Greetings all, My poor computer is on the sick list. I'm not sure how long I will be with out it. My DS is letting me use his laptop but my pictures and other files are not on his laptop. I will try and get back on as soon as possible. Until we meet again ~~smiles~~

I have been working on some of my crafts that I plan to put in my Etsy Store.

These are my Colonial Style candle holders in shabby chic colors. I will also have Fall/Prim color ones as well as Christmas colors.

I'm not the best at taking pictures and I'm still trying to get uses to the new camera.
I started with these three colors to get some feed back on how people like them. I will be selling them as singles as well as pairs.

I have the purple ones on my coffee table right now, but will soon be putting up my Fall decorations.

They use the small colonial candles that have the little part that goes in the candle cup. I think they stand up better using these kind of candles. They are 9inch from top to bottom and 5 inch across the base.

The glass shade comes off for easy cleaning.

I plan to up load more pictures as the projects get finish. If there is any color that you like or have in your house that you are interested in get let me know.
They are $8.00 for one or $14.00 for a pair. Keep looking for more items and the opening of my Etsy Store Hummingbirdsnbriars
Until we meet again ~~smiles~~

A very dear lady Debbie at My Cozy Cottage World http://cozycottageblogspot.blogspot.com/ has tagged me for seven random things about me.

The rules are to list seven random and/or strange things about yourself and then tag four more people.

1. In 2002 at my high school reunion, everyone said that they know who I was because I looked just the same. So does that mean that at 18 I looked 43 or that at 43 I looked 18. hummmm!!

2.I love to read. I can't get enough books. I always have one with me, even at work so that I can read at my lunch break.

3.I'm a military brat who has lived in many, many places but I call Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune N.C. my home town.

4. I told everyone that I would never marry a Marine because they were always gone. But when I saw my DH for the first time it was love/lust at first site. hehehe

5. I was not the girl that my DH's family wanted him to marry (they had someone all picked out for him) but after 30 years, I think he is going to keep me.

6. Fall is my favorite season. My family and I love to decorate for this season as well as for Halloween. The leaves and the cool nights are the best.

7. I would love to move to Scotland to live. This has always been a dream for me. But DH says it would have to be after we retire.

Here are the four ladies I tagged:

Linda at Behind My Red Door http://behindmyreddoor.blogspot.com/

Lolly at Lolly's Nest Egg http://lollysnestegg.blogspot.com/

Celetina Marie at La Rea Rose http://larearose.blogspot.com/

Shay at Olde Colonial Peddler http://oldecolonialpeddler.blogspot.com/

So until we meet again ~~smiles~~

My sweet cat Gabby pasted away this past April. So my DH and Dear Children decided that I need a new kitty friend.

This is Gabby ....she was able 12 years old. This little darling is Vixen, her favorite place is under the computer desk on top of the modem. She was given to me by my children.

Here is my DS Robert with Vixen.

Miss Vixen again...she wanted Robert to pick her up. This is Mr. Andy, my DH got him on one of his jobs. The pink collar was because he (DH) thought that he was a she. He now has a new boy collar...

This is a not so good picture of Andy...he is all for taking the best seat in the house...DH's hehehe
They can't replace my dear Gabby, but it is nice to have some soft furies around again. Plus the dog General Lee is too big for my lap...

So until we meet again ~~smiles~~

My youngest grand daughter Miss Keria turned two on July 18th. Here are a few pictures of the fun.Miss Ginny with one of her many faux snakes. She loves snakes, and cake, here she is waiting for her cut of the cake.

Some of the goodies Miss Keria got, there are more in the other room. Pops was taking the pictures so he is not in any of them.

My DS Robert and myself. I have cut my hair since this picture. All the pictures were taken at my DD's house.

More of big sis and a better look at the cake. It was yellow cake with butter cream and mutli color sprinkes on it. My DD made it, she is becoming a great cook .


DD Andrea and Miss Keria.

A not so clear picture of Nana and the girls. Miss Keria was only interested in the faux jewels she got. I think she will be my glam girl.

I hope you enjoyed a page in our lives. Until we meet again

I'm slowly getting all my new pictures uploaded and well as a great many of my crafts worked on. I'm also getting all over do stuff packed and ready to send out to family and others.

I had to share the newest picture of the girls. I love how well this one came out. Miss Keria (the youngest) doesn't sit down for very long, so this picture is extra special because she is not only sitting but happy as well. Everyone who has had to try and get a child to be still for long know just what I mean. Miss Ginny also had to have a red, white and blue band aid for her booboo so that she matched in the picture. She is the princess of the family,and at almost five , she is so into fashion and having the best outfits. Good thing Nana is ready to spoil on command. hehehe

I hope all is well with everyone and until we meet again. ~~smiles~~

An Award

A very sweet and dear lady Celestina Marie at La Rea Rose http://larearose.blogspot.com/ was so wonderful to give me this award. My first one that I have ever been given, so it means so much more to me. I told her that I was not so great at the tech side of blogging, so please take pity on me. hehehe

Here are the rules that need to be done.

1) Display blog and the link to who gave it.

2) Nominate at least 7 blogs.

3) Add links to these 7 blogs.

4) Leave the nominees a message that they received the award.

Brenda at Coffee Tea Books and Me http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/

Debra at As I See It Now http://debrasotherthoughts.blogspot.com/

Libby at -A Simple Girl- http://simplylibby.blogspot.com/

Debbie at My Cozy Cottage World http://cozycottageblogspot.blogspot.com/

Kelli at There is no place like home http://Kellishouse.blogspot.com/

Kari at Just Livin' Large http://www.grannyskywalker.blogspot.com/

Rose at Sugarplum Cottage http://sugarplumcottage.blogspot.com/

Thank you Celestina Marie for this award. Until we meet again.. ~~smiles~~

I'm setting here enjoying that just after it rains cool air. My DH is playing (setting up) the new tank for our turtle. She was about the size of a small bullfrog when we got her over three years ago. She has grown about ten times that size and this is her third up size on the tank. But the good thing about her outgrowing her last tank is that my grand daughters hermit crabs now have a bigger new/old home. While my DH is having his fun I'm going around visiting and reading blogs that I haven't had a chance to visit or read in awhile. I so much enjoy the quiet time around here and I hope that all is well with everyone. So until we meet again ~~smiles~~

P.S. I really need to get my photos developed. Oh well one of these days hehehe

Here's wishing everyone a great and wonderful 4th of July. I I hope that everyone can enjoy good food, good times and good company. I wish that all have good weather . Happy 4th, Everyone. Until we meet again ~~smiles~~

I have a long list of things that I have yet to do. One of the big things is cleaning and organizing my craft room. My DH keeps telling me that I can't buy anything else until I know just what I already have in the room. (silly man). I have everything in the room, I just don't know where it is. But truly, I do need to make this room easier to work in. With it being unorganized I have a bad habit of putting things in there to do later. It always seems that later doesn't come very often around here. There are project from last Halloween as well as Christmas. There are several things that I have been working on to get in the Esty store that I want to start and there are more finish projects that need pictures to be taken. I was able to put the blame on being sick for such a long time that it is too easy to fall into that thinking. And every new idea or project that I want to do keeps being put off until the room is clean. So what am I waiting for? That's a good question. I was so into doing my crafts and when I got so sick so fast, it really scared me. So that step into that room is a big step, it is time to be well and to stay that way and the only way I'll be able to do this is to go back to crafting the way I use to.

So here is my list to start:

1. Do the craft room no matter what!!!

2. Paint the wooden dresser in my bedroom RED

3. Hang the new curtain rods and curtains in my bedroom

4. Finish painting the birdhouses that Robert made for me.

5. Finally finish the craft items already started in the craft room.

6. Take and then get the developed pictures of items, as well as up load the digital pictures to computer.

So I hope in a few days I will have some pictures to share with everyone of the new and improved craft room as well as finish projects. Keep looking in on me. Until we meet again ~~smiles~~

Just a short note to say Hello.

Karl and I have a great anniversary on Monday. We did the usually things, go to dinner, and go see a movie. I joked with him that we were so romantic, why else would we go see the new Indiana Jones movie. hehehe He said well we could have seen a chick flick if I would have picked one, but its true I really wanted to see the movie we went to. I went though about a million pictures to show everyone what we look like now, but I found that we have many, many pictures of our children and pictures of Karl and I younger, but no pictures of us now. I will have to add that to the list of things to do.

Meanwhile, all I have done is go to work or worked around the house. Summer time is always busy around here, as it is, I think for most people. I go for my three month check up with the Doctor on July 9th. I hope that all will be well and that they will move me up to only 6 months checks. Lets keep out fingers crossed.

I hope all is well with everyone. So until we meet again ~~smiles~~

How I spend my day or the hit yourself on the forehead award

I'm going to let you in now a small adventure I had this past week. I call it my hit yourself in the forehead award day. So let me begin...my dear daughter call me on Monday to say that she needed to bring her cats to the clinic to get them de-maled and by the way would I drive her there. I said yes, and then she said good we have to be there by 8:00 a.m. the next day. Wellll, let me tell you this put a whole new spin on it. Let the adventure start. I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. (yes, that's' right) to get myself and DS up and ready to go by 6:oo. We drove out to boonieville and got there about 7:00. Out comes my DD with one cat under one arm and my youngest grand baby in the other. I said to her where was the cat carrier? Her answer was that both cats wouldn't fit, so she decide not to put either cat in the carrier. The little voice in my head was saying "this is a bad idea" and my DS was just plain out saying that it was a bad idea and that both cats would fit. So here we are (myself and DS) trying to put two car seats and two children plus bags in the car and DD was busy putting cats in. Well, I'm sure you can picture this. One door open for car seats and the other open to put cats in. Cats go in one door and out the other. I finally had to say after she tried to put the cats in several times that she needed to wait until we finished putting the girls in the car. Okay, with that done, in went the cats. The first thing they did when they couldn't get out again was to jump up to the front and try to get out the front window. Thump!! The big black and white one decide that my DS's chest was the perfect holding spot. As we are driving out of the driveway my sweet daughter says "Oh, by the way I need to go by my vet and pick up the papers showing that the cats had their shots"....now as most already know she lives about 45 minutes away from where I live and about 20 minutes away from the little town where her vet is. My DS with a look of terror on his face said does that mean I have to ride with this cat attached to my chest for almost an hour and a half. Yes!! By now the voice in my head is yelling this is not a good idea, but I drove to the vet anyway. I said to DD was she sure that there would be someone at the vets office when we got there. A course there is someone always there with the animals that board there, was the answer and so we went. Well you knew it, the lights were on but no one was there. Okay now here we were with no papers, so I asked do we still go. Yes, lets go and we will get the papers later. Back on the road again, and DS is still holding in there or should I say the cat was still holding on. We finally get into our town and to the animal shelter where they are doing the pick-up. There are animals everywhere. By now the voice in my head is screaming at me don't do this, but do I listen...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!. So out of the car goes DS with one cat and DD with the other one. I stay in the car with my grand daughters and we wait....not for long...because as soon as my DD opens the door to the shelter and the two very large birds that are in the shelter get a look at the two cats coming in...let out a loud blood curling screech...the cat that my DS was holding took off, he ran up his chest, danced on his head and than ran down his back and out in to the field that was next to the shelter. OH, Boy!! My DS is about 5'9" and the grass that was in the field that the cat ran into was over his waist. So into the field he went. We live in SW Va. that has about 24 types of poison snakes that make this area their home. So I'm thinking, great now that's all we need. So here is DS in the field calling for the cat and DD decide to go help. As I said DS is 5'9", but DD is 4'11' so the grass that was over his waist in now up to her shoulder. At seeing this my oldest grand daughter freaks and starts to cry that the lions are going to get Momma and Uncle Robert. No more Discovery Channel for her!! Her crying starts the youngest to cry. I now have to take them out of the car to show them that the lions are not in Va, and that they couldn't eat anyone here. DD is calling here kitty, kitty and DS is calling get out here you stupid cat, and we now have a crowd of onlookers. One said "did you lose your cat"....it took all I had not to say "no they are trying to get snake bite" here's your sign!! One of the onlookers who was "trying" to help spotted the cat under one of the metal sheds in the field. So along with one of the workers from the shelter and my DD, people started to lay down in the half mowed area around the shed to look under it. Several people were putting their hands under it, and when my DD went to do the same, I said don't do that because there may be snakes under there. Well I never saw that many hands move that fast from under that shed. Well by this time the voice in my head just said "I give up". I told DD that I was going to take the girls and DS to my house and have him feed them breakfast and I would come back and get her.I give my cell phone to DD and off we go to my house. I live only about 6 minutes away from the shelter if I don't get any red lights, and as soon as I drive up to the house the phone was ringing. The cat came out from under the shed as soon as I drove away. I could have killed that cat...one whole hour in the sun and then he comes out after I leave...aaarrrgh...the end of the story is...always..always listen to the voice in your head or just hit your self on the forehead because you need it... until we meet again ~~smiles~~

Linda over at Behind My Red Door, had some beautiful pictures of her and her husband David, from their days of dating. And with this month being the month that we were both married in, I decide that a small travel back in time would be nice for me as well.

this is Karl and his mother Mary in July 1978

graduation for Boot Camp, Parris Island, SC My picture that went in the newspaper, June 23, 1979

Karl, Katie and baby Andrea. Easter 1982 Andrea and Robert (late1984)

These pictures really bring back some happy memories and I can't believe how young we were. And it seems so long ago that are children were babies. But time flies as they say. So it is nice to have these wonderful pictures to keep the memories fresh. I hope all enjoyed this step back in time and that you all enjoy your memories as well. Until we meet again. ~~smiles~~

I have been busy running about for the last several days. We have had some pretty bad storms in our areas, so I went out to my DD's house to check up on her and the girls. All was well, but I'm always a little uneasy about them because there is several large (big, big) old trees in their yard. I love were they live in the country, there are many beautiful old farms and homesteads near her. I keep trying to talk DH to buy our land out there. He is very picking about what he wants to buy so there may still be a big wait.

I love to read all the blogs about living on farms or homesteads. It is my plans to live as much off the land as we can. We have always been big on being well supplied and ready for most things, but it would be nice to have a bigger garden and some animals. My grand daughters love horses and we plan to have some as well.

My garden is enjoying all the rain we have been having, and I plan to add many plants to it during the month. I'm hoping that it will not get to hot to soon, but this week seems to be saying different. It has already gone up to the 90's. Maybe it will cool off again later.

I hope that all is well with everyone. So until we meet again ~~smiles~~

Today I was awaken from a wonderful dream by the oddest sounding rain. You know how when you first start to wake up your brain and reality doesn't always meet. So the sound of the weird rain and the very heavy walking squirrels really made my mine wander or as another blogger said pondered what in the world was going on. I slowly open my eyes to a room filled with sunshine and the sounds of rain. Now how can that be? Sunshine and rain? And what was up with those darn squirrels, didn't they know I was trying to sleep. It is bad enough that they play tag on the roof on a regular basics.I have a metal roof so the sound can be a little loud. I had to get to the bottom of this mystery. I called out sweetly ( okay! maybe not so sweet) to my DH. I heard a far away voice that sounded like it was up on the roof with the squirrels answer me. I asked him in my best worried wife voice "where was he and what was he doing?" To to my great embarrassment he answered "I'm on the roof cleaning the gutters" All I can say is that he is the loudest darn squirrel I have ever heard. And that my story and I'm sticking to it. hehehe So until we meet again. From me and my clean gutters to you. ~~smiles~~

Today is so beautiful, no rain and lots of sunshine. I have been busy looking at flowering tree to add to my front yard and some climbing roses. I would love to get some white and yellow rose bushes so that when they get bigger and start to clime they will grow together. I think that would be so pretty. I have been enjoying all the flowers from the different blogs that I have been viewing.

This will be a short post so that I can go back outside and enjoy all the beauty of nature. Everyone have a great day. Until we meet again ~~smiles~~

Yesterday was our once weekly day together. I went out to the boogies to get my dear daughter and my sweeties. Miss Ginny, who had just woke up from a nap was not in the mood to pick lunch, she said that she didn't need food. Her mother looked at me and said "see how she can be, I wondered all the time where she gets it from." A course my answer was "look in the mirror." My DD thinks that she is the only mother that has a hard time with moody children who will not eat, clean their room (help clean, that is), etc. etc. I try and tell her mothers through out history have been dealing with the moods of their children be they 2 or 80...it will always be the same. Well to settle the lunch choice my DD pick the place to eat..everyone ate but Miss Ginny, her lunch came home to Nana's house where she gave it to Pops in exchange for a P&J sandwich. Kids! you got to love them.. ~~smiles~~

So after a long day together shopping and just having fun my darling Miss Ginny decided that she would spend the night with us. This meant a change in the choice of DVD that we were going to see. My DS and I had rented the Diary of the Dead. This as you all know is not the DVD for a four year old. So we watched Happy Feet once again and when this was over and all the bed time stories were read, she laid down on our bed to go to sleep. Now she isn't all that big. She is about 3 ft. tall and about 40lbs. My DH and I have a Cal. King bed so you would think that there would be lots of room for all but this little girl can and will take over the whole thing. She started on the far side of the bed and by this morning she had managed to slowly move my DH and I off and out of the bed. So when we came to wake her up for breakfast she was sideways across the bed with all the quilts piled all around her. She is by far the Queen of the bed hoggs. hehehe

Well we have lots of places to go to today before we bring our sweetie home so until we meet again ~~smiles~~

On this Memorial Day, I decide that I would share some pictures of my favorite Marines.

The first one to be shared is a picture of my DH Karl, from graduation from boot camp. 1978

The next picture is of my SIL James, this is also his graduation picture. 2003

The the last one is of my father Robert (my son is named after him) . I'm not to sure of the date but it is either last 50's -early 60's.

I wish these Marines and all others; past and present; as well as all other military personal, a heart felt Memorial Day.