Crocheted bows and heart magnets

Happy 2012

Well it's another year so I'll start being all sentimental and hopefully it will only be one post. Chances are good since im doing this on my phone.

To begin with, it's been a tough year. Both unemployed and being lazier than a lizard in the noon sun.

We lost Don and that's still tough. I see his face EVERYWHERE.

And now the good things:

Pookie ( need I say more !). And as it turns out, he's Jme's dog and how freaking cute is that.

okay, now i'm on my laptop; sooooooooooooo much easier!

there's a new baby girl in my life!

 And a nephew back in my life!  And his wife is a delight!  i'm so happy to be in their world.

we are lucky to have a friend like Jeff that's willing to put up with us until we figure out what we're doing. and we're lucky to have found a great tenant for the condo in California.  I sooo miss my home but i think it's more like, i miss A home of our own.

so lastly, to everyone reading this,

be safe
be happy
be content
be positive
be kind
be creative
be inventive
be warm

and may all those "be's" be followed by "to yourself".

love you all much

New friend

Fabric stiffener is my new friend.

What have I been doing....

Well I have reorganized ALOT of craft crap. I say that with alot of love but I got alot and it needed organization.

With that said, here are some pics of my latest projects.

Crocheted hearts that might become a headband

And white clothespins soon to become magnets.

Holler if you want stuff on your fridge.

some light reading of "where did they come up with this stuff?"

§                If a home is in disarray on New Year’s Day, the housewife will struggle with clutter and dissatisfaction throughout the year. If it’s tidy and clean, the home will be easy to manage.

§                Laundry should never be done on Sundays for there will surely be a terrible stain, tear or worse in the week ahead.

§                Above ground crops (such as tomatoes) should be sown in the wane of the moon; underground crops (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, etc.) at the change of the moon.

§                The best day of the year to plant cabbage is on St. Patrick’s day.

§                The best time to plant flowers is in the increase of the moon.

§                A mild winter lies ahead if onions dug from the garden at harvest time have thin skins.

§                Any women who desires to have order in her home must allow sage to flourish in her garden.

§                Stir cake from you and you will stir your troubles away.

§                A cake baked in the morning will rise, a cake baked in the afternoon will drop.

§                To make cake light, it must always be stirred the same way.

§                Pastry must be rolled an uneven number of times otherwise it will be tough.

§                Every scrap of pastry must be baked or there will be an unwanted expense.

§                Cold hands and a warm heart make the best pastry.

§                A thunderstorm will addle eggs and sour any milk that’s been left out.

§                Before a young girl bakes her first loaf of bread, her hands should be rubbed in sugar so that she may always make good, sweet bread.

§                Stir bread away from you for good luck, trouble will come if you stir toward you.

§                Evergreens should be taken down on Old Christmas Day (January 6th) or ill-luck will follow.

§                A clean pot should be kept in an empty oven, this will ensure there will always be at least a little food to cook in it.

§                When making the bed, don’t interrupt your work or you will spend a restless night in it.

§                Stabbing needles through yarn balls will bring bad luck to anyone who wears something made from that yarn.

§                Rosemary planted by the doorstep will keep evil away…put salt on the doorstep of a new house and no evil can enter.

§                If a new bride should quietly take her mother’s dishcloth, she will never be homesick.

Up until the past few generations, people were terrified of evil and more afraid of bad luck than they were of a little dirt (not realizing that pestilence and disease could flourish in an unkempt home), so these little words of wisdom served a purpose…even those that seem ridiculous to us today.

The average person worked HARD back in the day and the last thing anyone wanted to do was worry about which direction the dirt should be swept (according to my collection of tales, it should be swept away from the house rather than towards it or you’re sure to attract doom). Common sense for basic cleanliness? Sure! But the purpose of the tale was to make sure the chore was done with care and attention by a people who commonly lived a hardscrabble life from early morning till late evening…there were no Real Housewives episodes to distract and ease the stress of the day, it was “Go” time from start to finish.

And who knows, maybe these old gals knew a thing or two that we just can’t grasp  .

Picture not so hot

I made three magnetic clothespins with a dark Japanese paper today.

I think the next batch will be with spring colors.

Anyone need magnets for your fridge?
Let me know what color and they'll come snail mail.

And aren't those neat chalkboard coasters made by my niece Kathleen, photographer extraordinaire! Tysm Kathleen ! :-)

Sunset from the front porch

Gifts are wrapped. Cards are done. First batch of fudge done, chilled and packaged. Tonight, color my roots and another batch of fudge.

new babies in the neighborhood

we named the white footed baby, Sugarfoot and haven't come up with a name for the other cutie pie

they can't be very old and they are so cute together.

they prance and leap like frogs and still nursing

i am going to print one of these pics and leave it in the mailbox of the goat owners

and hope they enjoy it

also,

happy holidaze everyone

it's been a crazy year for us and this adventure is still just beginning

i'm hoping that the new year brings some changes for us

and i'm going to definitely make some changes personally

we shall see

i will post more pics on my facebook itashi photos by bettysue page

and i will definitely take pictures to document their growth

"The only position that leaves me with no cognitive dissonance is atheism.  It is not a creed.

Death is certain, replacing both the siren-song of Paradise and the dread of Hell.

Life on this earth, with all its mystery and beauty and pain, is then to be lived far more

intensely;  we stumble and get up, we are sad, confident, insecure, feel loneliness and joy

and love.  There is nothing more; but I want nothing more."   -  Christopher Hitchens

Backyard trees at sunset

Grey skies

It's winter they tell me

The sky is grey like sweatpants
Like the ones I've been living in

organizing

if you know me then you know i got lots of "stuff"
i'll have to take a picture of my little corner here at Jeff's house to show you how bad it looks now
and then i'll show you again in a couple months
if i can't find my supplies, i can't do anything
and now i'm getting alittle OCD about it,
okay, i'm getting alittle more OCD about it!

{insert me grinning here}

but here's is the main jest of this post

click here iheartorganizing.blogspot.com

i came across this blogger and she's incredible.
when you have a minute just look down the list and i KNOW you will find something that interest you.

it's worth the minutes, trust me

love you

cya

hi there........ remember me?

I know

it's been a while

i've been real sick, first with the tummy flu and then Jme gave me his cold

i really do think i'm still adjusting to this crazy weather out here

today is the first day i've felt good in at least a week

i hate being sick

although i do enjoy napping

between Jme and Jeff, we got the tree up

and Pookie doesn't seem to want to eat anything hanging from it ...... YET

now i need to wrap presents ....

there are a few last minute craft projects i need to get done

and i'm still trying to make it to the arboretum

here's the Wilmington Arboretum that i have taken a lot of my pictures

facebook - Art in the Arboretum

i have a gazillion pictures for you to check out but here's my favorite:

his first experience at the beach

and he ate so much sand, he pooped sand for a day!

tutu tutu tutu's

there are no words to describe the grin i got on my face when i found this site

click here for little divas

sick of being sick

day three of feeling like shit
can't eat
can't stay out of the bathroom
can't sleep
i don't like it here
at all

along with sharing with you......

i post (some)times things i want to remember
ideas that i want to remember

and things i feel/see and wish for are almost always posted here

so i (some)times ramble
but then you already know that
it's me
member?

so here's something i want to remember

okay, here's the situation

i've been lazy about blogging
i've been unloading boxes.... still
and now it's turkey day

Jme and i are going to meet Jeff in Myrtle Beach for turkey dinner but it's a seafood all-you-can-eat place so i'm sure i will have more crab than turkey!

saturday is Jme's b'day and i'm cooking a turkey boob with cornbread stuffing, cole slaw, green beans with ham, sweet potatoes with marshmellows and two pies.

don't start thinking i'm some wizard because i'm not making the pies

i have found out that Jeff loves apple pie and shares our LOVE for banana pudding (the southern way) with nilla cookies so................  that will be my next adventure.

how do people take their own picture and get IN the picture?

my arms aren't long enough !!

Stocking Stuffers for Men:

and who doesn't need hints and see my numberone pick for every man i know -

1. Cologne – samples work best because they are smaller and cheaper
2. Soap – handmade beer or manly soap is nice
3. Undies
4. Socks
5. chocolate or other candy
6. chocolate covered bacon, pretzels, or other food items
7. Bottle opener, bottle opener ring
8. Beanie/knit hat
9. Gloves
10. Holiday ornament
11. Key Chain
12. Phone case
13. Money clip
14. Wallet
15. A cheesy movie from the clearance bin (hello Chuck Norris)
16. Mini lego kits (like race cars, lego men, key chains, etc.)
17. Silly putty or other slimy substance
18. Deck of cards or other card games (like Uno)
19. Silly toys – parachute men, poppers, wind up animals, sticky hands, mini etch-a-sketch, etc.
20. Shot glass
21. Key covers (I bought tiki men key covers for my brother one year)
22. Ear buds
23. Mini bottles of booze
24. Ties
25. Cufflinks – if your guy wears them, there are some awesome ones on Etsy
26. Manly bath products or bath favorites- my brother really loves a certain brand of mint tea tree shampoo
27. Pocket knife
28. Mini tools or weapons – what male doesn’t love a Nerf gun?
29. Batteries
30. A book, graphic novel, or magazine
31. $5 giftcards – one of my favorites, fast food or coffee works great
32. Gum or mints
33. Chapstick – my husband always steals mine or complains about chapped lips
34. Hand or boot warmers – found some at Target, 2 for $1
35. Hand or cuticle cream
36. Computer decals
37. Car air fresheners
38. For the love of your life: Massage oil
39. For the love of your life: sexy undies for you
40. For the love of your life: Other bedroom goodies
41. Special cigar
42. Matches or lighter
43. Batteries
44. Coffee samples
45. Patches, stickers, or pins of a sports team, band, or company, etc.
46. Coffee cup or mug
47. Nail clippers and tweezers
48. Razors and other shaving accessories
49. Boot or hat cleaning or weathering spray
50. Pens or pencils
51. Bandanas
52. Mini specialty food items – mustard, hot sauce, nutella, etc.
53. Belt buckles
54. Orderforeverlazy.com  

Have a guy in your life with a hobby or interest? Is he a student?  There are other trinkets your can fill his stocking with as well:

• Memory cards
• USB Stick/flash drive – some awesome ones on Etsy as well
• Ear guages/plugs
• Film
• Camera filters or accessories
• Craft/hobby supplies
• Kitchen utensils/trinkets – a special knife, measuring spoons, something the cook might enjoy
• Quarters for laundry

HELP kinda

is this blog going out on email anymore?
i'm getting mine but google hasn't been friendly lately and i'm thinking that i may be receiving them because i have my gmail accounts all linked up
so could you holler if you're still getting them, pretty please???

smiles

new mexico once again

bright sun on mountain tops and a muffin in my belly.  man by my side and a puppy between us.  i didn't take very many pictures of "us" for some reason.  we were watching the landscapes go by and watching Pookie sleep "all the time".

a texas night

very dark, deserted texas.  very glad when we finally made it through texas and get to new orleans.  the mornings were always so bright and shiny and the nights were like a bad scary b movie.

Texas

this was the beginning of texas and my romance with filthy truckstops that felt safe.  although there were beautiful  reststops and well-maintained.  just not enough people after dark in my opinion.

new mexico

i  pretty sure this is new mexico.  i should have paid attention to where we were, tracked a number to a state, duh.... but i didn't

alot of it was serene but barren.  i like green stuff

ok, i have to get a set of these..... so i can COPY them and make my own

omg, i'm in love!

click here to see the heel condoms

christmas quick project

click here for the easiest and cutest ornament from craftsnob.com

porch moon & tree

from the chair i sit in when i'm on the back porch, there's a really unusual tree on the other side of the driveway.  and when the moon is out, it lands right behind it.  i will try and capture as many nights as possible.  these two were taken on 11/10

and just to be fair to my porches,

here's the front porch this morning 11/15

(Toyoji's 6th bday)!

 and here's where i want to build a two story on stilts so i'll feel like i'm in a birdhouse

and here's the other side yard, opposite the moon tree

i got yard around me!  lol

the weather is a bit strange here; okay not strange, just diff

low thirties at night and i'm layering like i can't remember when

and then in the low seventies during the day

tonight it's started to rain

i'm hoping for a rainy-jammy day with lots of rain noise, hot tea and warm socks

that's sounds good, huh?

xoxo

Monday November 14th

One lonely cloud

where do i begin chapter one

i hate to bore you with all the details of the trip but there were some highlights that you have to hear about and laugh, giggle or at least grin.

but let me walk my mind through it from the beginning.....

we did leave Monday, October 31st but about 6 hours later than we had hoped.  last minute packing was hectic to say the least and having to walk out with my swiffer vac in hand so the place was as close to "hotel guest ready" took longer than i expected.  Jme humped almost the entire place by himself.  His bro came over for the heavy, ackward stuff at the condo and Jme had one helper at the storage room, but for the most part, he did it all by himself.  whewwwww!

we didn't get to Phoenix until close to midnight to see Ashley in the street in her jammies!  we did have an early lunch with her the next morning.  and i finally got to me Jaydon!  he is incredible!

Tuesday, November 1st and long drive to El Paso.....

day one and day two

more and more to be continued......

Tuesday November first in the dark

Well we are headed to el paso tonight. And tomorrow is a heaviest driving day. Really. Check a map. We are going from el paso to Austin. Like 500 miles. Yikes. Then all days after that are around 200 miles a day. Yippee. So here's some pics. Blogging from my cell won't let me type between them so I'm going to just post them like crazy.