Giveaway!

Hey everybody! Just wanted to drop by and tell you about a wonderful giveaway from Finger Snapper! 25 great products are being given away and you still have time to enter! Go to fingersnapper.com and enter right away. Here's a peek at what's being given away.

So go now and enter! See you all next week, when I am coming back for good. Love to you all,

To blog or not to blog......

That is the question. Hello out there in blogland. I have been taking a little time off, trying to decide whether it's worth it to keep going. I love blogging! It gives me an outlet for writing and for sharing - my life, my hobbies, my family, the things I love to do. When I first started blogging, I knew it would take time to grow my blog and my readers and followers, but I didn't really care. I was sure that I would have them by now! I wasn't really consistent in the beginning, but for the last year, almost two, I have been writing pretty consistently and doing tutorials and projects. But to no avail.

So, I have to look at why. Why don't I have readers? Why don't the few people who do read become followers? Why don't I get comments? I even tried a giveaway and a name-the-bug contest on my other blog - nothing! I tried joining some linky parties and got a few lookers and a few comments, but no followers or repeat readers. Is my writing bad? Or boring? Are the projects not interesting?

I have been thinking long and hard about all these things, and I've decided not to give up yet. I know it can take time to create a following (unless, of course, you're young and cute and witty and have a thousand friends who immediately become followers) so I will give it some more time. I have never really asked my family and friends to even read my blog, because most of them would just say, "What's a blog?" Maybe it's time to do something about that. Get them involved. It's a little scary, because I know I'll get their honest opinion, and if they think it stinks, I know that will hurt. But at least I'll know, right?

I will give it another few months to see what happens. Maybe I'll give it up in the new year, but I really don't want to. I have never been a quitter! Why start now? Blogging has become part of my life. Everything I do and see becomes ideas for a post or two. I've finally gotten into the habit of taking photos of everything so I can use them in a post. I'm just not ready to give up this part of my life yet.

With that said, I will come back to blogging, but it's going to be really spotty for a while. I will be having surgery on my hands this summer, starting with my right hand in few hours. I'm not a very good one-handed typist, and especially when the hand is my LEFT one! So there will be a post here and there, but nothing regular until my hands are working again.

Horsehair Worms

I just got home from a doctor's appointment, where he sent electrical impulses up my arms and through my hands. He attached little electrodes (I think that's what they were) to my hands and then tazed me! The unit that he used to send the shocks really did look just like a tazer, with two prongs and everything. He shocked me in numerous places on each arm, all the say up to my elbows. Then when he was through with that, he stuck me with a tiny, little needle in five places on each arm and tested my muscle strength and something else, I can't remember what. I tend to bleed nicely, so I was mopping up blood all over my arms and hands. He even asked me if I was on blood thinners! He said I have an extreme case of carpal tunnel, which I already knew, and told me I need surgery in both hands. Now I have to meet with a neurosurgeon to set the date and place. I have no idea what it will entail, yet, because I know there is more than one way to do this surgery. Some ways require a longer recovery time, and some make it possible to use your hands within days. I think it all depends on how it's done and how bad the damage is to start with. I'm not looking forward to having more surgery, but it will be nice to be able to use my hands like a normal person again.

How many of you know what a horsehair worm is? I had never heard of one until I found one in my dog's water dish! My son got on the internet and started looking to see what we had, and that's what it was. A horsehair worm. They are little, tiny things, about the size of a horse hair, hence the name and they are a type of mind-control worm. They don't live in humans, and they don't harm humans, plants, or animals, but they live in beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, etc.. The beetle swallows the larvae and it bores its way into the gut of the insect and feeds there, causing the insect to get really thirsty. So it goes to water, the worm emerges from the bug and swims away, to await another bug, which will swallow it and start the cycle all over again!  Weird, huh? It just keeps going from beetle to beetle. You find them a lot in watering troughs, pet water dishes, swimming pools, and sometimes bathtubs and toilets.

My husband was outside one morning, having a cigarette, and he called me to come look at something. There was this little, tiny, writhing thing in Molly's water dish, and a black beetle swimming around. I got the beetle out of the water and sent it on it's way, (so that one didn't drown) and then I got a bamboo skewer and picked the worm out of the water.

I brought it in the house and laid it on a piece of paper. (A half sheet of paper. You can see how small it is!) It wiggled and squirmed and was fascinating to watch.

After the kids got home from school and had a good chance to look at it and touch it and all, we finally killed it so it wouldn't practice it's mind control on any other beetles. If you would like to see more videos (not mine) and read more about the horsehair worm, just Google it and you'll get lots of information.

It was an interesting day and a good learning experience for all of us. And learning is good. So go learn something with your kids! Or just by yourself is OK, too. Until next time,

Friday (Saturday) Friends!

Wow! How easily time can get away from us. Friday Friends are Saturday Friends this week. I have been a day behind all week. I know you know what I'm talking about. I started the week on Tuesday instead of Monday, and I've been playing catch-up ever since!

Here is our first friend this week. It's Kara from Happy Go Lucky and she has the most delicious looking cupcakes ever! They are Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Crunch Cupcakes. Take a look....

Aren't they to die for? I want some right now, but I'm in the middle of making dinner, so I can't do it. Oh my gosh, I think I just drooled on my keyboard! Go to http://www.happygoluckyblog.com/2012/05/peanut-butter-chocolate-pretzel-crunch.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+happygoluckyblog+%28Happy-Go-Lucky%29 for the recipe and directions. And eat one for me!

Next up is Rachel over at I {heart} Crafty Things. She has made the cutest teacher appreciation gift for her son's teacher. She calls it Sticky Pop, and when you look at the photo, you'll know why. Go to http://iheartcraftythings.blogspot.com/2012/04/sticky-pop-teacher-apreciation-gift.html and see her other ideas. She's got some great ideas for doing crafts with your kids.

Our next friend is A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress, or Brooklyn Limestone for short. This post is about a year-and-a-half old, but I love these napkin rings, and I'm betting some of you will. too. Go to http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2010/11/chic-on-cheap-vintage-forks-napkin.html to get the full story.



Fun AND beautiful! What a combination.

Our last friend for today is Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts. She has made some glass tile pendants that would make really nice Mother's Day gifts! And they're easy to make, too. Even a little one could make these. Go to http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2010/04/glass-tile-pendants.html and find out how.

Looks like some really good ideas today, so go visit and try them out. Be sure to leave a comment so they know you liked what you saw. They'll appreciate it! And remember, as you go through your day and week, that one of the advantages of being disorderly is that you are constantly making new discoveries! This is my excuse for not being TOO organized. Have a great weekend, and until next time,

"Seed" Packet tutorial

Howdy howdy! Happy Tuesday Wednesday! (I got interrupted and never finished this yesterday.) Today has been a busy one. I am making some journals for swapping, along with Artist Trading Cards and other things. I love Swap-bot. It gives me an excuse to create, and I create pieces that are small enough to not take forever and not take up masses of room but it's still art. I love it, I really do.

Today I was making something that I thought you might like to see. One of my swaps is for inspirational thoughts or quotes to make our days better. We had to have seven of them, enough for a complete week. What we did with them and how we presented them was up to us. So I made a little pocket to stick on the fridge, with a clothespin on the front.

I wanted it to look like a seed packet, kind of, so instead of hiding the flap at the bottom, I rounded the corners and glued it to the outside of the pocket, like a seed packet. Here is what I started with.

And this is how it looks when folded and glued.

The top of mine isn't quite that long, These are just sketches, but you get the idea. Make the pocket whatever size you need to fit your cards.

Now pick you quotes and stamp or print or hand-write them. Attach them to some pretty cardstock and add some embellishments.

I stamped the quote in the middle of this card and then drew a quilt around it and hand-colored it. Oh, and don't forget a cute clothespin to clip the cards to the front of the pocket.

I like the way the project turned out and I hope the lady it's going to will like it, too. I will glue a magnet strip onto the back at the top, so she can stick it to her fridge if she wants to. And there you have it -  a "seed" packet with daily seeds of inspiration! You could make these for anyone. They would be great visiting teaching gifts and good pick-me-ups for someone recovering from illness or surgery, or for new moms who might be feeling a little overwhelmed. Face it, we all could use some good thoughts to keep us going sometimes.

So now that it's Wednesday, I had better get busy with my sewing machine. I have a duck to finish and a dress to makeover, and hopefully another dress to make. I like the old adage that we quote often in the Mormon church....Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do or Do without. Until next time,

LIfe as we know it.....

Today you get to see some of what's been keeping me so busy! First of all, I am getting my garden started. Last year, we had some cucumbers and tomatoes, rhubarb and zucchini. That, along with some green beans that did nothing and some beautiful herbs, was all we had. Plants are getting so expensive that that was all we could afford last year, and this year isn't any better. So.......I am started my garden from seed! I have never done this before, and it is so much fun! I bought a little "greenhouse" kit, plus some starting pots and soil, and I'm doing it myself.

These pots are for the corn, green beans, squash and melons.

This is our little "greenhouse". I forgot to take pictures before I planted.

I planted the "greenhouse" late, late Saturday afternoon. You could even say Saturday evening. And by Tuesday morning we had sprouts! I had no idea it would happen so quickly! The cucumbers were the first to sprout and they are growing like weeds. :)

This is 8 am on the 24th. They are about an inch tall.

Here they are at 11 am!

And here they are at 11 pm! See what I mean? You can almost watch them grow! The tomatoes and gourds are coming up, too, but the peppers haven't peeked their heads out yet.

These are the tomatoes today.

These are the gourds along the right side. The others
are the peppers that haven't peeked out yet.

Now, look at this! This is the cucumbers on today!

Our little cucumber forest!

They are pushing up on the lid and I'm going to have to take them out and put them somewhere else! They may be ready to plant, I don't know. I'm going to do some research and see. If so, my son and hubby better get busy getting the soil ready! I think we're past the freezing point, so it should be okay to plant them, but I remember reading somewhere that they should have their first set of true leaves before you plant them, and I don't know if these are true leaves or not. So I have to go googling.

Anyway, that's part of what has been keeping me busy. I've also been making card and envelope sets for swaps and gifts, etc. Plus I've been doing a little painting and creating. Oh, yeah, and we're getting the motor home ready for the trip on Memorial Day! We're going back to the coast, only this time we're not sleeping in tents. We had a major leak in the roof and the guys have been replacing the walls and the roof, and all the framework and everything in the over-the-cab bed. Then I get to wallpaper and paint.

What's been keeping me busy for the last two days is a wedding guest book. A young couple in our ward at church are getting married, and they have nothing! They've both been married before, and neither one had an actual wedding, so we are trying to give them a nice, small wedding that they can remember fondly in the future. She just joined the church a few months ago, and he will be baptized right after they are married, so this will be their first experience with the sisterhood of Relief Society, and what can be accomplished on a shoestring! They are both really nice. She has a son and he has two daughters, so they already have a family. The wedding has only been in the planning stages for about two weeks! They have been waiting for her divorce to become final, and then they were just going to go to the JP. I just found out Wednesday that she didn't have a guest book, so I took on that project, as well as helping with the decorations on Saturday. So, here are some photos of the book.

I'm making the book in a slightly different way. There won't be many people at the wedding, and if they all just signed their names, it would probably only take a page or two. I want it to look like more, and to be a little more personal than that, so I am making little envelopes and cards for each guest or couple to write a message to the bride and groom. The envelopes will go on one side of a two-page layout, and on the facing page will go a photo of the message-sender(s). That way they will have a permanent record of who was at the wedding, and since they are so new in the church, they may not remember who all these new people are, so they will have a pictorial record, too.

Her colors are black, white, red and sliver.

This page will have the bride and grrom's names, the wedding date, etc.

Sorry this looks so yellow. When I have my camera on macro,
I can't use the flash, so the only light is from the bulbs in the fan.
I finally tried my hand at making those beautiful paper roses I keep
seeing on blogs all over the place. Thes are really tiny, and hard
 to handle, but I think they turned out okay.

These are two of the page layouts. They will all have tags in the photo-corner
pockets that the photos will be glued to. I used ten different black and white
papers throughout the book. I found a really soft, light patterned paper that was
beige-y in color and copied it in black and white for the pockets.

Well, that's it in a nutshell! I have been one busy gramma. Plus, I have to keep up with my swaps, too. I would rather be too busy than have nothing to do, though, so it's okay. I will try to be better about posting, and not get so busy that I forget. I need to have a dailyplan so I can get it all done. I told my hubby yesterday that I wanted to volunteer at the library, and he asked me when I would find the time. I told him I would just have to make the time. Isn't that the way it goes? We find time for the things we really want to do. Until next time,

Friday Friends!

Good Friday morning!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I wrote this post last week and forgot to publish! I am so sorry! That just goes to show how busy I've been lately, that I could forget to do that.

I am happy to be back! Even a little break leaves me wishing to be here. Today's findings are great and I hope you will all visit them and explore their blogs.

First up is Blog a la Cart. She's got some really cute crochet beaded bracelets that you are going to love! Now, some of you may be thinking crochet bracelets? UGH! But I promise you, these are CUTE! I'm going to be trying my hand at some of these. Go to http://blogalacart.com/2011/07/beaded-bracelet/#comment-5779 and see what I mean. Check out her other tutorials, too. There are some really good ones.

Next up is Grace at Whimsey Loft. She has a bunch of cute ideas and some good info, too. This little sock owl is the bomb! I need to find some cute socks, right now! Go to http://whimsyloft.com/2010/02/tutorial-socks-owl/ and check it out, and peruse the rest of her blog, too. You'll like what you see.

I can just see him in an argyle, can't you? Next on the list is another Grace, this time at Design Sponge. She had a guest post from Mandy Aftel, who is an artisanal creator of natural perfumes. In this post, she creates a solid perfume locket out of an old pocket watch, and it is really beautiful. The tutorial is easy to understand for those of us not experienced in such things. Got to http://www.designsponge.com/2011/07/diy-project-solid-perfume-pocketwatch-locket.html to check out the tutorial, and visit both websites for more info.

And our last friend for today is Ilene over at come on, ilene! She's got some super recipes on her blog, including this one for doggie treats! Aren't these little doggie gift bags cute?

I'm going to get out my ingredients and make some as soon as I'm done! On second thought, I'm going to do it right now......

I made hearts because I can't find my dog bone cookie cutter! I might have gotten rid of it, but I don't think so......?  Go to http://www.comeonilene.com/2011/05/31/homemade-dog-treats/ to get the recipe. My Molly dog is going to love them! (And she does! This stopping in the middle of blogging to make dog treats is probably what made me forget to publish. :) )

Okay, there we are for today. Some great ideas from some exceptional ladies! Be sure to come back next Friday for some new Friends! Remember this......."Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." Pablo Picasso

Until next time,

An avocado seed

Good Morning! Took a short hiatus last week, but now I'm back. I'm trying to catch up on some things I really need to do, plus my hands are really giving me problems, especially when I use the computer, so I've been giving them a break. Thanks for bearing with me. I have an appointment with a neurologist at the beginning of May, then we'll see if they can be fixed.

How many of you have tried to grow an avocado seed? You poke the 3 toothpicks into the narrow end and suspend it in a jar of water with the fat end in the water, and then you wait. And wait. And wait.

And then wait some more. Finally, you give up, probably just before the thing starts to crack open. Or sometimes, even after it cracks open, it seems to take forever to actually grow! Well, I've done it, more than once, too, and I've even got it to give me the beginnings of a tree, but then I didn't know what to do with it and it died.

This time, I decided to ride it out. I was determined to leave that seed in the water until it either grew or rotted in the water! And it did! Grow, I mean. It was now a foot tall!

And suddenly, I was faced with the same problem - what do I do with it now? How do I keep it alive? I got out my laptop and Googled "how to grow and avocado" and got a zillion hits! I read a few and then I happened upon the website for the California Avocado Growers Association, and it was chock-full of information. I read about how to start growing the seed, about how it will probably not produce fruit, about how I have to take it in and out-of-doors so it doesn't freeze in the winter, etc. etc. etc. And then I read the death knell - I had to pinch off its leaves! Oh no. I just got it looking nice and getting big! I wasn't gonna chance that! But everything I read said I had to do it. So, I took a deep breath and did one of the hardest things I've ever done......I pinched off that top set of leaves.

Now it said that every time it grew six inches, I had to do it again! Pinch of the top set of leaves. It was hard, and I actually let it grow another foot before I did it again, but it paid off.

Look at it now! It's turning into a tree! It is almost 3 feet tall and has beautiful, shiny leaves, except where someone splashed bleach on a couple of them. It's even started to grow another branch right above the third set of leaves. When it warms up a little more, it's going outside to enjoy Mother Nature. Right now, it sit on the washer, in front of a pretty big window that gets good southern light, and it seems to be happy there.( Personally, I think it likes the vibrations of the spin cycle.)



Sorry its so yellow. It's the lighting.

Anyway, that's the skinny on the avocado tree. If you grow one, pinch! Pinch, pinch, pinch! And don't give up. They really do grow into trees.

That's it for now. I leave you with this thought......the best way to predict the future is to create it! Until next time,

Friday Friends!

We've got a good selection of blog friends today. Some really good Easter ideas and one that's not Easter at all, but it's cute. So we'll start with Paula from JCs Loft. She did a guest post at the CSI Project that is really cute. I would give you a link to her, but it seems she's missing. I can find her on Facebook, but her blog seems to be gone. BUT...........the project is still on CSI, so go check it out. And check out the CSI Project while you're there. It's a weekly challenge that's kind of like a linky party, but it's a lot more than just a linky party. Anyway, here's the cuteness.

http://thecsiproject.com/2011/03/15/easter-candle-holderguest-post-by-jcs-loft/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCSIProject+%28The+CSI+Project%29

These eggs are made with rubber bands! Aren't they beautiful? I want a bowl full just like this on my dining room table. These are from Inkspired Musings and there are about 6 other Easter ideas in the same post. PLUS, there are more Easter ideas in the archives on the sidebar, so go on over and see!http://inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-easter-egg-fun.html

Next are the cutest egg salad sandwiches you ever want to see! Beth over at Hungry Happenings has come up with a darling way to eat all those Easter eggs. I don't have the cream horn molds like she use, but I think I could make a foil cone to use instead. I'm going to try it and see what happens.

http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2011/04/fun-idea-for-easter-brunch-carrot.html

Last today, but definitely NOT least, is this cute little album from Rhonda at Nuts in a Tree. She is an elementery school teacher and has some really cute ideas. I bet her classroom is a wonder for her students.  I'm trying to talk her into doing a guest post for us. Go to http://nutsinatree.blogspot.com/2012/03/zoo-album.html and see some of what she does. And maybe we'll see a little more soon.

Well, that's it for today. If you see an idea that you'd like to see featured on Friday Friends, maybe even one of your own, let me know. I am open to a little help from my friends! Thanks for stopping by, and remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson said. "Write it on your heart that everday is the best day in the year." Until next time,

Bunny Bunting

Good Monday to You! We had a rainy weekend to go with the rainy last week. No yard work or outdoor stuff happenings. Lots of boredom for 2 kids that have been out of school for two weeks! So, I decided it was time to do the bunny butts, only we made them bunny backs, not just butts. Remember this from March 23rd's Friday Friends?

Bunny bunting from Clean and Scentsible

Here is our version.....

I think it turned out pretty cute! And the kids had a good time making it.

Short and sweet, but that's all for today. Hope you are enjoying the Spring and all it's bounty. As Doug Larson said, "Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush." Have a good one, and see you next time,