It's A New Week...And A New Burst Of Creativity!

(Little Girl Portrait-Painting of an Artist by AlisaPaints)

        I hope you all had a good weekend!...In some ways the weekend was great for us...We had our convention;...I had one of those 'Drumstick' chocolate and nut covered ice cream cones...

       ...something I haven't had in quite a while!...YUM!;...Also the heat wave broke;...and I got to spend oodles of time with my hubby.

        But in other ways it's been a challenging and emotionally tough weekend...We got rain, and, as you know, with rain comes pain for me;...I talked to my dad, and he's in a lot of pain and not feeling well at all :-( ;...I found out that a friend's cancer has returned IN FORCE;...I got my 'friend'...AGAIN! Grrrrr!...UGH! (sorry fellas);...and we had more car trouble. O_0 We had to re-register it. (Something about the plates being in the other owner's name when it was registered the first time. Ugh!) Also the break line now needs to be bled, and we need a catalytic converter!! O_0)

     Needless to say, after all that being said, I'm looking forward to starting a new week. I'm hoping for less challenge, no drama, and more creative wonderfulness! :-] I've got a good feeling about it because the weekend ended with me already in a creative up-burst! :-) I made and SOLD two sets of my little crochet crafting flowers...

    ...and a couple other brooch flowers too!...And I finished and LISTED the turquoise slippers I started! :-)

      My husband thinks I should round the toes a bit. ^_^ But, you know what?!....I like that they don't look like everybody else's slippers with their perfectly rounded toes! Bring on the DIFFERENCE!! LOL

        Hubby does like the buttons though...so that's something! ^_^

      I think, starting today, I'm gonna be all about different colored slippers...yellow, red, green, who knows! :-) ...and I'll be making more tiny crafting flowers....my 'money-makers'! LOL

       I'm also gonna keep my eye on other creative Etsy shop owners. I can always use inspiration!...Speaking of inspiration, look at these...

(Bird Nest Adjustable Ring by Starsbcreations)

(Scalloped Capelet Shrug by boutiqueseragun)

      Both of these have my creative wheels turning! :-)

      The only other thing I'm gonna be all about today is TENNIS! :-) Yep! Wimbledon coverage started about a half an hour ago! I'm watching Donald Young's match right now, and I think Novak Djokovic is suppose to play soon...It looks like it's gonna be a good tournament because everybody is 'in the pool'...so to speak. I'll keep you posted. Don't worry though. I'm not gonna be doing daily updates like I did for the French Open......After all, Wimbledon is Wimbledon. And the French Open is the French Open ("Baby Boy"'s house! ^_^)!! LOL

      So, keep your heads up this week. Have a good...and creative...one, everybody! :-)

Head High, Little Girl

Keep head high, little girl.
And your heart as an open book.
Think good thoughts of who you are,
so other girls can take a look.

Your self esteem, little girl,
should be pumped up wherever you can.
But shouldn't depend on prettiness,
or the sugary words of a man.

Your self esteem needs to be balanced.
Not arrogant or smug at it's core.
For the sun does not rise and set on you,
but nor is garbage dumped at your door.

So keep head high, little girl.
And your heart as an open book.
Your self esteem will then be lifted,
and the whole world will take a look.    

Things I'm Loving This Weekend...And Other Stuff

(Natural Slate Stone Mosaic Keepsake Box by BlythHouseCreations)

       I can't believe the weekend is flying by so fast! I hope you're enjoying it! :-) My mind is preoccupied with some things that are going on...some great. Others not good at all. :-( Of course I'm gonna share the good stuff with you first!

      Did you see the 'good stuff' in the way of that gorgeous keepsake box in the header photo?! It appropriately has hearts and love written all over it...because that's exactly how I feel when I look at it! ^_^ Ohhh...the things I wanna 'keep' in there!! :-)

     Another good thing...kinda...that's going on this weekend is that that over-powering heat has ceased! It was close to 100 degrees for a few days there...before the rain. And even after the rain it was still in the 80s and humid...Now it's just sunny. And the backyard has decided that it likes sunny! ^_^ 

      It likes sunny so much that it's decided to grow everything quickly....and NOW!!! O_O No kidding! I was looking out the window during the rain, day before yesterday, wondering if our little bare grass patch was gonna grow some grass in it any time soon. Then, as I was looking out the window at different points during the day yesterday...

      ...I realized....Hey! The leaves on that tree are getting sooooo full!...And look at those hollyhocks!!!! All of a sudden they just shot up!!...

      It almost looks like a jungle out there now! O_O The only good thing is that the robins and hummingbirds are loving it!!...So are some other critters, like ants and spiders, but that's another long story...*cold shiver*...for another short day! LOL

      In other news, the little crochet thread flowers I listed in the shop yesterday......are gone! :-) The customer said she loved them!...

       Guess I better list the other ones I made. And get to work on making some more of them! :-)

       First I have to finish the project I started yesterday though...

       The slippers I shared in my post yesterday reminded me that it's been quite a while since I made any slippers for the shop.....So I started a pair. :-) Well, actually, I almost finished a pair! :-) One of them is completely finished, with the button sewn on it and everything! I'm working on the top part of the second one...

      They should be done today. So, hopefully, I'll share them with you tomorrow. :-]

    More good news!...The Wimbledon tennis tournament is starting tomorrow....YAY!!!! :-) Rafael Nadal (alias "Baby Boy) and Stanislaw Wawrinka are already practicing!...

(Rafael Nadal's page on Facebook)

      Sports-wise there's a wealth of 'stuff' going on right now...The Miami Heat basketball team won the championship the other night. (They weren't my team, but I'm happy for LeBron James. He has being wanting this win for a long time!) Congratulations Miami!! I'm not a sore loser...Wah! Wah! ;'_';...MUCH!

      The Tour De France is due to start soon also. Although I'm afraid a lot of the coverage is gonna be the 'talking heads' (commentators) going on and on about Lance Armstrong and the investigation into his alleged drug doping. :-( "Say it isn't so, Lance!"...I hope it's not. That would just be too sad to think about. I guess time will tell.

      There's been NASCAR racing on one channel. Gymnastics, diving and track and field try-outs on other channels! (The Olympics in London is coming next month.) Not to mention the Aegon International tennis tournament (pre-Wimbledon tournament) that's been going on all week!...It's a good time for a sports lover! :-)

     In other NOT so good news, those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that my girlfriend that I loved so much passed away a few months ago...Well, I got terrible news yesterday. Her father's cancer has returned. :-( And it's apparently past the point of aggressive treatment. Or, at least, past the point where he wants to treat it aggressively. :-( He's gone through this battle successfully in the past, but doesn't want to go through that again. I think his doctor is concurring with him. He's in his 80s.

      It was a very sad night for me. :-( The family is still trying to process Peaches death. Now 'Pop'!...I don't want to try to be too 'doom and gloom' here. After all, if he dies, we do have a wonderful Biblical hope to see him again soon...in perfect health. But it's just that in the meantime we're gonna miss him terribly. It's a very emotional time. :-( (This music is exactly how I was feeling last night --> HERE <--)

       There's nothing good about death....NOTHING!! I'm just thankful that we have the kind of loving, supportive spiritual family around us that help to make times like this bearable. 

      Okay...I'm off to wake up the sleeping giant....which would be my sound asleep husband right now. :-] It's gonna be a long day. There's no need in me being the only one not getting any sleep around here before it gets started! ^_^ Is that wrong...that I don't want to watch him sleep peacefully while I'm sitting here with my eyes big as saucers?!.....Well, that's too bad! I don't wanna!! ^_^ ...*shaking him*...."Wake Up, Baby!!!!" :-)

      Have a good rest of the weekend, Y'all! :-]

Emotions

Frustration, excitement,
Great anger, Pure joy!
Deep sadness, elation,
intent to annoy.

Loving, disgusted,
triumphant, afraid.
Affection considered,
uneasiness weighed.

Cheerful, proud,
optimistic, despair.
Euphoric, in anguish,
gloom hanging there.

Emotions experienced,
the good and the bad.
Without feeling, sincerely,
what life have you had?!

You need hope and peace,
kindness and love.
An unemotional life is
Not much to speak of.      

It's A 'HIM' And 'HER' Kinda Weekend!

      There's nothing better than starting your weekend with a good night's sleep and some "I Love Lucy" reruns!...I hope that's what some of you are doing...just like me! ^_^ There's nothing better...unless you throw in some blueberry pancakes and a little something for 'him' and for 'her'! :-) 
       I'm off to work on getting me some of those pancakes...and a sausage or two also. :-) ... but first let me show you the things I ran into on a quick search on Etsy for things for 'him' and for 'her'. And let's start with this gorgeous chess set in the header photo!...Do you know any chess-playing 'him' that wouldn't like a chess set made of wood?! Especially a wood chess set with free pieces and two little drawers on either end to hold the pieces!...

(Olive Wood Chess Board Set by tunisianhandmade)

      For 'her', how about some coffee scented soy candles...

(Bedside Dou Coffee Scented Soy Candles by HandmadeforEisley)

     Another 'him' gift could be this wood mailbox/sorter...

(Wall Mounted Wood Mailbox/Sorter by CustomWoodConcepts)

       These two gifts, the soy candles and the mail sorter, would be great for hubby and I. I could have some relaxing candles to keep me in a sleepy mood...*Yep! Still getting as much sleep as I can! ^_^ *...and he could have somewhere to put his keys so he wouldn't have to keep asking me every day: "Have you seen my keys?!...I know I had them when I......" LOL
      And here's some other gifts that would work specifically for us too.    Some plant markers for my Mr. Garden lover....

 (Twig Plant Markers by noJOisaverage)

      ...and a linen pillow cover set for me! :-) 

(Linen Pillow Cover Set by YellowBugBoutique)

      Well, those could be for both of us....kinda sorta. ^_^


      He might prefer a nice card that looks like a suit...

(Men's Suit Card by stephanieh02)

      I'd probably still be the one doing the words on the card though. ^_^


And I'd be writing my card in my slippers...

(Crochet Women's Slippers by brokenhallelujah)

       Aren't those slippers cute?!....Look at those buttons! :-]

      You could wear these outside too if you wanted to...with an interesting hat...

(frecklescalifornia)

      I'd just wear them in the house....while I was eating my blueberry pancakes and sausage and sipping on a cup of coffee! ^_^ Hey! We all have our own agendas! LOL...Happy Saturday, Everybody! :-)

Have a good weekend!

Spend some time with your kids,
do the errands you been meaning to do,
do a little grocery shopping,
maybe make a chicken stew.

Organize your messy space,
clean the closets, throw things out,
watch a little mindless T.V.,
and replace the bathroom grout.

Take a walk around the park,
play some board games with your friends,
maybe even cut your hair
(but just a little bit, off the ends).

Take a trip to Grandma's house,
do some gardening in the yard,
give new projects a little finish,
but nothing that might be too hard.

It's the weekend, after all;
It's your week's tail, at a wag;
No need for scurry, hurry, rushing.
No! You want this time to lag!   

Why Does Getting Older Have To Be Such A Challenge?!

(Sleepy Ginger Bunny Nursery Art Print by TinyRed)

        Let me start this post by saying: "YAY!!!" I've been getting some sleep. Well, a lot of sleep! :-) Therefore my talking about the challenge of getting older doesn't have anything to do with my sleeplessness.

      Those of you who regularly read my blog already know that I have some challenges with this body of mine!....challenges that make me C-R-A-Z-Y sometimes!! And unfortunately the challenges aren't getting any easier...but the one I'm talking about right now is not me. It's my father and my mother-in-law. Hubby's mom.

     With my dad, he's been in a lot of pain lately. So much so that he's actually considering joining a club close to his house, so he can go and swim laps when he feels like it! He says his doctor suggested he do that. He's been putting it off because he can't swim, he says. I told him that he doesn't have to go into the part of the pool that's over his head! ^_^ So he's reconsidering. See what getting older does to you?!...It changes your mind on things. It has you reconsidering your reconsiderings! LOL

      In other news, we've been having some really hot weather the last couple of days and I've been really worried about my mother-in-law shut up in her house, with no air conditioning....well, not hooked up air conditioning anyway. (She doesn't want to pay the high electric bill, I think.) She has fans going, and windows closed, but with 97-100 degrees, sitting in a house with that kind of heat is like sitting in a slow cooker! O_O

    We called her and asked if she wanted to come over and be in the air conditioning for the day, but she hemmed and hawed and said something about needing to make some phone calls and get some other things together to have the junk man come and pick them up.

     We urged her, tried to convince her....We said: "Are you sure?" 15 times. "No thank you" was her reply. O_O Oh well...So we just went ahead with our daily routine...Then, about an hour later, she called back! O_O ...."I changed my mind", she said.

     I could hear in her voice that making that call was a challenge to her. She so wanted to look strong, and not be a problem to anybody....I know the feeling. But she had to call and say, in effect, I'm weak. I need help.....TOUGH! Tough for a woman who has been the one everybody else called for help all these years. :-(

      As it turned out, she never got here anyway. Hubby's car had some issues that he had to take care of. Issues that weren't completely resolved until almost 4 in the afternoon!....*sigh*... By that time my mother-in-law was determined not to "bother us". :-( She knew we had the convention today, and that she'd have to be brought back home last night anyway....So she decided to tough it out at home. Besides, it wasn't like she couldn't be alone!....*sigh* Why does getting older have to be such a challenge?!!!!!

   Anyway....While Ma was over in her house 'toughing it out' I was sitting comfortably....*sigh*....in my house, crocheting my brains out!...Sympathy crocheting. Doing something with my mind and hands, instead of worrying about her and complaining about me! :-] What was I working on?!...

      Tiny crochet lace-like flowers!

       I made a LOT of them!!

       So while the sun and heat outside in the backyard were making pretty flowers grow...

      I was inside, in the air conditioning, making pretty flowers to do things with. Things like this!....

        Hubby had some tie pins that he hadn't been wearing, and I asked him for them so that I could see if they would work for my tiny lapel flowers.

     WOW! The tie pin looks like it'll work even better than the cuff link!!...Why didn't I think of this before?!

     Hubby had already laid out what he was wearing to the convention today, so he grabbed one of the tie pins, and one of my crochet flowers, and did this!....

      How cool!!

      So now I'm thinking....Hey! Now you can sell your tiny flowers as tie pin accessories! :-)

      Hmmmmmmm....Think of the possibilities!!

       What do you think?!...I mean, you don't NEED a lapel pin. You can just have a great jacket, with a good looking man in it....

(Vintage Mens Harris Tweed Black White Herringbone Suit Coat by RevelDelve)

      ...but, I say, a lapel pin can't hurt anyway! ^_^

     But what do I know?!...I'm just an old, health challenged lady, with a 'backyard Holly'! LOL

         Have a good day, Everybody!! :-)

Dad Is Getting Older

I'm  48 years old,
and my dad is 71;
And reality just hit me:
"Growing old is not much fun!"

Dad is dependable and kind,
a step above most other men;
But I feel the tide is turning.
Things are not as they have been.

His health is slowly fading.
(Not to mention-so has mine!)
When we talk, he's  still himself,
but now his 'Sharp' has lost some shine.

More frequent Doctor's  visits,
high blood pressure, hemorrhoids too;
needs more fiber in his diet,
and less noise to shuffle through.

He used to take long trips,
driving hours, all alone.
Now he watches television-
All his hours, spent at home.

With a witty sense of humor,
and a colorful point of view,
he's  still as proud as he can be-
But like a peacock-in the zoo!

He enjoys all our attention,
and the grand-kids love his jokes;
All the neighbors love his gossip.
He's  a 'Special' kind of folks.

If things continue going
as they have the last few years,
dad's  non-stop aging process
will evoke a lot of tears.

Next year I will be older.
Until then what will I do?
Keep spending time with dad
who will, by then, be 72.