Hi!

Be.....patient.

Today's lesson, brought to me, by the letter "Bb". Not a fun lesson.

Proud.

This award was given to the Junior or Senior who had the highest GPA. We both about fell out of our chairs when his name was called. :)

Breathe

According to Merriam-Webster, the word "breathe" when used as a verb means to draw air into the lungs, to pause and rest before continuing, and to feel free of restraint.

Today is one of those difficult-to-breathe days, x10, and that is also following a long string of other difficult-to-breathe days, so guess what? Not the best scenario for the breathing-challenged girl here.

I find myself wishing for more time, more sleep...you know...those essentail things that your body needs to keep up with your mind. (Not that my mind is all that to begin with!) Mostly, I picture myself above the clouds, floating along in a plane, enjoying the hush of an airplane and the beauty of the sky and the land below that God created for us. And then, I try to remember that my life is in His hands, as are the lives of those I love. And as long as that is the case, I may as well just quit fretting and JUST BREATHE. (New tattoo asap coming with that one...)

Hoping for a better tomorrow....I get to see my family, so it has to be good, right? :)

A Pile of Love...

I am SOOOO tired!

Pillow Case

My next one is going to say, "My favorite day is Sundae."

His and Hers Mingos

Lookie what my mommy made for us! I will get better photos one of these days, but these were the best out of the 12 that I took. (GRRR!) ANYHOOOOOOO.....they are MOST awesome...especially since we have a necklace and a bowtie, and they are on our NEW Memory Foam pillows! Thank you, Mom and Dad!!!!!

This....

is my FAVE-O-RITE photo from the entire weekend, hands down. I think because I *know* that it was a true hug, a moment they didn't know was being caught for eternity...and I know how much they love and care for each other. I hope they remain friends like this for as long as they both are living on this earth.

I'm proud of you two, and I love you both! :)

Today....

I got to spend time with Navy....

...and my sisters.....

and my parents...but their photo did not show up, grrr.....

and my kiddos....who were all there, just Anna was not present at this moment:

to celebrate this: ...and it was a happy day.

The End.

Creations....

I would like to be creating creations! As soon as I get the energy. As soon as I get the time. OK, maybe never. BUT.....

tomorrow is an exciting day...so maybe that will help me find some energy to get up and do something besides be tired....we shall see. (Sorry for the photo....it was just a random one I could find that I don't think I've shared before.)

I have hope...

that I will feel better soon.

Chad, Kalani, Mark.

Let the good times roll.....

Yesterday's Feet...

yes. Those belong to me. :)

Tonight....

This is what I've been doing:

creating leopard spots! I'm not sure yet whether I am going to call this one done or not....the verdict is still out! I will be participating in a barn sale this fall that can be viewed here: www.thestrawberrypatchjunk.blogspot.com and this will go there if it has not already sold at the Butter Churn between now and then.

I've had a bad head/neck ache today, and I'm thinking that working on this tonight was maybe not the best decsion...what do you think? LOL. This table is maybe 14" longish and 12" widish. Those spots took me a total of (at least) 5 hours. Yup. I'm nuts. And the 2nd coat is not on the white part yet. I normally find this very theraputic....when my head/neck doesn't hurt! :)

At Perry's Paradise...

...you never know what you might find! We have a Puggle puppy, named Lucky. He is *Lucky* because Emma didn't eat him like she did his brothers and sisters. We have 11 Boxer puppies. And we have these.... 6 of them. Those are just the babies we have here right now...I'm thinking we could charge admissions and start a petting zoo! :)

If I were able, I would have a goat here for Kate for her graduation. She's always wanted one.

Happy...

It makes me happy that my good friend thought of ME when she saw this. I need to own it, doncha think? Gotta work on that.

It's My Day!

35 years ago, I was born! As my lil sis said, "I am glad you were born." :) Gotta love her. I'm going to try to post 35 things I have learned...but I dunno if I've learned that much. Guess we'll see how far I get on the list....

1. Those times when people (myself included) are the least love-able is likely the times when they most need to be loved.

2. Never judge a book by its cover. Ever.

3. Sometimes, it is best to just be quiet. Yes. I have learned that. I just don't always exhibit that I have...

4. Walk a mile. It's good for lots of things.

5. Don't say, "I can't."

6. Never say you are bored. (Thanks, Dad.)

7. Always do your very best, and then some. You work marks the kind of person you are.

8. Be nice. Even when you don't want to be.

9. Smile.

10. Choose to be happy, in ANY circumstance.

11. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full.

12. You're never too old to break a habit, and likewise, you are never too old to start one.

13. Believe in yourself. Believe in your gut. God gave you instinct for a reason. (Thanks, Mom.)

14. Even the longest nights turn into day.

15. God does have a sense of humor.

16. Don't make plans. (See above for the reason why.)

17. Family isn't always defined by blood.

18. I've learned who my true friends are.

19. I've learned that those who truly love you will believe in you and be your true friends.

20. If a relationship ends up causing negative energy, it may need to be re-thunk.

21. You never know how you are affecting someone, and it could be someone you have no idea is even paying attention.

22. Your children WILL repeat what you say. Better make sure you say good things.

23. If people have to tell you what they are, chances are they are not what they are telling you.

24. It's always good to say please, thank you, I love you, and I'm sorry.

25. Treat others as you wish to be treated.

26. Don't let bullies run over you, but know when enough is enough.

27. Stay true to yourself.

28. Your parents are not as stupid as you once thought they were.

29. You can't poke words back in your mouth once they are out, and some can be pretty regretful.

30. You may as well "forgive and forget" because what other choice do you have?

31. Don't look back to yesterday and dwell on it, and don't spend too much time worrying about the future.

32. Don't worry about others; worry about yourself.

33. It's better to be early than late.

34. Always over-dress, not under-dress.

35. God is in control, always.

Wow. I did it. :)

What have YOU learned? Please share.

Inspiration...

I like to read this blog: www.sara-mincy.blogspot.com. I get all sorts of inspiration from there...and I'm not just talking about for art and creativity, but for life, and being a better mom, and being a better Christian...and so on, and so forth...this is the door to her home. What's not to love? Go and take a gander. You might find something that inspires you, too!

Goodwilling....

So, I haven't shared any finds as of late, simply because I've lacked the will and the effort...sorry. I'll make it up to you now, though.

The following actually came from the flea market, where I scored these vintage pillows that were hand-um....quilted? who knows how many years ago? All for the high price of a whopping $3.00. Yup. Really.
The rest of these, I actually ditched my son while he was getting root canals done and went across the street to the Goodwill. The best part of this story is that after he got done, he just walked across the street and waited on me in the Jeep while I shopped....I had no idea. Gotta love that.

Can you believe I found this baby still on the card??? Yeah, me either. But here she is, in all her cardy glory.....

she was a little on the pricey side, weighing in at $2.99 and was full price, which is basically against my Goodwill religion...but just this once....I did it.

Next, I found the pretty pink and white flowery chic-y sheet for .99 as-is, because the sides were a bit "chewed", then it was also 50% off, so I got it for .49, and Anna and I have already converted it into some fabric balls. They are awesome. The ice bucket up there will remain mine for the time being...it goes back to my love of typography. Can't let it go. The 2...not sure where it will end up just yet, but I have some ideas. It was all of a quarter. Oh---I paid full-price for the ice bucket, too. $2.99. The tray came from the same person as the pillows up there ^^^^ and it was a buck. It will also be converted at some point. Hanging there on the tray is a pair of vintage ballet slippers that have been repurposed as a pot pouri *sp?* holder....for a quarter, they had to be mine. I will put them in my booth, though. They don't fit here, or I'd keep them. Or, if I knew someone who was having a girl...maybe I should hold onto them....since 2/3 of my sisters are...ahem...with child. (For you, Betsy. I didn't say the *other* word. Aren't you proud of me???)

Last, I bought these for work, and totally went against my religion of buying policies on these, too. How could I resist the glass with CC already printed on it when I work at the Crystal Couture store??? Yeah, I couldn't. So I forked out another $2.99 for it...and then a full-price glass for $1.99...but we need these, and that is less than if we got it at the antique stores, so...well...had to. I can see the jewels in them now. :)

So, there you have it. Totally not a Twinkle post, but totally fun, right? I'll get to the Twinkle post, promise. Just not tonight.

Kiss

Have I showed you this before? We went to a yardsale at this house, and the woman who lives there is...eccentric. Who wouldn't want to live in a house that is this fun? Isn't it awesome? Yeah, I know.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a kiss to you from our grand baby, miss Avery Grace! Isn't she just adorable!?!?!

Fun x 3.

So, today was an uber-fun day spent with my oh-so-talented sister, Betsy, who is going to be a photographer when she grows up. See???? Told ya so.

I wonder....

if this would be a safer new vehicle for my son....

Anna's First Teeball Game

Frustration!

How do you keep your mouth shut when you care, and when you KNOW you are right, but there is nothing you can do about it? If I could make a face to show you how I feel about that, it would look sorta kinda reallllly like this one: ...only not nearly as cute!

D is for Dinosaur

And when Katie loves you, and you are the birthday boy, and you turn 47, then you get a dinosaur cake for your birthday. Who can't feel special when they get a dinosaur cake?

On Apples and Trees.

They just don't fall far, folks. It is undeniable that this one didn't, at any rate.
Katie edited this photo: and I edited this photo:

Do you notice anything the same? Like that it is the same photo, perhaps? Or that we edited the same way? (Blurry, focused on them in the center?) I love this kid. :)

Under the Wire...

I'm enjoying my mommy tonight, and I keep saying I need to blog and I keep not blogging, so here is me not blogging....

He's not a complainer. He's really not. Not in any way. He's happy to be here. He knows he's lucky. He's thankful. (But, he's also sad.) He should be enjoing his next-to-last year as a varsity baseball player...there are just a few games left. Instead, he has no truck, no freedom, and a lot of hurt, so therefore, no baseball. Could ya'll please pray for this kid? It's obvious that God has a plan for him...and a BIG one...but please pray for his pain to go away, both the mental and the physical kind, ok? OK. Thanks! :)