I have put scissors to paper!!!

It feels sooo great to be back in the swing of crafting again. I have been working on some stuff for swaps that I am committed to. Its a bit hairy now since they got pushed to the back burner for so long. Now its emergency and crunch time to get them done. Oh well...as most of you know...I ENJOY crisis mode.


This is a flip book I did for one of the swaps. Each page has a place to add photos and display them in a fun little way.

Its a beautiful day here. The sun is out. Its quiet and the air is crisp, yet still warm enough to stay outside and take it all in. The leaves are almost all down from the trees and if each of them were snow flakes, our yard would prove to be in an enormous snow storm. I bet they are a good foot deep in some places.

I wanted to tell you that I just got my TENNESSEE CALENDAR from Lori and I am sooooo excited! I almost wish she had included a December '07 so that I could go ahead and hang it up now. Guys...the quality of this is unbelievable. And I, personally, know how much heart and soul went into each and every single photo, word, and pc of paper in each one. GO! Get yerself one. You will NOT be disappointed!

I also wanted to send you a link to DAWN'S PAGE cause she does the cards for Soldiers. I know that there is an email floating around about sending a card to an injured service man or woman at a hospital. The problem is, this is a hoax and the staff at the hospital is not allowed to accept mail unless it is specifically addressed to someone. Through Dawn and her overseas husband your cards are distributed and handed out to the soldiers. Take a look at her site if you're interested.

So for today...enjoy yourself. Do something you dont normally do. Like count how many birds land in your feeder. Or better yet, maybe you need to go buy some birdseed to put in the feeder? Or maybe you just need to buy a bird feeder all together. Enjoy God's glorious work in the things around you.

Much love

B

Thankful its not Thanksgiving every day!

It was a "perfect" holiday celebration! I had sooo much fun and we had such a great time visiting with the family. It was chaotic to say the least but as I predicted it was wonderful. Meri & her family(Joe, Ryan, Katherine & William) , Robert & Laura, Maw, Grammee & Paw Paw all joined us for the wonderful celebration. We ate LOOOOOTS of food, stayed up way too late every night. But we also enjoyed each other's company. The kids wore out the new GREAT room. Doing crafts, playing video games and blasting their music. It was a great get away for them and it also kept them busy so the adults could also enjoy their stay. Maw came over for Thanksgiving dinner and she had a wonderful stay! It was soooooo awesome to see her and she seemed so at peace and so content! (This pic was before Robert & Laura arrived.)

Cyris even enjoyed the LEFTOVERS from the day. Starting out with turkey and finishing up with country ham. Ive got to admit I think he had done himself in. He was MISERABLE! He tossed and turned and rolled and moaned. Doesnt he look pityful?

We had some unbelievable food and all was great. I have to laugh because Wednesday...yes, the day before Thanksgiving Lowes was here installing a new fridge and Ronnie was puting in the new Dishwasher. Of course the fridge did not fit, so my husband was sawing off the cabinet to fit it in. So...you add sawdust, to water...throw in a little bit of dust from under the fridge and you have a fantastic concoction! But all in all...the fridge went in the dishwasher went in and both were put to the test wholeheartedly! Praise God the stove hung in through it all. I just knew that itd decide to kick the bucket right along with the others.

It was a sad occasion though and one that nearly did me in. Robert & Laura came over on Friday to visit with us and brought their two dogs, Max & Kassie. The dogs were great and were enjoying our big yard, running and playing with the kids. But Kassie ran under the deck and it appears she had a heart attack. *gasp* I was so worried that there was a wire sticking up, something that choked her, something that stabbed her or just SOMETHING that would explain why she died. But I couldnt find a thing. I have even gone back under there looking. It was devastating. Laura of course was absolutely heartbroken and I think my kids were a little dumbfounded too. They have never witnessed anything like it. The guys all burried her out in the side yard and Heather and Hannah have gone out there every day to say a prayer for her. Rest in Peace Kass.

I know that she was just a dog. Just a mere furry pet. But I also know how very attached to MY pets I am. And how much they are a part of the family. It was hard.

So remember today. Be thankful for those around you. Take time to smile and tell them how much you love them.

*drum roll please!*

The garage is now transformed to the GREAT ROOM! This is the house door before: Like that neon blue paint?? And here we are now. Wit the full chalkboard!

The workbench before:The sewing counter after (With unmounted stamp storage at one end):

The STORAGE area before:

The husband built cornis board and game area now (with shelves to hold outside toys):

The girls' desks in the middle of the room. Each have their OWN space!:

When we had the siding put on the house last spring we had them close in the garage door then so you wouldnt be able to see it. This is that wall before:

And after (the shelves behind the futon have all of the board games on them):

And this is MY space before:
And after:

This is actually two bookcases stacked ontop of each other. COOL HUH?

And this is Ronnie's desk, but he hasnt moved in yet.

All of the furniture was bought at the auction and then repainted to match. The curtains on the workbench are just simple cherry straight panels. Ronnie built the cornis board and I hung the drapes on there. We still have to finish some trim and the crown molding and change out the lights. But I am sooooo happy with the whole thing!!!!!

And, as promised....the guest room. This is a pic of the room before we moved in. This is one of the pics that I took when we were buying the house. It was a plain boring room.

And now...here it is!

Sneak Peek of the "GREAT" room!

Its beautiful! And almost done.


My new "crib" as Heather calls it is perfect! We got the cornis board up today...its painted and I am waiting for that to dry and then I am going to hang the drapes from it. We have decided to wait on the crown molding as we are just out of time and I so want to get on with my life. Maybe in the spring I shall think about that.




This is a picture of the full chalkboard. Its 8' by about 10'. I got a fantabulous deal on Sidewalk chalk so I put all of that into a paint can decorated with Mary Engelbreit stickers. CUTE. Effective and already the girls have used it. That door...as big of an eyesore as it is goes into the house. My original plan was to do whiteboard on one side of the door and chalkboard on the other...but I couldnt figure out a good way to divide the two and decided to buy the girls little personal white boards that they could stick to their desks and just do the gigantic chalkboard. i am pleased with it.

Notice the black spots everywhere? Well besides the mistakes and a few intentional blots by me...most are curteousy of Twinkle. She didnt find the paint near as fun when I actually put her in it on purpose. It was funny to watch her run around leaving her tracks and it truly adds great character to the floor..

I promise more pictures are on the way. I have some tidying up to finish before those can be taken though.

Did I mention that my dishwasher died? Yes its been a few weeks ago. Well guess what? Now my fridge is toasted. First the freezer and now...the fridge side. The freezer part was fixed as we got us an upright. But the fridge now is slowly cooling. Can someone tell me how I am sposed to function with no COLD Diet Coke??????? I mean seriously?? So in the midst of my lounging around tomorrow I guess I have to break away and go get a dang fridge. ~sigh~

But I have some good news! My guest room is finished! It looks beautiful! Its a bright and cheery room now and sooo inviting! You just smile when you walk in it. I CAN and will take pics of it tomorrow.

Hannah got to get out of her boot today! Wooohooo! The doc said that she had healed perfectly and she was good to go. PRAISE GOD!

We have a house full of people coming in tomorrow night for the holidays and then I am hoping I will be able to return back to normal. I know lots of ya have been missing my daily posts.

Love to all
B

Rustoleum, the glue of the next century!

Have you ever used Rustoleum's metal paint? If you have then you know exactly what I am talking about. It sticks to EVERYTHING. After using SOS, acetone, paint thinner and every other thing I could think of, I STILL have spots of black paint all over me. I had to cut pieces of my hair because I couldnt get the dang stuff out. It DOES stick to metal and it covers beautifully but let me tell you what...its a mess.

The furniture is IN! It is GORGEOUS! It is perfect! I am soooo excited! We spent most of yesterday painting all of it. We got it moved in and its all painted. Unfortunately my floor didnt weather the move as well. It got banged up quite a lot. SO...change of plans on it! I splattered more paint around and have scraped it up some more! I am going for the distressed look. I love it! The border (yes the checkerboard one) made all the difference on the workbench.

I know you all are DIEING to see photos. Not yet, but I promise you it will be very very soon. We have to get the shelves installed and the cornisboard for the drapes (to cover my storage area) and also get the crown molding up. HOPEFULLY we can get a lot of that done today. As much as it is killing me I am giving the furniture another 24 hours to cure. Its all dry this morning. But just to be on the safe side I guess I will wait to move in.

Have I told you lately what a Godsend my mother in law has been through all of this? She has been soooooooooooooooo much help! Shes like a pig in mud with these sort of things. She has so much fun and is so inspiring. THANK YOU AGAIN!

Did I mention that I am painting my guest room too? I know...I know... a house full of people going to be here next week. I should be focusing on cleaning the sinks rather than rearranging furniture. Oh but it is all so much fun! So stay tuned for that endeavor too!!

I need help from you all though. I need quotes that pertain to dreaming. creativity, wisdom.....send em to me!

Love to all!
B

Hello!

What a beautiful day! Well, okay not to most people, but its raining and we SO need the rain that it truly IS a beautiful day.

We have returned home, rested and almost recovered from the whirlwind trip. You know the girls are tired when I told them last night that they must be in bed by 8 and I got no reply whatsoever. No protesting, no discussion...just "OK".

This is Ronnie and I with my inlaws, Ron and Kathie. This was at the rehersal dinner.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I had a lot of fun meeting all of Laura's family, seeing Robert's friends again and of course being with our own family. It was great to be dressed up and fun to be out on the town. Laura looked stunning and of course Robert looked handsome. I was so proud of my girls for doing just as they were sposed to and they too looked beautiful. The chapel was absolutely amazing and I wish I had taken more photos of it. All of the decorating and all of the set up was just perfect.

I have added another link over to the side there. I have recently signed up for Walgreens photos and have uploaded all of our photos. If you are interested in seeing or ordering pictures let me know and I will give you the password. I dont expect everyone to...but I want you to know its available.

Back out to the garage today. I have lots and lots of checkerboard trim to paint so I will be working on it most of the day. Then its a matter of the rain subsiding so that we can paint furniture outside. But the room looks fabulous!!!

I soooo cant wait to put ink on paper again. I am going to the local crop on Friday so just MAYBE then I will get to!

WOW! Is it Friday already!?

I didnt realize that it had been since Tuesday that I had posted. I literally feel like I have drowned in a paint can! The room is taking so much longer than I anticipated. But I have to admit it is looking beautiful! The walls are patched and painted. The floors are redone. The work bench has been converted....now its a matter of finishing up the furniture and moving in.

We are on our way to a wedding this weekend. Ronnie's little brother is marrying Laura so we are going to Nashville to celebrate that. We will return to start work again on the room. I promise photos will come soon!

I have to share one quick funny though. In the midst of painting our floor a nice RED color yesterday Twinkle, the kitten went skating through the center of the floor. She was red from the tip of her tail to the tip of her ears. Hilarious! I dont know which was funnier, watching her try to figure out how she got there, what she was standing on and which way to go from there, or her getting a bath AFTER all of that. I was laughing so hard I could barely help her.

All is well here. Other than the renovations.

I hope to be back on track soon. Thank you to everyone who checked in on me and wondered if I had fallen off the blog world. Big blog hugs!

Stay tuned!
B

Another day of drudgery!

Whew! Can I say hard at work?? We are still out in the garage. Here is another before pic. *SMILE* Sorry friends, the work in progress and finished pics wont be posted until the room is finished! I gotta tell you though, I am sooo excited about each and every little detail. I am having so much fun dreaming and creating images in my head. They are busting out and I just cant wait to get em out and actually displayed. I have been keeping a journal because this space is going to be so awesome that I am going to submit it for publication SOMEWHERE! So...ha! I just might be famous! This pic is of the wall where the garage door WAS. This huge wall has had to be patched and of course the doors have had to be trimmed in. Yesterday I spent a lot of time vacuuming the ceiling, sweeping and just plain ole cleaning. We got the primer up and well...today we get to see some color!!!!! I went and picked out the lighting yesterday so it is a matter of getting an electrician here to install them. Then we move on to painting the furniture! WOOHOO! Its all so awesome!

I am going to post a few cards that I got for my Birthday yesterday. I have such wonderfully awesome friends!!!

This is a great card from my friend Pam Vandever. I met her at retreat this year and she is a riot! My photography is awful today but I am just trying so hard to get caught up so I can head back to work. So I apologize for this. It appears that she used the SU! Round Tab Punch for the bottom of the cup cakes. Cuttlebugged the icing and then glitter on the candles. VERY CUTE!

And this beautiful card was from Jeanine. I love her so much and am so thankful to have her as a friend. She sent a lovely poem that her sister had written and I am going to hang it up in my new room. When I get it poster ready I will post the words to it.

Even though Marilyn is one legged (She just had knee surgery) she didnt forget me! That is just how wonderfully big her heart is! She is sooo kind and always thinking and doing for others. Another pure blessing! She used some awesome papers on this card. The photo once again does NOT do it justice. But its sooo fun!

And my adopted "mom" sent me mouses!!!!! Ellie sent me the sweetest gift! I was soooo surprised! She is always doing stuff for me. Whether it be kind advice or stern recomendations, she ALWAYS has my best interest at heart. She is a wonderful mentor and I am so glad she is in my life.

Nancy P!!! Only the worlds greatest Secret Sister sent me this great and cheerful Birthday card. I got to meet Nancy at retreat too. And I just love her to death! I loooooove getting mail from her! She is such a beautiful person.

Faith Johnston sent me this adorable card! She stamped great images in versamark on the purple and then just a simple Happy Birthday. I love it! I only have the pleasure of knowing her in Cyber land, but I cannot wait til the day I can meet her in person.

This is an AWESOME card I got that was stuffed clean full of house mouses too! Its a trifold card that I just cannot wait to case! Thank you Nancy (directmailscrapper).

I am sure that I have missed some and when I locate them on my desk I will be sure to post them. I have awesome friends and awesome family. Thank you for being a part of my life!

Go...create something!

I am here! Just burried!

We worked and worked and worked yesterday. Did I mention that we WORKED?? The garage is coming along nicely. As we took away 2 loads to the dump yesterday and have yet another one loaded and ready to go on Monday. We moved most of the furniture out, got the work bench all cleaned up and are in the midst of getting things prepped for painting. I am soooo excited to see the transformation. I cant wait to start the DECORATING. I am over the boring stuff. Also over the hard work stuff too.

My inlaws were heaven sent yesterday. Well, ok for the most part they are EVERY DAY. But they helped sooo much. My yard is all nice and neat and things are coming along nicely. I wouldnt have been able to do it without them. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

They also brought me a cake fer my Birthday. Wasnt that sweet?! The big day isnt til tomorrow....but I think I am enjoying this celebration all the time. Specially since tomorrow I will probly have my head in a paint can.

Anyways. I hope you are creating bunches! Enjoy your Sunday. Be blessed with peace!

I received this email today from a dear friend. I am going to make it into a poster and hang it in my new room. I think it is stunning.

GUIDANCE

When I meditated on the word Guidance,

I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.

The movement doesn't flow with the music,

and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,

both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back

or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness,

and attentiveness from one person

and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".

"God, "u" and "i" dance." ~ God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust

that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings

and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead

and to guide you through each season of your life.

Do you know how to?

Do you know how to embarrass your children beyond all belief?? Here's some directions: Put on your pajamas. Then your big fluffy bathrobe. A pair of your favorite socks and of course your pink fuzzy slippers (that arent very fuzzy anymore--or pink for that matter) put a green facial mask on and wrap your hair in curlers. Once you have dressed for this occasion...go to your 5 year old's Halloween party. Watch as her face turns from happy go lucky to sheer panic and disbelief! Of course after you have had a good time at her party and have gotten many looks from all of the 5 year olds in Kindegarten then go and pick up your 11 year old at school. Make sure while you are in the car-rider line you honk, roll down the window and wave madly. Make certain that every middle school student in the parking lot has at least caught a glimpse of you. You will quickly be able to pick out your child as they are the one that is doing her best to become part of the pavement and blend in. She is not claiming you at all...and the funniest thing....when she gets in the car she ducks down. Hahahaha! I KNOW her reputation is surely ruined for life now.

For Halloween night we went to visit Maw. She didnt recognize us but it was great to see her. The little ladies got a great kick out of us too. So it was fun. From there we went on to the church for the Halloween party there. Lots of candy and lots of fun costumes. I gotta say though, the very best one was this little boy. He went as an Itallian dinner. I dont know him so I blocked out his face just for the sake of being proper.

After the party we went trick or treating and then stopped by Baskin Robins for our free icecream for having costumes on. It was a big night. The girls got lots of candy and said they had a great time. It was good.

I apologize greatly that I dont have any cards to post. We have been working out in the rec room so my creating has been on a larger scale. Its fun out there and I am sooo anxious to get moved.

I will post when I can. I promise it wont take long before you are flooded with cards again.

:( It wont let me upload photos

I have a ton of stuff to report on from our celebrations last night. But blogspot seems to be having hiccups this morning. I will update as soon as I can!