstand, Lucy underneath. I knew as soon as I went to get a real camera, they would bolt so cell phone was my only option. They look exactly alike, I still have issues with telling them apart.

Here's Starsky who stole my pillow when I managed to pry my ass of the sofa for a few minutes (probably to eat)

Halloween Joke

Halloween is coming!



A man is walking home alone late one foggy night... when behind him he hears:

Bump...


BUMP...


BUMP...


Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.


BUMP...


BUMP...


BUMP...


Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him


FASTER...


FASTER...


BUMP...


BUMP...


BUMP...


He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him.

However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping


clappity-BUMP...


clappity-BUMP...


clappity-BUMP...


on his heels, the terrified man runs.Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, the man locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps..

With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door.

Bumping and clapping toward him.The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket...and,




(hopefully you're ready for this!!!)




The coffin stops

Serious weekend laziness

The mid-Atlantic region has seen nothing but rain and cold dreary weather for days! I've been planted on the sofa with the remote and a book all day and I must say it's been wonderful! I'm more than halfway through this month's book club pick - The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and I've had no shortage of snuggle buddies!


My desk chair has been kept very warm by these two big kids!



Killian, wondering if it's bedtime yet!

Again, looking extra pitiful on the sofa, we call this the boo-boo face because it looks like she's wiping her eyes.
Lucy can see everything from her perch on the end of the sofa, if only she had the energy to open her eyes!!!

Miss Gypsy can only show one eye to look kinda creepy against the dusk outside. She's made an indent in the back of the sofa where she's been laying...

Daisy, who knows exactly what b-e-d-t-i-m-e means!

Tuesday Joke

This was in my inbox following the 3 day weekend and I thought it was great!

A woman was in town on a shopping trip. She began her day finding the mostperfect shoes in the first shop and a beautiful dress on sale in the second.In the third, everything had just been reduced by 50 percent when her mobilephone rang.It was a female doctor notifying her that her husband had just been in aterrible car accident and was in critical condition and in the ICU.The woman told the doctor to inform her husband where she was and that she'dbe there as soon as possible. As she hung up she realized she was leavingwhat was shaping up to be her best day ever in the boutiques.

She decided toget in a couple of more shops before heading to the hospital.She ended up shopping the rest of the morning, finishing her trip with a cupof coffee and a beautiful chocolate cake slice, compliments of the last shop.She was jubilant.Then she remembered her husband.

Feeling guilty, she dashed to the hospital.She saw the doctor in the corridor and asked about her husband's condition.The lady doctor glared at her and shouted, 'You went ahead and finished yourshopping trip didn't you! I hope you're proud of yourself! While you wereout for the past four hours enjoying yourself in town, your husband has beenlanguishing in the Intensive Care Unit! It's just as well you went ahead andfinished, because it will more than likely be the last shopping trip youever take! For the rest of his life he will require round-the-clock care. And hewill now be your career!'

The woman was feeling so guilty she broke down and sobbed.The lady doctor then chuckled and said, 'I'm just pulling your leg. He'sdead. Show me what you bought.'

Weekend and easy halloween wreath

Had a fairly busy weekend. We did a craft show at Pickering Creek on Sunday so we were putting tables together all day Saturday to get ready for the show. Turns out, we didn't need to rush, because we didn't sell any! It actually didn't look like anyone was buying anything! So we weren't the only vendors feeling slighted. It was a free show so we weren't out anything except our time. I did get to see this beautiful Great Horned Owl there. I do love an Owl!

I took this picture of my little old lady Gypsy in the rocking chair. She doesn't get a whole lot of face time on here. Looking pretty isn't she?

I picked up some supplies over the weekend because I wanted to make a quick black feather wreath like they've been selling at Pier 1. Didn't exactly want to spend $35 on the wreath though, ya know? Went to my local dollar tree and got 2 boas, a black and a red and I also got some more skeleton garland to cut apart. JoAnn's had the styrofoam wreath which I had to pay $4 for, that was unfortunate. I guess that's what happens when you're in a hurry. I also picked up a great black spider though, I didn't mind paying $4 for him. :o) Here's the outcome.

Very easy. Just fastened one end of each of the boas to the styrofoam wreath and wrapped them both around. My black boa was thicker, which is great, I just wanted the red more or less as an accent. It worked out almost perfectly, just had to move the boas around in a few places to get them spread. I didn't even have to paint the wreath underneath, the boas covered great. Took and cut apart my garland and fastened it with wires and the same with the spider. I'm quite happy with the spooky effect it gives my front door.

Of course I had to show off my white pumpkin in my entryway. I do love a white pumpkin. This guy will be coming apart at the end of the season to share some seeds with me so I can grow my own (and not overpay!) next year.

Some Flylady Wisdom

I just loved this commentary from the flylady. As women we have a constant need to 'fix' things. Do you ever think that sometimes when your friends call and complain, they just want to be 'heard'? I've been trying to work on this. So often, they just want an ear, not a fix. Enjoy.

To Fix or Not to Fix - That is the Question
Dear Friends,
For years FlyLady and I have spent most mornings on the telephone talking about SHE's, what makes us tick, why do we behave in a certain way and what can we teach to helpeveryone to FLY. Recently we were talking about a certain personality trait that seems to be very prevalent among most SHE's - our need to "Fix" things, situations, people and problems. The strange thing is that we are drawn to fix other people's problems instead of our own. Is this because we don't want to acknowledge our own issues or is it a way for us to feel better about ourselves?
I have spent a lot of time thinking about this and also doing quite a bit of self reflection, I consider my self to be a mostly reformed fixer that falls off the wagon occasionally!! Through my journey down memory lane I have determined that there are two main roads that we will travel towards fixing something. We will either choose the road that is self-less or we will choose the road that is selfish. Don't get stuck on the negativity of selfish, let me explain more:
The self-less road is when we attempt to fix something or someone because we truly believe that our help will contribute to fixing whatever the problem at hand is. We have no ego tied into the fixing, we are only in it to help. Your best friend has to move out of her home in three days and you drop everything to go and help her get it done - there is nothing in it for you other than to help a friend in need.
The selfish road is when we have some type of personal investment into the fixing of the problem. The outcome or resolution of the problem will affect us and therefore we put ourselves right in the middle of fixing things. The word selfish has a negative connotation attached to it and we can't be afraid of that, we have to embrace it. Your best friend has gotten into an argument with two other friends in your circle. You get involved because their argument affects you and you try to fix things. If you get down and dirty honest with yourself in this example - you really get involved because you don't want your circle to be in turmoil because it takes away from what you need from them. Generally when we approach things from the selfish perspective we get burned!
We have to be able to understand when we are attempting to fix things why we want to help. This will save you pain, embarrassment, frustration and anger for yourself and from others.
When we put ourselves in the position of being the "fixer" we find that people will turn to us in the future for help and we all like to feel needed. The problem with this is that webegin to define ourselves by what we can fix and control versus who we really are. We are not in the position to help others until we help ourselves first. This means you can't teach others to love themselves until you love yourself first. Attempting to fix everyone else's issues before your own is not loving yourself. It is a way to hide behind someone's else's pain and hurt to disguise your own.
When you find yourself wanting to get involved in something that may not be your place you need to take a step back and ask yourself "Why do I want to get involved? Do I have something valuable to add or contribute to a resolution?" Sometimes when we get involved in the "fixing" we take away from the rightful path that the players involved needed to travel. Maybe the individuals involved need to feel pain or hurt to come away from the moment learning something about others or themselves. If we interrupt that path did we really fix anything?
Part of Finally Loving Yourself is recognizing things about yourself that you may not like, the beauty is that we get to work on ourselves as we are always a work in progress not perfection!!
Love,Kelly

bandwagon

So I've jumped back on the flylady bandwagon. For those of you who aren't familar, www.flylady.org. It's a great thing. She tells you how to spend 15 minutes at a time getting control of various areas of your life. It all starts with making sure your kitchen sink sparkles when you go to bed at night. Mine, she does sparkle, for tonight at least.

Creepy Halloween Tree Craft

I keep seeing all of these halloween trees on display with the cutest ornaments! I'd love to have one, but right now, I don't want to spend $40 just on a black tree and still have to decorate it! A-ha! Inspiration to get my crafting mojo back. So yesterday the lovely Karen came over and we made our own creepy halloween trees.

Earlier in the week, hubby and I had gone around the yard and picked up loads and loads of sticks. We picked out the most 'tree like' of those and set them off to the side.

Off to the creepy potting shed to pick out a couple old terracotta pots.

Down to the stream to scoop up some river rocks to hold our trees in place.

(sorry I didn't take any pictures of this yesterday, perhaps I will edit some in)

Wire a few branches together in a bundle so you have the number and size of branches that you want. Hold it in the center of the pot and fill in around it with river rocks.

Now, spray paint the whole thing black. I did take a brush and brush some of the dirt off my pot so the paint would stick, but it may look even creepier with the dirt still on it. I had the added bonus of some spider webs on my branches, they showed up when I spray painted. Even better for the effect!

After the black paint dried, I took some of the sparkle spray that they sell this time of year for your hair and sprayed lightly over my tree. It looked really great on the rocks!

Some dollar store candy and decorations like the styrofoam skulls and skeleton garland. I love the eyeball candy! We just poked a wire through it and went to town with our ornaments. I found the crow hanging out at the bottom of the tree at the dollar store as well. He was just begging to come home and be a part of my project!

If you decide to build a tree of your own, please post a link in my comments, I would love to see your take on this project!

Animal Rescue

Because I have a large place in my heart for animal rescue, I found this and wanted to share it:

A RESCUERS ANSWERING MACHINE: Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to the following options and choose the one that best describes you or your situation:

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home right away.

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your 150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your dog.

Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money for your vacation.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for their elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is not our responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog to be euthanized because I won't take it.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your neighbor's cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge, of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before your kids wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had ten litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and it is against your religion.

Press 26 if you're lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility that the cat's behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and have had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because today is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'options' and didn't hear enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his family.

~Author Unknown, but much appreciated

still alive!

I know, it's been months! I'm going to try very hard to get back into the habit of blogging somewhat regularly. I guess I'll welcome myself back by looking through my phone and seeing what kind of randomness there is.

Thrashers on the Ocean City boardwalk, one of my favorite places in the world! Hubby and I got the hankerin for some fries one (Monday!) night and decided to make a little treck down to the ocean and have some vinegary goodness!

I have totally lost my crafting mojo. I feel it coming back with fall approaching. Maybe some candles, and with living out in the country now, I have lots of acorns and pinecones falling from my trees that I would love to find something cool to do with. John has been building away though! Look at these great tables he's been building (and selling the heck out of!)! I'll be sure to get some pictures of them after they're painted. I'm totally in love with them, and they fold flat for storage. Super convenient!

A random car I spotted at Target parking lot. Now THAT'S confidence!

I celebrated my 30th birthday in September. Here's the cooler I was stocking for the big celebration.

I think it's an obligation to include a few cat pictures with every blog, so here's my fat orange man curling up in bed with me.


Starsky who really thinks he can fit in this basket, but it appears to be a little tight for him. Doesn't stop him from trying though!

A little lady thinking she's going to toast John's pillow in time for him to join her in dreamland.

love the cell phone pics

I love taking random pictures with my cell phone, here's this weeks installment!

A tiny turtle I found by the pond. He was a frisky little guy too, just a little bitter than a quarter.

The yummy taco salad I fixed for pre cinco de mayo. I had to work late on the 5th so we celebrated early.

The last new appliance, my oven! Installed last tuesday. Ain't she pretty?

Molly on top of the door. She has the little kitty syndrome where she always has to be as high up as possible.

Killian, the night she discovered the pond. Prior to this it had just been Daisy that went swimming, but now I have 2 dirty dogs on my hands.

Daisy, who apparently was cold last night because she figured out a way to wrap herself up in this blanket.

cell phone randoms

Some days I'm just amazed at how we all survived without cell phones for so long. And now picture phones??? I can't imagine how I went without a camera in my hand all the time! What's funny is, I get equally random pictures from friends, so I've included a few of them as well in this photo extravaganza!

The rainbow out my window at work last week. We've been having seriously crazy weather here, if my camera phone was better you could see it's actually a double rainbow. The building it's leading into is a smelly pharmacy with stuff leftover from the 70's in there... no pot of gold!
My snuggly Shorty. He does this every morning as I'm struggling to drag myself out of bed. Him cuddling like that doesn't make it any easier!

Yes, another new appliance. And there's one more on the way. This microhood came in yesterday and hubby was nice enough to hang it promptly for me. Is beautiful, no?

This poor sofa has made it's rounds to everyone's house, even the slipcover is worn out. It's Killian's new favorite place though. Close enough to the bed to keep an eye on us but she can give chase to a kitty quickly if need be!

Sent by Karen this week, a hoot head!

And a completed hoot owl gifty for yours truly! What to name him....

A BRIGHT green inch worm that hubby sent a picture of a little while ago.

Got this picture at like 6am this week from Beth. This is a shed that John spent last weekend putting together. Again, crazy weather.

photos

Since I'm moving, not much time to craft or anything fun, so I'm going to share some random shots from the move.

Haven't unpacked my camera yet, so these were cameraphone and not fantastic.

Wedding don't....

I still don't have my blogging mojo (did I tell you I'm moving?), but I wanted to share this with you. So I found this while cleaning out the cabinet over my fridge. Nobody ever goes in that cabinet, which is why I suppose this wound up there. I actually came across several of these, but this one really caught my attention.

(sorry it's sideways, I'm too lazy to wait for blogger to upload it again)

Why you ask? Well, because I don't know who Ashley and Chris are. Apparently 2 people in my home went to their wedding 6 years ago, but for the life of me I don't remember it. This lovely set of 2 glasses is about to hit the trash, because really... who wants a set of wine glasses with someone else's name on them? So, next time, spring for the prime rib or open bar and maybe I'll remember you, the engraved glasses however are a waste of money. Happy Monday all!

Mojo

Sorry guys, I have no blogging mojo right now. I will let you know when I find it again.

my shampoo story

So, yesterday morning I washed my hair (I don't wash my hair every day because I have the *dry hair* as opposed to the *oily hair*). I had recently bought new shampoo and I did my thing, shampoo rinse and condition. Well, when I went to put the conditioner in my hair, it foamed up again. Strange, right? I was like, well maybe I didn't rinse well enough the first time or maybe I'm still sleepy and I just completely forgot to rinse at all. So I rinsed again and conditioned again. Foam from the conditioner again. I'm thinking, OMG, I have this non-rinsing shampoo and I'm never going to get it washed out blah blah blah. Then I looked at my new shampoo a little better and realized that I bought 2 shampoos instead of a shampoo and conditioner. Yup, I just washed my hair 3 times. So now, do I need to tell you that I have: worst.static.ever.

Tutorial

Kristi, you stressed me out a little asking for a tutorial on my lunch bag. I could not remember where I found it! I kept searching for words that I *knew* were in it, so without further ado, here you are!

In love with these bags

These little guys go together so fast. One of these days I'm going to find time to cut out a bunch so I can throw them together to sell them. I think it took me like a half hour to put this one together as a hostess gift today. I only wish I had some black satin ribbon on hand for the handles instead of white. The inside is black. This time I actually followed the instructions correctly and that made the inside much cleaner. Maybe in the future I'll put some batting between the layers to insulate these, and a zipper in the top. For now though, I think they're a super stylish alternative to a brown paper bag for your lunch.

I'm so bad at these things...

I got tagged by Average Girl to do a meme. I figure maybe if I do it really quick I will actually complete it.

The rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. Obviously, I'm a terrible procrastinator. I seem to think I do things better when I put them off until the last minute. The truth is, maybe I just work better under a little stress.

2. I'm a listener. I would much rather listen to someone all day than have to talk. Don't get me wrong, I'm a good talker at times, but for the most part, I excel at listening.

3. I'm not always very good at censoring myself. I'll keep quiet until you ask me but don't ask if you don't want honesty.

4. My hair went completely gray at 20 (thanks mom and dad) and I have colored it religiously every 4 weeks since.

5. I love making things... anything! Well, except cooking is my downfall.

6. I love having pets. I have 4 cats and 2 dogs and I would have a ton more if vet bills didn't get the best of me. There is nothing like that unconditional love.

I'm not going to tag anyone, sorry. I'm not a religious enough blogger to have a ton of blogland friends. So, if you read this blog and would like to play along, I would love to read it! Leave me a comment if you do!

Projects for the weekend

John's nephew came over yesterday. He had to make a bird feeder for a school project and thought it would be best if he came here since John has a woodworking shop. So he and John worked on this yesterday. John told him he could use any wood that we had, he didn't pick the most expensive (Mahagony) but he came close with the black Walnut. Oh well, it's to help a kid learn, right? I think it turned out awfully pretty! Not sure we could sell it for what we've got into it though.

I dug through my pile of stuff I want to make and decided to make a lunch sack. I had a couple remnants that were the perfect size so I put this together with it. It gave me a good taste of working with fusible interfacing and I got to play with grommets. I totally didn't follow the instructions. I cut and interfaced everything and then went to town, when I flipped the page I realized I had totally screwed up so I had to wing it from there. I'm still pretty pleased with how it came out (just don't look at the inside). I wanted to get some cute navy satin ribbon for the handles, but I decided I would give it to my sister-in-law who's in from out of town since I will see her later today. I won't have time to get to the store between now and then so I basically made bias tape out of the leftover fabric for the handles. I cheated and stitched them down on the inside so I wouldn't have to tie 30 knots to get them to stay in the grommets. I think the brass grommets kind of give it a nautical look with the navy and white, what do you think?