Working Hard At Working Hard

        Feels like I am peddling a stationary bike....and getting nowhere fast...whew! I am a tad behind at work and at home. I have discovered that it all waits for me,so I guess there is no point in stressing out over any of it.
I hope to have a completed post later today. But in the meantime I am so excited and wanted to share this surprise message I just received. I was placed in another treasury today and it made the front page!!!
Gone Campin is the name of the treasury by Keriansart. I big juicy Thank You to Kerianart for including my Campfire!
Here are a few of the other fun camping items included in this treasury. Check them out....there's a rumor Spring is just around the corner!

Etsy is such a great blessing for us struggling artists and crafters. A wondeful way to sell at the pace you are able to handle. I for one look there first when I need a gift before burning gas and hitting the malls. I took the pledge to buy hand made and I love it!

Heart broken

         I am sorry that I have been gone so long. It has been a difficult time for our family. We lost my Mother In Law on Monday evening. She had suffered a massive stroke in her sleep on Saturday and never gained consciousness. So hard to see someone you love lay weak and lifeless,especially someone who  for her 87 years had always been a woman so full of life.

Rita or Fritz as she was nicknamed was the strongest woman I've ever known.She lived and died on her own terms, so to speak. She had embraced each stage of her life without regret always with a strong positive attitude. She made choices and decisions for herself that she felt were necessary and never looked back. Like a couple years ago when she decided she needed to move to an assisted living facility. It certainly wasn't something anyone wanted her to do,but she felt it was the best decision for her. Assisted living is really just a fancy new name for the old ugly one, nursing home. It's a place that doesn't really support or encourage anyone to grow stronger or healthier or wiser. I hate them and wish they didn't exist. I know they serve a purpose but will someone please tell me what that purpose is! She would not change her mind or leave no matter how often we asked her if she wanted to.

Fritz is sitting the second from the right

Several years ago,she is wearing a white jacket and a yellow top

She never wanted to become a burden on her children.
I think there is much to be said however about getting up everyday and having to take care of yourself and your surroundings. A purpose. A purpose to stay alive, and a reason to work hard at staying alert. Once that is gone what is there? To sit and slowly age and fade away.By protecting our elderly with assisted living we rob them of their lives and we in the end miss out on all that they still have to teach us and share.

As family began to come in to visit her in the hospital this past weekend,we all began remembering stories about her and her siblings. She was the third born of 8 children. Seven girls and one boy. And we realized while talking that these siblings were dieing in the order that they were born.

Rita was the third born and the third to die and at the exact same age as her two older siblings,87. It gave me shivers when we all came to the realization. Very strange don't you think? We all sat very still thinking of which Aunt was the 4th born. A pattern we all  pray will not continue.

So now we must say goodbye to her on Friday. That will not be easy.But as all of the kids discovered she has had her funeral planned since 1988,right down to the music.And as she always made the kids attend church every Sunday,she has asked for a full Catholic Mass funeral.....so as we all laughed through our tears, and we all agreed she sure did live life on her own terms....but MOM REALLY A FULL MASS...Ha Ha. Yes a full Mass as she wanted,with everyone there in attendance.

We will miss her forever,but are comforted in the knowledge that we will be together again one day.

Pop Beads

       When I was a teenager back when dinosaurs roomed the Earth,(as my boys say) I had a passion for Pop Beads. Does any one else remember them? They weren't all that fancy just round colorful beads that simply popped together.I can remember having quite a few and I worn them a lot. I wore them along with my coordinating angora that I wrapped around my boyfriends class ring. Well now I'm showing my age. I wish I had kept some of them. Actually, I wish I had kept a lot of things from my childhood,this being just one that has been on my mind lately.
A while back Amy and I were shopping for the holiday's when we noticed in the toy department at Target a container of what I suspected to be Pop Beads!

A Day Of The Heart

        I love holiday's but I must admit I've never been a huge Valentine's Day person. I always made sure that I gave a small gift to the boys when they were small,a token of how much I loved them. Now with grandson's I want to make sure that they know how very much they live in our hearts.

For the girls I just had to make a heart that had been on my mind from a great blog called old grey mare primitives. I knew when I saw them that it would be a wonderful idea for my daughter in laws. I decided to simply use what I had, some old wool sweaters that I had felted.

 

I added old buttons and a knotted cord for hanging

 One for each girl to hopefully express how much I love them both. It reminds me of a gift from my Mom years ago of a similar type of Valentine. She added her special touch of two vintage hat pins that she knew I would love. She has been gone now for 17 yrs and I still miss her greatly.This much loved blue Valentine hangs in my closet on a cabinet door that holds many more small treasures and memories of her.

I received a sweet little handmade Valentine card in the mail from a blogger that I discovered a while back. She has a wonderful blog named  Rosy-Posy. I have so enjoyed visiting her blog,getting to know her and her family in this fun cyber world we bloggers live in. She has so many wonderful creative ideas to share. Do yourself a favor stop by and visit her and her family.

I love any art work done by children so I knew this would be too sweet, and it is! As an added plus the envelope (and I adore snail mail) from Canada had a fox stamp,my favorite little woodland creature.So it is a very special treat, Thank you Huber family very much!!

I hope everyone gets a Valentine from someone they love. If not, do something nice for yourself.

I send everyone love and warm hugs from my heart <3

A Pirate's Life For Me



On vacation in 2010 at Nags Head North Carolina



              Time moves by so quickly but we never seem to notice until an event, like my grandson's 8th birthday party. All three of my grandson's are growing up way to fast for me to get a grip on it.I can still remember when I was small and family members made those same comments and I thought to myself, are you kidding me I can't grow up fast enough!

Well now I want time to slow down and give me a chance to catch my breath. I swear these kids were born yesterday....or so it feels.I know the day will come when I won't have any little ones to help give cute little parties for. So I am enjoying each and every moment while I can.

A Wish For More Creative Time

          Another week gone and still very little time spent crafting!! I love weekends and don't we all live for them,but they seem to be a blur of activities that rarely include crafting. It's as if my eyes open up on Saturday morning with the wide eyed excitement of a leisure day of sewing and crafting in my sleepy pants (sweats mostly but sleepy pants sounds cozier). Then before you know it some evil bad guy hits the fast forward button....and ZOOM it's bed time Sunday night! As I shut the lights off and head to bed my eyes look over at all the unfinished projects just waiting for that next magical Saturday..............from another dimension.
Okay enough whining I did complete a new item for my shop a few weeks ago.I need to set aside the time to put it on the shelf of my shop. But again it's been the whole time issue....okay I promise not to go there again.

A little flower pot with a felt poppy from my imagination. The bloom is removable and comes with a seed packet and a plant sprout for a more realistic learning process. Kids can pretend to plant the seeds and then plant the sprout and before long a pretty flower is born!Since I don't have the greenest of thumbs this is one flower I can grow. I think play and learning should go hand and hand with kids. Learning where our food comes from or the process of growing flowers is important for kids.

Team Handmadeology

As I enjoy my lunch at work today,a delicious salad with blue cheese,walnuts and dried cranberries. I was reflecting on how we dodged a blizzard this week. Whew,and double Whew!!Boy we were very lucky! It came within one or two counties of us. Much of my family was effected however and many still remain home today,unable to go anywhere.Thankfully none of them have lost their power,though thousand have up in the Indianapolis area and further north have. This has sure been one interesting winter.Have any of you been affected by this recent storm,some are calling the storm of the century?

So as I chomp on my salad I am enjoying a peaceful moment ( because the boys are all out of the office)just cruising Etsy. It just makes me happy. A nice break from banking, boring computer work,and telemarketers.

I know I have said this before but gosh,there are so many great artists on Etsy. I just recently joined a team called Handmadeology.It's my first and since I am such a green bean to the Etsy world I had no idea what to expect or what I should do. This team has so many active and loyal members. They have put together oodles of treasuries all featuring Handmadeology team members. I was featured in several in just the last few days....now that's a strong active group! So I felt it was my turn to step up and do my part.

Just For Fun is the name of my new treasury I put together today,all from members of this team.


Eccentricity is the name of this shop