Land of the wet!

Well first of all let me say I want to count my blessings that we have no structural damage, water damage, or any damage. There are lost of them around us who do! I do think that Evan Almighty might be a handy guy to know if this continues.

Our favorite little town in Wisconsin I understand is flooded. Gay Mills, Wisconsin. We go there every year for Apple festival. Also on our traditional "river run" a lot of the little towns we go through in south eastern Minnesota were hit with flooding. We have flooking all around us, lots of friends with water in the basement. No basement here so we are lucky. Trees have been blown over by straight line winds. The big Chicken by the old fashion drive in was blown completely over. Now this is a 12 foot rooster, it is huge, laying on its side because of the straight line winds.

So I am counting my blessings as I watch it rain, knowing that I am safe and just soggy!

A muse less

I was in desperate mode to do a card for the weekly challenge on Ink Stains and then also a challenge for Karie's stamping group. Guess what neither one got done, I tried a funny fold that I had done before and it just was crabby. So I went blogging. I have found so many wonderful techniques by blogging and stampers are the nicest folks around! Gina K has a great tutorial for prisma colors and I emailed her with a thanks and she gave me another one to watch. Go to Google video and put in wood graining. Thanks again Gina! Her Prisma color one is out there too. I used that concept for my crayons. I found I love the look when I only use a little of the crayon and then blend it out. The depth and shading are much better. I would have never gotten this on my own.

Another technique I found when blogging was called tapestry. It is just sponging 4 colors on cardstock (white) range from light to dark starting with the light. Then stamping your main image on the card, Rub versamark all over the card, and then clear emboss. WOW! Love the look.

Delight in Life

I have been very busy this past week getting into the new job, stamping, gardening, etc, etc, etc. I actually have made 4 cards from one stamp set. Two turned out okay and two, well we will call them RATS. Unfortunately, I need inspiration to do my stamping and found some beautiful stuff out there. Thank you to all of the talented ladies and gents who give me a reason to hope I might get better!

Sure I have been tagged.

Now who am I going to bug?????? Lori, maybe I could bug Moosecrazy. Karie already got everyone I visit~ Grrrr

Lucy ...... I am Home!!!

Well I am home from my two weeks in Des Moines. Now don't anyone tell Mr. Cindy, but it was really hard being away from him for that time and I was even home over the weekend. I guess I am very use to having him around. He is like my best friend and we do everything together. Any way enough of that mushy stuff.

I went through major withdrawals from my friends at InkStains. You know it has been almost a year of hanging with those girls on line. We have had our good moments and bad moments, happy, sad, and hilarious moments till I am laughing so hard Pablo is looking at me in amazement. If someone would have told me a few years ago I would consider these people friends, I would have said that they were nuts. You don't make friends over a computer. But you know crafty women are the best kind of folk and I am truly thankful for my cyber friends. Anyway, Makes me really want a laptop in the worst possible way, of course also I could travel with Mr. Cindy when he goes places too.

I took a class at Archivers while I was gone. It was called lovely layers and it was great to look at things in a different perspective. There were six of us and I know we all had fun. The instructor was a hoot.

Once I find the camera I will put some pictures on here. I also stamped while down in Des Moines. So I did get to be creative. Funny no computer and I stamped. Hmmmmm.

Well time to be the housewife and do some wifey things.

Taa taa for now.

finished up some cards.

I have a friend whose first wedding anniversary is this weekend, and my stamping friend "antiquenut2" has a birthday while I am gone so I stamped today.

This is a card made from a scrappers set from SU. Love the fact that it is quick with the stickers and all and then can add my own touch with the cuttlebug and stamping.

crazy parade today.

Wow they say we had 45000 people in our little town today and I believe it. I could not believe the number of people. We had cars being parked clear down by us and we are across the highway which would make it about 12 blocks to the parade route. Luckily for us my BIL lives a half of a block from where we sit and we just pull up in his driveway and park.

I even managed this picture of the former president and his wife. They definitely slowed the parade down some. But it was cool to see a president in person.

Also wish my picture of this wonderful float of children drummers would have turned out. The kids were awesome. It is a "safe" program for kids ranging 5 to 15 in age. They get together and bang the drums instead of drugs, alcohol, and vandelism. The crowd loved them as they beat their drums to "Oh Mickey you're so fine."

Lots of tootsie rolls. Cayden had a full bag, of course Mommy was marching for the 1133rd and throwing candy. I got some too. I am happy we all get along, Hopefully that continues for the mighty midget's sake.

black and white card

Stuck

I am having a difficult time tonight. First it is way past my bedtime, but I am feeling blue and nervous, excited and scared all rolled into one.

A web friend has lost a parent. Boy that is just tough. I have not lost a spouse or child, but have lost both parents and miss them every day.

So I needed to make a card. I am not sure if I like it but it definitely comes from the heart! My muse does not like these cards either. Tried my little blowgun thingie for something new. Decided against black although I like the card I did with the black, Just not into black and white right now.

Then I tried the alcohol ink thing and still not really liking them.

Hopefully I can figure this out and also figure out how to upload the photos better. Sorry so small.

Missing my bro

I have one brother, Mike, and he is older. We were best of friends when we were little, fought like cats and dogs during our high school years, best of friends until he got married, and back to being best friends. My mom is smiling. She always worried about us not getting along when she was alive. But she does not have to worry any more.

My son is exactly like my brother. In fact we often laugh that we got his son and my son mixed up some how. Josh is me through and through. He is into theater, musical, and all around artsy. He does not get mad easily, slow to burn. My dear son hunts, fishes, loves working in the dirt, and is stubborn and hot headed just like my brother.

Mike and I have to get better at the visiting on the phone stuff. We could hang on there for hours with each other. Luckily he has the phone that does not cost after 7 p.m. so we can chat about everything.

Before he moved to Illinois he was coming here about every month. Now with me working Sundays and him there, our connection is the phone. And luckily for him he does love to talk. During his recovery from his motorcycle accident he was mister chatty cathy, calling me to see if I was on break, or was it lunch time. But I am thankful for him everyday. I can tell him everything. If I needed him he would be here in a heartbeat. He is honest with me and tells me to take a hike if I am lost in space or being dumb! But he is also my biggest fan when I am trying to do something. He calls every Thursday to see how the WW is going. He reminds me he does not care what I weigh, just wants me healthy. Of course he is also mr. soy milk and other healthy crud (except when we have family meals then we cook, lol, all the family recipes. )

So Mike this blog's for you, I love you and am glad you are my bro!

There is hope for me yet.

Okay so now I figured out how to get pictures off the digital camera. Yippee.

As you can tell the little brown dog is spoiled rotten. He is my new side kick since his "sister" had to leave us or as the adorable grandchild said has gone to be in our hearts. He loves his deck. It is made so that he can look out, but cannot get out. And most importantly, nothing can get him.

One spoiled little boy The brat~

The Deck, just need to landscape.

Okay so I am a little slow

The deck is done, I have a digital camera, and I don't know how to upload pictures. We planted flowers and I am just all in all thrilled with it. Hang in there I am going to put pictures on here if it kills me.

Wow This is March

I have not updated this thing for a month now. I hope to get some pictures added this weekend. We are stamping at a friends on Saturday morning.

Not much new in Iowa except lots and lots of snow. I really can't remember when we have had this much in such a short time. What a change. At Christmas it was like it was spring out and now it is like a winter wonderland.

March is a good month for me and a hard month for me. My son was born on March 16 and what a joy he has been to me all these years (he does not have access to this blog so that I can say that about him.) He has been old beyond his time since he was little. He has started his own company with his best friend and I think they are going to do great as they are so different. Corey is calm, cool, and nothing bothers him. My DS, Dain, wants everything done yesterday and just can't understand why it can't be that way. They have both provided me with three lovely grandsons ( see Corey has been around so much that I consider him mine) Twin boys (Cory's ) They are 6. Then the blond bomber who has really lived up to the mother curse. He is the spitting image of both of his mother and his father in temperment and looks. He is very tiny in nature unlike his dad (but very like his mom). He wants everything yesterday. Sorry I am rambling.

The hard part is that my mother passed away in March and I miss her every day. She was wonderful and one of a kind. She was old fashion in a lot of ways, but she was so warm and loving. We did butt heads during my teenage years but I think that is common. We shopped, talked, cried, and laughed together. She fought cancer for 30 years and fought a wonderful uplifting fight. I hope if I ever have to fight that battle that I can be even just a quarter of the woman she was. She would have surgery, get out of the hospital, get her hair done (because you always feel better when your hair is done), and head to church. She may have been sick, but only a few knew just how sick. Even at Hospice she tried to send us home to get some rest so we would not get sick, but my brother and I could not leave her alone. She was a wonderful woman and I was truly blessed by her being in my life and being my mom.

Well enough yaking. There Karie and Robin I updated my blog!!!! Pffffft

Morning

Well this is the first posting to my blog. I need to get some cards moved over, but that will have to come later. Right now I am sitting in my office waiting my other computer (the worker) to power up. I am a medical transcriptionist and work for Spheris out of Tennessee. I really do love it, although it is a little mind boggling right now.

I have been out of the stamping mode since I started my new job. I love to stamp, but the creative juices have just took a walk. I know I need to get going and do something, Maybe Friday on my day off.

Well I peeked and it is up and running. I will have to ramble on later.