Another Quick Post...

Have a few more Zoo layouts. That will be it for now but I am in the process of making Christmas gifts for friends and family so I will be posting those soon :)

Been Very Busy Scrappin' !!

The past two days have been nasty here. Rain, wind, and falling temperatures. I used the time to my advantage and did some marathon scrapping. It worked out great! Time flew, I accomplished quite a bit, and I actually have some layouts to share with you all, instead of the usual paper piecings and other small projects.

I must have near a thousand zoo pictures so that is the theme I worked on.

As always, let me know what you guys think!







These pictures were taken during a very warm winter day. You can see there is still snow on the ground but it was near 65 that day!

This layout was really easy to do, but I like it because of the different kinds of paper I used for the leaves.

I absolutely LOVE this vellum paper!! I have no idea where I got it and I can't seem to find it anywhere I look. If you happen to recognize this paper and know where I might be able to get some more please let me know!

Thinking Snow???

Not me! I can wait for the first snow fall. However, I was in a swap with a snow theme. This is what I came up with. I used my Cricut and the Speaking Of Winter cartridge. It was simple and quick, two things I love when making multiples. The snowflake borders are adhesive. I bought them on clearance at Walmart last year right after Christmas, they were 15 cents each! I used white cat's eye chalk around the edges to give it a 'snowy' look.

Ready for Some Christmas Scrapping?

I am!!!

I am using my Cricut to make Christmas Gift Tags this year. I used both Joys of the Season and and Christmas Cheer to make these tags. Super easy and super fast!!

Here is a recipe page for Gingerbread People. This is a recipe that the boys and I make every Christmas.

More Goodies.....

Here are a few more things I have recently completed.



This Betty Boop pattern did not turn out as good as I had hoped : ( She is alright, but I had higher hopes for the finished product.


I made two of these Tinkerbells. I adore Tinkerbell, that is the only reason I made her. With three boys in the house I have little use for girly things. I will probably end up giving all three of these PP's away.

Let me know what you all think!

HALLOWEEEN IS DRAWING CLOSER!!

Hi All!

Halloween, one of my favorite holidays, it getting closer! In honor of that I am posting a few little Halloween themed projects I completed this week.

Hope you like them :)


This journal box was super easy to make, and cute! The middle is NOT blue, but purple. For some reason it shows up blue on my digital :(

I am just beginning to get into stamping, much to my poor husband's horror :) I made these deco squares easily enough. I think I am ready to move on to more exciting things like heat embossing now :) Wait until I explain what that means to him!

This little PP was super fast and really easy to make. What's better is that my boys actually like him!

That is it for now, but keep checking back because I have been very busy and have tons more to post!

BEEN AWAY.....

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since my last post. I have been dealing with a slew of health problems these last few weeks. Without going into great detail, I will just say it has been very rough on me and my family. I think I finally might be seeing that light at the end of the tunnel I have been trapped in, though. I have felt so bad I have not been doing much in the way of scrapping and when I did, I usually threw away what I did because it just was not up to my standards. In the last few days, feeling just a little bit better, I have been able to make a few little things here and there.

Hope you all like them :) As always, please leave a comment, you know that I love reading what you have to say.

The first set of pictures is another recipe page I made, this time for a favorite recipe of the house. I was going for a casual, almost pizza bistro look. I don't think I quite got there, but it ended up okay, I guess.

The tags are for a Pool Swap I joined. I fell in love with the paper which is from Karen Foster. I LOVE her calender paper stacks and try to get a couple each year. The shorts I hand drew and cut, they were easy. The sun drove me crazy with all those little rays. It did not show up in the picture, but I did apply Crystal Stickles to the rays to give them a little sparkle. I used pop dots for the circle part of the sun for a little 3-D look, and chalked the middle for dimension.

All in all, these were very easy projects, I completed all in one afternoon. This is a good thing since I am finding myself SOOOO far behind in my scrapping.

Hopefully I will be getting better each day from now on, instead of worse. If so, expect to see a lot more posting. Most of it will be Fall and Halloween related, too!!

Autumn Is In The Air!

Well... Autumn is sort of in the air here. The weather is great , just cool enough without being chilly at night and warm enough during the day that it is wonderful to be outside. Weather like this gets me thinking about Fall. Changing leaves, blustery days, and yummy stews and casseroles!

Fall is my favorite time of year so you will be seeing a lot of Fall related piecings and layouts from me in the coming weeks.

The chalking did not show up in the scan , but I think he turned out pretty cute. Let me know what you think - I love your feedback!

INVISIBLE ILLNESS WEEK : PLEASE TAKE A LOOK!

Hi All,

I am not posting any scrapping projects with this particular post because it needs to stand on it's own. I will post something later, though, so please keep an eye out. Until then, I hope that you will all take the time to read this.

Next week is Invisible Illness Week - it is a week when people who have invisible chronic illnesses - illnesses that cannot be seen on the outside of a person's body - come together to spread the word about all types of invisible illnesses. You all know by now, my invisible illness is Trigeminal Neuralgia or TN. To look at me you would not know I am ill. Unless my meds are making me bloated :( Usually, I look pretty normal. People with invisible illnesses look fine on the outside, for the most part, but are stricken with pain and sickness on the inside. Often, people don't even believe when invisible illness sufferers tell them we are sick, they think we are making it all up, wanting attention, wanting to be the center of everything, when those things are the farthest from the truth! Even doctors have told invisible illness sufferers we were making it all up and needed to see a mental health professional. The whole time, our pain and illnesses are VERY real.

I hope you all will take a few minuets to read the following list I am posting in honor of Invisible Illness Week. The word needs to be spread about all types of invisible illness. I hope to do what I can about spreading the word about my particular illness.

Anyone that suffers with an invisible illness, or suffers through watching a loved one struggle with one, please feel free to leave a comment. All are encouraged to leave comments as long as they are positive ones.

For anyone who wants to know more about Invisible Illness Week, I will post information at very the bottom of this post.


THIRTY THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT MY ILLNESS:

1. The illness I live with is : Trigeminal Neuralgia

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year : 2007

3. But I have had symptoms since : 2003

4. The biggest adjustment I've had to make is : Not being able to do anything spontaneously. I ALWAYS have to plan everything out to the last minute, even then, sometimes, I can't do what was planned because of the weather and my elevated pain level.

5. Most people assume: Trigeminal Neuralgia is not as bad as I am making it out to be.

6. The hardest part about mornings is: I usually do better in the mornings, my pain is almost always at it's lowest then. When it is not, eating breakfast can be the hardest thing for me.

7. My favorite medical T.V show is : Mystery Diagnoses - They have profiled TN and many other invisible illnesses.

8. A gadget I couldn't live without : I probably could live without my iPod, but I really hope I never have to. Sometimes music really helps me cope with the pain.

9. The hardest part about nights are: Not being able to sleep because of the pain. The house is silent, as it should be, and I never feel more alone than I do during the nights.

10. Each day I take between 14 and 26 pills, depending on my pain level.

11. Regarding Alternative treatments I : I have tried just about everything I can find. I have done acupuncture, chiropractic, meditation, vitamins, and herbal treatments - none have worked. I was even preparing to go to Germany for specialized treatment that is not available here in the US until the doctors there decided I was not a candidate for that particular treatment.

12. If I had to choose between invisible illness or visible illness I would choose : I would choose a visible illness. There is nothing worse than no one believing that you are ill!! I know it sounds bad, but if people could see that I was sick, they would probably understand a whole lot better.

13. Regarding work and career: I don't have either any longer. I once was a fairly successful Children's Photographer. Now the only pictures I take are of my own children, on days when I can stand my pain enough to do so. I miss working and I miss the babies and small children I use to get to photograph. I hold out hope that one day I will be able to resume my career.

14. People would be surprised to know: There are days they see me , or talk to me, that I am in so much pain I can barely stand to speak.

15. The hardest part to accept about my new reality has been: Beside the pain, it would have to be the problem eating. Most days I can only eat soup and maybe a little mashed potatoes because most of my TN pain centers in my mouth and teeth. Yes, it keeps me thin, but what I would not do for a pizza!

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I have done : I have spoken to others about my illness. It is not easy to open up to a group of people after so many others around you have had trouble believing that you are in the type of pain you really suffer with.

17. The commercials about my illness : What commercials!? There are not any! At least none that I have seen, anyway. Trigeminal Neuralgia is such a little known illness most people, even some doctors, have not heard of it.

18. Something that I really miss doing since my illness that I used to do : I miss taking long, hot baths. I can no longer do so. My bathing must be as quick possible so that the change in my body temp. does not cause my pain to flare up. Everyday, when I bathe, I face the potential for pain.

19. It was really hard to give up: Long walks with my kids, playing in the snow with the boys, popcorn, chips, pizza, any food that is not soft and requires little to no chewing.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnoses is: I have started to blog, which I love. I have also begun to paint with water colors, which I am REALLY bad at!

21. If I could have a day of being normal again I would: Travel to Illinois to see my family. The TN makes traveling next to impossible for me.

22. My illness has taught me : I have learned that I can deal with a lot more pain that I would have ever thought that I could. It has also made me realize how much I really want to stick around and be here to see my kids grow up and have families of their own. No amount of pain is going to make me miss out on that. Maybe by the time they are grown there will be better medications, or a cure, for this dreaded thing!

23. Want to know a secret? Something people say that gets under my skin is: Maybe you have a bad tooth. Maybe you should go see the dentist. Those things make me crazy! I have been to dentist after dentist. I have had root canals that I never needed! I see a wonderful dentist 2 times a year for cleaning and check ups. There is not a thing that is wrong with ANY tooth in my mouth! The pain I feel in my teeth, gums and mouth is from the TN, not a bad tooth.

24. But I love it when people say: I have read about your condition so I can understand what TN sufferers are going through just a little bit better. Unfortunately, I don't hear this very often at all.

25. My favorite motto, scriptures, or quotes that get me through rough times : What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Fear is fine as long as you face it. Being scared does not make you weak; it makes you human.

26. When someone is diagnosed I like to tell them : I tell them to hang on to their loved ones, they will sometimes be the only things getting them through really bad days.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an invisible illness is : How far I have come since the day I was diagnosed. I can admit I did not have much hope for myself that day. Seriously, who wants to be told you have a condition that will cause you pain every day for the rest of you life. And by the way, there is no cure. Since my diagnoses, with the help of my family, and a few very good friends, who are willing to give me a kick in the pants when I need it and get me thinking straight, I do have hope. I have hope that some time soon TN will be a thing of the past.

28. The nicest thing someone has done for me when I was not feeling well was : To just sit with me quietly. My boys are amazing at doing this. They will often sit with me on rainy and humid days, when my pain is at it's worst, and will will watch movies. It is quiet, which I need when I am in so much pain, and they are with me which helps more than I can ever explain in words.

29. I am involved in Invisible Illness Week because : There is such a need to get the word out about ALL types of Invisible Illnesses! The men and women who suffer with invisible illnesses need understanding, compassion and medical care. In order to get these things people need to be educated about each Invisible Illness out there.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel : Hopeful. I feel that with every person who knows about Invisible Illnesses we are coming one step closer to cures for everyone.


If you have read this far I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I would like to encourage you to send the url to my blog to anyone you know suffering with an Invisible Illness, or anyone you think might like to read it and be a little more informed about Invisible Illnesses.

If you would like to become involved with Invisible Illness Week here is the information you need to do so :

Find out more about National Invisible Chronic Illness Week and the 5 -day free virtual conference with 20 speakers September 14- 18, 2009 at www.invisibleillness.com

If you are interested in blogging a post like this one please go to:

http://ow.ly/nhgv

Thanks again for taking the time to read this - please help us spread the word bout Invisible Chronic Illnesses!

My First Blog Award!

I am so honored to accept this blog award from Amy. I am surprised, to say the least. I want to send out a huge thank you to Amy for nominating me!



Okay - here is what I have to do to accept this award - I hope i have everything ;)



To accept this award I have to do the following:



Thank the person who nominated me for this award.

Copy the logo and place it on my blog.

Link the person who nominated me for this award.

Name seven things about me people might find interesting.

Name seven Kreativ Bloggers.

Post links to the seven blogs I nominate .

Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know I nominated them.



Thank you once again Amy - http://mycreativeclutter.blogspot.com/ I am SO thrilled to get this :)



Seven thing you might find interesting about me....this is going to be a hard one..



1. I met my husband in September and married him in December of that same year.



2. I don't know how to swim.



3. I died my hair electric blue this summer when my boys talked me into it.



4. In the 16 years I have been married I have moved 12 times - ugh!



5. I walk at least 2 miles a day, every day, weather and pain permitting.



6. One of my favorite places in the world is the St. Louis Zoo.



7. I like to paint with watercolors - though I am good at it at all!



Seven Kreative Bloggers :



Krystal - http://yourypsygirl.blogspot.com/



Amy - http://amyskreations.blospot.com/



Crafty Gifts - http://cricutchristmas.blogspot.com/



Scrapin Outloud - http://scrappinoutloud.blogspot.com/


Amy- http://mycreativeclutter.com/


Kathy - http://peachykeenstamps.com/


Irene - http://scrapperlicious.blogspot.com//


It took me a while but I got it all done! Thank again, Amy!

Recipe Pages....

This recipe for Watermelon Ice Cream Cake is not only good, the kids will love that it looks like a watermelon! Give it a try next 4th of July - it will be an instant hit with everyone!!

First of all, let me say that I got this idea from another recipe page I saw for cookies and adapted it to fit my needs. It was a bit of a pain to type the recipe in a triangle shape, but I like the way it turned out. I used doubled sided tape on the "piece of pie" so it is raised up a bit, that way the recipe slides in and out easily.

This is a true family favorite recipe for summer. Strawberry Lemonade - what could be more refreshing on a hot summer day? Everyone who has ever tried this recipe loves it so I wanted to make a page that would do it justice. I printed the recipe on white Vellum and chalked the edges with a pastel pink liquid chalk pad to give it a little dimension. I cut the straw by hand , I drew the lemons and strawberries, too. The fancy edges on the pink card stark are just decorative scissors. It was quick and easy just like the recipe is :)

The weather is mild and I am feeling SO much better today, as you all might have guessed!! I am working on some projects that I have wanted to finish for a while now. These are just a few of my recipe pages. I collect recipes and I am in the process of making recipe books for my boys - as future wedding gifts :) I am loving the process, except for the fact that it makes me hungry!

If the weather holds this weekend, I will be getting a lot of stuff done and have plenty to post on Monday - so think NO HUMIDITY!!!

Another Card....

I made this card for an online friend who just became a Grandma! I didn't want to go with the traditional light blue theme so I tried lime green and white. I was also a little bored with doing the standard rectangle card and flipped it around a bit. You can't tell from the picture, but the wording and the feet have raised white dots on them, very cool! What do you guys think?

On A Roll....

I am happy to be able to report that I am feeling much better!!! The humidity is all but gone and the temp. in in the low 80's. I am taking advantage of this as much as I can. Yesterday I spent cleaning and giving the house a good once over...well, the boys' rooms needed twice and three times over ;) Laundry and errands are all caught up, too. So today I can play!!

Here are a few little things I made early this morning.... Halloween is a HUGE thing in our house so you will be seeing a ton of Halloween things from now until the actual holiday comes around.

These little embellishments are very simple. I hand drew them myself, ( I am determined to teach myself how to draw yet! ), I think they could pretty much be added to just about any Halloween layout.

I am moving on to more complicated Halloween stuff after the boys and I have a nice picnic lunch on our deck ... be back later :-)

Bow Wow!!

Well... the past three days I have felt trapped in a really bad horror movie. I have been in constant pain, up all night, and pacing most of my days because of the intense pain. All because of the nasty weather we are having here. I keep hearing on the news that it won't be as hot and the humidity will lessen - you could not tell it by my face so far :(

So here is what I have managed - it's not much....I do like the little dog I made for the deco squares. I call him Mort.

The Elephant is of course named Peanut :)

Scrapping Pics From Christmas....

Alright...I know it is strange to be scrapping Christmas pictures in August but I have to scrap but interests me, or what I have ideas for at the time. I might scrap Christmas today and Easter next week. I figure it is fine, as long as everything eventually gets scrapped :-) Maybe scrapping Christmases past will help me stay cool as the heat index soars to around 112 this weekend. This little journal box is simple (only took me 10 minutes to put together), but kind of cute - simple has been my theme this week as I try and deal with some pretty bad pain. The humidity just keeps climbing, and with it so does my TN pain. I am hanging in there by thinking about the fact that September is not so far off and with it the cooler mornings and outdoor fireplace nights! I live for the early Autumn when I can bundle up in my Snuggie ( yes, I have one!) and spend time around the fire pit with my family!

I HAVE to get some swaps finished up this weekend and I am already working on some Halloween paper piecings! I will post them as I finish.

Oh! I also have a few holiday themed PP's that my boys refer to as "girly". Since they don't want them in their books, and I have no other use for them , I am going to be hosting a give-away on this blog in the coming weeks - so check back often for details on that ! I guess it will be my version of Blog Candy. Free and zero calories...who wouldn't love that!

My Attempt At A card...

Okay...I REALLY want to learn how to make cards. I have been seeing these stunning cards people are making, and I would love to be half as good as they are. In the interest of learning, I entered a contest and submitted this card. I think it is okay, but that is the problem. It is just okay. SO ....all of you beautiful card makers out there who read this blog, what is this card missing? I would love any advice you ladies could give to me.

Goin' Buggy!

I really, really dislike bugs. I especially don't want them in my house! One type of bug I do like, probably the only kind, is ladybugs. A while back , when I was messing with some extra thick mulberry paper, I made these little guys, or girls :)

I had a lot of fun with these and my big idea was to try and make some turtles and frogs. Of course, they are sitting, half done, in my 'in progress' file. I wish I could say I will get them done this weekend, but it is humid and rainy here again. That means my pain is all out of control..again :( In the event that I DO get them done, I will be sure to post them right here!

Some Day My Prince Will Come...or not...

I originally made 20 Cinderella's and Prince Charmings, by hand, glittery dresses included, for a swap I am in. Just as I was putting the finishing touches on the 6x6 pages, some water was spilled and the pages were ruined. After some tears of frustration and complete disbelief, I got to work on re-doing the pages. I was running out of time, having to re-make so many pages, and I had to go a different route to get them completed on time :( I did take pictures of my work before the water incident, so I will post the original Cinderella's and Prince Charmings today.

Cinderella's dress is made from glitter card stock. I really like working with glitter card stock, but I am still cleaning up glitter from just about every surface you can imagine. At times I have even had glitter on my face and in my hair! Does anyone know of any way to stop the glitter from going all over?!

PLEASE READ :

All of the Princes' were damaged beyond recognition. I was able to save a few of the Cinderella's, though I have absolutely no use for them at all. If anyone wants a Cinderella, or two, please leave me a message with you private email so I can contact you for mailing info - but please do NOT leave your mailing addy here! I have both the blue dress Cinderella's and the peach dress Cinderella's, so you can ask for a certain color if you want, but please remember it will be first come first served - I only have about 8 or 9 of them that were not damaged. I would also like for these to go to as many people as possible, so please, only request one or two. THANKS!!!

Another Summer PP

Well..the past few days have not been very good ones for me :( It rained here Wednesday and Thursday which brought the TN crashing down on me...yesterday was a beautiful day but after a doctor's appointment from hell ...a new doctor who I am certain is into torture, and took a safety pin to my face "just to see if it might hurt" my pain has been much to worse to do much of anything but pace around. I have not slept at all since Thursday night. At times the pain is so intense I can't even lie down to rest. Between the pain and all of the pain meds I am a mess. Today is another wonderful day weather wise so hopefully my very irritated nerve will calm down soon and I can get some much needed rest. Please excuse any grammar issues in this post, I just don't have the energy, or frame of mind to check for spelling errors right now. What I do have the energy to do is post a little something I created recently. As you all know, I am not one who likes what I make very often, but I like this guy. Let me all know what you think of 'Marco the fishing moose'. He was made from a coloring pages, as most of my PP's are, so if you are wanting the pattern I will be glad to email it to you.

Have a great weekend, and lets hope my next post is a much more positive one!

Those DOG Days Of Summer....

Just a quick post before I run the kids over to the pool. This is a cute little piece I made for a really dear internet friend of mine. I hope she likes it as much as I do :)

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!

Happy 4th everyone! Hope you are all having a great day, no matter what you are doing. It is raining here :( It has been since last night. It is on/off and not very heavy, so it did not prevent us from doing much and I think we will get to see fireworks, too, as long as any heavy stuff holds off until later in the night :)

I have been in some pretty bad pain through-out the day, but I have tried to get past it by taking my pain meds and do the activities my family had planned. My husband cooked a HUGE amount of food on the grill while the boys and I stayed on the deck, out of the drizzle , and made tie-dye shirts. That was so much fun! Already the boys are wanting to know when we can do it again. I took pictures and am trying to get some idea on how to scrap them - so, if any of you have any ideas toss them out to me!

I plan on working on a bunch of scrap stuff tomorrow. I might even put together some layouts!! Imagine that :) Until then, here is a little PP I did a while back for a beach layout. Once again, the finished PP did not quite come out like the image I had in my head :) I think it's alright, though. What do you guys think?

So Many Things To Do - So Little Summer!!

I am calling this piece Beary Busy! I am usually not one to fall in love with things I make, but I have to admit, I am loving this little guy. He is ready to have some summer fun!

He took some time. There were a lot of little pieces. I did some stuff with marker, too - like the napkin and the red stripes on the flag, in the interest of saving some time and sanity. I made the star on the flag with Stickles, of course :)

As always, I love to hear what you guys think! Constructive criticism is welcome!

Some July 4th Spirit

I have been hard at work all day , hiding from the heat and humidity we are suffering in these parts. While the weather has been terrible for my pain, it has been great for my scrapping! I have gotten quite a bit accomplished, so expect quite a few posts in the next few days. Here is one that relates to the upcoming Fourth of July holiday - one of my favorite holidays. I am hoping and praying for some nicer weather so I can get out and about and do something with my family.

These deco squares took me almost no time at all to make. I cut the squares with my Cricut. I also cut the stars, hearts, watermelon , and the rectangle for the firework with my Cricut. All I had to do was assemble them and add a little glitter for embellishment. The glitter I added was actually glitter glue called Stickles - one of my favorites! I go through the stuff like crazy! It is super easy to use, and comes in all kinds of colors! Just be sure to allow enough time for the glue to dry, or it will smear.

The scan did not turn out well, these look a lot cuter in person than they do here. The bigger squares are blue, not black.

I like the way these turned out. Though quick and easy, I think they will look good on a July 4th layout.

Another Recipe Page

Alright, it has been a while since I made this page, but when I pulled it out to show to someone I decided it was too cute not to post on here. Besides that, I am feeling pretty awful as far a pain. It is SO hot and SOO humid there is not a chance of me being able to go outside. The pain I have had the past couple of days is making it impossible for me to scrap. Someone very special to me passed away in her sleep last night and that has me down as well.

Hopefully things will be looking up for me next week and I will have plenty of new things to post.

As for this weeks recipe page :

For some reason when I scanned it the blue recipe part turned out a lot darker then it really is. You can see and read the words very easily on the real page. The cowboy PP I did by hand and it took me forever, too! I do like the way he turned out though. I completed this page long before I had a Cricut so the letters were also cut by hand. I wonder, now that I do have a Cricut, how I ever made it before that!

Think People And Puppies And What Do You Get?

People Puppy Chow!! Yummy!! My group is working on recipes swaps and this is one of mine. I have a real problem with liking anything I make, it makes my husband crazy, but I have to admit I am liking this recipe page :) If you can't read the directions and want this recipe, email me or leave me a message here. I will happy to send it over to you!

I am going to try to scrap through out the day..the boys and I were planning a hike today but we have been rained out :( It is raining like mad - almost two inches has fallen in less than 4 hours. Nearby rivers and creeks are overflowing already. We are still due more before it will move out of the area.

Rain means pain for me - I am trying to get some scrapping done, but I don't know how much will actually get accomplished when I feel like this. The pressure in my face is horrible and the pain is starting to get really bad. It is only a little after noon, so I know I am in for a pain-filled day. I need some dry weather soon!!

Another

Here is another piece I made for my friend. I had an idea of what it would look like in my head, but it didn't quite work out :( I messed up when scanning her in and used white paper, so her face is not easily visible, but I think you can still get the general idea. The pen work was done by hand and took a long time - that is the part I like the best about the whole thing.

Just Kinda Hanging Out...

Hi All!

I have been just hanging out today. Doing nothing more than what I want to do - scrapping :) I get so few days to do that, and it was just perfect, all the way from my pain level (mild), to the weather ( spectacular) ! My boys and I went for a walk after dinner and a neighbor asked if I wished every day was so wonderful. I told her I feel blessed to have any day like this. I meant that , too.

Enough of my rambling. I will explain a little bit about what I have posted for today. These pieces are more than likely something I would have never made for myself. I just don't see my ever getting to go to Japan, but then again I try to never say never. A great friend of mine, Kristal, did get to go to Japan. I made these pieces for her. I have not finished the third yet, it has a ton of detail. I had fun making these, though. My camera did not do them justice, the face on the doll looks a lot cuter in person. I hope she likes them! I hope you all like them, too!!

Have a great night! I will be working on some projects this weekend. If things go as planned, I will have plenty to post next week :)

Summer Is Here At Last!

My pain is really, really bad right now :( I went for my six month dental visit Friday morning and suffered through a teeth cleaning...it is a catch 22, if I go to the dentist I am in pain, if I let my teeth go I will be in pain...I choose to keep my teeth as healthy as possible. Guess what? No cavaties! The rest of the family was not as lucky, though... Well, enough of my whining...the weather here is incredible today!! Sunny and 83, no humidity. If only summer could stay like this! Even though my pain has been pretty awful I was able to spend part of my day outside. In keeping with my summer mood, I am posting a recipe page I just made. Yes, I even scrap my recipes. I am making books, one for each of my boys, it will be a wedding gift to them and their brides when they marry. It will have all of there favorite recipes inside, plus some little extras thrown in a long the way, funny stories about them, embarassing pictures....he, he he, they will love me for it :)

This particular recipe is a family favorite. The paper piecings took me foverver to do, and the vellum drove me crazy...but I think it turned out okay.