controlled chaos.

I MISS YOU!
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
I have been busy making "stuff" for my website. Just last week, I ordered webbing for my fobs and purses. The webbing came Saturday and I'm ready to get to crackin'! Up there...so much webbing, so little time!

This is my cutting table. It's a mess! There's some ribbon, my rotary cutter, my ruler, my trusty calculator and tons of scraps! Oh, the clutter!

I've been busy making wristlets. They're really pretty nifty little purses. After I've made my items, I take a gajillion pictures, because I'm never satisfied with the light, the way the handle is situated, Congress, a hanging thread, toranadoes in the midwest....

Then I need to edit the pictures. That's what I'm doing up there, in the editing program. Once I have the pictures the way I want, I copy them to my web site. Then I have to play with the placement of the products and try, oh try, to come up with some catchy descriptions. It takes a while for the whole process, and I"m just itching to get it done so that I can put a GIVEAWAY on this blog. But I must restrain myself until the web store is ready.

I have a question for you. The question is: would you like to have a holiday item, say, Halloween or Thanksgiving; or would you prefer an everyday item? Please let me know what you'd like. Because I live to please you. That's how important you are to me. Thank you.

6 Unremarkable Me.

I've been tagged by my friend Mindy, at Bits and Odd Pieces of Mindy's Kingdom. The very interesting aspect of the topic is that Mindy and I have several of the same quirks. I've been thinking that I could just link my answers to Mindy's blog, but truth be told, I'm not afraid of naked clowns. And the whole toilet thing, that's not me, either. Mindy's other quirks line up with mine, but I guess I'm going to have to go it on my own and answer the topic:
6 Unremarkable Things About Me
*So I'm a tad claustrophobic. It's nothing serious, I just don't like to sit in a room without windows. If I'm in a room with windows, the shades, blinds, and/or curtains must be open or sheer enough to allow the blessed daylight in. Call me crazy.

*Like Mindy, I must be certain that everything in the house that could potentially cause a fire and/or break-in, must be unplugged, turned off, or locked. I have to be absolutely confident that the house is in lock down and anti-meltdown mode. Which translates to: I have to check on all potential threats 3 to 4 times. See Mindy's answers for other details.

*As a little girl, I wanted to be a Nun when I grew up. OK, all who know me and are reading this, go ahead and laugh, roll on the floor, call each other up and talk about me, I'll wait.......ya done?! Needless to say, I am ineligible to participate in taking the holy vows. No, you do NOT need the details. Nosey!

*I have a brown thumb. I am good with human beings and dogs...but I simply cannot nurture a plant. My mother can grow lovely plants. I can't. My husband can grow lovely plants. I can't. I just look at a plant and it wilts. I love and crave photosynthesis for myself, why must I maim plants? It's not fair, I tell ya.

*I don't have any sisters. I do have 3 older brothers. I love children, but I prefer boys. Little boys, big boys, old boys, good ol' boys, (not Boy George), but by George, I love boys! They're just so much more transparent than little girls. I think this whole "boy" thing might be the reason I'm ineligible to be a nun.

*I abhor ketchup and mustard. Mayonaise too, if it's mixed with any kind of salad. Eggs. I don't eat eggs. I didn't eat pizza as a kid, or any kind of spaghetti sauce. I love pizza and spaghetti now, but not eggs!

Thanks, Mindy. I feel so much better now that I've gotten all of that nonsense off my proverbial chest!

magazine cover.

This is my fabulous friend, Kathy. She's very pretty, creative, generous, fun, confident, nice, and SEXY. Hi, Kathy. I just love this photo of you, so I decided to put you on the cover of a magazine.

Now go and have fun with this website.
Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

kitchen remodel.

I found this oven in a magazine. Don't you just love its retro look? It's right from a 1950's kitchen. Yup, that's the appliance for me!
Oh, look at these goodies. I need that mixer! It's a perfect match to my new retro oven!
And the toaster! It's to die for! I just can't wait for my new kitchen to arrive! Once it's here, I'll have you all over for breakfast! We're going to have so much fun "cooking" with it!

i have to say...

Friends, I am going to admit it right here, right now, that I'm taking Randi's lovely idea at i have to say...
Thank you, Randi, for inspiring me. Thank you for not hating me for blatantly copying you. Next time, you'll put your hand over your blog so I can't see it, like we used to do when we were kids.

Because I live in Florida, we don't have a "real" Fall here. So I'm going to reminisce about my Yankee Falls.

The brilliant, vibrant colors of the leaves.
The snap and crunch underfoot as you walk.

The smell of crisp air, like fresh linens hung on the line, snapping in the breeze.

Warm, soft sweaters and the comfort of "sensible" hiking boots.

Sleeping next to an open window, the gentle night air dancing with the sheers.

The evening shadows falling early, all cozy and snug inside.

Grandma's homemade cinnamon applesauce, canned with her loving arthritic hands.

Happy Fall.

50th Birthday "Blob", Part I.

Everyone, please join me in birthday wishes for Suzy. 1, 2, 3...HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY, SUZY! Doesn't she look fabulous? She is the queen of the group, the princess of the party, the ruler of the realm. Note her electrifying outfit...thanks to our creative friend Kathy, who always puts the best spin on every gathering. Let's give Kathy a hand for being so thoughtful. **clap, clap, clap.

Please. The balloon was to die for! Just look at the boa that wraps around that monstrous balloon. Hey, where'd Wanda go? Wanda...........oh, there you are! Behind the balloon. Come on out, Wanda, and join the party!

Oh, dear! Who brought that? Kathy...you naughty girl! Suzy, what d'ya think? That sucker can't be right?! You're about to have the time of your life! Kids are almost grown, you and your hubby, you and your girlfriends...PAINT THE TOWN RED!

Wanda, stop asking her that! Oh, I'm sorry. Please meet Wanda, the blonde sitting next to Suzy. Wanda's been nagging Suzy about how many drinks she's had, and Suzy finally had it with annoying Wanda and showed her how many. HA, HA, HA, Suzy's going to kill me. *No, she didn't have 10 drinks, but I saw this pose and the moment I snapped it, I knew what I was going to write. Sorry. I'm bad! Hey, we were happy when we walked into the joint, we didn't need artificial stimulants to make us laugh and have fun. But they were delicious!

*Stay tuned for the rest of: 50th Birthday Blob. See you tomorrow!

tropical surprise.

The other day, I was getting ready to vaccuum the living room when I noticed something laying against the sliding door.

Not the dog, that other thing over there. Look!

Eeeewwwwww. It's a lizard. Yikes, I don't have a boy in the house, what am I going to do?!!

Oh wait...it's dead. It's mummified, it's skeletonized (I made that word up), it's stuck. Yuck. I'll wait for a boy to get home. It doesn't matter who, just any ol' boy will do. Oh, and you know how they say being in front of the camera adds ten pounds to a person (usually, almost always female)? It's the same with dirt. Crikey, those door tracks need cleaning. They don't look that bad in person. Oh well, they're not getting cleaned until a boy gets home. So glad I didn't have a girl. There's room for only one squeamish female in this here house!

Don't move to Florida if you have an aversion to big bugs and reptiles. Or heat and humidity. Or hurricanes and/or tropical storms. Add flooding to the list. Oh, and lots of traffic. Flat land. Sand, lots and lots of dust and sand. Tough grass. Rain. Lots of rain. Did I mention the heat?

giving tree.

Woo-hoo, a day off! My dear brother has finally taken the bait, I mean, the hint and has graciously contributed to my blog. I'm off to clean the house before my family moves out into the yard, where it's cleaner.

Take it away, Tom....

The fact that this tree is still here and giving fruit, long after the people who planted it and got so much out of it during their lives have passed on, was about the only profound thought I've had in the last week. I had it, of course, while we were picking the last of the peaches.

A few days ago, we took the last of the fruit (at least three bushels!) from the peach tree that stands next to our garage, about midway between the road and the woods behind our house. That's right-- peaches in upstate New York! As it turns out, Georgia doesn't have a monopoly on them. My father-in-law Charlie and I planted the tree 15 years ago this spring--a laborious job, the ground being filled with rocks--along with another peach tree and a pear tree that didn't survive long (one just died, the other was eaten by the dog we had at the time). Charlie had a stroke two years later and died the next, and the tree hadn't borne much fruit up to that time. But the following season it started yielding a substantial crop. Every year after that (except those in which the tree, for whatever reason, decided to take a rest) we harvested in August, filling boxes and baskets. We canned most of the peaches, making jam or pies with the rest and saving some to eat "au naturel." We always had a jar or two to leave with Grandma when we visited, much to her delight. She went to Heaven three years after Charlie, and then the tree's bounty was inherited by Grandma's sister, Aunt Margaret. She looked for those peaches every time we paid a visit, and always had empty jars from the last visit ready to exchange for them! Aunt Margaret passed on five years ago in February, but the tree is still here sharing its bounty with us, our children, our neighbors, and our friends. People come here and stay awhile, filling our lives with joy, while God's Creation quietly, and beautifully, bears us along.

Thank's, Tom. You beautifully brought our beloved back through your eloquent words. I miss them.

weekend getaway to Stony Brook.

Stony Brook State Park's terrain comprises hilly woodlands, a deep gorge with rugged cliffs overlooking three waterfalls and fascinating rock formations. Visitors can hike rim, gorge or nature trails, play tennis on park courts, picnic or swim in either of two stream-fed pools.

Stony Brook Glen is a new valley in an ancient landscape; a "post-glacial" stream. Since the end of the Ice Age it has eroded a gorge in the soft shale of the hillside creating high cliffs and waterfalls. The rocks of the gorge are older than the dinosaurs and represent compressed sediments which accumulated in an ancient sea. Fossils are occasionally found.

Here, you'll see a crowd standing under the refreshing ancient waterfall. I don't know if you can really see me, but I'm the one posing in my bikini, under the waterfall. You know, like the models in the shampoo commercials. Those are my legions of fans admiring my professional pose. It sure felt refreshing after a long day of trekking through the lovely forrest.

This here is another fossil found during a recent excavation at the state park. He's a leftover from the Civil War. Note his beard and very serious military stance. I believe that is a canteen strapped across his chest. He survived all these years on crackers. Back then, they called them "hard tack", or some such name. They're very similar to saltines, but very stale. I digress. No, he is a fossil, but not that old. This is my brother Tom, a Civil War reenactor. And I didn't really go to this lovely park in New York, Tom did. He is married to Melany, the sweetest woman on earth. Tom is a writer, editor, lawyer, husband, dad, son, brother, someday-hopefully-in-the-near-future grandfather. He will be subbing for me on this blog someday, when he "finds something interesting to write about". His words, not mine. I told him that he doesn't need to come up with anything interesting, my friends on this blog aren't used to "interesting". They're used to babble, prattle, nonsense. I even stole the lovely photos he sent and used them for my post. I ask you, how depraved am I?

So, if you ever find one of my posts to be well written, informative and humorous, rest assured that I did not write it. It's a sure bet that my dear big brother has finally made his guest appearance. **Hint, hint.

Thanks for the material, Tom.

root canal.

I know, ya'll are soooo tired of hearing about my blasted tooth! And quite frankly, I'm getting pretty tired of talking about it. But I have nothing else ready to write about, so suffer with me! Yesterday, I had a root canal. And I'm here to tell those of you who despise the whole dental process, as do I, that it really wasn't all that bad. New Doc told me that my infection was pretty darn bad, but with the help of antibiotics and some lovely pain medicine, I am going to be OK. So for the rest of the day, I am going to do some sewing and work on getting my web site together for Fall. After I go grocery shopping. Why is it that kids need to eat regularly? Why can't they live on caffeine like normal people? Oh, and after I vaccuum. And dust. Great!!! Now I'm all confused. Maybe I should just take a nap and sleep on it.

You all have a lovely day. And a great weekend.

moment of remembrance.

May the Lord hold these good people in His hands. May we never forget. Amen.

work-out.

Do you know who this is? Of course you don't, so I'm going to tell you. This buff little lady is my mother-in-law, who is absolutely amazing. I am not allowed to tell you how old she is, but I will tell you that she once met Winston Churchhill's mother. We call this British little lady, "Granny." She is my motivation, my cheerleader and my friend. She also has an identical twin sister and they look identical! Imagine that!

We meet in a parking lot at 7:30 AM and walk about 2 miles till we get to the first bridge. This is where she starts chasing me up the bridge, yelling "move it, faster, girl!" Not really. But I know for a fact that she walks behind me, checking my butt to see if it looks any smaller. Really, she does. I'll put my hands over my posterior end and say, "stop checking me out!" We laugh. Then she says, "move it, missy!" No she doesn't really say that. She thinks it.

It was a cloudy day when I took this picture. It's taken from the second bridge of our workout. In the distance, you can see the first blue bridge we just came from. Granny allowed me to stop to take this picture, she thought it would be lovely for my blog. My break was up and she chased me down the bridge yelling, "run, girl, run!" No, she doesn't really yell at me on our walks, or ever. But Granny does want me to run. I told her that until the "little ladies" do some shrinking, running is just not in our plan. But you never know, one day I might be chasing Granny down the bridge yelling, "wait for me, Granny, you're going too fast!"

reprisal.

You know what this picture means? Yup! My tooth is still hurting. What does this mean for me? Another DDS visit, more drilling, pressing, spitting, PAIN! What if I need a root canal? Where will I summon my nerve? Ha, ha, that's funny...I didn't mean for that play on words. Do you get it...root canal, nerve...never mind. It's a vicious circle, I tell ya. Where's my pain medicine? WHAT?! He gave me an RX for only 12 pills? Why, I'll fight him with one paw behind my back. I'll fight him standing on one foot. I'll fight him with my eyes closed...

What does all this mean for you? If this tooth isn't fixed soon, more pics of the Cowardly Lion, that's what! Gotta problem with that?! 'Cause if you do, I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back, standing on one foot, with my eyes closed.......!

***Update: I called the Doc and he wanted to take a looksie at my tooth...two words for you, my friends. Root-Canal. Ugh. My gums are gihumongous (new word, don't look it up) and I'm popping antibiotics. So it looks like there'll be only one more picture of the Cowardly Lion in your futures. Sighs of relief, I HEARD YOU!

song to my Love.

Here's to us one more toast and then we'll pay the bill
Deep inside both of us could feel the autumn chill
Birds of passage, you and me
We fly instinctively
When the summer's over and the dark clouds hide the sun
Neither you nor I'm to blame when all is said and done

It's been there in my dreams, this scene I see unfold
True at last, flesh and blood to cherish and to hold
Careless fools will suffer, yes
I know and I confess
Once I lost my way when something good had just begun
Lesson learned, it's history when all is said and done

In our lives we have walked some strange and lonely treks
Slightly worn but dignified and not too old for sex
Clear-headed and open-eyed with nothing left untried
Standing clamly at the crossroads, no desire to run
There's no hurry any more, when all is said and done.

Standing calmly at the crossroads...when all is said and done.

creative excuses.

So what have I been doing all week? Certainly not cleaning! Look at that grass up there on my floor...shameful! Mr. French! Why have you not swept this up?! You're on thin ice, mister! Or, should I say, "monsieur!"

Instead of staying on Mr. French's back, I've been working on this. It's a birthday banner for my friend's great-nephew. His name is Walter. What?!!! It doesn't say Walter on the banner? My bad! He'll just have to be called "Jack" from here on out, because I'm never going to get "Jack" peeled off that fabric. Oh yes, I need to add the birthday candles for Walter. I mean, Jack. I'm putting the flame on the candles. Guess I should have done that before I snapped the photo, but I loved having the dirt on Mr. French...I told him I was going to tell you all about his slacking off. After all, I have proof and you know what that goes in? Yes, the pudding! Hey Mr. French, d'ya have that chocolate pudding finished?

And I've been working on these. They're purses. Yup...no, they're not finished. I've been working on other stuff, too. This is just the beginning. But they're pretty! The other stuff I've been doing isn't blog worthy yet. Or at all. I did go out and walk this week. I didn't take any pictures of myself walking up the two bridges and down, though. Not to mention that it's pretty much impossible to do. The pictures, I mean. Oh, the bridges are pretty impossible too, but I have my mother-in-law behind me, cracking her whip. I'm not afraid of her. Yes I am. She has bionic fingers that hurt when she pokes you in the arm. What I'm trying to get at is, I've lots of work and catching up to do around the house and in my sewing room. But you know, I feel a giveaway in the air...stay tuned.

Mr. French! Get your fin arriere in here!

tale of two shoes.

Big shoe, little shoe. I wonder where these shoes have been, what they've seen? Which is wiser, which is youthful? How are these shoes related? Has the foot that lives in the big shoe ever slipped its baby foot into the small shoe? Has the small foot ever slipped itself into the big shoe? Did they laugh? Did they flounder? I wonder what journey these two soles will embark upon, what adventures they'll experience. All I know is, that little shoe sure is going to miss that big shoe when it grows up and finds another floor to lay upon. ***Sigh.

pick-me-up.

What picks me up when I'm feeling blue? A lovely bundle of pretty, soft fabrics. I heart fabrics like these. They're happy, vibrant colors with rich, lovely patterns. These are going to be purses, wristlets, and key fobs. Maybe even some baby booties and burp cloths.

And this makes my soul leap with joy. This boy, here. I heart him the most. It's an old picture, but one of my favorites. God is good.

day to choose a winner!

Happy Labor Day! I'm happy to announce the winner of itsawonderful first fabulous giveaway! Thank you to all who entered, I only wish that I could give each and every one of you a token of my love and affection. But that aint never going to happen, so you'll have to wait for the next contest. I went to random.org to select my winner...using the numbers 1 thru 18, my trusty friend chose lucky #2. (I tried to capture the screen, I need practice with it, being as you can barely read it, but I tried, I tried).

Laurie Plotz, you are lucky #2, congratulations! All you have to do to claim your prize is jump through 3 hoops, successfully complete 2 backflips, and recite from memory, to me, "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Easy, you can do it!

You all have a lovely Labor Day, please don't labor. Happy end of Summer and here's to Fall and cooler weather!