The Worst Summer of My Life

As the title says, it has been the worst summer of my life! I wish I could start over again, but have it end with different results. My husband and I had been looking forward to a really nice vacation starting with a scenic train ride from Chicago to San Francisco, then spending four days in San Francisco in the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, he became ill, so we flew home. He passed away within 18 hours of getting home. He passed from pneumonia. It all happened so fast! One day he was fine and working in the yard, traveling and enjoying the scenery. In just a couple of days later, he was gone. 

So, my life is in a complete mess right now. It's the absolute worst thing I've ever been through in my life. Fortunately, I have an amazing support system with family and friends. My kids have talked me into moving closer to them, which I agree is a good idea since I do spend so much time with them and I now feel so alone out here by myself. It's really not that far (about 30 minutes) but now I've found a house a mile away from my son. In the summer it's not so bad, but we are known to have some brutal winters with a lot of that Lake Michigan snow. And driving can be disastrous. And it will be so nice to be right there with them. My granddaughter and my son timed their bike ride from their house to mine, five minutes and 15 seconds. My subdivision is across the street from theirs. She is really excited. I've even given her the task of decorating the guest bedroom since she will be the one to use it the most.

This is why the blog has been neglected. Between keeping the business afloat, grieving, moving, and trying to get my life back in some kind of order, I'm overwhelmed. So, hang in there with me and I'll be bringing some more informative articles, tutorials, and other fun things you are used to seeing here. I might just be moving a little slower at it than usual.

Photo above: One of the photos I took from our scenic train ride which was the last time and place I saw my husband's beautiful smile.

What Happens on a Girls' Trip...

If you've never gone on a girls trip you are missing out! One of my mom's favorite things was going on girls’ trips. And for those who knew her will know that they were always centered around shopping. Mom loved to shop! Two of my favorites were Mall of America and Gurnee Mills. She always liked to stay in the nicest hotels too. I really miss those days with my mom, my sis and myself just enjoying non-stop shopping and having fun. My most recent was a trip to Frankenmuth with my daughter-in-law, my sis, and our granddaughters. And yes, in the photo above you'll see my 60-year-old sister hanging from the luggage rack. It's hard to believe that no drinking was involved. But that's just some silly fun we would have never had if we had the hubsters along.

What makes for a good girl’s trip? A girl’s trip is anything you want it to be. You can go on shopping trips, state park trips, big city trips, small town trips, and even wineries. For the wineries just make sure you grab an Uber and of course, you must all be twenty-one. And whatever you do, you need to journal it so you never forget a thing. If kids are involved, it's easier when they are older. Just be sure to include as much fun for them as for the adults.

Another fun thing to include is something matchy. If you are the planner, you can give everyone a nice little gift such as fun travel accessories or piece of jewelry. On our recent trip you can see that we all had matching (temporary) tattoos. Quite surprisingly they lasted the whole trip!

OK, one more rule. When you do travel with your granddaughters and they want ice cream for dinner, you have ice cream for dinner!

Where will your next girls’ trip be?

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There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week.  

Is This What They Call The Golden Years?

Does time seem to go too fast or is it just me? I have officially reached what they call the “Golden Years.” I celebrated my sixtieth birthday four years ago and in the past four years I feel like I’ve learned so much, mostly about myself. And it’s not all bad. The way I look at things is completely different than it was just ten or fifteen years ago.

I’ve learned where my priorities are. I’ve always put my family first above everything but I now I guess I look at it even differently. I became a Nana almost twelve years ago. I’ve discovered a kind of love that I’ve never known before. Having kids is amazing in its own way, but having a grandchild is on a whole other level. Maybe it’s because you don’t see them as much as you did when your kids were growing up, or maybe it’s because you are not the disciplinarian and are more relaxed and chill around them. I just know that when that beautiful child is with me, life stops everywhere else, and I just enjoy every minute.

Time is ticking along. Some say time is an illusion and I never understood that, and probably never will. The fact is that it’s moving ahead, quickly. All that being said, the way I prefer to spend my time is different than it used to be. I focus on doing things I enjoy, and I have learned to say no to things that I would have done before because I thought I had to. No more of that.

Giving is so much more fun for me than receiving. You reach a point where you really have what you need, and “things” don’t make you as happy as it once did. I find it more rewarding to share what I have or what I can with others that are in need. Time, money, or awareness can make a difference in your life and can help those in need. When you realize how blessed you are, in what ever way that may be, it makes you want to share that with others.

There’s more to life than what we have in Indiana. Yep, a lot more! I’ve always enjoyed traveling but these days, we travel every chance we get. I’d rather spend my money doing things and having experiences than buying material things. It’s a big world out there and we want to see it while we still can. We’ll be taking our first scenic train ride in a couple of months. It will be an experience. I’m glad my husband isn’t into taking pictures and videos because I’m sure it will be quite a sight watching me climb up into the upper bunk at night.

I realize that my health is my most important asset. No truer words have ever been spoken. As I watched my parents and others age, I realize that not only do I want to remain healthy to live longer but I want to keep my mobility. Years ago, diet and exercise were something I attained for vanity purposes. Today, it’s all about my health and mobility. I’ve gotten a good hold of that lately and am working hard at trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Next, I’m going to add strength training to my daily routine.

If you are still with me and haven’t fallen asleep while I ramble on, thank you. My final thought is that I hope you are inspired to take good care of yourself and those around you.

The photo above is my favorite photo from a two-week road trip we took last year. There are a lot of beautiful places out there!

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There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week.  

 

Gallery Glass - Great Idea for a Kid's Craft

 

I don't mean to brag but...I am the lucky Nana to a smart, beautiful, thoughtful, and talented girl. OK, maybe I bragged a wee bit! She likes to spend weekends with us, and it always must be two nights. Her rule, not mine. That leaves lots of time to work on craft projects and she loves to do craft projects. I've already introduced her to my sewing machines.

One of the projects we recently did was with Gallery Glass. I purchased the kit at Amazon, but I also found it at WalMart. What's great about this paint is that you use it right out of the bottle. There are no messy paint brushes or dirty paint water. It's great for kids because they use the bottle for the painting, which is much easier than using a paintbrush. I did some research to make sure it's kid friendly and it is. It's non-toxic and water based. Of course you'll want to supervise, especially with younger children.

Always make sure that you use a protective product over your work surface. You'll also want to use some alcohol to wipe down the glass so there will be no oil or dirt left behind. Also stress the importance of trying not to touch the glass (painting area) with your fingers. If using it on a glass, candle cup or other type of holder, it's easy to hold the item placing your hand or fingers inside while you are painting the outside. 

Once your area and glass are ready, you draw your picture or design with the black "leading" which is kind of like a 3-dimensional paint. You need to let that completely dry before continuing. Once it's completely dry, you fill in the areas with the colored paint.

I happened to have these glass bowls left from a couple of parties that we hosted. They were used for the centerpieces, and I hated the thought of getting rid of them and I'm glad I didn't. I also have a box of flameless votive candles which worked perfectly inside. My granddaughter can use it in her room and doesn't have to worry about forgetting to blow out a candle or catching the place on fire. I personally prefer those over real candles lately. They really look real too. I'll share the links to these things below. 

If you are looking for a great kid's project, this one is easy and inexpensive. These would also make great gifts for the elderly or hospital patient when given with a flameless candle.

Links:

Flameless candles

Gallery Glass

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There's a free machine embroidery design in every issue (unless I'm running a sale). You'll also find links to free sewing tutorials and articles too. The newsletter goes out once a week. 

Une Mousse au Chocolat or A Chocolate Mousse

This year my granddaugher wanted a Parisian theme for her 9th birthday party. She loves Paris (from what she's seen) and is learning the language. She even changes my google assistant to speak French. After she goes home from a weekend with us I have to change it back to English. Love that child!

I came across this unopened box of plastic wine glasses that we had left over from a party several years back. I almost threw them into a donation box. A few days after that, I was happy I didn't because they were so perfect for our chocolate mousse.

When she's here she likes to bake. Her new favorite is food imposter desserts. Since her birthday was coming up we tried a couple of mousse recipes and we decided on the top one on the list. It's the easiest thing in the world to make and only a few ingredients. We used bittersweet chocolate chips, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. That's it. For a fancy dessert, it sure was easy and not expensive at all. 

The main reason we used the top recipe is becuase of the taste and the texture. It was perfect! Another reason this one appealed to me is because it didn't contain eggs. 

Give them a try and you will have a beautiful and delicious dessert with just the right amount of "fancy."

https://celebratingsweets.com/chocolate-mousse/

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/death-by-chocolate-chocolate-mousse-recipe-2011503

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/chocolate-mousse.html

Family Heirlooms

 

There is a cute story to the spoon in the photo above. Several weeks ago I was cleaning out a drawer and came across an old jewelry box I had forgotten about. I opened it up and along with some old jewelry from my teen years was this silver spoon. Well, it was actually black because of sixty years of tarnish. Once I cleaned it I noticed it had my name engraved on it. I found a shop on Etsy that turned it into a ring for me. Now I can enjoy it a whole new way! I didn't know who had gotten it for me so I asked my cousin if she knew. She told me that it had been her! I was so excited because I love this cousin so much and she is also my Godmother. This makes this spoon even more special. I have this vision of my granddaughter wearing this ring as an adult or at least tucking it away with her special things. I'll bet that when my cousin bought that spoon she never in her wildest dreams would imagine me wearing it as a ring sixty years later!

Family heirlooms don't have to be expensive pieces of jewelry that are passed down for generations and generations. They can be anything that is loved and cherished by the original owner or the loved one(s) who want the items for reasons that may be special only to them. 

When my bonus dad passed away in 2015, there were a few things that our family wanted to keep for very special reasons. For example, my brother wanted his WWII items. While cleaning the basement out that year, I was lucky to find his war documents. Right now they are in a fireproof box in my studio. I pull them out regularly to look at them. I also kept his gloves, a jacket, and a scarf. I wanted those items because he was always worried about everyone being cold. He loved his family so much and always wanted them to be happy and comfortable. My daughter wanted one of his handkerchiefs and white undershirts. He was the King of cooking breakfast and when the kids would be there overnight or for breakfast, he'd be in the kitchen in his white shirt cooking up a storm! Such simple items that bring comfort to those he left behind.

Another thing that you'll find in my fireproof box is the many letters and notes my kids wrote to me while growing up, and even after they grew up. Some of them are sweet and loving while some are just plain silly. But I love them!

I'm not a materialistic person, but I do enjoy looking at and holding things that remind me of a special person or time.

Rock Hiding Adventures

 

We have been blessed with the most precious granddaughter, and the best part is that she lives close by. And even better, she loves to spend weekends (or any time for that matter) with us. Whenever she's here we focus completely on her and we are always looking for adventures. She's an adventure type of girl! One of our favorite things to do is to paint rocks and hide them.

We hide them everywhere we can think of. Our favorite places to hide them is some of the many parks and trails we live by. We even get the dog in on the action! The hubster, the dog and I are planning a drive to Texas in the near future and I have a nice little collection to take with me when we stop for breaks.

Our hope is someone will find them and post them to facebook so we can see how far our rocks go. We were super excited recently when two of our rocks were found by two little girls and posted on facebook! But the very most important thing of all is to know that someone out there found one of our rocks and it brought a smile to their face! 

Rock painting and hiding is such a fun thing to do to create memories for your kids or grandkids. And the smiles, laughs, and creative energy is worth a million.

If you are interested in creating these fun memories with your kids, or even yourself (remember I'll be hiding some when I'm traveling without kids), here are a few tips and information to get you started.

SUPPLIES:

Rocks of any shape or size, but not too big.

Paintbrushes

Acrylic paints

Paint pens (optional)

Indoor / Outdoor sealer (I use Krylon glossy)

Please read the instructions carefully on your sealer and use in a well-ventilated area. Preferably outside.

HOW TO:

Paint the rocks as desired (see links for ideas). It's nice to put a facebook group name on the back because sometimes people like to share the rocks that they found and it's fun to see if they found yours! I printed them out on labels and stick to the back before sealing.

Remember, some people like to keep the rocks that they find and some people like to re-hide them. Maybe someone was on a special outing with someone they love when they find your rock. If that's the case, they might want to keep it for a memory. Either way, it's up to them. 

I have read that you shouldn't hide them in the state or national parks since they have the rule of leaving nothing behind but footprints. I have seen a lot of people hiding them there. Maybe if you keep them limited to a pavilion or gift shop rather than the actual trails or beaches. If you are hiding them outside, please don't decorate with wiggle eyes or anything else that an animal can ingest. Stick to paint and makers.

HELPFUL LINKS:

I love painted rocks website

Painted rocks on pinterest

Kindness rocks on Facebook

Found rocks on Facebook

Painted rocks on Facebook

Now go out there and have fun, create memories, make someone smile.

The addiction is real my friends!

Operation Wheelbarrow Restoration

My husband loves to restore old things back to their original glory. This wheelbarrow has been in his family for over 60 years. He loves working in the yard and he uses this wheelbarrow all the time.

As you can see in the lower photo, this thing was in seriously bad condition. Instead of buying a new one, he knew that he could fix this one up. He has a friend who owned a powder coating business so he took care of the steel parts. Brian purchased new handles, nuts, and bolts, and then rebuilt it. Can you believe it's the same wheelbarrow? I saw those old handles, and quite honestly, I'm surprised they didn't fall apart they were so rotted!

Images in page from "Thoughts of Summer" Clipart kit available at my Etsy Shop.

Let There Be Light!

Many of you already know that my totally awesome, and handyman husband built me a totally awesome sewing studio last year. Well, it's still a work in progress because I still need a new work/cutting table, and a sewing table. Today we added lighting. Wow! What a difference! Before I was working under a 60 watt bulb plus a floor lamp that sits in the corner. After our traditional Sunday breakfast out, we stopped off at Menards and picked up the light fixture you see in the photo. It has 6 very bright bulbs that I can move to direct the light anywhere I want. I swear that if I keep my curtains open at night, that room will light up the countryside behind our home!

I just love my sewing studio!

No Snowman Toy For Bubba!

I made the little snowman decoration somewhere around twelve years ago. The kids were still in middle school. So I've had him for many years. I woke up to Brian asking me this morning if I made a snowman toy for Bubba. Since this snowman was made about five years before Bubba was born, I have to say no.

Will he ever be able to tell the difference between his toys and mine?

Sales - Sales - Sales!

 For those in the States, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did! We had a feast! We always cook for an army no matter how many show up. We hosted the big event here. Brian cooked the turkey and it was fabulous! I even used the owl napkin rings that I made. Tutorial here.

I will not be shopping this Black Friday because I will be working. Not sure I'd be out in the crowds anyway. But I will be celebrating Black Friday through Cyber Monday at my shops with sales. Let the Holidays begin!

Turkey in image above is from my Halloween & Fall Clipart Set which can be found at my Etsy Shop, Teacher's Notebook Shop, Meylah Graphics Shop.

Potty Pads - Any Advice?

Many of my readers are probably familiar with our little Bubba and his previous problems. For those who don't know, he's been blocked (bladder) twice, and had two emergency surgeries. He almost died when stones got stuck in the urethra, but he survived what many dogs don't. He gets bladder stones and even though he's on prescription food for that, they still come back. They aren't nearly as big as they once were, but they are still causing the little guy problems.

When I said in my previous post that life gets in the way, this is one of those obstacles. For the past week, he's been having off and on difficulty urinating. It breaks my heart to watch him struggle during those times. The vet had to catheterize him twice last week. I took him to work with me everyday because if he wasn't urinating, we could help him before I took him home. This is one advantage of working for his vet. Unfortunately, and of all times, Doc is out of town! We do have a substitute doctor, but he doesn't handle emergencies or surgeries. If Bubba has more problems, we might do another surgery when Doc comes back that will reroute his "plumbing." It's good answer for this type of problem and is very successful.

I bought some training pads and some special spray and I'm trying to get Bubba to pee on them but he shows no interest. Not only is this a way to keep watch on his medical problem, but I hate taking him outside, especially after dark. We have coyotes and other animals that would not make nice with my Bubba! Our winters are also pretty rough and it would be quite nice to keep him inside since I follow him in the yard in case of furry intruders.

So, I'm looking for advice. Has anyone had success using the training pads on an older dog? I'd really like for this to work for so many reasons.

Leaving Las Vegas (really!)

Many of my friends are probably wondering where I've been the past several days. Well, I'll tell you! Brian and I just returned home from a well needed vacation in Las Vegas. We had a great time! I won't bore you with photo after photo, but I did make a collage of some of my favorites.

We stayed at the Paris Hotel which was quite nice. Yes, we went inside the M&M store. I was in HEAVEN!!! We saw a great show, had some delicious food, did a TON of walking, and enjoyed ourselves every minute.

We aren't big gamblers so we didn't leave a nice chunk of change behind. I was down a wee bit but decided to play one more time on my favorite slot machine, and won it all back and then some. I cashed out immediately and headed back to our room for some sleep before our early flight. 

I'll be catching up on all my friend's blogs in the next couple of days. See you all soon!

Happy Birthday Layla!

 

It was a year ago when I announced that I had become a great aunt for the first time. Well, it's hard to believe that it's already been a year! Yesterday we celebrated Layla's first birthday with family and friends. We had a Minnie Mouse theme, lots of presents, cupcakes, cake, and a healthy luncheon menu. The weather could not have been any better. What a cute birthday girl she is!

Image in photo is from my "What a Face" graphic/clipart kit which is available at my shops.

Parade Anyone?

My daughter is in town so my parents wanted to take her and her husband out to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. Since Brian was working I thought it would be fun to invite myself, so I did. It was a Thai restaurant and I've never been to one before. I must say, the food was quite different but so flavorful and delicious! And don't you love that window the kids were standing in front of? It was a bunch of wine corks behind glass! So cute!

The plan was to head back to my parent's house for a short visit before the hour drive back to my house. We get out of the restaurant and there are squad cars blocking the main road, which would be the road that takes us home. They direct us across the street into a subdivision that has one way in and one way out. Both of those exits are on that main road where they were having their parade. There we were, stuck for over an hour, in the heat, stuck! We spoke with the police officer and was told that we basically had no options. So we watched the parade. We made the best of it and got a few pictures. We also got free t-shirts from a Chevy dealer. My daughter was even invited to join an aerobics pole dancing class. No way! Not my little girl! OK, she's almost 27, but still... We did see horses, they were cool!

Lesson learned: When your bladder tells you that you should visit the ladies room before you leave the restaurant, go there! I thought I had a quick 15 minute drive back to mom's house. I was so wrong!

From Craft & Sewing Room to Guest Room

Many of you have already seen my new craft and sewing room. If you didn't, you can see that post here. I was amazed at how quickly it turned from my work space to the guest room in less than ten minutes. This week my daughter has been visiting from Delaware and we got to try out the new room. It couldn't be easier. I just took down the craft table, placed it flat on the floor and pulled the bed down from the wall. I put on some clean bedding, added pillows and Voila! Guest room!!!

Once I took my sewing machine off the sewing table, it gave them a nice desk area to place their laptops. The baskets on the bottom shelves of the wall where the bed is are always kept empty so that my guests can use them to stash things inside. The kids slipped them under the shelves and they have little bedside tables now. Perfect!

If anyone is trying to think of a way to to make a room do double duty, I highly suggest a Murphy bed. It does require tools and a knowledge of woodworking, but it makes for a cozy space, and is quite comfy.

Images in scrap page are from my Fun in the Tub & Crafting Fun which are available at my Etsy Shop, Clipart Shop, and my Website.

Friday the 13th

Punkie would like to wish all our friends in blogland a very happy Friday the 13th. She would like you to remember this important fact:

When a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going someplace.

Have a happy day!

Valentine's Day Quick Page Freebie

I would like to wish all my readers, my family, and especially my husband a Happy Valentine's Day! I got lucky when I met Brian. He is the best Valentine! These are two of my favorite photos.

As a gift for my readers, I'd like you to have the above quick page. Obviously yours will have transparent windows to put your own images behind. This is a 4 x 6 size, 300 DPI, PNG image for a perfect and crisp printout. You can print them from your home computer or upload them to your favorite photo processing center.

You can pick yours up at my website here, or at 4-Shared here.

Enjoy!

Wavy line along bottom edge is from my Edges Template Kit available at my Etsy shop.

I Promise I Won't Kill You!

This is a Jade Plant. One of our clients gave us a super big plant, and this piece fell off as they were bringing it into the building. I thought it would be fun to see if I can make it grow. It will be my little project. Now for everyone who knows me, you can all STOP LAUGHING RIGHT NOW! For those who don't know me, I have a reputation with plants and flowers. I tend to kill them.

Brian takes care of all the gardening here at the home front. His flowers are beautiful! They are around the pool, around the deck, and alongside the house. Then we get annuals to put various places in the yard as well. When Elyse got married (at Yosemite National Park, FUN it was!) we had her reception here at the house. We went out and bought lots of extra annuals so the yard would be super colorful with beautiful flowers. It turned out perfect because the day of the reception, the perennials were all in full bloom. Beautiful! Well, since I was in charge of caring for the annuals, they all died! Yep, I killed each and every one of them. But Brian went out right before the wedding and replaced them all. So it was beautiful after all!

He must have faith in me for this project because when I came home from work he had potting soil waiting for me in the laundry room. He even went out and bought that cute little pot so I wouldn't have to stop on my way home in this terrible snowstorm. He even left me a little note, but I'm not telling you what it said ;)

I can do this!

The Plans are Set!

The designs for my sewing and craft room have been made! Brian told me to draw them up and he will make them a reality! OK, the measurements are not exact. They are close, but he'll figure all that out, he's the expert. Once I had the dimensions of the Murphy bed, all I had to do was figure out what else I want. The dotted line shows the space the bed will take when dropped from the wall.

Definite:
~I will store my fabrics upright using comic book boards.
~I will use glass jars to store all my colorful things like scribbles paints, embroidery floss, zippers, buttons, etc...
~The craft table (which I'm thinking will actually be bigger than in this plan) will have to be counter top height and must be able to easily fold down when guests stay, which isn't very often.
~I will be able to remove all my craft and sewing books from the closet and put them on the book shelves.
~My world pin map will be hanging to the right of the window.
~He will build a little bed for Punkie because she loves that room and I will make a cushy and comfy pillowtop for it. I haven't told him this part yet, but he reads my blog.

Below is an example of what the comic book boards and fabric storage looks like. I love it! It will make choosing fabric so much easier than my present system of dragging out the big Rubbermaid storage bins!

I'm taking more ideas so if you have any, I'd love to hear them!!!

Source: flickr.com via Sher on Pinterest