Happy New Year!

2010, wow, I can hardly believe it! A new decade....I hope you have safe plans for the New Year festivities. It is raining here this morning and I hope everyone will be safe this year. We plan on being at home as usual....It will be the New Year whether or not I am up to see it or not. Ha. More than likely, I will be asleep, like always, and believe me there is nothing wrong with that. Old people need their sleep!

I know I am a couple of years behind but I started reading the twilight series yesterday and let me just say I couldn't put it down. I know this is supposed to be for the tweens, but I find I love the story line in the first book. My dear sister loaned me the first three books and yesterday, while I was sitting on my butt, I decided it would be a good day to read. I read about 1/2 of the book before I had to fix dinner. It is sitting here on my desk ready for me when I finish writing in my blog this morning. I can hardly wait to get back into it. Thanks Sis, I am totally enjoying this.

BURR!

Good morning! It is a crisp 25 degrees here this morning and the temp will probably drop by day break. Wow its coooooold! Hope you are warm and toasty where you are. Yes I am off again today....loving that! (And I may shop today) Took down the tree yesterday and cleaned the house, now all I have to do is what I want. Yea! I hope to craft some after I get to moving a little today. I am working on a calendar for a friend's birthday gift. These things take forever, for me to finish...No pictures of anything yet, as I'm just coasting so far...I have a few things in the planning stages and will have pictures later. Have a great day!

More Pictures

Rest, Rest, Rest.......

I am taking these two days after Christmas to REST! Monday, I will begin cleaning and taking down the tree. One day I plan to shop and then I want to craft some. Great week for doing just what I want to do before I have to go back to work! This is my quiet time and I love these days between Christmas and the New Year because I always try and take off work these days. Much needed time for me. Well I hope you are enjoying these days too and getting some rest of your own. More later and I want to post a picture or two of the kids at Christmas.

The Day After....

Yes, we have survived another Christmas in the Brooks House. We had wonderful visits with our kids and grandchildren and shared lots of food and drink!

As you can see I am working on changing the way my blog looks so bear with me as I change and rechange the workings...I can't seem to make up my mind as to what I want...to many decisions available. So just hang in there as I go thru the process.

More later and pictures of our Holiday too!

Christmas Eve!!!

Yes, it is finally here! Today is also my husband's birthday...It is really hard to have a Holiday Birthday, so I try really hard to not have christmas paper or cards for this day. No Christmas birthday card for him! Well I am off to clean and spiff up the house in anticipation of my daughter and her family coming to celebrate with us tonight. We love seeing the boys and spending time with them. Merry Christmas to you and I will be back after the Holidays!

MY PLAN OF ATTACK!

Yes, I am on schedule....all gifts wrapped, all cards finished and today is cleaning and cooking...candy, cookies, brittle, etc.etc...I'm really feeling kind of smug just now we even have a little snow; just enough to be pretty....with a small amount more predicted for today. Well if that doesn't get you in the mood for Christmas I just don't know what will. I am looking forward to spending time with my family and just pushing back and doing very little for a week after Christmas. My husband and I have been hauling things in to eat during the Holidays. It will be an old fashioned Christmas for us. I love having the kids come and eat and spend time with us. Budgets are tight for us as well as many other people and the true meaning of Christmas has come back to us again. Not so much commercial this year and I have to tell you I have really enjoyed not being part of the mad dash!

I don't know if I will get to post again before Christmas, but I want to wish you a Merry Christmas Holiday and may it be a blessed one!

BUSY DAY!

This morning i got up with the idea that I would finish making envelopes for Christmas Cards.....Well I did that and got the one's ready to mail and made breakfast, then this afternoon I finished wrapping the presents. Only 4 more to go and I will get those this week. I'm on a roll....then I made Russian Tea Mix for gifts and jarred that....Now I'm just tired. But very satisfied! Now all I have to do is make candy and bake cookies. Yea! I can sit and enjoy the tree and do the things I want and participate in Christmas again. I have missed that the last few years as I was always in a mad dash to beat the time clock! Now if I can just get my shoulder to cooperate for a little while. I can't stir fudge while it is aching but I'm going to go to Chiropractor tomorrow and It will be better and I will really try and take care of myself this time.

No pictures today...I have to have some secrets for family and friends for the Holidays.

More later....

CRUNCH TIME!

At this point, I'm getting a little frantic and to top it off my right shoulder is giving me fits! Not sure what is going on ... just a dull ache most of the time and other times it just throbs. I must take into account that I use a calculator most of the day and I am right handed. Looks like a trip to the Dr. is in store for me.

I am frantically trying to finish my Holiday cards and they are coming right along. I still have a few buckets to decorate, but that takes very little time. I still have over a week to go so I might just make it. Keep your fingers crossed.

The weather is so cold here....It is 18 this morning with high expected in the upper thirties..Brrrrrrr A little more snow would be nice and there is a chance of flurries this weekend. I would love a white Christmas just like everyone else.

No pictures today, as I spent all my time working on cards instead of photographing them. I'm off to the shower and will start my day...TGIF!

ROSES IN THE SNOW

Well my Knock-Out Roses were still trying to bloom and now they still have snow on them. I'm anxious to see what happens next with these roses. This is their first year and I know nothing about them except they bloom all summer long. I love that and you don't have to dead head either. Talk about low maintenance...they also don't get a lot of black spot.

Yes I got to come home for 1/2 day today....Yeah, however, I do have several chores to do before I can rest. A woman's work seems to never be done.

Snow in East Tennessee

This picture is MagPie and Abbey in the snow...Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. This is such a treat anymore to have snow...We haven't had much in this area the past several years. Now I am one of those people who loves the fluffy white stuff and loves to sit and watch it come down and blanket everything. MagPie and Abbey weren't too sure they were quite as happy as me, but they went outside anyway. My husband said we got 1 1/2 to 2" of snow. It was very cold and we still have a small amount of snow in areas where the sun doesn't shine. Warming temps for today will probably take the rest away...but I enjoyed it while it was here.

Well it is Monday, and I'm hoping for 1/2 day today at work. I'm really getting spoiled to this. I hope you have a great day!

Weather.....

As my Grandmother would say..."It is weathering outside". I'm not sure if it is freezing rain or just rain but there is something going on outside this morning. We are supposed to have accumulations of 1-2 inches of snow here in the valley, but some of us are begging for more. It is the weekend folks; what better way to spend it than snuggled up in front of a fire watching it snow. Have a great day out there and conditions get worse, please be careful out there!

One More Christmas Card....

I'm running late this morning...my computer has decided it has a mind of it's own and doesn't want to cooperate, therefore all my programs are crazy. I'm on the right track but it will take some time.

The card I made uses a Flourishes stamp embossed in silver and then I added glitter...Diamond Dust. I used a spellbinder die to cut out the oval and embossed that too in Navy cardstock. The white cardstock is run through my cuttlebug using one of the embossing folders to give it a pattern. The gold background card is SU. Easy peasy, but i still feel like it needs something....I have it still displayed on my desk so I can decide.

Well I'm off to the shower, have a good day. Snow on the way here for the weekend. Not much accumulation forecasted, but we will take what we can get.

Christmas tree picture..

I don't know if you can see them all or not, but there have to be at least a bizillion tiny ornaments on this tree! It took hours for an old lady like me to hang them. I'd do a few and sit and rest, do a few more, and rest some more...

Afternoon off!

Well I just spent my afternoon off working in the house. I took down living room curtains and washed, replaced blinds and cleaned windows and rehung curtains. whew, then of course the whole room was upside down and I had to straighten it again. When will I ever quite this. I am one of the people who cannot rest when things are not clean and sorted and just right. You would never know that to look around, but I'm old and cannot keep up the pace anymore. I get too tired to pucker. Sometimes I feel like the husband and dogs are out to get me. One mess after another seems to happen around here. I swear they do it on purpose. Ha! Well I've been up since 2:30 and I have to admit that I am wearing down!!!! Now I need to clean out dishwasher and get ready to cook dinner. Then maybe I can sit for a short while before I go to bed....It is supposed to be rather windy here tonight and lots of rain moving in again. Then the temps are supposed to drop and winter is back again. Personally I'd like a little snow for a change. We haven't had snow for awhile.....Have a great evening and hopefully you already have your chores done and can relax!

No title....Just MONDAY!

Well I sort of wondered if I could sleep a little later, since I have been off I have been sleeping until 4 or 5 and was hoping for that this morning....well Abbey is on the job. You cannot oversleep. She was most anxious at 3 am this morning. Way to go girl...she has this way of loudly huffing that will wake you every time and once you get up then she is ready to go back to sleep. She is convinced that I like getting up in the middle of the night and she WILL not let me oversleep.

It is raining here this morning....I have a busy day at work. This is inventory day and I'm hoping it is not raining then. It is always hard in the rain. Heck at my age it's hard even in the sunshine. My back aches when I am finished....no slacking because of age there. I wish they would give that to someone younger.Problem is there is no one younger except the girl who does the other part of the inventory. So I guess its like the old saying goes....."Just Suck it Up!....

Have a good day try not to whine like me.

Sunday before the Monday I go back to work!

Well these few days off work have been wonderful....lots of rest and some work but come creating too. Well we finally got the tree lit and I began to decorate late yesterday afternoon. It is really close to being finished, just as soon as I have enough light to see any bear spots I left. I purchased many small balls and let me just say it takes a very long time to hang them all. I will post a picture of the finished tree soon. Today I want to wrap a few presents to put under it and then this evening my grandson Spencer is coming for a small visit. I love the time we have together.

I feel like a weight has been lifted, shopping.....done, tree....up and decorated now all I have to do is wrap gifts and enjoy the season. I can't wait!
This is the time of year I remember my parents most. Thanksgiving and Christmas were their favorite holidays and mostly it was because everyone came home to see them. Now I feel the same way. Our Children are so busy but they always make it for Christmas and most of the time Thanksgiving. We love spending time with them...

Well I must get out of this chair and get the day started..another cup of coffee would be nice and soon some breakfast. Have a blessed day!

ANOTHER DAY....ANOTHER CARD

Good morning, It is Saturday and that means Cinderella duties today. We tried to put up the tree but guess what the pre-lit tree is only partially lit and no amount of managing wires, or pushing bulbs or any harsh words would make them light. I became so frustrated that I just threw up my hands and moved on....Hubby will be going to Lowes to purchase some lights and we will move forward...I purchased this tree to get around this very problem...Lights are always a big deal...So nothing has changed. Above is one of the cards I made yesterday. The snowflake is a Holly Berry House Medallion stamp and I love it. My picture doesn't do it justice, but there are 5 layers of the medallion. I stamped on watercolor paper, embossed with white detail powder and used Ranger Ink (Broken China) to shade. The watercolor paper really takes the ink well. These make beautiful ornaments or toppers for gifts also.

Well I am off to do laundry, floors, bathrooms....you know the drill. Have a blessed day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

This is the first year in sooooooo many when I haven't had the kids for dinner. Carl's daughter is visiting other family this year and Tracie has to work so they are cooking at home and it is just us chickens. I cooked a big country breakfast this morning and a pumpkin pie, I plan to make homemade rolls and a salad later, we will be having prime rib instead of turkey but that is a good thing. The weather is turning colder this afternoon and we have a fire going....warm and toasty. I am crafting a little but just wanted to pop in and wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for at this time in our lives. How about you, think about what you have to be thankful for this year. When so many people are struggling, we are blessed with work and health and children and grandchildren.
More later...

ONE MORE CHRISTMAS CARD!

The image on this card is from Flourishes. I matted it on burgandy cardstock run through the cuttlebug to emboss and added 1" silk ribbon tied with a bowmaker. I still have several cards to go so check again soon. I also colored with my copic markers. My skills are improving, however I lack the shading technique. Sometimes it comes out ok and sometimes it does not. I just keep practicing. I keep watching tutorials on the internet and learning as I go.

Have a good evening!

Christmas Card #4

Good Tuesday morning. Yes I'm up and having my second cup of coffee. This is my Christmas card #4. I'm not sure if I am going to make it or not. I always do this and wind up getting really frazzled. There is so much I want to do but time just gets away from me. I'm planning on crafting this coming Holiday weekend. It will be just us this year, no kids or grandkids as they are traveling and working soooo I just might have some time to play. I know, I know it is only Thanksgiving, however, my mojo is a little sluggish and I'm hoping to get jump started soon. This card uses white, green and red cardstock....a stamp from Just Rite Stampers, copic markers and a dash of diamond dust glitter. It is a simple 4x4 square card and I love the clean lines.

Well I am off to get more coffee and try and get jump started on the day. Have a blessed day!

Good Morning....

Yes, I am up and would love to have time to craft today, but the odds are against me. I have a killer day at work ahead and am dreading it already. Good news, we slept until 3am this morning. Finally. We are looking forward to the Thanksgiving Holiday and hoping to get quite a bit of crafting done then. I will have 4 days off and can get into the Holiday Mode I'm hoping. I need to finish cards and do some more altered paint cans. I'll post pictures later. For now I must hit the shower and start the day! Have a great day!

Hello you guys!

Yes, it is very early and once again I have been up even before the chickens....I'm truly sleep deprived and quite frankly, a little angry at this point. I know that when we get old we are not supposed to sleep. I think it is something about knowing that we don't have a lot of time left and we must make wise use of our time...but come on 1:30 in the morning is stretching it a little don't you think? The thing is when I wake up I feel refreshed and ready to go, however, this feeling doesn't last and then I am faced with needing caffeine just to get through the day. Somewhere in this I know there has to be some humor but I fail to see it at this point. Keep me in your prayers today, as I have a busy one ahead. It is 4:38 and Maggie has decided that she needs a power nap. You go girl, but for me I think I'll just have another cup of coffee.

Have a blessed day!

The Holiday Season is Almost Upon Us!

Well, It is almost here...the time for shopping, wrapping and cooking and giving and did I say shopping? Whew!!! I don't think I have the energy that I need for this....Usually, I already have most everything purchased and hidden away, but this year it just isn't happening. I have some things, however, I must get busy if I am going to get everything finished. I love the holidays, but I find that I am slowing and marching to a different drummer now. I just cannot keep up the pace anymore. My grandchildren are getting older and no longer want a tickle me elmo and now it is blackberries and electronic games and lots of clothes and I get tired just thinking about it. Well I guess I might as well suck it up and jump right in and get busy with the Holiday Season. I need to complete some projects instead of just dreaming about them. I am hoping to have some pictures soon to show you. I have been decorating paint buckets, to hide goodies in. Yes paint buckets! They are so cute I can't wait to share with you. Well its still too early to get to moving yet its only 3:35 AM and no one else is up yet.

Oh yes the picture is a cookie tin that I have altered and placed a Spellbinder Snow flake on top. Pretty simple....Sorry for the terrible picture ... I'm still learning about my camera.

MONDAY.....MONDAY

Yes, I am again up in the middle of the night....someone didn't tell Magpie and Abby that the time changed and it is ok to sleep in a little. Soooo about 2:30 they begin to stir. I'm typing this with one eye open and one still sleeping. This is going to be a very long day! Of course, while I'm out working, they will be sleeping so they can get me up again tomorrow morning. I have to figure out something to break the cycle. Well I just wanted to say good morning and wish all a blessed day. More later.....

OUR BELOVED MAX IS GONE

Yes, we are mourning the death of our beloved Max. He passed on Halloween morning and Carl and I are not yet ready to talk about it. We miss him so much, words cannot explain. If you have never loved a pet then you don't know what I'm speaking of but it hurts just like any family member passing. If you know me then you have heard me say numerous times, "I like animals better than people." That is because they love you unconditionally, they don't lie, cheat or steal. They are always happy to see you and will forgive almost anything. We should take a lesson from them. Max was always wide open and running like the wind; very verbal and he had a way of turning his head and showing me his teeth (his grin). I am finding that the quiet has been overpowering. Bear with me as we work through this very difficult time. My creative juices just are not flowing yet. I know Christmas is drawing near, but I will just have to hustle later.

I will post more later, but for now, this seems to be all I have to say. Work awaits and I have to get moving soon. Thanks for being so understanding.

Still Nothing.....

Well another week has come and gone and I'm still not being creative at all. I seem to have hit a slump. Lots of ideas just no will to do it. I am getting boxes ready to send Halloween gifts and cards to grandsons and working on some Holiday tags for Christmas but I have done no cards. Maybe after this coming week, month end, year end and inventory at work things will settle down some. The next couple of weeks will be a bear at work. I'm dreading them much.

Well I hope you had a good week and I hope you are looking forward to the coming week ahead. Enjoy your Sunday and remember.....be creative every chance you get....it keeps you young!

Letting things slide...

It seems that I am just coasting these last few days. I am letting things slide that should not be sliding. My sister celebrated a birthday and although I gave her a small present early, I neglected to call and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY...SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY (BELATED) Donna. Sorry about that. I tried to call her last night and grovel but she was not home. So please accept my apology. I had to make a quick trip to the Vet Tues. morning with Maggie for a shot of steriods and she is much improved today. We actually slept last night....the first in three nights.

Update on Max....He has not been eating the last few days. Still drinking, but no food intake. He is sliding away from us and there is nothing we can do. My husband and I have had THE talk and we want him to be at home when his time comes. We are still hopeful for him, but we must face reality here. He has given us time to adjust and prepare and spend time with him but he is losing ground daily. When his time comes, he will be sadly missed....

Well it is Wednesday and I must get moving....work awaits...It seems like I haven't had time to be creative and time is slipping away for preparing the boxes for Grandson's for Halloween. I must get cracking on that.

Have a Blessed day....

Hello there.....

It is once again Saturday and quite frankly I am sooo pleased. I don't have a huge amount of housework to do today and I'm thinking I might just be able to squeeze in some crafting. I have several little things in the works to finish and I must get the goodie containers ready for Halloween so I can mail to my Grandkids. They just love receiving things in the mail even though we don't live that far away. So I try to send cards and boxes here and there just to give them that special feeling. Might I just say grandkids are the best!

Quick update on Max. These last couple of days he has been like his old self. Somewhat subdued but you can just tell he is truly feeling better. We are soooo proud that he is finally coming around. We know his kidney disease might take him out, but we are hoping for some quality time. He and Gypsie are stuck like glue together. Where you see one.....you see the other. That is not a bad thing...they seem to get along so well together. It does me good to see Max run some. Not full out yet but here and there is just goes trotting.

Well I must get my Cinderella rags on and tackle the housework around here so I can then do what I want. Enjoy your weekend!!

Good Morning....

Yes, it is Wednesday .... midway through another week. I find myself mired down and not able to find time for my crafts. Everyday issues are getting in the way. I have finished creating my cards for Halloween and am now looking forward to doing my Christmas holiday gifts and cards. I have several projects in the works but nothing finished. The season will be upon us before you know it and there will be shopping, wrapping and decorating to deal with. As I get older, it gets harder to accomplish everything but I still love this time of year. The leaves are beginning to turn here and you see a splash of yellow or orange here and there. Before you know it the wind will be blowing leaves everywhere and there will be a bite in the air with frost all around.

Can I just say, I'm ready for frost. With all the rain we have had this summer, there are fleas everywhere in the yard. We are constantly treating the yard so that MagPie can go outside. She is so allergic and one little flea can cause her such discomfort! She gets whelts the size of quarters when they bite. Soooo bring on the frost! No pictures of Magpie because she has no hair on her legs right now. Poor baby...

Well it is time to pull my body to the shower. Another day in the salt mines. Ha...

Update on Max.....

Max had a really good day on Monday of this week. I had the afternoon off and was home. Someone came to the house and i saw Max running to the gate and barking. Mind you he was not full out, but that was the first time I had seen him move even a little bit fast. Tuesday was not so good....Wednesday, he wouldn't get up when I came home .... no eating .....no drinking. We fully expected him to continue down hill until he passed. Today he is much improved again. Now what is going on with this little guy? Turns out Carl had been cooking beef for him and he was loving it but I read on the internet where too much protein was not good since his kidneys in the state they are in are not able to clear the protein. I talked to carl about this and he is giving cat food again to get him started and he is once again cleaning his plate and this afternoon he came to meet me with tail wagging and I am sooooo thankful. We have some dog food from the vet that is low protein and we will continue him on that and ween him off the cat food. Looks like we may just have a handle on this at least for awhile. I'm getting weary...when Max does not do well, we don't rest here. Many sleepless nights. We get so attached. Well i just wanted to share what I hope is good news. More later. Forgive my typing and spelling as I am in a hurry and need to do 20 more things before Carl comes home.

Yep...It's Monday Again....

Just like I said, I came home on Friday, went to bed and woke up the next day and it is Monday again...And It's Raining.... It seems our life is in a tornado. You know what I mean, no time for anything. Run here, Rush there and no time to enjoy the small things. Yesterday I just sat on my butt. No creative anything. Just sat looking out into space. Totally wiped out. Thank goodness I only have to work 1/2 day today. I am really beginning to enjoy this time off. I don't know if I will want to go back to 40 hours or not. Too much stress. I like coming home and having time to myself. Well I must rise and shine as best I can....I'm thinking there isn't going to be too much shining going on today.

SATURDAY....

Another week is behind us...before we know it, it will be the Holiday Season. I have mixed emotions about this, time is going by way too fast. Seems like i never have the time I want to slow down and breathe. My husband keep talking about slowing down, but our jobs dictate we keep moving fast. I know you are probably experiencing the same thing. Life has a way of getting in the way of the things we would rather be doing. I have been running on caffine for so long I don't know any other way. I am hoping to squeeze some time in for my crafting. I have lots of ideas for Christmas cards and would love some time to just putz with that.

The days are really cooling down fast. Seems like we are having an early fall....people are saying they are expecting a hard winter. Lots of snow. If we continue to be as wet as we have been then it just has to snow. Yea. No work. Sit at home by the fire...Looking forward to that!! Well it is 4:45 and I think my eye and hand coordination may just be awake so I'm planning on coloring with Copic markers on some Christmas stamps. Just a little time for me before the day officially begins. More later.....

FIRST CUP OF COFFEE

Good morning! Yes we are up before the sun once more. At least we slept until 4 am. This picture of Max was taken this past Sunday. He is looking better each day. He looks stronger out of his eyes and is beginning to go out into the yard and walk around some. He is really loving all the attention too. I'm thinking he is just a little spoiled. He has become a camera hound. Maggie is doing a little better with allergies. Lost lots of sleep with this round, but i'm thinking we are turning the corner on this episode and no steroid shot this time. I'm hopeful it will frost soon and she can begin to get her hair back. Poor babies. Two sick animals at once is a lot to take on.

My husband is so far behind with work that I'm not sure he can get caught up. Its a good problem to have but it is wearing him out. My work is difficult at best but most everyone you talk to is goind through a lot at work too.....hard time all around. Well enough this morning. I am working on some Christmas Cards but it will be a couple of days before I can post. Please forgive any spelling errors this morning as I am typing with one eye open. Talk about sleep deprived...Have a blessed day!

MAGPIE

Good morning!!! It is 4am and I have been up since 2:30....Maggie's allergies are raging. Poor Baby....I treat her and she goes back to sleep, but I AM UP! Talk about sleep deprived. It is getting really hard to function on such a small amount of sleep. Thank goodness I only work 4 hours today. I'm thinking a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order since my Dear Husband gave me a gift certificate for our Wedding Anniversary. Yep....9 years. We went to dinner to celebrate. I really enjoyed getting out for a little. We have almost stopped getting out because everything is so expensive. I guess we really are getting older because I would rather cook here and do the clean-up than go out. This way we control what we eat, and when we eat, and how it is prepared. If one of us is sick then we already know it and there are no suprises. We noticed a couple of years ago that each time we went out, the next day one of us was sick. Rather than be at the mercy of some sick waiter or waitress, or even sick cook, we just decided not to go there. It works pretty good and with the economy the way it is we can almost buy a week's worth of groceries for what we spend in one outing. My husband is an excellent cook and does most things better than the places we would go out to eat. I think I will hold onto him.

Well I must drag myself to the shower soon, but I just have time for one more cup of coffee. More later.

UPDATE ON MAX

Max seems to be improving a little each day. We haven't be able to spend much time with him this weekend as it has rained, and rained and rained some more here. He does look better, stronger out of his eyes. He is still eating and drinking and getting his strength back. The vet said this could be a long haul. We are hopeful that he will continue to improve with each day.

TRI-SHUTTER CARD

This is my first attempt at a Tri-Shutter card. I have been seeing these here and there and thought they were beautiful, sooooo I gave it a try. The card is a little difficult to get the folds right in the beginning, but once you get that part down the rest is easy. The panels are black cardstock with Scrapperdashery paper from England. I ran the paper through my Big Shot Express with a CuttleBug Folder to emboss. Once embossed, I used Ranger Vintage Photo ink to ink the edges and the embossing. It almost looks like leather. Then a couple of stamps and a little Stampin-Up Chocolate Chip ink, a little Silk Ribbon and you are done. I really like the looks of the finished card. I think I will be doing some of these for Christmas.

BAT CAT!!

This is one of the many Halloween Cards that I create for friends, family and Kids...I purchased this image on the internet and printed twice. Then I cut out the mask of one image colored with Copic Green Apple, and used diamond dust glitter on it. Once dry I attached to my card with Zots. I think he is just too cute!

WEEKEND!!

Yea....We made it!!! I was beginning to think the weekend would never come. We have had such a busy week....Work and Home and pets, pets, pets. Max is back home and recovering. The vet is hopeful that he will be ok. Right now it is just a waiting game. We are giving the meds and making sure he gets the right kind of foods and watching, watching, watching.

We are really ready for a rest. Looking forward to Sunday. Today is again Suzy Homemaker Day and I must get moving. I have made three cards this week and i am going to try and get them posted Today. Wish me luck. I'm still learning about my camera and sometimes my brain and it's brain just don't work together.

More later..........

MAX IN THE HOSPITAL....

Here is a picture of Max in our yard. He is 11 we think...seems to be having some kidney issues. He has been sick for a week and last night he finally took food and had been drinking Pedia Lite. Our vet wants to keep him for a couple of days to see if he can determine what is going on. He is a rescue dog and we love him lots!
Hang in there Max...our prayers are with you Bud.

I'm Up!

Well it is way too early to be up, but I am once again. It is only Tuesday, and I am dreading going to work once again. I think I'm getting too old for this. I'm sorry I haven't posted lately. We are working with an ailing Max our dog. He is 11 and having kidney issues. Some improved, but the vet is requesting we bring him in and this is a chore, as he isn't used to riding, and he has been so weak that he could barely walk. He came to the fence and ate last night and we are once again hopeful. We have putting Pedia lite in his water to help with his dehydration. Hopefully we can get him on the road to recovery. We will know more after he spends a few days with the vet.

I will try and keep you posted, but now I must get to moving. Another day, Another 50 cents.

This is one of the first cards I did. It is still in my stash. I thought you would enjoy seeing it. I'm still learning about layering and i love the layered look. Sometimes I feel like "The More The Better".

Hello All....

Well it is Tuesday and I'm not sure what happened to Monday....Work is a real hassle lately. My computer is acting up and the stress levels are rising. Hopefully it is on the mend. Needless to say, when i get home i just need to get in the zone. No Mo Jo the last few days. It seems like there is so much in the way of my cardmaking and I don't like not being able to craft. I'm hoping you have a great day and I will post more later.

The Weekend.....

Lots of Suzy Homemaker stuff! Laundry, Floors, Bathrooms.....I'm not sure how why I have these responsibilities but somehow they are mine. So I rise each and every Saturday and do my CHORES and then I am so tired I can barely think and the first thing I know it is time to do it all over again. Am I in a rut or what? Well I just hope that when I get to heaven God has clean floors and I didn't have to do the cleaning. Enough of that....We are having beautiful weather here in the valley of East Tennessee and the sun is shining here. It is shaping up to be a beautiful fall and I must say I love this time of the year! Halloween is just around the corner and then my most favorite Holidays Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The week after Christmas I try to take a week off work just to breathe. Really looking forward to that time! My husband and I don't plan to go anywhere, we just sit and rest. Hoping we have some snow...

I know, I know I promised more pictures, but I just haven't had time. More later I promise.

It's Raining!

Well it is Friday morning 9-11-09 and it is raining again. We have had a
very wet, mild summer. You can definitely feel a hint of fall in the air these
last few days. Yesterday I noticed some leaves falling and blowing in the wind. Our Dogwood trees have turned and are beginning to loose their leaves. It should be a beautiful fall with all the rain we have had. Everyone is predicting snow for this winter if the wet weather continues. We haven't had snow to amount to anything for a few years now and I would like to see some. Of course it is hard to get around in the snow but I do think it is beautiful.

Well it is getting close to time to get ready for work but I want to post a picture of my Grandson Spencer. You know how Grandmothers are...we are so proud of them.
More later...

Abby:

This is my Abby our rescue yorkie. My sister found her in highway, almost ran over her. Flea bitten, scruffy, and so miserable. No one claimed her so she became ours. Such a sweety! She has made a beautiful dog and we love her very much! Ok...I am up now and must get ready for work...more pictures later.

Wow...It feels like Monday!!

I know, I know it is Tuesday, but it still feels like Monday....Back to work! Not looking forward to work. I am behind unless the office fairy came through and did all the work...."NOT". This will be a short week and tomorrow I have to take 1/2 day off so it's not looking too good for the home team. I really enjoyed my Day yesterday, I made two halloween cards and worked on some Christmas items. Pictures later I promise. My photography skills are not the best but I keep trying. One of these days! Well I am on my second cup of coffee and beginning to feel like I might just make it through the day. I'm off to get ready for work soon so have a good day!

Labor Day......

Well, this is the last day of our 3 day weekend....I have enjoyed being home and doing whatever I want. I have made some cards and cooked a little and that is about it. Pretty lazy don't you think? It is raining this A.M. and I'm hoping it stops soon. I would like to see a little sunshine for a change.

Well I hope you have a great day and enjoy your Holiday too.

SLIDESHOW!

It is early Sunday morning and i have just figured out how to upload my cards onto flicker and create a slide show for my blog! Yea...I hope you enjoy some of my cards that I have created. This card is one of the Christmas cards that I have been working on. I stamped with a Flourishes stamp onto Watercolor Paper,then I embossed with gold and colored in with markers and cut out the image to make the flower. I used silk ribbon and the Bow Easy to tie the bow. I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

FIRST CARDS

This is one of my first cards....not too pretty, but you have to start somewhere and this was it for me. Each day I learn something new from the other crafty bloggers out there! There is so much creativity that some days I am just overwhelmed. Keep up the good work!

TGIF!!!

Well, it is finally Friday and a Holiday weekend to boot! Yea...I am looking forward to 3 days off work and doing some stamping and cardmaking. Enjoy your weekend!

September 3rd....Thursday!

Hello to anyone who may be looking. It is 4:34 AM here in East Tennessee and Yes I Am Up! My girls (little yorkies) decided I had slept long enough! So I am on my second cup of coffee and getting ready to face the day. It looks like it will be another beautiful day and I am looking forward to seeing the sun come up. Yesterday was my 1/2 day off and I got to come home and be creative. I made two new Christmas Cards. No pictures yet, so please bear with me. I'm hoping to add some pictures of my cards this weekend. Well I must get moving, so have a blessed day and come back and visit often.

Fall is in the air!

Good morning to all. I am up and soon to be awake. I am having my first cup of coffee and thinking about getting ready for the day. It is early here in the Tennessee Valley and you can fill a nip in the air. After the warm temps of July and August, September is beginning with a cool down. It is a taste of things to come. I love this time of the year and today, I only have to work 1/2 day due to cut back at work. I'm sort of getting use to the reduced hours and love being able to come home and work on my cards. I am going to try and post a picture this morning so bear with me. Hope you have a really blessed day! Bye for now.
This is Maggie or MagPie...she is 6 but acts like a 2 year old with attitude!

Hello to all you stampers and friends out there. I am very new to this area and am learning as I go, so please bear with me. I will tell you a little about myself as we go along and we can get to know each other. So here we go. I will be posting pictures of cards and other crafts that I do. I have been really crafting for about 10 years, although as far back as I can remember, I have always had an interest. I only have a very small space to work in right now, but I dear hubby has promised a craft room in the very near future. Yea!!