The Journey of a Million Memories

We're In The Money!

2012-01-19T23:45:00.001-05:00

Hello and Happy Thursday. Okay, almost Friday.

I'm happy to report that my last blog post must have sparked some sort of interest in my hubs, either that or someone really felt sorry for me! My husband is now employed! YAY! Friday afternoon, my hubs recieved a call to come in for an interview, they had saw his resume on the internet and would like to meet with him. So, he went in Saturday morning and came home employed. He seems to really like it, and it's a short 10 minute drive from home. That alone is a blessing in disguise. Maybe we can put away a little money now, instead of spending it all on gas! I am hoping that it works out for him, he does seem like he likes it there.

So, I'm back to my usual routine, and though I do miss him being here so much, (I know...I was JUST complaining about that!), it's kind of nice to have the ol' routine back. I'm able to get to bed earlier in the mornings and get up a little earlier and rested. Oh what a difference and hour or two can make! I am even becoming productive again. I kind of got into a funk, I didn't want to do anything...not sure if it was sadness, irritation or lack of sleep. Any way you look at it, I wasn't feeling my best, but I'm getting there.

After our crazy Friday the 13th, the weather warmed back up a bit and now we're back to frosty, frozen, snowy winter. It's winter, I shouldn't expect less, but I was really hoping for a mild winter with hardly a dusting of snow. I need to get some work done with the horses, but at 5*, I'm wimping out. I can't help it, it's just too dang cold. I hope it won't set me back too far with Cheyenne. I'm not so worried about Dakota.

It looks to be a long night, so I'm signing off and hitting the sheets for a nap.

Have a super Friday!

Freezin' on Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

Howdy y'all.

Mother Nature just realized she made a huge faux-pas with the weather here in Indiana. We've been having the most spectacular weather for January, upper 40's and lower 50's with sunny conditions. Well, here we sit on Friday the 13th Eve, with a current temperature of 15 degrees with winds gusting up to 33 mph and a wind chill of -4. It's cold. Bitter, nasty cold. And it's snowing, we're expected to get 3-5" of snow tonight, which by comparison isn't much, but will make for a nasty drive with those winds. It sounds like the wind is about to blow the house to bits! So, is this the curse of Friday the 13th? Hmmmm...ironic.....

My husband still hasn't found a job, and has been driving me to the short side of insanity. I'm trying to keep my composure, but I am slowly losing my patience. I have no privacy, everything I do, he's there. We'll make it through this, I'm sure, as many others have, but I swear, I'm going more gray by the day. So, anyone know of a GOOD job in Muncie, Indiana? Yeah, I didn't think so...

We managed to make it through the holidays unscathed this year, surprisingly. It was a very thankful Thanksgiving and a very humble Christmas this year, and I'm fine with that. New Years brought up all of the things I have been feeling over and over and many resolutions that I hope to keep this year. I spent the last week of last year and the first week of this year sicker than a dog, so I'm really just now getting around to making and attempting to keep my resolutions. I'm sure they are pretty common ones, lose weight, save money, be more grateful and helpful to my parents, etc. The one that I'm hoping to keep is to be more crafty this year. I'm off to a pretty good start, as while I was sick I spent a lot of time sewing. Christmas ornies made after Christmas are STILL Christmas ornies. LOL. I'll post some pics soon, I'm pretty proud of them, they are really cute.
I got to spend a few days with the horses while it was nice, and I loved every second of it. Dakota is doing remarkably well, she has accepted being ridden and is becoming a wonderful mount. Cheyenne, as crazy as that little girl makes me, makes my heart soar when she does her work correctly. She's learning and for 18 months, amazes me! We have a loooong way to go and a lot of lessons to learn, but I'm very proud of the horse she is becoming. She may lose a little fur off of her hind-end if she kicks at me again, but that's just one bridge we have to cross. Everyone is tucked in and happy for the night, including the 13 barn cats. They have a nice toasty bed of hay to sleep in tonight, I'm sure they'll be just fine.

So, another one of my resolutions is to try and keep my blog up a little better. I haven't been very faithful, but maybe it will help me deal with things easier if I vent here a bit...

And on that note, I'm gonna hit the hay for a quick nap, it looks to be a loooong, cold night bringing the news to the peoples.

We Have Become A Statistic

2011-10-20T20:04:00.000-04:00

It's a rainy Thursday evening here in Indiana, cold and blustery, just plain out nasty. I am sitting around waiting for laundry to finish, so what better time to do a little bloggin'.

We have officially become a statistic. I hate this, I have dealt with my husband going from job to job for years, but after 6 years with his last employer, I felt like he had found a permanent home. Unfortunately, they didn't feel the same way. Today is day 6 of unemployment. He's lucky to have lived through the past 4. I am a creature of habit, and I HATE having my schedule changed. Oh yes, I hate it very much. So, this is the first time in 10 years that we have spent a solid week together. Some of it has been very pleasant, most of it has been irritating, aggravating, annoying and just plain out bad. It's not helping that it has rained for 3 straight days and I have been trapped inside with him. I would much rather be doing my normal things at the farm and outside. I am praying that it gets better. FAST. I work at night and therefore sleep in the daytime. He's up and moving around. The birds and cat are up moving around. This leads to a very edgy me. A very edgy me who is trying desperately to not blow a gasket about his former employer, and I know everyone says it, but they did him dirty. He had 3 years seniority over 2 other employees, yet they "chose" to lay him off. I am frustrated, worried and irritated. I know it will get better, I just hope it comes before it's too late.

So, in my quest to save money, I have been price checking things against other stores in town. OMG, I am so angry about this! I cannot believe how much money I have been wasting on groceries! I checked prices from Main Street Market to Walmart and the difference in just unbelievable! I thought it would be a few cents here and a few cents there. Nope, we're talking DOLLARS! Yes, I said dollars!!! Some things are more than a dollar and a half cheaper at Walmart. Seriously. How can they do this and get by? Shouldn't that be considered price gouging? So, needless to say, as much as I dislike Walfart, I'll be spending my grocery money there. Plus they have the new policy to accept other store coupons, and they price match. I think I'll fair pretty well if I can just keep on top of things. (And stick to my list, not venturing out into the rest of the store!) That may not be so easy coming into the holidays as this is a crazy, crazy time for me, but I'm going to do my best! I'm going to try and set aside a couple hours on Sunday to check ads and coupons. My printer is out, so Internet coupons won't be available for me, for now. That will make it a little tougher, but I am determined to slash my grocery bill and save a few bucks while he's unemployed. Especially since we are losing $400 a month. I have to do something! Looks like I may be in for a second job, which is not going to make for a happy me. Looks like those hand made gifts are going to be a must for me.

Well, here's to things getting better, I certainly hope it happens soon.

2011-10-14T11:22:00.000-04:00

Good morning. It's finally FRIDAY! This has been the longest week. Anyone else out there feel the same way? Yep, I thought so.
I have been back to riding Dakota, and for the most part she is doing a fantastic job! She is fighting the bit when I ask her to turn right, but we seem to be working through it okay, just a little fussy about it. And I'm ecstatic to report that we had our first trot together! YES! She did amazing, me-not so much. Yeah, I have discovered that it's like riding a bike, it does all come back, but after 8 years of not being on a horse and at least 14 years of not riding seriously, I am rusty, clumsy, unbalanced, out of rhythm, and a little nervous. The nervousness is going away very quickly, however the rest of it is coming back in a slow manner. She is an amazing little horse, I am such a proud Momma! She has come through this injury, even without those tendons a sound pleasure to ride!

This is a picture of her playing about a week ago, I was standing in her field and snapped this with my cell. She is just so beautiful! I can't help but be so proud of her!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and weekend!

Be Careful What You Say....

2011-10-04T12:06:00.002-04:00

Good morning! It's sunny and beautiful here in Indiana today, a perfect day if I may say myself. Too bad I have shopping to do, I'd much rather be outside working with the horses or in the yard. Ah well....the to do list must come first, especially when the critters need some chow.
I have been seeing a lot of people posting things on Facebook about true friends. Some times I let things bother me that really shouldn't, but some of this stuff is really getting to me. Being a person who is always busy, and I mean ALWAYS busy, I feel like it is selfish for people to make these remarks. Things like, "if you can't make time for me then I don't need you", and "Don't make room in your heart for someone who can't make time for you". Well you know what, I love many of my friends dearly and I don't always keep in touch very well, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a good friend. Or maybe it does. Does the fact that I have so much to do that I barely sleep 4 hours a day, hardly eat and when I see the inside of my home I almost feel like a guest mean anything to anyone? Really, you want to condemn people for taking care of their lives? For me means taking care of 3 properties, my ill parents, my animals, my home, conditioning the horses and working. Yes, so I take care of my life first, but that doesn't mean that I'm not a friend, it means that I don't have much time to play and when I do, I make the best of it with the best people. I guess it just hurts because I have seen those kinds of posts from people that I consider good friends. I don't know, maybe I'm just being oversensitive.....

To anyone who feels this way about me, please feel free to give me a hand with my work sometime so that I can play too. I guess the fact that I don't really complain about my life leads people to believe that I am relatively happy, but I would love to be able to have time to sit down and chat on the phone, catch up on Facebook and hang out whenever I please. However, until I get some help, that is NOT going to happen. Either work with me, accept me for who I am, or get the hell over it! Either way you choose to do it, remember, be careful what you say, you never know who is reading it and who may be hurt by it!

Hope you all have a fabulous day.

Dance Moms

2011-09-29T11:15:00.001-04:00

Good morning all!

We don't have much time to watch television, so it amazes me the caliber or shows that are on that thing. I have a few shows that I follow religiously--Fringe, Law and Order: SVU, Dancing With The Stars, and Parenthood are pretty much it. And those aren't "I'm gonna die if I don't know what happened" shows, just ones I enjoy when I'm home. So last night I was doing laundry and cruising the channels for something to watch, when I came across "Dance Moms". Oh my, this show is dramatic to say the least! What is with those people? WOW! I think that Abby knows what she is doing as far as teaching the kids to dance, but those mothers on there....they are a whole different bunch of people. I cannot honestly say that I would associate with any of them, and they are a bunch of whiny, cry-baby, drama queens! Give me a break! I watched a couple of episodes and was floored by the petty things that these women had to say. They all have a problem with Abby, the dance instructor, for one reason or another. One doesn't want her daughter doing "ethnic" dances, because it's stereotyping her. Um, NO, it's teaching her to be able to do ethnic dances for auditions! Good grief! Another was griping because her daughters never have costumes. Well, seems to me if you were concerned about it you would approach the instructor more than 15 minutes before you kid goes on stage. DUH! Another mom was complaining because one of the girls gets special attention all of the time and her daughter is mistreated. Well, okay, I don't know what she means by special treatment, but from what I can tell she treated them all the same. These women are so jealous of their kids and think the world revolves around them to the point that they seriously need to grow up. If they are soooooo unhappy with Abby Lee's then why the hell don't they find someone else to teach their kids dance? Or better yet, let Abby do her job, encourage their kids to listen to her and correct problems that they have and quit being so jealous of your kids!

That's just my honest opinion, but the show did it's job, it kept me watching to see what ridiculousness those petty moms could come up with next!

Happy Hump Day!

2011-09-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

Happy hump day! The middle of the week always seems like it takes forever to get here, but when it does the rest of the week just flies by. Today it's rainy and chilly out, giving me the fall fever. I love this time of the year, the leaves changing, the cooler air, and the fall holidays! Love, LOVE, LOOOOVE Halloween, and I'm excited for it to come this year.

I got back on Dakota to ride on Monday, and it went well. She's was seemingly unsure of herself, but after watching the videos back, I believe it was because the ground is so muddy. She did much better yesterday. I hope she comes out of this insecurity completely, I would like to go more than 10 steps without stopping. LOL! But, with teaching her comes much patience, and I know that just like 2 years ago, when she was a wild child that I thought I would never be able to ride, she'll come into her own. She has grown into the most gentle, respectful, attentive horse I could have asked for. She listens very well and is always eager to work. I am hoping that once she realizes that when I'm riding her she's going to get to go out and see everything, she'll be excited for that too.

Cheyenne has grown so much in the past few months, I have a lot of ground work to do with her, and she's trying my patience at every turn of the hand. Today she came running at me with her ears pinned back when I came to her field with her grain. My exact words were, "OH NO YOU DON'T!" LOL, she thought she was gonna get away with it and got a rude awakening. I'm not an abusive person, but when she did this, she got a firm smack on the neck. I then got a grasp on her halter and walked her around until the ears came up and she was more pleasant. I know they have bad days just like we do, but that is absolutely unacceptable behavior! She is also pushing into my "personal space" often now, so I have a lot of work to do there. I am a firm believer in groundwork and manners on horses, I mean who wants to be pushed around by a 1000 lb animal? NOT ME! I earned every ounce of respect that Dakota gives me, and I have a funny feeling that I'm going to have to work twice as hard to get the same level of respect out of Cheyenne. I call her my red-headed step child, LOL, she's so ornery and has the temper of a redhead. I'm definately working on it, and will continue to do so for eternity. Dakota will occasionally try me too, so it's an ongoing lesson for them both. I am currently reading a book by Clinton Anderson, someone who I have just recently learned about. His Downunder Horsemanship seems to have very good training techniques, so I'm going to work on his program with Cheyenne and see how she reacts. I sure wish I could afford those DVDs of his, but that is waaaaay out of my price range!

I have a few ideas for holiday gifts this year, I just wish I could find the time and inspiration to get started. I actually have had the ideas for a few years and just never accomplished them. I'm going to really try and sit down tonight and work out a few plans on how to do them and maybe get started. I need to hold myself accountable to this. DO IT, dang it! I will keep you all posted on my progress. Heck if one of the ideas work out well, I may even try to sell them! :) We'll see!

Okay, so I need to get to bed, I have a mountain of laundry to move today and horses who need work too. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday.

Happy Birthday Hubby and Horse Pictures

2011-09-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon! I'm up and at 'em early today, lots going on. First off, our cable and internet have been acting stupid for the past few months, and we finally broke down and called Comcast out to fix it. After the guy spent 1 1/2 hours trying to "pin" it on us because we replaced our wiring under the house, it boiled down to the main line isn't set up for digital. Well, now why wasn't that changed BEFORE we were forced to go to all digital? Yeah, I'm not a very happy camper. Especially since I went to bed at 11:30am and was back up at 1:45pm, for this.

The other thing going on--HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUBBY, ROBERT! He's officially 30! Time to grow up now, Honey.... :) To celebrate, I thought I'd post a picture of the first time he rode Dakota. I'm so proud of my baby girl, you have no idea! Here it is:

If you look closely, you can see her wound on her right hind leg. Picture was purposely taken from this direction so it's not so gory. We have grown accustomed to it, but it still grosses the majority of people out.

This is a pic of my second ride on her, as I'm not happy with the pics of the first ride. I know, it's silly....

And next are pictures of our new baby, Cheyenne. The first is the day we bought her, she was still wooly with her winter hair and so small. I can't believe how much she has changed in a few months. The second two were taken about a month ago, right before her first bath. Yeah...that was an experience! :)

I have thought to myself several times, "Why in the world did I get two young horses that need so much conditioning??!!!" But after spending the evening with them and having such a great time, I remember why, because I wanted to learn. Oh boy, they are sure teaching me! I love them both very much, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world! I have many, many years to come with both of them and that thrills me to my very core!

Well, I must go corral the dust bunnies now, company is coming at 6!

Hugs & Love,

Gone, But Not Forgotten

2011-09-16T13:29:00.004-04:00

Well, Hello! I haven't blogged in over a year, and I doubt very seriously if I have anyone to even read it, but here goes!

I'm going to start with an update on the horses. (Since they have become my life!) We lost Cherokee, the old pony, back in March. He had a twisted gut and there was nothing that could be done for him. I was totally heartbroken, in shock and mad at myself for letting it happen. I couldn't have been more devastated, and spent the better part of a week sitting in his barn balling my eyes out. I miss him so much, he was my big brother and such a huge part of my life. Dakota is doing really well! She still has her injury, though I am happy to report it is only about 1/3 of the size and FINALLY, (Yes, FINALLY!!! After 18 months), starting to heal well. She has complete use of her leg, even without the tendons, and has adapted well. Most people don't even notice that she's got a problem! I got down to business with her in early April, started back into her conditioning after we got the A-OK from the vet to do so. And I'm happy to report that she is doing fantastic with it and WE ARE RIDING HER! Yep, you read that right. The vet seems to think that she will be just fine, I mean she's not going to win the Triple Crown or anything, but just around the farm, she is doing AH-MA-ZING! I'm so proud of her! We also have a new addition to the farm family, Cheyenne, a 13 month old paint horse. She's become the baby and knows how to use it. (On everybody but Mommy, that is!) She had never been handled until we got her 4 months ago. She's doing fantastic too, lots of groundwork put in on her and she's coming around nicely. I'm one proud Mom to 2 amazing paint horses! (And 13 barn cats and all of the critters at the house.)

Speaking of all of the critters at the house, everyone is doing great here, no passages in the past year, which is a blessing! Everyone is fat and happy as usual.

As I type this, my hubby is getting ready to turn the big 3-0! Yep, he's gonna be 30 on Monday, and doesn't seem to give a hoot about it. I think it'll hit him eventually, but so far no reaction whatsoever. I guess that's okay, but I can remember how I felt when I turned 30, in fact I believe there's a blog about it on here..... I'm excited because there's cake. :) HA!

Not a whole lot new going on with Mom and Dad, Dad is the same, and getting a little worse. Mom is having a lot of problems now too, she just recently had 3 teeth pulled and found out that she has pyrhia (sp?) and will have to have the rest of her teeth pulled soon. I can't imagine how she is feeling, but I'm doing my best to support her and help with everything I can.

I haven't sewn anything in quite some time which depresses me deeply. I just can't find the time to do it with taking care of Mom and Dad, the horses and the farm work and the housework. I miss it SO much, you have no idea. It was my creative outlet and now it's getting all backed up itching to get out. But since money is SO tight this year, I am going to attempt to make some handmade gifts. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that goes. It may blow up in my face and be a total disaster. Especially since I haven't picked up a needle in almost a year!

So, long story short, I'm trying to get some sort of normalcy back into my life and attempting to get back in touch with some long lost friends that I miss so dearly. I hope that they don't all hate me for good, and will understand that my life has been so busy that something had to give and unfortunately, a lot of my friendships suffered. So if you are reading this and care to get back in touch with me, please do! I try to keep up with Facebook...not very well most of the time, but I do my best to check in at least once a day. I'm Christy Heaston-Thornburg on Facebook, look me up! I'm also going to be blogging as much as I can. I look forward to hearing from you all!

Love and Hugs~

Long Time, No Blog.

2010-08-18T09:48:00.004-04:00

Hello my Friends! I doubt if I have any readers now, but for anyone who happens by, I thought I'd give an update on things. Life has been a constant rollercoaster since I blogged last, and believe me, when I say rollercoaster, it has been mostly down hill.

The main issues have been with the horses, so I'll talk about them for now. Early in the spring, Cherokee, (the old pony), stopped eating, lost a bunch of weight, and we had to find a mobile vet to come see him. The weight we attributed to his age, as he is 42 this year, and I figured that this was the begining of his demise. So, the vet came and checked him over, and said that he's overall healthy, except for an over-grown tooth, and being too thin. Horse teeth never stop growing, and he lost one of his bottom teeth, so the top one in the same place grew out too long. Thus keeping him from chewing properly, so he was literally starving and we had no idea! He was eating, but because he wasn't chewing it up, he wasn't digesting it and therefore disposing of all of it, instead of utilizing it. So, we now have him on a healthy diet of Dumor Senior Complete feed, soaked in water to make a mash, along with Alfalfa pellets and beet pulp soaked. He's picking up some weight now, which thrills me! Although, we're worried about this winter, because he's just not packing it on as quickly as we'd like, so I think we're gonna get a nice warm winter blanket for him. He's also loaded with energy now, which is good, but bad, as he's burning a lot of calories, while we're trying to put them on him.

Cherokee right after his bath, about 5 weeks ago.

We just got him back to eating and feeling better, and Dakota got her leg caught in her stall door. It was a bad, bad injury. She skinned her back leg, between her hock and fetlock, about 6 inches, clear to the bone. She severed the Common Digital Extensor tendon, and just made hamburger out of everything. She had horizontal cuts in her Cannon bone as well. The tendon that she cut is the one which holds up the toe of her hoof, and there was no way to reattach it. She has learned to walk okay without it, but has been trying to play and romp around, and she has a little trouble with that. Hubs and I spent hours on end for 8 weeks, cleaning and wrapping her leg from the bottom of her hoof all the way past her hock to keep it nice and clean and dry, until the bone was covered. Plus pain medicine and antibiotics every 12 hours. The vet originally gave her Banamine for her pain, and she was having a bad reaction to it, so now she's on Bute. She was also grounded to the barn for the first 8 weeks, so we were picking her a ton of grass twice a day to keep her happy. After that 8 weeks, we were still wrapping, but not as far. She's doing well, although we have a lot of proud flesh growing that we are battling with now. I had no idea what I was doing, but you cannot expose bone to air, so we would have to take quick swipes at cleaning it up, and keep saline against it to be sure it didn't dry out. Normal Saline is the same pH as a horses body and it will not harm the bones. We are 13 weeks out now, and are able to leave it uncovered for several hours a day, and she's allowed out on her own again now, but we have to keep her wrapped up when she's in the stall. So, we're still putting countless hours in, but at least it's a various times instead of all lumped into one visit. We're using a product called Granulex V to deal with the proud flesh, and for now, it appears to be working. I hope we can get it under control and not have to have it removed. I hear it's a really messy procedure, and honestly, I don't know if I can handle it. But I'll do what I have to do. I love my horsey, and she just keeps changing my course of action. I had planned to be on her back by the end of this month...and now we aren't sure if we'll even be able to ride her. I have been working her a little at a walk, and she's doing well, but it's going to be a long haul to get her healed.

Dakota with her leg all bandaged up.

In the meantime, I lost another one of my guinea pigs, little Cocoa. She did the same thing Holly did, starting drinking tons of water, eating like a horse and still losing weight. Eventually she had a stroke and passed on. I miss her and so does her lonely sister, Noel. But Noel and I are becoming best buds, which is something I could never get with her. She's always been pretty wild, but she's coming around to Mommy....and getting very spoiled!

I also adopted another baby Robin. I found him sitting in the middle of the road on my route one night, and no sign of where he came from. He wasn't old enough to make it on his own, so I brought the little hitchhiker home, fed him out and now he's spoiled rotten too! We named him Hitch, since he hitchhiked clear home from Randolph County. :)

Hitch

Past that, all the other kids are doing well, and hubs and I are surviving all of this drama, but we are so far behind in our work for taking care of Dakota that I think we'll never get caught up. We're working on it, we have spent the past 2 weeks trimming trees at Mom's, mowing at the farm and we're getting ready to bale hay. Not looking forward to the latter! My yard has gone to hell, and honestly I have given up on it for this year. I pull a few weeds when I get a chance, but that's not too often. My house is a complete disaster area, and I honestly don't even care. Stop by at your own risk!

I hope this finds everyone doing well, and I miss keeping up with my online friends! Hugs to all!

Happy Thursday!

2010-01-28T09:45:00.002-05:00

Good morning!

I haven't been blogging like I planned to this year, but of course, when I have time, I never have anything to talk about. When I'm crazy busy, I have a million things I want to blog, and never do. Ah well...

So, I'm working on the January FLRR block, which is themed "Bridge To Terabithia", and this thing had me puzzled. I have been searching online for ideas, when lo and behold, I was looking through our DVD's to find something to watch, and discovered that we actually have the movie! And I have no idea why I had not watched this movie before now, as this is "my" kind of movie! It was fantastic, I loved it! I have a ton of ideas now, thankfully as I will not kid you, I was stumped! So, when I get it all finished up, I'll post pics of what I have done. I'm also back to working on Ing's heart...and I'm almost there, I promise Ing! I'll be winging it home to you real soon!

So, we had fantastic weather over the past weekend, temperatures up in the 40's and 50's, which is amazing for us in January! We got to put the horses out and leave them for the first time this winter. This sounds silly to horse-folk, but Cherokee is so old that we don't like to leave him out in the extreme cold, so Dakota doesn't get out either. It's a jealousy thing...and he DOES get jealous. I put the new pet-eye camera on her, and dingaling me forgot to turn it on. I was all excited about having some pics from it, and when I hooked it up to upload pics, there was nothing there. Yep, I forgot to turn it on. So...the next time it warms up a little, I'll put it BACK on her and try again. We also managed to get our outside Christmas decor taken down, which has to be a world record for us! We normally just wait until it warms up a little to do it, usually around the middle of February or even March. It feels good to have it already down! Things are back to normal in the weather department, cold and snowy. It's currently 13*. Brrrrr!

Well, I hope everyone is having a fantastic year, so far 2010 hasn't brought any major catastophies for us, so that is always a plus!

Happy Thursday!

Looking For A Good Blacksmith

2010-01-20T20:03:00.002-05:00

Hello all!

So, our blacksmith has dissappeared off the face of the earth. Really, really strange since he has been soooo faithful in taking care of Cherokee for the past 3 years. I'm a little worried, as not only has his number been disconnected, so has his son's.

Anyone know a good blacksmith in the Muncie, Indiana area that wuold be willing to work on an old pony and a young paint horse?

I'm fairly sure I can take care of Cherokee myself, however, Dakota needs a blacksmith to keep her in working order.

Thanks for any info!

3 Very Good Reasons...

2010-01-15T09:55:00.003-05:00

...to NEVER let a salesman in your house!

Last week, we were visited by a Kirby vacuum sales team. Had I answered the door, I would never had let them in the house. However, I was busy, hubs answered the door, and the next thing I knew, I had a Kirby sales person in my house. She fumbled, wasn't very knowledgable, and quite honestly was just kind of a twit. So, I understand how this stuff works...she does the presentation, she makes money. Fine...I'll deal with it. I know how hard money is to come by.

Reason #1: They actually said, "We'd like to ask a few questions of an honest homeowner." A few questions turned into 2 hours taken from my life that I will never get back. Just think of the things I could have done in those 2 hours!!! And the questions were merely attacks on how dirty my house was and how horrible a job our vacuum does. Ah well...I'll get to that in a minute...

Reason #2: The jack-ass sale closer that appeared after 2 hours of listening to this twit drone on about how great the Kirby is, and all of it's spectacular features. BTW, She never got to the carpet cleaner part...so hard telling how much MORE of my time she would have taken up. So this guy comes in, cocky as all get out...and starts pitching me the sales shtick. After 5 or so minutes of talking about the vacuum, he lays it on me. $2,500.00. Are you serious? I knew it was going to be high, but I'll tell ya, I just about fell off of the couch! This guy has no idea what we're dealing with, and I know that...however, all he really had to do was take a look around and he would have KNOWN there was no way in HELL I'd ever pay $2,500 for a vacuum. I mean really...I only paid $200 for my CAR! I told him no...politely. He asked if I had a credit card, and then INFORMED me to slap in on the card. When I said no more forcefully, he started dropping the price! It went from $2,500, to $1,999, to $1,500, and finally to a (as he put it) desperate $999. Again, are you serious????? I basically grabbed him by the ear and tossed him to the curb.

Reason #3: Fleas. Yes, you read that right, FLEAS. DOG fleas....and I don't have a dog! We are now infested with dog fleas, and the only reasonable explaination I have, is that they dragged them in here in that $2,500 vacuum that they were pushing down our throats. I'm mad...madder than a bulldog with a toothache!

Now the part that I said I'd get back to....

We have a Eureka Capture vacuum. It's lime green...and MEAN! This girl quickly ran my vaccum over the area that she planned to demonstrate how great the Kirby was, and then proceeded to put filter disk after filter disk into the Kirby and get dirt out of my carpet. Not that much dirt either...and she really had to work at it. She then proceeded to do the same routine on one of my chairs. Now, I haven't really cleaned my furniture in a couple of months, so I wasn't surprised at all when she started pulling dirt from the depths of hell out of my chair. Anyone who has ever had a bird and a cat will know what I mean. They shed...constantly! The part that I was amused by...was when the Kirby failed to get anymore dirt...I got out my Eureka Capture a couple of days later and sucked a TON of dirt out of that thing! And I didn't work half as hard at it as she did. So, now....why did I want a $2,500 vacuum? When my $160 vacuum done twice the job, with half the work? Of course, with any vacuum, you have to keep them up...clean filters and a tight belt. So, I honestly wouldn't have traded my Eureka for that Kirby even if he had offered an even trade!!!

So in closing...beware of the Kirby sales team...they are on the prowl, and the only thing they'll leave behind is a wasted night and a lot of fleas.

Have a fabulous weekend!

That Is One Cool Gift!

2010-01-04T09:55:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday!

I had the greatest idea this morning! And I really thought long and hard about it, then I realized it won't work. Are you ready?

We went to the farm last night despite the really cold temperatures, (17* was the HIGH yesterday!), to let the horses out. With all of the hub-bub over the holidays they got a little neglected in the getting-out-to-play department. After watching Dakota run herself silly for about 10 minutes, and getting Cherokee to play for a little while, we got into a little snowball fight. We are such big kids when it comes to the snow! We don't get much free time to do "nothing", so we really had a good time, and the farm provides great cover and tons of space to get away from each other. So...this led to the idea this morning...

What if someone really DID sell snowballs!??? I mean, really, sell snowballs? What a great idea! Especially for the snowball-making challenged! And YES, there are plenty of snowball-making challenged people out there. You could set up a stand in the park, we have one in particular that has a big hill that we all sled on. Wouldn't that be great??? Sell snowballs and have a huge snowball fight going on all the time! How cool would it be to make a little money off this white stuff, and have fun at the same time! Of course, they wouldn't be expensive...like 10 cents each. And then it hit me, that wouldn't be such a good idea at all.... Especially when we've had snow on top of snow lately, and we have yet to see one single kid out playing in it. Can it be that the art of snowman building and snowball fights have gone to the days of old, like letter writing? Yet, I logged into my facebook account, and had a snowball fight request. So, I guess now instead of going out and playing in the snow, people have virtual snowball fights too. Another good idea that's past it's prime....

Anyway, my real reason for this post is to brag about the gift the my bestie got me for Christmas! We just had our Christmas with them on Saturday night, and they got me the coolest gift! They got me (and Dakota!), a "Pet's Eye View" camera. It's this little camera that you clip on your dog and cat to see what they do when you aren't with them. They thought it would be fun to put it on Dakota and see what she's up to when I'm busy with other things! It takes pictures at set intervals, 1, 5, or 15 minutes apart. How cool is that???? I'm so excited to try it out on her...so be ready for some really strange pictures coming from her point of view. Hubs was teasing me about it, he said all we'd ever see is grass, water, grass, water.... We'll see!

So thanks so much to Lisa and EJ, I'm sure we're gonna have a ball with it as soon as I get it all charged up and ready to go!

Have a super day,

Hello 2010, Will You Be My Friend?

2010-01-01T17:22:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends! And a hearty welcome to 2010!

We had a very quiet evening as the New Year came in, partaking in a couple of movies and some finger foods with Mom and Dad. At Midnight, we were able to see the fireworks that were set off downtown from Mom and Dad's driveway, so that was a nice end to the evening. We don't normally get all jazzed up about the new year, but this year, I think we were even more quiet than usual. Things have been so messed up for the past few years, especially the last few months of 2009, that I spent most of the night trying to decide whether to be happy to see '09 go or sad because of everything that had happened. Eventually, by the time 2010 arrived, I realized that there is no point in being sad, only to look forward to better times. And better times will not come easy for us, so we're going to have to make our own happy memories as the new year rolls on. So, 2010, whaddaya say, wanna be friends?

I was asked a few minutes ago if I had made any resolutions, and sadly, I hadn't even thought about it yet. So, no, for now, no resolutions for me. I plan to work on myself consistently throughout the whole year, so I guess that's one. I guess I could go with the old standby, lose weight...but I have all but given up on that all the way around. Ah well, if I happen to think of any, I'll let you know.

To all of my friends, may the new year find you happy in the smallest of ways, as I realize that happiness means more than anything else in life. The rest is just...shall I say, "fluff". :)

Take care and Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T10:24:00.000-05:00

glitter-graphics.com

Still alive and kicking...but just barely...

2009-12-28T10:17:00.002-05:00

Hello all. I hope everyone had a safe and Merry Christmas! Ours was nice, it was less about gifts and more about family this year. Things are tight for our whole family, so everyone did the best they could and that was just good enough. The food was spectacular as always, Mom can just about outcook anyone, and we managed to keep our sanity, so that's always a plus!

I've had some serious trials for the past few months and have basically alienated myself from everyone. I talked with Ingrid the other day, and it felt so nice to feel like I still have a friend. I also chatted with Lori for a few minutes, and it was just like we'd never stopped talking. I spend most of my days feeling alone, so these calls were a welcome interruption to my usual stress-filled day. Thank you ladies!

I am having a very hard time dealing with some of the stress that I'm going through and I don't quite no how to get my act together. I won't devulge the details here, as I know prying eyes are reading, and quite frankly...it's none of their business. But I wish that I had more time for my friends, as I'm sure that they could help me through this time. However, some have written me off, and that hurts..more than words can say. I do know that everyone has bad times, and I do know that sometimes you have to get rid of the bad in your life in order to feel good, but how can people that I have known for years just turn their back on me, especially when I am already falling apart? I have been there for them, listened to their every bitch, piss and moan, but when it comes time for me to rely on them, they are no where to be seen. I guess that says it all...they didn't want to be my friend, they only wanted me to be theirs. They wanted me to be there for them to bitch at, but turn their head when I have something to say. I'm hurt...very, very hurt. I shouldn't rely on people, and this is a hard lesson learned for me. I come from a background of helping anyone you possibly can at all costs, and if they never return the favor so be it. But to completely shut me out when I need a shoulder to cry on is cold. Very cold. I guess it's a sign of the times...

Anyway, to all of the friends that feel like I have done this to them, I am very sorry. I did not intend to hurt anyone and I now know how it feels. Very alone.

On a brighter note, we're through Christmas...on to New Year's. I hope next year is kinder to all of us, we've just about had all we can take.

If I don't get to write again...Happy New Year friends!

Lesa's FLRR Block

2009-12-15T09:55:00.003-05:00

Really? It has been 2 months since I have blogged? REALLY? Okay. I have got to get out of this little time warp thing I'm in and keep better time. I just don't know where my time goes anymore...

Anyway, I finished working on Lesa's block eons ago and forgot to post it. Of course, we had a month void of mailing and I forgot totally about it, mailed late. The usual. ARG. One of these days I'll see a surgeon about removing my head from my ass. Until then, I guess I'll just have to deal with the discomfort.

Here's the pics...

I appliqued 2 toadstools on, and embroidered a little fairy peeking over the big one. I thought she turned out really well, until I looked at the pic and realized that it looks like she's wearing bunny ears. Well, crap... Also, you can see the toadstool seam treatment I did beside her using cast-on stitch and bullions for stems, I used DMC perl 5 for those. Those did turn out cute! The viney leaves underneath are done using fly stitch in varigated Edmar Iris threads.

An overall view of my work...the curved seam is me too. I also added a shooting star in the sky, and somehow forgot to take a picture of it.

Hope you like my work Lesa!

Have a wonderful day all,

Another Trip Around The Sun

2009-10-19T09:37:00.003-04:00

Hello Friends!

I'm doing this post more for myself than for public viewing, so if you get bored, I understand! It's been about 10 days since my birthday, and staying as busy as I do, I seldom have time to reflect on things, so I guess that's kind of what I'm doing today. Not that I'm not busy today, believe me, I am...just having a little bit of self doubt these days. I am hoping that if I make a list of things that I have learned and/or accomplished this year, that maybe I won't feel so bad about things. And if I put it here, I'll be able to look back at it...

So here goes... (I'm doing this from memory...trying to get it on a month by month basis, and will most likely be adding to it for some time.)

*I learned how to plan and execute a baby shower. I also learned how to make several new crafty decorations, and did everything by hand. It was a ton of work, but saved us a fortune! Learning how to make diaper cakes and baby bootie nut cups may never come in handy, but I know how to do it.

*I learned how to demolish a room without tearing the whole house down. It's a lot of work, but in the end, I did learn how to do it!

*I learned how to install exterior doors, trim and all, in an existing hole. Crooked, unlevel, existing hole. It was no easy task, that's for sure.

*I discovered that I am afraid of circular saws. Love jigsaws, handsaws, and reciprocating saws. Petrified of circular saws.

*I have become the master of the drill. Drilling and screwing. No problemo!

*I have learned that the only thing that will keep your car between the ditches in the winter is patience. I have none.

*No matter how much I love the snow, it still has to be shoveled, and that I don't like. I will like it even less this year, now that we have 2 horses to care for, and a realllllly long walk to shovel to get to Dakota.

*I learned that I can keep up with the housework. IF I don't have anything else to do. For 4 months, I managed to keep my house spotless, the laundry done, and the kids in clean cages. After that it was downhill to say the least.

*I learned that my Mom and Dad are packrats. The hard way!

*I managed to get the farm in decent shape this year, that's a major milestone. Cleaning out one of the barns led to the previous list item.

*I built a stall for Dakota.

*I learned the basics of conditioning horses. I knew a lot of it already, but have learned much more now that I'm actually doing it.

*I learned how to treat horses for Thrush. Not fun...but very handy to know.

*I learned how to vaccinate horses.

*I learned how to build a corral.

*I have learned and I am still learning the basics of caring for my horses hooves. That is trimming and rasping and frog-maintenance. Very glad I'm learning!

*I learned how prepare and seal a blacktop driveway. Again, not fun...

*I learned how much work painting trim on a house can be. Ugh...Harbor Sky blue....

*I learned how to properly caulk windows and doors. After I totally screwed up the first one :(

*I learned that when you do for people, do NOT expect them to greatful, most of the time, it doesn't happen. When it does, be surprised!

*I have discovered that in order to do what I want to do, I have to go without sleep. I don't get that much anyway, but I manage.

*I learned that organization is not a strong point for me, and I am no longer fighting it.

*I have learned that a bad situation can produce something good, since the barn was burned, we have made several friends in the neighborhood. It's nice to see a smiling face once in a while when we're at the farm.

*Every year, I wonder more and more why I bother decorating for the holidays. I learned this year that I have special decorations with a lot of memories, and that is why I do it.

*I built Dakota's barn doors all by myself. Yes, I'm proud of that! They aren't small and it wasn't easy, but I did it. The doors measure 6' wide X 12' tall, and 7' wide x 12' tall.

*We hung new runners for the barn doors, and got them up. It was a coooold windy day that we decided to do that, and it was difficult. So glad we got it done when we did, as it snowed and blowed 2 days later. Kept the snow out of the barn!

*We installed our 2nd garage door in 5 years. The first one was new, this one is new to us. (Used, but in GREAT shape!) Thank you to our wonderful neighbors for giving us their old door when they got their new one. We really wouldn't have been able to afford one this year.

*I have learned that I have a great lot of wants in life, and no idea how to achieve them. What a horrible feeling.

*I have learned that we can make due with the slimmest budget ever. Although, things look grim now, I am sure they will get better. Hopefully close to normal.

*I spent many hours shopping for the perfect thing, only to realize that it still sucks.

*I have come to despise plow trucks. I can't for the life of me understand why they think it is best to plow roads down to a sheet of ice rather than leave snow on them.

*There are times in my life when I have to stay away from other people. I can't deal with everything without losing my mind. I have been put through the paces for the past few months and I'm having a really hard time dealing with it. I just can't manage to keep my foot out of my mouth when I'm overstressed.

*We cut windows in both barns for the horses and framed them out. We still have to attach the plexiglass for them to keep the weather out, but they are sooooo enjoying them! Cherokee especially, as everyone in the neighborhood is officially wrapped around his little hoof. Sheesh, he's spoiled rotten!

To be continued....(I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of anything else right now!)

Alien World-FLRR

2009-10-15T09:59:00.003-04:00

Happy October all! I can't believe it's already October. No really, where did August and September go? Ah well...another trip around the sun for me, and still no spare time....

I finally finished working on Janet's Alien World Fantasy Landscape RR block and got it mailed. Geez...only 2 weeks late! And I know that I didn't do enough work on it, but I had to deal with life. And believe me, this past month has done nothing but reinforce the fact that I have NO spare time to do the things that I love. I'm sad because of it, but it's the honest to God truth. It took every ounce of spare time I had to get this much done, so please, please, please, don't be too angry with me ladies. And Janet, if you are reading this, I will gladly work on your block again once the RR is over and it comes back home. I really do want to do my fair share, but life gets in the way for me all to often. Ask Ing, she's been waiting for her fairy heart for eons now...and I promise to get it to her ASAP! (Even tho I'm sure she doesn't believe me!)

So anyway, wanted to share what I did manage to accomplish...

close up of the eyeball tree

close up of my version of alien flowers

and an overall view of my work

So anyway, I hope everyone is doing well, and I'm praying for more time for me.

Hugs~

My Crabs for Gerry

2009-09-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

Hi All, Gerry was askin' me if I had crabs, and I told her no, but I don't think she believed me....HA!

So I am gonna try to find my crabs and put them on my blog to share with everyone....

Hope this helps Gerry!

Have a super day!

Fantasy Landscape Block

2009-09-03T09:30:00.003-04:00

Well, I have been told to get my butt in gear and get rid of the under construction. So, I did! LOL!

I have been coerced into joining a new RR over at CQN, (more like threatened with the disappearance of my baby horsey!!!), so I did it. Talk about something that I was clueless about. This one is a fantasy landscape, and well, lets just say my imagination hasn't been at it's best for the past year or so, so coming up with a fantasy wasn't so easy for me. However, after a few days of cussing fabric, then thread, then more thread, I managed to get it together. I picture a secret garden type deal when I think of it, with tons of flowers, trees, critters, etc. Pretty much anything natural. And I got me a unicorn on there too. Guess that the fantasy part....

So, wanna see?

I can't imagine how it will look when it's done, the ladies working on this RR are all so good with ideas, I'm sure what I see and what they see will be two completely different things. I can't wait!

Have a super day,

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2009-07-31T11:18:00.000-04:00

Let me know what ya'll think so far!

Sullen Days

2009-06-10T09:47:00.005-04:00

Hi all, sorry for my absence. I was planning on blogging more, and then I had a bad week. A really bad week.

I have lost my baby bunny and one of my precious piggies. I have no idea what happened to Thumper, but Holly had a stroke. I miss them sooooo much, you have no idea. Here's pictures of both, I'm sure you have seen them, but still, I had to put them up again. Just seeing my babies brings tears to my eyes.

Thumper
Holly

I lost Thumper on Saturday May 30, and Holly on the next day. I have been so sad that I can barely function enough to get my day to day things done. I'm feeling better now, but I am still sad and miss them so very much. I know that it will be better with time, but the hole that is left in my heart will not heal so quickly, I love my critters way too much for it to heal overnight.

So, I hope anyone who was expecting to hear from me will understand and give me a few more days grace....

Hugs to all,

Just a catch up day....

2009-05-27T08:59:00.002-04:00

Hi All! Hope this post finds everyone well and happy! I have been really slacking, especially with my internet friends, and I hope you all forgive me at some point....

I'm trying to catch everything up today, which I know I won't get it all done, but I'm trying. So, for starters, I thought I'd catch up on my blogging.

First of all, Ing if you are reading this...it's going to be a couple more days before I send your little Flower Fairy heart out, I removed some work I did on it...it looked funky, and I'm redoing it now. Sorry, I know I promised it to you this week, I just really want to do my best and I want you to love it as much as I love mine!

We had a really nice Memorial Day weekend, we visited with our neighbors a bit on Saturday, and Mom and Dad came down Monday evening and we grilled out. It was pretty nice, though I didn't get to relax any, I think I'll survive!

I'm working on getting my flower beds cleaned out and planted, which is taking a lot longer than usual with my new little baby to take care of. I did manage to get all of my houseplants hauled outside and one flower bed weeded and planted before Memorial Day, so I'm getting somewhere, just really, really slow! I still have to plant my Cannas and Dahlias, and need to get that done THIS WEEK, or it'll be too late....

The kids here at home are doing wonderful, with the exception of Pearl, who has once again decided to lay eggs, and she's overdoing it again too. So far 13. Dang, I want her to stop, I just can't get her to. I've been giving her a calcium supplement to help with the strain that the egg laying is putting on her. I think she may be done now, or at least I hope. We'll see, today is the day she's supposed to lay again. The other birds are doing really well, as are the guinea pigs, bunny, mice and cat. The cat is as spoiled as she can be, and craving attention like crazy! I can't get her to leave me alone when I'm inside. She's so goofy!

The horses are doing great as well. Cherokee is having a bit of tooth trouble, so we floated them yesterday, which he absolutely hated. Poor guy, seems like we're always hassling him over something! His hooves are in really great shape now, and he feels like a champ! He even took a little interest in the new little filly. Not much, but at least he noticed her, HA! Speaking of the new little filly, I finally got her papers, and after looking it over, I have no idea where the name Gambi came from....Her registered name is Poco's Sweet Streaker. So, I've decided to change it, after all, she's a paint horse, and needs an Indian name. I couldn't come up with something I liked from her registered name, so I went back to her grandparents. Her name is now Dakota. Her maternal Grandmother's name was Dakota Summer Dew. She really seems to like it, and it's a pretty name for my pretty horse. Although, I wanted her to be my little girly horse...she's definately a get-down-and-dirty horse. So much for girly.... We're doing really well with our workouts, and she's ready to start working in the field rather than the enclosed cement between the barns. This will be interesting, as she thinks she is going to starve to death constantly. Hubs said he would help me until she learns that she is working and not eating in the field. I'll keep you posted on that one....

Alrighty, I think that's it...I'm off to do some laundry and a little stitchin' before bed!

Hugs to all!
Christy

WE DID IT! Hoo-rah!!

2009-05-19T10:53:00.003-04:00

Morning all! Just a quick update before I head off to bed. Me and my ol' car did it! We made it too 400,000 miles today! I'm so excited...you have no idea!!!!!!!! This is the longest a car has ever made in in the family....so, now we're setting a new goal of 425,000. We'll see....

Gawd, there should be a prize for her, she's been an awfully good car! Maybe I'll get her some premium gas in the morning, HA!
Past that, my new baby Gambi is killing me slowly. *LMAO* We've been doing really well with her workouts, and in fact, she even listened to me with someone lighting fireworks about a block from the farm! However, I can't get her back feet off the ground to clean them, and if I do, she throws a fit that you couldn't even begin to imagine! Yesterday she actually tried to rear and broke her cross ties. Thankfully, the barn held.... Anyhoo...I'm gonna try tying her outside the barn to a fencepost, with the thinking that maybe she doesn't understand the cross ties inside the barn. So, we'll see what happens. I have to keep reminding myself that she is very young, and full of sh*t, and I'm teaching her what she needs to know...and trying not to set in bad habits along the way. We've also got a plan going to get her a more endowed fence...or at least a taller one that she can't jump, and we'll be working on that later this week. Cherokee finally noticed her, whinneyed just a tad and showed off a bit for her on Saturday, so I guess he's not too old to care after all. However, since then, he's not giving her even the slightest flick of the tail. Fine by me, she seems to be over it too. Finally! Going on 3 weeks....

I'm also on a warpath with the weeds in my flower beds, so if I go MIA again, you will all know why....they won!

Alrighty...after fighting with this computer today, I'm ready for bed.

Have a wonderful day all!
Christy

Who Knew?

2009-05-13T17:12:00.002-04:00

I'm back! Who knew I could manage 2 posts in one day....ha!

Anyway, for those of you who know, or don't know, this is my car:
Not much of a looker...it's a 1990 Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon. 3.1 V-6. Not too exciting...but hey, it gets me from point A to point B most of the time. Now, I have owned this car for about 6 years now, and driving my paper route and doing my daily running in it has made it look pretty shabby, though it's still not as bad as a lot of cars I've seen on the road. I love this car, it has been a really good car, outside of needing 2 rack and pinions, 3 transmissions, and a set of heads, it's just been usual maintanence. You know, oil changes, brakes, tires, exhaust work, etc. Normal stuff. I am getting ready to turn a milestone that no other car we've owned has reached, and I want to share it with the world! So, are you ready...take a look at the next picture real good....

I'm on the verge of 400,000 miles! I'm so excited! I know, this is totally silly...but most people think that if they get to 200,000 it's a goner. Not this car, I expect to be driving her well into 500,000! Hell, when I bought this car for $200.00, it had 116,000 on it, so who knew I could rack it up to almost 400,000!??? I would love to get this car into some sort of record book...but have no clue how so I'm not going to fool with it. It has to be a record!

Think if I take it to the local Chevy dealership they'll give me a new car? LMAO...me either....

Anyway, just wanted to share this little excitement with you all, I'll keep you posted as to my mileage and how soon we hit 400,000! (Which shouldn't be too long with the miles I drive everyday!!!)

Happy motoring and keep it between the ditches,

Christy

Howdy!

2009-05-13T15:35:00.002-04:00

Hi all, I am so sorry for not updating everyone on my life. Well, the whole 1 person who actually reads my blog anyway! HA! Thanks for reminding me Ing! I tend to get crazy busy and weeks go by, and it only feels like a couple of days. I hate that. I couldn't believe that the last post was March 29, it seems like only last week. Maybe I have some sort of time warp going on....

Anyway, I have been crazy busy, as I stated above, with many things. First off, Mom had to have some dental work done, and it turned out to be more than she could handle. She was down for almost 2 weeks leaving me and Hubs to take care of her. Not that I minded, I always enjoy spending time with Mom. After getting her all squared away, all of our cars were on death row, leaving me yet again without a car, having to share with Hubs. Not a good thing, as I have so many things to do and not having a car really slows me down. But all is well in that department now, and will be posting more on that one a bit later. Which leads me to my latest venture...I bought a horse! YAY! I'm so excited! I kept saying I was going to, and never got around to it, however, this one presented itsself to me in a perfect light. I wasn't going to miss this opportunity, so I jumped in feet first. Our blacksmith had a 21 month old filly he had to get rid of, and thought that we'd get along well, so we went and looked at her and it was love at first sight! Her name is Gambi, she's a 21 month old registered paint quarter horse. Just beautiful! So after commiting to her, I had 6 days to clean out the barn and build her a stall. 20 years of my Dad storing junk and I had 6 days to clean it out. Amazingly enough, we got it done, literally an hour before she arrived! So she's here now and we're ironing out our differences slowly. With her being so young, I am delving into the world of horse training, and she is testing me to the very end. After a couple of sessions on the short rope, I think she's going to be a pretty good girl for me, that is if we can come to terms over the other horses. She thinks that she should be out playing with them instead of working for me, so there is our major difference in opinions. Anyways, I have pics to share of her, and they are all of the same horse, the first ones are in the sun and she looks brown, however, she's black! The last couple are more accurate of her coloration.

This was the first time that we met...

This was a "Look at me I'm pretty!" pose...

Working out for the first time...on the short line, as she's still a little too wirey for the long line.

So anyway, I hope you enjoyed meeting Gambi!

I'll be back later on with another post....

Hugs to all,

Christy

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-29T00:10:00.002-04:00

We celebrated Earth Hour 2009, so did the kids, even though they only used it for nap time, LOL. It was nice...kind of romantic, all the lights out and only candles. It seems as though not too many people participated, though we told our neighbors and they did. (I'm so proud of them!) Maybe more will catch on next year....

Have a great night!
Christy

Results of My Last Year...

2009-03-24T10:19:00.003-04:00

------Results of My Last Year Sitting At The Computer------

*I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about poison in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

*Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

*I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

*I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

*I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

*I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

*I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

*Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

*Because of your concern, I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

*I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl into my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

*I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

*I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

*And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for life.

*I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be nicked with a needle infected with AIDS.

*I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

*I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

*I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

*I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan.

*I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

*Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites me.

*And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

*I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

*If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels willinfest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...

*Have a wonderful day....

*Oh, by the way.....A South American scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their email with their hand on the mouse.

*Don't bother taking it off now! It is too late!

I got such a kick out of this, I had to repost! Hope you enjoyed it!

Hugs,
Christy

Some Bad News For Muncie Southside Alumni

2009-03-23T17:28:00.002-04:00

I feel like I should repost this, just in case anyone missed it. Jennifer and I were not close friends, but we did go to school together and we talked on occasion. I just absolutely cannot wrap my head around this brutal murder! I can't see Jennifer in this kind of situation, as I remember her as a sweet, quiet, polite girl who always had a smile for everyone.

Rest in peace, Jennifer, you will be missed!

Jennifer A. Stafford, 29, 708 N. Eastwood Ave., was found beaten to death inside her mobile home about 8:30 a.m. Friday by her mother, Debbie Stafford.

Debbie Stafford told The Star Press on Friday afternoon that Muncie police were looking for a man who had lent money to her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

City police on Friday night identified the suspect as Robert A.C. Murphy, a 40-year-old convicted felon from Muncie. Debbie Stafford suspected her daughter's slaying was related to the debt because her daughter's car, Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation were missing from the home Friday.

"Jennifer had no enemies," Debbie Stafford said. "She was a good, loving girl."Police on Friday morning issued a be-on-the-lookout for Stafford's missing silver 2004 Grand Am. Murphy was not publicly identified as a suspect until several hours later. "We have some things we are following," Muncie police Capt. Mark Vollmar said Friday afternoon. "But nothing I can release at this point." Family and co-workers became suspicious that Jennifer Stafford was in trouble after she failed to show up for work Thursday at the Ball Memorial Hospital Pain Clinic, where she was a medical assistant.

Debbie Stafford last spoke to her daughter by phone Wednesday evening. In that conversation, Jennifer told her mother that Murphy had stopped by her home that evening asking for her ex-boyfriend's new cell phone number. The suspect, according to Debbie Stafford, had been friends with Jennifer and her ex-boyfriend. Debbie Stafford said she spoke with Jennifer's ex-boyfriend by phone Friday and he was cooperating with the investigation. "He was very upset," she said. The couple had met online last year. He moved to Muncie from Ohio to be with Jennifer, her mother said. The pair lived together at Jennifer's home on Eastwood from December until they broke up in February, Debbie Stafford said. Stafford said she believed the ex-boyfriend might have borrowed money to move back home. did not know how much he owed.

Jennifer Stafford was believed to have been about three months pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, Debbie Stafford said. Jennifer Stafford also leaves behind a 7-year-old son, who lives with his father.

Neighbors didn't report seeing or hearing anything suspicious recently. The home is at the end of a dead-end street in an isolated neighborhood bordered by cornfields to the north. Jerry Walker said Stafford was quiet and once returned his dog when it got loose. "She was a real nice lady," Walker said.

Stafford's death is the first homicide inside Muncie city limits since Daiwaun Walton, 15, was killed by a stray bullet in a shootout on South Ebright Street on May 30, 2007.

*****The prime suspect in a Muncie woman's beating death is in police custody after surrendering Saturday at a local church.

Robert A.C. Murphy, 40, was being held without bond in the Delaware County jail, preliminarily charged with murder, auto theft and theft. Authorities allege Murphy killed Jennifer A. Stafford, 29, in her Eastwood Avenue mobile home. The victim failed to show up for work Thursday at Ball Memorial Hospital's pain center, and her body was found Friday morning by her mother.

The victim's car, a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am, was reported missing from her home, along with two video game systems.

"We know he was in her car on Thursday," Muncie police Capt. Mark Vollmar said shortly after Murphy's arrest.

Vollmar said investigators had not yet found the car, but suspected it might be in Flint, Mich., where Murphy reportedly visited his mother on Friday.

Police Lt. Al Williams, who was among the investigators questioning Murphy on Saturday night, said other items taken from Stafford's home had been recovered.

Williams said investigators believed the attack on Stafford had been prompted by "non-payment of a drug-related debt."

The victim's mother on Friday told The Star Press that her daughter's ex-boyfriend owed Murphy money.

Asked whether police believed Murphy had acted alone, Williams declined comment.

Before his arrest Saturday, Murphy had contacted local pastor Kevin Woodgett of Church of the Living God, 1120 E. Washington St. Woodgett said Saturday night he had talked to Murphy about the need to "clear his name, if he was not guilty."
The pastor arranged for Murphy to surrender, at the church, to Jason Walker, a sergeant with the Delaware County sheriff's department who also worships there.
Murphy was placed in custody about 4:20 p.m. by Walker, who drove the suspect to Muncie Police Department headquarters at city hall.
Walker said he had seen Murphy at church services but was not acquainted with him.
"He said, 'Brother Jason, I didn't do it,'" Walker recalled a few minutes after the surrender.

Earlier Saturday morning, Wayne County police chased, then stopped, a vehicle on U.S. 35 that they believed might contain Murphy. After eventually pulling the vehicle over near Economy, however, it was determined Murphy was not inside.
The vehicle involved in the pursuit was a Dodge Durango even though authorities were looking for Stafford's Grand Am.

In a Friday interview with The Star Press, the victim's mother said Stafford had told her in a Wednesday night phone conversation that Murphy had stopped at her home a short time earlier, asking for her former boyfriend's cell phone number.
According to Vollmar, Murphy told friends on Thursday that he intended to leave town.

Murphy was released from prison last September after serving time for a 2004 criminal confinement conviction. He was convicted of possession of cocaine in 2002, and has faced other drug-related charges that were later dismissed.*****

Happy Spring!

2009-03-23T16:38:00.004-04:00

Hi all, Happy Spring!

I was so busy that I didn't even realize that Spring arrived Friday morning. I'm so happy to see it come this year, and we are having really nice Spring weather right now too! I am however worried, as it is still March, and it is still basketball tournament time in Indiana, which normally produces a crazy snow storm. So.......for now I'm enjoying it to the fullest! I've been working in my flower beds, cleaning up winter's yucky messes, straightening up all of my birdhouses that have gone goofy from all of the wind, and we've even grilled a couple times! Oh my, how I have missed that little grill of ours! There isn't a better burger in the world!

So I have some pictures to share...

Robins, Robins, everywhere are ROBINS! That's a sure sign of Spring!
One of my little squirrels just HAD to have a drink, especially now that the birdbath is thawed out all the time! (And look at that GREEN grass behind her!)

Jonquils....

Glory of the snow... (WHAT?!? No SNOW this year???? That's okay....)

The first Tulip of Spring! This is a Firespray Tulip!

And the almighty Crocuses! Nothing says Spring like pretty little bouquets of Crocuses!

I love the first days of Spring, it's like an awakening for me. I get so down in the dumps around here in the winter time, so getting outside and getting mobile again really lifts my spirits! I love to hear the birds singing and the chatter around the neighborhood. Beautiful, just beautiful weather!

I hope everyone has a great day!

Hugs,

Christy

Erin Go Bragh!

2009-03-17T08:43:00.002-04:00

Have a great one, and don't forget to wear your GREEN!

Luck to you all,
Christy

Have You Ever...

2009-03-11T09:07:00.006-04:00

had a moment in time when you just had to stop and say, "DUH!!!"? I had one of those moments this morning. I have been having one hell of a time with my camera taking blurry pics for some reason. Well, today, out of nowhere, I realized why. And it's not something obvious like having my finger over the flash or in the picture either! I had been using it on the indoor setting to take pics of my CQ and things, (which normally would work for anyone--but me), and suddenly it dawned on me that I should be using the close-up setting. Oh what a world, what a world! My pics are FINALLY clear! Well, what do you know, I managed to get something right for a change! So, I took some more pics of my precious little flutter-by heart that Ing finished for me, and I'm gonna share them...right here, right now! And the best part...you can CLICK on them to see them even larger! I've finally gotten the hang of that, so clickity click away!

Also, I finally got around to finishing this little blue bird on the Bible cover. I swear, the littlest things take me so much time anymore. I cross stitched the birdie with waste canvas and embroidered the limb and flower leaf. The flower and tree leaves are SRE. I think it is a really cute addition, how 'bout you?

We're back to our funky weather here, we had a string of 60 and 70* days which I used to the fullest, working outside cleaning up the yard and believe it or not, taking down the Christmas lights. Of course, I always wait until it warms up to fool with those, I put them up in the cold, doesn't mean I have to take them down in it too! Besides, I've just been way to busy to worry about them anyway.

Cherokee is doing much, much better, and we are coming out of the last turn and heading to the finish line with the Thrush treatment. Saturday is his last day, he's so happy! I am too! We're both counting down the days.....

Time to go tend to the kids, they are hollering for breakfast! (Yes, the birds....and yes they eat breakfast! HA!)

Have a great day,

Christy

Hey Ya'll, Look At THIS!!!!!!!

2009-03-08T10:10:00.003-04:00

Oh Man! Have you ever seen anything more gorgeous in your entire life????? Click on it to see it up close!

This is the heart that I made for Ing to embellish for me! Holy macaroni, she did an amazing job!!!! I almost didn't recognize it when I opened it up! She really went above and beyond on my little Flutter-by heart! Look at all of those delicate stitches, just amazing, simply, amazing! I can't stop grinning, she has me all shook up today! I just love the dark blue patch, that metallic thread is gorgeous, and it really makes that butterfly pop, I couldn't believe it, (and even had to look!), but that is all stitched, not a trim or a ribbon, it is all little tiny stitches! Oh and that SRE butterfly, breathtaking! I tried doing something similar to that....didn't turn out nearly as gorgeous as hers did! And get this....that big pink butterfly in the middle, she MADE that. Yes, she did! Isn't it perfect? And the black roses and the spider, wowee...they fit together so beautifully. And my absolute favorite part is that little tiny pineapple, to always remind me what wonderful gal made it for me! I just love it, and can't say enough about it!!!!!!!!

Thank you so very much Ing, you are one very, very special gal, and soooo talented! Now I'm worried about my work! ;p

I hope you all enjoy, this is going in a frame to hang on my wall for eternity! LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Hugs and Happy Sunday,
Christy

PS. Don't forget to set your clocks up an hour for DST! (Bleh.....)

FINALLY!

2009-03-06T09:37:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday all!

I finally got the ONE seam on the Bible cover that I have been working on for like, oh I dunno, seems like forever, done. I decided to try and cover that funky polka-dotted patch with a grape vine treatment...as recomended by my dear friend JK. She always knows what to do when I get into a place I can't figure my way out of! And that goes for everything!!!

So here it is, for some reason it looks kind of blurry, sorry about that. I think it took up enough real estate to work, of course, I'll have to add some butterflies or something to it as well, but those will have to wait!

I thought my dang fingers were going to fall off before I got all of those french knots done. It has been quite a while since I have done this treatment, and now I think I know why. I do love it though, it is such a gorgeous seam now! Hideous before.....

In other news, life is crazy as usual, and yesterday was no exception. I was up and down all day, as the people 2 doors down had a busted water line that had to be dug up and replaced. I know it has to be done, but damn they were loud! Kept me up most of the morning, and when I finally crashed, Ing called, and I totally missed it! So, Ing, I am so sorry, I promise I will get back to you! They had dug up one of my neighbor's trees that she planted and nursed from a 10 inch tall sapling into a 10 foot tall tree as well. And I had given it to her, so she was intent on saving it, (in my opinion, they SHOULD have replanted it, but alas, no one does quality work anymore.), so I just finished helping her dig a hole big enough to get it back into the ground. I only hope it was in time. We have a ball doing stuff like that, and I swear, if anyone could hear us, they would think we have lost our marbles. In fact, I think we did, or at least we found a couple out there while we were digging! HA! So, if I sound more intelligent, that's why, I have a couple more marbles than I had yesterday.

Cherokee is doing well, we're past wrapping his foot now, so he is soooo much happier. I can see signs of new growth in the frog, so I'm sure we're getting the Thrush licked now. Ew, no, not licked....whooped. That's a better word. We're getting it whooped! Plus, spring is in the air and for some reason, he and the horse next door just noticed each other and the male ego is hanging out on both of them. They crack me up! Chance, (the horse next door), was actually whinnying at us yesterday. Sheesh....4 years on the same property and they are just now noticing each other? Give me a break, I know better than that!

Spring is in the air at home too, I have tons of flowers popping up every where! I'm so excited to see my Crocuses, Daffy Ducks and Tulips again. I love spring! And there are Robins singing all around too, that always lifts my spirits! I can't wait to start seeing all of the baby critters running around, that makes all of my hard work feeding in the freezing cold so worth it to me!

Well, I guess I have written enough this morning, I need to get some emails off and head for bed!

Have a super weekend!

Christy

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!

2009-03-02T08:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!

With much gratitude,

Christy

So Behind

2009-02-27T09:13:00.002-05:00

Good morning all!

Have you ever been so behind that you were behind in being behind? That's where I am at the moment. Not a good place either. I can't even keep up with being behind anymore....

So, this week has been busy, or well, maybe I should say, this week has been normal. The blacksmith came Sunday afternoon, only to find out that Cherokee has Thrush in his left front hoof. Now I have always been around horses, and I'm not going to say that I know it all, (by ANY stretch), but this is something new to me. And it is very common, so it is surprising to me that I haven't dealt with it before. I knew there was something wrong with his poor hoofie, I just didn't know what. Thankfully Murry, (the blacksmith) was coming so I didn't have to worry too much with it. He showed me what to do to take care of it, and it seems to be doing a little better now. It's been a long week of cleaning, treating and wrapping it though. And he's doing a wonderful job of fighting me every step of the way. There comes a time when enough is enough, and I have reached that point with him! Thrush is totally treatable, thankfully, and he will be fine. That is, if I don't hang him up by his ears between now and then.

Past that, I have been working on the Bible cover and Ing's heart, though I'm not making much progress on either. I have been dedicating my extra time to Cherokee, so I'm having to sneak in a few stitches here and there. I'll get them done, I swear I will!

The weather is turning cold again, after a week of nice warm temps, and everything is thawed out and mushy now. Crud, I really wish spring would hurry up!

Okey dokey, I'm heading off to bed!

Have a great Friday all!

Hugs,
Christy

A Few Things....

2009-02-21T08:28:00.007-05:00

Good morning!

How is everyone this morning? Good I hope!

I have a few things to talk about this morning! Yay me! HA!

I have spent the past 2 days doing my taxes, and let me tell you, I'm so glad that is over! I don't really mind doing them once I have them started, but getting to that point is like pulling teeth around here. I dread the very thought of it, but am usually happy with the results. Anyhow, it's over for another year, that is unless Mom decides she wants me to do hers this year. Doubtful though, she's pretty good about doing her own.

I have also done some work on that darn Bible cover. I'm having some real issues with this one, I don't know if it is my lack of creativity or if this thing is just being difficult. So, I thought I'd post a couple of pics this morning.

I dunno, for some reason, I'm having all kind of issues with the mid-section of this one. That pink polka-dotted piece is bugging me to death. I originally put it on there to do some SRE, but once I got it all sewn down, I realized that it is right on the binding. Not a good place for SRE! So, here I am, stuck with this patch and it is giving me dirty looks every time I pick it up. I need some ideas on this one....

Also, Ing and I have been working on hearts for each other for what seems like an eternity, but thankfully, we are both working at the same pace! I had to put hers aside for a little while, as I want to do my best for her, and I haven't had a lick of creativity for some time. I have gotten it out this week and done some work on it, and it is coming along nicely! You'll just have to wait, Ing, I'm not showing any sneak peeks! HA HA HA!!!! I am just thrilled to finally have the right mood to do a little stitchin'. I must say, I have missed it like a long lost friend.

After I finished my Taxes last night, I was in need of some simple minded entertainment. So I settled in with Hubs and the babies for a little TV. We were flipping through the channels and came upon TV Land, and a movie that I had not seen in many a moon. Revenge of the Nerds! I had forgotten how funny that movie is, and the characters too! I completely forgot that Anthony Edwards and John Goodman were in it. We laughed so dang hard at that movie, and it was just what I needed, mindless entertainment! Not to mention, the nerd gets the cheerleader, that's the best part! (being the nerd that I am....HA!)

So, anyway, I've gotta couple of things to do this morning, then I'm off to bed!

Have a great weekend!

Christy

Another New Look

2009-02-18T16:29:00.002-05:00

Howdy!

I just finished doing a make-over to the page, how's it look? I love the little Irish kitty! Well, I think I probably have some Irish in me, however, I'm not sure, but for the next Month, I've got just a wee bit in me!

I love changing things for the holidays, if you think I'm bad with my blogs, you should see my house.....

Have a great Hump Day!
Christy

RAOK Day

2009-02-17T10:12:00.004-05:00

Good morning all!

I was just looking at my calendar to see what is going on for today, and saw that today is Random Acts of Kindness Day! How awesome is that. Some folks already know this one, as I have been the recipient of many RAOK's in the past few years, but until today, realized I haven't done as many RAOK's as I have recieved. So, that's my goal for today, to do at least 1 RAOK. Look out! HA!

Past that, not a whole lot of news on this end, just the same old stuff! I just wanted to promote Random Acts of Kindness Day, so do your part, commit to a RAOK and git-er-done!

Hugs,
Christy

Woo Hoo, My 100th Post!

2009-02-09T09:34:00.004-05:00

Hi all! Welcome to my 100th post! I'm so excited, it only took me 2 years..... And here, I don't have much to talk about today......

So, got the bad news from the insurance co. The wreck is definatly my fault. I was expecting that, however, when I talked to the claims agent, I told her that I don't think that all of the damage on that truck was from me. Once I told her about it all, she seemed to agree with me..... So, they are sending someone to investigate! I can take my lumps, fine...it's my fault, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and watch this kid take my insurance company for a ride!

Also, we have hot water again. We have had since my last post. It was a thermostat that went out, so hopefully now it's fixed for a while. I'm definately more greatful for hot water now, if nothing else! HA!

Not much else to talk about today, just having a stretch of really warm weather, (or at least really warm for February in Indiana), and finishing up some things I didn't get done in the fall. Like putting away some of my pots that were still sitting out, and thankfully didn't bust in all of the freezing cold temps. Why things get away from me like that, is totally beyond me.

I also did a little stitchin' over the weekend, not much, but at least I'm starting to feel a little more creative now. Guess the winter "blahs" are worse this year than usual.....

Alrighty, I'm off to bed for the day!

Happy Monday!
Christy

February Is Here, And Along Came Drama.....

2009-02-03T10:01:00.002-05:00

Morning All!

I swear, I thought when January was over that things would start looking up. Yeah right, who was I kidding?

I posted about my wreck, so far no news. I'm hoping when the insurance company gets the accident report that it will be in my favor, but very doubtful. We'll see.

On top of that, my hot water heater has quit again. I'm telling you what, I'm ready to scream! I know that not having hot water is definately not the end of the world, but what a huge inconvenience! I mean really, having to boil water for everything sucks. It went out a couple days ago, and we thought we had it fixed with a new heating element, but turns out it may be worse that we first thought. Hubs is going to take another look at it tonight, but I'm expecting to have to bury this one and get a new one. Of course it's happening in the dead of winter when the truck is snowed in at the farm. ARG! Maybe the neighbors will let us use their truck so we won't have to pay a delivery fee. What next? Oh God, maybe I shouldn't ask that......

Anyhoo, I stopped in on the list (CQ for Newbies) this morning and said hello to everyone, it was nice to get in there and read a few messages. I'll never get caught up on everything, so I probably won't try until I have more time. I'm working on that too.....

It's snowing again here, but I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, we're gonna have 4 days above freezing this weekend! WOO HOO!!!!!!!! Though, I'm worried about where all of the water is going to go when all of this melts (and it supposed to rain this weekend too!). I'm going to try and get in later on tonight to post some pics of this crazy snow.

For now though, I'm off to bed!

Have a great Tuesday!

Christy

What A Damn Night

2009-02-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

I'm home. Almost got everything delivered through snow drifts that were not measureable. Had a wreck, now I'm pissed off to no extent and probably won't be sleeping much today.

And on top of that, the little bastard is trying to say that I did all of the damage to his truck, when there is absolutely NO WAY IN HELL! I was only going about 5 mph. Bull shit.

I was told to let the insurance co. fight it out. Guess I have to.

Anyway, here's to a shitty start to my day.

Christy

Wind+Snow=Stuck

2009-01-30T06:46:00.004-05:00

Good Morning! Well, I'm not sure how good it is, but......

I'm home, really, really cold, wet and tired. I didn't get my route finished again today. In fact, I didn't even get out in the county at all. Well, I did, ergo the equation. I made it approximately 1 mile into the county, and I was plowing through drifts 2 feet deep the whole way. I hit a hard one and it stopped me dead. So, after about 10 minutes of hopeless shoveling (OH GOD, NOT AGAIN!!!!!) Someone came down the road with a plow and plowed the snow out in front of me. He also loaned me a larger shovel, since I only had a small telescopic one. So, once I finally got it completely dug out, I was able to turn around and go back the way I came without incident. Needless to say, that's as far as I got!

So, thank you to the wonderful Gentleman in the older red pickup truck with the snow plow, I will be looking for you to leave you a note of thanks! (I also hope your shovel is still there when you come home!)

So, I was watching the news last night, and they are saying we could be getting another storm Monday-Tuesday of next week. Holy macaroni, where is it gonna go???

Okay, I'm off to bed, I need to get up early and try this stupid route again this afternoon, hopefully after they plow the roads!

Happy Friday to all,
Christy

PS. Again to my customers, hang in there, I'll get to you as soon as I can!

Anyone Wanna Shovel For Me?

2009-01-29T09:11:00.003-05:00

Good Morning Friends,

Thought I'd pop in with a quick post before bed. What a day and night we had here! It finally stopped snowing just before noon, which was a full 24 hours since it had started. The final tally, 12.8 inches. That's the official total from the weather service. In MY backyard, it's more like 14 inches. It is just beautiful! Glorious snow!

Now, you didn't think I could possibly end this without bitching a little did you? Oh come on, just a little......

I have shoveled and shoveled until my shoulders feel like I have been carrying around the world on them! Oh yeah, I'm not kidding either! Before I came home yesterday morning, I had already dug out the drive at the farm, a path all the way to the barn and in front of the barn door so I could get it open. Then I went to Mom's and dug out part of her driveway so she could park, her sidewalks and paths to the places she needs to go in the yard. Then I came home, dug out all of my birdfeeders and paths to each of them, paths for the squirrels to get to the trees and about 2/3 of the driveway. After I did some work around here, I went to bed, got up and started all over again! I know that we need plow trucks, I do, but GIVE ME A BREAK! Everything I shoveled out at the farm was just full again, so with some help from Hubs, we dug it all back out again. Then we went to Mom's to finish her driveway, and the plow trucks had pushed so much snow up in her driveway that I got stuck just trying to pull in. AWWWWGGGG!!!!!! After we got that done, we came home to see that we haven't YET had a plow truck down our street, and believe me, it's an udder mess. This has been such a crazy winter, I just don't know what's gonna happen next! Other than the fact that they are predicting another "heavy snowstorm" for Monday night and Tuesday. Yay. More shoveling. We keep talking about getting a snowthrower, but I tell you, it would have had to be a big one this time, that stuff was heavy! So anyway, I'm tired, grouchy and sore. Imagine that, me, grouchy?

On a lighter note, I did get my papers all delivered tonight! YAY! Some of my customers may not be real happy with me, because if they didn't shovel out around their boxes, I tossed it under them and went on. I'm not getting stuck in that crap again. I had about 1/3 of them who went above and beyond for me, and I am so grateful! Thank you to those who think about us, even though I wonder if they did it for us or the mail carriers. That are soon to be delivering only 5 days a week, compared to our 7. Ah well, that's another post....

Alrighty, I'm off to bed! Happy Thursday all!
Christy

Well...Make That A No-Go!

2009-01-28T08:03:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm back home. I'll call this one a no-go for me! I'm not the only one, several county routes pulled off and went home this morning!

I got stuck on SR32, had to get out and dig myself out and said no way once I saw that I was pushing 2 inches of snow with my car. I would not have even made it a mile into the county!

So, just in case any of my customers happen upon my blog today, I know you didn't get your paper, I will get there as soon as possible. This is the Eastern most part of Delaware County and the Western part of Randolph County, from Selma to Farmland. I honestly tried, I hope you can understand that.

I'm absolutely worn out from all the shoveling I have done in the past 4 hours, so I'm gonna grab a quick bite to eat and head for bed. I'll be up in a few hours to try it again.

Have a great day!
Christy

PS. We are at 12+ inches and counting! I'll get pictures as soon as I can, but for now, it's still coming down like gangbusters out there!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

2009-01-28T03:28:00.002-05:00

Hi All, just a quick weather note...it's snowing! And I mean snowing!!!!!!!!

So far I'd say we have about 6 inches and it's supposed to keep going until noon today. Sheesh, I'll be digging out for hours!

I'll try and post a couple pics tomorrow when all is said and done!

Off to dig out my car and head off to work!
Christy

Crazy Kmart Super Double Coupon Stock Up Shopping

2009-01-28T02:47:00.005-05:00

Did you get all of that? That's a mouthful, huh?

Alright, so I finally got my blog changed, to a Valentine's Day theme. I even added some love songs to my player so you can all get romantic with your computer. You know, light a couple candles, pour a glass of wine and sweet talk it. Yeah, that's what I do, LMAO! I'm even getting caught up on my emails, although, so far, I'm really, really far behind on my Facebook requests, so if you are one of them, then just hang on to your britches, I'm getting there. Last time I worked on them, there was something like 70 requests. Grrrrrr.....I'm so tempted to ignore them all and start over!

So, last week Kmart was having Super Double Coupons up to (and including) $3.00, and boy oh boy did I have fun! My husband thought I had lost my mind! I stocked up on everything I could, as I had tons of coupons that I have stockpiled for the past 2 months. A few which were getting ready to expire, I used them just in the knick of time. So here's the pics of what I got....

Shopping trip #1:

Shopping trip #2:

Unfortunately, we are very brand loyal when it comes to our hygiene products, or I could get off a lot cheaper, but it is what it is. Mostly because I have sensitive skin, and well, these are the products that I KNOW won't give me problems, LOL. Some of the prices, I probably could have waited and gotten better deals elsewhere, but I'm not too sure on that. I've only been couponing a few months! Here we go:
Crest: 3.99- 3.00=.99
Head & Shoulders: 4.50-2.00=2.50
Degree Deoderant: 2.69-1.00=1.69
Dove Deoderant: 2.69-1.50=1.19
Dove Soap: 8.99-2.00=6.99
Olay Soap: 4.99-2.00=2.99
Vaseline Lotion: 2.99-3.00= .01 overage (FREE!)
Revlon Lipstick: 6.99-4.00=2.99
Revlon Shadow: 5.99-4.00=1.99
Softsoap Hand Soap: 1.29-1.00=.29
Covergirl Lipslicks: 4.49-2.50=1.99
Covergirl Mascara: 4.49-2.50=1.99
Covergirl Compact Makeup: 8.49-2.50=5.99
Almay Shadow: 4.31-2.00=2.41
Covergirl Smoothers Foundation: 7.49-2.50=4.99
Revlon Lipgloss: 5.99-4.00=1.99
Kotex Liners: 3.49-1.50=1.48
Kotex Pads: 6.00-2.00=4.00
Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid: 2.33-1.00=1.33
Scotch Giftwrap Cutter: 2.99-2.00=.99
Crest Rinse: 7.29-2.00=5.29
I got a few other things too, but didn't have coupons for them, just things I had to have. So my totals are:

Spent: $266.87
Saved: $235.61

I don't think I did too awful bad, especially since I took $300.00 with me and didn't spend it all! YAY! So, we are now stocked up for the rest of the year, and probably some of next year. I'm excited about it all, really, and I know just how goofy that is! It amazes me how much things like deoderant, shampoo and bar soap can run up your grocery bill each week, so I'm hopefully going to see a change in that now. Next I plan to stock up on paper goods, so look out!

Let me know how you all think I did, don't be tooooo critical of me! HA!

Happy Hump Day all,
Christy

Winter's Wrath

2009-01-19T09:12:00.002-05:00

Hey all...long time, no post!

I hope everyone is doing well, and staying warm this winter.

We are having one hell of a time here! This has been an unusual winter so far, and I can honestly say, I'm tired of it. Bring on the sun and warmer temperatures! I can't believe I'm saying that, I'm a winter lover....and I do still love it, especially the fresh coatings of snow, but this one has a hold on us, and I'm not seeing any end in sight. Things started out rough with tons of freezing rain, which made for impossible travel. We then went into snow mode, got like 5 inches, and then off and on snow showers for days. Oh yeah, and don't forget those below 0* days, those were fun! One night, the actually temperature was -18*, windchill was something like -35*. That's cold. Too cold!!! For those of you who don't know, I deliver newspapers. Not the greatest job in the world, but it allows for me to do everything that needs to be done and work. My route is 87.5 miles every night, plus a 15 mile drive to and from. The to and from isn't so bad, as it is state highway all the way, but my route is a country route, so the roads are naturally awful. I have been doing this same route for 8 years now and in that time, I have only been towed out 4 times. I don't think I'm doing too bad in that area, however, if the roads are bad, we are given the choice to use our best judgement and go home. I can only remember maybe 4 or 5 times in the 8 years pulling off my route and going home, even if it took me 3 times as long to deliver. Well, one of those days was Saturday the 10th, because of freezing rain. It was like driving on a mirror with water on it. Anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, go find a mirror and put a layer of water on it, see how dang slick it is. I am in constant contact with my District Manager, and that morning, I had just finished sliding down a hill sideways when I made the call to go home. She informed me that it was my call, and to put my safety first. So, I went home. I don't recieve customer information from the weekend until Tuesday morning (as no one works on Saturday or Sunday to print it.....grrrrrrrrrr), so, come Tuesday morning, I got a poor service stop. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? I couldn't keep my car on the road, and I got a poor service stop? So, whatever, I'm still angry, and probably will be for quite some time. I have been spending countless hours on those roads, fighting ice, snow, school buses, snowplows, and trash trucks through this nasty weather, most nights spending double the time out there, and a few spending triple the time. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, however, I'm trying to understand why it is that some people just don't get it. I mean, if YOU have to leave early to get to your destination, don't you think it's gonna take me some extra time to get to you? And yes, I know that 2 hours later than normal seems like a lot, but if you take into account the fact that I drive 87.5 miles, then that is about right. Of course, in order to understand that, then you would actually have to think that maybe I deliver more than just 1 or 2 roads. Right now, I have 165 customers daily and 188 on sunday. That's how many times I have to slide to a stop, spin to get going, and that's not even counting stop signs and turnarounds. Give me a break! Oh, and my favorite line....the mailman got here on time, why didn't you? Oh, MY GOD! Did it ever occur to you that the mailman is out in the daytime when it is 10-20* warmer, and the paper carrier has already made a PATH? Yeah, think about it....when I start, I usually am making a path through freshly fallen/plowed snow. Ergo, the mailman has a much easier time. Plus, the mailman only works 6 days a week and has freakin' holidays off! You wanna know when the last "real" day off I had was? August 16, 2004. I took 2 days off to get married. Oh yeah, and then there's that little thing called money. They make a LOT more than we do. I make 1.00 a week, per 7 day customer. It sounds cheap...in fact it is, especially knowing how much they pay for that stupid thing. It adds up nicely, plus I do get a gas allowance, so that helps too. So, anyone out there who is reading this, and mad at their paper carrier for not getting there on time....stop and put yourself in their shoes for a minute.

Wow, didn't know I needed to vent that badly! Sorry about that!

My purpose of this post was not to vent, honestly, but to say that I'm sorry for not being around as much as I expected to be this January. I have been so tired that all I want to do is sleep and eat and sleep some more. Plus, I'm trying this thing where I actually keep up with my work around the house.....so far so good. One of my resolutions this year! I do believe that I am getting in a groove with that and will be able to stay on top of things. However, on the same note, I'm getting sick again, so it may fall by the wayside this week. I hope I don't get that bad....but we'll see.

Also, I'm excited! K-mart is having Super Double Coupons this week! Doubled up to $3.00! Holy macaroni!!!!!!!!!! (wow, is this what my life has come to? Excited over double coupons.....) I have some coupons that I have been hanging on to for just such an occasion.....and they are good ones too, some are $2.00 and 2.50 each! WOO HOO!!!!!!! I'll be sure to let ya'll know when I get there how I did. I'll also be on the hunt for some good online coupons this week, so if you know of any, let me know too! I'm hoping to stock up on some essentials....and some not so essentials too. HA!

I still haven't had much time for my sewing, or well, anything, and that's gonna change this week, I hope. I know I still have my Christmas layout and music on here, and I'll get to that first, hopefully tonight. It takes me a few minutes to change it, unlike my MySpace page, I can change that in 30 seconds flat. And I will get to phone calls and emails this week too....I'm just learning to live on less sleep. LMAO, I don't know how much less I can do, but we'll see!

Alright, on that note, I'm off to bed, see ya'll soon!

Have a great Monday!
Christy

Happy Optimistic New Year!

2009-01-02T08:26:00.002-05:00

Good Morning all!

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that this year is better than last. I know that a lot of people have had a hard year, and I am optimistic that this year will be better!

I've made a few resolutions...I won't share now, but I'll let you know if I keep any of them!

I'm off to bed, early to bed early to rise!

Hugs,
Christy

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T08:10:00.002-05:00

glitter-graphics.com

Good Morning!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a safe and happy Turkey day!

I have been busy, busy, busy, cleaning and cooking. I got the house cleaned good, finally, with just a couple of finishing touches to go. Yesterday I spent all day baking pies, which starved me to death! I can't wait to tear into those things!!!!!!!

We have a new baby to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Lisa gave birth to Lillee Jean at 4:05 am Tuesday, November 25. She weighed in at 5.7 lbs at 17.5 inches. She came a whole month early, and will be staying at the hospital until Friday morning. I say she wanted out early for the food....LOL! So, we have been extra busy, as we just HAD to go to the hospital to meet little Lillee. She is so precious, and yes, I have pictures, but you'll have to wait!

So, if you have tried to contact me....that's why I have been MIA. Sorry! I will get back to everyone after the holiday, this week has just been crazy!

I'm heading to the kitchen now.....more food! YUM!!!!!!

Hugs to all!

I just need to vent a little this morning....beware!

2008-11-20T08:51:00.002-05:00

Why is it that people are so dang grouchy t his time of the year? I mean, it seems like as soon as Halloween is over, the whole world goes to hell! Seriously, why is that? Is it the stress of the holiday shopping season? That seems like a silly reason, after all, the holidays aren't about gifts, they are about family and friends. Yes, I know, everyone loves to give and get gifts, but why has that become center stage over a friendly visit or a phone call from someone you haven't talked to in a while? I don't know, but I know that I'm tired of dealing with people already, and Thanksgiving isn't even here yet. And the truth be known, I don't walk around spewing rainbows or anything, but I am not short and rude either. I give a smile when I pass someone, say PLEASE and THANK YOU (which I think is honestly becoming a lost art!!!), and for the most part I try to be pleasant. Of course, there will always be people I don't understand, but the rude behavior is so unbecoming and I just don't get why they feel that they have to be that way.

Which leads me on to my next point, rude drivers. We have all done something stupid, and probably something inconsiderate on the road, most likely on accident. However, it seems more and more that people have the inability to open their eyes and look beyond their cars. I drive the same roads day after day, at a pretty regular time, and it never fails, I have at least 1 close call every single day. I have saw more people blatantly run stop signs in this past week than I think I have in my entire life. They don't even slow down, just fly through it as if it doesn't exist. Now I am pretty cautious and if I see headlights coming towards an intersection, I automatically start slowing down. That isn't a common thing though, what if someone "new" moves into the area and doesn't know that these nitwits are flying around with no reguards to signs? Where are the police that should be watching for these guys? Not to mention the people who seem to think the highway is the Autobahn. What the heck is up with that? I follow the speed limits, #1 because I can't afford a speeding ticket, and #2 because I can't afford a speeding ticket. I'm not some stick in the mud that thinks that every rule has to be followed. Believe me on that one.....I'm just not. But I have come to realize that I can't waste money, and speeding is a waste of money. But why don't these people ever get caught? I'm not talking about 5 mph over, I'm talking leaving me like I'm standing still! I don't know.......

I'm almost done, bear with me. I went to the grocery store last night. I have been doing really well with planning meals around sale items and stocking up on sale items that I have coupons for, other wise known as "can't pass it ups". So, I saw that the sale was almost over for the week and there were a few "can't pass it ups" I wanted to pick up and I get there and they were out of almost every single sale item in the store. What the hell? I mean really, if you are gonna put it on sale, at least get extra! There were a couple of things I could have lived without, honestly, but it still made me mad. Why advertise things that you don't have? And the biggest one was the turkey sale. I know, I know, everybody has them this time of the year, but I went the day the sale started and they had like 5 turkeys. WHAT? Yeah.....well, you advertise turkeys at $20.00 off, and all you have are 5 turkeys? And to beat that, they were little turkeys. We usually do between an 18-20 lb turkey, all they had were 12-13 lb. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It is so irritating! So, all in all, I did pretty good, I spent 98.00 and saved 31.00. Not bad....especially when this is enough food to get through 2 weeks, and about 2/3 of Thanksgiving dinner. Whatever, I'm just bugged this morning and nothing seems to be helping!

Okay, last but not least, my sweeper died 11 days ago. I loved my sweeper, it was the best little fella a girl could ask for. Or so I thought! I gave in after 5 days of trying to get mine fixed and bought a new one. My old sweeper was a Eureka Whirlwind bagless, and I loved it so much, I thought I'd get another Eureka. This one is called a Eureka Capture. Let me tell you, my house was GROSS! Apparently my old trusty Whirlybird had been on it's last leg for quite some time. I have 2 rooms with carpet, both are equally 14'X15' rooms and I filled a grocery bag 3/4 of the way full in just one cleaning of each room. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I was so grossed out at the thought that we had been living in that crud and I didn't even know it! Okay, so I'm not exactly a clean freak, but I keep house fairly well. I had been sweeping the floors quite a bit as to deal with the flea problem that we've had all summer, so it was VERY hard for me to believe that it was that dirty. I think I know now why I have had such a battle with fleas, as the old sweeper was aparently not doing it's job so well. This new sweeper has 4 filters, 3 of which you just wash, and I have already had to wash them. I am just sooooo grossed out! And my house has never smelled so fresh! Really! I have tons of critters, so that is always a problem, but I really feel like things are clean now. Of course, I used to feel that way with the old sweeper too.....LOL. All in all, I love my new sweeper, I do have 2 issues with her though.....the cord seems to always be in the way, it doesn't have one of those clippy things that holds it up by the handle and the hose is too short. It's stretchy, but it's too short. I used to be able to reach my ceiling fans with the old one, and this one, I can't. But that's okay, I'll survive that! Oh yeah....my other issue, it's green. Lime green. Bleh! I do miss the friendly light blue of my old model, but I do think I'll get over it, that is, as long as she keeps up the good work!

Alright, I think I'm done now, but I can't make any promises.....

Have a great Thursday all!

Valuable Coupons I Thourght I'd Share!

2008-11-12T08:28:00.003-05:00

Good morning, All!

I was just looking up some coupons for my fall cleaning products...ergo, it's the holidays and well....I need to clean the house, since I didn't get it done in the spring.

So, I have found some great coupons!

Windex, $1.00 off any windex product:
http://www.windex.com/

Pledge, $1.00 off any product:
http://www.pledge.com/

Scrubbing Bubbles, different deals....$12.00 in savings!
http://www.scrubbingbubbles.com/coupon/2008-09-SB/

Lysol products, tons of coupons!
http://www.lysol.com/products/product-promotions

Of course, with each of these, you have to enter your info, but it was worth it to me!

Hope ya'll get a little help with your holiday cleaning!

Have a great day!
Christy

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T08:20:00.002-05:00

They Did Their Share

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

By Joanna Fuchs

Borrowed from: http://www.poemsource.com/patriotic-poems.html

Thank you, to all Veterans, young and old.

Have a safe and thoughtful day,

Christy

New Project

2008-11-08T09:08:00.015-05:00

Hi all!

I'm working on a new project! I know, a new project? Amazingly enough, yes. A friend/customer on my route requested a bible cover! She originally asked for a lighthouse in the center of the front and nature as a theme, but then she saw my checkbook cover and fell in love! So, that's the theme!

Not to shabby, huh? At least I haven't forgotten how to piece a block. Now, the seam treatments may be another story....hee hee hee....

Have a great weekend!

Get Out And Vote!

2008-11-04T09:39:00.004-05:00

Comments & Myspace layouts

Just a quick post before bed this morning, and a friendly reminder....GO VOTE!

It's the only way to be heard, and you and only YOU can vote for yourself. Make your vote count.....get out and vote!

There's a great post by one of my fellow Munsonians, TS Jefferson....great read, with great voting tips! Go to:

http://patrioticpost.blogspot.com/2008/11/vote.html

Have a great Election Day, USA!

Hugs,
Christy

Get your own myspace graphics or myspace layouts at MyspaceBrand.com

Blog Issues, No More!

2008-11-04T09:34:00.001-05:00

WOO HOO! It must have been a problem within blogger, I got it fixed this morning. I even got my blog lists back! YAY! (Of course, that was a little work, Ha ha ha!)

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Hugs,
Christy

Having blog issues

2008-11-03T17:56:00.001-05:00

Hi all....I can't seem to get my blog to do anything I want it to do. I may be stuck for eternity with the happy halloween graphic, as I can't get it to go away. And I lost my bloglist. Great.

Anyway....bear with me as I go thru changes for the next few days!

Hugs,
Christy

Pet My Turkey!

2008-11-03T09:40:00.001-05:00

Page Pets & MySpace Layouts

Who ARE These People????

2008-11-01T08:48:00.004-04:00

So, Halloween's over for another year, and I'm sighing a sigh of relief and dread. All of the hoopla is over, and now it's time to disassemble everything and tuck it away for another year. We had a ball last night! Every year just seems to get more and more exciting, and this year was definately no exception. We didn't have nearly as many kids as usual, but I'd say there were around 70 kids. We had some spookers and some cuties, ranging from pirates to Chucky. Everyone did an excellent job this year!

So, here's some pics of our costumes....we actually had time to get ready this year as hubs decided to take a couple hours off work. Hey, it's his vacation time, he can use how he wants to! HA!

The Spell Spinner's in:

The Undertaker's ready to dig.....

Witchy woman! Maggie, our next door neighbor:

Um, well...I guess we'll call this one the Drunk Hippie Clown from Hell. Our other neighbor, Danny:

The Drunk Hippie Clown from Hell meets the Undertaker:

Awwww.....it's LOVE!

The whole Boo Crew after all was said and done:

Maggie's daughter and granddaughter, Daniele and Kyla:

We got some good scares in on the kids, and adults as well. I have more fun watching the guys scare the kids than I do anything else! The Undertaker stood silent and waited for someone to walk by, then the spook was on! He'd jump at them and walk behind them....scares 'em every time! The Drunk Hippie Clown spent the night running around in the street, waving them in for the Undertaker to scare. As for Maggie and I, we sat on the porch and passed out the candy. We had the easy jobs last night!

Well, I'm worn out today....who knew having fun could be this exhausting!

Hugs to all,

Christy

Happy Haunting!

2008-10-31T10:06:00.005-04:00

Good morning, I'm in a frantic rush this morning to get things ready for the trick or treaters tonight and inpromptu halloween party that we are having. Kind of just throwed together at the last second....just Danny and Maggie, Lisa, EJ and Aly, and Mom and Dad, but still....I haven't cleaned house this week because of all of the decor sitting around waiting to go out tonight. Anyways, I wanted to get pics of our deco posted before Halloween is over, LOL! So here goes!

The house from across the street:
Close up of the front porch area:

The haunted cemetary:

New for this year, a cackling witch who stirs her smoldering cauldron: We affectionately call her Broomhilda!

Broomhilda's sister, Matilda, who had, um....a little accident:

NO TRESSPASSING! The attack skeleton's on duty, along with his trusty pets:

T-Bone, straight from the Hell's Skeleton club:

An Eerie warning:

The reason for that eerie warning, a 3 foot animated spider!

Spidey's den:

The Royal Spell Spinner's throne: (ME! LMAO!)

He's pointing the way:

The Spell Spinner's loyal pet, Frizzo:

What a dummy.....

That's one BIIIIIG spider, oh and a big ol' kitty cat too!

The front door:

And last but not least....also new this year, spidercicles!

As for pics of me and hubs dressed to kill, you'll have to wait until tomorrow! That was a great pun....LMAO!

Alright, hope ya'll enjoy, I'm sure I'll have plenty more to share tomorrow!

Have a safe and happy halloween!

Christy

Cha-Ching!

2008-10-27T08:52:00.003-04:00

Good morning!

After a long week of being sick, I'm still sick, just not as bad. I at least sound normal, can breathe again without using a half box of snot-rags just to get from one room to another, and my cough is down to a mild back-breaking hack now. *LMAO*

I finally made it to the grocery store....it was either that or start chewing on the woodwork! The cat thought for sure that I was going to starve her to death, EVEN THOUGH she still had 2 cans of food in the cabinet. Hubs was on the verge of delirious, seeing mirages of big ol' steaks and potatoes. Okay, so it wasn't quite that bad, but it was getting there very rapidly. So, I went, and I SAVED! WOO-HOO! It's not like I've never used coupons, I've just never used them like this. I couldn't believe how much I saved by using coupons for sale items and planning my meals around sale items. It was a bit tough, but I did it in less than an hour. So, are you ready to see how much I saved yet? Okay, well here goes!

I spent $189.88 (WAAAAAAY more than usual, but I was out of basically everything!)
I saved with coupons: $24.25 (doesn't seem like much does it?)
I saved with in store savings card: $49.42 (that's better.....)

My total savings was: $73.67! That's a savings of 39%! I was impressed and shocked all at the same time!

Now, I have a challenge for all of you ladies out there...can you beat me? I'm sure you can, I'm new to the game.....give it a shot and see how you feel afterwards. I almost feel like I cheated the system somehow! HA!

In other news, it snowed this morning. Yep. That cold, crisp, white stuff is back for another season of driving hell. YAY! No accumulation yet, but they say we could get an inch tonight. I can't believe that it was 60* F yesterday, and snowed last night. Ah well, that's Indiana for ya!

I'm gonna try to get out and get pics of the halloween deco for ya'll tonight, that is if the 40mph winds subside long enough. I can't take that wind, cuts right though me.

Alrighty, for now, that's it for me!

Have a super Monday!
Christy

Penny Pinchin'

2008-10-22T09:39:00.002-04:00

Howdy all!

I am here, barely, as I have a nasty, nasty cold that just won't let go of me. Anyone who knows me, knows that I HATE, (with a passion!!!) to take medicine. So here I sit, snottin', sneezin', coughin', freezin', and having to take meds. UGH! Anyways, I got bored, started clipping coupons last night, then got the brilliant idea to see if there are any available online. Yeah....I could be here for decades. So, one thing led to another and I now have a whole list of blogs that are about penny pinchin' and saving more money with coupons. Some of them I found quite interesting! Some of them even have some great recipes and foodsaving tips. My favorite so far is a recipe for Zucchini Pineapple Bread. Sound yummy? Does to me!

Anyhoo....if your wallets are as empty as mine these days, you may find some of these sites as interesting as I did. I'm hoping to start saving more with coupons....and maybe I'll even let ya'll in on how much I save when (and IF) I ever get back to the grocery store again. I haven't even felt like breathing this past 4 days, let alone shopping.....

So, ta ta for now...enjoy the new links!

Hugs to all,
Christy

Lillee's Sprinkle

2008-10-16T09:19:00.007-04:00

Howdy ya'll!

So glad to see that a couple of folks still check my blog! In that case, I think I'll blog a little bit this morning.

Back on October 5 I put on a Baby Sprinkle for my best friend, Lisa. Yes, I said Baby Sprinkle. For those of you who are scratching your head, I called it a Sprinkle because that's exactly what it was. This is her second baby, another girl, and I know that most people consider a shower for any child other than the first to be against the laws of the universe, but I personally believe that every baby deserves to be celebrated. So since she already had all of the big ticket items, we had a sprinkling of necessities, just to help out. It was more for the party than the gifts, but everything she got was greatly appreciated, that is for sure!

Me and Lisa:

The theme was pink and yellow and rubber duckies, and I found some of the cutes stuff! I made diaper cakes for each table as decoration, also made baby booties out of styrofoam cups, and picked up some little round tins at Walmart in the wedding stuff and decorated them and filled them with pink M&M's.

Here's what the tables looked like:

Here's the yummy table, complete with pink butter mints, peanuts and pink hershey kisses that said "It's a girl" on the tags. Too cute! Check out the duckies swimming in the blue punch.

Since it was a sprinkle, I made cupcakes and put sprinkles on them! Pink and yellow, or course!

Look closely at the ice cubes!

Mmmmm.....yummy!

Here's a close up of the 3 tier diaper cake that I made for the gift table.

And here's the 2 tier that was on all of the guest tables.

Baby booties filled with nuts and mints for snacking, and you can kinda see the tins with the m&m's in them.

The fireplace where we took photos. We took a picture of Lisa with every guest alone in front of the fireplace, made 2 copies and then she sent everyone a copy of their picture with the thank you notes. What a great keepsake!

As everyone arrived, they got to sign a huge cloth baby bottle that plays Rock-A-Bye Baby instead of a guest book, and they also got to play their first game. The game was to guess how many M&M's were in a baby bottle. I used pink M&Ms, as that's what Lisa is craving with this baby. For future reference, it is way more than it looks, ours had 236 in it.

As far as games go, I tried to do some different things, so that it would be very memorable for her. We played a game called baby sock match, I had 18 pairs of baby socks, all different but soooo similar in a small basket and I timed each gal to see who could match and fold them all the fastest. Lisa's Mother in law, Terri won this one, doing it in 58 seconds! HOLY COW! Lisa came in second with 1:02. Still faster than me! We also played a game called TV Kids. For this game, I told the gals to split into two teams and each had a rubber ducky to squeak when they knew the answer. I gave the TV shows and they had to name all of the kids on the shows. It was great, everyone seemed to really enjoy that one! I'm happy to report the pink team won by a landslide, the team consisted of Lisa, and her friends Bobbie, Delisa and Hannah. I passed around a skein of yarn and all of the ladies had to eyeball Lisa and cut a piece of yarn that they thought would go around her belly perfectly. Some were real close and others were miles to long. Lisa's Grandma in Law Alta won this coming within an INCH! She cuts fabric for a living, imagine that....HA!

All in all, I think everyone had a great time, and I hope that Lisa had plenty to put in baby Lillee's book!

Have a great day all!

Christy

My Quilty Name Is...

2008-10-09T10:50:00.002-04:00

Hi all! Okay, so it's been has been quite some time since I have posted, and quite frankly, I'm not even sure if anyone even checks my blog anymore...and I don't blame them. Life has gotten unbearably busy for me, and well, I just don't have time. I don't have time to do anything I love anymore....email, phone calls, CQ, gardening....it has all gone by the wayside this summer. I'm so disappointed. However, fall is here, and although I'm still busy, things are starting to slow from a 300mph screaming ride to about 175mph or so. Yeah, it's been that bad.

Anyhoo, I'm here today, actually, I should be in bed and that is where I'm heading once I'm done with this. Hey, it's my birthday and I'll blog if I want to! LOL...yeah.....it's my birthday. Turning 30 today. Somehow I thought that I'd wake up feeling something different. So far, nada. Alrighty then. 30 seems to be just like 29, and 29 wasn't too bad, not terrific mind you, but not that bad. I don't think it's 29's fault, it's just that my life has a knack of going drastically insane in very long stretches. 29 was one of those long stretches. Here's hoping that 30 slows down a bit!

On to what I intended to blog...my quilty name. It's cute, kind of fitting and well, I'll let ya'll decide. Here goes: Baronetress, Charter member of quilting in my jammies club.
I do quilt in my jammies....all the time!

Alright, until I get a chance to blog again, have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Christy

Birthday Babies!

2008-06-19T07:48:00.005-04:00

Good morning, just a quick post this morning!

I have two birthday birdies in the house today! Bandanna and Doc are both 2 today. How exciting! We're gonna have a special treat tonight, POPCORN! They just love it! For those of you who don't know, I hand raised both of them, along with Sammy, Pearl and Tuxie, Sammy's birthday is Sunday and the other two are in August. This was the most exciting thing I have done in a very, very long time, and they are truly Mommy's babies too. They love their Daddy, but not like Mom. I am the one who they have looked at every single day of their lives, from the minute they opened their eyes. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Here's Bandanna, he's 3 weeks old here.

And Doc, who is about 4 weeks in this picture.

Another exciting birthday.....Garfield is 30 today! WOW! Our hometown, lasagna lovin' fat-cat is 30! Happy birthday to you, Garfield!

Alrighty, that's it for me, I'm all pooped out from all of this excitement! Off to bed I go!

Have a super day!
Christy

My Life Is A Soap Opera

2008-06-11T08:30:00.003-04:00

Good Morning All!

Okay, so it has been eons since I have blogged, emailed, or called anyone. I know, I know....I suck as a friend. Believe me, I know. My life is in constant upheaval these days, and I am getting so sick of it. I want ONE day. Just ONE without something that I have to do, and emergency, or being sick. I know that my life isn't nearly as bad as everyone else's, but for me, I'm on a long road that I'd almost rather not travel anymore. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

So, I guess I should tell you what I have been up to. I have been mowing, planting, weeding, trimming, mowing some more, and weeding some more. Yeah!!! What an exciting life. In between all of this, we have been having rain and more rain, and storms too. So in between mowing and all of that, I'm cleaning up storm damage, cleaning house, doing laundry...you know, the typical domestic chores. We haven't had too much damage, just some big limbs down, but lots of them. And flooding. Lots and lots of water sitting everywhere, breeding mosquitoes the size of Eagles. Again, we don't have near the flooding that others do....but for us, it's a lot. And we are also enduring an early season heat wave that is pretty much gonna kill me soon. HA!

Also, we have had a death in the family, my Hubby's Grandma passed away this past Saturday. She became very sick about 2 weeks ago, and it looked as though she was going to be okay, and suddenly she started going downhill again. It has been a rough couple of weeks in the emotional department too. Grandma Bonnie with truely be missed. Thursday is the calling hours, Friday the funeral, so we are still an emotional trainwreck. I hope we can get back to a normal life soon.

In other news, the babies are all doing well, including Cherokee, although he's not enjoying the heat so much. We are still working on getting his winter coat out of him. He takes forever to shed, and we are trying to help him as much as we can since we have had this early heatwave. I have tons of baby birds and squirrels flittering around the house, just today I saw a baby Cardinal. They look so funny! We also have a very young baby bunny hopping around out here this year again, although I haven't seen him in a couple of days now. The cat keeps me posted on that one..... My gardens are looking decent now, but are still full of weeds. I can't keep up with them after all of this rain that we are having! I hope Mother Nature will give us a bit of a break next week.

Well, I suppose that is it for now, just basically wanted to let you all know that we are still alive and kicking.

Have a great Hump Day!

Christy

For All You Mothers Out There...

2008-05-11T09:27:00.005-04:00

glitter-graphics.com

This goes for Critter-Moms too!

I hope everyone has a special Mother's Day!

Hugs to all,
Christy

Sold!

2008-05-11T09:20:00.003-04:00

Hello again!

You know, when I started CQing, I had no intentions of making money at it. Hell, I was just happy to have a hobby that could hold my interest for more than a week. However, I have decided to try and make a little cash on the side doing something that I love. So, my neighbor saw my checkbook cover, fell in love, and requested one for herself. I tried to just give it to her, and she wouldn't take it without paying me for it. I know, it sounds like I'm complaining.....

Anyway, she requested one in an Irish theme, and here's the result:

She loves it! In fact, she's peddling them all over town now. Every time she writes a check she tries to sell one! HA! Who knows, maybe I can at least make enough money to pay for some of my fabric! I did get an "order", but not for anything CQed. Someone ordered a crib set! A quilt, sheet, pillow and bumper. Works for me, especially since they told me to take all the time I need, the baby isn't due until later this year. That's a good thing, I can work on it in the evenings when the sun goes down.

Have a super Sunday!
Christy

Blooms, Blooms, Everywhere Blooms!

2008-05-11T09:04:00.005-04:00

Good morning!

I have been busier than busy for the past month, and well....that leaves no time for emailing or blogging. But, this morning, it's storming so I decided to catch up on a few things. Probably shouldn't be on the computer, but I'm risking it! HA!

First off, as promised, here's the picture of Swiffer. I know, a little late. He's such a character. Here he was watching the neighbors dogs through the privacy fence.

Next is another critter picture. I have had a herd of Goldfinches all spring, and I am assuming that they are nesting nearby, since this one felt the need to hang on the dandelions and pull the fuzz out of them. Oh, yeah, IN MY FLOWER BED. Sheesh...now I know how they are getting there. I have been trying like heck to stay on top of the weed this year, but I tell you, when Mother Nature works against me like this, it sure makes my job difficult.
The rest of the photos are of my spring bloomers. I love my tulips, they sure brighten my day!

Green Mystery Tulips....

Field irises.....
Purple and white rainbow tulips....
Strawberries and cream peony flowering tulips.....

Ballade lily flowering tulip....

Black Hero peony flowering tulip....
Columbine.....
A unique view of my columbine, ....Flaming Parrot tulip....
Fringed tulips....

Well, that's it for now, I will have some more pictures the next time it storms! Ha ha ha!

Have a super day!

Christy

Just For ME!

2008-04-23T08:41:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to making something for myself. I can't believe the time I put into things for swaps and as gifts, and yet, I had never made anything for myself. So, I made myself a checkbook cover. It's a little something to make me smile, as that doesn't happen too often when I look at the checkbook. HA!

Have a great day!

Christy

THIS Is Why I Love Spring!

2008-04-23T08:17:00.005-04:00

Hello!

I have been having issues with my blog, something about cookies being disabled. I'd try to fix it, then I'd start thinking about cookies, and well.....let's just say that there used to be cookies in my house. Peanut butter sandwich cookies. Mmmmmmmmmmm!

Anyhoo, I have pretty much spent the past week attached to the rear end of the mower, and honestly, I was wondering why I was in such a hurry for spring to get here. Why would I be in such a hurry for it to come when I have to mow at a minimum of twice a week to keep up with it, and I have 3 properties to mow now, one of which is 8 acres. Yep, from the middle of April until June, that's pretty much all I do, mow, eat, sleep, and mow some more. Thankfully, we do have a tractor to mow the 8 acres with, or it would sooooooo be grown up to my ears.

In the midst of all of the mowing, I remembered why I love spring so much. I have birds singing, flowers blooming and critters reappearing from their long winter's nap. Just today, my resident groundhog made his first appearance of the season. His name is Swiffer. Yep, just like the sweeper! We tend to name our resident groundhogs after vacuums, as that is exactly what they do to my birdseed and sunflower seeds. They vacuum them right on up! In the past we have had a Hoover, Eureka, and a Dyson. I'm fairly sure that this is the same one from last year, as he has a peculiar white spot on his side. I will snap some pictures of him when he comes over to munch this afternoon.

My spring bulbs are doing so beautifully this year, I am like a proud Momma watching her babies! After last years false spring, I am so happy to see them up and blooming this year! I (of course!) have pictures to share. So, here goes....enjoy!

This is my Forsythia bush. It is much more vivid than this picture shows. It is definately an eye catcher, as many of the neighbors have now commented on how pretty it is this year.

Next are my Hyacinths. These things are just heaven on a stick! If someone could figure out how to bottle the smell, I'd buy it by the gallon!
Next are the King Alfred Daffodills. HUGE blooms this year!
These feisty little fellas are my Tahiti Double Daffodils.

And my inherited Anemone. This was here when I moved in, but it has quadrupled in size!
So dainty! My old fashioned Bleeding Heart.
Flower Drift Double Daffodils.
My fat little guard squirrel and his Jonquils and Firespray Tulips.
Pretty in pink! These are my Easter Bonnet Daffodils. They really are pink too!

And last but not least, Mom's pretty flower bed. She packed all of her spring bloomers together, as I stuck mine all around the yard. It does make for a very pretty show!

I hope you enjoy my babies....I sure am!

Have a spectacular Hump Day!
Christy

My Partner's Spring Block

2008-04-14T07:43:00.003-04:00

Hi all, I finished working on my partner's spring block for the Season to Season swap over at CQ for Newbies! I had a ball working on it, and got to play with my new rayon dyes from RibbonSmyth. They are fabulous! I absolutely recommend them! I already had some of their silk dyes, and it works great too! So, if you are interested in trying something new, they are easy to use, and inexpensive, so go for it!

Anyhoo....here's the pictures!

I did the big butterfly and the seam below it, the trellis with SRE flowers and the seam below it, and the seam along the patch with the sweet peas. I also added the kitty and the lady bug on the blue patch.

I hope Rebecca likes what I did to her block!

Have a great Monday!

Christy

Love Squared

2008-04-04T18:07:00.003-04:00

She is finished! Monica has finished Love Squared! Monica did a fabulous job of creating this wonderous work of art so full of love!

Please go visit Monica's blog and see this beautiful lady and her beautiful creator!

http://girl-gone-thread-wild.blogspot.com/

Love,

Christy

ATCs Recieved

2008-04-04T17:18:00.002-04:00

Hi all!

I recieved my new ATCs from the swap over at CQN! I love the ones that I recieved and I can't wait to show them off!

The red one is made by Ati in Norway, the green by Lori in CT, the cream and yellow by Rebecca in TX, the roses by Malla in Finland, and the blue with SRE from Alice in CA. I sure got a mix from all over!

Thank you so much ladies, they are all little treasures! And thank you to the swap Moms, Mary and Sharon for doing an excellent job!

What a great swap!

Christy

Spring Beauties

2008-04-04T16:56:00.004-04:00

Good afternoon!

I finally got all of my pictures uploaded from my camera! I am so proud of my crocuses this year as they are really doing great! They have multiplied like crazy this winter and I must say, I will probably have to divide them this year. That is definately not one of my favorite tasks when it comes to gardening, especially the spring bloomers that you aren't supposed to divide until fall. Once the green is gone on them, I have a hard time finding them. Anyway, this has to be a sure sign of spring!

These are my Glory of the Snow, and they are just starting to bloom out. I am hoping that they aren't predicting another snowfall for us!

I also have a couple of bird pictures to share. This is a picture of my Downey Woodpecker pair. I was so excited to finally catch them both in the same photo, I think they may be a little camera shy.

And last but not least, one of my gorgeous male Cardinals. He was preening just before I snapped this picture, so I guess he knew it was picture day!

I have finally put out my nesting material for the birds, and I saw some sparrows picking at it yesterday. I put out some colorful yarn and feathers, some hemp, cotton, spanish moss, coconut grass, horsehair and stuff that looks like the bristles in a paintbrush. I bought a bag of it on clearance at the feed store and they really seem to like it. I have been trying to keep an eye on it as I know the Wrens love coconut grass. Should have some interesting nests this year!

Have a great day!

Christy

Easter Egg for Mom

2008-03-31T08:14:00.003-04:00

Hi all!

I saw this idea on someone's blog, and now I can't remember who's blog. I thought it was a cute idea so I made one for my Mom for Easter this year. I have been CQing for over 2 years now, and this is the first piece that I have made for my Mom. I was so apprehensive about it for some reason, like maybe I just wasn't quite good enough yet, but she loved it! I had so much fun making it for her, just trying to think of things that she would like on it. I think it turned out pretty!

As spring is now upon us in full force, I am starting to get busy again, so if I don't get back to ya'll right away, know that I haven't left town, I'm just busy! As of the moment, I have fences to repair, a huge stall to clean out, (good this time), manure to spread and weeds to pull. Yep, weeds. Already. They are officially growing faster than my flowers now, so I need to get on that soon or they'll be out of hand before I know it. Not to mention that the critters have done an excellent job of fertilizing my yard all winter and my grass is the greenest on the block. Believe it or not, it could use a mowing already, but I'm holding out, I don't even want to start that yet! Something or someone done some major damage to our freshly stretched fence for Cherokee this winter, I suspect it was a happy snowmobiler that didn't know it was there. Guess that serves them right, as they don't need to be using my fields for their fun anyway! I didn't notice it until last Thursday, and thankfully, Cherokee hadn't noticed it yet either. Of course, he hasn't been out there a whole lot, but he did get out to play in the snow a couple of times this winter. Anyway, don't give up on me, I'll be around!

Have a great Monday!

Christy

Time For A Change!

2008-03-30T10:10:00.002-04:00

Good Morning!

I was tired of looking at that old background, so I figured it was time for a change! I love the new Hummingbird layout I found! My previous background was from Pyzam, but this one came from Pimp-My-Profile. I hadn't been able to get the layouts from PMP to work here, but apparently, they do now! YAY! They have tons of gorgeous ones, so if you are searching for a new look for your blog, go check them out! I still need to add a few more things to my layout, but that will wait for another day.

In other news, spring has officially sprung around here! FINALLY!!!!!!! The critters are all gettin' frisky, the birds are starting to build nests and my flowers are popping open everywhere. I have pictures, yes, or course, but not for today. I have spent waaaaaay to long playing with my layout to even think about uploading the 100+ pics on my camera this morning. So, check back, they'll be here soon.

For now, I'm off to tell the kids goodnight and hit the hay!

Happy Sunday to all!
Christy

Yummy Yummy For Your Eyes!

2008-03-21T08:31:00.005-04:00

Good morning!

I've finished both of my food fight blocks for the swap over at CQ for Newbies. I changed the Strawberry Daiquiri block to include the saying, "It's 5 O'clock somewhere". Thanks to JK for that suggestion, I love it!

Here's my Daiquiri block:

Since Daiquiri's are tropical drinks, I went with a tropical theme, adding a "grass skirt" and flip-flops. Can't wait for those hot summer days now!

This block is for my Corn and Mac recipe. We typically use this as a cook-out or carry in dish as it is quick and easy to make and most people find that they really like it once they try it. I used patriotic themed fabric to represent cook-outs, as that is generally when we have them is on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. I also added a couple fireworks on the yellow patch on the left.
There hasn't been a whole lot going on here in my little world lately, which is perfectly fine with me. I have been cleaning house trying to get ready for Easter with my parents though. I really do believe that there is a little gnome that lives here and has parties when I'm not home! I can see all of the garden gnomes from around the neighborhood coming by and tossing down some Strawberry Daiquiris......

Also, we had the blacksmith back to work on Cherokee some more, and he is doing fabulous! So full of life and very, very impatient. He's actually becoming hard to keep up with! Not too sure I like that so well....but I am very happy to see him in such good spirits. We are really looking forward to this summer with him!

Well, I'm off to bed, I hope everyone has a wonderful day and a Fantastic Easter weekend!

Hugs,

Christy

Drinks anyone?

2008-03-06T07:57:00.004-05:00

Good morning! Finished my first Food Fight swap block, Strawberry Daiquiris. I really like how it turned out! Hubs said I must have a hangover after working on it for so long, LOL.....with the headache that I've had for the past day, I think he may be right.

I'm glad to have this one finished, I'm working on my second one now. I have it about 1/4 of the way embellished already. It is going a lot quicker than this one did, I'm not sure why either. I thought that this one would be easier!

They are saying we are going to get another snow storm Friday-Saturday, this time the early prediction is 6-9" of snow and 35 mph winds. I just don't think winter is ever gonna be over this year. Although, I now have 3 Robins in the yard, so maybe spring is right around the corner!

Enjoy the day,

Christy

Ooops!

2008-02-29T08:32:00.005-05:00

Good Morning!

I forgot that I had promised my friend Lisa that I would make squares for her family members who had breast cancer. I got them finished just in time to pop all of the in the mail ON TIME! Woo hoo! Thank goodness for the Leap Day! HA!

Here are the 3 I did for her. Her Mom, Grandmother and Aunt all had breast cancer, so it was very fitting that they be included as well! I wanted them to be related, but different, so I used butterflies and silk ribbon embroidery to tie them together.

And here is a picture of all 7 of my squares:

I am so thankful to have been a part of this project, and I can't wait to see the finished doll! To see more of the squares that other folks have made, visit the "Girl Gone Thread Wild" link on the right of my blog!

Have a wonderful Leap Day!

Christy

Pink Artist Square, In Honor of My Aunt

2008-02-26T08:12:00.004-05:00

I finished my last 2" square for the Pink Artist Project. This one is in memory of my Aunt who had breast cancer.

She had a Pug for many years, and that pup was just her sweet little baby, so I cross stitched a Pug face to put in the center of it. She also loved pearls and cameos, so I had to include some of those. I don't have too many memories of her, she died when I was pretty young, but I do remember that she had a gizmo that made ribbon roses, and she made everyone a rose tree for Christmas one year. I just love them, they are so pretty! So, I included some silk ribbon roses to represent that. I stitched her name on there as well.

Okay, I'm still recovering from my car having a mind of it's own, so I'm headed to bed!

I hope everyone has a great day!

Christy

T'was 10 Months Before Christmas

2008-02-26T08:05:00.002-05:00

Well, here it is! It's finally home! YAY! I was ready to send out an APB for this little sucker! HA!

Thank you to JK, Lesa and Lori for working so hard to find my little lost block and getting it home to me!

Also, thanks to all of the ladies who worked on it! It looks great!

Have a super Tuesday!

Christy

What a day....

2008-02-22T07:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday did not go very well for me, and I may be MIA for a few days while I recover....

It started off bad, the roads were in decent shape for the most part, until I got towards the end of my route. Then it happened. I have been driving for over 10 years now, and I mean driving, lots. I have NEVER lost complete control of any car, until yesterday. I was coming up to a T-road and I hit a patch of ice. I slid completely through the intersection and off into the field. In the mean time, I jumped a ditch with all 4 wheels off of the ground. Thank God the field was frozen of they would have had to bring a backhoe out to find me! I drove on through the field and came out a little ways on down the road. Naturally, this scared the holy crap out of me, as it was a feeling that I had never experienced before! I actually had to pull over and calm myself down! I didn't tear up the car, (for once), but it did a job on me. My back is very sore, my neck hurts and I have a bump on my head and bruises on my legs from the steering wheel. I'm sure that I'll be fine, but I'm just not feeling to swift today. I saw tonight where I went off of the road, and I am totally amazed. I went between 2 signs and a telephone pole. Scary.

Then, just as I finished telling my Hubs about it tonight, (as we were driving to the farm to take care of Cherokee), the car died. It just died. So, being the good mechanic that he is, he hopped out in a raging snowstorm and popped the hood to find out that we weren't getting any spark. (And thank you, but that has NOTHING to do with what I did, LOL!) So we called my Mom and she ran us to the parts store to get the part the he needed to fix it. Thankfully, he thought to get a second part that could have been wrong, because we were getting ready to leave the farm and it died again! So he got out again and replaced the second part. So far it has been running ever since, but who knows what will happen tomorrow!

I'll try to check in as often as my back will allow me to, sitting in the chair isn't the most comfy for me right now.

I hope everyone has a safe and super weekend! I'm going to bed and try to sleep now! Ha!
Christy

Private Heart Swap

2008-02-17T19:19:00.003-05:00

Hi all!

Just got a phone call from Ing, and she reminded me that I hadn't posted a pic of the heart that she and I are privately swapping. I swear, I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached....so here it is!

I have a heart of hers, and I'm embellishing it, she has mine and she's embellishing it. We're then gonna swap back so that we have our own heart. It makes it nice to do it that way, because I do a lot of swaps where I make things from my fabrics, and I never get to see them again, but this one is coming back to me! YAY! Now, what to do with it when it comes home......

Now, if I can find the camera, I'll take a pic of Ing's block.

Hugs,

Christy

Spring Block Update II

2008-02-17T17:18:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon!

I finally got my Season to Season Spring block half finished and in the mail. I could have finished this one, really easily, but alas, I could only do half. Maybe my partner, Rebecca, will be able to read my mind and finish it the way I wanted to. Doubt it, but hey, one never knows! So anyway, here's the pics!

Here's the whole block:

A closeup of the butterfly:
And a closeup on the ducks playing in a puddle:
I haven't gotten anything else finished, life keeps getting in the way as usual. I'm working on my food fight blocks too, so be looking for pics of those in the coming days.

We found out what was wrong with my car finally....I'm glad I married a mechanic! I have a bent valve in one of my heads, so it's off to the machine shop for them! Let's pray that he can get it all done by the end of the week, as sharing a car with him is killing me slowly! HA!

Have a super Sunday!

Christy

A Couple More For Ya

2008-02-13T08:32:00.003-05:00

Good Morning!

Have you ever come to the realization that you should be doing something other than what you are doing? I have. Last night as I was finishing up these ATCs, I realized that my Spring block is due in the mail Thursday. CRUD! Anyhoo...I finished 2 more ATCs and another Pink Artist Square! YAY ME! LOL.....

Today will be the day for my Spring block, look for new pictures tomorrow!

Other than that, it's cold, cold, and more cold here in Indiana today....and snowy. Not nearly as much as they predicted, but enough to make everything pretty! They SAY we have another storm coming this weekend, but to be honest, I'll believe it when I see it. For some reason the weather men around here just can't seem to get it right this winter.....

Have a super Tuesday!

Christy

Food Fight!

2008-02-10T17:40:00.001-05:00

Happy Sunday to all!

I've joined in another swap over at CQN, this one is a Food Fight! Sounds great doesn't it??? And we even get to throw our food! HA! Poor Janet, she's gonna be covered with everything under the sun when this one is over, but it is a great idea!

So, I've come up with 2 recipes to put onto fabric, the first is my Strawberry Daiquiri recipe. It's yummy with or without the rum, so it's an all around good drink!

And then I decided to do my Corn and Mac recipe as well. This recipe is so good for carry-in dinners and cook-outs. My family actually expects it for cook-outs now. Too funny!
I seem to have made the commitment to sew myself silly this winter since I have time, which was a rare thing all last year. I'm now in 4 swaps, plus a private swap, and loving every minute of it! I almost forgot how much I love CQing last year when I didn't get to do it as much.

So, I have plenty to do, now, I'm gonna go do it!

Have a great Sunday!

Christy

Fairy ATC and 2nd Pink Artist Square

2008-02-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to keep myself awake at night in order to get out of here and get back before Hubs has to leave for work, so I have been diligently working on ATC's and Pink Artist Squares. I have finished one more of each, and I have several more of each in the works. First is my Fairy ATC. I just love this fabric, I bought it to make a wallhanging for my niece's 1st birthday, thought I'd never find a use for it again, and POOF! What a great ATC it made!

I used eyelash yarn to do her skirt and sleeve cuffs, outlined her wings and crown in DMC light effects thread, and outlined her wand. I also used some flowers that I have had for ages to make a seam, and I even used a new stitch that I taught myself this week! That cast-on stitch was used to make the butterflies. I really like the way they look!

Next is my second Pink Artist Square.

I love the rose fabric! I also used the cast-on stitch on this one with a double row of twisted barred chains. It turned out pretty good!

Let me tell you, it is hell sharing a car with my husband. I know, a lot of people do it. It's just that our "shifts" overlap so to speak, and it is hard for me to get home in time for him to get to work without being late. My car jumped time, which in turn has had him busy most of the week trying to get the new timing chain on it. I love my car, but these newer cars are so hard to work on. And I know! My 1965 Mustang is so simple that a blind turkey could fix it. My daily driver? Not gonna happen! I swear, you need a PhD just to read the owner's manual for that thing. And it's a 1990. Not THAT new. I could't even imagine what the really new cars look like under the hood! Oh well, I'm praying that he'll have mine back on the road tonight, in fact, I think I may have threatened him that he BETTER have it back on the road tonight. It's kind of funny, for us, driving a different car is like wearing a pair of shoes that are 2 sizes to small. I'm so uncomfortable in his car, and it is a little slower than mine too. Not that I'm a speed demon or anything, but when I am used to a certain way of driving, adapting to something else is near impossible for me!

Have a great Friday!

Christy

My Winter Block Is Home!

2008-02-08T08:21:00.000-05:00

It's here! My winter block is here! I just LOVE what Ira thought of to put on my block, she did such an awesome job! It turned out so cute, I can't wait to finish up the other 2 seasons in this swap so that I can make something from the blocks!

Thanks to Ira for all of her hard work on my block, I hope you like what I did to yours!

Also, thanks to Gerry for organizing and hosting a great swap! Job well done!

Happy Friday all,
Christy

The Invasion of the Seed Snatchers

2008-02-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

Sunday morning was an eventful morning in my backyard. I was invaded by the seed snatchers! 9 squirrels! I love the little fuzzy tails though, and wouldn't trade them for the world! They crack me up when they play all over the yard, and they were definately having a great time out there Sunday! I spent the better part of 2 hours sitting in the window watching them and taking pics of them. Of course, I can only catch pictures of them when they are eating for the most part, they are just to darn quick for me when they are running around out there! So here goes!

Same squirrel in the middle...different squirrel in the bottom of the picture.

One of the gray squirrels at the bottom is the one from the middle of the yard.

Along with the squirrels, I had a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays and Sparrows. Obviously, I didn't get any pics of the birds, I was too busy trying to take pictures of the squirrels!

Hope you enjoyed seeing my Seed Snatchers!

Now WHERE did I put that???

2008-02-04T09:26:00.001-05:00

Hello again! I have finished cleaning out and organizing my sewing room. This was a battle for me! I can not believe how much stuff I have accumulated for my crafts in the past 2 years!!! And it has officially happened, I have put things up so well that I can't find anything! CRAP! It's okay, I'll find what I'm looking for eventually.....

So here's the finished room. No before pics to share....the camera ate them! (Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it, it's definately not because I'm so embarrassed by the way it looks!! ;p )

Here's the inside of the double door white cabinet. All fat quarters!
And the inside of the large double door cabinet. These are "normal" cuts of fabric. Some I've bought, some were given to me.

And for those of you who think that this looks cluttered...just image what it looked like before. I mean after all, it did take me a full week to get it done!

Have a great Monday!

Spring Update and Pink Artist Square

2008-02-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

I've been working on various projects, along with trying to clean out and organize my sewing room. Here's what I have done on my Spring block so far:

I'm waiting on a couple things that I sent away for to put on my block, so hopefully it will arrive in the next couple days. If not, I suppose I'll just have to finish it up without it.

Also, I have decided to join in on a project that I heard about through Gerry's blog. It's called the Pink Artists. To read more about it, go here:
http://girl-gone-thread-wild.blogspot.com/2008/01/2x2-art-squares-visions-of-pink.html

So, here's a square that I finished up last night.

These are 2" x 2" squares, and I never dreamed that I could do so much with 2"! It is nothing compared to some of the others I saw on Monica's blog, but I think that it turned out quite pretty! I hope to make a couple more to send, we'll see what happens.

Have a super day!

Have You Seen Me?

2008-01-27T09:14:00.000-05:00

Name: T'was The Night Before Christmas
Missing From: Fairy Tale Round Robin

Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Christy

My First Attempt At ATCs

2008-01-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

There's a new swap over at CQN, for ATCs. ATC stand for Artist Trading Cards. Now, I thought this was going to be hard...they are only the size of the business card! I don't think I did too bad, and I actually like them, because they work up fast. I hope to make some more, but I have to get my Spring block half finished first. I was just kind of bored, so I thought I'd give it a go....so, here's a picture of the result:

The first is made from some new kitty cat fabrics I got a couple months ago, and the second is a paisley design that I copied from Jo in NZ's paisley bauble bag from way back when. I didn't quite get it exact, as I have a lot of trouble with bullions and she used tons of them in her design. I think it turned out pretty though! Tell me what you think!

Have a great Monday!

Season to Season-Spring Block

2008-01-19T09:04:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

I finished piecing my spring block for CQN's Season to Season swap. I rather like how it turned out! I usually don't work too well with pastels, but this one is pretty IMHO! It is entirely cotton, which is pretty much normal for me, as the "after 5" fabrics give me serious headaches. I will use them, just had prettier spring-ish fabrics in cotton! The embroidered patch is a handkerchief that I chopped the design from, it fit in so well! I can't wait to get started on my half, I have some ideas already!

Have a super weekend!

New Pictures of the Kids

2008-01-19T08:55:00.000-05:00

I just uploaded all the new pics from the camera, and I have a few new pics of the kids, being cute as always!

This is the babies getting into trouble...as usual! They were out playing on top of their cages and they decided to climb up the wallhanging and sit on the rod. They were pecking around on my border trying to eat the lighthouses! Goofballs!

Pearl decided to check out the tree before I took it down!
Speckles was holding the lights for me while I was taking them off the tree....and looking at herself in the window. She's so silly!
NO MOMMY! Don't take my Christmas to the attic!!! Speckles loves Christmas time and she planted herself right in the middle of the stack of boxes going to the attic.
Cherokee munching:
This is his, "Do you HAVE to take a picture of me?" look:

I probably have more, but will end here for now! Hope you enjoyed seeing my critters again!

Rebecca's House Cats Block

2008-01-19T08:44:00.000-05:00

I finished Rebecca's house cats block and sent it meowing home to her earlier this week, so I thought I'd share some pics of it! It is such a cute block, especially that napping kitten in the middle! All of the ladies did a wonderful job with her block, I hope that she is as thrilled with it as I was to work on it!

Here's a pic of the whole block:
Now the work that I did....I added the white kitty applique and all of the stitching on it, along with the seam treatment beside it:
I added the I love cats and the kitty beside it:
Here I cross-stitched the kitty in the cowboy boot using waste canvas, and added the saying "Puss in boot":

I really enjoyed working on everyone's block and I know that I didn't get everyone's pictures on my blog, but I'm working on getting another slideshow to showcase all of the blocks, so check back if you are interested! We got a little off track with this RR, but I'm begining to think that it is normal....but at least everyone is going to be getting their blocks back! (I STILL have one missing from another RR...no one is talking, and I have no clue where it is.)

Have a great Saturday!

Christy

Friday Night Fun

2008-01-15T08:28:00.001-05:00

I actually got the chance to get out and do something on Friday night, YAY! We got together with our friends and went bowling, Rock n' Bowl. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it is a bowling session from 11:30 pm till 1:30 am. They play loud music, have lasers and everything is lighted with blacklights. It really is pretty cool! But we took the camera with us to catch the candid moments, and oh boy did we! Okay, I know, shut up and get to the pictures.....let me just add...we are COMPLETELY SOBER!!!!!!!!

Our friends, Lisa and EJ

Us
Hubs was gonna eat the ball!

Yeah....I think I was dancing....not too sure about that....

Signature handstand bowling for EJ!

Too funny for words!

It felt good to cut loose for a little bit, before reality set in and I had to go to work. I hope ya'll enjoyed the pics!

Have a great Tuesday!

Christy