Mark that page

I started rereading a book yesterday afternoon, and I had marked pages with little bitty scraps of paper, and thought I wish I had a bookmark. Well I do now. I made an extra one or two to put in birthday cards. June is a very large birthday month at my house. So I guess you will be seeing lots of birthday themed cards this month. Everyone have a good weekend







Angels descending, bring from above,Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.~Fanny J. Crosby

My Puppy Has Big Ears

I received these pictures via email from a friend, I thought they were so cute, I just had to share.

This little fella's name is Swiper. It belongs to Becky's little niece Gia. Notice the Johnny Jump Ups and clover in the grass. This sparked a old memory of my kids and bunnies. A neighbor gave them two bunnies and a big outside hutch. Neither of my sons were old enough to drive, I mean 12 and younger. I looked outside and here they came up the road with their friends little car. The hutch and bunnies would not fit in the trunk, so they sit what part would fit in the trunk. One son was driving and the other two was walking behind holding the hutch in the trunk. The middle son called them bubblies. I asked him why, he said because they twitch their noses. 30 years later I still haven't figured that one out.

We Got Rain

We got much needed rain today. The rain gauge at my house said 1". Boy will my little garden peas start filling out now. I get like a child when I can go out to the garden and pick something fresh. Guess you could classify me as simple minded. I like simple things.

I bought these 3 little purses at Walmart, for $1.50 each. I had most of the little iron ons already so just got the iron out and went to work. It took about 5 minutes, then i started on the bow on the green one. I think that took about an hour, I even went next door to my neighbors for her to tie it, and after she did I was working with it to tack it down a little and messed it up. So after kicking myself several times, I pinged Pat, she calmed me down and got me to laughing and about 30 minutes later I decided no more, that the next one I tie will have to suffice. So by the time I got ready to take the photo of them, I was so frustrated, I didn't try too hard to straighten them out and line them up and make them hang straight. I forgot to take a photo of the back which also has something on the back pocket. Sorry about the poor quality. I am sure you know how you lose interest in something after fighting with it for an hour.

School will be out next week and one of these will be for my 8 year old Granddaughter, that will be getting several awards in her class. But I couldn't leave out the 2 year old, so she will get one too. The third one, the green one that I was ready to chew up and spit out, will hang in my work room to remind me this is about having fun, not anything to stress you out. That is a quote from Pat. She often has to remind me of that. Have a good day.

I can't take the credit!

We had unexpected guest tonight., and luckily I had made strawberry shortcake for our dessert. What else would a soul need. Good friends and strawberry shortcake. That's the best.

I didn't finish the little project I was doing so I will share with you a gift that Pat at Southern Breezes gave me last year. Isn't this beautiful, I had just Pat two times prior to this gift. We had a mutual friend, but had never met each other. This is the inspiration that got me started in this fun, stress reliever, playtime, that we do. I use this beautiful box to store special cards and mementos in. Thanks, Emily, for this special, special friend that you sent down to me.

Pat's 13th Saturday Night Challenge

Yes, I said 13th, it is hard to believe that many weeks have passed since she began this. A lot was going on this weekend, and I thought I may have to sit this one out, then she said we had an extra day plus it was # 13 and I thought I might have bad luck if I didn't, because I have participated in every 12 so far, not missing one. I was a beginner at this when she started having these, I credit her challenges with me learning new techniques, and about products that are out there that I had no ideal even existed. Thanks Pat. She keeps telling me though, to stop stressing over the minor details, that it is all about just having FUN. Pat, I'm trying to loosen up. *wink*wink*

I made the trio of frames about my DH, Allan. He retired several years ago from the electric company. He spent 30 years as a lineman, working in all kinds of terrible and dangerous situations. I sit up many nights waiting on him while he was out in the field with horrific thunderstorms going on, and he could not leave till every ones power was on. One year during a hurricane, he worked his regular 40 hour shift, and had 70 hours over time, in a 6 day period. So I feel as if anyone needs to enjoy retirement he is one of them. So remember to thank your utility workers, and not be upset because you are without utilities, they are doing their best.

The first picture is him (windshield of bike is blocking his face) and friend Wesley loading up their Harley's and heading to Daytona Beach for bike week. The second is of him and our oldest son, fishing for walleye at Lake James. The third, but not least is him playing in a golf tournament at Cedar Rock Club.

I didn't exactly follow the directions to the tee, I left the ribbon off the back that covered the brads, and covered it with coordinating paper, and wrote about the pictures on the back. I also tied bows between the brads. This is going to be his birthday present which comes around next month, He will be 65. I don't believe he looks it, and sure doesn't act it.

REMEMBER THEM

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Service man saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still,

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That Taps had meant "Amen,"

When a flag had draped a coffin.

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

At the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

LCDR Kelly Strong, USCG - Copyright

Heather's Friday Spark Challenge

This week Heathers challenge was to use 7 items on our cards.

1. Base card from pack of note cards from Walmart.

2. Lavender Card stock

3. Off White Card stock

4. Torn Vellum

5. 2 Irises from Jolee

6. Happy Birthday Stamp

7. 2 Little Green Flower Brads

I love the irises in the spring, I just wish they would last longer into the summer months. They come in many hybrid colors, now, but I believe the old heirloom colors are still my favorite.

Thanks Heather for the Challenge, and thanks to everyone else for taking time to look.

Yippee a 3 Day Weekend

I feel like a kid at Christmas, originally we were not to be off on Monday, but this morning the owner announced we would. I am so excited I am giddy.

This altered frame will be one of my mother's birthday presents. Her birthday is June 7th. She will be 85. The pic is of her and me and my 2 sisters at Christmas. The rose is from Jolee's and the other red thingies in the other corner are from some of my collection that is scattered all over the house. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo I took, I couldn't keep the glare of the glass off from the other photo.

My friend KC asked a question in a comment today. "What do you do with all those mints, from all those tins that I alter. Well KC the answer is: Yes, I have 100's of them and I give some to my sons, take some to work, but the majority I sprinkle in my garden. Yes you read correctly, I sprinkle them in my garden. It deters the little rodents, they don't like the strong odor of the peppermint.

Have a wonderful Saturday. Thinks for dropping by, I really appreciate it.

PROBABLY BORED

You folks are probably getting bored looking at my little altered tins, But, really I guess they are my very favorite thing to make. They are so versatile to what you put inside them. Today, I am going to use it as a prayer box. I have a friend, Faye S., that is the most faithful prayer warrior in all the world. I thought this would be a neat little box for her to put her prayer list in. I made the pad, for her to write down names, out of little tags, tied together with a ribbon and a cross charm. On the top of the tin, it has Psalms 27:1 which is:

"The LORD is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?"

I chose this verse because Faye shared this passage with me last year when I was going through a real tough time, and I found much comfort in it.

Faye I hope you like your little box.

White Fields of Clover

I took these pictures of my back yard last week. Clover and dandelions bring back childhood memories. We made clover necklaces, blew wishes on a dandelion, or sit on the porch steps playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors".

I googled White Clover and this is what I found. Here are just some facts to read about the lowly clover, if you have the time or need to know.

Trifolium repens is broken down into Tri, which means "3", folium, which means leaves, and repens, a name applied to "creeping plants with rooting stems".
White clover flowers, leaves, stems, seeds, and buds feed deer, birds, small mammals, livestock, and insects. It is a favorite of ducks. Bees pollinate the flowers as they feed among the clover blossoms.
Native Americans ate whole clover as a salad green and used the flower heads to make teas as remedies for coughs and colds. Folk medicine prescribed white clover remedies for a variety of ailments, from gout and rheumatism to gastrointestinal distress. Folklore held that white clover (and all clovers) were lucky because anyone with a clover leaf in his pocket could detect witches, sorcerers, and good fairies. Christians saw its three-lobed leaves as representing the Trinity.
Agriculturally, white clover can be incorporated into hay or silage crops for livestock and poultry. White clover seed is part of many pasture and forage seed mixtures. However, cattle grazing lush stands composed of only white clover may suffer bloat. As a legume, white clover harbors nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules on its roots, improving the soil on which it grows. White clover may also be planted as a cover crop to stabilize bare soils. Soil covered with white clover has been shown to allow more rainfall to soak in than soil covered with grass.
People can eat white clover, using the seeds and dried flowers in bread and the flower heads in teas. We also use white clover honey, thanks to the bees.
White clover was introduced to North America from the eastern Mediterranean region of Europe. This is the species which children examine to search for the elusive 4-leaf clover

Studying Abroad

This little set goes to a friend who will be spending the summer abroad studying. I thought it would be nice for her to use as a journal, noting special sights, people, etc. The composition book I found at Big Lots for 59 cents. The large paper clip from my desk drawer. The pen is made from clear plumbing tubing that is 3/8" x 1/4". The tubing was cut at 5 1/2". I then took matching paper leftover from covering the notebook, cut it 1 1/4" x 5 1/2" and rolled it up real tight. Make sure to not use card stock, it is too thick. Then I inserted it into the tubing. I then took a Bic pen from my drawer and using pliers removed the ink barrel and nib from the stick pen. I then took the ink barrel and nib and pushed into the middle of the paper inside the tubing. Trim any excess paper if needed. I dropped a very small drop of super glue where the nib is sticking out of the tubing. Then I inserted a silk flower that had at least 1/2 " stem left on it, into the opposite end. I again used just a touch of glue to hold it in place. The paper is K&C Danny O Aqua Map Flat Paper. The embellishment on the super sized paper clip is also K&C. The tubing can be found at Lowes or any local hardware store. I paid about $3.50 for a 10 ft. piece. You could also stamp on the insert paper if you needed to, for a a coordinating look. Cindy I hope you enjoy your summer!

Heather's Challenge

Heather's Friday night spark was an interesting one. The main point was to use a old or favorite stamp. This quote has always been one of my favorites, and one of the first I bought when I begin scrap booking. A co-worker's MIL passed last week, so I used it to make a sympathy card. I know it is a odd shaped card, but it turned out that way, and I do have an envelope to fit. I tried to take a a close up of the dandelion stamped image, but it was too light to show up very good. Sorry for the poor quality of photos

It looks like we made it through Monday, so we are ahead in the game. Take care.

Pat's Saturday Night Challenge

Well here we go with my entry, and of course it is again about one of my grandchildren. I just can't help it. But since Pat's challenge was a LO it gives me the opportunity to make another page for their never ending books. Pat wanted us to use one picture, one embellishment and a story about the picture. I think I will also use this as my name page or which ever you call it. The first page you see when you open up the album. I did mine on 8 1/2 by 11. The album's I am making for all my family are that size. I did use both digital and hand scrapping on this. I wanted to add some dimension to it, so I cut out the main points of the page and then to raise them off the background I used those foam dots. Hope you enjoy looking. I know I am looking forward to seeing every ones take on this challenge. Thanks Pat for the challenge.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

The morning has started out wonderful. Pancakes with fresh strawberries. What more could anyone want. This is my favorite breakfast.

I am sending this card to my grandchildren other grandmother, (never knew how to actually say that) anyway, she got bitten twice by a brown recluse spider. This has turned in to a very serious thing, she ended up in the hospital and had to have the dead flesh removed where the venom ate away. The smallest grand-daughter who is 2, told me that Nana had a big "boo boo" and kept telling me, spider bite, spider bite, big boo boo. So Nana this card's for you. Hope you are feeling better soon.

To make the band aid I just used light tan card stock and cut a strip 3 x 1 inch. I then took the corner rounder and rounded each corner. I took a needle and laid the strip on my foam mouse pad and stuck holes all over it. I cut another little piece out 1 1/4 x 1 inch for the pad on the band aid. From a distance it looks like a real band aid, I think.

The North 40

Just teasing as you can tell. These are a few photos of the other little hobby I have when I don't scrap. We got a little much needed rain last night, hope it continues today. I have green beans for Pat, green peas for me, and cabbage, lettuce onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash planted. There is also dill, chamomile, nasturtiums, and sunflowers and marigolds, that have not come up yet. . We went to dinner last night with several couples that my husband used to work with, so I didn't get anything completed to post, thus you will just have to be bored with these. I promise to do better over the weekend. I am counting down till 4:00 PM and the beginning of the weekend.

EMILY'S ROSE

I don't know the real name of this rose, but I have deemed It "Emily's Rose" It is blooming in her memory garden this week, at my house. Emily was a dear friend of mine and Pat's, and sister of Dee & Mike, who left us way to soon. This rose represents her beauty, physical and inner. Please see the link to her web page on the right, it tells of her tragic death and the ones left to grieve for her. Seems like she has been pulling at every one's heart strings lately, so it is very fitting that this rose opened up today. Always tell the one's you care for that you love them.

Heather's Challenge

Heather's challenge this week was to use a punch in some way. Well this is my take on it. I haven't purchased many of the new fangled punches yet. Just these old ones, used on this card. I will make it to Michael's one of the afternoons and go wild. I was talking with Pat earlier, and we both agreed that our brains had gone on vacation and forgot to tell the rest of our bodies. Seems like being creative this week has been hard. The blackberry vines are in bloom now, and we had a cold spell. I guess that is what you call blackberry winter. Oh those blackberries sure will taste mighty fine come around the 4th of July. I have a patch near my house. Trouble is the poison ivy likes blackberries too. Doesn't fresh hot blackberry cobbler with some vanilla ice cream piled on top, sound delicious. OK you all can go back to work now, I have eaten it all, none left for you.

Pat's Saturday Night Challenge

I have seen the other entries and they are all very good.

Mine comes from a template I printed off the computer. I wanted a small box for the gift, but wanted to incorporate Mother's Day into it all at the same time. My mother is getting older, and family is the most important thing to her, she worries about us three girls and our children so much. I thought this little box is something she could sit beside her chair and just pick it up and turn it over and over to see all her "girls" I hope she enjoys it.

This was a very easy and quick template to work with. I will definitely use it again. you can make it very elegant, or simply with the choice of papers and embellishment.

Yesterday would have been my father's 85th birthday. I was always a "daddy's girl". Yesterday was a bittersweet day. I have so many wonderful memories of him.

THE WEEKEND IS OVER

The weekend is definitely over. Monday is here in all it's fury.

I hope everyone had a special day yesterday. We went to the mountains where my mother lives and spent the afternoon with her and the rest of my family and of course ate way to much food. We had all kinds of weather yesterday, clouds, sunshine, thunder, lightning, rain and even hail.

Saturday evening they celebrated my niece's birthday. I was unable to go but took her gift with me on Sunday. They are faithful supporters of ASU, "Applaachian State University". She lives and breathes for ASU. I didn't have a more casual picture, so used this one, and will them to replace it with one of them at a ballgame or something. Yes you heard me right, will tell them. They didn't come to the family yesterday . I left it with my sister to give them, so I hope she enjoys it. Hoping everyone's Monday goes smooth.

Good Morning

I hope every one's weekend has started off brilliantly. Mine has. I plan on working outside awhile this morning, as we are expecting showers this afternoon. I received some flower, bedding plants, for Mother's day, and I want to get them in ground. That way when the rain comes, they can soak up all that wonderful water.

This little thing I made is for our son, who every week when his girls come to visit, has a new photo on his refrigerator of one of the girls. He switches off each week. It has become a exciting game to the little 2 year old. That is the first thing she runs to see when she arrives at his house.

I thought this little clothespin photo holder would be the perfect thing to hold the photo on the fridge. I covered both sides of the clothespin, then distressed the edges and sides. It looked to plain, so decided to run a length of ribbon down the front of it. Then to the odds and ends stash box I went for the little butterfly, then a bow at the bottom. Finished it off with a strip of magnet on the back. I hope he likes it.

Birthday

Happy Birthday on Sunday, KC. I know that is 2 days away but it is better then being 2 days late. Now I know all of you have to agree to that. :) KC and I go way back, and have crossed several bridges together throughout the years. We have always known if one needed the other, they would be there. We don't actually get to visit each other very much any more. Our families take us different ways. But someway, we usually end up back on the same path. The top picture is the card I am giving her for her birthday, the second is what she needs to watch the United States Postal Service for. KC, thanks for encouraging me in my new adventure in scrapping.

Duh

Duh is what everyone is going to say when they open my blog this morning. They will say what was she thinking. Well fact is she wasn't. I have absolutely nothing to show, or no interestiing facts to tell. There was no creative juices flowing through my veins last night. Maybe I can get back on track tonight. Everyone have a good Thursday, open the windows, let the fresh air blow through. Yeah my husband says that is the thing to do let the pollen swirl through the house and then complain about allergies. Take care.

Wednesday and counting down till Friday afternoon

I know I am wishing my life away, but I enjoy being off so much.

My sister is celebrating her 40th Wedding Anniversary, the last of July. My other sister, Valda who was in yesterday's LO, and I are doing the reception and decorating. While doing those tins, we discussed several recipes and ideals, but me being the absent minded person I have become have already forgotten what we said. I covered this composition book, to use in planning this celebration. I will write down all the info, and ideals that come along. I will include the recipes for the food we will serve and the sketches we make of table arrangements and things like that. Then afterwards, I will give it to my sister to put with all her other momentos of the day. Pat (my angel sent friend) is helping from a distance. She is making the favors for us. Can you believe how great this special friend is that I have ? Where I covered the inside of the front and back, of the notebook, I made a pocket to hold receipts and miscellaneous things. But I forgot to take picture of that. On the front, I used a rub on that says, "forever and for always" It is hardly legible, but that is the effect I wanted. I also attached a ribbon on it, to keep it shut. It is getting past my bedtime, and have caught myself nodding off several times while composing this. Please excuse any typos. *wink*wink*

Whew

I just barely got Pat's Saturday Night Challenge completed by the dead line. My mother had to have a stress test yesterday. It was a good thing it wasn't me, I would have failed it over this challenge. But once I got into it, it was fun. The story that I was trying to tell is one of my sister, Valda, and myself and the scrapping fun we had on Saturday. She arrived at my house about 2:00 PM, and after we were on the road for1 1/2 hours looking for papers and stuff, we finally got started. She wanted to make 32 altered mint tins. We were making them into little first aid kits. We had to empty all the tins, and decided to run the tins through the dishwasher to get the mint smell out. She is in charge of her Missionary group's May meeting. On the inside top of each tin, she will put the name of the missionary that each member is to pray for that month. Each tin is different and each has a members initial on it. We finished about 9:30 PM. We did stop to eat our dinner though. We love to scrap, but we love to eat even more. Thanks, Valda, for the fun time, and Pat, thanks for the challenge.