Scrappers Alert!

Okay ladies, Kisha posted her blog candy, and it is some amazing stuff! I'm not even letting her put my name in the bowl, cuz that just wouldn't be fair to you! So, check out her site, she's under my faves, and leave her a comment letting her know you stopped by... and good luck!!

Two posts in one day???

Kisha can never call me a slacker again!! And she STILL owes us blog candy!! Okay, before the sunflowers are done for the season, here's one more post on them. The first pic is more nontraditional sunflowers Doug planted, but they can't be seen with the traditional ones towering over them. The others are our sunflower collection in total.

Zoe's Keepsake Box

Well, I've just finished the latest keepsake box. This one is for my granddaughter Zoe. I think it's just darling. The plan is to give it to her mom to keep things like first shoes, a favored outfit and whatever else she wants to hold onto over the years. And then, when Zoe has her first little girl, Shana can give her the box. Inside the lid, there's a little tag that says "Made with love by Grandma", which I trimmed with lace, and a Vellum preprinted quote which says "He hath made everything Beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:11", which I trimmed with ribbon. I sure hope her mom likes it as much as I do!

Happy Sunflowers!

So just about all of the sunflowers opened today, and I had to take pics to show everyone. They are just so cheery and bright! I'm actually glad we planted them late... I can still enjoy a taste of summer!!
Football season is well under way at Meech's High School. Here's a pic of him doing what he loves to do best. He's #24 in the blue & white. Hmm.. the add photo link isn't working.. oh well, maybe more tomorrow!

Take a walk with me around our yard.

Well, we saved the sunflowers, and the tomatoes and peppers! Doug had taken down the tarp before I could get out there and take a picture, but that's okay, it worked!
Today, my hubby and I spent the afternoon getting the yard ready for autumn and beyond (shudder). Of course, there's more to do, and lots of raking on the horizon, but the yard looked so good, I went on a yard walk with my camera. So join me in my stroll through the photo show..

Saving the Sunflowers!!

Okay, I should have taken a pic, but now it's too dark! Try to imagine this ... in an effort to save the sunflowers from the promised frost tonite, we hung a great big blue tarp from the barn wall, draped over them. I'll take a pic tomorrow before we take it down, and after the dreaded frost, just to give you guys a good laugh. We also moved the tomato and pepper plants into the garage for the nite, as well as the hanging plants we usually have outside. We're hoping it will be enough, since it's supposed to be relatively nice for the next couple of weeks. Told you I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer yet!! I'm fighting it tooth and nail!
Czar and I went for a nice long walk today. If anyone out there is wondering if a nose lead works or not, it does. Czar weighs about 65 lbs, and is usually too excited when we go for walks for me to enjoy it. She pulls, yanks, and just doesn't know what to do with all the scents around her. I usually spend alot of time pulling back and yelling at her to knock it off. Well, no more. The nose lead doesn't look like it should be able to do anything, but since a dog's control center is pretty much their nose, it works like a charm, without any pain. It's awesome being able to walk around our pretty little village with her behaving like a properly trained dog should!
Well, pray for Kisha and her exam tonite. That girl has moxy!! And way more energy and drive than I ever had!!
Nuff for now... back tomorrow!

Sunflower for my Sunflower Gal

This is our first sunflower bloom of the season, (and with the frost warning for tomorrow nite, it might be the only one we get). I am so not ready to let go of summer!!! It's the smallest of the row Doug planted, knowing they're Kisha's favorite, and this morning, he suggested I put it on the blog. Of course, great minds think alike!

Anyway, this one's for my Sunflower gal. Know that I am always thinking of you and pray for you daily.

Czar got zapped by the invisible fence again today, but at least I didn't have to spend hours driving around looking for her! Poor thing was huddled up by the back door, desperate to get into the safety of the house. With the training though, you have to keep them outside for a bit after being zapped, so they don't become fearful of the yard altogether. Bet she won't try to go wandering again for awhile!! I'm off to more sewing and crafting and boxing! Sure wish someone would let me know what they think!!

Update on the fence

Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is the fence works. I watched Czar chase down a squirrel the other day and rounded off when the squirrel went up a tree past the fence. The bad news is, she actually had to get zapped a couple of times first. Poor thing, almost broke my heart. But, she can go outside without being tied up now, and actually stays out without us being right there with her. She still prefers our company, but can't say I blame her on that one. After all, dogs are pack animals, and we're her pack! All in all, I think the investment was well worth it.

Now, on to new stuff. I must confide, after checking all you scrappers' pages, I felt left out! I am not a scrapper, or a stamper, but I do have some talents in the craft area. I love sewing and knitting, and have a really bad habit of saving all my material and yarn scraps... for like 20 years now. But... lo and behold, I have finally found a purpose for them and am in crafting heaven!

When we went to Ohio, my sister gave me a book called Two - Hour Scrap Crafts by Anita Louise Crane, published in 2000. Lots of stuff in there that I will never use, just because it's not my cup of tea, but for others it's a gem. There's napkins and placemats, lamp shades and framed lace, pillows and drapes, covers for toasters and even dishwashers. The thing that got my attention is the fabric covered boxes. You can make keepsake boxes, and button boxes, personalize your photo boxes, anything you use a box for, you can jazz it up. They are sooo easy, and for me, the best part is you can complete one in literally just a couple of hours. I've made 3 already, and here's a couple of pics of my most favorite... so far! Please, please, please, let me know what you think! I know this is not a new concept or anything, but I am just having so much fun with it! Not to mention it keeps me out of my hubby's hair during the football games!

Just a quick note

So, we decided to get an invisible fence installed, since our dog loves to go on adventures. We'll see how it goes. Yesterday was Day 1 of training, and wouldn't you know, Czar is not used to being walked in the yard on her leash, and so didn't want to do her business with us right there. Of course, she finally did relieve her bladder when Doug came home and took her out back, but it wasn't til I took her for a walk around a few blocks that she finished. Well, I guess I'll be getting some much needed exercise for a couple of weeks! Sure hope it keeps her in, and sure hope she keeps the other critters out! Doug has put alot of work into the gardens and the critters think it's a banquet set up just for them! Will keep you posted with the progress. Today is Day 2. Czar and I walked the yard, and I think I found the spots most enticing to her for her great escapes, but she was good while I was there. Still won't do her business with me though... must be a privacy issue!!

Ohio Family Reunion

Hey all! So I finally got to see my sister and her family in Ohio, after way to many years, and these are the pics from the digital. We still have a couple more rolls being developed. We had a whirlwind of a grand time, but best of all, I've got my sister back! It was loads of fun putting the photoshow together, I hope you enjoy. You can turn the music on or off and just click to play it!

Still not working...

Okay, the add image function isn't functioning right now, & we have a great big ol thunder /hail storm warning in effect... time to shut down the computer and go grab laundry off the line.. will be back later... I hope!

Did Ya Miss Me?

Admitted, I have been seriously negligent... and seriously busy, but please accept my humble apologies! I have so much catching up to do, I don't even know where to begin!

Summer has definately livened things up around here, at least on the weekends, so

let me start with some updated yard pics.These were taken in early spring,

and of course, it'summer now, and it's changed again...

we now have lots of day lilies and beautiful roses, and the garden Doug created in back of the yard is just awesome! Oh, and wonders of wonders, our fuscia is blooming for the 2nd time! It had flowered, went green, and is flowering all over again!Hmm, went to add more pics, and it won't function.. let's try a new post!

A Moment to Myself!!

Okay, the guys are not here... Meech is at Logan's and Doug is not home from work yet, but could be at any time... let's see how much updating we can do before my moment is history!! First.. pics from Buffalo! I'm still not sure I've recovered from our weekend! When I got there Friday nite, late as always, Kisha had been busy trying to keep some good friends busy so they could surprise me! It seems when I get down there I never have enough time to visit friends, so Kisha brought them to me! On the left is my bestest girlfriend Shana, and next to her are the most adorable couple I know, Roman and Marilya. (Hubby is home by the way!)

It was so good to see them and spend some time with them! I still haven't seen Shana's new house, and I didn't get to see Emmy, her almost 1 year old daughter, this time around, but I hope next time!!

Saturday, Kisha & I got haircuts, and went shoe shopping, dropped off sons, and picked up Shana and Kyrie (my other 2 daughters) and then on to massages and pedicures!! below is a rare shot of the 3 girls together and actually looking happy!

This one of Shana just seemed to fit so well, and boy do they look relaxed or what after their massages???

Then, it was time for dinner! We went to Rusty Bones, and had a really good time, the food was good, and the waiter, what a cutie! Of course, we were all pretty tired by then, especially Half Pint (that's Kyrie, who was all of 3 lbs 2 oz when she was born!), so she got dropped home, and the remaining 3 of us did more shopping at Bath & Body. We have really hard water here in Homer, so B & B is fast becoming my favorite store, and the nearest one here is 3o minutes away!!! After picking up Zoe - kins and dropping her and Shana home, Kisha & I went to the wake for Luke. You all know about that, and thank you for checking out Kisha's blog for the details.

As if that were not enough, I still had to make sure to see my other bestest girlfriend, Nancy. No pics to share, she's a knockout, but at 11 pm, I didn't think it would do her justice to take photos to post... next time! Getting home after 1 am, I pretty much melted into bed, then Sunday morning arrived, and we were off to church with all the grandkids! Visiting Good News Family Church always restores me!! After church, we took our crew to Denny's, then picked up their mothers and went to the movies to see the latest Chronicles of Narnia... good, good, good movie!! Sigh... then we all parted ways, and Meech & I shuffled home from Buffalo. It was definately go go go weekend! There are more pics, but I think this is enough for now, and I want to go spend some time with hubby. Oh.. but stay posted, I have new pics of the yard, and some pics of the strangest thing I have ever seen!!! ... Til next time!!!!

Homer's Memorial Day Parade 2008

Okay, I have been remiss again... just doesn't seem to be enough time these days! However, before hubby freaks about me being away from him for too long... here is a slide show of the Annual Homer Memorial Day Parade 2008. I had front row seating since the procession comes right down our street. The photographs (or photographer as the case may be) scream for improvement, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. More later, with the pics from Buffalo!!

Just a little bit for now....

Before I say one more word, I want to direct each & every one of you to Kisha's blog site... (follow the Link to the right). Whether you know us or not, and especially if you do, there is a very important message about God's will, and I couldn't have said it better myself. Our church family in Buffalo experienced a major loss last week, the details are under Kisha's post entitled Yesterday. Please make sure you check it out, there are some things you all need to hear and understand. Since I don't want to take away from the importance of what God is saying through her, I'm not going to add anything else right now. Please talk to your teens about driving too fast, even if they are good kids who don't do drugs or drink... like Luke. I love you all and will update more tomorrow,
Andrea

Shuffling off to Buffalo...

Well, Meech & I are going to Buffalo to visit the girls and the grands and our church family this weekend, so I figured I should update before we go.

Mother's day was really quiet, mostly just me & Doug, however, I think I have a really great husband. He made sure I got the fuscia plant I wanted, and my favorite candy, caramels. We also got 3 pink hycaniths for my little garden... 1 for each daughter. Now I have to work on the boys & grands... maybe I can find blue hyacinths?? Of course, the blues would outnumber the pinks.. I'll have to get more creative than that! My son... well... he needs to learn a thing or two about what is an appropriate Mother's day gift!! So aside from sleeping over his bf's (Homer bf that is) house the nite before, he did make me waffles for brunch when he got here, straight out of the toaster, and even warmed the butter in the microwave. That was not the gift.. the gift, apparently was 3 cases of laundry detergent. No, not bottles ... CASES. Story to that is his friend's dad works somewhere that was giving them away, and the dad insisted Meech bring some home. Okay, softy mom did not have the heart to tell him that ANYTHING that implies work is not appropriate for a mother's day gift. Got any volunteers to do it for me? I haven't even mentioned the idea to Doug to enlighten my son... yet. However, there is a sowing and reaping catch to this story. 2 Cor. 9:6 (NIV) "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." The prior Sunday, Abundant Life held a food drive. We contributed food, as well as 1 bottle of detergent, and didn't think anything else about it. We reaped 10 bottles (at least) of detergent. Got Laundry???

I have also been blessed with a job that pays an hourly wage of more than I've ever earned before, but get this, I don't have to do any real thinking. In my prior positions I had lots of responsibilities, and lots of stress.. now, I put things in order (which comes naturally for me), file, key in entries... and knit. Yes, I said knit. Part of what I do is back up the receptionist. Whenever she is out.. which unfortunately is quite often, I make sure people get signed in and out of the building... that's it. So, I was told to bring in something to do... maybe a book or whatever. I asked if I can bring my knitting in, and was told yes. So I greet people, and knit. I'm working on something for Zoe... but in case her mom sees this, I don't want to say what. I'll post pics when it's done. It's a temp job, but I am praising God for the time of rest!!

D has been playing LaCrosse, and loving it. He's also brought his grades up to an 84 average... life is good. Pics to come.. of LaCrosse, not his grades!

Doug, well, he works hard, volunteers with the fire dept, and is still working on my tiered garden, and planning out the little deck I want to add. He needs to learn though that you just can't take two women to one of the cutest touristy/shopping villages and expect to spend only an hour there! Kisha and I will have to make a day of that next time she is here to visit! We'll leave the boys with him!!

I think that's enough for now.. here are some pics from when Kisha was here!

The OTHER crab apple tree

I actually had to go into our neighbor's backyard to get this pic. From our yard, you can't even tell it's like this! That's because it's surrounded by our pine trees and doesn't get much sun in our yard.. but isn't it a fabulous tree!?!

crab apple tree

Ok, so the crab apple tree in the back yard really blossomed today... I sure wish the lilac trees would catch up! Anyway, I am really trying to do justice to it with photos, but only one came out that I really liked. Here you go, Peachy...

... and for those of you wondering... I used to call Kisha ... Keechy Pean, when she was little, or Peachy Keen .... which ... she is.

My sister

I wish I had a picture to post... but I just wanted to share with folks... my sister & I were estranged for the longest time... bad bad teenage years... and are now back in touch. Let me tell you, it's the best feeling in the world! We'll be going to see her and her family in July, I can't wait!

Nagged into updating actually works!!!

Isn't my darling daughter just too funny? Her first post was while she was here visiting, and this last one (thanks for the pic Peachy!) is her way of nagging me to update my site! She is soo right, and I always mean to, but every time I sit down to do it, something or someone gets in the way!! I should find a baby pic of her and post it... just for fun!

Speaking of photos... yesterday was Frump Queen day for me after work. I left on my ankle length forest green skirt, put on my shoe slippers, changed into my long sleeved navy blue t-shirt from the fire dept, and threw on my red & green plaid (yes, Nancy, I said plaid) flannel jacket so Doug & I could do our "Yard walk". That's where he and I stroll around the yard perimeter to see what's popping up with all the rain and warmer weather we've been getting. Yes, I actually went outside dressed like that, which I would never have done in Buffalo. So why is it, back in the house, both my guys decide it's the perfect picture to take??? And proceed to chase me around my kitchen and dining room and ADK porch until they got pics? Now, I'm not worried about Doug posting it anywhere, he's not that savvy with this stuff.. yet, but Meech?? Who knows where his pic might show up once he uploads it from his phone!!!

We've made some additions to the yard... 4 new rose bushes, 1 red, 2 yellow & 1 orange, plus Doug has really been working at building a tiered garden for me behind the garage... and wonder of wonders... the bulbs I planted last fall are really blooming! If you checked out the spring has sprung photoshow, you'll be able to see the progress. By the way, there is a link at the bottom of the blog for older posts, for those of you who haven't seen the other posts. Oh, and Kisha, you'll be so proud of your Mom, I'm growing potted tomatoes!! Woo Hoo! Have to, since I can't pick any of yours!!!

By the way, Kish, remember the little tree in my back yard that we like so much? Here's a photo of what it looks like in spring, just for you!

Gotta go, half pint daughter just called me!

ok if MOM isn't going to post here!

Then I will! HA! And this is why you never give anyone your password either....
Ok nevermind. Here ya go mom - a cute pic of Zoey for you! Love you! Kisha

heheee

ok so this is Kisha - went to sign into my blog and got auto logged into mom's account. Lets see how long it takes her to notice I posted on her blog! ROFL!


Kisha

Bustin the suds

So just when you think teenagers don't do any work unless they're told...
... and then you suddenly remember... they must WANT something!!!

Spring!

These are photos of one side of the yard and the back... enjoy! I'm so glad spring has sprung!

We went dancing!

Okay, so everyone tells me I don't update my blog often enough. It never occurred to me anyone would really be interested! Well, this is the latest pic of me. We went to the annual Fireman's Dinner Dance at the Country Club. Pretty she-she froo froo. Boy do I miss Lori Perrin!

It's been busy around here. I started a new job this past Monday. God is so good. I work Mon - Fri 8 - 5, no weekends! That will leave time for getting back to B-lo, and doing lots of yard work!
D is busy with lacrosse, and Doug seems to work all the time!


I sure do miss my girls and grands, but Kisha is coming in a week and a half and bringing Ty and Jay with her. I can hardly wait!

I took pics of the yard, I'd almost forgotten how big it is! Hardly went out back at all during the winter! It collects lots of water that turned to ice, so we had a little skating pond of sorts! No pics of that, just the start of spring clean up. Can't wait for things to start flowering. It looks so drab out there right now. But we have tulips coming up, and day lillies, and the trees and bushes are all budding. Spring is so my favorite time of year! I'll put the pics up on another post and keep them updated as things start filling out!

Semi 2008

These are from Meech's semi formal dance on March 1st. I wish the pics had come out alot better... I'm so glad he's a boy... just thinking about how grown up the girls look in these photos, and the awakening it must be for their moms & dads... been there done that, and praise God, don't have to do it again!!!

Scarecrow

Okay, these aren't in time order, but with alot of direction from Kisha, (thanks kiddo!) I think I now have the hang of this. These were taken back in October, and we had such fun! Of course, part of the building of the scarecrow was trying to find a constructive use for a gazillion pine needles... guess what the stuffing is???

Good News Family

John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

These are from when we were in Buffalo in January. I hope to get back soon, I miss you all so very much and think of you all the time ... love you much.

Playing with the grands at Strong Museum of Play

So, we met up with Kisha and the grandboys in Rochester... almost half way between Buffalo & Homer! The teens want us to believe they were bored silly, but I think they're just too cool to admit they had fun! The younger guys had a blast... we'll have to go back another time to see the rest of the museum... there's just no way to experience it all in just a few hours! I still can't believe we actually ran into someone we know within minutes of arriving!