Continuing...

Temporary internet access interruption. Sorry.

MSN wants to know...What’s your Summer Style?

1. Romantic
2. Sporty
3. Weekend Getaway Casual
4. Fashion For The Fearless

My placement would be in the final category. I have always been accused of dressing a little big "daring". Remember-I'm a naughty girl. So I live up to my reputation.

The darling daughter won a little somethin' somethin' over at ScrapbookGraphics. Go check out her ab-fab LO http://hisredhead.wordpress.com/. (she's the only person I know that would admit that she needs to pee while she is blogging~)

Enduring the torture of watching the movie Open Water was just too much to endure. So I am warning anybody that wants to rent or see this movie. DON'T. It was boring, too many visualization "shots" to fill in the time between watching the couple in the water, dreadfully unscary music. And in the end...guess what? They die! Duh!

I have also been working outside for the last couple days. Since I had no computer, it was great to work out in the sunshine. Still picking up pinecones; and we cannot understand why this year is worse than other years. Definitely more than every other year. I am also creating new walkways. I have to trim the weeds down; measure out the 3 foot wide walk; laydown ground cover paper; put the large rocks to hold down the paper; then haul loads of small gravel to cover the paper. Voila-A beautiful walkway through our property!

When I was at the store the other day, I saw the most marvelous coasters with scenes depicted on each one. Stemming a concious urge to buy them, I decided they would be a great idea for a freebie. But instead of just plain round coasters, they looked better as hearts.

So here are your Coasters Hearts.
There are over 30 hearts!

Plus, I have also thrown in 4 pins so you can attach the hearts

Get them HERE.

Yard Work

Trying to work in the yard today. Picked up pinecones, mowed the yard, and updating the walking trails. But I think I over did it a little bit. Hauled off 18 wheelbarrow loads of pinecones. Ugh. That's a lot. And I'm only 1/2 way done~

So I will give away another freebie tomorrow. Rest is called for right now.

This pic was caught quickly at dusk...and the batteries that were in the camera were bad. *Reminder to self...don't buy that kind anymore* The mother & two babies were frightened off right after I got this. The mother is to the left, out of the shot. She was double the size of these two. They are ravenously licking at the salt we had placed out just 20 feet from the house.

We discovered on Sunday that we have "lil bunny foo-foo" hopping through our forest! He's big and brown. Very brave, too. He hopped under the hubby's truck and around the garage. Just adorable.

Our night at the firepit was a bust as it rained/downpoured Sunday night and all day Monday. Boo Hoo. Rain, Rain, Go Away...Little Bob wants to play!

However, Tuesday dawned with bright skies & temps in the 80s Farenheit.

Post Script-Kelsey! Your poodle puppy dog/sheep story is an Urban Legend! www.Snopes.com which reports about myths...has a story on it. Go check out the site and read about the other entertaining stories that make the rounds! The Sheep-Puppy story is at http://www.snopes.com/critters/lurkers/poodlesheep.asp

Fabo Deluxo

The weekend is going great. And I even snuck away to give away my freebies. I really hope you appreciate my sacrifice! LOL.

Anyway, they came out quite well and I am very pleased with them. I hope you like them as well.

They are Vintage Portrait Cards.

There are 13 different styles in all! I have provided 13 convex with & without shadows; 13 concave with & without shadows; and 13 flat without shadows.

These Portrait Cards are dedicated to my daughter, Kelsey. She had requested frames. Yes, Kelsey~please be patient. I am going to work on the playing card & tarot card frames soon!

But I thought these would keep her happy for now.

And here are some photos of the flowers blooming in my yard. I planted them around the pine trees. These flowers survived the recent snow storm while my tulips died.

I know that Mother's Day is long past, but I finally found a very old pic of my mum & me. She's 41 years old in this photo. Doesn't she look lovely? I cannot imagine having a child at 40! She was so brave. I was the fifth of five children! Her little baby. But get a load of those horrid pattern curtains. Ugh.

And just for fun, I had thrown my hair up on the top of my head the other day. If I didn't take pictures of myself, I would have no pictures of me. As soon as we can, we are going to a formal portrait studio to have pictures taken of hubby and myself for a belated birthday present for the kid. She's been away so long, she forgot what her parents look like!

Tomorrow we will be having friends over at night for a fire in the firepit! I love it when there is a slight chill and the fire is huge. Hopefully, we will have a clear night with lots of stars. About two years ago, we had such a huge bonfire that one of the cars driving by on the highway thought that the forest had caught on fire and called the fire department. We had 2 fire engines come out to investigate. Fortunately, hubby is a former volunteer fireman and knew the guys. He explained that we had a fire permit and the fire wasn't really THAT large. It was well contained in our concrete firepit. So they all laughed about it and returned to their station!

I woke up this morning with a huge narrow bruise on the inside of my right arm about 4 inches up from my wrist. With no clue as to what I had done, and for it to be that extremely huge/black&blue...I immediately suspected the hubby of turning over in the night and beating me. Me to the policeman..."See Mr. Policeman? I have pictures to prove my husband beats me!" Policeman to hubby..."Have you quit beating your wife yet?" Yeah. Right. Like that big, sweet teddy bear of mine would even DREAM of hitting me.

Well, you can get the Vintage Portrait Cards HERE. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have had a great weekend.

Update!

Having a great weekend so far!

I'm also busy working on a special freebie tonight to hold you over for the weekend. Personally, I think it's pretty neat. It's something my daughter had requested...so I sincerely hope she likes it!

And...I just wanted to point out to my faithful followers...that I DON'T ALWAYS REVEAL WHAT IS IN MY FREEBIE downloads.

While the preview may show 3 newspaper frames, I actually gave away TEN NEWSPAPER FRAMES in total!

I will always include MORE. Not less. I always give LOTS of colors...LOTS of different shapes...LOTS of different elements...LOTS of papers. Even tho I might not show it in the previews...there is always something extra.

So if anybody was influenced by reading on other blogs about how I only gave away 3 newspaper frames...don't be fooled. HERE's what you missed out on!

3 Day Holiday!

Get More at COMMENTYOU.com

Happy Memorial Day weekend to you all.

My family is thankful for ALL troops-past & present for serving their country.

While celebrating this great holiday of ours, please remember that you share the road with others. Don't drink and drive.

We have a lot of birds around here this year. A LOT! It feels like our home has turned into a movie set for “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock~

All the tulips in the yard didn’t have a chance this year. They bloomed for about 3 days, then the snow was upon us and they are no more. No more color. Poor little things. Well, there’s always next year.

I had to get ready for this weekend, and didn’t have a chance to post freebies. So stay tuned and maybe I will get some time to post something quick. We are going to take the boat out on the lake this holiday weekend. Am really crossing my fingers and hoping it is warm, if not-we have a heater.

Long Long Time Ago

Here is a pic of my husband's Ford Maverick drag car back in 1980! His buddy Bill is sitting next to him. The picture is pretty bad. Remember, it is 27 years old!

While I was cleaning up the basement today, getting stuff ready for charity...I spied the glow-in-the-dark stars that my daughter had stuck all over the ceiling. After 12 years, they are still up there!

The only thing I found interesting on the web was www.SilverCrowCreations.com - In the charms section there is a cute little Handmade Lampwork Glass Sheep Charm.

Which reminded me that my daughter told me a cute story of a website that sold over 2000 puppies claiming that they were a new breed of poodle. This turned out to be inaccurate as the poodles were actually lambs! One owner took hers to the groomer and they refused to trim the toenails...they were HOOVES. Another celebrity owner went on television to say she was concerned when her "puppy" would not play fetch or bark! (I didn't look this up to verify if it was true or not - anybody heard anything about this?)

I made these newspaper frames out of an actual newspaper shreddings. Framing the kids in the heart made me cry. They are just so darn cute and just so darn far away. Wish I could give them two big hugs.

Get the frames HERE!

Grungy Wednesday

A friend sent me this photo of the rhino with the g-string. Just to prove that ANYTHING looks good in a g-string! LOL!

Sorry I am posting this so late. We got home late last night and had to put everything away…I enjoy shopping…but I hate putting things away! Most of the stores we went to had a case of "don'tgotthats" Do you have this? No, don't got that~!

So I told the hubby that I will order EVERYTHING on my convenient internet and have it delivered to my door.

While we were gone...IT SNOWED HERE YESTERDAY! Here are the pictures of the snow that slid off the roof...and the rainbow afterwards. The news reports state that it is also snowing in South Africa.

Then after exercising, feeding the dog Wendy’s 99cent bacon cheeseburgers (with mayo only) …I was so tired and went to bed. However, Isabelle got something up her butt! I laid down next to her on the floor because she gave me a big doggy brown-eyed look. And she then started to twitch her tail, her face broke into a wide grin, and she got that glint in her eye….SHE’s OFF! Running, jumping, playing. She was snorting and spraying drool/spittle everywhere. I sure wish that Greg had gotten it on the camera or video. It’s so difficult to determine exactly when she is going to be playful. I would love to post it on YouTube as it has to be seen to be believed. I have never, ever seen a dog play quite like it!

Did you know the Aussies have a site similar to ebay? It is www.aussiebid.com.au/
Check it out. There are some neat things on there.

What about www.OLX.com It’s a free classifieds list that is nicer than Craig’s List. Plus ebay sucks anymore. Their fees are so outrageously high and there is always the problem of dealing with nasty people. People that take advantage.

Theresa Hernandez, http://www.ndisb.com/ has tagged me!

I was tagged to tell 7 facts about myself.

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

Good Gosh. Those are a lot of rules! Umm.

And this is extremely difficult to come up with 7 random things about myself.

1. I never went to the prom-was never asked. So sad :( I hated high school and kept to myself. I now think the boys there were blind or dumb. I was a knock-out. And I had big boobs!
2. I competed in the regional high school defensive driving and won 1st place!
3. When we moved from Colorado to Idaho, I was extremely depressed and gained over 30 pounds.
4. My daughter was born at 8 months instead of 9. She was extremely small. The only other baby born in the hospital that week was enormous-weighed over 10 pounds. So I was safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't "accidentally" mistake one for the other! Which was a serious concern of mine at the time! LOL!
5. I'm a natural redhead, but my hair looks more blonde.
6. I KNEW I was going to have a boy when I was pregnant, however my brother who is an excellent pregnancy prognosticator, predicted a girl! (he has never been wrong~) But I don’t regret it for a moment. I LOVED having a little girl.
7. My husband is my best friend.

I tag Kelsey, the OGRE, Jean, Wanda, Marie, Nick, and Evan.

Here is the Grunge kit. Lots of crumpled, wrinkled paper…along with the things a boy might have in his pockets after a hard day’s play!

Get the elements HERE.

The papers are still downloading and I will get them out as soon as possible.

Wow. That took long enough!

I had to break the papers up into smaller files. Make sure you get ALL three!

Get the papers HERE and HERE and HERE!

More Ribbon Roses

- - - I didn't have time for these last night. So here's some more!

The sun is shining today and it looks to be a great day out. We are going to hit the road to Spoky-Jo; get all our shopping done. Maybe even grab a movie.

And I just KNOW that I posted these to DST in the Freebies Forum last night. But they are not showing up. So I posted them again.

Get the new ribbon roses HERE.

Oh! I'm Out of Honey!

It was a long day. After bidding farewell to the hubby today (with Isabelle waving goodbye...) I cleaned house and exercised. I am trying to emulate Madonna wherein she exercises 4 hours a day. Which I read somewhere and it probably isn't true. I don't believe everything I read. Just most of it...LOL!

We didn't end up going to Spoky-Jo as there was a horrific storm...and it started snowing here it was so cold! We turned on the fireplace and cuddled in front of the warm fire. Sometimes there is nothing better than toast, tea, and sitting around home. Except for a soak in the hot tub. Relaxes those muscles.

Izzy-belle brought home a gift for me tonight. After running to see daddy, she went with him down to the shop for a few minutes. She came back in the pouring rain and when I opened the door for her, I noticed a shrew on the deck. What a great dog! Brings home gifts for mommy!

So I went over to inspect the thing to ensure it was completely dead (it was.) while Izzy-belle trotted past me with a big grin on her face! When Greg came home from the shop later, he gave the poor little thing a decent burial.

Tomorrow will be the day of the Big Grunge. So make sure you visit~

Lots of neat things. Different.

But tonight I am dearly tired and cold and will go to bed soon. Here is a little something that coordinates with the Art Papers.

Get the bordersHERE.

PostScript-I saw the post at Selena's Blog www.designsbyselena.blogspot.com of Silvia's LO! I was SO VERY TICKLED to see my Yo-Yo Hearts being used. Thank You Silvia & Selena!

And isn't Selena just the cutest little thing in all those fairytale princess pics? She got to go to a Ball! How lucky is that girl!

I need to go to the store to get honey. My favorite as a child was comb honey. Yummy. Lately, I have been devouring creamed honey. Honey, Honey, Honey. Looks weird after you type it so many times!

Super Sunday

More rain on and off. Very cold. Ugh. Where did spring go? Is it summer yet?

This is a picture of the moooooon from our walk tonight. It was so cold that I had to wear a coat & jeans. Brrrr.

Before we leave the house, my husband always asks the dog if she has her coat on. It's a big joke for him! LOL. The dumb things we do...Are we nuts or what. Ok. Don't answer that.

I crashed into this on my travels along the information superhighway. www.pizzadude.dk/home.php Which you have just GOT to go see. It is such a happy, fun place. The names for some of the fonts will make you smile. Retrozoid. Happyjamas, Damaged Guts, Mulkshake, Ultinoid!

This also came up on my computer screen and slapped me on the face. Lots of neat stuff here at this site! http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/. Handcrafted items. Oh. Yummy. I spent way too much time on this site. Just gazing at all the beautiful things.

The BABY wanted Bright colors in the ribbons that I had previously released. So these bright ribbons are dedicated to her. I didn't exactly want to just color the others, I wanted to do something slightly different for her (and you!)

These remind me of the tail on the end of a kite! You can get them HERE.

I want to try to get my Grunge kit out tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything. Got an appointment to get my nails done at the spa...need to pick up more pinecones so hubby can mow the yard/weeds. Plus, we need to run into Spoky-Jo to pick up free Panties from Victoria's Secret...shop at Harbor Freight for the hubby & get groceries. Busy, Busy day tomorrow.

After exercising for 1 hour on the elliptical and 1 hour on the bike and taking a long walk...I have exercised enough. I can feel my abdomen muscles are tightening up! Woot! Bikini, here I come!

DID YOU KNOW? - Idaho, Idaho, I-Dah-HO! We are the in the National news (again). How's come we always make the news when somebody gets killed or murdered. Apparently there was a sniper in Moscow (the town where my daughter briefly attended college) who shot several people & killed at least one.

ONE MORE REASON NOT TO MOVE TO IDAHO!

After I get finished with this, I am going to take a nice...hot...long...soak in the tub! Goodnight & hugs to everyone!

Time & Tide

Rain, Rain, Go away. Hopefully the sun will peek out tomorrow. The trip to the car show was a bust. We did see some of it before the heavens burst and we were engulfed in a downpour.

It continued to rain even on the drive home. So Greg was fed up and worked in his shop for the rest of the day which gave me a chance to wash my hair and work on...Glitter Words!

While paging through a recent issue of Creating Keepsakes, I spied a tag with the word "love" on it. It had glitter within the word. And I thought it looked quite cute and decided to try my hand at it.

Love, Adorable, Perfect, Special, Unique, Awesome, Beautiful, Fabulous, Blessed, & Precious are all included.

Get the Glitter Words HERE.

Tomorrow. Extreme grunge papers to coordinate with the Art papers!

And I got on-line to pay bills! What a major convenience in life. Yippee. Also ordered the beads to make this! Isn't it just the most adorable bauble ring you have ever seen? Well. I THINK so.

It will be the first time that I have ever tried to create jewelery. Wish me luck. And they had no sizes smaller than a 6 in the ring...while I wear a size 4. So maybe I can put in on my thumb! LOL!

I was wondering...since I have so many fans from other countries. Do you get junk mail too? I swear that everything that was in the post box today was advertisements, circulars, junk. Just how much paper IS being wasted in this manner. I shred everything, then pop down the recycling bins at the local school to drop it off when I have an overwhelming amount.

When asked at the grocery store if we would prefer paper or plastic...we always surprise the checkout person by saying "oh...I think I'll have paper...I don't want another plastic tree killed" It always throws them~

The sound of hoofbeats cross the glade

Good folk, lock up your son and daughter

Beware the deadly flashing blade

Unless you want to end up shorter

Black Adder! Black Adder!

He rides a pitch-black steed

Black Adder! Black Adder!

He's very bad indeed

His gloves of finest mole

His codpiece made of metal

His horse is blacker than a vole

His pot is blacker than his kettle

Black Adder! Black Adder!

With many a cunning plan

Black Adder! Black Adder!

You horrid little man

Did you know? That Hugh Laurie who now plays HOUSE on the Fox television series of the same name...Was an actor on the program Black Adder?

Have a great day and a better tomorrow!

1950 & Rain

Yo-Yo Hearts Freebie Fixed!

We are going to run up to the car show..."Lost in the 50s" later this afternoon. The sky is almost black and I don't cherish driving the 30 miles just so that we can NOT be able to look around.

I appreciate you being patient. My satellite service does not work well with clouds, rain, inclement weather. So the upload has finally been completed, but it took over 4 hours today. S.L.O.W.

You can get the other part of my Yo-Yo Hearts HERE.

If we do get out of the house today, I will make sure to take lots of pics. Providing it's not downpouring!

Fun stuff coming soon!

*Photo frame by K. Pertiet-Designer Digitals

Need To Get Away

Calgon! Take me away.

How many times do you need to see the same commercial before you would like to kill the advertising executive that decided it would be a good idea to subject the television audience to the same repetitive ad until they become homicidal? Whom to kill? Hmmmm. The ad exec? The CEO of the television channel? The President of the product company? My next door neighbor?

Well, since I can't possibly do any of that...I had to exercise. Exercising on my elliptical or my bike relieves of a lot of pent up stress and tension.

Stress and tension that come from an Internet provider that does not work; Stress and tension created from not being able to pay my bills on-line; Stress and tension created by an upload site that doesn't work.

Obviously, when I sat down at the computer today with a nice hot latte, ready to begin my day...it did not go entirely as planned.

However, tomorrow is another day.

Hopefully-a different day. A better day.

That phone company that I refuse to name...says we will have DSL in to our area by June now. They had promised we would have it by spring. At least they are still talking "this year"! I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch.

Reason #1005 NOT to move to Idaho.

I will truly endeavor to attempt to upload the rest of the Yo Yo Hearts tomorrow. 4Shared is not working as it keeps rejecting my sign-on attempts (probably the connection is too slow!) and You-Send-It obviously messed my file up. Sorry folks.

Greg is talking about going up to S-Pnt for "Lost In The 50s" No. Not the 1850s! LOL! the 1950s! He might or might not have the rat-rod running by them.

However, the weekend looks like rain (when does it NOT rain the NW?) so I don't know if anything will be happening. I would like to work out in the garden; pick up more pinecones and maybe mow the lawn. With all the rain, it looks like a jungle out there!

Lace-n-Hearts-n-YoYos

**Please be patient...Freebie upload being fixed!**

Well, you've got a lot of things in today's freebie. Slaved my little hoofies off for you!

In addition to cleaning house, picking up pinecones in the yard, going for a walk with the dog, exercising 2 hours, making breakfast & dinner, and studying...I got a little bit of time to work on digi-freebys.

Matty-poo even IM'd me today. Which is very rare because Kelsey is just a computer hog and won't let me IM with Matt. We IM'd for quite a long time until my kid got home from work and she kicked him off!

I had a comment on my blog and wanted to set everybody straight...

Here's a pic of the kids. That is Kelsey...she's the beautiful one with red hair...my daughter, who is 22 years old! She is married to Matt-the hunky HAWT Air Force General...whoops. I mean Sergeant...nope-not that either. Anyway, he's something REAL important in the USAF...my son-in-law. He is also 22 years old.

The hubby-bubby and I have only the one child. We will have been married 26 years in August 2007!

Gosh. WHERE does the time go? I can remember Kelsey running around in the nude screaming, and carrying her diaper just like it was yesterday.

Now...you have to remember. I got married when I was 1 year old. LOL!

No. I do not have any step-children. Unless Greg hasn't told me something I should know..."Greg? Where are you? Do you have something to confess? NO? O.K."

So. No step-children.

I am now through with YoYos. My obsession has been quenched. I will move on to other neat freebs!

This is a photo collage for Kelsey as she was not content with the other photo. I LIKE the other photo and enjoy using it. But these are other pics that highlight them from the last few years.

She mentioned that she really likes the YoYo heart and a real one would look good, too. So maybe I will make a real one for her. What a great idea!

And you can pick up YoYo Hearts (as soon as they load...because it is going slower than snot!)

Get them Part 2 HERE. I had to break it into two files as it was somewhat big.

Cuckoo For Yo-Yos

My dearest darling daughter has kept me busy IMing for several hours each day for the past few days. While she does manage to find the time to create wonderful superific meals for her husband, work, attend to her college classes & communicate with her mother, it does not afford ME much time to devote to freebies.I am still in shock over the steaky-pic she has on her blog. A culinary chef has been born in a former mac-n-cheese child.

Move over Rachel Ray. Here comes Kelsey Rae!

However, in between chores, and blogging, and paddling in the Internet....(I really do have to learn how to surf-but maybe in warmer water! LOL) and exercising to get into that itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini, I did get a chance to get her input into some very neat freebies that will be coming up soon. Kelsey wants me to do some different things with Frames. And Playing Cards. And Newspaper. She is so uber-helpful.

And I did knuckle down today and became obsessed with Yo-Yos. I created these wonderful Yo-Yo flowers today. Hope you enjoy them.

Get the Yo-Yo Flowers HERE.

A great place to visit in order to thank our US troops www.amillionthanks.org/. I know that I am thankful for their service. I am proud of my son in the service. Even though I don't always agree with what my government is doing, I am still faithfully behind our troops. Political regimes may come and go; but it is ALWAYS the common man that is out in the field...supporting everyone. Way to go soldiers!

Send a thank you card to the US troops who are proudly serving their country.

Isabelle raced off into the woods tonight while we were walking and then returned after a while when we called for her. As it was dusk, we couldn’t really see what was in the woods. But I’m sure that she probably found her deer friends again…if the amount of drool coming from her mouth was any indication...she had TONS of fun!

We gave her a bath today. The big dog...scared of water. But after her bath she always smells like a divine rose. Her fab colors shine through & she glows.

In the news around here, our local airport lost the power for the landing tower. A strange coincidence happened when they also lost the battery backup and the backup to the backup-the generator. Whoops. Planes, please don’t hit anything! Short of using ESP...Maybe they should have gotten their semaphore flags out to use!

Please stay tuned for the COMMERCIAL...my good friend at www.ndisb.com TaniaJPS has come out with fantastic papers. NO! Really. That is what they are called. Fantastic Papers from The Trendy Collection v2. They really are Fantastic. See? You need to get over there and see them. Look at all the other really great stuff in the store. (the preceding commercial was not paid for.)

Did you go visit those sites I talked about yesterday? Weren't they neat? So much-0 pretty stuff out there and so many talented people.

I got onto my www.flickr.com account - - which I totally forgot about...and added some stuff to it. There were quite a few comments on the site. AND...I had over 125 hits on my "boobs" pic. But no comments. Hmmm. Are people not commenting because they look good; or are they not commenting because they look bad? I think I look pretty good for my age (26-NOT! wink-wink!).

Any who-what do I care? My hubby thinks they are great and he's the only one I want to impress. He's a breast man, if you haven't figured that out yet.

We got drenched in a waterslide at a waterpark when we were dating. And he almost fell to his knees and started worshipping when I had to change my shirt in front of him. I had him in the palm of my hand...and I haven't let go since!

While waiting for more Yo-Yo freebs...go to www.theyoyomuseum.com ; lots of interesting info on Yo-Yos!

Tomorrow, I will be back with more Yo-Yos. It's an obsession!

Quick Post

I didn't get the chance to finish the things I have been working on. So I will give them away tomorrow.

Stay tuned.

Bob Barker is going to retire from The Price is Right?

Check out this neat website. Lots of inspiration there. It seems to be handcrafted items for sale. www.etsy.com.

Here is another interesting website. http://www.studiopashnada.com. Altered books; cute jewelry; inspiration. Mixed Media & Collage.

It's late and I'm tired. See you tomorrow.

It took me quite a few years of trying different makeup until I finally settled on Merle Norman. One of the reasons that I swayed toward it was that you are able to sample it at the salon. Usually the owner is knowledgeable; I was lucky to find an owner that has been in business the entire time we have lived here. It is enjoyable to actually visit and she knows my name. Recognizes my colors.

Everybody enjoys getting something for free and the 'free gift with purchase' has actually sold me on other things.


The Satin Lip Pencil glides onto my lips so softly. It keeps my skin protected all day. However, the hubby does not appreciate it at all. Do ANY men like lipstick on women?

And I just adore the Purely Mineral Makeup they just came out with in all those great colors.

It was quite cold this morning and the heat was on; by afternoon...the airconditioning was needed. We have a swamp cooler that keeps the house quite cool. Then tonight, the heat was on again.

I rarely watch television, except for a few outstanding shows...

• House
• Law & Order Criminal Intent
• Bones
• CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York
• Criminal Minds

So tonight I was intently absorbed in Criminal Intent watching Vincent D’Onofrio spin his acting magic as Detective Bobbie Goren. He is a low-key, wonderful actor and has been in many roles that you might otherwise have missed. Which would be unfortunate because he has a screen presence without having to be a lead actor.

Marv, my father-in-law, called tonight; so hubby will return his call tomorrow. Marv left a quick message on voice mail. His girlfriend said that he had gotten dizzy and taken quite a fall. We worry about him as we would like to see him around for a while longer.

I quizzed Marv quite a lot when they visited us last year and he indicated that he had 'thrown away' a lot of stuff. Here is a man who fought in the Korean War; he was a captain in the military; spent time in Europe; vacationed & worked in Europe and South America. But he has no mementos, he won't share his memories albeit in sparsely allocated comments...He had a long & varied enjoyable life. So the memories that he has are not bad; he just doesn't want to share. And it is so heartrending that when he passes, all this will be lost. But for the few stories that my husband can share that he remembers picking up as a young boy.


There will be no photos of this man standing proudly in his military uniform; no photos of a new father holding his children; no awards from his military service; nothing to mark that he worked as a manager for John Deere for over 35 years; no paperwork or letters. Nothing. All tossed as if his life meant nothing. For our grandchildren; his great-grandchildren - - there will be no trace of this good man.


I am so thankful that Kelsey got to know him and spent time with him. She will have memories that she can pass on to her children. Memories that she will be able to share with them. So that this man will not pass from memory completely.


Would you like a freebie?

Tied up in knots seems appropriate to me as there is nothing I can do to convince my father in law to share his past life.


For him, what is past is gone. He has only the present and the future.


You can get the freebie HERE.

-- -- -- Update -- -- --

Update to previous post. Went to the post office this morning. Picked up the box the mailperson had lost! Hoot! Toot!

Look at the barrage of gifts I got. Hubby had already gotten me flowers; The kids sent Air Force t-shirts, an Air Force hoody, Air Force stickers, a B-Yoo-T-Full necklace and a card. I am happy-dappy!

But I was happy that the kids talked to me yesterday...that more than made my day.

And I didn't even have to use unnecessary force to make the postal authorities hand the box over! All's well that ends well!

P.S. And a shot of Isabelle after her encounter with the rodents!

*bookplates antique-amy martin

at www.the-lilypad.com

font-youngsook

"You're Just So Needy"

Direct quote from my daughter. When I hinted that I didn't even get an e-card from her for Mother's Day.

No Kelsey, you got it all wrong. I Am So BEADY!

Really, the post office "lost" the express package that Kelsey & Matt-o-potamus had sent me for Mother's Day. So we are going down Monday to find out just where it is hiding. Watch out for my temper because when a mother doesn't get her gift on Mother's Day...grrrr. Just watch out.

For Mother's Day, my husband took me to the park and we walked around after a delightful snack. The dog decided it would be fun to run us off our feet as she chased Prairie Dogs. The varmints would squeak about 30 feet away, Isabelle would spy them and take off running. By the time that she got to the hole...they would be gone. Taunting her by their squeaking from another hole 20 feet away. It was a big game. She never even got close to them at any time. But for her, it was the best time she has ever had. On point, tail lifted high, nose in the air, bouncing and running like she has never run before!

A quick nap and then we ran into town where I got to pick Merle Norman products for my mother's day gift; purchase new running shoes; and pick up some cute earrings at The Bon.

So I decided to be good and leave up the Mother's Day kit freebie from yesterday. Gee. I can't be so mean. Everybody should be able to pick it up anytime! And just because today is My day...Here's one more. These coordinate with the Art Papers.

I Am So Beady! Get it HERE.

How's About?

What about a Freebie that only lasts ONE day?

After Saturday is over, Pacific Standard Time...I will take it down.

It is pretty special. For Mother's Day. A small, beautiful kit. Pinks, Blues, Purples. Even a vase of flowers for your Mom.

Filled with pretty colors for your LOs.

Get it HERE. One Day Only!

Testing, Testing...123

We went to a concert last year where one of the roadies kept going back and forth to all the microphones and yelling this into them. He repeatedly kept this up for a solid 1/2 hour. Now...if my husband wants to tickle my funny bone, all he has to do is give me that look-and then say those words "Testing...Testing...1.2.3."

Greg has always been able to make me laugh. He comes up with the weirdest things. When he calls me on the phone during the day, he will alternate personalities. I have had Sean Connery call me. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. That voice.....Angus Young from AC/DC will call me. I like Angus's OZ accent. Delish. And there is also Shampu. Shampu is the Indian brother of Apu on The Simpsons. Shampu is very difficult to understand. And Bob Dylan. But I have never liked Bob Dylan, so I pretend I am upset and hang up on him. On the completely million-to-one chance that Bob Dylan might actually CALL me, I would probably hang up on him, too! LOL! My husband can carry on an entire cell phone conversation in any one of these voices, and just go off on a tangent. WHY he called, I never ascertain. But he entertains me so much that I just love to hear him no matter what.

My hubby also picks up quotes from movies and will fit them into the most innocuous conversations. Sometimes I just have to walk away...

I sent THIS to my mother… she will appreciate anything I give her. Isn't that just like a mom?

And THE BASKET to my mother-in-law (my father-in-law's girlfriend - they don't want to get married as they are too old and don't want to combine fortunes!).

I am safe in the knowledge that neither will see these on my website as they don’t have internet. It will be a total surprise to them. Hope they like the flowers.

Kelsey posted herself as "Bad Baby" and I just want to clarify that she is NOT a bad baby. She is the best baby in the whole wide world. She's MY best baby in the whole wide world. I am reminded of this remark as my mother would repeat it constantly to me when I was a young child. I vividly remember the day it finally hit me...I was her ONLY baby because I was the youngest!

So I get to the use phrase on my own daughter now. Kelsey...you are the Best baby I have!


In comment to a previous remark begging pictures from the kids…

“A month from now and you'll have pictures of us in the Canaries and everyone
will be comin' to your blog just to drool over your gorgeous son-in-law! I've
got to get him to stop buying the mini kegs of Heinekin the base is selling or
he's going to have a beer gut.”

My reply to her was -

"He's got ONE month to get into shape! NO BEER GUTS on my blog! That's always
been my motto!"

I threatened to photoshop his head onto some beefcake if he's not in shape...!

Yep. A regular mother/daughter comedy team. That’s us. We should just
put all our emails in a book and it would make the Times' Bestseller’s
List.

A comment on one of my previous posts asked for a tutorial on
the Glass Hearts. But I am better at creating than at explaining how to do it.
Just ask my daughter. I could never help her with her homework. Or teach her how
to sew. It's just not in me. Tho -- when I worked in an office, they were always
asking me to train everybody. And everybody just raved at how well I trained. Go
figure.

For those of you with boys...Here is the Pirate Heart.

Pick it up HERE.

Tomorrow...more elements for the Art Papers!

I'm working on the Coffee/Latte Heart next.

The wonderful spring days have resulted in the blossoming of my tulips. My husband was totally astonished that they came back this year. (this is the 3rd year, where was he the last couple years?) So I had to explain the difference between annual and perennial.

An appointment to have my hair done will take us into the big city tomorrow where I hope to combine a bunch of errands. I am joining life again after being cooped up as an invalid! The dog and I walked around the property today...I exercised on my bike...washed all the bedding...and vacuumed the whole house! There's 1/2 of my spring cleaning done. Now to tackle the yard.

Mistakes of the Motherly Kind

Thank you for all your kind comments. Both on 4Shared and here on my blog. You are all very kind.

I don't let negative comments from Anonymous individuals affect me. The only way somebody can hurt me is if I give them the ability to hurt me. I make these freebies & give them away because it brings ME pleasure. And I will continue to do so. We are all different. We all have different preferences. Not EVERYBODY has to like me or what I do. It is not a competition that I have to win.

It THRILLS me to see others highlighting or talking about my freebies on their blogs. I am grateful for the bloggers that expose freebies to the digi-community. They are working their little hineys off! Thank you very much girls! But it doesn't distress me or upset me if they don't mention me. I enjoy seeing what they put on their lists from others. It's neat to see different things.

I made a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake for my hubby the other day. It gave me pleasure to make this cake for him as he likes it so much. It is one of his favorites. But I did not need his validation of thanks for making the cake. It brought me pleasure to do it. If it had not made me happy to do it, he wouldn't have gotten the cake! I appreciated his thank you.

Isabelle appreciated all the comments she got. I told her about them and you could see that she just "preened" as she listened to them. Izzy is a Fila Brasilerio Mastiff. They were bred in Brazil to kill the Jaguars that killed cattle on the ranches.

We had owned & bred Rotweillers in the past, but after our last beloved Rottie-Samson...died, we just did not have any enthusiasm for that breed anymore.

My daughter recently hit a pothole on her highway of love. She called to talk to me the other day, and instantly my mother-radar was alerted that this was not a "call me on the phone for a chit-chat" kinda conversation. I sensed that I would have to be patient and let her approach the subject in her own way.

After quite a few minutes of inane conversation...weather/my dog/her job...she finally came out with it. "Don't be mad at me, but-" were the first words out of her mouth.

I know that I have made a few mistakes of the motherly kind. We all do. It's life. The instruction manual is flawed and doesn't cover everything. When you go to "Help" or do a quick "Search", the answer is not available. But she is a grown woman and makes her own decisions. I am not there to "fix" it. Or put a bandage on whatever it happens to be.

So essentially, I was just lending my ear to her dilemma. And I pointed out to her from my esteemed 20+ years of relationship experience with her father...that everybody has certain choices. And you better be able to LIVE with those choices that you make. If you lie by omission, it's still a lie. And somebody might find out about this lie. And if that person finds out about that lie, it might hurt them. And then they would be angry or hurt to find out they were lied to.

Her father & I had discussed this situation and we wondered if our daughter had been truthful about something. And we knew what that something was. But we knew that we could not interfere in her relationship with her spouse. We were not being deliberately deceitful, we just chose not to reveal her secret to all and sundry!

So our son (in-law; but I love him like a real son) found out and was understandably upset. We were upset, too, that she had not divulged it to him. But her wonderfully generous and loving guy stepped up to the plate and acted like a real man. He forgave her. And I hope that their relationship is stronger because of this little detour around the pothole.

Through a misfortunate series of misunderstandings, we were not thrilled with Matt when he first started seeing our daughter. But now that we have gotten to know him better, we could not ask for a better son in law. He has brought out the best in our daughter. We are truly fortunate to have him for a son. Our pride overflows at his service in the US Airforce.

So my rambling on was to make the point that when I first picked up the phone, I knew something was going on. Mothers have that special thing. They KNOW. I love my baby. She will always BE my baby. And she will always have my support in everything she does. I may not always be happy with what she does, but I will always love her no matter what.

And I suppose that is all that a mother has to do.

Here is a -KISS- for all the mothers out there!

Give your own mom a quick kiss from me.

Here's your Mother Freebie. For my OZ & UK friends,
Mum Freebie.

Get it HERE.

Tomorrow-Something for the boys.

Isabelle On YouTube.com

My dog is famous! I uploaded her waving on YouTube. She learned this trick in TWO days! She is a genius. She's yawning because she needs to go to sleep. The dog sleeps 23 out of 24 hours!

Go HERE to see my amazing, super-intelligent, wonderful, fabulous dog performing her trick!

My freebie today...is Heart of Glass. I have ideas for doing a series of these. The idea came when I was IM'ing my baby! So you can thank Kelsey for this.

The sun was shining, it was a beautiful day out today!

Get the freebie HERE

Tomorrow...Mother's Day Heart of Glass~!

HAVE to Have

One of the things that you see when living in the NW is a lot of log trucks. Logging is a very big industry around here. Now, some of these trucks are real scary. Rattletraps of death. Behemouths of horror. They pass you doing 100mph, slinging rocks (the road departments spread rock for winter ice treatments) and flinging wood. The drivers...usually with a cigarette hanging out the side of their mouths...fare no better. Some look as if they have not seen a bath in years. Glaring down from their elevated stance, they slam the pedal to the metal and compete for road space.

The only worse thing...is the livestock semi trucks. Oh. Yuck. - - Stinky, Gross, Smelly, Disgusting. Do. Not. Drive. Behind. A. Livestock. Truck.

When a friend emailed me this photo which was obtained from the "Last Picture I Ever Took" contest, I had to laugh. How many times have I dreaded this very scene being re-enacted before my very eyes?

Unlike the picture of the trailer in this scene, the log truck trailers around here have extremely tall metal stakes on the sides to prevent the logs from rolling off the sides. But there are many trucks that haul trees that are overlength. Some even drag the trees that are longer than the semi itself. Overhanging the vehicle...dragging them down the road. Which is another extremely scary thing to drive behind. Hmmm. Better just to stay off the roads altogether.

Another email came from a shoe designer. Steve Madden advertises the Have To Have collection. How DO these people crawl into my mind and discern that I have to have these shoes? Are they working with mind-reading aliens from outer space? Have they hatched ESP eggs and grown them to adults? Or did they clone me while I was sleeping and have my clone in a secret interrogation room, revealing all my secrets?

Yes, Steve. I HAVE to have these shoes. The only drawback is these are pre-order and won't be available until 6/10. I'm not a big fan of pre-order. I often forget what I have pre-ordered. What if I don't get it? Then I forgot what I won't remember. Makes sense, huh?

So, down to the tattoo parlor I will go to have this date put on my forehead in indelible ink so that I will remember to order these in June. Dan will just have to find some available space because there are so many dates on there now.

Oh. I HAVE to get off that site. Because I found these too. I have to have them. Damn that Steve. Damn that clone.

KodKodd Cork. What an adorable name. Don't my little footsies just yearn to slide into the softness of these 4 inch sandals? Yes. Yes they do. Can you just see me when I take these off at the Spa? "Oh madam...(yeah, they address me as madam now-not miss-where did my youth go?) "Oh, madam, where DID you get such divine shoes?" Me-"I found them at the on-line mall. The Kodkodd Cork is part of the sandals collection at SM.com!"

Ack! Slap that finger! What is wrong with me? I just keep browsing. Get out now! Darn. Now I'm looking at the platforms.

This Is Unreal

We must be living in LaLa Land here. Because why do I have to open my Internet and tune in to MSN to be slapped in the face with the news...of P. Hilton going to jail..."It's unfair!" she whines.

Why is this news?

I am appalled that so many hold her in esteem.

Born into privilege and money that are foreign to most people, this vile woman lives her life as if she is somehow above the law because of her father's wealth. And indeed, even her father inherited the wealth.

What average 26 year old woman has mommy & her "entourage" accompany her to court? Very few people have the funds to hire a "liaison" to interpret their attorney's advice. Gee. In fact, this brat is the only one I have ever heard of that couldn't understand that she was BREAKING THE LAW! Gosh. Nobody else has to be explained to in words of one syllable that - -

1. Drinking & driving is against the law.
2. Speeding is against the law.
3. Driving with no headlights at night is against the law.
4. Driving with a suspended license is against the law.

Who else would have the audacity to show up late for a court appointment, complain that she didn't understand and then blame somebody else for HER problem?

She broke the law. Repeatedly. She knew the consequences. "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

Get help. Grow up. Join the human race. Have more respect for yourself and others than to highlight your excessive stupidity. Time passes quickly and soon there will be a 40 year old hag in the mirror - if she lives that long, still sleeping with everything and anything she can, playing her pathetic little games.

It's a sad life.

Enough of that rant-and on to other things...

We lost power this morning and called to report it. The repulsive Kootenai Electric Cooperative (and I can't be sued for libel because every word I state about this hick franchise is true!) has yet again proven that even with an obscene amount of money, they can still operate their service with total stupidity and disregard for their customers. With the influx of new customers and more money, they have bought new vehicles left and right, hired more staff, but offered nothing in quality service.

The entire time we lived in Waterloo, Iowa where I grew up...we NEVER lost power. NEVER. Ever. Ever, ever, ever, ever! With gale force winds. With 100+ inches of snow. With sub-zero temperatures. With ice storms. With extreme humidity. With blowing, gusting wind & snow drifts that were over 12 feet high!

But I can't even COUNT the times we have lost power since we moved to Idaho. In Kootenai County.

Sometimes I imagine we are living in the 1800s here in Idaho. Another century. So it is apt that my newest freebies are based in the 1800s!

My husband has repeatedly complained that the telephonic equipment has not been replaced Ever. It is some of the original installations. Now, help me remember - - Telephone was installed in rural counties in what year???? 1877? 1934?

I'm sure that somewhere in those years were the same time that electricity was run to the rural areas. When we moved here 15 years ago, there was absolutely NO electricity lines laid down on the major east-west highway upon which we live. It took 6 months for them to get electricity to us. Gen-Er-Rator was our best friend back then. Right, Kelsey?

LOL! Listen to me complain. I am thankful I have electricity & telephone & running water at all. Very thankful. SO very thankful.

Last night we watched "The Untouchables" after our walk! Woot! I can go for walks again! 3 cheers for me. Anyway, the movie is still one of the great ones. Mostly because of that great actor...Sean Connery. Did you know that Kelsey had a crush on him and wanted him to take her to prom? We both really enjoy that voice. Hmmm. Am I just a girl that gets gushy over voices? Maybe.

Postscript-Greg wanted me to give him credit for mowing the lawn yesterday.

And since the electricity was off for 5 hours this morning, I will have the frames posted soon. Almost done.

Frames!

Get Frames 1 HERE

Get Frames 2 HERE

Get Frames 3 HERE

Sunday Is A Day of Rest

So I rested.

However, before I rested, I made Sunday morning breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs. I make little Silver dollar size pancakes, and one is enough for me! We then went to the dump! Oh. What a big day out! My hubby is so romantic. Oh yeah-and we stopped to pick up lattes. Our regular stand was closed...remember Shelby was out at prom last night. So we went to the "competition".

We also...
1.Washed the Dog
2.Played Yahtzee
3.Watched TV
4.Read
5.Took off my cast

Yes. You read it here first... I told my husband that the cast HAD to come off today. Last night I woke up 4 times with a panicky feeling as if my foot had claustrophobia. So he very carefully cut it off. My foot looks to have some atrophy and is a minute bit smaller than the right. It feels as if I am walking on stilts. But I am being very careful and will keep my follow up appointment with the doctor.

Whoopie! I am free at last. Now I can return to a semi-normal life.

Thank you for all your felicitations. I will try to take better care of myself in the future.

The kids called today. I need some exotic pictures of Europe, Kelsey. Geesh. You would think that with them living in the UK, visiting Paris, Switzerland, London, etc, that I would get some exotic locale pics. Maybe even a postcard. Nope. Nothing. Hint, Hint Kelsey.

Now...a teaser. How do you like this frame?

I want to release all the frames at once, but I am working on SO many...

Tomorrow. I promise. See you then.

Art Papers

Art Papers--These papers remind me of the background in my daughter's favorite painting --Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.

When we first moved into our present home, Kelsey so adored this painting that we purchased a poster of it and had it framed for her bedroom.

She left it here with us and I will be returning it to her when she & her husband settle permanently.

In the coming days, I will be offering the matching embellishments to these & other papers.

Get the papers HERE.

Hope you enjoy them.

Saturday was restful. Cool outside. I cruised the info superhighway for a while on this National Scrapbooking Day. There were lots of Freebies & exciting sales. I tried to restrain myself as I have so many beautiful things now, I will never scrap with them all!

I fixed chips & beer for the hubby in commemoration of Cinco de Mayo. Then Greg fixed chicken over the grille for dinner.

Do you have a favorite nacho chip? Do you prefer blue? Corn? A special brand?

The girl that works at the latte stand was so excited today. She took off early this afternoon so she could get ready for PROM! I can't wait to see the pictures when Shelby gets them. I never went to my prom. Nobody asked me. So sad. My daughter went to TWO proms. It was so fun to see her in a formal & her date in a tux. Her date was exceedingly handsome. Earlier that day she had a girlfriend come over to fix her hair. They giggled, ate cookies, & drank pop. I miss those days.

Isabelle has learned how to wave in 2 days! I have a super-genius dog.

After showing her once how to lift her paw and saying "Wave", she picked it up immediately. I wanted her to wave goodbye to Greg in the mornings when he leaves for work.