Road Test

Today my baby takes his driving (or is that driver's) test. Yikes. On the one (selfish) hand, it will be nice for him to drive himself to his various social functions. Not to mention back and forth to school. We've never had the luxury of a big yellow bus to transport him. On the other (maternal) hand, this is just another thing for me to worry about. Seems like every time I'm behind the wheel I see at least one, and often more, close calls. People are so distracted these days.

He spent quite a while yesterday, cleaning out the car. He requests no dogs ride in it until after the test. He's a good kid. I know in my bones he will be careful.

ACK...!!

Weird title for a post, but it fits.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks around here. But first, we had a very nice Christmas, albeit an odd one. For example, Christmas Eve dinner was Subway. And Christmas Day, late afternoon, found me in a shopping center parking lot with a very flat tire thanks to some enormous bolt in the road. It may sound corny, but any day with my husband and son and doggies is a good day. As Barney would say: I love you, you love me, we're a happy family. Alrighty then.

Santa brought me a Big Shot. He also brought me a Cinch. Santa is one fantastic guy.

It seems that in addition to my messed up shoulder and neck, I also have blood sugar issues. I began taking a new medication 10 days ago and it's made me rather, ah...spacey? Yep, spacey is the word. It has also completely taken away my appetite. I forget to eat and my blood sugar tanks. This medication will take some tweaking.

It's cold and rainy and damp. By George, it's Washington! Wow, that was really clever. I remember in my 20's and 30's, hearing old folks talk about how they felt the weather in their bones. Seemed like such a strange concept, but it's true. The right side of my body is just fine. But the left side - man oh man. It's three times as bad in this weather. So....ACK! The ironic part is winter was always my favorite season. I counted the days until winter. Not anymore.

I closed my eBay store for a few days, because I am behind with orders. I will probably get low marks from unhappy buyers, and deservedly so. However, in the grand scheme of things my eBay feedback is not a major player. I will continue to do excellent work, and that means a lot.

Thursday begins our major room swap. The master bedroom is being repainted and cleaned out. My office (aka third bedroom) will move to the master and I will create for hubby a man cave in my current office. A great deal of the office is actually an art room and I have outgrown my current space. The hubs and I have very different sleep habits and separate rooms will be best. We're fine though, as I tell my son - no one is getting divorced...LOL.

And that's the news from here. Hi Mom :).

What I Do In My "Spare" Time

Here are 24 ceramic knobs, in the Waverly Jamestown blue toile design. They left a couple days ago, traveling "across the pond" to their new home in Great Britain. I don't usually photograph my knobs prior to their departure. But the new owner was getting a tad antsy so I wanted to show him I did actually make his knobs. This is a very time consuming design, due to the large surface area. They look awesome though, and little touches like knobs make an amazing difference in a room.

My turtle candy mold arrived already!! Remember a few posts down I was talking about sellers who ship next day? And how I don't, but so many do. I admire those sellers, in much the same way as I admire women who shave their legs every day (i.e., kudos to you, now go away). After I ask Tracy a few more (sorry) questions, the turtle production line will be ready to rock and roll.

My Kit Club Heaven

I joined the Kit Swap Club over at Your Paper Pantry. I made four kits (they can be identical) and sent them to a very nice lady named Cari. Here are the four kits I got back. To say I was excited does not describe it. My son said, "gee Mom, this is really your passion isn't it?" Yep, it is. The amazing thing is I did not have ANY of the 6x6 papers I received. A great majority of the embellishments are new to me as well.

If you double click on the photos they will open much larger in a new window.

Kit #1

Love the red and green bow ornaments, the bells and the other mini ornaments too!

Are those Tim Holtz reindeer and ornament dies? The reindeer made me squeal like a piggie.

Kit #2

Took four photos to capture all the goodies in this kit. Thank you Loretta!!

She sent a lot of extra paper - gorgeous paper!

And even MORE paper. Textured, very high quality stuff.

Kit #3

Super cute Got Milk tag

Can't wait till I get a Big Shot so I can emboss papers like these.

Kit #4

Great embellishments :)

Love the stamps and the mega-snowflake!

~ ** ~

The kit club appeals to the practical, frugal side of me. I spent $4.95 to mail my kits, and another $4.95 to have the kits sent to me. I bought a few things to include in my kits. I spent maybe $8.00. That's a lot of crafty goodness for under $20.00 don't cha think? Now if only I could turn the clock back....to August.

A Little Album

Here is a mini album I made for my Mom's BFF ~ Betty. Betty is in her mid-80's but looks 20 years younger. She is as kind and gracious a lady as you'll ever find. Her faith has always been an inspiration to me. Back in the day, when it was just Jacob and I here, things occasionally got a bit dicey, finances wise. Betty would often send me checks so I could pay Jacob's tuition. You never forget a kindness like that.

This was supposed to be in Betty's hands before Thanksgiving. Of course, it wasn't. My intention was to make more tags and do a bit more embellishing, but I wanted her to have it before Christmas! The B on the cover is an old pin, part of one of the lots of costume jewelry I've purchased on eBay. The flower is huge I know. I like it though.

Betty called to say thank you, and hearing the happiness in her voice made my day! Made my week actually. Come to find out her favorite colors are the golds and browns and oranges. I had no idea. Such an awesome feeling to create something and have someone truly love it.

Amazed ~ Caramel Apples

I happened upon a company that sells caramel apples. They also sell other things covered in caramel, but those things did not amaze me. Apparently this company does 70% of their yearly business during the last two weeks of December. Their signature apple is a biggie. A Granny Smith standing about 4-1/2 inches tall. They say an apple with all the toppings weighs close to two pounds and will feed eight to 10 people.

This company is based on Illinois. I was born in Illinois. This company buys the biggest and best apples from Washington State. I live in Washington State. Do these facts add to my amazement? Not really.

You can buy ONE....1.....uno apple for $22.95. It is presented beautifully in purple and gold packaging, with an ornament or little stuffed animal on top of the box. Packaging is extremely important, and these folks are pros. So you buy your one apple. Then you gotta pay to have it delivered. That's another $10.95. Grand total for one giant apple and shipping is $33.90. AMAZING. Want three apples? That's close to $50.00, before shipping.

That's what amazed me today.

Donkey Day and 7 Layer Bar Recipe

I will start with the recipe. That way you won't have to read about the Donkey Day if you don't want to. Here are the ingredients:

1 stick (4 oz.) butter (you can use salted or unsalted. I don't do margarine, so have no idea how it would work in this recipe.)

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (rather than buy the crumbs, I take whole graham crackers and put them in my handy dandy mini food processor. I think it's much cheaper that way.)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1-1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and put your stick of butter in a 13"x9" (or close to it) dish. If your butter is cold, slice it up into several sections (it will melt quicker that way). Doesn't take the butter long to melt (or burn) so keep an eye on it. Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the dish and spread them out evenly. Then you just layer the rest of the ingredients in the order listed above. Recipe says bake at 350 for 25 minutes. But check 'em at 20 minutes, okay?

A donkey day is a day spent just wandering around, zoned out on muscle relaxers and/or pain medication. Coherent enough to know there are many things I need to do, but not coherent enough to actually sit down and do them.

So, at some point in the early morning I moved wrong and woke up in extreme pain. Managed to go back to sleep for a bit, and when I opened my eyes there was a snow dog's face not even a foot from my face. I'm sure anyone who has raised a child can relate to waking up to a face just staring at you. A human face is different though. Snow dogs bear an eerie resemblance to wolves. Then I think about the woman in France who was the recipient of the world's first face transplant. Her dog bit her face off. It makes me pause.

Whatever I did in my sleep carried over into the day, and I got nothing done. Oh, almost forgot to say....I fell down! Weebles wobble but they don't fall down, but I fell down. Tried to put both legs into one pant leg and down I went. I did manage to spread the impact out over both arms, which is a good thing.

I am already behind on orders. These days eBay buyers expect next day shipping. But my items are hand made after purchase, and the process takes 2-3 days (assuming there are no DD's in between). I am rated in four categories: communication, item as described, shipping time and shipping charges. In a three month period I am allowed 2 low marks (low being 1 star or 2 stars) in each category. Shipping time is always where I get marked down by buyers. If 3 people, out of about 500 people/sales, in a 90 day period say I was slow to ship, I lose my top rated seller status. That seems a bit excessive, but perhaps I'm over-reacting.

Time to go email some people, and apologize for shipping late....

Seven (Perfect) Layer Bars

I'm sure everyone is familiar with this recipe. My family loves these bars. But I only seem to make them at holiday time. I make mine with pecans. Probably just as well I don't make them more often, as I can still fit in an airplane seat and would like to keep it that way. Not that I fit comfortably, but I do fit.

We polished off a batch of these yummy bars over the weekend, and the oven is heating up for the next batch as I type. It's of great importance to me that my son have memories of his mother baking. Not sure why, but it is :).

* Happy Thanksgiving *

It is 35 degrees here in Washington State, and soon we will be heading over to my former husband's home to share the meal with him and his wife and their three doggies. A bit unusual yes, but we all get along and it's wonderful for my son to see parents and stepparents on good terms.

I am thankful for many things. First and foremost is my salvation, and the never ending love of my Father in heaven. I am thankful for my family - for a husband who truly cherishes me, a son who honors me and is growing up to be such a fine young man, and yes, for our two fur babies who make us laugh every day and love us, no matter what. I am thankful for my mother, who lives 1000 miles away, and for my sister and nephew.

I am going to Thanksgiving dinner with gray roots, because there ain't no way my left arm is going anywhere close to above my neck to be able to color my hair. That's okay, nothing to get upset over. I am thankful I'm still here!

I hope you have a wonderful day ~ God Bless!

Got Life Insurance?

I will preface this post by saying I am an opinionated person. Having said that, here is what I was thinking about earlier tonight.

There is a woman who posts videos on You Tube. She and her husband have quite a few children. Her husband passed away suddenly last summer. Prior to her husband's death this lady made videos showing things she had purchased (hauls) and also RAKS (random acts of kindness gifts) sent to her from others. I should also tell you that she was very generous and sent RAKS to many people.

In the span of only a couple weeks, her videos went from showing all the things she had purchased, to videos offering her craft supplies for sale (of course at a tremendous loss). She pointed out they had been a one income family, and now without her husband, she and her kids were in serious trouble.

To put it bluntly, life insurance isn't cheap. But neither are all the products Tim Holtz sells. If some of that craft money had been spent elsewhere, i.e., life insurance, things would be different right now. I cannot fathom the loss of a spouse, nor am I trying to take anything away from her tragedy. I'm just asking you to think about it, especially if you have children at home.

Both my husband and I have life insurance policies. We give up a few extras, a few dinners out, a few fancy vacations in exchange for peace of mind and the knowledge that our kids would be taken care of. It's too late for the lady I have written about. If someone reads this and it makes a positive impact on them, I will have accomplished my goal.

Random Stuff and an Albertsons Haul

So...I got home from grocery shopping about 45 minutes ago. Even though I'm more than tired, I need to defrag my brain before I go to bed. The big news here is we've had some snow, and they expect snow overnight. Snow is no big deal, but ice scares me. I did a couple Tonya Harding spins in the Albertsons parking lot. As John Pinette says, "Let's not visualize, let's just move on shall we?"

Our trip to Nevada was cancelled. We realized we could not make that drive in two days, and we certainly did not have enough time to take three days coming and going. Why that thought didn't occur to anyone earlier, is beyond me. Now the plan is to meet up with Inv. Linton and his lovely wife at the Grand Canyon next summer. Judging from the storms all around us, we probably would have cancelled at the last minute anyway. Towing in snow is not fun; just ask my husband.

I decided I want to start doing my own You Tube videos after the first of the year. I will talk more about that in a future post. I have been addicted to watching the videos of a small group of ladies who make the most beautiful things with paper.

I don't know if food can be considered a "haul," but that's what I'm calling this. I know blogs are nicer when pictures accompany posts, but that isn't happening tonight. I'm going to list everything I bought, and my total out of pocket expense. I should mention that I don't shop like many people do. I shop the sales and to stock up. I will buy six boxes of cereal, even if I have six boxes at home, if I can get it for $.49 a box. Plus we donate food to church and our local homeless shelter. I've been very lazy with my coupon shopping lately. Wonder if that has anything to do with watching videos and creating things? Nah...

I bought:

1 pkg Mission tortilla chips
1 pkg Nestle cookie dough
2 32-oz bottles Coffee-Mate creamer
1 box Hartz Crunch & Clean dog treats
2 boxes Keebler Club crackers
1 box Ritz crackers
1 box Wheat Thins crackers
1 can Planters cashew pieces
2 boxes Lucky Charms
1 box Trix
1 box Cocoa Puffs
1 jar Ragu Alfredo sauce
2 boxes Stove Top stuffing
1 pkg Franz Hawaiian rolls
1 pkg Idahoan potatoes
2 boxes Barilla spaghetti
1 box Barilla linguine
1 bag Cheetos
1 bag Fritos
1 loaf Granny's white bread
4 12-pks Pepsi products
4 12-pks Coke products
1 pkg Pillsbury pie crusts
1 gallon milk
1 16-oz bottle Darigold strawberry milk
1 pkg Swiss cheese
1 19 lb. turkey
1 10 lb. bag potatoes
1 bag salad
1 bunch celery
1 bunch green onions
1 pkg broccoli & cauliflower mix....and
1 Marie Callender's coconut cream pie (MAJOR impulse buy)

GRAND TOTAL: $67.01

I cut a piece from the frozen pie (the box said I could) and supposedly it should be thawed by now. It isn't anywhere near thawed. I'm fixin' to take my heat gun to it.

Bedtime :)

....rest of the Halloween Mini

Okey dokey (okie dokie?), took these pics in the house, at night. Not exactly optimal conditions. 90% of this book was created with the Anna Griffin Halloween collection papers and embellishments. There's a little Martha, a little Recollections, some graphics purchased on Etsy, and a double decker metallic pumpkin that I scavenged from a Halloween cupcake a few years back.


The skull has a lot of UTEE on him. Wonderful texture!

When I saw these cool stickers (Martha Stewart) they had Sara's name on them. Especially "sweet tooth" as she uses that expression a lot.

I used yellow Stickles for the pumpkins' eyes, nose and mouth.

When you "open" the pumpkin flap, you have a place for three photos. This is really high tech for me.....LOL. I hope to learn a lot more techniques :).

Used a coaster to create the spider's house.

I've had that big web-looking jewelry piece for a long, long time. With the big orange stone in the center, it's perfect for this page.

MAJOR wimp-out on this page!! Not functional at all.

Last page has a little photo mat and card which opens up for pictures or journaling.

Halloween Mini Sneak Peek & Juneau, the Scary Dog

Here is the front cover (duh) of my book for my (step) daughter, Sara. I really don't like the word "step" when referring to family, but if I leave it off, people will say - hey, I thought you only had one child. Sara is 21 and lives about two hours away, at the coast. We don't see her very often, and I miss her.

Anyway, this is a 4"x4" book. I plan to photograph all of it tomorrow, and then it will be on the way to Sara. It is my third book and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The Tim Holtz ticket would not be on the front had Cindy not been kind enough to stamp the image a bunch of times and mail them to me. And, had I not punched a hole in the wrong place. Trying to be a big girl and learn the Big Bite all by myself!

I wish I could say we spent a quiet evening at home, but that wasn't the case. Juneau, and his noises....words cannot describe, except to say he could record a sound track for a haunted house. He took his position at guard, even before the trick-or-treaters arrived. That position is on the loveseat in front of the window, leaning over the back of it. Lots of growls (some soft, some very deep) and his trademark "woo woo woo" which doesn't sound like any noise a regular dog would make. It's incredibly loud and shrill, done with his head thrown back.

We live at the end of a dead-end street, and have a relatively long driveway. When you add Juneau into the mix, it can be rather scary, even on days other than October 31st. Parents looked through the window and admired him. Some kids were fine, but most of them looked very concerned. And one little boy said, "I almost didn't come up here." The funny part is he would not leave his position on the couch. He's actually very scared of strangers and his usual response is to run in the opposite direction. Unless you're a FedEx driver who stares him in the eyes and challenges him.

That was our (boring) Halloween. Hope yours was a tad more exciting :).

Sigh....

I saw the lovely and talented Dr. Murphy this morning. Board Certified orthopedic surgeon, and always in a bit of a hurry. Not as bad as some doctors, but still....so much of medicine has become the equivalent of a drive-thru restaurant. I like my Family Nurse Practitioner. We have this whole HMO (or is it PPO) insurance so I have to have a Primary Provider. She spends way more time with me, and she listens. I never finished college, but it seems to me a large portion of good medicine involves listening. But I digress.

Today's visit was to talk about the injection he gave me a month ago, whether it helped, etc. He told me then that if the injection did help, I'd be a good candidate for surgery. He was also supposed to look at my MRI films. They had sent the narrative, but not the films.

I don't think he remembers me. Now, normally, I am a memorable patient. I make sure of it. But in this case, with this doctor, he is only in this particular office a couple Tuesdays a month, and only in the morning. Last month the appointment was at 8:30. Today it was at 9:00. I don't fully wake up till about noon. I mean, I can get up and walk around and form sentences any time before noon. But my gears are not fully turning till after 12:00, give or take. I am doing good to get myself to the office. Being memorable is pretty much impossible.

So, I tell him the injection helped a great deal. I was waiting for him to say, "Cool, let's schedule surgery." Not that I want surgery, but if surgery will make the pain go away, I'm more than ready. He didn't say the S-word though. Instead he told me I didn't have a rotator cuff tear, and read from some piece of paper in my chart which talked about inflammation and thickening. I don't know if this paper was his dictated notes after looking at my films, or if he was reading from the radiologist's report. I said "did you look at my films?" He said he did. I'm not sure I believe him.

I have spent the past four years trying to find out if I have a tear or not. Some docs who read the MRI films say I do. Some say I don't. But these are radiologists, not ortho docs. The ortho docs (two of them now) have said no tear. Yet the pain continues, along with the loss of range of motion, muscle spasms, and on and on. Dr. Murphy is sending me back to physical therapy. This will be the third or fourth round of PT. It gets old. I get cranky.

And....get this.....two minutes after saying there wasn't a tear, he says, "If there is a tear, it isn't large enough to warrant surgery." I just sat there, in shock. I should have questioned him. It's the morning thing. I swear I cannot function. I'm amazed I didn't start crying. When I told my husband about the visit, he said "Why did he tell you if the shot worked, you'd be a good candidate for surgery then?"

I know my shoulder didn't hurt before Bennie's car landed on top of mine. I know I have to go back to my primary care FNP, and we have to keep working on this. It's not like they are trying to diagnose some rare viral disease acquired in a tropical country far, far away. I also know I'm not undergoing chemotherapy. This has always been my mother's analogy, and she's right. It's one shoulder. I do have a spare. I need to "woman up" and deal with it. And I will.

Judge Judy

Do you like Judge Judy? I like Judge Judy. She is intelligent, funny, and overflowing with common sense. Her father was a dentist, and so was mine.

Pretty Flowers, Today and a Nice Customer

Aren't these handmade flowers gorgeous? Think Valentine mini, or even Christmas mini. Not only do you get the flowers, you get two stick pins and 20 inches of the ribbon used to make the flowers. All for $3.50 --- wow! A very nice lady named Cindy makes these, and if you click here you can magically travel to her flower cart in cyberspace. I showed an uncommon restraint and only purchased one set.

This has been a long and bizzy day (I know.. but I like how it looks spelled that way). Got four hours sleep last night and hit the ground running this morning. I made a lot of stuff today, and then hubby packaged the stuff and shipped it. It was overcast, gray, drizzly and perfectly dismal. I love this weather.

The nice customer is a person who received an order of four knobs today. Two of those knobs were the wrong design. Nice. I apologized profusely and told her I would ship out the correct knobs on Monday. Just a bit ago she purchased more knobs from me/us.

Hope you have a blessed Sunday ~

Fright Town

We like to go to a haunted house every 4-5 years. This was the year, and tonight was the night. My friend Cornelia accompanied us. She is such a sweetheart. This Fright Town is located in downtown Portland, Oregon. Very impressive with three separate "houses" and so much detail and theatrics.

One of the houses had a fun-house theme, and without getting into the "gory" details, I witnessed my husband be hit on (all in the spirit of the attraction) by a topless man wearing leather pants and sporting extremely bizarre make-up. He was right up against hubby and the look on hubby's face was priceless. Talk about your Kodak moment! Lucky for me I have a great memory for odd things like this. Definitely worth the price of admission, and then some.

Amazed

A great variety of things amaze me. A day does not go by that I am not amazed at least once. Most days I am amazed several times.

I struggle with what to post on my blog. I often feel my blog is way too much "me," and not nearly enough "everyone else." Meaning: could I not find something more worthwhile to write about than hot flashes? But then I think: a blog is an online diary, right? A place where you can be yourself.

So it fits together then, my frequent state of amazement and my blogger's block. AMAZED will become a new category, and ensure I have lots and LOTS to blog about! Let's get started, shall we?

Motherhood. I've been a mother for over 16 years. I am someone's mother. Amazing. Even before my son was born, I was amazed. Me. Pregnant? Really? I walk by my son's room at night, and it strikes me yet again - I'm a mother. There is a part of the equation that is simply surreal. No other word describes it. I'm a mother, and have been for some time. And my son is on the right road, with the right values. He is a decent and honest person. And caring...very caring. His faith inspires many people, including me - his mother.

I Gots Me a Gun

My ATG came today! YESSSS! It works perfectly, owing to the fact hubby put the tape in it for me. I never thought I would get one of these because I never thought I'd get enough use out of it. Never say never right?

I Don't Like You Mommy......

~ Happy Thanksgiving ~

Wishing my friends and family in Canada a blessed Thanksgiving holiday.

And....in regards to my previous post: the Kitchen-Aid mixer paddle thingey went immediately into the dishwasher. Just wanted to set the record straight on that one.

Baking Cookies

Okay...so ummm...these dogs aren't too spoiled, are they? I was making M&M party cookies (Cob's fav) and hubby was gracious enough to hold the paddle I think it's called. Clean as a whistle once they were done with it. Didn't even have to wash it....lol.

My First Charm Swap

Mailed these off the other day to a very nice lady named Cindy. Never made charms before and hubby had to help a lot at the beginning. My loops are oh so sad, but I will improve.

The charm is actually a vintage Scrabble tile. We make pendants with these and I thought it would be cool to change it up a bit. My tag is an image from a 1938 Halloween party notice. The back and top are lined with vintage music paper. The "ribbon" is actually tinsel I cut from a Halloween spider I got at the Dollar Tree.

Cindy hosts this swap each month. It's been a lot of fun and I can't wait to see all the charms I will get back :). Here is her blog if you want to check it out:

http://cindyscroppingcorner.blogspot.com/

To My Husband

Seven years ago today we became husband and wife. You are my Prince Charming. You are my best friend. You are the answer to many, many prayers. You're an amazing husband and father.

I love you ~ more than you know.

Grand-MaMa

Grand-MaMa (think Tabitha and Endora on Bewitched) arrives on Tuesday. Jacob has been very pleasant and willing to clean his room for his grandmother. She's a sweet lady and in no way resembles this photo (although the woman in this photo was probably sweet too, when she wasn't having to wear that crushing thing on her chest, the name of which escapes me. Corset?)

Two New ATC's

These ATC's were for created for a food themed swap. The first card was lots of fun and filled with color. My partner likes the atomic/starburst design, hence the background. The second card was more of a challenge, as the recipient did not want any bumpy embellishments. She also requested no glitter or pastel colors. I'm a rebel though, and didn't change the color of the flowers....

Scrapbooking Advice ~

The advice is: it's not a good idea to go on Craig's List at 2:00 am, just "looking around" for scrapbooking supplies. Because 15 hours later, you may find yourself driving home with a VERY full car, after having spent $150. This nice lady had things in lots. The lots were in individual boxes and the contents of these boxes would put even the most novice scrapbooker (that would be me) into a state of euphoria.

Some will get sold, and some I will keep of course. I've said it before, and I will say it again: my husband is truly a saint. Retail value of all these goodies is way over $1000, so it was a smart buy. But still, you're a saint honey.

I Am Going to Pretend....

....that it's only been a week since I last blogged.

We are having a great summer! Jacob is driving and driving well. He's been just busy enough to keep from being bored. Returned from San Jose last Friday (trip with daddy) and then leaves for Seattle next Thursday (four day ministry called Urban Plunge, where they interact with homeless people). He plans to play football once school starts, and has been working out in the school's weight room.

Geoff had a bout with an inflamed salivary gland. Sent him to the E.R. He redefined the word "swollen," but he's okay now.

I have leveled off at a nice cruising altitude and God has very graciously taken much of my anxiety away. Still very happily married, coming up on seven years. I thank God every day for the blessing of my husband and son.

Jewell lived with us briefly, but the lure of the grandkids was too great and she went back to Cali on July 6th. Investigator Linton (sorry P.K., but you'll always be "Investigator") and his sweet wife Cathy visited us for the 4th of July. In their 38 foot motor home don't ya know. We will be taking our R.V. to Las Vegas, to spend Thanksgiving with them.

Much work has been done in our backyard by my hardworking hubby. It looks presentable now! There is even a table, umbrella and four chairs.

Life is good.

Paper....and a real Jewel(l)

This photo was taken from the laundry room. I'm more than sick of the color of the walls by the way. They are getting repainted soon (right dear?). Here you see the back of Jewell "the gag" Gaynor, my friend since 1981, and her two guard dogs. I am not posting a photo of Jewell's face, as she's wanted in two states.

I have only now come to realize the depth of my love affair with paper. Any paper. All paper. Paper is such a versatile artistic tool. I have a great deal of paper, in many sizes and many varieties. And images to put on that paper....oh my gosh....LOTS! I'm looking forward to a new adventure with paper.

A Malamute Moment ~

Here is Juneau, examining a bit of picnic fare near beautiful Multnomah Falls. He wanted neither the hard-boiled egg, or the sandwich cookie.....or, the water in his bowl (puddle water is so much better). He gets a bit nervous being away from home. Unsettled would be the word. I can relate.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho.....It's Off to Stealth Mode I Go

I put my eBay store into hiding. A neat little feature they offer, for when you want to take a break. I struggled with the concept of it, because it's never wise to turn down sales, especially in this economy. Beyond wanting a break, I desperately need one. I have many ideas in my little idea bag, and not enough time to work on them.

I am still determined to find my niche on Etsy. It would be wonderful if I could cut all ties with "Fee-Bay," but I doubt that will ever happen.

This is a good place to say thank you to my husband, who is so very patient with me and my creative muses. He never refuses my requests for help and I appreciate that more than I could ever say. I love you Feff.

We are just beginning the process of refinancing our house. I had forgotten the enormous amount of paperwork involved. Even more so when you are self-employed. It's great when your house can work for you. That was always the goal, and tah dah, now we are there!

Catching Up

My poor blog, how I have neglected you....

Life....is good. My car accident case is settled, over and done with, finally. Physically not much has changed, but what a huge relief mentally. I'll be having breast reduction surgery in the not too distant future. Still trying to "process" that, though I know it's the best decision.

My friend Jewell visited from March 10th to April 3rd. I moped around for days after she left. She is one in a million and I love her to death. Jewell and Juneau developed a special bond. It was very sweet to watch.

I bought a couple, okay three, lots of costume jewelry on eBay. I also bought the book Mixed Media Dollhouses. Incredible....no other way to describe it. The plan is to take the ideas from the book and combine them with the costume jewelry to hopefully produce something a person might call "art."

Our neighbors are foster parents to three baby squirrels.

Hubby and son are doing well. Son will begin his driver's ed training in two weeks. Taught by a company who only employs current and retired police officers. Man oh man, that course is not cheap! I remember when you took it in school, for free.

That's about it. God Bless!

March ..... March On

Did you know March was National Frozen Food month? Lots 'o great deals to be had.

March is also shaping up to be a big month in the Morris household. On the 8th I turn 50. I am trying not to think about that, and take comfort in the fact I can continue to be the same weirdo I've been all along. That, and there isn't anything I can do to not be 50. Also on the 8th - my mediation hearing. I get to spend some quality time with a very nice Judge. I am so happy, I wish it was tomorrow!

On the 9th my hunky hubby turns 52. I actually have a birthday gift for him. It's about as unromantic as a case of crabs (I know.....gross), but at least I have something. He has big screen TV dreams, and I have a Dollar Store budget.

March 10th my buddy Jewell arrives from Banning (aka Armpit of the World), CA. She calls it that. I myself have never been to Banning. I blogged about her in my last post. Guess you could say I'm beyond thrilled she will be visiting.

Then on the 25th (I think) Grand-ma-ma will fly in on her broom. Only kidding mother. I used to love how Tabitha would call Endora Grand-ma-ma. Mother's visit will coincide with Jacob's Spring Break. They are very similar people with very similar spiritual gifts. I know this time will be quite special.

Lastly, a recap of tonight's coupon run. It was a bit frustrating for me (let along the poor cashier) and I was in the store 20 minutes past closing time. It all worked out in the end. I was taking advantage of the "Buy 10 frozen food items, get a $10.00 Catalina" and the "Spend $20 on General Mills products, get a $7.00 Catalina" promotions. Of course I had lots of coupons, plus the $7.00 Catalina I got Sunday at Albertsons.

9 cans of Old Orchard juice (grape and cranberry because apple wasn't part of the sale)
1 bag Ore-Ida fries
7 boxes assorted Betty Crocker muffin mixes
2 bags Nature Valley Nut Clusters
1 pouch Betty Crocker instant potatoes

I spent $19.29 and came home with a $17.00 gift card because neither Catalina printed, even though they should have. I could do this deal over and over again, assuming I had enough coupons. Next time around I would use my $17.00 gift card, only spend $2.29 and come home with another $17.00 in Catalinas, or gift cards as the case may be. And yes, we do donate food to our local homeless shelter.

So.....

...there's a party in my head right now. Well, there is always a party in my head. The party is particularly loud and busy at this moment in time. As usual, I have 50 things to do and can't focus on any one of them for more than a few minutes. Great time to do a blog post said I.

Tyler Perry. I tell ya, if I wasn't married.... Seriously, if you haven't seen any of his films, SEE THEM....as soon as you can. We screened "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" last week. There is just something about his work, how he weaves things together. His movies are predictable, yet full of so many things you don't mind the predictability.

Juneau is in the middle of blowing his coat. Usually takes 3-4 weeks to achieve total "blow-age." I don't like the little tufts of hair everywhere, but combing him is quite relaxing.

My battery went dead in the Fred Meyer parking lot on Monday. Jacob and both doggies were with me. It was hubby to the rescue in his big silver truck. Husbands are such wonderful creatures. I was there to buy whole chickens for $.69/lb., Wisk for $.49 and All for $.99 (perhaps it was the other way around). We have eight bottles of laundry detergent in our little stockpile. I spent less than $10.00 for all of them. This makes me happy. I'm easy to please. Oh, also got some Prevacid which was totally free.

My friend Jewell will be coming for a visit very soon. We need to work out the details of her ticket later today. I haven't seen her in over 10 years. We worked together at Irvine PD and she is now retired. She likes to do all types of crafts and said she is happy to help me with my work. Jewell loves dogs but told me she can do without their hair everywhere. Well duh, who couldn't? I will conveniently forget to tell her about snow dogs and coat blowing, until we are on our way home from the airport.

I look forward to fussing over her and spoiling her because she totally deserves it!

~ Dora

I remember, with vivid detail, receiving a phone call informing me my father had died. The date was July 3, 1997. Shortly thereafter I was walking through the living room and saw Spike (I hope I have the name right), the dog in the Rug Rats cartoons. My then three year old son had put Spike down for his nap, on the couch, covered with a blanket.

What I took from that moment (and I don't expect anyone to understand this) was that life goes on. A little boy, caring for his "pet," oblivious to the fact his grandfather was gone. My world was crashing down, but life went on. It felt so tragic, but yet....so right.

My dear friend Dora passed away on Tuesday. She was 48. Her sister called me yesterday and told me the news. Dora and I had known each other for almost 30 years. The last 20 of those years having been spent apart. We lost track of each other. We were reconnected about 18 months ago. It was like no time had passed. The only "problem" - she was in North Carolina and I am in Washington State.

We laughed and giggled and spent many silly hours on the phone. Then she got sick. She was being treated at a hospital known worldwide for helping people with her disease. They couldn't help Dora. She died at home, peacefully. Most importantly she knew the Lord and knew where she was going.

The tears I have cried today are not for her. I am happy for Dora! She no longer struggles to breathe. She has no pain. She has no fear. My tears are those of guilt and regret. Why didn't I call her more often? Why didn't I write her letters (she didn't have a computer)? Why had I not made an effort to find her years ago? We could have had so much more time. Then it occurred to me: Dora isn't up there annoyed with me. Dora isn't angry. She is free from the struggles and sins of this world.

I said to my 15 year old son, "Grandma says there is a veil between heaven and earth, and they cannot see us, or hear us. Do you think that's true?" He replied, "Yes, I do think it's true. If they could see everything happening down here, it wouldn't be heaven." I told him I would tell God what I wanted Dora to know, and ask Him to deliver my message.

Later in the day my son told me how he deals with the death of a loved one. He said, "I don't think of them as being gone, because they aren't gone. I will see them again. So I think of them as being on a long vacation, without a phone. Try thinking about it that way Mom. She's on a long vacation, without a phone." Precious words of comfort from the same boy who put his stuffed dog down for a nap, so many years ago.

Life....goes on.

Lord, thank you for allowing Dora to pass away peacefully. Thank you for the blessing she has been in my life. If you have a moment, could you please tell her I love her and miss her? Thank you Lord.

da QUOTE of DA day

Let your greatest fear be that there is no PMS and this is just your personality.

Rolaids, anyone?

I paid $0.24 plus tax for EVERYTHING pictured. Seriously. One penny less than a quarter for all of this.

Albertson's has the Rolaids soft chews on sale for $2.00, and the mint flavored boxes of rolls on sale for $1.06. I used four $4.00/2 coupons and four $1.00/1 coupons. I am VERY sorry but I don't know the newspaper insert or date for these coupons. I know the sale price will be effective through today, but didn't remember to check if it runs longer. The whole deal made my head spin and I wasn't thinking clearly :).

Check out www.thekrazycouponlady.com for the latest and greatest deals!

Wow.....has it been a MONTH?

It certainly has. A month since my last post. Yet I still don't have much to report. I am going along, step by step. I wouldn't say I'm sad, but my head is down. If I were a Budweiser Clydesdale I'd be in the middle of the team.

This is one of my favorite cards. Just thought I'd share :).