The Many Naps of Juneau (Boogie) Morris

I actually had another bed-themed post planned for today, but the photo for it is still in the camera. I've spent most of today with muscle issues, which means I haven't been productive.

Here's Boogie chillin' in the king size bed. Thankfully we are at the "tail" end of coat-blowing season. I think. I hope. You can see the tufts of loose hair around his hindquarters. He's worth it though.

Ladybugs and Flamingos

These zippered pouches, make-up bags are available in my eBay store. All gorgeous in their own way, and all made by hand (and sewing machine) by my retired Coast Guard husband. They learn how to sew in the Coast Guard!

The Day

Today I worked, all day long. Then I drove across the river to Portland, and mailed all my packages to Canada. The Portland Airport post office is handy when one misses their local PO deadline.

I had enough time to spend 15 minutes at a nearby Michaels before it closed. I purchased the Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly punch. As I told my husband, "it's a must have." This is my first butterfly punch. I got a package of Recollections baby roses in various shades of purple and a package of Tim Holtz blending foam pads. I know you can make these with make-up sponges but I haven't been able to find anything but the wedge shaped sponges. And I picked up an Inkadinkado stamp set called Games. It was clearanced to $3.99.

Oh, and I also had some color copies made, picked up the snow dog's Rimadyl prescription, picked up my son at school and then drove to his girlfriend's house to pick her up so she could hang out here for a few hours.

And that was my day :)~

H is For .... Hanna

I purchased this plain wood H and painted it pink. The pink was too bright, so I added some white paint and then did the crackle effect on top of that. The H was about eight inches tall.

This was a Sweet Sixteen birthday gift for a classmate of my son's. We also gave her a gift certificate to a bath and body shop. When I approached my son about my creating part of her gift, he agreed BUT only on the condition that it never be made known I had made it. Apparently having your mother make a gift is embarrassing on many different levels.

Of course Hanna's mother figured it out once I began to ask her questions about her daughter's style and favorite colors. She promised she would never tell, and the official story is I ordered this from an online seller, who created it to fit Hanna's taste.

My son is happy (delusional, but happy), I am happy, and most importantly, I hope Hanna is happy!

Hey! Where's the PartyLite?

I am back! Yet again. It's been seven weeks since my last post - geesh. Lots of good things have been happening though.

For starters, I'm now a PartyLite consultant. I love their products and did ya know the candles are made in the U.S. of A. The cute froggy seen above is from the new Summer collection.

The company has provided me with a web site (www.partylite.biz/mrsmorris). Shopping online is the easiest, quickest way to bring all these wonderful scents into your home. There are always special offers and discounts, too. If you need any PartyLite, please get it from me :). Hubby would appreciate it, too. If you email me prior to placing your order, I can set you up with a gift certificate. Do I sound desperate? It's more than I'm new at this, and a bit nervous.

Okay, so I had the shoulder surgery. No cuff tear, but bone was impinging on the nerves. He shaved the bone away. Yummy. I've been doing very well, and the pain has been reduced drastically. But, I did something reckless and stupid two days ago. And now I have made the shoulder nerves unhappy again. What did I do? I washed my own hair. Yep, I'm a daredevil.

I'm back to creating again! I have missed creating. Decorating white knobs is not creating. I have photos of one project, and am half-way through with two others. I also want to make a collage for the surgeon who worked on my shoulder. I am so grateful to him, and a Hallmark card just ain't gonna do it.

My talented hubby has mastered the embroidery machine, and our first creation will be available in my Etsy store by the end of this weekend.

As always, so many ideas - so little time.

My Birthday.....Day

Yeppers, today I turned the big five one. Doesn't seem so bad spelled out! It was a quiet and uneventful day. My son remembered, and bought me the very practical gift of a new lampshade for the moose lamp on my bedside table. My room is done in pale greens and pinks and I do gravitate toward the shabby style. A few years ago I spotted this moose lamp in a store and just had to have it. I subscribe to the theory that if you like it, it will "go." Anyway, the original shade had begun to fall apart and I like the new shade much better. It's a burgundy color and casts a very soothing light. The moose lamp is yet another thing which needs to be photographed and posted.

I was incredibly thankful that I felt better today than I did yesterday. By tomorrow I will be 100% caught up with my orders, and will be able to read email without cringing. Lately I am guilty of email avoidance. I receive a lot of emails. A lot. Seriously.

My hubby spent many hours working on the embroidery sewing machine and the laptop, getting them to communicate. Something about Windows 7 not recognizing this or that, and having to download an update, etc. I understand the basic concept of it but anything further makes my eyes roll back in my head. He is very "techie" and enjoys it. He's also a whiz with sewing machines. I can sew a little. So we decided he will do the technical stuff, the hands on sewing and changing thread, and I will do the design and layout and sales of the finished products.

We are blessed to have a neighbor/friend who owns two embroidery machines, one of them being mega expensive and the kind of thing you look at from a distance. She has been so kind and helped us both with her experience. I help her with online sales of doll clothes she makes, as the whole internet marketplace is new to her.

I was talking with a friend today about how we could pool our resources for the benefit of both our households. Everything from going halves on a side of beef to cooking double batches of our favorite recipes and sharing. Her parents have a farm and in the Fall they are drowning in pears and apples. I have always wanted to learn to preserve fruits and she has the knowledge.

Stepping back in time a bit is one of the things the Lord has laid on my heart. And it's a very calming thing.

man oh man

It seems the whole world is sick. The flu bug has attacked our area in a particularly vicious way this year. It has been reported by various medical offices that recovery is a two to three week process. My son got it and then I got it. Hubby continues to fight the good fight. I'm at the two week point myself, and looking eagerly forward to health, even semi health, very soon.

My shoulder surgery has been cancelled twice now, due to this icky bug. It is rescheduled for April 7th and I told the lady, "I will either be fully recovered by then, or I'll be dead."

We are told to praise God, even in the storm(s). I have been trying, and He has been comforting me. He has also been putting much on my heart during my time of lying in bed. Only good and positive things of course.

You may wonder what the above photo has to do with this post, or with anything at all. Absolutely nothing. Just me, being random.

Momma Mini or.... I Can't Set Eyelets

The swivel clasp has a crown, a cross and praying hands charms.

Mom (on the left) and her BFF, Betty. They're wearing prayer shawls that a friend made for them. My Mom is 80, and Betty is 85. They both look amazing.

My Mom isn't a scrapbooker, and I didn't see her doing a lot of journaling in her book. The flourish is open on one side though, in case she wants to tuck something underneath.

One small tag topped with pretty fibers.

This page is so much prettier in person. The flowers are glimmer misted. Actually, Lindy's Stamp Gang misted. A great product and so much cheaper than you know who.

This folder and tag tuck into the pocket shown in the photo right above this one.

One of my favorite pages, but the camera was not kind at all. Beautiful blues and greens.

I love this image, and even though it doesn't really fit the overall theme of this mini, I included it anyway.

The envelope closes with velcro. Inside are two little tags with images of vintage birds.

The last page. Once again, mega wash-out of the angel, and the pretty green paper.

And the eyelet thing....well, I can set them fine when I practice on cardboard. But when it comes to the actual page, I guess I clutch up and the dumb thing won't set right. Sharp pieces of prongs stick up, and I have to take a hammer and pound them down. I'm using the Big Bite too.

This album was made from a kit. It included six extra large eyelets in bronze. Only half survived, so I had to use large eyelets, also in bronze. I'm sure Mom won't notice, but it bugs me...lol.

We spent a quiet day at home. I had planned on going to Portland and hitting the Michaels there, but Sunday night Miss Jessie went to the doctor for her cough. Little brother Juneau also came along to get a bordatella vaccine. And....$166.00 later we were on our way home. So I didn't feel like shopping if ya know what I mean.

Jacob is home from his retreat, safe and sound :).

My Day, Yesterday

I am trying to post every day, because I want to be like Tracy. Just a bit late as it's now tomorrow, and I'm talking about yesterday.

I did a fair amount of work, but kept expecting the phone to ring. And if it did, and a certain person called, I would have had to leave my house, and go to their house. You see my former husband's wife is in the hospital. The former husband works on Saturdays and they have three dogs. They were afraid he wouldn't be able to get a lunch break and go home to let the dogs out. He did in fact get a break and I didn't have to go over there. And thankfully she will be released from the hospital later today.

I finished my Mom's mini album, all except for putting some ribbon and fibers on the ring, and adding some charms to the swivel clasp. I usually ask hubby to do that part. I'm just not good with the jump rings.

I thought a fair amount about how spoiled Juneau is. He is seriously spoiled, like spoiled rotten. He has to be right in the middle of things. If he hears Geoff and I talking, he will get up from a nap to come into the same room. If we ignore him, he fusses and whines or he tilts his big head back and "talks" to us. He's such a character. Last night he slept with me, something he rarely does. It's like sleeping with a person, a very warm person.

Okay, this post is boring....but that's okay. I like my boring life :).

Chocolate Eggs

It's Easter candy time. I think the stores put it out at 12:01 am on February 15th. My son and I are fans of the Hershey's chocolate eggs. I mean, we are BIG fans. It's an odd little tradition we have. The day the eggs hit the stores, we are there. Well, I'm there. He is busy enough being 16, so I do the shopping.

I always have a handful of the eggs in my purse. I remember driving, years and years ago, with him in the seat behind me, and I'd put some eggs in the palm of my hand and reach back toward him. His tiny little boy hand would reach out and take the eggs. His hands were always warm, and they still are to this day. This is a precious memory to me.

I think it must be the same chocolate they use in their Kisses, but these eggs just taste different to me. As long as I'm alive Jacob will have eggs, these eggs, as soon as they hit the shelves. He left today for Winter Camp, an event the High School Ministry at church holds every year. And some chocolate eggs went with him :).