Little projects

I can't believe all of the little projects we got accomplished tonight! There were a few more I wish I could have completed but I knew we wouldn't be able to get them finished in time for me to relax before bed.

When I got home from work Boyd had a plan for supper - burgers and fries. He did the burgers while I did the fries. We make such a good team!

Then it was outside to play some ball with Buddie and talk about where we wanted to plant the little birch tree I got from work. We decided on the corner of our lot, kind of close to another tree that needs to be taken down.

By that time it was 7 and time for American Idol. I'm not as into it this year so after hearing Allison sing I decided to work on another project. I've had a goal for the last few weeks to clear out a small corner of our mud room on the garden level. It involves moving things between three different rooms and all levels of our house. Needless to say I've been procrastinating.

Tonight I was motivated to unload the book shelf and move all of the books up to my old home office. I had an extra bookshelf up there so it was a great trade off. Plus I gained another bookshelf for my scrapping area. Double plus. So now all of the books have a new home and the book shelf is in place in the scrapping area. And I got some exercise in making all the trips up and down the stairs. Of course my boy had to follow me everywhere I went. Silly boy!

My goal for the corner is to add a comfy chair and side table. I'm looking forward to making it a comfy place to relax while scrapping or just to curl up and read.

Then Boyd said we should go plant our little tree. Again we worked well as a team.

Even after all of that I still had the energy to work on a little scrapping project. We are headed to the Hotel M this weekend and I want to make some note cards for my sister in law as a thank you for the hospitality. I used my Cricut to cut some cute little scalloped squares and circles.

I'm realizing that I spend way to much time online and before I know it the clock reads 9 and it's time for me to wind down. Tonight I forced myself to close the laptop just before we ate. That made a huge difference.

So I still have a little work to do in my relaxing. Not sure when I'll get back to them - lots of plans for the rest of the week. I figure if I do one little project each week I should have it done in a month. =)

Here's hoping we have more nights like this soon. I like it when we work together to get things done.

life in pictures

This morning I woke up to a rainy & cold day and decided to hang out in bed and get my digital pictures organized. Boyd was asleep in the recliner but he had a cappuccino waiting for me - woo hoo! That made me smile!

As I moved through my pictures, picking out my picture of the day and organizing the rest by month (thanks Martha!) I came across this picture again and realized how much I love and hate the image.



I love how it shows such happiness. Boyd and Buddie picked me up from work. We were just past Janseville and Buddie kept reaching over to give me kisses. I was laughing so hard. I thought it would make the best picture for the day. I like it so much I wish I could enlarge and frame it.

I hate the image because it is my real life example that shows how life can change in an instant. An hour and a half after this picture was taken we learned my brother in law was being rushed to the emergency room and his condition wasn't good. Later that night he passed away.

There are no pictures to show our deep sadness but I see and feel the contrast in my heart each time I see the image. Because of this I know I can't have my happy picture hanging in my home.


Amid tears and laughter, I made it through all of my February and April pictures and I'm half way through March. I have February updated on my 365 project blog and will do the rest another day.

Now it's 11 and I guess I should roll out of bed and get the day started. =)

Changes are in the wind....

As I was driving to work this morning with the wind pushing me along for the third or fourth day in a row I realized that I'm feeling like changes are in the wind. I don't know what and I don't know where but I can feel it.

I have a love/hate relationship with my intuition. I know that I'm working myself up to make the change easier but at the same time I don't like getting anxious and worrying about things I can't control.

At work I know things are in flux and have been for a couple of months. I keep hearing that the changes will affect me due to my role changing. What ever that means.

At home we are still dealing with the loss of Loyd and working through our emotions. Plus it's spring and we have a lot of projects we want to do.

With myself. I have the feeling again that I'm missing something and need to find a new creative outlet. It happens every couple of years so you'd think I'd be use to it but alas I am not. I have the quilting books out again - not sure I want to undertake it right now but I always feel the pull (as my bookshelf shows). Last night I signed up for a Wilton cake decorating class. I thought maybe I could make it into a side business and make a little extra cash for some home improvements.


So the changes are coming and it will be interesting to see what they are and how they will affect my life.

Expect the unexpected

Driving to work in the Midwest has the potential to be an adventure any day. On my drive over the last 7 months I've seen deer, wild turkeys, hawks, dogs, cats, rabbits, raccoons ....potential to see cows, horses, pigs, sheep, and goats on or close to the highway. It's just something I know I may have to deal with.

Today as I was driving to work between 6 and 6:30 in the predawn light. I was shocked to see something white coming out of the ditch on the passenger side. Traffic was light and I started to break hard. All of a sudden the wings opened up and I saw a crane fly over my car. It was huge and beautiful. Took a little while for my heart rate to slow down.

Have you ever had the moment when you realize how much you take someone for granted? It happened to me today. I'm having a jewelry party and I was at 295 in sales, with 300 I would get more free $$. I called my mom and told her I was short and asked are you sure there isn't anything that you need? She is always there for me and will do what she can to help me out. We get on each others nerves at times and I tend to have a shorter fuse with her but I know that she will always be there for me. The thought of losing her drove me to tears.

The anniversary of my grandmothers death was last weekend. While I know she's in a better place I know how much I miss her and wish I had her. Then with Loyd passing away this year, I'm more aware of what I lose when people die. I need to try and have mom over for dinner more often or go to her house for dinner. I saw her tonight and thought when did my mom start looking so old.

Lots of thoughts rattling around in my head putting them into words is harder than I expected.

Scrapping Party

Feeling Scrappy is having a birthday party. And they are giving away presents. Go check it out!

Our own B & B

Lately I've been having the urge to redecorate my house and do it without spending money. I'm one of those people who when I find things I love I don't want to give them up. Right now I'm thankful for that because I was able to redecorate our bedroom and give it a comfy B & B look without spending a dime.

I was looking through my idea folder for our room and realized most of the beds had some kind of blue and white bedspread. Luckily I had one that would work tucked away. Then I pulled out my box of sheets and found a great assortment of pillowcases that I knew had possibilities. I found some that ended up looking great. Also remembered a favorite store bought quilt that is starting to pull apart that would be a great accent.

Anyway without further ado here is what I came up with.



Best thing is the hubby loves it. He might roll his eyes at the number of pillows but he does help me put them back in the morning. I love him!

And here is my fun element - hopefully Bud won't get jealous. ;)



We have totally fell in love with our bed again. Both of us say it is so much more comfortable. And all we did was simply change the sheets and comforter. All it took was a couple of hours on a Sunday.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Easter!

No candy in our Easter baskets so we won't be having a sugar high later this afternoon. :(