Where the Blackbirds Sing

2011-05-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

This is where I come for my therapy. I read your blogs and they build hope in me. They give me strength and ideas. They give me joy and happiness, sometimes they make me sad. But I feel a closeness with you all. All it costs me is time and that is what I have right now.

This is where I come when I need to talk. I can tell you all that which I can't say in my "real" life. This is coming up on a sad period for me. June is the cruelest month in my world. Loss beyond loss occurred for me in June of 2001 when my son died from an asthma attack. I never got to say goodbye; I wasn't even here in the U.S. when it happened. Lots of guilt still over that. Forever this is linked with 9/11/2001; so much in a short period of time. Even from afar, the nation's grief sort of swept mine to the side. Maybe a good thing, I don't know. So we carry on in silence. Time moves on, the memories don't fade, hurt doesn't fade, it just becomes part of your soul.

People say to me that they don't know how I cope with that; they couldn't do it they say. Well, the universe doesn't exactly ask you. There is so much that we humans do not have control over. If we think about it, it would probably make us all crazy. I have lived by trying to focus on right now; get through this moment and the next and the next when it comes. That's it. No magical superpowers for me.
If I had them...well.

Fast forward to 2009; my sweet boy Niles left me too. That was equally debilitating to me. Many of you here in my secret world know of this event. And that which followed. Which brings me to today.

I am a person who keeps fighting, one who always arises from the ashes. I have a positive outlook that all will be well eventually. But I am growing weary. Let me tell you all why.
After the idiot ran off (again) to play with his little friends; he left me jobless and with a lot of debt that I couldn't pay. Yes he gave me money each month. But never enough to take care of the essential bills completely.
In December of this year, after much fighting to delay it, I was evicted from my home due to foreclosure. I moved in with a neighbor.
My job that I loved ended. They closed the sewing machine department in March. The unemployment in Michigan says I don't have enough money in the system to receive benefits so I have no income at all. And over the last few months my husband has decreased the amount of money he sends me; the last few months it has been $100; this month $66.00 I have three dogs to care for and feed, and continue to pay their vet bills, all of which he is aware of. He has not made any payments on my truck, now will be the third month. So I guess he cannot take anything else from me, but when this is taken I feel like I will lose my mind! I have sold everything I could to keep my home, so now I have nothing left to sell.
And this is where I sit today; right on the verge of just having a fit. Oh wait, that's right; I just got diagnosed with fibromyalgia too. I realized I had been in pain for so long the other day, that I can't recall a time without something hurting. This lead me to go to a new doctor.Now here I am. Trying to keep it together. My daughter tries to help me, but she can't afford to do much. I appreciate what she does though. It means a lot to me. I feel like screaming some days. I really do. I never thought my husband would put me and the dogs in such a tenuous circumstance. I really didn't. But he sure did. And he gets away with it as there is nothing I can do. The law never works for me; I can't get anything according to a lawyer. I will just have to accept that he gets to do whatever he likes and there are no consequences for him. This is just what sucks.

I will keep my head up; I know there are folks with worse circumstances. I will get by. I have a good bunch of people in my life; but I am hoping that the sun will come out again soon. Thanks for listening to my breakdown; I sure appreciate it. Without you all, I don't know how I could keep going.

New Year's Eve

2011-01-29T19:59:00.002-05:00

this is our New Year's Eve photo!

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T16:07:00.002-05:00

It has been awhile!!!!!!!! I have been working and moving on in life; but I think of you all daily. I read you when I can and I love to see what you are all up to. Life here is not perfect, but I am feeling loved and have found a nice place in time to be. I will be by more often you can bet! I am still crafting and sewing; I work in the sewing machine dept. at JoAnn's and love that; though I wish the money were more:) But who knows what time will bring. I hope to be able to share photos soon with you of some projects and some decor! The bullies three are happy and being themselves; they have a new love too! My new Mister loves them and spoils them worse that I do; well we are real country and don't have tons of money, but we sure have lots of love.

I got a nice family with my new guy; a sweet mom and his son, son's girlfriend ( who likes to sew and got a new machine from us) his Dad left this world at the beginning of December; but the family was ready; he had suffered for so long. I went to church for the first time on Christmas Eve with him, his son and my daughter; so pretty :) a candlelight service. We made a wonderful Christmas at his home and my friend Sue and her daughter (who are really my family!) shared the day with us. What a difference from the other Christmases.

New Year's Eve we went with our neighbors to a country club nearby for dinner and a night of dancing. We danced until 2 a.m. and I was so happy; I love to dance. We had mainly Diet Coke; I had 2 beers over the course of the evening and they gave us all a glass of Asti Spumanti with dinner. So the year started good.

I expect good things this year. I believe that things will get better for us all; we just have to believe!!! Talk to you all later!!!

what's new?

2010-10-20T18:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry that I have been AWOL for a while! My computer has died and I can't afford to replace it yet; so I am using friend's computers. Things are good here; I am happy and laughing a lot. Things are not perfect; the economics of my life aren't that good, but that will come. I have found the true love I wished and prayed for. He is good for me and my dogs! They love him so much! I never knew that I could have such a life; I have a real country life now. And I am happy with that.

This is the first Sweetest Day I have ever had that was filled with love. He cooks for me when I work late and he takes care of my bulies like they were his own. We both laugh so much when we are together that we get headaches! LOL! Thanks God for this gift. I pray it always will be this way. He makes me better than I was. And there is no misery left here. This guy makes me sparkle more than ever. I pray that I am worthy of him. I will always do my best to keep him as happy as he makes me. What a change! Life is good. We work through the imperfections of life together.

I'll write when I can; I miss you all and I try to read up when I can> Love to you all

New Beginnings

2010-09-09T22:12:00.002-04:00

I have been wanting to get back to my blog for a while now, but life keeps interfering! Many changes have happened this summer; I am almost afraid to share them for fear they will disappear. I have met someone kind and honest. He has been here all along, I guess just kind of waiting for me to stop chasing my tail. He has been hurt deeply in the past as I have so he gets my fears. We are just friends for now, but we get closer each day. He rides and he has made me into a better and stronger rider. He is encouraging to me; I told him one day recently that he gave me back my wings. He took the broken bits and made them whole. He makes me laugh and creates joy in my heart and soul. He is also a man that loves God. He never misses church and is not afraid to share his faith with others.

I asked God for someone like this and He answered me. I am amazed! I am enjoying the relationship we are building. I don't have any plans, but I am letting God lead me on. We have challenges in our lives, I am still married in name only, because of the insurance and financial issues; and he has been unemployed for a while, but he finds things to do to keep everything running well. Even with these issues, I feel better than ever and very optimistic for the future.

We rode in ( my first) a charity bike ride for kids; a teddy bear run to a local hospital. I tell you, in all my life, I have never felt so happy and good, riding next to my new best friend; in the warm sun. The night ended at the Pig Gig ; a local event with barbecue and music! We wound up with free VIP seats in the front row for 5 concerts that night. We rode home in the dark; a first for me really. But I felt safe; and happy!

Then last week, we went to a music event at a local biker bar; for the first time in 20 something years; I danced a slow dance with a man! We danced all night:) We also drank Diet Coke all night:) And I was flying high on my wings that night. The difference is that this is a solid feeling; a feeling of stability. The last relationship was all wild and intense and short. And left me with holes in my heart and soul.

I also got my dream job this summer; I work every Sunday at the Viking Dealer inside JoAnn's in Saginaw ,MI. I love it; its only minimum wage plus commission, and generally 8 hours per week, but it is the best!! My boss is like my twin; she is the coolest gal; I am so glad I met her!! I get to be creative and use all the machines and help others find their dream machine. I hope that as time goes on, I will get more hours, but for now this is good. Hey who else gets paid to sew? LOL!

I still have such great friends that keep my head up; and for all these blessings I am grateful. My heart is healing well and I am looking forward to where the journey takes me next. It doesn't matter where you go, it's who's beside you that counts; Life is not a destination but a journey. ( stitchery I saw today!)

So I am here; I am finding my joy and hoping that all who hurt find theirs as well. Love you all my friends!

One year later

2010-07-21T21:30:00.002-04:00

One year ago today my old world ended. No warning just BAM! My husband decided without any discussion to leave our home; no reason given, but later the reason was discovered by myself.

Fast forward to today; I have learned a lot in the past year. One, I learned that I am pretty resilient. Knock me down and I get right back up again as the song says. Two, I found that I have REALLY great friends in real life as well as the blog world. Three, I learned that I can ride the lawn mower, self taught with the owner's guide tucked in my bra! LOL I also can pick up icky dead mice; as long as I have my gloves on. I learned that I like to work with wood as well as fabric. I learned some gardening; learned that I love to get my toes dirty, and I LOVE to dig, what a great therapy! I enjoy the results of my work. I have had many great comments from neighbors on the work I have done.

I found I like living alone with my bullies. I have friends who come to stay with me and I love that too. I'm okay with being here by myself. There is a peace here. I call it my sanctuary now. I also rediscovered who I am. I am the girl who loves being dirty, whose family is from the South ( no more being ashamed of that!) I love listening to all music especially country and bluegrass. I don't much care what job I get; working in a factory would be just as good as working in a fancy office. I'm not that fancy anymore.

I also lost weight ; about sixty pounds; but still have a ways to go ; like 100 lbs. But that is okay! I'm happy with what I look like right now! It's amazing the change in me; outside and inside. I'm more creative now. It is as if all the creative spirit was jammed up because of all the fear and sadness I lived in.

I have met a nice friend who is a neighbor. He rides a Harley and he is such a nice man. He has stopped by to talk a few times and has invited me to ride with him. Don't know where that will go, but that is okay. I'm not planning anything, I'm just happy to have a new friend who rides. And the cool thing is, he has seen me at my worst every time, dirty from digging, cleaning, sweaty! And this last time wearing my "did you eat an extra bowl of stupid this morning?" t-shirt. No makeup and my hair all catty wampus. He acts like I am just perfect as I am. That is so nice!

We are still married, due to the economy and my need for insurance. He takes care of many of the financial issues, but not timely and not always without a discussion. We are on the verge of losing my home which would be a really bad thing, as I have finally fallen in love with my home; I always loved the land, but not the house so much! He has now lost his job as well, but he will get unemployment as well as his pension. I am hoping for the best. I am applying everywhere for everything. I am not too proud to do any job. I have cleaned a friend's home for money. And I do not feel bad about it at all. I feel lucky to have a friend that would try to help me in such a way! I know there is a plan, but I sure wish God would kind of give me a nudge in the right direction!

So, one year later; here I am ; still learning about myself; doing a lot of physical labor, which has given me a little muscle. Finding my way one day at a time. Learning to live more simply and on way ,way less money. But I am okay and hopeful. I have that now; hope. Thanks for all your support; I am hoping this next year is the best ever; every day now is the best ever.

Who???

2010-06-10T20:43:00.004-04:00

Well; I bet that is what you all are saying,right?? I know it has been a while, but I am back at it!!! I have a lot to share with you all. This past weekend was the one year anniversary of losing Niles. It was sad and I still miss him, but my two friends really came through for me as they have done many times in the past year.
Sonny and Karen came over on Friday and brought their two mugs; a mini pin and a "chi-weenie" hee-hee' love that name! They also brought a ton of food, flowers to plant and assorted goodies! And most important, they came to be with me so I wouldn't be alone. They are truly the best! I love them so much:)

Due to the economy and my current state of finances ( umm... none!LOL) I am working hard on prim/country crafts to sell here and in our Country Sampler store where we will be renting a booth so if you "need" something send me an email and I will get it right to you. Sonny is my partner; he is a master at woodcraft! He actually worked in a factory in Northern Michigan that made these huge butcher block islands like I have in my kitchen!!! I have designed some things and he is great at designing in his head and popping out something great!!!

I am hoping that this is successful for us and will lead to not having to work for others ever again!!! My dream has always been to own a country store! So here are some goodies to start with: and we will ship to other countries as well, but of course you will need to pay the traveling costs; we can check it and give you a quote on that.

These are the sock stretchers made from an antique one we saw while out and about one day; they are available in any color and are antiqued and sealed with a matte finish.

Thay are a nice size and are 17.00 plus traveling fee; email me for an estimate.

This is the piggie that is also a blackboard; available in black as well; comes with chalk and a hanger/tail of homespun; he is 25.00 plus traveling fee;
These are my favorites right now; I have them done up right now in every country color you can imagine! This was a special one for Americana folks. He is from an antique pig cutting board that I own. They are so cute! And we are making larger ones to go outside in your yard as well. These will be 12.00 plus traveling fee.

We will of course try to find you the cheapest rates for mailing and we will combine all your orders in one shipment if possible. Email me for details and to order; no extra charge for different colors. I hope you all like these things as much as we do. I will also be offering re-dos and other prim/country items as I find them. We are trying to really stimulate the economy here in Michigan by buying from local sources for supplies as well as other goodies. So you will be helping out by buying yourself a few goodies! LOL!!! See you soon with more! My email is wheretheblackbirdssing at gmail.com.

Make your car a no phone zone

2010-03-26T17:47:00.003-04:00

I was watching Oprah the other day with my daughter. The topic was distracted driving. I have been guilty of this in the past myself. No I do NOT text and drive, but I have spoken on the phone, and even have eaten while I drove on occasion. This episode brought home the dangers of ANY distraction. So I won't be doing that anymore! They say when you know better, you do better and I am doing better.

I thought of my daughter driving on the roads with people who do this and I was struck by how quickly it can happen! I have threatened her life (LOL) if she EVER texts while driving and we agreed that she will pull over if she needs to make a call and will not answer the phone until her car is stopped. I can't protect her from everyone out there that does stupid things, but I can try to make my voice heard to try and keep her, and all of us safer on the roads. I am a big proponent of stopping drunk driving and so this just fits right in. I am not against drinking or texting; just do it at home, not in the car!

One story on Oprah really got me, as the young man was killed when he dropped his phone and tried to retrieve it from the floor and crashed headfirst into a tree; he was killed instantly. Such a innocent thing resulted in his loss of his life. All the stories were heartbreaking; families devastated by something so stupid and preventable. And it is not just kids doing this! There were adults doing it as well!!

We really don't need to be THAT connected and that self centered that our desires should end someone's life or our own. That phone call can wait! And tell everyone to stop that stupid texting crap! Personally. I just don't get it. I can call you and say what I need to say in a couple of minutes; it takes me forever to text and it is so impersonal. But I get that people just love it, and like anything else, it needs to be done appropriately! Not while you are driving a vehicle or any other activity that requires attention.

I think technology is great, but we are becoming more and more disconnected from each other. I see and hear people EVERYWHERE yakking away like they are totally alone. Some of these conversations are really inappropriate and bizarre. I see people at dinner in restaurants blabbing away on the phone while their dinner companion basically eats alone,and the rest of us have to listen to a totally invasive conversation; usually carried on quite loudly!

No one needs to lose their life over this. I signed Oprah's no phone zone promise; you can too by going here; http://www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html

Remember the life you save may be your own.

Where have I been?

2010-03-15T23:41:00.003-04:00

The Piz

the Murphy!

I have been gone a while. I have been under a whole lot of stress lately. Many of you know I love my bulldogs. Two of them Murphy and Sydney ( aka the Piz) have been in the vets office a good bit all through this month. Murphy needed a second surgery ( in addition to the one on his palate as a pup) to remove more of his palate and also to remove laryngeal saccules which were keeping him from breathing well. That was in the beginning of March. That was something that I knew had to be done. But to get him there I had to get up at 3:30 am and drive him a hour and a half to the best bulldog vet in the state. That wasn't as hard as letting the tech take his leash from me and watching him look back at me; me with the tears right in my eyes as I tried to pretend it was not a big deal for his sake. I watched him until they disappeared behind that door, wondering would I see him again alive, would this be the last kiss I ever gave him? He came through it like a puppy. His brother Niles was in Heaven I know watching and guiding the surgeon, this I know right along with God. For Niles is our angel in Heaven and I know he knows how much I miss him even today as I write this, tears are flowing.

Last weekend, the Piz and Murphy began having a lot of congestion; breathing was difficult for them both. I drove down there to the vet's office terrified. Murphy was deemed okay; but then Piz was critically ill. It went from maybe its a viral thing between to finding out she had lungs filled with liquid; but she also had a congenital defect called megaesophagus.( It is a large esophagus that has problems with moving the food and drink into the stomach, so it is often regurgitated and many times aspirated into the lungs) They believe that due to this condition she aspirated either food or water into her lungs and developed a pneumonia.
So I am faced with the possibility that she might die. She spent the night and as I was going to get her, they called and said she needed to stay as she had gotten worse and had blood in mucus from her nose. Well I just had a meltdown. My daughter has been with me all through this and I think she was surprised when I just lost it completely and began to cry and hyperventilate. I generally do NOT cry in front of others ( there is only one person in the world that I have shared my tears with and he knows who he is ) It stems from something that happened to me a long time ago. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed to cry in public. But this day after all the fear and worry over the Murph, I just could not hold it in any longer. Finally we picked her up on Wednesday; I felt lost without her. She is Niles' twin! Without her the house became even more sad and deathly quiet. She was down the first day, but she has begun to be her old loud,bossy self. Such joy in that little package.

The really neat thing was that when we (my husband went with me to get her) got to the vets office, we got to meet another bulldog who just had three babies; and we were allowed to see the little ones. That was such a highlight after so much sadness, To see that was for me, to step back in time; to when we went to see our sweet boy Niles; our very first bulldog. I could still feel the love we had for each other and for our new baby. It was like bringing a newborn baby home from the hospital when we brought him home. I will never forget that feeling of hope, joy and love that was shared on that day in February of 2000. Seeing those puppies brought that all back to me.
Piz slept all the way back to my husband's truck. When we dropped him off, as I was driving away I noticed Piz had rose up and was looking out the back window, with her little paw on it like she was so sad to say goodbye to her dad. It made my heart sad to see that despite all the sadness and stress of this past year.

The truth be told, I still harbor love in my heart for her dad because I remember who he really is; not what he has become now. We are still a family; we are just not together in the same house right now. I have forgiven him because unless I do that I am not worthy of forgiveness myself from God who sees it all and knows my heart. What the future holds I do not know; but I am doing the very best I can with what I am. I miss having those conversations and discoveries with him. I am still not sure of I can do it with someone else in the future if it comes to that.
Its hard when so much has been lost; that is why this month only 15 days in, has been so darn difficult for me. So much fear and sadness.

But in contrast, I have found that there is a spirit in my friends that burns bright. My friends Sonny and Karen came over to spend the weekend prior to Murphy's surgery with me. Somehow they knew that I needed to have company to keep my mind from wandering. They made food; Sonny made me LOTS of cheesecakes; chocolate and my new favorite; coconut cheesecake. My friend Sue and her daughter Rikki came over the weekend before last and we had a great brunch of biscuits and gravy and bacon. After that we sewed all day and crafted with Rikki. Then my daughter went into town and brought back sandwiches for dinner. We were quite productive! I finished the curtains for my friend Karen, made a pillow for Rikki, Sue pinned everything; it was like an assembly line! They brought my other fur kid Bailey; I trained him for Sue and raised him as an honorary bulldog with my boys. They all played and had fun too!

Just a few days ago, I heard the red winged blackbirds singing outside. To me that is one of the two indicators of Spring ( that is also where my blog name came from) The other one occurred also; my biker friend and neighbor got his bike out and was up and down the road more than once. Now I ride too, but I am so not that dedicated! When you get going it can be quite cold!!! LOL! So the world goes on here in my little bulldog farm where the blackbirds sing ( and the bikers ride by calling my name)

GIVEAWAY!!

2010-02-26T12:25:00.002-05:00

WOOO! Check out this giveaway from Firecracker Kid!!!! I sooooo want this, but I am sharing it with my friends!!! Go here to enter. Good Luck! ( If I don't win this, guess I am gonna have to save up ALLLL my pennies to buy one from her!!!) The winner will be announced on St. Patty's Day on her blog. So git on over there y'all!

A Friday Laugh!

2010-02-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all; here he is MY DREAM MAN!!! LOL!!! I got his in an email and just thought it was a hoot!!! Hell, if a guy is this creative with duct tape; who knows what else he is capable of!!!! This just cracks me up!!!!! The hat and shoes match OMW!!!

this weeks happee iz on backorder :)

2010-02-16T14:41:00.001-05:00

the picture would not let me resize it; so the title of this post reflects the words used! I love this guy:)

see more dog and puppy pictures

Have a bully-ful Valentines Day

2010-02-12T17:03:00.007-05:00

The bullies and I want to send our love and best wishes to all our friends! The bullies love every holiday and I try to find them things to celebrate with. I bought them 3 cookies and this is what they looked like before:

And after: Watch the video to see the Valentine's Day Cookie Massacre! Lead by the mug named Zoey! ( Usually I break the cookies into smaller pieces and so then no one gets a tummy ache! LOL)

We are sending a special bully Valentine to our very special friend Dexter; our prayers that he will be healed and quickly get back to being himself. We love you Dexter!

Goodbye to the first decade of the millenium!

2009-12-31T16:40:00.003-05:00

The news shows all say "its the end of the first decade of the millenium" It has been a hard ten years, and yet there were many bright moments as well.We moved to Canada in January of 2000. We brought Niles home in February of 2000. My sweet man! In June 2001, I lost my son to an asthma attack, the US was attacked in September.Then we brought the Murphy home in October 2001. This year saw the loss of Niles in June and my husband left to find his way in July. See the contrast? Good, and horrible juxtaposed against one another.

That's what life is. This past year has put many of us here in blogland to the test. I read somewhere that we experience these trying times as God is trying to strengthen us. That may be true, but golly, I am about strong enough now to pick up Sparkle and carry him around my yard! LOL!

What do I plan for the next year? I plan to follow where I am taken, to accept what I have, live without what I don't and just be happy in the moment. I plan to make the decision each day to be happy in the face of whatever comes my way. I plan to continue to love my friends, make some new ones and find my place. I am going to make a new career for myself and move on into a new decade with hope and optimism that better things await me in the new decade to come. I will always love my bullies and try each day to make their life the best ever; and be the kind of person they think I am. I am no longer looking back. I am moving forward quickly and letting the past hurts and sadness go. I will love again and trust again.That is a work in progress. But I am okay.

I still mourn for my baby Niles and my son Joseph. These are the things that happen to us in life and we have to honor them by living a good life, continuing to love and opening our hearts to possibilities. I will never forget these hurts, but will let them strengthen me and my resolve to find a better way.

The bullies and I say "BULLY NEW YEAR" to all of you!!!!!

The Meaning of Christmas

2009-12-21T16:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I spoke on the phone with someone close to me about the subject of Christmas. After hanging up, I came to a realization that this person didn't really know me anymore. And truthfully I guess I'm not "me" anymore, at least the old "me" of just last year.

For my entire life as an adult, Christmas has been a stressful time of unrealized expectations. I think many people can identify with this. The advertising onslaught from even before Thanksgiving on tends to urge us all toward excess. The children are encouraged by the ads to want more and more. And parents try to give it to them in order to make their Christmas " the best ever". We get caught up in the fever.

Each year, after I had kids, I would run all over the place trying to get the "best" of everything; get all the items on their "lists". Because you "have to" fulfill the list to make it the "best Christmas ever". And every year, there would be so much unhappiness; even when I could get every last item on the list. So much frustration and sadness every year. I never received a gift from any of my spouses that was heartfelt or demonstrated any knowledge of me as a person, or fulfilled the promises made on the television by all the romantic Christmas jewelry ads! So I am guilty of falling into the trap as well. I will own that. I hated the holidays every year; the past few I have been so depressed that I just barely got through.

I have, outside of my daughter ( and formerly, my husband), absolutely no family. My parents divorced when I was nine as my mother wanted a different life than the one that she had. And she got it, for us kids as well; pretty much both sides of our family abandoned us. No Rockwell family Christmases for us!My mother died from alcoholism when I was 18; she was in her early forties, in the early part of December, 1980.My father, who was much older, passed away a few years later. My son, who passed away in 2001, was born just a couple of weeks later; December 28. My daughter was born, as many of you know, December 24th,1978. So there is much sadness at this time. Also some joy. Even though my daughter hates her birthday, I still think it is perfect.
So there is a basis for my issues I guess. After the events of this summer, I was not holding out much hope for anything different, actually I figured it would be much worse. I live alone with my dogs. So why bother with it?

BECAUSE I CAN!!!

This year I am finally coming into my own being. I have had much time to think about who I am and what I think and feel. So here it is. I learned that I can and have CHOSEN my own family in addition to my daughter and my fur kids; Rikki and Sue, Sonny, Karen,Adam and Sam and all their fur kids, Rebecca and her fur kids,Jennifer and Jerry and their daughters and fur kids, Karen C ,the "puppy lady"and her fur kids. Renee and her fur kid,AND, all my bloggy friends and their fur kids that have sent me love and kindnesses all through this year. I even found old school friends on Facebook that have really made my life better!

I have learned that I am happy with my little house and my doggies. I miss Niles so very much, but I will try to honor him by the way I live the rest of my life. He will always be my canine soul mate. I decorated this year the way I could and didn't stress out over being unable to go out and buy more. I have been far more aware of my own gratitude in the silences of my home. I have had to learn how to do more with a whole lot less, and no predictability of what will come. I could not go out and buy anything really, for anyone, other than the few items I have picked over time for the fur kids. But in my heart, I feel at peace.

I know now that I cannot buy happiness. Don't get me wrong, I love to decorate and love to find goodies for my home. But I also know that things will never give me love or happiness. I have found that within my heart. Even though things are bad right now, I am calm, and I am happy. I am strong. I am living more simply,

Christmas has lost its meaning here in this country. I will tell you what Christmas is to me now. It is having a home ( no matter how small,large, fancy or plain) to share with friends and family, food to feed the hunger, joy in the little things; like someone making you a gift from their heart (Sonny!) and the knowledge that there are people in the world that really love you and care for you that would never hurt you, no matter what. But this is not just for one month of the year; this is my whole year. I have so much; I have Christmas in my heart all year.

Last night I stopped at our local McDonald's. The drive thru girl saw Sparkle all done up and said to me " You are really all about Christmas aren't you?" And I answered "yes, I am" without even thinking about my answer. And then it dawned on me, I AM REALLY ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS! All year long!!!! It isn't what we buy, it is what we give. Our hearts and our real love. That is it. Love. And I give it to those I love freely; even when they are not perfect, I still love them.

All my love to all of you who have made me the person I am today. Thanks to you every one.

The Christmas Cruiser and assorted other fun things!

2009-12-12T17:03:00.004-05:00

Sparkle, the Christmas Cruiser, is ready to jump in if Rudolph can't perform his sleigh pulling duties; the extra lights will sure be useful if the weather turns bad for Santa and four wheel drive never hurts for those unpredictable landings In addition that big ole trailer hitch in the rear will be able to tow along lots of goodies for everyone! Doesn't Sparkle look happy?

Murphy says "So whaddaya got to do to get some turkey 'round here?"

This is Murphy's PINK Christmas tree! He really loves it!!

I just made these from things I had around the house; both inside and out! The pine branches are from my trees in my yard, and I always have Mason jars. They really smell great and cost nothing. I tied on a homespun bow and added two rusty jingle bells to the ends.

I also cut some additional branches and wired them together complete with a Canadian flag bow that I had purchased years ago for Canada Day. I tied it to a pole that is right behind Mr. Niles' grave so that he would have something special. (He was Canadian born, I am in my heart:) I found out that tears will freeze on your face indeed. Hope you are all staying safe and warm!!

Happy December !

2009-12-01T14:47:00.003-05:00

It has been a good long time since I have felt like posting anything. I do read all your blogs though and keep up with some of you through Facebook as well. But I still felt guilty about leaving my blog hanging. And it sure has been hard to keep my mouth shut so long; those who know me will be laughing in agreement.

This month is my little Sydney's birthday; she will be two. She is still a puppy:) My human ( or hooman in LOLspeak) child was born on Christmas Eve in 1978. My son, who lives in Heaven now, was born two years and four days later on the 28th. Both were preemies. My daughter was 4 lbs. and 8 ozs, my son was 5lbs,10ozs; they had told me while in labor with her that she would most likely only weigh a pound or two and would not likely survive. She surprised them though.

I had to fight for her to be born; she was not wanted by my then husband or even his family; who are all allegedly Catholics! They are quite demented. But I refused to have an abortion; even though I was very young (16) when I married her father and only 17 when I had her, I knew there was something there for me to love and care for, someone who would not reject me as my own mother and sisters had done. ( At least until she was a teenager!LOL) I felt her spirit inside. I was afraid she would leave me soon after birth. I went into labor on the 23rd of December; she was born early on the 24th. She was my Christmas miracle. I named her Christmas Eve as there was no other name that could be as special and miraculous as she is. People give her a lot of grief about her name, but I think she knows why I chose that name for her. She was the Christmas gift that I so wanted and received. My miracle. And she still is.

She was a fighter from the beginning as was my son. She had to tolerate taking a back seat to her brother who was ill with asthma most of the time as well as being developmentally delayed. He required a lot, but she tried to help as best as she could. She was a little mama to him and a big sister who was fierce in her devotion to her brother. Anyone who tried to say anything cruel about her brother, or to take advantage of him was quickly taken to task by my baby girl. If anything I feel so guilty now, as when I was in the situation, I did not see that she was left behind in many ways. I loved her then as I do now; she was and still is my baby girl; my first little girl.

My anniversary is the 27th of December. It is still a busy December no matter how you look at it. My husband and I are talking to each other and have formed some type of new relationship. I do not know where that will end up. I am letting God figure that out, I can't control everything no matter how much I would like to!

This will also be the first Christmas without my beloved Niles as well as my husband. I know already it will be hard. His birthday ( and his Dad's) was last month, I found it so hard to keep going forward in November. I think I will be okay now. I don't know why; maybe its all the help I have received from ALL my friends, or the prayers you all have sent, but when I woke up Saturday morning, I had a sense of well-being that I have never had before. I knew when I got up that things were different. I no longer had any anger in my heart and I felt renewed. At peace with what is right now.

Murphy has been ill all weekend with some kind of canine cold. He saw the wonderful Dr. Rita yesterday and is now on his way back to health; Thank Goodness!!! I am hoping this continues. Thank you all for the love you send our way; it is a healing force in our lives. I'm back to stay!!

A Wonderful Dog Party!

2009-09-30T13:26:00.004-04:00

We entered the Katillac Shack's Design Gives Back Dog Scarf Decorating drive this summer in honor of Niles. We made three scarves and submitted them to Kelee at the Katillac Shack. Today you can see the video and Murphy, Zoey and the Piz are in the video. The Katillac Shack raised $2000.00 to help feed the animals at the shelter who have been given up because of the horrible economy. All of us here have been honored to be a small part of this endeavor, we are blessed to be able to continue to love, feed and house these sweet doggies. I don't know what we would do without the love of the sweet bullies here. And I know that Niles is giving us a big root-roo for helping dogs in need in his name. So watch the video and have fun loving your babies! ( you can pause the blog music at the bottom on the player to hear the video)

9/11/2001 -9/11/2009

2009-09-11T13:24:00.005-04:00

I found this today in my inbox and thought it perfect to share today of all days.

I lost a lot in 2001 myself but also gained the sweetest love; my Murphy. He came home in October of 2001 and has given me so much love and joy. As did his brother Niles whom I will never forget.

Today is a sad day for this country, for many families and for all of us who had their illusion of safety and invincibility destroyed on that horrible day. But arising from the ashes came, much like myself,, a phoenix. This country's citizens and many in other countries as well, came together to extract from the rubble of the Twin Towers, that field in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, a new strength, a new heart and a resolve to build our lives again. And so we have been, one day at a time. We have made it to year eight.

I lived in Ontario, Canada at the time of the attacks and I saw first hand the love of the Canadian people.They took in the planes that day and made the passengers feel at home; some took passengers home with them! I wrote an opinion for the Hamilton Spectator that was published letting the people know of my thanks and the gratitude that I as an American in Canada felt in seeing how our neighbours to the North truly felt about us. I saw them send equipment, dogs , staff and money to aid our country. When people found that I was an American, they offered me their condolences and love. When I made American flag bows and placed them on my van, many Canadians stopped me to say thank you. For the first time that I was aware of, the American flag was flown everywhere I went in Ontario! I was awestruck at the demonstration of support and love, the prayers offered, the ordinary citizens who volunteered to help. That was a dark time for me and for our country, but the light kept shining through the darkness in the form of so many hearts coming together as one. If we band together in love, no one can take the light away from us. Keep the light in your heart for all that were affected that terrible day and for those whose suffering continues.

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT. DURING SOME POINT OF THE JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE IN THE FACE.

THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, WROTE IN THE SAND, TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE ..

THEY KEPT ON WALKING, UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS, WHERE THEY DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH.

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING, BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM THE NEAR DROWNING, HE WROTE ON A STONE: 'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE'.

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU, YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'

THE FRIEND REPLIED 'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.

BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING GOOD FOR US, WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE WHERE NO WIND CAN EVER ERASE IT'.

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

THEY SAY IT TAKES A MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL PERSON, AN HOUR TO APPRECIATE THEM, A DAY TO LOVE THEM, BUT THEN, AN ENTIRE LIFE TO FORGET THEM.

TAKE THE TIME TO LIVE!

DO NOT VALUE THE THINGS YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE, BUT VALUE WHO YOU HAVE IN YOUR LIFE!

Be kind to everyone; we are all fighting some kind of battle.

A Lesson in Joy

2009-08-13T13:38:00.002-04:00

Last week I discovered something I did not know before. I discovered a very pure form of joy and living life to the fullest extent. And my teacher was someone that many in the world have discounted and labeled. But I know now the secret that she holds and the lessons that you can learn when your heart is open and you see the human spirit and not the package it comes in.

I will tell you the whole story , It began when I met this young woman at the mental health office I worked in. She cleaned my office each evening as part of a cleaning crew. I loved running into her as she always had such a sweet spirit and her outlook on life was always upbeat. After a day of dealing with a lot of doom and gloom, this gal was the sunshine in my day. She cleaned better than anybody I have ever seen. She has an eye for detail that I envy! She often talked about her mother, and later I learned that her mother was one of my favorite co-workers. What a neat surprise!

Time passed on and the unit closed its doors; my friend was relocated to another position and I took employment elsewhere. But we always stayed in touch, having dinner together and shopping together on occasion. I always asked after her daughter who was always working hard and loving it. She had her own home in the same town as her mother and had a roommate to share the load of taking care of the house. None of this sounds even remotely remarkable does it? Well, read on.

As the economy has tanked, my friend's daughter had to move back home with her; the house payment and bills were just too much as her roommate had left; so they rented the house to a family and began living together again, as many families have had to do in this awful economy. But think about it, that is the way it used to be; families living all together and supporting each other in many ways. Children often had their parents and grandparents readily at hand, and things weren't so crazy then.

Anyway back to my story; my friend is in a wheelchair and gets around and does more than I do!!! And her daughter is working at two jobs; because she LOVES to work! Can you imagine that? And she would do more if she could get more to do. And she is always cheerful and happy about life; she spreads that joy around to everyone she meets. And that is how she, Rikki became my teacher.

Last week, my friend and I went out for a ride with Miss Rikki. I drove her car as it makes loading the chair easy; it has a lift on it which is the greatest thing ever! It wasn't so much what we did, it was doing it with Rikki. Everywhere we went, we talked and laughed and actually had fun doing much of nothing. We went on a hunt for a fruit smoothy with no dairy as Rikki really wanted one of these fruity drinks. We eventually found it at Sonic. But it was the atmosphere I found myself in that really brought out the joy in my heart. Rikki gave it to me, much like a gift. And it is the gift that I treasure as it opened my heart and mind in a new way.

As we shopped, I watched her interactions with strangers and saw something remarkable. When she spoke to people, they immediately had a smile cross their faces. I could see their body language open up and they became different for that brief interaction; there was a light that entered these people as they talked with her. No matter their mood, when she talked to them, they became happy and filled with a joy. It was amazing to watch. As we walked through the store together I also could feel myself getting lighter and happier.

Rikki loves Motown music and she found a CD while we were out and she bought it. On the way home, she sang every song and danced in the car without a care as to who might see her, or if she sang off key; she sang from her heart and it was beautiful. As she sang I could feel this sensation all through my body; a warmth and feeling of happiness that I haven't really felt before. It was as if a new spirit had entered me. I laughed and sang with her. I was driving or I would have danced in the car. Her mom sang and danced in the seat and for the ride home, we were just three girls having a whole lot of fun, a whole lot of joy.

Rikki is 42; she would want me to tell you that. She tells everybody, including me how proud she is to be 42! And that set me to thinking; age is just a stupid number that we use to quantify things. It really has no meaning other than to label people and give a reference point that maybe we really don't need. When I look at Rikki, it is hard to believe that she is 42; my daughter is 30 and that is equally hard to believe because both of these girls look so young. I am 48. That is my number. Nothing more. I feel like I am still a teenager. And I really don't care anymore who knows my age or my weight (282 lbs) my real hair color is pretty much grey, but me and the salon do a good job of keeping it blonde; which was never my "real " color either!

Letting go of that nonsense with the numbers was a Rikki lesson too. She would tell me in proud tones "I am as old as you are" I would laugh so hard ( Our birthdays are in the same month, July). And she just does not care about that number or her weight,hair color etc. She is just a genuine human being who lives life as it comes. She doesn't sit around worrying if people like her or if she is as good as others. She just loves and lives and gives to all. I am awestruck by the lessons I have learned from her. She does her work happily and cheerfully and at the end of the day she returns home to watch her favorite tv shows; Cosby and Golden Girls. She has a mad list of friends that she goes to dances and picnics with, and she loves their sweet Bailey doggie. He loves her too!

Why is this remarkable? Well to the outside world Rikki is "handicapped" I hate that word. I think she is differently abled; she sure has talents I don't possess and no one calls me "handicapped". Rikki has Downs Syndrome. Her mother was given all kinds of doom and gloom when she was born 42 years ago; but as usual the angels had something else in mind! Rikki is an angel disguised as a girl. I know this because I spend time with her and I see it. I know her mom would say she isn't perfect and has her days; but all in all she is what we all could be. I often think to myself, perhaps it is we, the so-called "normal"( hate that word too; it is a setting on the washer not a label for people!)ones that are "handicapped" and these individuals with Downs Syndrome and Mental Retardation and other developmental disabilities are the true human beings here. They put up with a whole lot of abuse and yet, if you look past the package, the outer shell, you will see the angels inside. I think God sent them here to encourage us to stop being so judgemental and uppity, to learn to really love without restriction and to value what we have, not what we don't. That is what Rikki taught me this past week. I just wanted to share my angel with all of you. Hope you find your angel!

The One Eyed Guyz!!!

2009-08-08T16:39:00.004-04:00

Here is something fun!! I was at WalMart recently picking up food and found these guys; they are called one eyed guys; I don't know why, but that is what they call them. They were ONLY 97 cents!!!! So, here they are!

So I brought them home because I figured we all needed some fun and even if they only lasted a few minutes, hey, it would be a few minutes of real fun for all of us. Murphy chose green man, Zoey chose the orange man and the Piz chose the yellow ( of course five minutes later, she "collected" ALL the little men and laid on top of them!LOL)
The truth is, they loved them and except for two mishaps; Zoey pulled a hole in the orange man's ear and Piz tried to "remove" the green man from the Murph's mouth ( never a good idea) which "removed" the green man's ear, they all are pretty much intact. They all have squeakers, which is a beloved sound to these mugz.
Later on,Murph ran to his "safehouse" AKA the chair in my bedroom; he played with green man for a long time. Then he came in to eat, and I tried to find green man, to no avail! i still have not found him! Piz is great at hiding things, but I do not think she even was near it at that point as she was busy throwing her baby off the back of the couch and then running around to get him back and starting the whole process again! She is active for sure; she loves to throw things!

Zoey loves her baby as well; she was so excited she just wiggled and wiggled! She loves babies:) Murphy likes to carry his around with him; I had to chase him down when he went out to potty as he took green man with him!! usually the one who does this type of thing is Zoey; not the Murph! Since green man was lost I went back to secure three more; and we now have a supply of the one eyes! LOL. These guys just love them and they are pretty good at not instantly destroying them. Now, if I could only find the hiding place of the original green man!! He is really in the one eyed witness protection program! I hope you enjoyed a look at the furkids and their babies. They are such good babies, they really are! I just love them!

Wonderful Friends: Old and New

2009-07-29T12:59:00.003-04:00

I am trying to post on a regular basis now, that is my goal anyway! Last night my wonderful friend Rebecca took me out to dinner, she even filled up the gas in my truck so I could get to dinner and home again. I had forgotten how much fun she is and how much she brings out the "happy" in me when I am around her.

I met Rebecca when I first came to Michigan. She was hired directly behind me at the mental health center we worked for. She came in the first day all happy and bouncy and blonde. Now I have blonde hair too, but she had the blonde attitude. You know what I mean, so sweet and innocent and all. At first, I was like oh good grief! And she did not know the ins and outs of substance abuse. I could just see the clients using her up really quickly. Because we were hired at a VERY strange time at that place, we were both shunned by most of the employees in the unit including our supervisor who exemplified Eeyore.

We bonded together first from desperation, then a really great strong friendship came about. I was suffering from deep despair at the time as this was the first time my husband left me. I was so down, I put on a great mask of being funny and all, but she could see through that. She often brought me funny presents and encouraged me to be all I could be. She bolstered up my self esteem which was at its lowest. Every day was easier because she was there, it was like sunshine. We were so funny together. She would say things like " Oh we are so NOT gonna do that" in response to some idiotic request that the agency had ( usually something that was compromising the care of the clients) and I would just say "yeah, what she said!" It was so wonderful that she brought me back to myself.

We planned the Christmas party with the team there; they were calling us goofy names like Barbie, glamour girls, uppity girls. Now I have never been considered either of those. So on the night of the party we were going to wear tiaras, well our supervisor actually threatened us if we wore the tiaras she was going to get us! I wore mine, Rebecca left hers back in her car. EVERYBODY had that tiara on before the end of the night. We had cultivated friendships all through the center in the different buildings and if our own building did not like us, well, it was their loss. One of my favorite memories of that night,besides the tiara, was when we walked in, our building had sat at a table where we were not welcomed (and they had taken up all the seats!) BUT ALL the other folks clamored to have us sit with them.
Then, when they played "OUR SONG" LOL!!! (Baby Got Back by Sir Mix a Lot) We jumped up and had our whole table, including our dear friend Sue (who is wheelchair bound) dancing to that song!!! We got the dirtiest looks, but we had FUN!!!

When she got bigger and better jobs, believe me she moved up and out so quickly,she left and it was harder to get together, although we still did. She would stay in touch with email and calls. I always knew where she was. She got remarried to a wealthy man and I thought she outgrew us. But she didn't. When I was really scared about having surgery, I emailed her; she made it sound like a day at the spa! I was a lot less scared after that. I always think well if Rebecca says I can do it, then I can, and she always told me that.

Last night, sitting at Harvey's restaurant, watching her drive up chewing gum; she loves gum, Orbit especially! I felt my heart feel better. Then she gets out all cute and hunting through her truck; I am like what are you doing; she is all I lost my diamond earring somewhere. Yikes!!! She was at a training a good ways away and of course she had to stop and shop on the way out; " I bought these shoes today at DSW" and she brought gifts for me; wonderful bubble bath bombs and CHOCOLATE bubble bath and mango body creme. And that is how she is. She once , when we were still working together, bought me a pair of bulldog slippers; I wore them all up and down the hall that day!! I still have them and think of her each time I see/wear them. They look just like my Murphy!

She loves me just as I am; she is the one person I have told my weight to; she said, yoiu DO NOT look like you weigh that much and anyway, you look good! Who doesn't need a friend like that? She is a riot and is so positive and caring. I had forgotten so much, life just sweeps us along at times and we lose touch, but she and I may not have SEEN each other, but we were still connected. When I was afraid with the surgery I had asked her to look after my daughter if something ever happened to me and she said she would. I knew she meant it. She has been my living guardian angel, I told her that once and she said "of course I am, I just love you and will always be there for you" All I had to do was call her and she is right on top of it.

My other friend Sue is another wonderful friend as well; we met at the same place. She recently retired from that nut house ( the employees are nuts not the clients!) Sue has had a difficult life to say the least. She is in a wheelchair; but she gets around more and often better than I do! She is a sweetie pie! Her daughter Rikki is a doll; Rikki has downs syndrome, but her energy and drive put us all to shame. Rikki just had her 42nd birthday; which as she told me made her " as old as you are Merrie!" LOL; Rikki is the only gal I know that is PROUD of her age! Sue raised Rikki to be as self sufficient as possible. And she is. I love being around them both. Sue has such a great spirit. And she is funny as hell. She has made a beautiful home for herself and Rikki ( who actually has her own home, but the economy forced her to rent it out and move back in with Sue)

She is always in my corner and we go a lot of places together. That was us at Holly Hills Primitives together if you follow Dawn's blog ( who is also a great new friend) We were having fun this summer just getting out together and looking at things, making plans to sew together.

Last week, I went over to her house and took my doggies for a visit with their "brother" Bailey. Bailey is Sue's dog that I trained up for her; he was a lil white fur ball; he is kinda Shih Tzu looking, but big. And sweet. Murphy immediately remembered him. Zoey and he played a bit and Piz was very interested in him. The funny moment came when the dogs went in the house and SAW all the TOYS Bailey has; oh no he is NOT spoiled!!! They did not try to take them, they just looked at the toys; I mean it is a huge pile stacked up in a corner, and THEN they looked at ME!!!! OOPS! I am always in the doghouse! Phooey! I had gotten them all a hamburger darn it!

Today I had the babies out in the front yard with me as I was getting the mail, which darn it I never got! Well the neighbor guy has this German Shepard and he lets this dog go back and forth with him in his truck ( in the bed which gets me dirty looks from my babies cuz I would NEVER let them do this!)or running behind it the two farms are right next to each other directly across from me; well today ole Roscoe ( I now know his name!) decided to visit us. I did not see him initially, but Zoey did. She kinda went wooo; real low, not a growl, just a question. I turned and saw this dog.
Now he is large, but did not seem threatening, he was pretty bouncy and happy and wanted to play with my babies. But he kept running into the street; I ran after him and got him and mine out of the street, but he kept leading them back into the street.

So here I am all alone trying to herd three plus one into the yard. Well they would play and chase each other ; they were all having fun! I was too; the dog was so sweet and he just wanted some new friends, and these guys all loved him. No barking, no growling. He was more afraid of them than they were of him! What a riot! One of the older ladies from the families came over and after I got mine in, no small feat; "mom, why can't we play more!!!" then getting him back to their house; so I ran down the middle of the street with ole Roscoe following me! Oh yeah; I don't run often, umm ever, but I so wanted him safe. He is now. And all had a good time! Even mommy!! LOL !

Just so you know

2009-07-23T15:48:00.002-04:00

I have been so overwhelmed by the love and prayers you all have sent this week and in the past month. Yes times are hard right now. But as I have thought upon it, I wanted you all to know that my husband is not a monster nor is he hateful. He, like I, has made some mistakes. We all have. For those I forgive him, much as I am sure he would/has forgiven me. I have a whole lot of things to work on in my behavior and that is what I am doing now because I am sure not perfect and have made a lot of mistakes that I wish I could change. So I can't be too hard on anyone else.

My husband is a good person, one that tries to help others. He has always been someone who is very intelligent and insightful. He is one of the best management leaders around. He can motivate others like no one else. He has a good heart, he really does. He does tend to keep things to himself, which is not good for anyone.

He has experienced a lot of grief in his life as well although he never speaks about it.
He has long been my best friend and confidant. He was and still is the light and love of my life. He has always tried hard to take good care of us.He is really great with the fur kids. They love him so; they keep looking for him. I don't want people to think he is bad because of what has happened. He is not. I think he just got overwhelmed and didn't know what to do.
As many of you know, he had some serious health issues this past year and I think that was a really big part of the stress that lead up to this.
I am trying to find and develop a spiritual life to help us deal with life. I think God would forgive him as I hope God will forgive me for my part in this whole mess. I am praying that God will find us and help us heal. I really am. I do love him. He may be a little bugger, but he is my little bugger.

I am thankful to all my blog friends that support me here; and could you please say a prayer for my husband that he finds his heart and his way back home again? Thanks and my love to you all.

I am sorry to say, another sad post

2009-07-21T10:55:00.002-04:00

I am sorry to have to post another sad story here. It seems like that is all I do these days; talk about sadness. I wanted to be in the blogger community to learn new things, and make new friends; I have done both. I wanted to have a fun and upbeat creative blog, but one that really reflects my life. Sadness is a part of all our lives and I feel I need today to share this burden.

I am at a loss to explain this; my husband came home last evening and he brought a state trooper with him. I was so scared when I saw the policeman as I though he was hurt or injured in some way. Never in my life did I think he brought that policeman there to protect him from me; so that he could leave me without any explanation or reason. I am not an idiot, I am NEVER going to commit a violent act no matter how mad I might get because truthfully I cannot do prison and no one is worth going to prison no matter how mad you may be at the time, or how justified you might feel!

I am not angry; I have not cried at all( I do cry about the prospect of losing my home and babies as well as my husband though). I am just numb and lost if you want to know the truth. I shared so much with this man, and love him with all my heart and soul. Did we have problems? Yes we do; like anyone else. Money and communication seem to be the biggest issues. Those can be fixed if both parties are willing to work on them. I have always been open to working on issues. For whatever reason he was not able to.

Am I a bad person? Yes sometimes I am. I get upset and frustrated when people lie to me and he always knew this was a big deal to me. Yet he would do it over and over. I have yelled about it and been very angry. I have cried buckets of tears over this man. He has done this to me before and I should not have been so gullible this time I guess. But even having said that, I still believe that people can change and become whatever they wish to be. Love is hard at times, not always the easy road. I was not allowed to have any answers which makes it even harder to process. He says there is no one else, but I am not so sure about that.

Today I am very sick at heart. I was ill all night with chest pains and nausea. I will be seeing the doctor soon because it did not go away like I assumed it would this morning. I did not sleep much at all; I kept waking up, hoping this was a bad dream. I have never slept well by myself anyway. I am having flashbacks and stress from the last time this happened still and they are really bad this time.
I feel like a lost girl. The person I shared my life with threw me away like I am nothing. I have a big hole in my heart.I have to contemplate losing my dogs, my home, our life together.

The dogs are upset as well, last night they peed all over the house when the policeman came in the house as they were frightened. Bitsy has looked all over the house for him, she was in the laundry basket this morning smelling his clothes. I thought of doing that myself. Murphy had an episode yesterday morning that I never got to share with his dad; he woke up screaming from his airway being clogged with phlegm and then he had a really long extended head nodding episode; this morning he is just moping around. Zoey looks sad and has not really moved much. None of them will eat a thing. These animals are all I have in the world. Contemplating not being able to keep them or having to lock them up all day in the house alone is scary and depressing.

I know one thing; I am a survivor. Even walking through pain, I am willing myself to go on. No easy way out for me. I have asked God why am I suffering so much? I know I have done many bad things in my life that I wish I could change. I am remorseful for those I have harmed with my behavior. I am sorry that I made choices that were ill-advised. There is nothing more I can do to change the past. All I can do is learn for my past mistakes and try to be a better person in the future. That is what I have been doing now for the past ten years; trying to make amends to any I have harmed. Trying to do what is right in any situation, trying to be a honorable person. I am trying my best each day to do the right thing.

I was trying to make this relationship work; I was trying to create a home for us, a sanctuary from the world. I never,ever thought once about having an affair on my husband. I could not bear to hurt him like that; to see pain on his face that I caused is an abhorrent thought. I am guilty of saying thoughtless things in anger, I have been awful when I have been wounded. I know it wasn't right to say those things to the one I love and I regretted them as soon as I said them.
My life has always been an open book to him. If he could only do the same for me, our life would be great I believe.

Well I do not know what will happen to us now. The stress is waiting to see what he will do next; I have been living with this fear since he came back in 2004. Always living in fear of what might happen next. Even though he told me nothing bad would ever happen to us again. I know that many think I am stupid for believing him, but I did. Because I was/am in love. I don't know what else to say, other than these past two months have been the absolute worst for me. I have lost my true loves, both of them. I hurt all over. I am so very,very heartsick over it all.

Butch, if you read this, know this; I am sorry that you felt this was the only recourse available to you. You have caused me a great deal of hurt in the past years and I have always forgiven you. You know that this is true. I have tried to encourage your pursuits as long as they were not damaging to our relationship (other women) I don't understand, I just don't; you certainly would never explain it to me. Maybe you think I don't care, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Than you to my friends who have been writing to help me through the loss of my sweet Niles. I have no family other than my daughter, and she is not really close. So I am pretty much all alone except for the doggies. I appreciate you all hanging in there with me during all these days of sadness. I am expecting brighter days to come. I really am. I am just doing the best that I can today, I will handle tomorrow when it gets here.

My Love to You All

2009-06-11T23:39:00.002-04:00

I came to say I have made it to Thursday. I wanted to come and say to you all; thank you for all your prayers and sweet thoughts. I have found it hard to read them without crying for it is a wonderful thing when strangers will stop to take time to say a kind word to someone they have never met. Yet here I guess we are not really strangers are we?

Here we share our happiness and our sorrow knowing others will help us along. Kindnesses extended to a fellow blogger or non-blogger; things that we may not be safe to do in our daily lives because of the way the world is today. I am alone at home, yet when I turn on this magic box I can instantly be transported to any place in the world I choose. I have friends I have never met, yet they give me something I have not ever had; support and belonging. I try to return that kindness.

In our little blogging world live people with such big hearts. They are always willing to extend a hand without even thinking of any reward. They are selfless and have a spirit that I wish to cultivate. Women of strength and valor,honor.

You all have left me in tears reading your comments; tears of joy that for the first time I belong to a community of support. I have gone through much sadness in my life alone. My husband is a man and men grieve on the run I think; they are often taught that grief is not a manly thing and so many are not brought up to know how to handle emotions, especially grief. He does the best he can, but he goes off to work and I am left here to walk through a loud silence. I didn't know how much Niles contributed to my life and the laughter here, and the love. The house is so quiet now and sad.I am mostly alone during the day until I come here.
I came here in pain on Saturday. I don't know why, but I needed something outside my home. I have come here in happy times; to share our life with you. Our love for these furkids and my quest to be the Queen of Country Sampler.
I have come here to learn from you; to see your life and its rewards as well as your struggles. There is no judgement here; there is only unending support. You laugh and cry with me; you offer encouragement and prayers. You bring me laughter and hope. You lift me up when I cannot walk. You give me courage and drive with the words you leave on your blogs. You have made me want to live a better life; to be a better wife; a better mom. I wish I had you all years ago when I struggled with life. I have had pain in my past that I can't seem to put to rest; if I had a place such as this then, maybe things would be different. But I am glad I have you now.
When we make these blogs, they are for us initially. But they have become so much more than just a frivolous waste of time; they have become a support system, an educational endeavor; who hasn't learned something here? I learned about making hummingbird cakes ( to eat) from Susan; pantry cakes from Jenn( to show in a bowl); I learned about ole Mr Snakie from Shanda (among other things); from so many I learned hope; my first swap PIF from my bully buddy Jane; she has also taught me a lot more! Cynthia Lee taught me about graciousness I will never forget the PIF gifts she sent me. Shari taught me some business; Char taught me all kinds of good things from Mason jar goodies to woodworking. Jill taught me about Kentucky and her wonderful life; Leslie reminded me about being a young mother; and I wish I were as good at it when I was her age; I wasn't! She has a wonderful life. And talent. So many young moms who are rich in the right way; they may not have money but they are building our future and we all will be the richer for it; moms like RuthAnn of WarmPie,HappyHome; wow I wish I could be as good as her at everything. Tammy my lil country girl; who has a sweet girl of her own whose very name, Joy, gives me a thought of just that:Joy. Michele another country gal who has it all together and keeps us on our toes:) This is just a small bit; there are those I have met in lands faraway; Australia;England,Scotland(hello Diane; still love that lil dress!) and closer; Canada; Sandy who sent me peppermints( and other goodies!) from Canada!
Another great friend; closer to home; Dawn at Holly Hills who is more than a shopkeeper! She is a great friend and a talent. Kim my bully buddy here in MI; who is funny and a great mom to her kids! Lori at PrimitiveHouse who is a gem;I know I am forgetting some folks; oops ;Meg my margarita bud and TrainWreck who made me a beautiful necklace and who has a hot cowboy for a DH! CindyDianne; I am so coming to Texas one day I swear! Her husband's blog cracks me up as well! Lisa has shown me courage in taking control of our bodies, there are so many of you all. I have learned and have been touched by every one of you all. These blogs may not look like much to the general public, but they are important. You never know who is reading them. You can be that inspiration to someone looking for guidance. Sometimes we just need to know someone is listening.
Thank you for sharing your world with me. Also, to PrimAngel; thank you for your comment; it was so heartfelt; I wish to convey my thanks to you, but was unable to do so on your blog; if you email me at wheretheblackbirdssing@gmail.com I would love to say thank you again.
I am so amazed at all of you; you offer love and care to everyone; I am so wishing to send some your way; from all of us here; we send bully love and kisses to you all; our blessings from our hearts to you. Thank you my friends. and to the new friends and the ones I have yet to meet; bully love and kisses to you as well. If I did not mention you it is probably because I am having stupid mad cow memory issues AKA probable menopause! I still prefer mad cow thank you very much. (If you are on my blog list you know you are loved; I am too lazy to type that much without some kind of attachment!LOL)

We lost our baby Niles today

2009-06-06T20:14:00.002-04:00

I write these words through tears; so I hope there aren't too many typos. My sweet boy Niles left us this afternoon. He was never ill; other than his eye issue, and even today, he was playing acting as usual. This morning I hand fed him his food; because he wanted to be babied as he often did. Then we sat on the couch and I cuddled him and told him how much I loved him; then I put in his eye drops. I was going to go to Quincy today for a prim show and possibly Holly to the prim shop. I was on my way to Holly had just gotten off at the exit when my husband called me to tell me he was gone. He was out with his dad and siblings playing with his favorite ball. He stopped playing and laid down to nap and then he left us. The pain I feel right now I cannot describe. I feel guilty because I left today; I was not ready to let him go. I never would be. I hoped for a miracle; a dog that lives as long as we do. I screamed in the car and cried for a long time; I drove home screaming and crying. I saw him when I came home; I kissed his muzzle goodbye. I hoped my husband was wrong; maybe he is just asleep. But no, he has gone. I am left with a broken heart. We took them to McDonalds last night for a burger. Niles was so happy! I tried to give him and all of them my all. I tried to give them everything I could. I hope he was happy; I think he was. I will love him forever. I didn't write about him as much and for that I am sorry. His favorite song was "Who Let the Dogs Out" and he would dance to that! He loved hamburgers, dog bones and rides in the car. He was extremely smart and I often counted on him as he knew everything. He loved life; he loved everyone and everything he came in contact with. His favorite toy was the big orange ball he played with today. Second favorite was his ringy-ding-ding. He growl talked to me and would often carry on a conversation with me at length. He loved water and his favorite thing was for one of us to say "soak-a-bull" he would then run to that bathroom and bark at the tub! He was a one in a million baby. He was not my dog, he was my child, my heart. I was struck immediately when I came home by his loss. Even with four, now three, you immediately feel the missing part of your heart. We will bury him by the willow tree he loved. I wish I could have him back; I am so very,very broken today. I love the all I do. But he was my very first bully and really the best. I will be back sometime in the near future. Right now, I have to learn to live without him. I really don't know how. I love you Niles! My sweet boy; forever in my heart.

Sad Day at Dogster

2009-06-03T14:00:00.005-04:00

In loving memory of Jake,Nari,and Joey who went to the Rainbow Bridge on May 28.2009. (Image from Dogster) Hoping there are endless toys,bones and lots of friends there for you all. I know you will be missed by your family greatly.

This is Nari (above)

This is Jake (above)

This is Joey (above)

Today I opened my email to find a sad notice from Dogster. A family's THREE dogs were poisoned by someone with antifreeze and all were lost. You can read all about it here: http://dogblog.dogster.com/2009/05/29/sad-day-at-dogster/

I am truly sickened by the evil in this world. Many years ago I had this happen to me not once but twice. My Irish Setter was poisoned by a neighbor who was a wife beater and child abuser; I had helped his wife get help and food and medicine for her children, he was a dirty low life and took it out on my dog. (I did get him later though; I am NOT a turn the other cheek type; I bashed in the headlights on his car and the windshield and I flattened every tire he had!)

The second time; my beautiful Great Dane Arielle died; I thought it was heat exhaustion; we took her to the vet and found out that she was poisoned; then the little mixed stray I named Killer; he was a doll; but little and thought he was a big dog; he loved Arielle and she loved him; became ill; I thought maybe he was mourning the loss of her, but no, he also had been poisoned and the vet said we had to put him to sleep. I was so broken over this whole incident. I never could prove who really did it, but I had a suspicion that our elderly female neighbor had done this as she had been trouble from the first day we moved in. She once called the police on my kids, who were very young then, for, get this, playing in the dirt inside our OWN fenced in YARD!!! The police, they did nothing; animals just don't rate any help. Which makes me sick!

We now live in the country and each time I think I might like to move to a town, I remember these things and think I'll just stay put. I am so angry that some idiot would kill these animals; society is just getting worse and worse. And even if they find this idiot; they really won't do much. I'll tell you why; the morons who often show up for jury duty are just that; morons! I will tell you why I think that; here in Huron County,MI there was a horrific case of a gigantic asshole who thought he would teach his neighbor's PUPPY a lesson about not wandering on to his farm; so he tied the dog to the bumper of his truck and dragged that puppy home; damn near killing it; its paws were almost completely burned off from the road rash; he drove at highway speeds!

The dog was in great pain; the vet was able to work on it and save its life. This asshole was charged with something like animal cruelty and you know what; the idiots on the jury let him go!!!! Now,you may be a great juror and very good at it; but these jerks should ALL be drug behind a truck themselves. You know the way a society treats its animals shows a lot about that society.

I am beside myself with anger. I can feel the pain of these folks. You know to live among others and not know who would do such a thing to a poor defenseless animal; well it is very hard. I hope that you all that read this might drop over to Dogster and leave a note for the family; if you go to their page; there is an envelope icon there to leave a note. I think everyone on my blog list is an animal lover and I know that you all love your furbabies as much as I love mine.

I am sorry to bring you such sad news, but the world is so full of meanness; we must all be on guard. And we must all make sure to give our kindness and love to combat the evil. So hug ALL your babies; human and canine,feline,equine etc. Let them know you love them every day.

Poor Niles

2009-05-12T18:14:00.001-04:00

Poor Niles; He says "What's a bully to do?" He was hiding out in the crate one day and his younger sister "the Piz" decided to lock him up in "Dog-a-Traz" LOL!!! Niles says " and THIS is how they treat me, first my bratty sister shuts me up in here and THEN my mom takes a picture of it!" "Funny mommy, I am surprised you could take the picture as hard as you were laughing!" "Look at my face, do I appear to be laughing, HUH?" "Oh great, now she's putting it on her blog, could someone please call my lawyer and my agent!!!?"

Sorry Niles; but you WERE complaining about Murphy getting all the publicity!!! I love ya Niles!!!

Murphy's Advice

2009-05-12T17:23:00.000-04:00

Murphy says that blowing bubbles is the best stress reliever ever. His favorite Spring and Summer activity is to chase bubbles. He says that you can never really have a bad day blowing bubbles. His mommy keeps him supplied with bubbles and has bought him a bubble machine as well as two new Wal-Mart bubble wands ( and his hooman sister bought him one too!) Murphy prefers Gazillion bubbles as they make the best bubbles ever. Murphy thinks everyone should blow bubbles!! So have a bubblicious pink day from Murphy and the mugs here at Where The Blackbirds Sing!

Something Funny

2009-05-07T15:24:00.000-04:00

This is what I'm talkin' about!!! LOL!

Some Kinda Crazy Rants

2009-05-07T15:17:00.004-04:00

There is so much I want to write about today! I am so tired of the rain and gloomy grey days. They make me feel depressed and tired; not in much of a mood to do anything. First I want to share some things I forgot about: I did go to Primitives in Thyme in Cadillac,MI again ; the reason was to pick up a special item! I found a really pretty Hoosier cabinet there at a REALLY great price and was able to afford it!

This is what it looked like at the store! I can't seem to find the other pictures I took of the store front and of the cabinet at home! I will have to take some more. I have been having a lot of trouble with the Adobe PhotoShop lately; I also use Picasa, but the photos aren't showing up right in there either! Anyhow, Shelly is a very nice lady and her husband and son helped us get it in the truck. She has the most adorable granddaughter too that I just fell in love with! She was just a little doll and even gave me a hug :) I hope to go back there again, it is worth the drive.

I told you all about Jan Patek the fabulous quilt designer; and the link is on the sidebar for you to visit her. I have to tell you she is the nicest person ; I left a comment on her blog and really didn't expect a reply. Many of the designers that have blogs are too busy to reply, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got a nice email from her! She is a very busy lady and yet she took the time to respond to my post! I really love it when I discover that someone I admire is really a great person in addition to being successful. I really hope you all will consider this when you are looking to purchase quilt patterns and supplies and visit/shop with Ms. Patek. She is truly a gem!

On to another topic that kind of relates to the above; Shelly and Ms. Patek are really great people; they are ethical in their dealings with others, they are the type of people who understand that business is more than just making money; they want people to come back and love their items; which I do. I truly feel that these folks really care about their customers and that is why I do business with them. The reason I am telling you this is because I have been dealing with a situation that just saddens and frustrates me to no end. I had found nice little shop not too far away from me and became friendly with the owner and her husband. Over time, I purchased items there and felt we had a great rapport.

We often came up with some wonderful ideas while talking. I saw that her husband was talented with woodmaking; he made many things for her shop and they were really prim and well done. I asked about custom orders and she assured me that he could do whatever we needed. I did bring in measurements for my two living room windows; I wanted those indoor shutters with prim stars in them. This is something I have always wanted, yet could not afford; the ones in Country Sampler are wayyyy high! They took the measurements and gave us a very good price for them; $398.00! So we gave them a deposit of $198.00 and began the wait that now has extended into well over a year; we are now coming up on two years! I had also placed some items with her to sell. Over time as I was coming in and out of the store to buy items and check on the shutters, there were many conversations over the status of the shutters; and many realistic reasons were given for their slow progress,

At one time she had told me her husband was too busy with his business, but had made the larger window's shutters; she had a crafter who did wood that could finish them and the other set. I agreed; and waited....

You guessed it no shutters. Then, every time I came by the shop was closed! They did not conform to the hours listed. I dropped by at different times; I called the shop and left messages. One day I went by and there was an auction being held; I saw her husband and he said they were closing the shop. I asked about my shutters and he acted as if he did not know anything. I asked him to give her my number AGAIN ; Now I was not nasty; I just want my shutters.

No calls; I emailed her; no response ( until months later which was just more excuses) We were driving by one day; I saw they were again having an auction and I saw her car. I went in and talked to her; same deal; we will get you the shutters; she had many viable excuses. I get it, the economy blah blah blah; but I CAN'T AFFORD TO GIVE AWAY MONEY! HELLO! Well, to date I have received NO SHUTTERS AND NO REFUND. AND my items are also gone! I am just so upset even now about this. I trusted her and she has decided to play games with me. I just don't know what to do.

I cannot believe that there are people out there like this that can take money and just run off with it. If you have a business you have to tend to it; there were people in there spending money all the time. But to be successful you have to tend your business or in any economy it will FAIL! You can't just open when you feel like it and expect people to keep comeing by to check to see when or if you will open; she had many renters who got tired of this and quit and THAT is why she had to close.I am just so mad about this whole episode. And now it is hard to trust anyone!

I guess I just feel so broken by this betrayal! I just am at a loss sometimes to explain why people do the things they do. I am going through a period in my life where I am stressed out by the people in my life and need to have some sanctuary where I can have some stress free time. This kind of stuff just makes me crazy!!!

Hopefully better days will come and I will get over this. I am just happy to have found a few folks who so far have been good people. I just try to hold on to that. And let people know that they are out there; like Jenn at Bittersweet Prims and Fixins; Cindy at Cynthia Lee Designs,Jane at Jane's Fabrics, Shelly at Primitives in Thyme, Jan Patek, Anne at Bunny Hill, Tammy at Country Girl. Holly Hills Primitives, Lin at Gathered Treasures, Nancy at the Hen House,Pam At Baskets and Prims;So I know you are out there and it is comforting. I know there are many others I didn't mention but I am getting hungry and my mind is soooo gone!! Talk to you all again soon!

2009-04-29T17:53:00.005-04:00

Isn't this pillow too cute? It is from Jan Patek and so great for Spring!
Something new; Jan Patek has a blog now!!! So go over and visit her and see what she is up to! Her store/website is here. I love it; I get an email when there are new patterns and other interesting things; you can sign up there for that as well as shop too.

I was reading a blog the other evening and noticed that the author was speaking to the slow loading of pages; she believes that it is due to the music many of us add. Well I have noticed that at peak times things may load slowly; I have satellite internet which is high speed; but mostly it is due to all the pretty things we have on our blogs; like the page designs and widgets and such. Pictures are another culprit. If you are having problems; I have a fix; put all your favorites in a reader; or feed; they only load the photos we put in, not the music and backgrounds and widgets etc. They are always updated when a new post comes in, so you know if you have read the latest. I like the Google reader myself; but I also have some in the Microsoft feeds too. It is easier to keep up with you all; time wise and if you want to comment you can easily click through to the actual blog and leave a comment. Just a little time saver and help for bloggie friends!!! Hope you check out Jan Patek site/blog; she has such neat primitive style patterns!

Here we go again!!!

2009-04-23T18:07:00.005-04:00

Well; you know how it is!!! I have been working around the house on things; especially on getting my sewing and crafting room in order! I refused to take a picture of it to show you all; the shame!!! Well, it is almost done!!! And I am getting stuff together for a yard sale, some from the craft room!!!

I have been hopping around reading your blogs too; I love them all and have them in the GooGle reader; but that makes it harder to comment; but easier to keep up with, so if I have a need to comment then I click on over to your blog!!

I see with sadness that we are losing some bloggies! Lea of Farmhouse Blessings; I was so sad to see you go: I understand that you need to do what is right for you, as do we all, but I will still miss you. That brings me to this; maybe you are a blogger who is slower to post or whatever; I say who cares. I am doing this for me; I post when I can and what I can. And the thing is I do feel guilty when I don't do it as often as I like. I think everyone eventually gets a rhythm of their own. I think we need to look at quality above quantity. And don't feel pressured so much that you need to leave, unless that is what you truly have to do. I will miss the bloggies that have left. I know that there will be new folks, but you know its not the same :) But we will be friendly I swear!!!

So I will do what I can to be more regular!!!( not that kind of regular!! Golly where is your mind today??LOL) I know I am a Bad Bloggie!!! I am tired of winter! I have taken the mugs out on every nice day; we play with the big orange ball that Niles loves; and we (I) blow bubbles which they all love to chase.

Some fun news; my favorite primitive quilt and craft shop The Hen House has finally gone online; now you all can see the shop for yourself; it is in the beginning stages, but you can see the shop and the cool stuff Nancy has in her shop. I am placing the link on the sidebar; please visit her and let her know you heard about it here!!

I have also found out that Warm Pie, Happy Home has changed to Sugar Pie Farmhouse; but it is still as delicious as ever! RuthAnn seems to be so sweet!!! And she is so darn cute (and thin!!) How can someone who is such a fantastic cook be so darn thin!!!! I am tellin' ya gals, it just ain't right!!! LOL! I'll be back soon with more; I can NOT find some photos I want to show you all!!!

More Fun Stuff to Make

2009-03-31T12:48:00.002-04:00

I have been on the Bunny Hill blog and website; the generous designer Anne is giving away these patterns each month and the instructions for the BOM (block of the month) quilt. And there are other freebies on the website as well as lovely things that you can purchase including a new line of fabric named for her chihuahua Chelsea ( Murphy is sooo in LOVE with Chelsea but that is not the ONLY reason I love the fabric! LOL) I have put a button on my sidebar; each month she will post a new block (free) that you can make in either applique ( whatever method you choose) or you can stitch it out in redwork ( or even blue or black work would be interesting I think) So go to her blog Bunny Hill or her website Bunny Hill Designs and enjoy her wonderful creative and gorgeous designs. And Murphy says Chelsea is his new girlfriend and so you may admire her, but that is all! LOL: he is soooo possessive of his girlfriends hee-hee!
Enjoy these pics of the BOM's; the February one was looking funny when I tried to post it, but you can see it at the site; look for free patterns. There is also a cute bunny quilt and a lampshade. I just love the soft colors. Have fun!!!

March Freebie at Bunny Hill:

January Freebie at Bunny Hill ;

Well Duh to me AGAIN!!!!

2009-03-30T16:05:00.004-04:00

Well, I was just reviewing an older post I made about going to Cadillac and the neat stuff I saw there, the reason being that I was just on the phone with the owner of Primitives in Thyme, Shelly Lee Gregory. What a sweet lady! And so full of great ideas. I met her when I went to her shop in Cadillac,MI. I heard about the shop from Pam of basketsnprims blog. And she was right, the shop is so wonderful, The prices make it easy to get what you want and there is much that is locally made, so we are supporting our economy by making purchases. She does have wonderful furniture pieces as well. On Wednesday I am going back to the shop and will have much to show, I hope,(you know I get excited and forget to take photos), of her shop for you all to see! You can call up and order things if you see something you just have to have. I somehow forgot to put in that post the name of the store and the neat stuff I got there! So now I have to download those pics as well; so this is a double-duh day for me!!! So if you are in Cadillac,MI stop in at Shelly's shop, you won't be disappointed! I will get you pictures I promise!!!!

What I have been doing!

2009-03-30T14:24:00.003-04:00

Check out this Easter Basket from Moda!!! You can make this quickly!!!! And they have LOTS of fantastic tutorials and other projects as well for FREE!!!!!

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/fabric-easter-basket.html

Murphy says he would like to see his Easter Eggs in a pretty basket like this!!!

Well I see by my dashboard that I have made 100 posts! Is that even possible? I just started and I am always behind!!! LOL! Anyway I have been working around the house; I just finished painting the tv armoire; we bought it two years ago in unfinished pine and it just sat while I argued with myself about what color I should paint it!
Wellll... when I went over to the Old Granary earlier this month, I bought a can of Old Century Colors Paint in Tinderbox Brown. The paint was a wee bit pricey; $14.95 for a quart, but I have to tell you it was well worth the cost and I will be using this paint on everything I can! I usually buiy the cheapest paint I can find. This may be why I hate to paint! This paint was so creamy and went on sooo beautifully! It really covered extremely well in one coat.It dried so quickly too!I am lazy so I did NOT prime the bare wood and it did not get sucked in like other paints on dry wood. No brushstrokes or roller strokes were visible like i have had in the past with other paints!
And the color is fantastic!!! I just love it, I can't believe how wonderful it looks. The look is that of an expensive cabinet. At my local country store they used it to paint a bedroom in Olde Ivory and I am sooo gonna paint my bedroom in that color. They do sell gallons for about $45, I kmow that is a bit high, but the paint covers so well in one coat AND the paint goes a longgggg way.
I was surprised by that as usually no matter what I do, I wind up having to go get more paint! Not with this brand. AND there is no real odor, as many of you know Murphy is REALLY sensitive to odors, as am I , so this is always a big concern. I have to be careful with the paints I use around the house. When I use spray paint I do so outside away from the house and leave the items out in the garage until the scent dissipates. This paint company has a WIDE range of colors and is able to be used indoors and outdoors. They also offer a simulated milk paint with some gorgeous colors as well! I'll have to take some photos and post them!

I am also working on bandannas ( with breat cancer ribbon fabric) for my kid to sell at work to her co-workers for part of her fundraising efforts. McDonalds employees work on raising funds all through the year for various community and national projects. This one is for breast cancer research. They have done quite a few fundraisers for this cause. There are a few of her co-workers who have been afflicted by this disease and so the crew wanted to do something to help stop this terrible disease. I know they don't raise a lot of money, but every dime and penny counts in the race to cure this awful disease! I think many folks don't know that McDonald's crews are out there doing what they can for their communities. At Christmas time they always find a needy family and help them with donations for the family to have a good Christmas. The money for this comes entirely from the fund raising by the crew committee, like bake sales and internal crew events. The owners and management support these endeavors by participating and donating to these events as well. I thought this might help you all see different side to your local McDonald's store. I know you have all heard of the Ronald McDonald charities and the great work they do, but the local McDonald's folks are working hard too! So next time you see a bake sale at McD's you will know the inside story. The workers are always glad to share their story behind their events as well, just ask:) And the goodies are cheap and very good! ( I have made goodies for them from time to time)It's nice to see good things being done by everyday people.

I have gotten a few goodies from the GW recently that I have been painting on; they need a second coat as I used the cheapie paint on them! Well, shoot you gotta use what you have in these times and I love getting things done! I will get you some pictures; I thought I had downloaded them but I guess not ! Well, DUH on me!!!

I'll be back soon with the pics!

Playing catchup!

2009-03-19T14:59:00.001-04:00

Well, here he is; my Irish bully Murphy!!!! LOL!; He is such a good fella. I named him Murphy because he looked like he was going to be a prize fighter, especially with his health issues. He was just a little fella. I hoped by giving him a name like Murphy he would grow strong into his name as an Irish prize fighter; LOL! He sure did! He is such a sweet little boy who is the world to his mom. You could never find a bigger heart than my boy has, nor could you find a better example of unconditional love. I wish that human beings could love the way dogs do. They don't play games with your head or your heart. They don't cheat on you, nor do they compare you to anyone else. They are always so in to you! And they just don't care what you look like or how much you weigh as long as you love them and feed them! Hurray for doggies!

I did go to the Pig in the Poke show on Saturday in Nashville,MI. I also went to the shop by that name. I did not buy anything.For a couple of reasons: Some of the wares were a bit high for me as I am on a budget (and then some!). And then there is the husband factor; when he is with me I often second guess myself and feel intimidated by his tastes in items, not that he doesn't let me do what I want, but because I get wound up and want to make our home beautiful!!! The other element is that I can make many of the things offered, and I do like to spend money with my Michigan stores/crafters as much as possible because our economy is really bad!

There were many fine things there and so many neat vendors. I did not take any photos because I am a nut!!! Well, I think sometimes I am just overwhelmed and then later I realize that I forgot to take pictures. I did stop at my favorite quilt shop, The Hen House on the way to the show, Nancy was off sewing; how fun is that, but I met a sweet lady named Rhonda. While we were talking, another lady entered also looking for Nancy. We all joked about that for a minute, then somehow we began discussing the show, and guess what?? I was talking to Jackie; she is one of the ladies Linda, of Primp your Pad at Gathered Treasures, helped with arranging her home!!! We have all seen the photos on Linda's blog! I wish I could get Linda over here! So we began to talk and she was so sweet, we exchanged email addresses and I gave her my blog address, she thinks she may have been here before; how cool is that? So then they told me a shortcut to the show. It was perfect and a nice country drive.

After the show, I had it in my mind to go to Quincy, the location of The Old Granary! We had to make a quick stop in Battle Creek at Sweetwater's Donut Shop. My husband had seen it on some food program, so we went and got a dozen and a coffee cup for his collection. Then on to Quincy. Joann is the nicest shopkeeper you will ever meet! She and two other ladies were in the shop that day. They were so much fun! They told me I just missed meeting Lori of the Ole Primitive House. They laughed because they said we were so much alike, they would love to see us together!!! LOL! I can't help it, I am funny!!! Now, I am not funny on purpose all the time, but I do have a good sense of humor about life. And I am not shy or quiet. I tried to be for a while, but it ain't me!!! I'm loud and I'm proud of it!!! I am not ever mean to people; unless they hurt an animal or do something mean. I believe in making life fun. You all need to go visit the Old Granary! She has a pictutetrail; I will have to locate the link. I just love to go to these shops. I got a little mouse someone else made, some of the most wonderful smelling tarts; Sweet Annie scent! And some paint from Old Century for my cabinet in a nice prim brown.

I love getting out and meeting people. One of the ladies at the Old Granary, Robbie, I think her name was, said she had read my blog!!! That was so nice; she does not have a blog; maybe she will get one sometime, but I don't care as long as she wants to visit, she is sure welcome. She was such a nice person too and I hope to hear from her again! I am glad that all of you come and visit, I love yoour comments and enjoy reading your blogs too.

Currently I am thinking about how to do a prim tour/quilt shop tour by bus of some of Michigan's prim/quilt/antique shops! I wonder how much interest there would be in such a tour? I think it would be great to let someone else drive while we have fun and laugh and eat!!!No parking worries and a big ole' bus bay to store larger treasures!!! I am really interested in increasing the tourism in my area and I want to open my own prim shop. We have nothing here locally to speak of. And Michigan's economy is so bad, I would like to do my part, however small to help it . I love all these shops and have a vested interest in keeping them open! LOL! So send me your thoughts, I would love to hear your ideas!

On that note; I was saddened to hear yesterday that Krispy Kreme Donuts is closing their Flint location this Sunday!!!! HOWLLLL of disappointment!!! Now Flint is not EVEN close to me, but we made trips to Flint to shop and GO TO KRISPY KREME!!!! Now I will have to drive to Troy which is sooooo not close!!!!! Darn it all!!!!! I LOOOOOVE those donuts and the grocery store ones are NOT even close to getting them at the KK store!!!!!! So good when the HOT light is on!!!!!! I think the East Lansing one is going too; I'll be checking on that too as it is a little closer ( and I go to a quilt shop there on occasion and Williams Sonoma too!)

I hope you all had a great week; I have been having some kind of intestinal bug and back pains! Today feels a little better; I just refuse to be sick!!!!! I could NOT even enjoy that 70 degree day Tuesday!!! Hurry up Spring!!: And congrats to Jane of Jane's Fabrics on her new grandbaby!!!!

Here I Am!!!

2009-03-12T16:00:00.005-04:00

Murphy and my friend's daughter playing dress up! He is sooo good with kids, he didn't even fuss about it :)

That was a long ole' break. Well, like many of you, I have been trying to find the time to do things and write, and visit you all.( Okay; I HAVE been visiting also called "lurking"!LOL) The past month I have been really Spring cleaning in anticipation of my friend from Indiana's visit. I mean REALLY cleaning!!! I needed to do this, but I had NO motivation or energy until this came up!!!

We went through the end of commuter college together. We both were never able to attend college as kids, so we attended a college for, basically,adults. That is where we met. And for some reason, we became very close friends. We both went through a lot in order to finish college. She was suddenly thrust into the role of single mom to two boys when her husband ran off to do his own thing, which consisted of dealing drugs and mainly getting into trouble with his gang. This all culminated in his arrest trying to cross back into Michigan from Canada where he had gone to secure more marijuana I believe.

She was lucky to have the support of her mom and sister. And then we met and we kind of helped each other. I was married at the time, rather unhappily, and had two kids as well so I guess we bonded over that. Both of us had married very early and became responsible people wayyyy earlier than our peers. We are probably seven years apart in age, but not very noticeable to us.

We began to do things that we had NEVER done before; like go out to bars and listen to music/dance. We both experienced some wild times like we had never done before in our lives; we were always homemakers and stay at home moms. I think we were really, in the beginning , seduced by the glitter of the night scene. I love music and going out to dance, but my husband did not, so we never went out to anything. My friend, was always afraid of going out so she just stayed at home too. But together we were never afraid to try anything.

We often hung out with others from school or from her neighborhood. We only did this on Friday and Saturday nights. Yes, we drank, silly amounts of alcohol at times. Neither of us had ever done this so we were just nuts! I was an addictions counselor so I know alcohol abuse when I see it and when I do it!!! LOL! Eventually, we graduated, but we kept having fun. I got a job prior to graduation and so could not be out all the time. My marriage broke up prior to graduation for so many reasons and for the first time in my life, I had my own home and was a single mom too. And, it was okay. Not easy, but okay.

I had met someone at school that I was deeply in love with and admired. That relationship and working eventually lead to a loss of contact with my friend. You know how life gets in the way sometimes of being with people you love? We still talked on the phone, and we went out from time to time, but I grew away from that "fun". I have to also say that I am the child of an alcoholic who died from the disease of alcoholism when I was just eighteen (my mother). She drank for nine years straight and it killed her. So I am acutely aware of the risks inherent in abuse of chemicals. And now being educated as an addictions counselor adds to that wealth of knowledge!

Eventually I left the U.S. with the subject of my admiration. At one time, my friend came there to visit. She is that kind of friend; she will go to the ends of the Earth for you! She brought her youngest son, whom I always had a soft spot for. He was a little guy then. We had a nice visit and then she returned home. After that we talked on the phone a lot. And she was the person who called to let me know that my son had died; she was trying to get me to call my daughter for the news, but eventually she told me. She was the one who stood by me through all the bad times ; the funeral and wake; and then somehow, I lost track of her. I know that I was depressed for a long time and did not want to be around people for any length of time. It was as though I had changed; that was what I felt.

Each time, from the moment I received the news, I left the house I felt lost. I felt like I could NOT understand why the world kept going on while my world was devastated. I often felt overwhelmed by life, the grocery store was so overstimulating that I didn't like to go there alone.Add to it that I was in a country I never lived in before with no friends nearby, and you can see why I was dis-engaging from life.

I still talked to her, not about my grief, because; it is strange how people react to this loss of mine. I know they don't know what to say or how to act. I get that, I really do. I have been there myself. But eventually I just lost touch with my old world.

When we moved to Michigan, where I also knew absolutely no one, I let her know where I was and we touched base briefly. That is when I lost the connection. I moved again to the country here in Michigan and could not find her. Time has gone by so quickly.

Well one night I was on Facebook and MySpace and thought of her older son and he loved computers. I figured that if anyone would be on the Internet, it would be him! I had sent messages to people with her name to no avail. But I found a young man with his name and even though the picture was very unfamiliar,it had been over eight years since I last saw him at my son's funeral, I sent him a message.

He responded and my friend and I were reconnected! And so she made plans to come here. When I was in Indiana in December, I drove around her town trying to find a sign of her. I later found out that her mom had passed away last year and that she had a little girl that was now 6! Of all things!! She did come here these past three days and we were able to go out for a brief tour of my area; she is a urban girl and I am a country girl. She was amazed at the space and the quiet here. I wish we had more time, but she says this summer they will come back. I hope they do. And I will go there too.

She now has a guy in her life and a house of her own. She works in sales and is happy with that. She still does the party thing, but appears able to handle it. But no matter what I will always be her friend as she will always be mine.

Part of me wishes that I could do as she wants and move back there, but the other half loves my home and the quiet. Who knows what the future will bring? I know it was nice to be able to see her and to also see the changes in myself. We graduated in 1997; and I know more about myself now than I did then.

I have made many friends here in Michigan, and have learned a lot of new things. I have made a lot of friends on this blog too. So no matter where I end up I will always have my blog with me to record the new events without losing the old.

I do have some other neat things to share; I went to GW yesterday and yes, I agree that they are pricing things WAYYYY too high! I know it is for charity, but you are going to price some folks right out of the market and then there will be NO money to give out at all. I did get a few things;

All for $11.00!!! The framed picture was brand new from Kmart and still had the sales tag; $12.99; I got it for $2.99; I figured even if I get tired of the picture, it's a great frame! The blue thing I will paint and the burgundy box too; it was from JoAnn's and still had it's price on it; it was like $15.99 or something; I paid $2.99. Everything else was under a dollar; some were the color of the day and were half off; so they were like 30 or 40 cents! You just have to be aware of prices just like anywhere.

I also went to Cadillac a couple of weeks ago as Pam from basketsandprims suggested. That is one great place, the whole town and a big GW; we then went to Traverse City as I had never been there either; and woooo! We had some fun. I found the cutest quilt shop; the Quilt-N-Bee! The owner is a cute girl who is so much like me it's scary!!! But she is so lovable!!! She and her mom own the shop and it is fab!!! And I did not take any pics there cuz I am a moron!!! I will next time, cuz I am going back there! She suggested Red's Barbecue for dinner and it was GOOOOOD!

We also went to the D.O.G. bakery!!!! Daisy and Oscar's Gourmet Dog Bakery! We bought the most beautiful hand made dog treats ever!

A bag of Shamrock cookies and a bag of Michigan shaped cookies made from cherries! If you go to Traverse City go to D.O.G. Bakery. We also went to Cherry Republic!!! WOOO! I got a whole BIG bag of dark chocolate dried Michigan cherries! Nummy!!! And we got some cherry wine, some hard cherry cider andddd they let you taste things before you buy them. They also had samples of mulled cherry wine, so good on a cold winter day. So aromatic in your home too!!

Well I guess I better go on now and get the pups their dinner!!!! I'll be back soon with more antics and goodies!!!

New Things To Share

2009-02-10T17:07:00.005-05:00

I did get to the class on rug hooking. I am still not sure that it is "my thing" but I did finally last night finish the hooking on the project. I will tell you that I have a deeper respect for those who do rug hooking. It is much harder than it appears. I am probably going to continue doing it as it is beautiful. I will most likely do it for myself or as a gift (okay it would have to be a REALLY REALLY special friend to get this as a gift !LOL!)

I did not buy the more expensive hook, which I may do if I do another project. The other thing I found difficult was trying to hold onto the hoop and the wool and the hook. Well there are tabletop/laptop hoops, I may have to save up and get me one of those; the teacher showed us hers and it seemed to be much easier.

It is a bit of an expensive hobby as the wool and supplies are a bit more than cotton for quilts. But there are ways around that; wool can be harvested from old items; such as from the TS.

I was shocked that the base material with the patterns drawn on were so HIGH! Apparently it is a bit of difficulty to trace the patterns on; but the teacher showed us a shortcut. The pattern I liked that was drawn on, a prim angel, was like $70.00 WITHOUT any wool! Yow!

But it was nice to get out; the class was small and we were able to stay as long as we liked. The class was at the quilt shop the Hen House. The teacher is the owner Nancy. She is great and offered to provide ongoing help for everyone. All in all it was a nice opportunity to meet new people and learn something new.I would recommend trying it; the teacher said if you have no shops in your area try the videos and you can order supplies. I'm sure she would be glad to UPS you whatever you need. You can email me or leave a comment if you would like her contact info.

After class, I decided to go to a shop another blogger recommended. The Old Granary in Quincy,MI. It was so prim! I loved it.(She has a picturetrail of her home!) I bought that book by Judy Condon; Of Hearth and Home; mainly because another blogger said it had instructions on how to make shutters.(and that is another WHOLE blog post!)

There were many nice items there; some were a little higher than I can afford, but folks were in the shop buying lots of things! I am hoping to go back again soon. I did not know that my card on my camera was full or I would have pictures!

I have been working on the rug; DONE!!! I will post a photo soon! I have also been sewing up some gingys and grungy-ing some piggies!

The gingys before their grungification; LOL!

The piggies Step One!

New Goodies!!!!

The crock for $6.00!

The benches $10.00

My new candle lamp!!!!$10.00!!!

I also was able to get to the flea market south of here in Lapeer,MI. My farmer's market friend has a booth; it is only open on Sundays so finally I was able to go and see her. It was so nice to see her again and I found other vendors who are also at the farmer's market. In addition I was able to find my other fave seller who owned a prim store until the economy swallowed it. She made the scale lamp; it was $10.00!!! I also bought the stack of lil benches for $10.00 from her! AND a cutting board($2.00!) that I forgot to take a photo of! Darn!

The yellow bowl; it is very heavy; sorry about the flash! It is a beautiful yellow!

The wee lil crock!!!It is more grey than it shows!

The snowmen and the bobbins

Little vintage hopper!!! I just love him!!!!

Now the crock comes from a place my friend from the flea market told me about; a consignment shop in Fenton,Mi. The crock was $6.00, I also got a cast iron mold; snowmen,($5.00) a vintage hopping bunny($3.00!!) and old bobbins($4.00 for all). I found a beautiful old yellow bowl($12.00)and a little stoneware crock with blue decoration around the outside($2.00!!!). I am in love with this store; they have furniture and housewares as well as other odds and ends. It is a bit of a drive, but not too bad.

I am trying to get my dopey back to cooperate with all my grandiose plans; but it keeps acting out!!! And I have NO common sense and keep pushing myself to do more and more , so I keep making it hurt more. I have also been making Dogster pages for the babies, so check them out! They are so much fun to do; I'm sure your furbabies will love one too!

An Award and a New Blog Friend

2009-01-27T15:35:00.003-05:00

I received an award from my friend Meg at Lucchese to Louis Vuitton; now I am not an award free blog; I just kinda do 'em my own way! So anyone who reads this probably has a fabulous blog too, so please feel free to take and display this on your blog. I am all about doing things your own way! Thanks Meg,you rule! Go visit Meg, she is a hoot and you will love her blog too!

For my second item; I have been looking at the hooked rugs for a long time. Now I would love to have a whole house full of them, but sometimes they are pretty pricey! Yikes. Well I have been getting Create and Decorate for a long time and they always have hooked rug patterns, as do many of the quilting books I have bought. So I decided to look into this a couple of years ago, but there is no one in this area that teaches these classes. I have found a shop that I talked about before :The Hen House in Charlotte. This is a couple of hours from me, but the owner is having a class at the end of the month I am hoping I can go.

Well in that light, I began looking at rug blogs and found some places that are great for rug hookers. On one of the boards I have met a very sweet lady named Sunnie; isn't that a great name? She looks like she has a very sunny disposition! She has a blog Old Crow Farm. I don't have any pictures to share as I didn't have time to contact her for permission to use her photos, but please visit; I believe that she also sells her work and she has some beautiful work displayed on her blog and on the board Rug Hooking Daily. There is also another board called The Welcome Mat that is also for rug hooking. Please visit, you all will love it whether you hook,want to hook or just love the rugs for your home.

Have fun visiting these folks, I think you will love them as much as I do.

Murphy says thank you for all the wonderful comments you all left for him and he appreciates all of you! He sends a big bulldoggie hug to each and every one of you!

The Wisdom of Murphy

2009-01-22T23:42:00.005-05:00

This is my baby Murphy. He possesses great wisdom and great love. He is my 'baby-baby" my Schmoo, my Catty-Wampus, my Yella-Fella and the keeper of my heart. He is such a kind and loving fella even though early in life he had many struggles with his health. Even now, we must be careful with him. But all in all, he is filled with love. He is my sweet angel.

Well there is much more to my Murphy than good looks and a big heart! He is such a smart lil guy. Murphy has the wisdom of the world.

Case in point; we were watching tv one evening recently and the Weight Watcher commercial came on. You know the one with the orange monster ( he puts me in mind of Gossamer on Bugs Bunny!) Well, Murphy saw this commercial, took a look at me and began to raise holy hell at the tv; "woo,woo,woo,Murph,Murph,Murph" he says. He fussed until the commercial went off.

We were howling. I said that apparently Murphy is telling us just what he thinks about dieting and WW! LOL; In speaking with the Murph, I asked him why didn't he like this commercial?

This is what he said;" Well, Mom, I love you just as you are, and we don't need no stinkin' diets 'round here! Besides, you know how crabby you get on those things, then you will want me to join you and be miserable too; hey, there is a reason the first three letters of diet are DIE!!!" He is right about that!!!

Point number two; Mr Murphy has long been against peanut butter! Yes, I know, some doggies love PB, but Murph will smell things before he eats them and he will usually turn up his nose to PB! I bought these Paul Newman PB treats for dogs; Niles loves them as do the girls. Murphy has only been known to eat the PB once in a blue moon, and I think that was because he had a cold and didn't smell it. So now when all the news about poison PB comes out, he looks at me and says, "I told you so" Yes, my Murphy, you were right about everything!

I know it is hard for some folks that do not have a Murphy to get such good advice, so he says that he will offer consultations for the cost of a mere plain flavor MilkBone to those of you who have need for his services, He says "You can reach me here through my mom" He also says he is thinking about getting his own blog! Yikes!

Just Had To Share This With You All

2009-01-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

I found this over at Cat Nap Inn Primitives; I just had to share it with you all. I sooo agree!! And I have always said I am in shape because ROUND is a shape! LOL!

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!
Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the bestfeel good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have hadabout food and diets.

AND.....For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health.It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fatand suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fatand suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wineand suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lotsof sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacksthan Americans.
CONCLUSION; Eat and drink what you like.Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Late in Posting and a New Find for our Furry Friends

2009-01-16T16:54:00.007-05:00

I forgot to tell y'all; I won Diane's December Giveaway(Where the Foxgloves Grow) AND I FORGOT TO POST IT HERE!!!!! Well I am so sorry Diane. I love the wee lil' dress and it is so super special to me because it is from Scotland. Woo-Hoo; I cannot tell y'all how much I love to listen to the men from Scotland talk; well it just makes me go woo-woo;0 Here is a picture of the lovely dress; and she sent me a beautiful card as well. I will cherish this dress always!! Thank you again Diane. ( I had to use Diane's photo from the giveaway as mine just won't flip right today!)

Look at this tshirt on this handsome doggie; nope he's not mine, but he sure is handsome!!

Hey y'all; I just found this really cool site called Furry Twang Dog Tees; they are a riot; shoot I would wear 'em if they made them in my size! Check these out; I think Miss Shanda would LOVE this one;" I Like my Tea Sweet" This handsome guy's says "I'm Not Fat I'm Big Boned" Hey, me too; that is the shirt for me!!! LOL! Check out the site, you will love it!!! Its what ALL the best country/Southern dogs will be wearing this season!!!

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

2009-01-13T14:01:00.004-05:00

(AND THAT IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT EXERCISE AND DIETING!!!LOL)

Well it has been a bit of time since I last posted, but rest assured I have been lurking on y'all's blogs! I have been working on some things here; I have made some stuffed bears, and a pink raggedy ann breast cancer awareness doll. I also have been working through some personal things too which will most probably be an ongoing issue throughout the new year.

I will try to be better about posting ; this is my only New Year's resolution. I have decided to post a blog rule; after reading many blogs and feeling guilty because I have often neglected awards and tags; I am just going to say that I LOVE that you all send me these things and I know it takes time to do so. I also love to send things out, but I am trying hard to balance crafting,blogging and the general life things.

I also hate to miss someone when giving out an award, so I guess I will say that I will accept things as they come in, but I may not always be able to get to them, and the ones I do, I will just post for anyone who reads my blog to take. I think that it is nice that so many people are so thoughtful and I don't want to offend anyone.

Well here is my Raggedy Ann I told you about; she is from a free pattern I found on CS; I made her as a Christmas gift for my daughter's McDonald's store owner Johanne; they do a lot of fund raisers during the year for breast cancer awareness and research in addition to other charities, so my daughter thought that she would really appreciate this doll. (Chrissie recently told me that Johanne loves the doll and often plays with her in her office; arranging the doll's hair to suit her (Johanne's) mood. How funny and great is that!) I hand painted her legs because I could not find any pink striped fabric that I liked; I also used a doily for her collar. She was quick to make and turned out so nicely.

I have been out to a few prim stores recently; Blackbird Primitives in Marshall,MI and the Wren in the Willow in Goodrich,MI. They are both nice stores; I did not get any photos,but I did talk to the owner of the Wren in the Willow and I will be going back and taking photos of the store and her sweet greyhound,Toby! I love it when there are doggies in the store; I think I will also pay a visit to my two favorite ladies in Saginaw and show you their beautiful shop and their two doggies. I am also planning a giveaway; but that is for later!!!

It has snowed here again last night and some today; but the cold is just getting bitter; they keep predicting 9! And for my Canadian friends; that is 9 Fahrenheit~~~which sucks!

So as usual I am in with my doggies; but it is SUNNY!!! At least that is a good thing; the grey days suck the life right out of me!!!!

Hope you are warm where you are!!! See you soon!

Help Is Needed Here in Blogland

2008-12-14T17:10:00.006-05:00

HOME IS WHERE THEY LOVE YOU AND GIVE YOU A MILKBONE

Happy Sunday! I have been out lurking on blogs again and I found these things on some blogs I visited. The first one is very near and dear to my heart.

The first one is about this sweet precious dog Hope;

Hope is in desperate need of sponsors. She was found emaciated and will die. She came in from the Auglaize County Pound and is heartworm positive. A temporary foster has come forward, but the money for her treatment must be raised. If you can help this girl, please donate by paypal or send a check to APLMC, P.O. Box 663, Celina OH 45822. Please mark that is it for HOPE!!

My friend ANGIE of Love the prim look is trying to help this poor dog. Angie is graciously donating the cost of her wonderful lights (100%) of all funds received to this poor baby. They are scented and primitive wonderful! You are going to want some for your tree and year round prim decorating; she has colors and scents that are fab!!! This is what Angie has said; "Any light orders 20 count brown cord ($6.50 plus shipping) and any 35 count brown cord ($9.99 plus shipping ) will be 100 % donated to this dog. Please contact me at angiek32@roadrunner.com with any orders. Please let me know what color and scent you prefer. Thank you so much in advance and God Bless you for helping !!! "

Also Sue of OODLEKADOODLE PRIMITIVES is making donations from the sale of her patterns also; please visit her for more details;

And PEA PICKER'S PRIMITIVES has offered a free pattern for posting this to help Hope; visit patternmart for her pattern offerings. She will also give you an entry into her contest as well for posting this on your blog.

The SECOND THING I FOUND: While you are at it please stop by PEA PICKER"S Blog and help her find her new name for her creative endeavor; she feels that she needs a new spark, so let's help her find her new name; she is also offering goodies as a prize; so hop on over, she'll be waiting.

Please patronize these ladies whenever you wish to buy an item as they are very generous ladies that are trying to help the world whenever and wherever they can; one at a time. If each of us did one little thing, can you imagine how much real change and good we could do. Most of us can't afford to do a lot, but if we each do a little we sure can do some great things, what an inspiration these ladies are!

I hope that HOPE finds a new forever home and that she is healed. All dogs (and cats) deserve a loving,forever home. Please let people know about this, post it on your blog and let Pea Picker know as she will put it in her giveaway as one entry for you. And I know that the reason we all do this is not for the prizes, but for the love of a dog.

Dogs are very special to me; they give us unconditional love; they look to us for the basics really; shelter,food,love. They give us their all. They serve to protect us daily on the police forces and armed forces of this country. They risk their lives to protect and save us. They ask for nothing, yet give us all they have and all they are. We need to protect them in return. Hug your doggie today. If you need gifts for Christmas, please consider shopping at the Animal Rescue site on my blog; they have fantastic gift itmes that are priced great and often they will offer free shipping. The money from this site goes to shelters to help dogs and cats,horses etc.

You can buy immunizations for a shelter dog as a unique gift there too; and if you can't really afford to spend anything extra; put the button on your blog and click it daily, by doing so, you are funding a portion of food each day for a shelter animal.

My babies are just that; my babies. I get really upset and often cry over stray dogs, it is such a committment to have a dog; people don't realize that these are NOT fashion accessories; and they are NOT for sport! FYI: DOG FIGHTING IS NOT A SPORT: IT IS TORTURE! If I had my way Michael Vick would be spending the rest of his life in a prison; even that seems too good for him. What kind of jackass says "it is my cultural heritage to fight dogs" ? If that is your cultural heritage then you need to find a NEW CULTURE! Oh what a shithead! Whoops! My lil ole' redneck is showing again!!! LOL!

Okay back to sanity; lets do all we can for our babies and help those less fortunate!

This one makes me laugh;

see more puppies

This one makes me cry! But it is so true

HOME IS WHERE YOU ARE LOVED!

see more puppies

Here Ya Go

2008-12-04T18:07:00.013-05:00

Well; here are some of the things I have been doing. On the 15th of November I was FINALLY able to get to Charlotte,MI. I had been wanting to go there to a quilt shop that specializes in primitive quilt patterns and other items. So, spur of the moment; we were in Sparkle and I said I want to go to Charlotte; which is what I ALWAYS say when asked "What do you want to do?" and usually we just can't go for so many goofy reasons. Well that day, it was a go!!! YIPPEE!

I first went to Gathered Treasures , which is in Grand Ledge,MI ( and then to the quilt shop) the owner has the blog we all visit; Primp Your Pad at Gathered Treasures; well; wooooooo! It is close to the quilt shop, so I was torn; which one to go to first; they are only really a couple of minutes apart. Sooooo... since we saw the turn off for Gathered Treasures first we went there first.

The Front of the Shop; so pretty!!!

I LOVE this snowman!!!!

There were so many goodies at this shop; I am looking forward to going back again soon! I met the owner's husband John; he was very nice and helpful. He works in the shop since he has retired from GM; he sure looks so young to be retired; but hey, its all good when you can work at such a beautiful shop!

And then we were off to the quilt shop in Charlotte! So the quilt shop is called the Hen House! It is 127 miles from my house (one way!) I don't care; it was worth it. The owner Nancy Conn is a SUPER lady! So helpful and very fun to talk with! If I had not gotten there so late I could have participated in the make it and take it; there were even some sweet young girls there with their mom and they shared their creations with me; so nice to see girls learning about the arts! They had done some stenciling and sewing.
The shop also had some neat stencils; I bought some crow/bird stencils. AND a prim painting book I had been looking for! FOR A LONG TIME!!!!! ( I can't get them to flip right for some reason tonight on Blogger)

Nancy offered to show me on my next visit (for free) how to hook rugs! I have wanted to learn how, but we have no classes here. Nancy does not have a website or blog, as she pointed out "If I got on the computer I would never get my stitching done" WOO! How true!!! Well, we all DO it!!! The land of blog eats up time; but y'all are SOOO creative; I can't help it!! Well, you sure can call her if you want something like what I bought; she has wool, patterns, rug supplies,fabric,books; Oh yeah, I sure bought me some books and one is called PRIMITIVE CHRISTMAS by Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles. I also bought My Folk Art Best by Cheri Saffiote=Payne through Indygo Junction. I also bought two make do cats patterns with the spindle/bobbin in the package! She gave me a deal; half price on those! The Hen House is located at 211 Cochran, Charlotte,MI. (517)543-6454. She is open 10:00 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Mon-Sat. (EST)

The Hen House Quilt Shop; Charlotte,MI (outside front entry)

The Bathroom; hand stenciled by owner from stencils she created with freezer paper!

A quilt on display in the bathroom! Love it!

My Goodies from the Quilt Shop!!!

When I can get the pictures fixed I will post the books and other goodies!

My other favorite thing I found was at WalMart; A new GooseBerry Patch Book; It is a huge three ring binder for Christmas; goodies,crafts, the whole nine yards!!!

Well; I hope that begins to catch me up; I have to show you my handwork that I have been working on but again I am having fits with my photo software; well maybe later!!!!

Back Again

2008-12-04T14:46:00.005-05:00

Whooo; that was a looooooong pause there. Sorry to be away so long( and I did visit some folks and read you all in my reader on Google); but I had a project that I worked on almost non-stop to get done by Thanksgiving; I did get it done and will be posting a picture!
And Niles has been having problems with eye infections; we are now taking ALL our pups to Dr. Rita Taylor, who is the best bulldog (and any breed or cat) veterinarian in the world! She has been able to figure out the problem when no one else could; I am so mad because so much damage could have been avoided had the other vets not acted like it was a run of the mill thing.

Dr. Taylor is also the "grandma" of our puppy Bitsy; her sweet boy Tuffy was /is Bitsy's daddy. I saw was because apparently he has passed away.We did not learn this until we took Niles in for his eyes; she was so heartbroken and could not even discuss it; she began to cry and we did too. I felt so bad for her and still do; she has Bitsy's sister and two other bullies as well, but when it is your baby it's just not the same. You all know what I am talking about. We took my Murphy with us yesterday to visit her (Niles recheck) She seemed to just love him and said he reminded her of her Tuffy. I told her that anytime she is feeling down she can come and visit with the Murph for some canine therapy. She had her bully girl named "Meri" there and we met her; she was such a doll!! We are so glad to have finally found a bully vet who understands our devotion to our bullies and also understands their needs as well. Bulldogs are a wildly different type of dog and have some definite physical issues that many vets are not aware of as they may not see many bulldogs through their practice.

I have something new to share too; a really nice site for sewers ( quilters and stitchers) The Stitching Cow; she has some freebies and has some really great things on her site;

Click here to discover more about this beautiful quilt

She has online classes available too; but go visit Lenna Green at the Stitching Cow and you will be amazed!

Win One of Three Quilts

2008-11-12T16:56:00.002-05:00

Old Red Barn Co. has done it again, only better! This time we can win one of three quilts; that means there will be THREE winners!!! Go to Old Red Barn Co before November 17,2008 and leave a comment to enter; there are ways to get extra entries; see Old Red Barn Co. for details. They are all so pretty! Hurry on over!!!

Catching up again!

2008-11-09T14:18:00.004-05:00

Another generous blogger is having a giveaway! Ann of This Simple Life has opened a site to sell her beautiful prim/country items; please go to her site and leave her a comment; I am not sure how long this one is up for; I have probably somehow missed that info! Here is what she says about the giveaway:" You could win, 7 Christmas ornaments, two fall hand towels, two prim note pads, a big stack of prim hang tags and mini shaker style peg rack candle holder and a gift certificate for free shipping plus 10% off on any single order you make from my site"

Looks so wonderful doesn't it?

The next thing is I was sent an autumn award from Lisa at Cranberry Flats; she is a great bloggy friend! So here is the award she sent to me; Thank you Lisa! And then you have to name five things you want to do but haven't done yet;
So here it is; well that is hard!!!!

1. Go to Ireland and England,Scotland.
2. Live in Texas ! Yeah baby!
3. Live in Georgia and/or Florida! ( Love them Georgia Bulldogs!:>))( okay anywhere South; I did live in Tenn. for a while; my family was from Tenn)
4. Lose weight; LOL
5. Visit all my blog friends in real life
I was gonna say win the lottery; that way I COULD do ALL of these!!!
I don't know who has this or not??? If you don't and you are reading this; YOU ARE TAGGED!!!! LOL!!! Thanks Lisa, I loved reading your list!

More Fun in BlogWorld

2008-11-06T14:20:00.003-05:00

Sandy at For the LOVE of Prims has her 100th post giveaway going on right now; so here is a list of the wonderful items she is giving away :
*Old grubby "1860" towel, made by me
*Room Spray "Pumpkin Apple Butter", made by me
*Square holder with heart stitched on, made by me
*Mini-Glitter sign "Let it Snow"
*A prim mini-candle & wooden holder
*Country-Primitive sign
*2-Home Sweet Home melts (my favorite!)
* 2-Country Kitchen melts
* 3 Wooden Snowmen tree ornaments
* "Home for Christmas" Plate* Mini-Folk Art Canvas
* Tin star candle holder.
Sandy says:
"And I am looking for one last thing that is a treat for us during the Holiday Season. I hope I will be able to find it before the giveaway is over.This giveaway will be opened only to Canadians and US Residents. You can be a blogger or non-blogger. But please if you are NOT a blogger do leave me your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner. I will have the drawing on Nov 15th by one of my daughters and will post the winner on Nov 16th."
Isn't she generous? Click on the link and go enter; also don't forget Diane's giveaway of the lovely primmy dress and hanger!!

I was reading CindyDianne's blog today and she shared her husband's blog and he is a hoot; go see him and read up on his exploits; he is a fireman and you know that the firemen and policemen as well as the military are the heroes of this country. They work hard to keep our little prim world safe and happy! We need to remember all the heroes everyday; they get out there and do a very hard job everyday! Thanks guys AND gals!!!

Diane's Giveaway

2008-11-04T13:29:00.003-05:00

Woo; Y'all have to go over to Diane's Blog; "Where the Foxgloves Grow" ( formerly Dianes Much Loved Prims) and enter to win her lovely giveaway that she handcrafted. There is time as she is not drawing until early December! She has done a lot of work on her blog making it so beautiful, so if you have not visited in a while, or have never visited, please do; you will love it. This prim dress will be sent from Scotland; imagine how cool that is: Diane made it herself and it incudes the prim hanger too! Wow! She is such a good blog friend and I want her to have lots of comments to sort through.

Of course, I want to win, but if not me, then one of you friends will be just right okay with me! Have fun visiting with Diane!

An Award and aTag

2008-11-03T23:33:00.002-05:00

Well, Sandy from for the LOVE of Prims sent me this lovely award. I consider her a beautiful friend and am deeply touched by her kindness in sending this to me. So here are the questions associated with the award;

1.- Do you have the same friends since childhood? Unfortunately, no.

2.What do you value most about your friends? Their talents and the gift of their intellect.

3. Are your friends sounding boards? One is I guess, but I am mainly headstrong and usually go with what my heart or head tells me to do! LOL!

4.- What is your favorite activity to share with friends? Definitely eating together!

Well there you go! I know it is not that interesting, but it is what I got for ya! LOL!

So many already have been nominated for this award, so if you have not and want it, please feel free to take it; I feel like everyone that reads and comments here are my friends so you all deserve it.

A Tag from Ginger at Loves to Dream

Link to the person who tagged you.*

Mention the rules.; Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.* Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I eat Cream of Wheat most mornings.

2.I like to watch true crime shows

3. I make our bed everyday

4. I sing special songs to my bulldogs

5. I am not a soup eater

6. None of these are quirky and boring; mainly just boring!!!! LOL

Well; who is up for the challenge? If you want to play; have at it! Thanks Ginger.;)

HaPpY HaLLoWeEn

2008-10-31T13:50:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween; and Have a Funny Friday! I hope these make you laugh; None of these are mine, but they are sooo funny I had to share them with you all; you can find more at http://www.ihasahotdog.com

see more puppies

see more puppies

see more puppies

see more puppies

see more puppies

So Far Behind I Thought I Was First!

2008-10-30T13:55:00.008-04:00

I swear time just gets away from me; I have to apologize to my blog friends; I have received some very nice awards and comments in this month; I have tried to get to everyone that leaves me a comment; if I have skipped you somehow, I sure do apologize! I have lost track of some things; so today I am trying to catch up! LOL!

Farmchick sent me this lovely award and I thank her! It means that this blog invests in the proximity ; meaning that we encourage a closeness with each other. I am supposed to pass it on to eight others; well, I think all of you deserve this because you ALL do encourage and support each other! I think there was another but I can't seem to find it! I will tell you that I have memory issues right now! LOL!!! Some kind of pre-menopausal memory thing or what! YIKES!!!!

Someone very kind sent me this award which I love! If it was you please remind me so I can credit you! EDIT; JUSTINA OF PEPER CREEK GAVE THIS TO ME; THANKS JUSTINA, YOU ROCK :)

I KNOW Miss Jenn from Bittersweet Prims and Fixins sent this to me; Thank you Jenn!!!! She is fantastic!

Well, if you sent me something that I forgot to post; would you be so kind as to email me or leave me a comment here? I sure do appreciate all of you and hope that you will continue to visit me here!

I Got BOO-ED and a giveaway!

2008-10-28T18:03:00.004-04:00

Well; Miss Jane from Jane's Fabrics has BOO-ED me! LOL!

So here's the deal ;Go to as many friends as you want and tell them they've been "B00-ed." Have them link back to your blog to pick up their Halloween Treat (picture) and tell them to Boo their friends. Then put the picture in your side bar so everyone knows that you've already been "boo-ed "and to send the picture to someone else. Have a great Halloween everyone!

The giveaway is at simple needsYou wil receive "chilly" the snowman, carrot cake and mini cinnabun melts(made by Tara), a salt box painted tea kettle, classical christmas cd, ragg bagg babies christmas pattern, and an old farm stitchery. Plus, she says she will throw in some extra goodies before then. :)Get your name thrown in the hat twice if you post about it on your blog.

Good Luck and Have fun!!!

Halloween IS Coming

2008-10-24T18:35:00.000-04:00

Halloween is coming!
(From the LOLDOGS : I HAS A HOTDOG WEBSITE)

Hope you have a fun weekend
(my daughter is in management training at McD's LOL)

A Few Fall Pictures

2008-10-23T14:36:00.002-04:00

Some of my front porch Fall Pictures:

These are called Cinderella Pumpkins; I just love them!

We Gots Nummies!!!

2008-10-23T14:00:00.004-04:00

Well, yesterday we got a nummy package in the mail! From the Sandy Dog Bakery! PIZZA BONES!!! From the minute I ordered them from her etsy store; the babies were all excited; Bitsy kept going over and sticking her head in the printer tray to see if the nums would come out! (I had told them I was getting them nummies from their friends at the Bakery!) She says everything else comes out of that place when Mom is on the computer!

Murphy says he LOVES his nummies!

Niles and Bitsy say "GIVE US A BONE!!" Zoey refused to be photographed for this as she requires notice and a photo without other siblings! LOL! She has her rules about having her photo taken; I swear they all have such funny temperaments and they are all different.

They all LOVED their bones and recommend that all their fur friends go on over to the Sandy Dog Bakery and get some nummies

This is Sandy from the Sandy Dog Bakery; isn't he cute ? He and his Mom bake these beautiful treats ( I believe he also has a brother too! Just as cute!)
Visit their blog and etsy soon!!! There are so many great dogcentric articles by Sandy's Mom and How-Tos for caring for your fur baby; Lots of great information; Stop by and say hello! These treats would make great holiday stocking stuffers for your canine friends and fur kids!

Funny

2008-10-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

my Pink Dream

2008-10-22T14:42:00.000-04:00

Just a quickie! My Pink Dream Bike! 'nuff said I reckon!

Let's Welcome A New Blogger

2008-10-22T13:58:00.003-04:00

Welcome!

Hi; I just found a new blogger; her name is Janene; she is just starting out and needs our help! Her blog is called Primitive Lifestyle .So jump on over and say hi! I'll bet she would love it! http://janene-primitivelifestyle.blogspot.com I am adding her to my blog list!

A Free Graphic for You

2008-10-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

I purchased a cd full of Halloween images that were copyright free some time ago (from a crafter who has since closed her business) and so since so many have been so generous with lovely free images, I thought I would share this one with you. Please feel free to use this image for your crafts/blogs etc.. Hope you like it!

WOOOOO More Goodies!!!

2008-10-21T23:57:00.003-04:00

Another giveaway! Well; Lisa at Cranberry Flats is giving away some fine goodies; get on over there and drop her a comment; these are some gorgeous fall items that you will sure love; I know I do!!! PICK ME!!! LOL! So many goodies!!! Thanks Lisa for your generosity!

Freebies

2008-10-18T00:21:00.003-04:00

Well I was bloghopping and found this at Home is where the Heart Is; a free set of cookbooklets from Gooseberry Patch! well wooooo! I love free!!!!! Even tho' it is probably a shortened version of their cookbooks I say free is good and you may find a new favorite!

go here

HURRY!!!!!!!!!!! TODAY IS THE LAST DAY

2008-10-17T14:21:00.002-04:00

Well; don't blame me I just found this !!! Today at 7pm is the cutoff so hurry; Pigtails and Snails is giving away a QUILT!!! WOO!!!! I so want it!!!! But here it is!!! Get over there quickly; she is so talented and Canadian so you know I love her work!

A Thought for Friday....

2008-10-17T13:42:00.002-04:00

Hello; I hope you all have gotten over to Farmchick's and to Nicole's to sign up for their beautiful giveaways! They are such generous bloggers both in deed and spirit.
I received this today and just thought I would share it with you all.

A married lady was expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had admired a beautiful diamond ring in a showroom, and knowing her husband could afford it, she told him that was all she wanted

As her birthday approached, this lady awaited signs that her husband had purchased the diamond ring.
Finally, on the morning of her birthday, her husband called her into his study.Her husband told her how proud he was to have such a good wife, and told her how much he loved her.

He handed her a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, the wife opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the wife's name embossed in gold.

Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, 'With all your money you give me a Bible'? and stormed out of the house, leaving her husband.
Many years passed and the married lady was very successful in business.She managed to settle for a more beautiful house and a wonderful family,but realized her ex-husband was very old, and thought perhaps she should go to visit him.She had not seen him for many years.

But before she could make arrangements, she received a telegram telling her that her ex-husband had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to her.She needed to come back immediately and take care of things. When she arrived at her ex-husband's house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart.

She began to search through her ex-husband's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as she had left it years ago. With tears, sheopened the Bible and began to turn the pages.

Her ex-husband had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11, 'And if you,being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?'

As she read those words, a tiny package dropped from the back of the Bible.It had a diamond ring with her name engraved on it, the same diamond ring which she saw at the showroom. On the tag was the date of her birth, and the words...'LUV U ALWAYS'...

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
IF YOUR GIFT IS NOT PACKAGED THE WAY YOU WANT IT, IT'S BECAUSE IT IS BETTER PACKAGED THE WAY IT IS!
ALWAYS APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS; THEY USUALLY LEAD YOU TO BIGGER THINGS.

Happy Birthday Nicole!

2008-10-14T17:06:00.002-04:00

glitter-graphics.com

Hey everybody; It's Nicole's Birthday and she is giving us stuff!!!!!!!! Go over to her blog and sign up and say Happy Birthday to her; She is an awesome blogger friend and bulldog mom! Look what she is giving away; woooo! And you can buy things from her beautiful store too!!! Happy Birthday Friend!! Hope it is a Happy One!!!!

Something Good;

2008-10-12T16:33:00.003-04:00

Hey y'all; I am waiting for the mister to get over his blog shyness and write his pot! You know how it is when you "do it" for the first time (BLOGGING! BLOGGING! What were y'all thinking?LOL!) So in the meantime; I wanted to thank my friend TrainWreck aka Kim at Cowboys,Sunsets and Kids for the gift she sent me. So I emailed her and went on over to visit and this is what I found and I LOVE IT!!!! (I'll get pics of her gift; needless to say she is a great friend and very talented; check out her blog and her studio; woooo! She is good!)
Turn off my music before you hit play on this video; Thank you Trainwreck for putting me on to this music; I have seen these two in the Overstock.com commercial that I also love; it is sweet! Enjoy; Joey+Rory;

A New Day

2008-10-07T11:53:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone; We are home! DH was released after surgery on Friday to implant the permanent pacemaker; so far so good.:) I just wanted to thank you all for the wonderful support and kind comments I have received from you all; thank you.

And as for the email thing; well, I am not going to out the person who sent that because I feel that perhaps they made a mistake ; and so we should forgive them and move on. We all make mistakes and in the big scheme of life, it is a small thing! So back to normal, whatever that is! LOL!

My husband was very much touched by your heartfelt comments and so he would like to post a reply to you all. So the next post will be from him. I never knew, but suspected, that you are ALL a kind, loving bunch. No one knows about this secret world but us, the bloggers! Underneath all the meanness in the world, there is a whole secret world of real people who are what this WORLD is about. It's international; I hear from you all from all over the world; how cool is that? And you are all GOOD people and I want to say ; I appreciate you all; your prayers and support, your true friendship; what a gift that is. I thank you all and hope you know I will be there for you all too! We all here send our love to each and every one of you. I am fortunate to have you; my friends!
(I have a whole bunch of new goodies to show you in the future! )
Be safe my friends!

A Sad Day!

2008-10-02T23:46:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone; I just wanted to write a brief post today to let you all know that I have not forgotten about you. Wednesday, my husband passed out when he was on his way to a regular appointment at his doctor's office. He hit a power pole and subsequently was taken to the doctor's office by my daughter as she had our other vehicle; they then transferred him by ambulance to the hospital.
He has a problem with his heart's electrical system; it does not fire right; and his sugar level, despite treatment was very high. Apparently the heart issue caused him to lose conscoiusness; he knew he was getting sick so he was trying to pull off the road and fortuinately only hit a pole! The accident was very low impact, but it still crushed poor Sparkles grille and caused her to lose one of her off road lights,but she is at the dealer as I write this getting ready to be all new again. I just returned from day two at the hospital. DH is in the CCU and I am able to spend the day with him. He had a temporary pacemaker implanted yesterday and is being monitored constantly; he will be having a small surgery tomorrow to implant the permanent one tomorrow a.m.

They say he will then be able most likely to return home tomorrow night. He is in great spirits and is acting like he is on a field trip. I am not so happy; I do not care that my Sparkle is hurt; I just want him to be all right. He has the capacity to drive me crazy at times, but I still need him to be here with me because I do love him!
I am thankful that Wed. was a cold a.m.; I had wanted to go to the farmers market as Wed is the only day my prim friend has her booth up; but we let my daughter use his truck as she is further from home then her previous post, so he would often take his bike to work on nice days so I would have Sparkle to treasure hunt with. This would have most likely been serious or even fatal. I saw the pole today; they were replacing it; it was the big one. We were lucky this time.

The other thing I want to share briefly is this; I came home to a nasty message to me in my inbox from someone I had emailed recently regarding an email I was sent seeking help for a missing child (allegedly missing) Well I don't always have time to check Snopes; and you know they have been wrong on a few occasions; well this person said I have pissed people off by forwarding the message concerning this child; well I will say this right now; I am physically and emotionally tired right now. I did not need to come home and find YOUR nasty message in my inbox!
I said to this person and I will say it here for ALL; I WILL ALWAYS ERR ON THE SIDE OF A CHILD! I am sorry that there are folks who have nothing better to do than make up stupid ass fake emails! But you know what on the chance that some kid is missing; and all I have to do is send an electronic message out; and it may help someone find their baby; guess what? I AM GONNA DO IT:
TELL ME THIS ; IS YOUR WORLD SO DAMN IMPORTANT THAT YOU CANNOT TAKE A SECOND TO LOOK AT A MESSAGE; AND IF YOU THINK IT IS FAKE THEN DELETE IT; OMG IT TAKES FIVE SECONDS OF YOUR PRECIOUS TIME TO DELETE A MESSAGE. AND BEFORE YOU WRITE ME BEING A NASTY YOU KNOW WHAT, WHY DON'T YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DO IF YOUR CHILD WERE MISSING; GEE MAYBE WE'LL ALL JUST GET SO JADED THAT WE'LL JUST SAY HEY,IT IS A HOAX AND NOT EVEN BOTHER OURSELVES; IS THAT THE WORLD YOU REALLY WANT TO LIVE IN?
WELL,I DON'T! I AM GONNA DO WHAT I CAN TO HELP ANYONE THAT ASKS FOR IT;IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT;HIT THE FREAKING DELETE BUTTON; OMG HOW OLD ARE YOU? FIVE?
I am really sad that this is what this world is made of, people that do this kind of thing and people who respond in a nasty way to people who are genuinely trying to help someone. She accused me of scamming her? Tell me what the hell did she lose? I know I have lost all respect for anyone who would write me such a nasty note!

Thanks to my loyal bloggy friends for understanding and supporting me; I will always do the same for you as well; this rant is only for the person who felt it necessary to be nasty to me. Today is not the day to do that!

Something for our canine friends

2008-09-25T16:11:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone; thank you all for the wonderful responses to yesterdays post. I thought about it deeply before and after posting. The purpose of my blog is for fun and making friends, and I hope to educate; as I learn from all of your blogs too! Usually we are all working on making a lovely,happy home; but the world intrudes on that and so I feel we must defend our families and our homes in order to continue with our goal of making a happy healthy home. And from the comments it sounds as if you all support that too.
Today I am sharing with you some info for our canine friends; here is some crucial information on keeping your fur baby healthy and safe! all the mugs here just HATE it when I say we have to check the "list" to see if something is healthy for them; I never knew about the grapes thing until recently; we do not have grapes or raisins in our home at all; I am paranoid about dropping one and having them ingest it!
I will look and see if I can find my other "list" LOL.
From the DogAge website
Grapes of Intestinal Wrath
September 25, 2008
Grapes and raisins, although healthy and popular snacks for people, can cause serious health problems in dogs. Although the exact reason why they're toxic remains unknown, even small doses can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, and abdominal pain and can lead to kidney damage and even kidney failure. After ingesting these fruits, dogs show increased levels of nitrogen, creatinine, and phosphorous in their blood, which indicates impaired kidney function. If your dog succeeds in sneaking any of these snacks, a swift trip to the vet can offset potentially serious health complications.
Poisonous Plants
Some of the following plants can be toxic to your dog. Check with your veterinarian before having them in your home.
Aloe Vera
Apple (seeds)
Apricot (pit)
Autumn Crocus
Baby's Breath
Branching Ivy
Buddhist Pine
Calla Lily
Ceriman
Cherry (seeds and wilting leaves)
Cineraria
Cordatum
Cornstalk Plant
Cuban Laurel
Cycads
Daffodil
Dieffenbachia
Dragon Tree
Easter Lily (especially cats!)
Elephant Ears
English Ivy
Fiddle-leaf Fig
Foxglove
Geranium
Giant Dumb Cane
Gold Dust Dracaena
Hahn's Self-Branching Ivy
Hurricane Plant
Janet Craig Dracaena
Jerusalem Cherry
Lacy Tree Philodendron
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Marijuana
Miniature Croton
Morning Glory
Narcissus
Nephytis
Oleander
Oriental Lily (especially cats!)
Peach (wilting leaves and pits)
Plumosa Fern
Poison Ivy
Pothos
Primrose
Red Princess
Rhododendron
Saddle Leaf Philodendron
Satin Pothos
Silver Pothos
String of Pearls
Sweetheart Ivy
Taro Vine
Tomato Plant (green fruit, stem and leaves)
Tropic Snow Dieffenbachia
Yew
Amaryllis
Apple Leaf Croton
Asparagus Fern
Azalea
Bird of Paradise
Buckeye
Caladium
Castor Bean
Charming Dieffenbachia
Chinese Evergreen
Clematis
Corn Plant
Croton
Cutleaf Philodendron
Cyclamen
Devil's Ivy
Dracaena Palm
Dumb Cane
Elaine
Emerald Feather
Eucalyptus
Florida Beauty
Fruit Salad Plant
German Ivy
Glacier Ivy
Golden Pothos
Heartland Philodendron
Indian Rubber Plant
Japanese Show Lily (especially cats!)
Kalanchoe
Lily of the Valley
Marble Queen
Mexican Breadfruit
Mistletoe
Mother-in-Law's Tongue
Needlepoint Ivy
Nightshade
Onion
Peace Lily
Pencil Cactus
Poinsettia (low toxicity)
Poison Oak
Precatory Bean
Red Emerald
Red-Margined Dracaena
Ribbon Plant
Sago Palm
Schefflera
Spotted Dumb Cane
Striped Dracaena
Swiss Cheese Plant
Tiger Lily (especially cats!)
Tree Philodendron
Weeping Fig
Home Safe Home
Even pets that spend most of their time indoors may be exposed to a number of potential hazards. The following list will help keep your home safe and sound for your dog or cat.
Be aware of the plants you have in your house and in your yard. The ingestion of a poisonous plant can be fatal. See above for poisonous plants list.

When cleaning your house, never allow your dog access to the area where cleaning agents are used or stored. Some may only cause a mild stomach upset, while others could cause severe burns of the tongue, mouth, and stomach or even be fatal.

When using rat or mouse baits, ant or roach traps, or snail and slug baits, place the products in areas that are inaccessible to your pet. Most bait contains sweet-smelling, inert ingredients, such as jelly, peanut butter, and sugars, which can be very attractive to your dog.

Never give your dog any medications unless under the directions of a veterinarian.

Many medications that are used safely in humans can be deadly to a dog.
Keep all prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs out of the reach of your dog, preferably in closed cabinets. Pain-killers, cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, antidepressants, vitamins, and diet pills are common examples of human medications that could be potentially lethal, even in small dosages.
Never leave chocolates unattended. Approximately one half ounce or less of baking chocolate per pound of body weight can cause problems. Even small amounts can cause pancreatic problems in dogs.

Many common household items have been shown to be lethal in other species. Miscellaneous items that are highly toxic even in low quantities include pennies (high concentration of zinc), mothballs (contains naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene — one or two balls can be life-threatening in most species), potpourri oils, fabric softener sheets, automatic dish detergents (contain cationic detergents which could cause corrosive lesions), batteries (contain acids or alkali which can also cause corrosive lesions), homemade play dough (contains high quantity of salt), winter heat source agents like hand or foot warmers (contain high levels of iron), cigarettes, coffee grounds, and alcoholic drinks.
All automotive products, such as oil, gasoline, and antifreeze should be stored properly. As little as one teaspoon of antifreeze (ethylene glycol) can be deadly in a dog.
Before buying or using flea products on your dog or in your household, contact your veterinarian to discuss what types of flea products are recommended for him. Read ALL information before using a product on your pet or in your home. Always follow label instructions.
Also, when using a fogger or a house spray, make sure to remove all pets from the area for the time period specified on the container. If you are uncertain about the usage of any product, contact the manufacturer or your veterinarian to clarify the directions BEFORE using the product.

When treating your lawn or garden with fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides, always keep your dog away from the area until the area dries completely. Discuss usage of products with the manufacturer of the products to be used. Always store such products in an area that will ensure no possible pet exposure.

Sharp objects such as knives and forks, paper clips, carpet tacks and pins should be kept out of a pet's reach. Children's toys and small objects may attract a playful dog and become lodged in his mouth or swallowed.

Exposed lamp cords and other wires should be kept as short as possible and, ideally, out of your dog’s sight and reach. If extension cords are used, mount them against a baseboard so they cannot be played with or chewed.

Dogs are sometimes at risk on a high-rise balcony. A lively dog could squeeze through the bars and fall, leading to injury or even death.

Other health-threatening pollutants are radon, fumes from household products such as cleaning agents, pesticides, paints and varnishes, microbial and fungal agents found in air conditioners, air ducts, filters and humidifiers. Among common air pollutants are nitrogen dioxide from gas appliances, wood-burning stoves and un-vented kerosene heaters. Gas stoves, and kerosene heaters or stoves should be vented to the outside of the house.

Lead paint should be removed with extreme caution. Cleanup should be prompt and thorough. Other items containing lead accessible to dogs include lead-base paint, linoleum, and caulking compounds. Signs include vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, loss of appetite, loss of muscle coordination, blindness and seizures

This list came from Purina at http://www.purina.com . I will add to it things like carpet fresheners which often give dogs allergic problems; all products that come into contact with your dog or cat can be irritating to them and can lead to fatal outcomes is sensitive animals; like cleaners,bleaches etc. I use Febreze, but since we have leather furniture; I spray it down in the cushions which are attached and never come into contact with the babies ( yes they sit on the couch!) They say it is safe for pets, but I really don't trust many of these companies anymore after the dog food scandal.

We puppy proofed our house with the first baby and continue to watch to make sure that they are safe. Bitsy liked those electrical cords when we first got her so we hid them under and behind things.

From the Dog Bowl:http;//www.thedogbowl.com
What is toxic to dogs?
While you love your dear dog and want him to have the healthiest of diets, it’s important to know which foods to consume and which must be avoided at all costs. In fact, there are specific foods which are toxic to dogs. Whether its grapes or cabbage or extensive table scraps or bread dough be aware of the list below as toxic food for dogs…in other words, what not to feed!
We’ll start with human food. Baby food can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. In addition, it can result in nutritional deficiencies especially if fed in large amounts. Simply stated, it’s best to avoid since this could be toxic to dogs. That’s why it’s called baby food and not dog food.
Table scraps in large amounts could be classified as toxic food for dogs. Why? Because they’re not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of your dog’s diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat and bones should definitely not be fed. Cooked meat and cooked fats are carcinogenic to dogs.
Bones from fish and cooked bones can obstruct the digestive system. Not good!
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and caffeinated drinks are bad. They contain caffeine which could be toxic and impact the heart and nervous systems.
Citrus oil extracts result in vomiting. Stay away!
Grapes and raisins contain unknown toxins which can do damage to the kidneys. Definitely considered toxic food for dogs.
Large amounts of cooked liver cause Vitamin A toxicity, which impacts muscles and bones. Yet another item which is toxic to dogs.
Macadamia nuts, like grapes and raisins, contain unknown toxins.
Spoiled food and garbage – just don’t go there. Definitely considered toxic for dogs.
Mushrooms can result in shock and cause death.
Alcohol can result in coma and death.
Bread dough can result in a bloated belly and then disorientation and vomiting. Since it yeast that hasn’t risen yet, you do not want it to expand in Fido’s belly, much less get stuck in the intestines! This, like the other items on the list, could be toxic to dogs.
Onions and garlic, whether it’s raw, cooked, or powder in large amounts have the ability to damage red blood cells and cause anemia.
As for chemicals, dogs need to be kept away from all antifreeze spills since this could be hazardous and toxic to dogs. While the sweet smell and taste may be attractive to his sensitive nose, if your dog consumes any amount of antifreeze, rush him immediately to the veterinarian. (Check your garage and driveway for spills and clean these up before your pet has a chance to smell and potentially ingest this!)
Xylitol is a sugar-alcohol sweetener contained in chewing gum and candy. Seizures, lethargy and weakness are the result if dogs consume significant amounts of this chemical.
Ibuprofen, like antifreeze, may smell sweet. Dogs will eat it if they’re found lying on the floor and don’t be surprised if your dog tries to chew threw a bottle to eat the entire contents. This is definitely toxic to dogs. It causes ulceration and perforates the lining of the stomach, and decreases the blood flow to the kidneys. Yet again, toxic to dogs.
And keep the above mentioned foods and chemicals in mind to prevent your dog from consuming toxins. At The Dog Bowl, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being. For more information about foods and chemicals which are toxic to dogs or if you think your dog could have ingested a toxic substance please contact your local vet as soon as possible.
I will add do not feed GREENIES to your dogs ever!!!! I had been on a site that showed the effects on these treats that stayed in the dogs stomach and maimed and killed a number of dogs. And the company just did not care; I also do NOT give any rawhides for the same reason; you can get KONGS and under supervision you can fill them with treats' peanut butter or KONG makes a filler; this is great for doggies! And safe! I watch them with toys because bullies are BIG chewers; they will disassemble things quickly so we are careful in buying things for them to play with! If they start ripping it up out it goes!
I know it is hard sometimes but we had an incident with Niles a few years ago; he became very ill suddenly on Thanksgiving and the emergency vet did not know what was wrong; my daughter thinks it was a mushroom, but they never did find out; it looked like a toxin; Niles suddenly lost the ability to walk without falling and they thought; and I thought he was dying. I never want anyone to go through that!
He was very ill and needed intense care at home for a long time; we had to take him out and hold him up to go potty and he really could not poop for a long time; the vet said if it was a toxin it had shut down his colon! I made him food for a long time and we just loved him and did everything to help him; eventually he was back to himself and now he is a happy healthy guy, but I watch him closely as I do all of them!
The other thing is spider bites; Murphy has had at least three episodes with these buggers! I am spider crazy now !!!
I hope these things help you keep your fur babies safe and healthy!

EDIT; I forgot about apples; their seeds are poisonous; make sure they are cored well; also if you brush your dog's teeth do not use human toothpaste as it is poisonous for our dogs; there are canine toothpastes; ask your vet for a recommendation! This list is not all inclusive, please ask your vet for his/her list and please make sure your babies get their yearly check up and shots; if you know someone who is on a fixed or low income who has difficulty affording this care, please contact your local veterinary college as they have clinics at times or your local shelter who may have low cost vet lists for your area.

Im MADD as you know what ! For you Jenn

2008-09-24T15:41:00.005-04:00

Hello Blog Friends; I am so behind in posting and thanking folks for goodies; and I will get to that in the next post; but first I have to share this with you; I am so tired of reading the paper or watching the news and hearing about the latest victims of jackasses who drive drunk. Usually this blog is a very lighthearted prim blog focused on my exploits in crafting,thrifting and loving my bully babies, but I felt the need to say what is on my mind today.

I get angry each time I hear of the tragedies that these damn moron inflict upon the innocents in our society. Today I am really fired up and if you are delicate, you may not want to read on because I am using impolite language and saying some things that I usually might not.

Today I am talking to all of you because I feel that this is such a serious situation that affects each and every one of us. Every time you or a loved one leaves, there is a chance that they won't return. Yes, there are accidents in life that rob us of those we love and perhaps those can't be avoided, but the menace that I am speaking of is COMPLETELY avoidable and preventable.

We are under attack by big old jackasses that are truly the most selfish, self serving people on the planet. I am not talking about terrorrists (although truthfully they are just that) I am talking about individuals who get drunk or high, then get behind the wheel or a car or on a motorcycle and go out on the highway resulting in death and injury to the motoring public.

Every year, nearly 13,000 people are killed by drunk drivers with an illegal alcohol level of .08 BAC or above. That means that every month more than 1,000 families must live with the tragic consequences of drunk driving*. (*from the MADD website)

Let me tell you a little bit about why I am personally so fired up about this issue. First, I was a victim of a drunk driver. We did not call it that at the time, but this is exactly what it was. I was driving to pick up my sister, I was 16, (married and pregnant at the time) I was two blocks from my mother's home.As I crossed an intersection which was completely devoid of traffic, (it was evening) I was hit in the driver's door of my Chevette at 70 miles per hour (estimated speed) I never had a chance to move out of the way had I seen him in time. The force of the crash sent my car into a tree and the almost into the house on the corner.

The driver that hit me tried to leave, but people had come from their homes and prevented this; he had liquor bottles falling out of the car onto the pavement and was visibly intoxicated according to witnesses. My sister had witnessed this as she began to walk home rather than waiting for a ride. I was very lucky; I was trapped briefly in the car, but I became hysterical and pulled my leg out from under the door and tried to get out of the car fearing that it would catch fire.

Later, I learned that my decision to get gas later, even though the car was almost on fumes saved me from that. (A police officer advised me of that at the hospital) My eye was cut open and had to be sewn up, but that was all that happened to me. I was badly bruised and felt like a train hit me for a while. But I was OK! The policeman that came to the hospital had asked about the DOA from the accident; the doctors said no one came in dead; the policeman was amazed; he said that it was so bad he was sure someone had died. Well, that scared the poop out of me! I was hollerin' here I am I am okay!!! More for myself than anyone else! LOL!

Life went on; the irony was that my idiot insurance company paid for the drunk's damages! They said it was my fault for driving out in front of him!!! I had the yield sign so I was at fault. I could not believe it. The police said there was no way you could know that this jackass was coming at that rate of speed!

Life went on.

I want you all to know that my life from age nine on was spent in the company of alcoholics. My mother started drinking when I was nine; she divorced my father and cultivated a whole crowd of alcoholics to play with. She married one who was abusive as well. Alcohol and drunk driving was a daily occurance at my home.

When I was probably thirteen, I began to try to keep my mother from killing people by driving drunk;( mainly herself) I did not know about alcoholism then, or drunk driving. In the seventies, there was no such thing as far as I am aware. The cops would yell at you and drive you home or if you were abusive, they would toss you in the drunk tank. That's all I knew. I taught myself to drive. I would walk to the bar and drive her home. So began my trying to keep the drunks off the roads.

My mother's whole life revolved around liquor. She could not see past the bottle. She was so self destructive as most alcoholics are. I was nine when she began to drink. I was eighteen when she died from cirrhosis caused by alcoholism. I got married at 16 to escape the craziness; I married a non drinker; my mother had me, at one time, engaged to a raging alcoholic because he would help her maintain her addiction!

So when I tell you all I know what is what with this you will know I mean it. I finally at age 34, finished my college degree. In Addictions Counseling. Once again, trying to keep the world healthy and safe for others.

Here is what I learned over ten years; I worked as a counselor/therapist in a few community mental health centers, a prison halfway house,a prison for men, in a HIV/AIDS care coordination center,a rehab for adolescents and women with children who are addicts. Most of the clients did not want help; most were unconcerned with the effects of their use on society. A large percentage, even those in prison could not be convinced that drinking and driving was in any way wrong and most were repeat DUI offenders in addition to other charges. I have had clients blame their victims for God's sake. I have had mothers who were pregnant use alcohol,crack,methamphetamines and damn near anything else they could get their hands on during their pregnancies! And argue that "all my other kids was okay and I used with them" I have seen crack addicted babies born with HIV! I have seen people continue to drink right up to their dying days. They say it is a disease. I say maybe so, but there is a way to end it. You have to want it. I have seen recovery, a few times,; it involves those who know they made a mistake; are willing to admit it; admit they are not able to use anything safely and are willing to do whatever it takes to be well. They are as committed to their recovering from the addiction as they were to getting and using their drug of choice in the first place. Most did this through AA or NA; a few needed medical and psychiatric interventions, but were willing to do as directed.

Back to the drunk driving issue; I also consider driving while under the influence of ANY chemical drunk driving (impaired driving)

There are so many stories out there; you know as many as I do I'm sure. This goes across all lines;both genders ,all religions,income levels,educational levels. When they kill or maim; the damn courts slap them on the hand and say "now don't do it again" Guess what, yup, they do it again and again. It is such bullshit! The courts and defense attorneys say "it was an accident"

Here's my take on that; you go to a bar; you sit and drink for eight hours; you take your ass back out to that car, turn the key and drive out on to a street. unable to control that big chunk of steel you drive over someone's family and kill them.

Different scenario; you go to the bar and drink for eight hours; go outside and start firing at passing cars with your gun; killing someone's family.

When you walked into that bar; and did not make allowances for your transport home, to me you were already froming the intent to harm someone. That is no accident. After you start drinking your ass does not care how or if you get home; the drug takes over, that is right; alcohol is classified as a drug. In scenario one; you will probably get probation and a bunch of fines,community service and have to go to outpatient rehab. ( and we taxpayers will be paying for that rehab; ask me how I know! and if I thought it would work I would happily pay it) In the second scenario ; well; that was not an accident they will say! Well shit; neither is aiming a car you can't control down a highway you can't see.

If you want to drink yourself silly; go right ahead! That's right I said go right ahead. But keep your ass out of the car and off the damn streets! Stay Home!

I ride a motorcycle; I do it for fun. I NEVER drink anything and ride other than Diet Coke! If I feel badly, I don't ride. You can get your ass killed way fast on a bike by a very small mistake, but you could harm someone else too in the bargain.

In my truck Sparkle; I am more protected; I have airbags that surround the entire passenger cabin as well as the steering wheel. I am still careful when I drive. I take it seriously that I could affect someone's life wioth my actions. I feel responsible for those around me. I have to remain aware of my abilities to pilot my bike and my truck safely down the road. And yes, I do drink on occasion. If I have a drink when we are out, my husband drives. If he has a drink, then I do not and I drive. We usually have Diet Coke and Iced Teas. We are not real big on drinking, we do have wine with dinner at home on occasion and a beer once in a while, but I cook with wine more than I ever drink it. I think that we know the results of playing with alcohol and are cautious.

Yesterday, there was a story on our local news that got me riled up again

http://www.wnem.com/video/17544593/ about an unborn child killed by a DUI driver. Please check out the link for more information. The mother is still in the hospital ; she has very serious injuries. The station WNEM said that they will put up a websire her family is building to help them along; when they do I will post it here.

The mother is a nursing student who is 21 years old and was eight months pregnant. This was caused by an 18 year old! Well, how's that for evidence that lowering the drinking age is stupid? I have treated PLENTY of kids whose idiot parents allowed them to begin drinking as early as 14/15 because" At least I know where they are and can keep them from getting into trouble out there" ( They used the same argument for sex, and many got pregnant and developed sexually transmitted diseases out of the same skewed logic) What ever happened to parents who say NO!!! And mean it; parents that don't want to be FRIENDS with their kids? Guess how many of these kids had major addictions by the time they were 18? I used to tell them just because it is legal it don't make it good for you!

And to my other reason for getting my dander up again; My friend Jenn was in a serious car crash caused by a dumb ass drunk; she has endured a restriction in her ability to move about freely and I don't know how many surgeries. Not to mention pain. She is a mother of three; she did not deserve the sentence that she got; she has developed a new problem causing her to have to speed up the date of her surgery and I am so angry on her behalf! She is a great blog friend and I wish I could figure out some way to help her heal. I am sure the damn drunk is out and about having a fine time. Jenn's whole life has been impacted all because a jackass went out and got drunk and tried to drive himself home. There are so many stories I know about this issue. But for now, can you all put a ribbon on your blog; pass it on that this is a national issue and warn those you know and love about the dangers on the road. It's not just drunks, its also people who are impaired in any way; on prescription meds; sleep deprived, high on drugs (illicit).

Jenn, I have come to love you as the sister I wish I had; so creative, loving and full of light. A good mom, a good friend, a fighter! My prim sister I want the best for you and I hope that you will be spared any more pain after your surgery. I'll be here if you need me! Y'all get MADD too;

go herehttps://secure2.convio.net/madd/site/SPageServer?pagename=wp6_pledge and here to read more; http://maddonline.blogspot.com/

I hope you all think about this; the holiday season is coming; but I want you to know that they are out there everyday; all day; As Judge Judy says; "It is not an accident, its an on purpose"

Added later today; I want to also tell everyone that you don't have to be an addict or an alcoholic to be an impaired driver! It could be the very first time that you drink at a party, maybe underestimate your consumption ( they say that a normal body processes alcohol at the rate of ONE drink per hour, one drink is not a 40 oz can either!) alcohol is tricky and makes you feel that you have not "really drank all that much" Regardless; do you really need to take the chance? Call a cab, plan beforehand to have a designated driver if you want to drink, sleep at your friend's home in the event of a party, stay at the hotel,take public transportation!

Fun does not come in a bottle.

The aftermath is not good even if you don't wind up herting someone else; here's what my old clients told me; the costs of driving drunk ( without causing any damage to anyone else)

Legal Fees for DUI: $ 7-10,000 ( yes ten thousand dollars!)

Court Fees: $2500-$5000

Probation Fees; wide range, but at least $1000.00

Your License will usually be lost for some period of time; out here we have NO public transportation to speak of; so you could lose your job.

You may do some jail time; our system in the Thumb charges a daily rate; just like a hotel; I have been to the jail to teach group; it ain't no Hilton! YUK!

License Reinstatement Fees; vary, but hey, they will get their money!

Oh yeah, your car insurance is going up WAY UP!

Now, if you continue to do this; the costs will go up further; you may receive a felony charge which will keep you from certain jobs. And God help you if you harm someone; but I still feel that this is not enough. How do you quantify the harm that is done to a family that has lost their mother? Or to the family whose income was cut in half because one parent or the other was injured and cannot work?

We seem to value human life so very little. Think about it, the next victim could be you or a loved one. My friend Cara was AT HOME sleeping in her home with her husband and young child when her home was hit by a drunk driver; luckily no one was harmed. Her porch was demolished and she was left to bear the costs for much if not all of it! I have had clients involved in drunk driving who harmed and killed others; one was a teen who killed her friends; this kid did not even care; she received little time in juvenile hall, her probation officer appeared to cater to her; as did the home she was placed in. I have never seen such a lack of regard for others; her parents blamed the other girls! This kid had the nerve to say that since this had happened a few months prior, everyone should get over it! You know, this was one of the things that began to build to cause me to walk away from this field! When you see that at such a young age where are you gonna go with that? If I hear "its only alcohol or its only weed" one more time in my life I will go crazy!

So many of these folks do a little time, give up some money and then go on with their lives. I keep thinking of the ones left in the cemetary by their loved ones; when do they get to come back and get on with their lives? When do their loved ones get to be happy again? How do you replace what is stolen from these people? When these jackasses go to jail, their families can visit them and rail about how unfair the system is ( I have heard it believe me!) Meanwhile, the victims lie in a plot of earth, under a cold cement stone; their families visit them too; but there is no conversation with the dead. They can't hug or talk to you; they will never be returned to those who grieve for them. I always wonder, was this the person who may have had the cure to cancer within their brain? Was the deceased the one who could effect peace? So much potential lost due to the carelessness of others. For all those whose lives were impacted and some ended due to this rampant stupidity; I am sorry, and I will keep fighting about it in some way forever.

One last thing; if you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol or drugs; get help; there is plenty out there; AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)and NA(Narcotics Anonymous) are FREE! There are meetings going on in every town; there are websites that will help you locate a meeting; they are also listed in phone books.

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.org/

If you need any other help; check with your local community mental health center. There is treatment available. If you can't find what you need email me or leave me a comment; I'll try to help you find help. The life you save could be someone you love. Thanks!

The Noble Wife

2008-09-16T22:46:00.004-04:00

WOW! Check out this giveaway; hurry; it ends on the 18th!!http://thenoblewife.blogspot.com/2008/09/giveaway-update.html

Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book
Gooseberry Patch Tote Bag
Book of Recipes for Gift Mixes
Package of 8 Santa Teddy Christmas Cards
Package of 8 Bunny Holiday Cards
Christmas CD
4 Fat Quarters
2 Packages of Christmas Buttons (so cute!)
Spool of Green Grosgrain Ribbon
Spool of Red Grosgrain Ribbon

Well, Good Luck y'all; and you know what I say; I sure hope I win it, but if I don't, I hope it is one of you; my lovely friends!

Happy Birthday Odee

2008-09-13T22:18:00.002-04:00

This is Odee; he is also known as The Man; he is proudly owned by Jill at The Fruit of Her Hands. I missed the post about his birthday on Sept. 9,2008;http://thefruitofherhandstudio.blogspot.com/2008/09/working-away-mans-birthday.html. So we made him a license plate ( well, I did WORK in a prison for men once! Remember that I said WORK!!! LOL) and all the lil bully-dogs here want to wish him a big ole' Happy Birthday!!!!! Love from Niles.Murphy,Zoey and Bitsy, to you Odee "The Man" and we wish you many more. The girlz say they think you are Hot! LOL! ( I don't make this stuff up, I just report it LOL) Have fun Mr. Odee. I can see you are a loved lil guy!

Another Great Giveaway

2008-09-13T21:26:00.002-04:00

Look what I found at Joann's blog today : She is offering these goodies; hurry on over to http://jo-anne-thecarterclan.blogspot.com/2008/09/100th-post-giveaway-and-grand-opening.html. The drawing for this give away will be held September 19th, 2008! Good Luck everybody!

Fall Giveaway at the Pickled Pepper Patch

2008-09-07T14:01:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone; well I found another great generous blogger; her name is Char; her blog name is The Pickled Pepper Patch; she has a great blog! This is the link for the giveaway:http://charsethman.blogspot.com/2008/09/fall-is-in-air-giveaway.html

Here is her description of the goodies:

"Here are the goodies for my giveaway. It includes everything shown: A Medium-sized Breadboard, 2 aged wooden spoons, a navy blue wooden bowl, and 3 of my scented, handmade, fabric Cinnamon Buns! (The flour is not included, but if you would like that added to your package...I can arrange it!) "

Good Luck to everybody!! And check out her blog while you are there; very nice!!!

Handmade Swap

2008-09-06T19:46:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone; this is just a brief note for you all; I found a place called Handmade Swap on line that you all might be interested in; just click on the name and it will take you there and I have included it on my favorite list to the left. I think they are just getting up and running, so they would appreciate our support.
I think some of us are always looking for swaps and this is a nice meeting place for that. So check it out and see what you think. I thought it was nice because you can post what you have for a swap, so you kind of know what to do; I know for me it is hard to know what to send or make so this seems like it would make it easier.

EDIT; Here are some other swap sites for you to look at also;
www.swapbot.com
www.craftster.com
www.swapdex.com
Have fun!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE!!!!!

2008-09-03T13:52:00.004-04:00

glitter-graphics.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JANE!!!! If you haven't visited her at her blog JanesFabrics or at her store http://stores.ebay.com/Janes-Fabrics_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm or her ETSYhttp://janesfabrics.etsy.com/, you should hop right on over!!! She has fantastic fabrics and she is a fellow bully-dog mom!!!! She just got the cutest puppy!!! Sophie

Isn't she GORGEOUS!!!!! I have puppy envy!!!!!!! What a pretty puppy you are Sophie!!!!! I just want to kiss that wrinkle!!!!! And her sisters are beautiful too; she has one human sister and one canine sister named Millie! She is a lucky puppy to have such a wonderful mom and dad too!

Here is what Jane is giving away for her birthday!!! WOOOO!

Isn't this great; it's her birthday and she is giving out gifts!!!!!

Jane is a great friend to me and I just love her store; go on over and get entered and shop a bit, read her great blog full of creative ideas and see her family; more bullies!!!! You will have fun and maybe win this great prize too!!!!! I HOPE I WIN!!! But, if I don't I hope one of you all will; Tell Jane I sent ya!!!!

Just In Time For Halloween

2008-09-02T15:22:00.004-04:00

Just in time for Halloween; Aunt Manny is giving these bottles away for your Halloween decor!!

http://auntmannys.blogspot.com/2008/08/aunt-mannys-witch-potion-bottle.html

So hop on over and enter; the contest closes Sept.15,2008. I love these bottles, they would be great tucked in a display of Fall/Halloween items or in your prim pantry. Good Luck!

The cutest lil gal

2008-09-02T12:53:00.003-04:00

Kitty Cat Hat Giveaway

Isn't she the cutest lil gal? Well her mommy is having a giveaway over at her blog Homely Animal. You can enter and win this darling hat, not the lil sweetie pie ( I KNOW!!!If she were the prize, why I would be ALL over THAT contest; she is just a lil cutie pie!LOL) Her mom says: " It's made from white, 100% merino wool (it's soft don't worry) and is available in sizes 2,4 & 6. Super cute and warm around the neck, ears and outer cheeks ;o) "

Here's the link to enter:http://homelyanimal.blogspot.com/2008/08/kitty-hat-give-away.html

Now, I don't have lil ones, but I figure it would make a great gift for someone I know who does. Many of you have lil ones or you have grandkids or you may just want to gift it to a lil one you know; but go on over and visit and enter the contest. Her blog is great fun; she has a recipe for grilled flatbread that I am itching to try. Well, good luck to y'all! The contest ends Sept. 15,2008

The Primitive Excellence Award

2008-08-31T00:24:00.002-04:00

A big *THANK YOU* to my prim friend Pam at Antique or Not for giving me this award. She is a wonderful friend and excellent shopkeeper! She does the best at keeping the past alive. You all should visit her as she is having a giveaway, but not only that, she has fantastic items in her store; all of which you can order!!!

In these trying times, we women really have to support one another in creative endeavors; we need to frequent those shops that support our ideals and our way of life/decorating. We benefit from folks like Pam who provide us with quality goods that we can display proudly in our homes and also be happy in the knowledge that we are giving our emotional and financial support to our prim/antique sisters. So visit Pam's blog and her store Antique Or Not. You sure won't be sorry! And while you are there check out some of her bloggy friends; they are fantastic too!! I have to admit I was a lurker at Pam's for a while, and last night, I was lurking about with her bloggy friends too!!!! Well, you all know how it is! So go visit!

Now here are the rules for this award;Here are the rules for the award:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve nominated.

Well, you know it is hard for me to limit myself to SEVEN!!! And these are prim blogs so that helps a bit! Yikes! I love every blog; I learn something new from every blog I visit!!

So here's the list:

Jenn at Bittersweet Fixins N Primitives

Jill at Fruit Of Her Hands

Julie at Country Girl At Heart

Tammy at Country Girl At Home

Cindy at CynthiaLeeDesigns

Beth at Raggedy Angel

Blondie at Vintage Prims

A Great Giveaway!

2008-08-30T01:50:00.002-04:00

Pam over at Antique or Not is celebrating her 100th post by giving away a $25 gift certificate to her store; so if I were you, I would jump right on over there and get in the drawing:
http://antiqueornot.blogspot.com/2008/08/100th-post-giveaway.html
To enter, just leave a comment on her post. Entries will close on Sunday, August 31st at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and a winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday, September 1st. AND SHE IS PAYING FOR THE SHIPPING TOO!!! WOO-HOO!!! Well Hurry UP!!! I want to win it, but hey, if it is someone I know, well that is great too!!!!

Quilting Giveaway!!!

2008-08-28T14:12:00.003-04:00

Jane at JanesFabrics Blog and my quilty friend, let me know about this wonderful giveaway at Quilting With Debi (click on this to go there)
Here are the particulars about this wonderful giveaway;(even if you don't quilt yet, maybe it would make a great gift for a quilter or.... maybe you have always wanted to learn to quilt; either way go over and visit. Debi has a lovely blog; beautiful pictures!)
http://debiquilts.blogspot.com/2008/08/200th-post-giveaway.html

From Debi's Blog:"It is giveaway time. I just noticed that I have a over 200 posts. It is also a little over one year since I started blogging. So.....I will be giving away the following: 1) Two Moda charm packs "Wee Play and Peek a Boo", 2) the "Q is for Quilt" book, and 3) two spools of Essential thread, one each lavender and orange. All you have to do is leave me a comment and I will pick a winner on September 1st. To get an extra five (5) entries, post my giveaway on your blog and a link to this posting. Good luck to everyone! ***If you leave an anonymous post, please include your email address in the comment or I can't find you!!!!

Good Luck

Halloween Purse Giveaway

2008-08-26T13:04:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone; Calamity Jane's Cottage is having a giveaway of a Halloween (fabric) purse. To enter, just click on the name above. I am sorry, I could not get a picture like I normally do! The contest ends Aug 28,2008; so hurry on over!

Another Generous Blogger

2008-08-25T00:24:00.002-04:00

Here is another one of those generous bloggers I am talking about. Head on over to see Tammy at her blog and enter this contest for this beautiful Amish type doll and the three clothespin dolls are included as well!!! WOW! The contest ends Saturday the 30th at 6 PM Eastern time . And the drawing will be held on Sunday the 31st at 12 Noon Eastern time. So get going!!! Good Luck ( well, ya know I hope I win; but as I always say, if I can't win, I hope it is one of y'all)

Thank you Jenn!!!!

2008-08-24T23:54:00.002-04:00

Well, here we are!!! Another award; I'm telling you guys, I am feeling more love than ever here in blogland. WOW!!!! Thanks Jenn; again!!! Go visit Jenn; she has some great things including how-to's on her blog. So here are the particulars associated with this award;
Here are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator (it's right on the award)
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award (see below.)
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.
Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human).
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes.
4. Must learn from others.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
6. Must love life.
7. Must love kids.This award was created by Mere at THE BABBLINGS OF MERE. She did terrific job on this award!

All the blogs I visit share these characteristics; I think that each and every one of you display generosity and love, your blogs are positive in nature, you are all willing to jump in and help whenever asked. You all love life and kids; both fur and human!

The reason I read your blogs is because you all give me a chance to have friends all over the world; you give me recipes to try, both craft and edible. You give me hope when I have lost it, you show me light when it is dark, you give me faith when I have none. You make me laugh and cry. You share your joy and your pain. You share your homes and your talents with me. You are generous; the things you give away are wonderful, and speak of time,effort and thought on your parts.

Through you all I see the good in people, a view I had lost sight of. I can't give this award to just five of you; I hereby give it to you all; please take it and share it with those that make your world a little brighter; that is what I am doing right now.

Thank you all for visiting with me; thank you for sharing your world with me. The world is brighter with you in it; and even if you are not on my list of favorites take the award and use it; I have so many on my reader too; and I have to get you all listed on my favorites.

Keep up the good work; ALL of you!! You are fantastic!!

Red Cinnamon's Giveaway

2008-08-23T17:25:00.005-04:00

This is a giveaway that Scoti over at Red Cinnamon Prims is holding; here is her description of these items:

We have a garage sale find of this sign there's no place like home...a bag of fresh dried lavender.....a grudged..cinnamon flag...my first 2 grungy candles i ever made...couple of weeks ago...a few vintage buttons from an auction....a bag of seeds....a rustic metal star...a small cinnamon bun candle...courtesy of Brock I didn't know he put that in there til after I took the pic....:) a old oatmeal bowl....a wooded ball......my first ever craft...a painted paint of ..Home of the Free. because of the brave.....and a tin of my first batch of homemade lip balm in sweet orange...... so any takers....please post a comment on this post to enter...one enter per person..unless.. you post on your blog...then you get 2 chances..

Well; I am not sure when the drawing is to be held, but hurry on over!!!

Y'all Gotta Be Quick on This One!!!!

2008-08-23T17:13:00.003-04:00

Hey Y'all: JenW at PurtyGirlPrimitives is giving this away in honor of her birthday! I just found out; but HURRY!!! She is drawing on Sunday at 10:00 P.M. I know its quick, but hurry over and leave her a comment!

Another I love your blog award!

2008-08-21T00:07:00.003-04:00

WOW; Another friend, Nicole from Back in the Day has also given me the I Love your Blog Award!! Okay this makes six! I am so grateful to all of you; this is so wild that you all love my blog as much as I love all of yours! I am so happy to have met you all here in blogland and I hope that you will continue to visit with me.

Again thank you all; the bullies here say" Thank you for making our mom do the happy dance, this is the first time we have seen our mom do it for so long!!" Murphy and Niles say" We's don't know what all the fuss is about, she didn't even get a milkbone for goodness sake! We gives her awards all the time; oh wait Niles, those aren't awards, remember when Mom said those are "tootsie rolls"? Oh yes,Murphy, you are right, but she was hopping up and down the other day when Sydney left her the awards, I mean, tootsie rolls, by the front door, 'member? But Niles, that wuz a different kind of dancin', I think it wuz a unhappy tootsie roll dance! Ohhhh, yeah; okay, I get it now! "
Well, the boys are right about that one; I am doing the really happy dance now ( not the tootsie roll dance, thank goodness!)

THREE IN ONE DAY!!!!

2008-08-19T17:58:00.006-04:00

Okay; while I was awarding Jenn over at Bittersweet Fixins N Primitives; she was awarding me the SAME AWARD!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!! Yikes; great minds think alike I tell ya; I gotta love that Jenn; go visit her; she always has something going on!!!! Thanks Jenn!! And she has some great crafting recipes and ideas too; what a sweetie she is; SOOOOOOOOOOO; Now I am nominating another blogger I just met for this award; The Shabby Blue Cottage. She has a new blog too so go over and visit her and leave her a nice comment; she would appreciate it I'm sure! Y'all are sooooo generous!!! EDIT: Jill at the Fruit of Her Hands just gave me this award too!!! And Jane at Jane's Fabrics returned the favor, what a gracious blogger she is! Love it!!!! Five in One Day!!! Yippee!!! I am so overwhelmed; thank you,thank you; and the bullies say "two paws up" to all their mom's blogging friends!Second Edit!!! Cindy from CynthiaLeeDesigns just awarded me this award also!!! Thank you Cindy!!!

TWO Awards in one day WOOO!

2008-08-19T15:49:00.006-04:00

Well, I have to say I am so happy today. I just found out that two of my blogging friends have sent me an award! This really means a lot to me. When I started this blog, I was envious of all the awards displayed on the many blogs I visited. I could see why they received awards; they are all creative and industrious, friendly and generous. So to be again recognized ( my first was from TwoBarkingDogs who is a fantastic blogger!) was just so amazing. Thank you to all these ladies! TwoBarkingDogs, who gave me my first award and now to Sandy at For the LOVE of Prims, and Angie at Simple Thyme Primitives for these two new awards.

Now here are the details about this award;

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve nominated.So, here is who gets my "I Love Your Blog" Award in no particular order:

1. Jane at JanesFabrics blog

2. Jenn at Bittersweet Fixins N Primitives

3. Rochelle at Tales from Olde Crow Hill

4. Tina at Stitching in Texas

5. Cindy at CynthiaLeeDesigns

6. Train Wreck at Cowboys,Kids ,Sunsets

7. Jill at Fruit of Her Hands

8. D at TwoBarkingDogs

Well; I did eight because I have two awards and I don't know if I am supposed to do double??? But anyway; if you are on my list... and even if you aren't yet... consider yourself a winner too and put this on your blog too. I keep trying to remember to click that darn save on top after I add folks, but I have missed Cindy twice over so now I have fixed that! I get confused; sometimes I save y'all to my blog reader and forget to put you in the list, but I am getting better at this and better at not lurking so much!!!! I know we all forget to comment at times; I resolve to do better from now on.

And a special award to Shanda over at Front Porches,Sweet Tea as she is dealing with caring for her mom who recently broke her hip. Please stop by and wish her well, send her your prayers as she is such a good person and a great blogger. I am hoping that her mom has a speedy recovery and that Shanda gets a much deserved rest after this.

About the Pay it Forward Game

2008-08-18T16:27:00.002-04:00

Hey blogger friends; I had some folks looking for a Pay it Forward to join since mine is now closed.(click on their names to go to their blogs) Jane ( who, by the way, owns a fabric store! Quilters; woo-hoo; this is a neat place to go and it's online and easy!!! See the links to the left for the website and her blog!) from Jane's fabrics had an opening or two on hers and Jenn at Bittersweet Primitives and Fixin's has an opening If you are ready to have some wild fun and get some goodies in your mailbox, go on over and sign up with these two. Jenn does prims and Jane is a quilter, so you never know what you may get, but it will be fun. Then you get to be the giver and put up the Pay It Forward on your blog and give out some goodies of your own. And it can be a small something so don't worry about having to go crazy finding things ( okay. that is what I am doing, but that is because I am a nut!!!LOL!) Have fun!!!

Another Giveaway!

2008-08-18T15:35:00.003-04:00

Hey; Cheryl at Canadian Country Gal is giving away this fantastic sign; She has opened her own website and is celebrating by giving us a chance to own this handmade sign. Please go to http://www.canadiancountrygal.blogspot.com or her website athttp://www.yesterdayscountryandprimdecor.com. OOOOOH The goodies keep getting better and better don't they. I am going to keep entering these contests until I win something doggone it! But I am truly happy when my friends win; so hurry on over and tell Cheryl I sent ya!

Another great giveaway

2008-08-15T17:03:00.003-04:00

Well; these bloggers are a generous lot aren't they? Go on over to Sue at Country Pleasures; http://www.countrypleasures.blogspot.com/and enter for her Fall goodies giveaway. I think eventually I have to win something right? Well good luck and she has a really wonderful blog too, so visit for a while.

Fall Giveaway at Behind My Red Door

2008-08-15T15:58:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone; Go on over to Linda's blog: Behind My Red Door to enter for her fall giveaway!!http://www.behindmyreddoor.blogspot.com. Hurry; the contest ends on Sunday and she will draw the winner on Monday!!! Run!!!! Look at all those wonderful things for Fall; she has a number of individual photos on her blog, so you can see all these items up close and personal!

Pay It Forward

2008-08-12T18:31:00.003-04:00

Sandy at For the LOVE of Prims had this on her blog and so I thought I would do it too, sooo...

This is how it works: I will send a gift of my choice to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this "Pay it forward" exchange.YOU MUST make the same pledge on your blog! So, if you want some goodies from me and you are willing to do the same on your blog, do let me know! I will need your email address so we can correspond to each other for mailing addresses so I can get your little goodies out in the mail.

Well, what do you guys think; it is supposed to be something small; like something that can be sent in a mailing envelope or very small box. I think this will be a fun thing and I know many of you are already committed to do this, but I am hoping for three who have not done so yet :)

Let the FUN begin!!!!!