tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13689217799834555642024-03-12T18:25:07.348-07:00life(he*ART*ist) ~ live, love, create, blogphotography,altered art, anything vintage...vintage toys, vintage books, vintage games, vintage jewelry, vintage ephemera,most paper arts,scrapbooking,collage art,distressing projects,mini-albums,altered books,antique windows,antique doors,vintage hardware, historic estates and old farmhouses homesteadslifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-41616776611877612992010-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:002010-09-21T14:01:16.334-07:00Some deep thinking....<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#33ffff;">So, anyone that knows me knows that I have quite a generation gap between kids. My oldest is 23 & my youngest is just shy of 5 years old. Lately, I've struggled with the differences in phases & it's really hard to not somehow feel a little misplaced. I'm needed, I'm not needed, I don't know anything, I'm the smartest person in the world, we're close, we're not.... I'm confused! I admit, watching my 2 older boys move on to independent living was hard but not for the obvious reasons. Somewhere along the way I missed that part in the manual that says as time goes on, they go out of their way to show you in every way possible that they have not only severed the cord but chopped it up into little pieces, run over it multiple times & then blown it up! In many ways my 20-something year olds & my 10 year old daughter are on the same developmental page! I'm a complete moron & know absolutely nothing! They are moving heaven and hell to show me that they are independent and that my "mom" services are no longer needed. I expect this from Kaydee (my 10 year old)... it's in the book... really!!! Been there, done that, expected it & am once again wearing the t-shirt (though i admit, after this many years since i last wore it, it's a little snug). What shocks the hell out of me is that I'm apparently re-visiting this again with my oldest kids! Really???? WTH??? I have always been blessed that through every stinking phase, one thing always remained....communication. For some reason, that seems to be dwindling though. I just seem to roll with the punches these days and quite frankly, I'm not liking it! Not a bit! I've never been the average Mom & I have done the best job that I thought could be done. I have very few regrets which is a blessing in itself. I guess that's why some days this all seems so un-justifiably hurtful..... well beyond detachment. For Kaydee, it's a given & I can deal... it will change when we progress to the next phase but at what age do the phases stop? Seriously, I want to know! *crickets chirping* That's what i thought.... there is never an end. We all continue to evolve into who we are meant to be and striving to become. This shouldn't deliberately exclude your Mom though.... if you have a great relationship with her.... right? Am i delusional? What am i missing? I'm obviously missing pages from my elusive parent manual.... is anyone willing to loan me a copy..... before I lose my mind.... please??? UGH! For now I suppose that i should just take comfort in the fact that to at least 3 out of my 6 kids I've still hung the moon. I guess it's true that you can't make all of the people happy all of the time. *sigh* Hopefully the next post will be a happier one. Until then...CIAO! : / </span><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;"></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#33ffff;"></span><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#33ffff;"></span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-19195518962084783922010-08-30T10:18:00.000-07:002010-08-30T11:09:14.491-07:00Yay for the end of AUGUST!<span style="color:#33cc00;">I am elated! 2 more days and August will be once again behind me. August is the WORST month of the year for me. It ranks #1 as the all time busiest month of the year! UGH! I have been SO busy with job, family & just balancing the many hats I have to wear lately. August seems to be the month where EVERYONE wants a piece of me and then there's the added bonus of the heat here in AZ ...one of our hottest months! UGH! I'll spare you the yucky details....just know that I'm crazyhappyexcited (yes, i deliberately made that 1 word!) that it's almost OVER! LOL! *end of ventfest* ; ) On the upside, I did manage to steal some much needed *me* time over the weekend. Kevan & I had a great time with friends, family & even got to spend some time with BOTH of our grown boys! So, I guess I can't complain too much... life is good; that is a fact! </span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">I noticed that my FB account has mysteriously resurfaced.... maybe a glitch.... who knows? I do know that the little hiccup I had with that account did certainly put some things into perspective for me though. I am now happily at the point that I can take it or leave it..... a good thing for sure! : ) Sometimes we all need a reminder, kick in the pants.... however you want to look at it. I got mine and have been pleasantly surprised with how much more I have accomplished without that little outlet. Things that make ya go hmmmm! ; ) </span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">Looking forward: Hmmm, let's see.... I am really looking forward to cooler weather, getting crafty, holidays, enjoying outdoor activities with the kids & all of the awesome things that Fall holds for me. : ) I also have some pretty cool bloggy ideas for prompting me to keep up here. Well, time to get back to month end stuff & some upcoming state meetings....whoopie! I hope that everyone has a wonderful week! See ya soon! CIAO! : )</span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-36320988584748204182010-08-28T06:40:00.000-07:002010-08-28T07:46:18.948-07:00Let's just see if this works....<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/THkgs3BgVzI/AAAAAAAAAQU/ZMQwHPhWWSA/s1600/CrazyLady_medium.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 290px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510471574121109298" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/THkgs3BgVzI/AAAAAAAAAQU/ZMQwHPhWWSA/s320/CrazyLady_medium.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#cc0000;">hmmm.... blogging from my phone? Yea for technology....sometimes not so much though. ; ) I've been asked by a few "how come you haven't blogged?".... in fact *someone* (you know who you are...heehee) recently told me i hadn't blogged since last October! I hadn't realized just how long it had been! Surely there's the "life happens" excuse but there's also that crazy advancement in our times called "social networking". I've come to realize that it has become my biggest pitfall. There's hardly an escape....unless of course you eliminate all cell phones & computers from your existence and sheepishly crawl back into the dark ages. Even if you did, you're bound to hear a majority of your friends exclaim at various points of the day "did you see what so & so posted?".... it's in a lot of ways like *cyber payton place* i tell ya! I had to take a long look at cyber time vs. real time & I gotta say.... I was less than pleased with my scale of priorities. It was too much of an escape & far too easy to access. So in short, after some account issues I think I have decided to suck it up, get past the yucky withdrawls & get a life. : ) This is not to say that it isn't ok for anyone else. Social networking is a great way to connect or stay connected with the ones we care about. It's just not for this girl....at this point in time. When I can rationalize why I never had time to till & replant my garden this year but have a flourishing virtual farm, there's a problem. If I blogged as much as i networked I'd never come up for air! LOL! For now, I'll simply look at my account issues as a blessing in disguise. : ) Hopefully now I'll have the time I never seemed to have to keep this bloggy thing going as it was meant to be.... as well as actually accomplishing a few neglected goals and maybe seeing some of my friends in real LIFE & not just on a status post. What a concept! That sure beats anything a social network could ever offer! So with that said, thank you Mr. Hacker or FB hiccup....which ever was the cause....I'm once again where i need to be. : ) CIAO! I'll be blogging & reading very soon....promise! ; )</span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-59471725671046829502009-10-24T05:08:00.000-07:002009-10-24T06:05:19.617-07:00Blogging hiatus....is there a such a thing?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SuL7YT92qQI/AAAAAAAAAQI/koPCUtbzZQg/s1600-h/vintage-halloween-sexy-woman-pumpkin-black-cat-bat-card.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396151698638416130" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SuL7YT92qQI/AAAAAAAAAQI/koPCUtbzZQg/s320/vintage-halloween-sexy-woman-pumpkin-black-cat-bat-card.jpg" /></a> <div><span style="color:#cc9933;">If so, I'm one of a few that has taken a bloggy break....judging from my long list of those that I follow....Wow! lots to read and catch up on! My email inbox too has been sadly neglected & is now asking me if I want to "compress" my files/emails to save space... I don't think that's a good thing... LOL! What can I say? Life happens? Always tons going on here! *sigh* I won't bore ya with the long list of "whys".... besides, some of the "whys" might sound pretty pathetic... quite a bit are legit though. I've missed not catching up with everyone and hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for the holidays!</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;">This is my favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather & that I've been able to keep my windows open a time or two over the past week! The holidays are coming and that always inspires my creative side. : )</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;">Today, I'm on a mission to rearrange my living room... exciting huh?! This is by FAR the worst space in my house to decorate AND it's the first room you see when you walk in to the house. It's smaller than any living room I've ever had and absolutely nothing seems to fit or look good. I need one of those decorating show people... guarantee they'd agree with me! LOL! I've had tiny apartments with bigger living room spaces! What makes this so difficult is not only is it a small space but the ceilings are vaulted.....BIG, HUGE VAULTED ceilings in a tiny room! You would think that a simple fix would be tall/bigger furniture... the trick is finding big things that will fit in this tiny area. *sigh* .... my dilemma for the past year now! Grrr.... If anyone knows any tricks or has any suggestion, I'd gladly welcome them! : ) </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;">Hope everyone has a terrific weekend! </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#cc9933;">~CIAO~</span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-26279752696537873362009-06-21T12:32:00.000-07:002009-06-28T17:59:25.423-07:00payback SWEET payback *sigh*<span style="color:#ffff00;">And a Ha</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6QMFUJKaI/AAAAAAAAAPk/OBJYquz3Wt8/s1600-h/CIMG2852.JPG"><span style="color:#ffff00;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349871944622221730" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6QMFUJKaI/AAAAAAAAAPk/OBJYquz3Wt8/s200/CIMG2852.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#ffff00;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">ppy</span> Father's Day too! So, my sweet husband thought it would be hilarious to capture a shot of me doing some <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">yard work</span>.... a REALLY not-so-flattering picture which has now been mysteriously deleted from his phone FOREVER (meant to be said like "Smalls" said it in *The Sandlot*... FOR--E--<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">VER</span>!!! If you haven't seen the movie, you need to.). He's very fortunate to still have a working phone. I think I've mentioned that I live in the house of pranks.... right? Well, his was tough to top and then I remembered... I HAVE A BLOG! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bwahahahaha</span>! </span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6QT2R0srI/AAAAAAAAAPs/OIt9sdiOuIU/s1600-h/CIMG2853.JPG"><span style="color:#ffff00;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349872078024913586" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6QT2R0srI/AAAAAAAAAPs/OIt9sdiOuIU/s200/CIMG2853.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#ffff00;">Kevan thought it would be funny to send his pic of me to our son who sent it on to....<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">hmmm</span>... pretty much everyone in his address book that knows us.... which probably led to that out of control spiral of text sending. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that there isn't a Marine in California that hasn't had a laugh at Kyle's Mom! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Geez</span>, I've wondered since if my picture has surfaced overseas yet. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">hmmm</span>.... <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Anyhooo</span>, </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6Q4ZwZ0NI/AAAAAAAAAP0/kpDcMaynNuU/s1600-h/IMG_5617.JPG"><span style="color:#ffff00;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349872706023706834" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6Q4ZwZ0NI/AAAAAAAAAP0/kpDcMaynNuU/s200/IMG_5617.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#ffff00;">I've been called the paparazzi around our place. I'm usually toting a camera or have it within arms reach.... unless of course my battery is dead. I'm not the most proficient in keeping that darn thing charged. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ok</span>, I'm getting off base and It's time to get to the good stuff! *insert evil laugh here* I've gotten pics of Kevan making crazy faces or worse, I'll get the gestures that say "I've had enough of the camera" (though I won't post those). So without further adieu.... Happy Father's Day to the funniest, sweetest, most loving & generous man I know! All joking aside, he truly is my best friend, my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">soulmate</span> and the best Dad any child could ask for. Mushy moment over... now for the picture you've all been waiting for.... and the one that will probably earn the payback that I will inevitably regret. Keep in mind... this is all in FUN.... nasty, rotten, evil FUN! Did I mention that a GREAT sense of humor is essential in this household? I guess it can't be helped in a house full of boys.... poor <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaydee</span> & I are hugely outnumbered so we have to play dirty. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">heeheehee</span>! Here goes....<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349875735743221138" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sj6TowV0zZI/AAAAAAAAAP8/C96ozzDnamk/s400/IMG_4276.JPG" /> Ah yes, I believe this was the runway shot featuring the new Strawberry Shortcake attire. Kevan proudly modeled <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaydee's</span> hat after she had been asked to put it away several times.... <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dontcha</span> just wish she had put it away Kevan? Remember while I was sweltering from the heat while working in the yard as you sat snickering in the shade..... remember I said "payback"? Let the games begin.... just as soon as I hide all phones & cameras of course! ; ) I wish all of the Father's out there a wonderful, relaxing day! Oh, and if you are relaxing and you've been known to play pranks on your hard working wife... you may want to get up from watching that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">NASCAR</span> race and check on her whereabouts.... she COULD be blogging.... about YOU! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">heeheehee</span>!</span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-67655989140225897952009-06-15T11:03:00.000-07:002009-06-16T09:31:03.356-07:00Just a little recap of the last few....<div><div><div><div><div><div> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347620079604215058" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjaQISaOLRI/AAAAAAAAANc/1h7HtjOhXgc/s320/IMG_7000.JPG" /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjekbbmGFqI/AAAAAAAAAN0/wSGuqbMzVuc/s1600-h/IMG_7002.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347923873696716450" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjekbbmGFqI/AAAAAAAAAN0/wSGuqbMzVuc/s200/IMG_7002.JPG" /></a>I had a few minutes to upload some pics & thought I'd sneak in and blog a bit. : ) We've been on the go with the c-r-a-z-y list of summer activities and I've barely had time to come up for air.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1epndu-I/AAAAAAAAAOc/sLTBb-2Fg8A/s1600-h/IMG_7078.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347942620697836514" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1epndu-I/AAAAAAAAAOc/sLTBb-2Fg8A/s200/IMG_7078.JPG" /></a></span></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">We visited the <a href="http://www.azscience.org/">Arizona Science Center </a>over the weekend. They are featuring the Lego Castle Adventure right now and can I just say AWESOME?! This worked out perfectly as we're in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">virtual</span> Scotland (Kevan's ancestry roots) this week and there were some fantastic <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">lego</span> castles to explore. The kids had a blast! The best part about <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjelTciFQ2I/AAAAAAAAAN8/DaQF-kjFdzU/s1600-h/IMG_7034.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347924836020994914" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjelTciFQ2I/AAAAAAAAAN8/DaQF-kjFdzU/s200/IMG_7034.JPG" /></a>the Science Center is that it is totally kid friendly. They can play, run,<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje07L380MI/AAAAAAAAAOE/HWtdkkUoW8M/s1600-h/IMG_7039.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347942011418497218" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje07L380MI/AAAAAAAAAOE/HWtdkkUoW8M/s200/IMG_7039.JPG" /></a> touch, smell and we don't have to worry about ANYTHING breaking! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaydee</span> wore a princess costume <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1Vdf8fqI/AAAAAAAAAOU/y7wbUnNFYRI/s1600-h/IMG_7056.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347942462826249890" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1Vdf8fqI/AAAAAAAAAOU/y7wbUnNFYRI/s200/IMG_7056.JPG" /></a>out of their dress-up bin to fully play the part! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaydon</span> ran around freely, astonished that he didn't hear the words "no-no" once & yes, that is a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">mohawk</span> (Kevan did it, I plead the 5<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>)! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span>! We stayed and played until closing time. On our way out <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaydee</span> crossed over a floor ventilation grate and the rising air lifted her dress. When I turned to see what was taking her so long to catch up I couldn't help but laugh at the way she seemed so fascinated with this final <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">feature</span> at the science center. Well, it really wasn't a "feature" per <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">se</span> but to her it was. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1Im8P9vI/AAAAAAAAAOM/fTTMmgPbzek/s1600-h/IMG_7043.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347942242022586098" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1Im8P9vI/AAAAAAAAAOM/fTTMmgPbzek/s200/IMG_7043.JPG" /></a>Of course I had to get pictures. She posed, laughed & quickly gained attention as the "little Marilyn". Now she wants to know who Marilyn is. Dare I tell her? Maybe another time... perhaps when my little diva in training is about 30?! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">LOL</span>! I don't think she needs anymore encouragement in that department but oh boy, what a ride I think <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje2RGI-XvI/AAAAAAAAAO0/ubq6aLMs01I/s1600-h/IMG_7150.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347943487348039410" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje2RGI-XvI/AAAAAAAAAO0/ubq6aLMs01I/s200/IMG_7150.JPG" /></a>we're in for! <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Eeek</span>! </span></div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjaQroQGRVI/AAAAAAAAANs/4lFHqgvRwPo/s1600-h/IMG_7021.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347620686762755410" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SjaQroQGRVI/AAAAAAAAANs/4lFHqgvRwPo/s200/IMG_7021.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1qeyserI/AAAAAAAAAOk/39JRega7DQU/s1600-h/IMG_7083.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347942823950580402" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje1qeyserI/AAAAAAAAAOk/39JRega7DQU/s200/IMG_7083.JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje2Ie_sMkI/AAAAAAAAAOs/u36fRcYb2ZY/s1600-h/IMG_7147.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347943339401163330" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje2Ie_sMkI/AAAAAAAAAOs/u36fRcYb2ZY/s200/IMG_7147.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje3ZxhiktI/AAAAAAAAAPc/dQTeKtoYaJE/s1600-h/IMG_7159.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347944735944381138" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje3ZxhiktI/AAAAAAAAAPc/dQTeKtoYaJE/s200/IMG_7159.JPG" /></a>Also, yesterday we began Summer camp at Crocodile Dock <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">VBS</span>. Here are a few shots of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaydee</span> on her first day. They transformed the church auditorium into a swamp! How cool is that? <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje3SMxGrJI/AAAAAAAAAPU/ab6Y4yov-0s/s1600-h/IMG_7169.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 131px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347944605818465426" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje3SMxGrJI/AAAAAAAAAPU/ab6Y4yov-0s/s200/IMG_7169.JPG" /></a>The group leaders were sporting bright neon green streaks in their hair and everyone got their very own necklace & bracelet. She was a little shy at first but quickly warmed up as one of her group leaders was also a substitute <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje2Yff63MI/AAAAAAAAAO8/3agHU0kuKRs/s1600-h/IMG_7153.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347943614414249154" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje2Yff63MI/AAAAAAAAAO8/3agHU0kuKRs/s200/IMG_7153.JPG" /></a>teacher at her school. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje3Glg9VrI/AAAAAAAAAPM/6t7l_2sI5ME/s1600-h/IMG_7168.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 199px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347944406303200946" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje3Glg9VrI/AAAAAAAAAPM/6t7l_2sI5ME/s200/IMG_7168.JPG" /></a>She also recognized some buddies from school. It also helped that she was placed in what she calls "the coolest group EVER" because they are called the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">opossum</span> BLOSSOMS! There's no denying the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">girly</span>-girl in her... that's for sure! When I asked her what<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje25zsPqeI/AAAAAAAAAPE/xHlmP4gP9Bo/s1600-h/IMG_7154.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 133px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347944186770336226" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sje25zsPqeI/AAAAAAAAAPE/xHlmP4gP9Bo/s200/IMG_7154.JPG" /></a> the best part was, she was quick to reply with "no work!". *sigh* So with that comment I can only assume that we've finally reached that age where she is not so excited about school or more specifically schoolwork. Speaking of age.... my little girl turns **9** in just 14 days! I can't believe how fast time seems to be flying! Having 2 grown kids already it's hard not to reminisce about every milestone.... both then & now with each of my kiddos. So that's what has been on my plate. What's on your plate? More soon...hopefully! ; ) ~*~Ciao~*~</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-37497588175267187312009-06-11T15:57:00.000-07:002009-06-11T16:18:56.358-07:00whew! busy, busy, busy!<span style="color:#33cc00;">Yep, I'm still here. Still running like crazy. Since summer vacation began, I've had to speed up to keep up.... if that makes ANY sense. I've been busy with kids, appointments, meetings, crafts, virtual traveling, & working on a host of other irons in my fire. I'm also in training for my online business.... not quite ready to launch just yet but coming soon. *fingers crossed*</span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">I've tried to keep up on my blog roll. Sometimes it's easier to read and comment then to think creatively enough to post on my own. Ever feel like that? LOL! By the end of the day lately it seems I'm lucky if I feel that I have more than 2 brain cells to rub together.</span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">I have a few layouts & collage pieces that I've worked on here and there....truly my sanity time to be able to lose myself in something creative! : P </span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;">Posting might be a little few and far between until I can get through some of my classes & some of the kids activities but we'll see. I'll be checking in at the very least. : ) Hope everyone is having a fantastic summer! ~*~Ciao~*~</span><br /><span style="color:#33cc00;"></span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-24440204264146752982009-05-28T15:53:00.000-07:002009-05-28T16:14:11.092-07:00Did I mention that we're in Italy this week?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sh8Wk-uKHbI/AAAAAAAAANA/X-DGvyBFoBw/s1600-h/GLOBE.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341012507652398514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 290px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sh8Wk-uKHbI/AAAAAAAAANA/X-DGvyBFoBw/s320/GLOBE.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#ffcccc;">Let the *Destination Imagination* begin! : )<br />So this week we’re in Italy. The kids are loving all of the neat things we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ve</span> done this far. We <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">didn</span>’t get to really pick a place on the globe together… I picked. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">LOL</span>! I went with what I knew and could teach with this short week and after our holiday <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">camp out</span>. I still have a small bit of the language down though it’s been awhile since I was around those that speak fluently so *check* on that. The cooking is a snap and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">doesn</span>’t take much thought because it’s familiar. *check* The crafts are under construction as we speak. *check* Over all this has been not so tough given the fact that I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">didn</span>’t do such a “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">bene</span>” job preparing. Gratefully, my kids know no difference. ; ) So, suffice to say, I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">miei</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">bambini</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">l'amore</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Italia</span> (My kids love Italy). They love the *funny* music and are always game for messy craft or cooking projects.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#33ccff;">Some other phrases learned:<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#6633ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Lavarsi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">le</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">mani</span> (wash hands)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Affermativo</span> (yes please)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">grazie</span>! (thank you)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">occhi</span> (eyes)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">naso</span> (nose)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">bocca</span> (mouth)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">orecchie</span> (ears)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">spazzola</span> i <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">denti</span> (brush teeth)<br />Che ore <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">sono</span>? (what time is it?)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">ora</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">di</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">andare</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">al</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">letto</span> (bedtime).... *my personal favorite* <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">heehee</span>!</span><br /><br /><p><span style="color:#ffcccc;">I'm hoping to post some of our crafts and a few recipes this week but more realistically this weekend. ; ) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Kaydee</span> and I surfed for a few pics to add to our Italy blog & she loved this one... go figure! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">LOL</span>!</span></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341014901831709490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sh8YwVu_MzI/AAAAAAAAANI/SbUiI8Ja1iY/s320/638377e1safbmfnf.gif" border="0" /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcccc;">Is she her Mother's daughter or what? ; ) Well, we're off to go make <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">strombolli</span>. ~*~Ciao~*~</span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-8631545113604214182009-05-25T13:21:00.000-07:002009-05-25T15:01:17.142-07:00Flea Market, Mud-Mania & a new place to travel<span style="color:#996633;">Well, this was one SUPER filled weekend for sure! We did make it to the Flea market at the Merchant sqare but were in & out pretty quick. On top of the fact that we got a late start Saturday (story of my life!), we had been having some on & off rains. Between the heat and the humidity, there were not nearly the amount of vendors at Merchant Square this time around. In hindsight, this was probably a good thing. We still had yet to pack up the truck and had some last minute things to grab at the store. The next flea market will be in October... wise idea! I walked out with NOTHING! Can you believe that? Kevan managed to find a few matchbox cars for Kaydon. Kaydon is a car MANIAC! I don't think that any of my boys were as obsessed with cars and trucks the way that he is. Too funny!</span><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#996633;">We ran our last few errands... QUICKLY and got the heck out of town! It was magnificent to get out of the heat for a bit. We had quite a few friends meet at the same campsight so there were tons of kids, qu<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEVSCQcqI/AAAAAAAAAMg/BiUDR1ncgkc/s1600-h/IMG_6925.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339866546842923682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEVSCQcqI/AAAAAAAAAMg/BiUDR1ncgkc/s320/IMG_6925.JPG" border="0" /></a>ads, games, MUD and a never-ending amount of pranks! ; )</span></div><br /><span style="color:#ffff00;"><span style="color:#ffff00;">this </span>little stink bug thinks he's going to sneak away on Mama's quad... Good try Kaydon ------->>>>></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsCSfuNyQI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/0fq8p43gf0k/s1600-h/IMG_6947.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339864299954096386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsCSfuNyQI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/0fq8p43gf0k/s320/IMG_6947.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#ffff00;"><<<-------- Totally loving the freedom to just run & explore!</span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;">The kids had a blast! It was SO nice just to watch them run freely without worrying about a thing! They caught lizards, catepillars, butterflies and explored every rock, tree and hillside within 1/4 mile of our site. To say they were exhausted would be an understatement! I can't believe that they actually slept in until almost 10:30 this morning! Now, I <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsC9EY257I/AAAAAAAAAMY/W0mwskKEbk0/s1600-h/IMG_6976.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339865031351134130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsC9EY257I/AAAAAAAAAMY/W0mwskKEbk0/s320/IMG_6976.JPG" border="0" /></a>have the unpleasant duty of unloading, unpacking & some very muddy laundry! ICK!</span></div><div><span style="color:#996633;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#ffff00;">My little "bump on the log" ----->>>></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEfWAIw8I/AAAAAAAAAMo/rc4n9_6gFlk/s1600-h/IMG_6942.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339866719706465218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEfWAIw8I/AAAAAAAAAMo/rc4n9_6gFlk/s320/IMG_6942.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEfWAIw8I/AAAAAAAAAMo/rc4n9_6gFlk/s1600-h/IMG_6942.JPG"></a></p><p><span style="color:#ffff00;"><<<----Yes, *girl-drama* still happens EVEN in THE WOODS!!! *sigh*</span></p><p><span style="color:#ffff00;"></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEwzB4_MI/AAAAAAAAAMw/YHowKm9hjQk/s1600-h/IMG_6937.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339867019556224194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsEwzB4_MI/AAAAAAAAAMw/YHowKm9hjQk/s320/IMG_6937.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><span style="color:#ffff00;"><<<--- It's pretty sad when the kids come home cleaner than the adults! We had a blast running our quads through every mud puddle at Clint's well! I had to show my sweetie who owned the woods....he can HAVE the Dunes! Bwahahaha!</span></p><p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsE8O3jyXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/kzH5NihdsuE/s1600-h/IMG_6993.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339867216007645554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsE8O3jyXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/kzH5NihdsuE/s200/IMG_6993.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShsE8O3jyXI/AAAAAAAAAM4/kzH5NihdsuE/s1600-h/IMG_6993.JPG"></a><p></p><p><span style="color:#ffff00;">I'm thinking the shoes are not going to come clean... what do you think? --->>></span></p><p><span style="color:#ffff00;"></span></p><p><span style="color:#ffff00;"></span></p><p><span style="color:#33ff33;">Lastly, if I can ever get through the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">muddy</span> laundry the kids and I are planning to start our journey to Italy tomorrow. : ) For tonight, it's a good, old fashioned American BBQ! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mmmm</span>!</span></p>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-30765975578378780732009-05-25T08:36:00.000-07:002009-05-25T08:47:49.279-07:00Happy Memorial Day!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Shq7RpxV9MI/AAAAAAAAAMI/pV0Eu8NLBzc/s1600-h/574229.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339786220146128066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Shq7RpxV9MI/AAAAAAAAAMI/pV0Eu8NLBzc/s400/574229.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>A big Thank You to our country's veterans!!</strong></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ffffff;">You are loved and appreciated for </span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#3333ff;">all that you do to protect us and our fine land!</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">x<span style="color:#ffffff;">o</span><span style="color:#3333ff;">x</span></span></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#ffffff;"></span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-46260739082748710872009-05-21T18:14:00.000-07:002009-05-25T08:49:06.642-07:00I made it!!! Wahoooo!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sha1gjLUI6I/AAAAAAAAAMA/5aWGGCDUheQ/s1600-h/schools_out.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338653979097441186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 237px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sha1gjLUI6I/AAAAAAAAAMA/5aWGGCDUheQ/s400/schools_out.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShX855axq5I/AAAAAAAAAL4/gS-8mWlLm4w/s1600-h/schools_out.gif"></a></div><br /><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">I'm not one of those Moms that dreads the last day of school. Nope, I LOVE Summer vacations and all of the cool things that we plan & do! Aside from the obvious, slower paced mornings... hey, you'd love the break too if you had 4 kiddos that attend 4 different schools at 4 different times! I should have ZERO cellulite for as much as I run my behind off in the mornings... but sadly my morning <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">exercise</span> hasn't affected that one bit. As I was saying; aside from the slower paced mornings, we pack in as many fun things as we can. I love participating in the local library programs. The library is important to me. As a kid, we didn't have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Internet</span>... shocking, I know... in fact we didn't have computers. period. If we needed to write a report we usually spent at least one Saturday at the library scouring through card catalogs, reference books, taking notes & READING. I love the smell of a library. There's that certain musty book smell about a library... LOVE it! Does that make me a little nerdy? Oh well. It's important to me to share those things with my kids. Sure, it's not as convenient as point & click but I believe the experience is invaluable. </span></p><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">One of the things that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kaydee</span> & I came up with for a super-cool Summer activity is traveling... very far... A LOT! Who wouldn't love to travel and especially to distant lands? Since we aren't able to vacation for long periods(for real) frequently, we've settled for.... are ya ready?...... really corny title..... keep in mind, I had the help of my 8 year old daughter to think this up. *DESTINATION IMAGINATION* Basically, we have decided to pick a place on our globe every Sunday night. Beginning Monday we will imagine traveling to our destination and throughout the week we will cook, make crafts, and learn a bit about the lingo & culture of our imaginary vacation spot. Cool huh? This is in addition to swimming lessons, art camps, youth theater, kid friendly museums & <a href="http://ministry-to-children.com/crocodile-dock/">Crocodile Dock camp </a>at our church. Sound like fun? I look forward to our Summers throughout the school year and try to think of different things to do as we go and as they get older. As we near the end of Summer, usually a few weeks before school starts, the natives become restless (like most kids usually do) and we start seeing those signs of what I call *vacation burnout*. That's when I start my "i can't wait for school to start" countdown..... just in time. ; )</span></p><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">To kick off our Summer we are going to load 'em up and head for the mountains for a little camping trip this weekend (for real...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">LOL</span>!). We're only going for 2 days & one night. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kaydon</span> has never been camping so this should be interesting. I figure that as long as we have his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">woobie</span> and enough ice to keep his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">sippies</span> cool we're good to go. </span></p><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">So, what kind of plans do you have for the Summer? Traveling anywhere? </span></p><p><span style="color:#cc0000;">Until next time... ~*~Ciao~*~</span> </p><br /><p></p>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-60881908680322521112009-05-19T21:55:00.000-07:002009-05-19T22:24:01.651-07:00ENABLER ALERT!!!<span style="color:#ff6666;">Guess what's goin' on this Saturday??? Give up? </span><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337766322745626322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShOOMJlLztI/AAAAAAAAALw/K6xhmfqt5qE/s400/mayflyer.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="color:#ff6666;">I'm so excited! *happy dance* I had a blast at the last flea market that they had and scored some amazing deals as mentioned <a href="http://livelovecreateblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/funny-thing-happened-on-way-to-home.html">here</a>! So, what are you up to next Saturday? Mike? Lesley? Ellen? Kim? Jennifer? Are ya up for some junkin' fun? I'll even bring the sunblock! Anyone that knows me knows that I'd pretty much rather perform my own root canal before being outside in the crazy-hot -heat. Nope, I'm usually content indoors once Easter has passed. So, if I'm willing to suck it up and slather myself in sunblock then it must be worth it. Right?</span></p><p><span style="color:#ff6666;">Hope to see some familiar faces! : ) ~*~Ciao~*~</span></p>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-16127127127516968972009-05-18T15:53:00.000-07:002009-05-18T16:14:06.229-07:00Mosh Posh Blog Party!<span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff99ff;">Just passin' along the invitation to all. There's a very cool blog party happening at <a href="http://mosh-poshkits.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-time-for-our-blog-party.html">Mosh Posh</a>. There are some AWESOME things to win ju<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShHrGCsLwCI/AAAAAAAAALo/B5j1qiG27F0/s1600-h/blog_001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337305522444681250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShHrGCsLwCI/AAAAAAAAALo/B5j1qiG27F0/s320/blog_001.jpg" border="0" /></a>st by posting a comment to their blog too! SEE??? </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff99ff;"><<<--------</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff99ff;">Check out some of those yummy scrap supplies!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff99ff;">So what are you waiting for? Head on over and post a comment on their boards! And if you haven't submitted your entry yet... the clock is ticking! Hurry, you have until 10pm tonight to submit your best work for their <a href="http://mosh-poshkits.blogspot.com/2009/05/mosh-posh-guest-designer-contest.html">*June - Guest Design Team call*. </a>If you've already submitted your entry; GOOD LUCK TO YOU!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff99ff;">Hope to see ya there! ~*~Ciao~*~ ; )</span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-75520695214056016292009-05-17T22:48:00.000-07:002009-05-18T00:55:35.768-07:00Mosh Posh June - Guest DT entry<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#33ff33;">Here's what I submitted to Mosh Posh. With Graduations around the corner I chose to create some layout ideas and gift ideas. </span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#33ccff;">Celebrate Every Success</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#33ff33;"></span></div><div align="center"> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337067301067272194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 395px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShESbu53sAI/AAAAAAAAAKU/KqyzMo18T_g/s400/IMG_6918.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center"><span style="color:#33ff33;">This layout is a celebration of Graduation milestones. It features 3 photos of my son, Kyle, during different graduation ceremonies. One from preschool (Top left), one from High School (Top right), & one from bootcamp graduation (bottom right).</span> </p><p align="center"><span style="color:#33ccff;">The tag reads: Celebration ~ To be all that is possible we must attempt the impossible. To be all that we can be we must dream of being more.</span><br /><br /><br /></p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337039381527739682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShD5Cmg7PSI/AAAAAAAAAI8/RMdU3WjRIBo/s320/IMG_6902.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="color:#33ff33;">For my wildcard I chose to stay with the Graduation/Celebration theme. I created a keepsake chipboard invitation. It's a tri-fold card that can display senior pictures or what ever pictures you choose. It also has the invite information on the inside of the front cover.</span> </p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337049612348961634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShECWHSyM2I/AAAAAAAAAJs/Y4KbouPrbAU/s400/IMG_6905.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#33ff33;">Open for display</span><span style="color:#33ff33;"></span> </p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337050212201600194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShEC5B6zFMI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Py0ol27ve_k/s400/IMG_6906.JPG" border="0" /><br /><span style="color:#33ff33;">Inside of front cover shows the "save the date" calendar & invite info</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337050576427551682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShEDOOxCC8I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/-ndYtAC5yvY/s400/IMG_6908.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337065477174797442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShEQxkYBJII/AAAAAAAAAKE/LeQq42JibE0/s400/IMG_6909.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337065752517549026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShERBmG2G-I/AAAAAAAAAKM/y1mJYxJ4xYE/s400/IMG_6910.JPG" border="0" /> </span><span style="color:#33ff33;">Here are the 2 keepsake photo pages. The invite cover can be folded behind so that the matted photos are all that show. <p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337042564450583410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShD77303g3I/AAAAAAAAAJc/EZTyNKXJgN8/s320/IMG_6911.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Lastly, the finished back side and cover (front of card).</p><p>Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek! ; )</p><p>Happy Creating! ~*~Ciao~*~</span></p>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-39992971811918100362009-05-17T19:41:00.000-07:002009-05-17T19:56:20.749-07:00Adventures in gardening!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDNirwbMZI/AAAAAAAAAIk/4s2vUdToNkA/s1600-h/!cid__0517091716.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336991554179117458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDNirwbMZI/AAAAAAAAAIk/4s2vUdToNkA/s200/!cid__0517091716.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#66ffff;">Whew, I’m able to blog again. Been a little busy… ok, a lot busy. I’ve been working on the backyard. We are now the proud owners of 600 sq ft of grass and the garden is growing like crazy! Family and friends are shocked that I’ve actually been able to grow something from a seed! I’m shocked too!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDL5amRf2I/AAAAAAAAAIE/0z3rU9LgfHE/s1600-h/!cid__0517091724.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336989745686871906" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDL5amRf2I/AAAAAAAAAIE/0z3rU9LgfHE/s200/!cid__0517091724.jpg" border="0" /></a> Kaydee is over the moon with excitement and absolutely can not wait until we can harvest some of the hard work we have put into that garden. I’m guilty of plucking a few carrot stems… ok, so I’m not the most patient person in the world! I just wanted to see if there was a wee little carrot on the end of the stem….nope; not yet. I’ve sample<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDMJKqB4SI/AAAAAAAAAIM/VxT3c5hC1Q0/s1600-h/!cid__0517091724a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336990016285565218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDMJKqB4SI/AAAAAAAAAIM/VxT3c5hC1Q0/s200/!cid__0517091724a.jpg" border="0" /></a>d a bit of the green onions (chives) and WOW are they ever flavorful! I’m so proud of our little garden! : ) Can you tell?? Everything that we planted has taken off. I’m actually debating on planting more. I have 1 & ½ empty rows left… maybe some cabbage? Jalepenos? Kevan added some chicken wire to the fence to keep Roscoe out of the garden. That cat has a fixation with the row of peas… nothing else, just the peas. He has laid across them and rearranged them so much to make a nice comfy<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDMQp7NQwI/AAAAAAAAAIU/YqHoYMVpSbA/s1600-h/!cid__0517091724c.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336990144938197762" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDMQp7NQwI/AAAAAAAAAIU/YqHoYMVpSbA/s200/!cid__0517091724c.jpg" border="0" /></a> bed for himself that I’ve had to stake/support them. Well, we fixed his wagon…. Look at him hanging out with the herbs….bwahahaha! No more garden for Roscoe… ACCESS DENIED! Oddly enough, he won’t jump the fence. I guess that’s lucky for me…. Or him, depending on how you look at it. ; )<br />Ok, now for the grass story. I do have some advice f<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDM_6sPbUI/AAAAAAAAAIc/KXHZR2nofH4/s1600-h/!cid__0517091717a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336990956892679490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ShDM_6sPbUI/AAAAAAAAAIc/KXHZR2nofH4/s320/!cid__0517091717a.jpg" border="0" /></a>or anyone contemplating sod…. HAVE IT DELIVERED! And if at all possible, installed too!!! What an ordeal! On Thursday I went into Home Depot and ordered 1 pallet of grass… exactly 60 rolls/600 sq ft. A month ago I attempted to seed. I tilled the soil, added a liberal amount of seed, added enough seed starter for my area and watered. And watered. And watered. In between watering I waited. Waited & watched…. For the most remote sign of life….NOTHING. Oh wait, somewhere during week 3 we started seeing some growth. It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for; in fact what we saw emerging was a solid blanket of little tiny weeds that were very close knit. I could tell that they were weeds by the little tiny leaves that began to sprout from the tips. For a brief moment I rationalized to myself that perhaps this was just how new grass started. After all, the spinach in our garden started out resembling grass so maybe I was wrong and there might still be hope. Please?? Not so much. *sigh* As it continued to get hotter, the last thing on my mind was starting all over again with the seed thing. The heat here could make anybody crazy and I was pretty frustrated to start. So, fast forward to Thursday… The wonderful people at home depot took pity on me and after reimbursing me for the seed they offered a fantastic deal on the sod. The catch? I had to pick it up. I arrived at Home Depot at 6am Friday morning to pick up the little pallet of sod and was informed that I was going to need a bigger truck. Hello? This is a Chevy! Doesn’t that count for something? I was disappointed at the thought of having to go back home sod-less and to pick up the trailer. So what’s a girl to do? I called my husband of course! He was finishing up at work and stated that the rear should hold at least 4000 pounds so to let them load it into the truck and not to worry. The Home Depot guys looked pretty confused but obliged….somehow I just know they had a nice long laugh about this at the end of the day. Anywhooo.. Since the pallet was 2” wider than the truck bed we had to load each roll by hand. 60 rolls at anywhere between 60 & 100 pounds per piece is no easy task. There is absolutely no way to do this gracefully. The first few rolls were easy to transfer by using just my hands. As we worked our way through the pallet, it became messier, smellier, and loaded with little bug critters. By now, I was having some pretty warped thoughts about Kevan… it was his idea that I press on and load them. Where the heck was he? He should be done with work by now! This stuff was absolutely FOUL! If you have any aversions to bugs WHAT-SO-EVER I’ve found the cure for you. You unload about 6000 pounds of sod as quickly as you can, in nearly 100 degree weather and in time it won’t matter what crawls out of it. If you’re still upright after the smell from the middle of a pallet, you’re doing good! By the time we were about 1/3 of the way into the pallet the rolls of sod became extremely heavy. Moving with my hands (and away from my body) was not an option. I reluctantly bear hugged every roll that I transferred from that pallet. To say that I looked like a swamp creature by 9am would be an understatement. Well, it all fit in the back of the truck…. One problem though…. My wheel wells were nicely resting on top of the rear tires. NICE! Home Depot guys had said all but “I told you so” but I know they wanted to say it! Enter stage left: very nice, good samaritan…. And his name was Isidro. Isidro was very concerned about the weight on the rear axle…. YA THINK? At this point I was quickly approaching the “I don’t care” attitude. I was head to toe in the most disgusting mud I’ve ever smelled in my life, way overheated, and couldn’t quite remember if I had taken my Premarin that morning…. None of which were a good combination. Well Isidro, if you’re out there in blogland; I’m SO grateful! : ) This kind man not only helped me unload half of my sod into his truck but followed me home to help me unload it AGAIN. He accepted payment for his help after some coaxing… seriously, I would have been up a creek without his generosity.<br />Other than gardening adventures, I’ve been working on a design team entry for a June guest designer contest over at <a href="http://www.mosh-posh.com/">Mosh Posh</a>. Actually, I finished up my entry a few days ago and have finally taken pics to upload to their site. I’ll see if I can post them here too. So, that’s my recent happenings in a very large nutshell. What have you been up to? Until next time… CIAO! ; )</span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-89314934940475492042009-05-10T21:23:00.000-07:002009-05-25T08:49:33.163-07:00Happy Mother's Day!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SgeokqHWc9I/AAAAAAAAAH0/F-nU0c_o4yM/s1600-h/!cid_B5ECA9033F724172A3D650CEB1C42201%40your4dacd0ea75.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334417631377519570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SgeokqHWc9I/AAAAAAAAAH0/F-nU0c_o4yM/s400/!cid_B5ECA9033F724172A3D650CEB1C42201%40your4dacd0ea75.jpg" border="0" /></a> Loved this & OH how true it is! ; ) I had a great day with my family, have a ton of new artwork from my kids to display on the pantry doors, and now ready to curl up with my sketch pad & a steaming hot cup of spice chai latte.... It doesn't get much better than this! : ) Happy Mother's Day to all of my bloggin' peeps! <div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-51510361761966649902009-04-22T03:37:00.000-07:002009-05-25T08:49:55.485-07:00TRIPLE DIGITS??<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Se7znCbPUeI/AAAAAAAAAHc/osVzsY0KbJ4/s1600-h/eggfriedonsidewalk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327463261217444322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Se7znCbPUeI/AAAAAAAAAHc/osVzsY0KbJ4/s320/eggfriedonsidewalk.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#ffff00;">I guess I should be grateful that it didn't heat up sooner. It seems like the weather has stayed pretty nice up until last weekend.... longer into Spring than it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">usually</span> does. BUT STILL.... *whining* I'm just not ready for this heat yet. Yuck... wish we still had a pool! It's funny, we had a pool in our last house and in almost 4 years I could have probably counted the times I set foot in it. Now, I don't have one and that's all I seem to be obsessing on since seeing 102 degrees on our thermometer yesterday! Thankfully the garden is FINALLY finished! We seemed to get the last of it done (fence is up too!) right before the insane temps began. Now, if we see growth, I'll be truly amazed! I've never attempted a vegetable garden and know very little about gardening....period.... especially in our climate! All I can say is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">YAY</span> for the i<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nternet</span> & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">YAY</span> for my daughter and her little "green thumb"! : ) It's got to work right? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kaydee</span> spurred my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">curiosity</span> with her recent gardening project in school. She came home from school one day (just before Spring break) with her little bean sprout in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">dixie</span> cup. Remember those? So cute! Anyway, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Kaydee</span> was just beaming! I promised her that we would try to plant a garden. She really does seem to have a green thumb which is definitely a good thing considering that most plants would probably genuflect if they could as I plant them! I try.... really I DO! I've had success with my plant/shrub choices in the front yard. I've even had success with my potted plants on our front porch! Well, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">except</span> for the poor <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">lavender</span> plant that I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">apparently</span> watered just a little too much (in a non-ventilated pot). R.I.P. little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">lavender</span>. Still though, feeling a little confident, I willingly embarked on our gardening adventure! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Kaydee</span>, has run to the garden every morning since we planted to check and see if anything has grown. Nothing yet... well, 1 weed, which she was sad to see me pick. I told her not to worry as I'm sure he had friends that would be surfacing soon. She's so proud of our little garden... me too! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Kaydee</span> is probably most excited about the pumpkins she planted... she insisted that we had to have our own pumpkin patch. I'm excited to see if the carrots take root.... or the squash, beans, onions, corn or peas. *fingers crossed* that we see something (other than weeds). Next step, planting some berry plants on the outside edge of the garden and learning how to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">compost</span>. My Grandfather had the most beautiful flower garden (in New York city too!) and he had his very own compost bin <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">behind</span> the garage. I remember being so excited as a kid to run scraps of carrot peels or coffee grounds to the bin. My Grandmother could hardly finish preparing a meal before I was off and running to the bin with all of the composting scraps. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#ffff00;">Well, LOTS to do today and should probably hop to it.... hopefully, not as hot as it was yesterday but I know that's pretty <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">wishful</span> thinking. *sigh* ~*~CIAO~*~ </span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-4207578297195326542009-04-16T05:26:00.000-07:002009-04-16T06:23:59.873-07:00I can't believe it's that time again!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecudClFvWI/AAAAAAAAAHU/xYEgd3utk8s/s1600-h/scrapbooking.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325276160832421218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 194px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecudClFvWI/AAAAAAAAAHU/xYEgd3utk8s/s320/scrapbooking.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#339999;">Well, almost that time! Only 2 weeks before National Scrapbook Day! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Geez</span>, It seems like it wasn't that long ago and already a year has passed. I love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">NSBD</span>! It's the one guaranteed day that I can lock my self away in creative bliss for hours and hours! Just me, my coffee and my supplies.... and maybe some cinnamon bears. *stop yawning*... this ain't for everybody.... just the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">waaaay</span> super-cool artistic type of folks! Jealous yet? So, May 2, 2009 I'll be locked away.... in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">scraproom</span> not the padded room and logged in to one of my many favorite *creative* places... <a href="http://www.scrapbook.com/"><strong>Scrapbook.com</strong></a>. My dear friend, <a href="http://because-estee-says-so.blogspot.com/"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Estee</span> Lynn</strong></a> is hosting the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">NSBD</span> events at Sb.c this year. A FULL day of hourly contests, challenges, drawings and so much more! She also writes a weekly column there. DO go check out her <a href="http://because-estee-says-so.blogspot.com/"><strong>blog</strong></a> & her <a href="http://www.scrapbook.com/blogs/41587.html"><strong>column</strong></a>! She is super cool, super talented, super funny.... heck, the girl just needs an "S" on her shirt! I usually participate in some of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">NSBD</span> activities but for the most part I use the time to get back into "creative mode" (sometimes life has a way of interfering with that). I work on (and actually complete!) unfinished projects or sometimes get a jump start on new projects. This is an example of a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">NSBD</span> challenge that I did last year.... I think it was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Estee's</span> challenge too come to think of it. It challenged "A day in the life" if I remember correctly. </span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sectm-J3vdI/AAAAAAAAAHE/jF7zKe8G9Fo/s1600-h/IMG_5439.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325275231931579858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sectm-J3vdI/AAAAAAAAAHE/jF7zKe8G9Fo/s320/IMG_5439.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#339999;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecuC2a0B5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzWRhqfZGVI/s1600-h/IMG_5441.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325275710891493266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecuC2a0B5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzWRhqfZGVI/s320/IMG_5441.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#339999;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecuC2a0B5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzWRhqfZGVI/s1600-h/IMG_5441.JPG"></a></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#339999;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecuC2a0B5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzWRhqfZGVI/s1600-h/IMG_5441.JPG"></a></span></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#339999;"><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#339999;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SecuC2a0B5I/AAAAAAAAAHM/kzWRhqfZGVI/s1600-h/IMG_5441.JPG"></a></span></div></span><br /><span style="color:#339999;">Not the greatest photos of my layouts but I was in a hurry to upload before the deadline. Anyway, this year I've VOWED to finish altering some antique window panes that I started a very long time ago. Those that know me have heard me yammer on about my collage idea & those windows and <strong><em>*fingers crossed*</em></strong> I'll be finishing them May 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">nd</span>! Whew, no pressure there! I've got so much to get ready before I embark on that huge project... lots to clean up and organize before hand and with 2 short weeks..... YIKES! Have a great day! : ) ~*~CIAO~*~</span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-85151398416825539452009-04-12T20:47:00.000-07:002009-04-12T23:40:00.631-07:00Happy Easter!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SeK3SYosiPI/AAAAAAAAAG0/bHK7L27kojk/s1600-h/866805.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324019235984017650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 207px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SeK3SYosiPI/AAAAAAAAAG0/bHK7L27kojk/s320/866805.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#ff99ff;">Well, the kids are bathed & <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">snugly</span> tucked into bed and the dishes are done. My living room however is covered in Easter grass, plastic eggs, crayons, coloring books and those darn Easter toys... you know, the little tiny ones that really hurt when you accidentally step on them barefoot? those ones. So far today I've re-packaged 120 colored pencils, 64 crayons, 27 markers & 15 glitter glue pens no less than 10 times. I think I might have overdone it on the art supplies in the Easter baskets though my kids are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">thoroughly</span> pleased and that's worth a million! : ) I've taped exactly 21 artistic masterpieces to my pantry door... created by my 2 younger kiddos. I've discovered that the black color wonder by Crayola wasn't much of a mystery to my 3 year old. He quickly discovered that he didn't need the special secret marker to reveal the rainbow of colors underneath the black paper. Nope, any wet object would do as he started with wet fingertips and soon after must have figured "oh what the heck, I'll just lick the paper". We now have black color wonder kids, walls, furniture, clothing & so much more! Can you hear my excitement? Seriously, what was I thinking? I know what you're thinking and nope, my camera battery was dead-dead... sorry, no pics of this precious memory.... and on a holiday too! Shame on me! </span><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;">I usually like to take a small bit of me time during any holiday and reflect.... think back on my own childhood memories of Easter, Easter traditions, how we've grown & changed, the family members that used to grace our table that are no longer with us, the friends & neighbors that we've been honored to share our holidays with... feeling so fortunate to have so many special people in my life. Holiday dinners at our house have never been about "just family" and always about "all family".... related or not. I love that! </span><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;">I'm pretty wiped out but in a good-tired kinda way. I've had lots of laughs today, shared a fantastic meal with the ones I love and now I'm just soaking up the "quiet" in my house.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;">How was your Easter?</span><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;"></span><br /><div></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-82415216559028623742009-04-05T06:46:00.000-07:002009-04-05T06:46:00.416-07:00<span style="color:#6600cc;">O</span><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ne</span> year ago today I said “see ya later” to my baby bird. I fought tears for the 2 days we spent in Twenty-Nine Palms prior to Kyle’s deployment to Afghanistan. One<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdizU27_uDI/AAAAAAAAAGs/D3KTNy8EP4c/s1600-h/!cid_4E89FA2E034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321200130664151090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdizU27_uDI/AAAAAAAAAGs/D3KTNy8EP4c/s320/!cid_4E89FA2E034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg" border="0" /></a> year ago? It seems like it went by so fast now yet the 8 months that he was gone was the longest 8 months of my life. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">couldn</span>’t stand the thought of saying goodbye. I just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">couldn</span>’t. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">didn</span>’t want to scare him with my emotions so I held them in as much as I possibly could…. That’s what a Mom does…right? He had more than I could imagine on his mind and needed to see strength. I tried to keep a positive mind set but that was at times nearly impossible. I remember thinking that this was just a bad dream and hoping that I would wake. Since Kyle enlisted in the United States Marine Corps I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span> had one long roller coaster of emotions. Of all<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhDcBSX5PI/AAAAAAAAAGU/NB6x6AEdH98/s1600-h/IMG_5258.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321077108399138034" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhDcBSX5PI/AAAAAAAAAGU/NB6x6AEdH98/s320/IMG_5258.JPG" border="0" /></a> of the jobs he could have selected, he chose infantry… a machine gunner to boot! He wanted to do his part….he enlisted with the most sincere and whole hearted intentions. I begged him to be a welder or a mechanic…. ANYTHING but infantry! He had his mind set though and was grown enough to make that decision. He was fresh out of high school, the world was his…so much of life to experience… What else could I do? Now, here I was at his deployment and flooded with so many feelings…less than a year since he left for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">bootcamp</span>. I felt pride beyond what I could ever describe. So proud of this fine young man that was willing to sacrifice so much in the name of his country. He made a commitment and would honor that. He vowed to protect and would honor that. He put the lives of everyone else ahead of his own and did so willingly. He befriended many brothers along the way. I’m proud to say that rarely a weekend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">libert</span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhAjR276TI/AAAAAAAAAF0/h7C9W11NDGE/s1600-h/!cid_4E868C18034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321073934571661618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhAjR276TI/AAAAAAAAAF0/h7C9W11NDGE/s320/!cid_4E868C18034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg" border="0" /></a>y goes by that we don’t have a loud houseful of adopted Marines. As proud as I was & always will be I also felt fear. A fear that rocked my very core. Lots of “what ifs” and lots of moments where I just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">couldn</span>’t breathe. I had flashed back to the day he was born, to his first steps, his first day of school, the field trips we took, our long walks, his ever creative imagination that always kept me entertained and even the times that he drove me completely crazy. 19 years went by in a flash and now he would be s<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhB1cGeSDI/AAAAAAAAAF8/RyRr2cGme0I/s1600-h/!cid_4E9EB518034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321075346070456370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhB1cGeSDI/AAAAAAAAAF8/RyRr2cGme0I/s320/!cid_4E9EB518034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">eeing</span> things that would tamper with his young mind….things that no Mother ever wants her child to see. He stood a great chance of being seriously wounded or worse, fatally wounded. It was almost a guarantee that he would not get to come home with everyone that he deployed with… and sadly that was a reality as 2/7 suffered many casualties. Though I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">couldn</span>’t bring myself to say goodbye to Kyle, I felt forced to say goodbye to a part of him that I feared would never be the same…. A part that would remain in a foreign country. The<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhCKcI2D3I/AAAAAAAAAGE/-8x-LX0loW4/s1600-h/!cid_4EA2FFD8034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321075706857656178" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhCKcI2D3I/AAAAAAAAAGE/-8x-LX0loW4/s320/!cid_4EA2FFD8034F11DD993EBEF7CFF086BC%40snj-us-pcwp-707_us_kodak.jpg" border="0" /></a> most common advice that I received from friends and family was not to watch the news or listen to the reports of this war. Anyone that knows me knows that there was no way that I would ever avoid those updates. I absolutely HAD to know what was happening. Not knowing would have made me crazy. I had my routine every morning like clockwork. I would get up well before anyone else in the house and check each creditable site that I had bookmarked to track their every move. I followed embedded reporter blogs and even kept up with a few <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Afgan</span> news sites. I searched thousands upon thousands of images of 2/7 in hopes to see his sweet face or the faces of our adopted Marines that we’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">ve</span> known and grown to love so much.<br />I thank God that my boy and most of his unit made it home safely. I pray for those that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">didn</span>’t and for their families whose hearts are heavy with their losses. I pray for my son who lost 14 of his brothers during that deployment; some that he was very close to.<br />For those fallen soldiers of the 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">nd</span> Battalion, 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">th</span> Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force and for the many, many fallen soldiers of every branch you are loved and missed.<br /><br />Sgt Washington, Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Toussiant</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Hyle</span> (20)<br />PFC Patton, Michael Robert (19)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">LCPL</span> Crass, Layton Bradly (22)<br />PFC Pietrek, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Dawid</span> (24)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">CPT</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Terhune</span>, Eric Daniel (34)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">LCPL</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Whitacre</span>, Andrew Francis (21)<br />SGT Mendoza, Matthew E. (24)<br />PFC Wilson, Ivan I. (22)<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">LCPL</span> Lopez-Castaneda Juan (19)<br />CPL <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Mihalo</span>, Anthony G. (23)<br />SGT Bell Jr. Jerome C. (29)<br />CPL <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Karella</span>, Jason A. (20)<br />CPL Robles, Adrian (21)<br /><br />In most cases my next request goes without asking but for those that need a gentle reminder; please take an opportunity to thank a soldier. Should you cross paths with someone that serves our country, are related to a soldier in some way, or know of a family that has a loved one serving… in what ever capacity, please let those brave men & women know that they are appreciated. There are so many ways to support our troops. One thing that I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">ve</span> learned throughout Kyle’s enlistment is that we naively believe that our troops have enough support. Sadly, many of those that serve do not have loved ones that stand behind them…. Or anyone for that matter. We’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">ve</span> learned of many that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">didn</span>’t have someone waiting to greet them on victory field for their homecoming or that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">didn</span>’t receive one single letter nor care package while fighting for our freedom… while making sure that we were safe. This has been enlightening beyond what I can adequately describe. It took a young boy’s enlistment for my eyes to be opened to all that we don’t see. I thank him and so many others for that and will never again take for granted the freedom that we are <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">privileged</span> to have… the freedom that comes with the ultimate price. Freedom never was nor ever will be *free*.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321078834360397730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 60px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/SdhFAe_mr6I/AAAAAAAAAGc/vyyIn7dMyvo/s320/image020.gif" border="0" /></span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-78026328882700412482009-04-04T21:38:00.000-07:002009-04-04T22:07:29.315-07:00Another year gone by<span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sdg2PZzlbYI/AAAAAAAAAFY/6CRl9_FSut4/s1600-h/IMG_2362.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321062597991427458" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sdg2PZzlbYI/AAAAAAAAAFY/6CRl9_FSut4/s320/IMG_2362.JPG" border="0" /></a>2 more years before you get to celebrate the big 4-0! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">heehee</span>! Lots of fun stuff going on today. The garden is almost done... we have rows now and planned on planting today but decided to have a birthday-kick back-lazy-feast day instead. The boys came home for the weekend so we threw a roast in the crock pot (cranberry glazed...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mmmm</span>!), roasted some potatoes in the oven and I baked a devils food double chocolate cake with raspberry filling (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">i'm</span> not a big chocolate fan but have to admit, the cake was pretty darn awesome. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Kaydee</span> made some cards and the cutest little birthday banner... I'm pretty sure there's an entire roll of tape holding it together. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kaydee</span> has this thing with tape... LOVES it! Funny girl! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Kaydon</span> tore up the supplies to make his card for Daddy (very typical but Daddy cherished just the same) and now I'm ready to collapse for the night. Dishes are done and gear is ready for tomorrow's journey to my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">inlaws</span> to celebrate Easter. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffcc33;">For my sweetest heart & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">bestest</span> friend of almost 18 years... Happy, Happy Birthday! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">xoxo</span> </span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-41042583884196018172009-03-29T10:58:00.000-07:002009-03-29T13:42:09.293-07:00A funny thing happened on the way to Home Depot...<span style="color:#3366ff;">I did have the very best of intentions and eventually made it to Home Depot to rent a tiller for my weekend gardening project. What can I say? It made more sense to wait until later in the afternoon to start in on my garden. After all, the hot afternoon sun would be on the opposite end of the house and I might be able to spare myself the repeated coats of sunblock! (by the way, this is me *rationalizing*....<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bwahaha</span>). Anyway, prior to leaving the house I sat down and checked some neglected emails and what to my wandering eyes should appear?? THIS!!!</span> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318672870992592482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 110px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-4y_AFPmI/AAAAAAAAABw/g9CMjjp2kCY/s320/marpcfrnt-09-5_02.gif" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">from the <a href="http://merchantsquare.blacklotusweb.com/about/"><strong>Merchant Square Antique Marketplace</strong> </a>in Chandler, AZ!! So, let's just say I took the very scenic route to Home Depot. : ) Kevan added me to their mailing list (he's such an enabler!) and since he's down at the <a href="http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/recreation/ohvs/isdra.html"><strong>dunes</strong></a> for a manly weekend with the boys I figured the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">yard work</span> could wait just a wee bit. I didn't <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">get</span> there until about 11:30. This being my first time I was on complete overload and not familiar with the map of vendors nor the fact that at noon (when it really starts heating up here in AZ) most vendors slash the prices on EVERYTHING by 50%-75%!!! All said and done I walked away with a box FULL of goodies for a grand total of $47.00! I was in collage art HEAVEN! </span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318675522758948722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-7NVmct3I/AAAAAAAAAB4/6T37DvYgnBg/s320/IMG_6757.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Not the greatest angle of this place above and you can't see the dozens upon dozens of vendors that wrapped around the building but hey, I'm sure the other drivers on Arizona Ave were appreciative of my lack of attempt to get the perfect shot! Check out some of my AWESOME finds....</span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318676815179234962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-8YkPdPpI/AAAAAAAAACA/RCdbAoD7eV8/s320/IMG_6758.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Aren't these vintage baby announcements ADORABLE! They had no <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">inscriptions</span> inside which are rare to find. </span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318677476135246482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-8_CfpmpI/AAAAAAAAACI/wCEyhpRRU2M/s320/IMG_6763.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Here are some vintage Christmas greeting cards. Inscriptions in those but so darn cute!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318678042960861458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-9gCFaGRI/AAAAAAAAACQ/bBojeqrlQ34/s320/IMG_6764.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Here are some miscellaneous cards and such. The Joy Coffee card on the upper left actually has a complete mini sewing set attached to the inside. The 3-dimensional Valentines on the bottom were not very old but would be so cool to add to a Valentine project!</span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318679531317742930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc--2qpVzVI/AAAAAAAAACY/TGkcbQLTYuM/s320/IMG_6765.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Check out that way cool movie ticket stub with the Beech-Nut Gum (was promotional) still attached!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318680178653746562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-_cWKRVYI/AAAAAAAAACg/D2qxlSo8vhc/s320/IMG_6767.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Some miscellaneous vintage post cards....</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318680571946222018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc-_zPSgQcI/AAAAAAAAACo/mk4TfxPz5oo/s320/IMG_6769.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Some ephemera.... a document from 1874 from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Who are the Odd Fellows anyway? I'll have to Google this little mystery.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318681260316345474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_AbTquxII/AAAAAAAAACw/XYEJtKbCQng/s320/IMG_6771.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">A Fall 1900 catalog from Sears (reprinted 1970 but still very cool!) </span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318681868478568562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_A-tP52HI/AAAAAAAAAC4/JFoI2gYQcrM/s320/IMG_6772.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">This book is about an inch thick and is chocked full of illustrations and prices that would blow your mind! Did you know you could get a cashmere layette and full length cloak for your little one for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">measly</span> 79 cents in 1900? I wonder what the kids of today would think about the attire choices in 1900. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">heehee</span>! I think I should have this little gem on hand the next time <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kaydee</span> whines about the clothes she "wants" to be able to wear. Good grief, I think I just sounded like my own Mom. Where did that come from?</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318683830819962994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_Cw7ijQHI/AAAAAAAAADA/Gt4AXjqSgOg/s320/IMG_6774.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ok</span>, so this isn't exactly "vintage" per <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">se</span> but none the less an awesome book. Among some slang terms that I've never heard of in my life were also some references to every day things that I had not heard of either. For instance... Do you know what *<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">munster</span> plums* are? POTATOES! Who knew? Not me. Or... the next time I need to correct <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Kaydee</span> and have to tell her that calling <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Kaydon</span> *stupid* is just not acceptable I could suggest that she use *mutton-head* in place of *stupid*! Same meaning; but will completely bewilder her younger brother! It sounds nicer too. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Dontchathink</span>? </span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318686582890318482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_FRHzQSpI/AAAAAAAAADI/ljyENb7XKLs/s320/IMG_6777.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">24 vintage Little Golden Books... some dating back to the late 1940s. No UPC symbols on these babies!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318687201003357378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_F1Gc4xMI/AAAAAAAAADQ/0C3kuM4IFvY/s320/IMG_6779.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">And look at this adorable little fabric book! So <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">stinkin</span>' cute! Actually, my best friend Andrea recalls having the same book as a child. I figure since she's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">waaaay</span> older than I am it has to be really old! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">bwahahaha</span>! Just <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">kiddin</span>' Andrea <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">xoxo</span> {A little humor}</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318688545864288914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_HDYcuCpI/AAAAAAAAADY/RoPijr-8Nz4/s320/IMG_6780.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">The illustrations in this little fabric book are just precious!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318689163225508370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_HnUTGqhI/AAAAAAAAADg/lRF6667q9DM/s320/IMG_6781.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Some cool vintage bottles.... I'm going to love altering these!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318689577721027698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_H_caiXHI/AAAAAAAAADo/9JJWfw25jBo/s320/IMG_6783.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Some vintage jewelry pieces. Absolutely love the little pocket watch pieces!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318689991882061090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_IXjSONSI/AAAAAAAAADw/xF2iUY3Trs4/s320/IMG_6784.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Some miscellaneous sewing notions & such....</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318690416019652546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_IwPUgP8I/AAAAAAAAAD4/4UvTdDyopbs/s320/IMG_6788.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Check out the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">teensy</span> weensy rick rack! So cute! I know, I'm a bit of a nerd!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318691524425234290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_Jwwc_N3I/AAAAAAAAAEA/_pBlAfwbuDs/s320/IMG_6803.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Here are some vintage paper dolls with a bit of a story. The very sweet little lady that sold these to me (must have been in her 70s at least) said that a pen pal friend made these for her when she was a child. They are in near perfect condition... well, except for the one missing a head... we'll call her "Marie" (Marie <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Antoinette</span>? laugh, it's funny!). Anyway, she added fabric and little notions to some when she was a young girl and has had them tucked away for years & years since. This was an amazing find and that little lady was such a sweetheart! It was an honor meeting her and hearing her story! </span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318693431606629394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_LfxQd1BI/AAAAAAAAAEI/p_xrvmm3p64/s320/IMG_6813.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Tons of vintage 8x10 railroad photos, an old songbook, and a few dozen mini doilies.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318694136367699890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_MIysmV7I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/ARrx8W4LAE0/s320/IMG_6809.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Last but not least, this cute little accent lamp. It features a homestead season on each side of the shade. I thought it was cute. Don't you? : )</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3366ff;">So, I'm thinking that my little detour en route to Home Depot was more than worth it and just to show that I followed through with my garden project... </span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318704471439089490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/Sc_ViX1on1I/AAAAAAAAAEY/yalbJPVpODI/s320/!cid__0328091721.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#3366ff;">It may not be too visible from this pic but my little garden area is now freshly tilled and awaiting rows, a fence, some seeds, and a lot of TLC. I'll save that venture for another blog though. Until next time... CIAO! ; )</span> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-79093710598903096062009-03-26T18:07:00.000-07:002009-03-26T18:35:49.705-07:00Something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScwnUSiQiPI/AAAAAAAAABg/yH4PobDOUkQ/s1600-h/Tornado-return.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317668489544108274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScwnUSiQiPI/AAAAAAAAABg/yH4PobDOUkQ/s320/Tornado-return.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#cc0000;">Well, of course we're not but I have to say that I've never seen winds like this here... at least lasting this long! CRAZY! Poor Daisy is not showing her smartest side today. She's chasing everything that has blown through the yard... which by the way is her favorite place to hang out. She's on patrol now and determined to chase and destroy all of the blowing leaves that pose a threat to her family... such a good little watch dog! I won't embarass her by pointing out the lack of threat. It is pretty funny to watch though! This weather is not very pleasing to Kevan; who is trying to finish loading up his gear and head down to the dunes... not too successfully I might add! He's not impressed with Mother Nature's timing in the least. I wonder if the weather in Yuma will be as bad. Hmmm... something tells me he wouldn't appreciate the upside of the situation.... FREE MICRODERM ABRASION!!! Not funny? Ok, I'll be nice. Oh, managed to capture a pic with my phone of Daisy and Gino on a<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScwrV0wTkAI/AAAAAAAAABo/j5WBLL0MOMc/s1600-h/!cid__0317091700a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317672913956212738" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScwrV0wTkAI/AAAAAAAAABo/j5WBLL0MOMc/s320/!cid__0317091700a.jpg" border="0" /></a> calmer afternoon in the yard. Ain't love grand? Gino's expression is priceless! I've got to do something creative with this one. Well, I can hear Kevan wrestling with the camping gear and he doesn't sound like a happy camper. Bad joke; I know, but couldn't resist! Off to go help! ; ) CIAO!</span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-49731420107037442762009-03-26T09:30:00.000-07:002009-03-26T10:38:12.137-07:00xxx scrappin'???<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScuuMA0pG9I/AAAAAAAAABY/rDrwuUMlyyY/s1600-h/IMG_6623.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317535306443463634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScuuMA0pG9I/AAAAAAAAABY/rDrwuUMlyyY/s320/IMG_6623.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><span style="color:#666600;">Ok, so this little... err... I mean *big* project took some thought. The photo is of my BFF Andrea clinging to... well you can see for yourself... about 20 some odd years ago (wbk-"way before kiddos" and just shy of before we met). I have no idea where or what part of the country (though the rest of the scenery indicates somewhere in the southwest) that she had this taken. Only Andrea would spot something like this from the car. on the roadside. during a road trip. She held on to this picture for all these years but just so happened to leave it here with me prior to her birthday. Coincidence? I think not. I had to work on this secretly.... late night, nap times, during school, behind closed & locked doors... what a CHALLENGE! I can't even tell you how many times my aging memory forgot where I hid this picture in between working on this layout. Trying to spare my young audience still at home as well as sparing myself the game of 20 questions was the utmost priority. So, Andrea got her birthday gift a little late.... well, a lot late but she got it and loved it! I used paper from the </span><a href="http://www.diecutswithaview.com/product_view.php?id=994"><span style="color:#33ff33;">DCWV *Rockstar* line</span></a><span style="color:#666600;"> ... go figure. I also used the </span><a href="http://www.crateandpaper.citymax.com/staticpreview.html"><span style="color:#33ff33;">*Static* collection from Crate Paper</span></a><span style="color:#666600;"> to add to the layout and embellish here & there. I have to say that overall this <em><strong>WAS</strong></em> fun and I had quite a few laughs as I mustered up the creativity to *rise* to the challenge. If nothing else, someday when her little ones are grown and they think that she could have never in her life had a day of wild abandon or think that she's a hopeless fud she can now *whip out* the proof! Hopefully, this does not offend.... after all, it <strong><em>IS</em> </strong>just a rock. Until next time, CIAO! ; )</span>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1368921779983455564.post-49159931659301275992009-03-22T11:15:00.000-07:002009-03-22T11:21:19.281-07:00Allow me to introduce myself....<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScaBBeHyeiI/AAAAAAAAABQ/9x6nllBAPLs/s1600-h/CIMG2104.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316078272423033378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cnWnzDnznXE/ScaBBeHyeiI/AAAAAAAAABQ/9x6nllBAPLs/s320/CIMG2104.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#00cccc;">Hi, my name is Donna & welcome to my little, creative corner of the world! About me; hmm… I’m a foster/adoptive Mom, contracted by the state to foster medically fragile kiddos. I’ve been blessed with 2 biological kids (22 & 20 y/o), 3 adopted kids (11, 8, & 3 y/o), and have met many courageous little souls along our journey! My life is never perfect, sometimes messy, often crazy-busy, and always entertaining to say the least. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a super, supportive hubby who is my polar opposite and yet my very best friend. They say “opposites attract” and after 17 ½ years, I’m convinced! I have 2 lazy cats that seem to come to life and like to persistently sit right in front of the computer’s monitor as soon as I sit down to type. I also have 1 hyper dog that proved my longtime statement of “I’ll never be a dog person” to be incorrect. I’m fortunate to have lots of great friends in my life. I’m hopelessly addicted to coffee and Starbucks ranks up there with some of my most favorite places in the world! I love photography, altered art, anything vintage, paper arts, scrapbooking, collage art, distressing projects, and altered books. I love antique windows, antique doors, vintage hardware and am completely intrigued with old farmhouses. I was transplanted here in Arizona from New York by way of New Mexico (spent a few years there). I’m not a desert gal by any means and would love to be back on the east coast with the rest of my family and enjoying the magnificent changing seasons, cultures and the FOOD! My connections are here in the land of SUMMER now though *sniff* and so shall I be. I’m a night person, a huge supporter of our troops, love the beach, am a micro-organizer by OCD standards, a chatterbox (have been told I came from the womb talking), am very sarcastic and a practical joker… pranks run rampant in our household! : ) I’m very excited to be venturing into a new chapter of my life by putting some of my artistic hobbies into motion and opening up shop! : ) Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back in to see what I’m up to! CIAO! </span></div>lifeheARTisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10420544647615233612noreply@blogger.com1