Changing things

Some things in my house always stay the same no matter what the season. Some things require a new look from time to time.

A small table in my living room was in need of something different.

Except for the heart that I made the rest of this is all thrift shop finds.

I had to take another picture after it got dark and I could turn the candle on

Then of course I had to play with the picture.

The bunny trail

I don't know if it's Peter Cottontail or maybe a distant relative, but some bunny is living in my back yard and he's got a trail that leads from the deck to the shed.

When I first noticed a trail leading back to the shed I just assumed that Wade had walked out there for something. I was letting Duke out one morning and when I opened the door I saw the rabbit run out from under the deck and hightail it down his trail. Luckily Mr Duke didn't spot him.

Grooming

Mom took me to see my favorite groomer last Saturday. I know I was good looking before I went but now I am incredibly handsome and I smell good too.
Before I show you my picture I want to make sure that you are sitting down. I wouldn't want any of you to faint when you see just how debonair I am.

Are you ready?

Here's a side shot

My new bandanna has cute little snowmen on it. I'm feeling so good it makes me want to dance.

I'm sticking my tongue out because I am doing a very tricky step here and it requires lots of concentration. Would you like to dance with me?

Meet my other friends Monday

I figured it was high time I start my Meet my other friends Monday posts back up. The friends that are featured in this post appear in no particular order. I've started with those bloggers who have visible email addresses. Once I work through all of those then I'll start contacting others through the comment section. You could be next.

This week we'll be visiting with Donna from Cottage Days and Journeys. I'm not positive but I believe I discovered Donna's blog back when I was doing the Brenda Photo Challenge. If you want to see gorgeous photos and go on exciting journeys from the comfort of your own computer chair then Donna's blog is the place to be. She amazes me with her photography skills every time I stop by. Aside from that she is just one of the sweetest people out there in blog land. Enough from me, lets turn it over to Donna.

1. How long have you been blogging and what made you start?

I started blogging January 1, 2008. I had visited various blogs for a while, thoroughly enjoyed reading them, and decided to start one of my own a couple of months after I retired.

2. What is one piece of advice that you would give to new bloggers.

Take photographs and include at least one with every post! Blogging isn't just about writing. Part of your sharing and storytelling is also done through photos! Images help to keep your reader's interest.

3. Do you have any hobbies or special talents?

Whistling is not one of my special talents, that's for sure. I am probably the world's worse whistler. I can make grown men cry and dogs howl with my off-key rendition of Strangers in the Night!

Seriously, I have had several hobbies over the years. In my youth, I used to be a pretty good pianist and won many competitions. I gave it up quite a while ago and don't own a piano today. I've also done quite a bit of needlework, fiber arts, and beading. Those pursuits have tapered off in recent years because I can't see up close very well anymore and arthritis is in my hands.

My latest passion is photography, with specialties in wildlife and landscapes. My long-time blogging friends have seen my work progress over the years and cheered me on! And I credit blogging for pushing me to be a better photographer.

4. Of course you love all the blogs you visit but share a link to one of those and tell us why we should check it out.

It's so hard to chose just one! But if your blog readers aren't familiar with A Haven from Vee, then they are missing out on a real treat. Grace, wit, character, humor - Miz Vee has it all.

5. What is the one things that totally makes you crazy?

It drives me bonkers when people walk right into me. I can't tell you how many times I have to dodge people when we go shopping so that they don't literally knock me down. They aren't looking where they are walking. I sometimes wonder if I am invisible or whether there are that many people who are rude!

6. Give one random thought.

Here's one to commit to memory, stitch on a pillow, or print on a sign: Success is a decision.

coloring

It's still snowing here, it's still cold here, that big ball of sunshine didn't stick around. My energy and ambition even took off. Or maybe it left for good. Either way the most ambitious thing I've done recently is to sit in front of my computer and color.
I found a free digital stamp on Beyond the Fringe. I had it pinned to my stitching board and decided that I would try and color it instead of stitch it.

after I colored it in I added some texture, did a little burning on the edges and played around with it. This would qualify as one of those things I was accomplishing while I was supposed to be doing something else. 

Sunshine

Thursday morning around 8:00 I peaked out the back door at work and saw the promise of sunshine

It wasn't just a tease either. It really did come out. I went outside at lunch time and was welcomed by real honest to goodness sunshine. Even though it was cold out I could still feel a little bit of heat from that great big beautiful ball of sun. I looked up, closed my eyes for a couple of minutes and made believe it was summer. It's amazing what a little sunshine can do.

The sky was a gorgeous blue as I drove down the road after work. My daughter saw this picture on my phone and asked if I was taking pictures while I was driving down the road. I told her no I was stopped. She says "You stopped right in the middle of the road to take a picture?"  UH YEAH! No one was behind me.

I say they fit

This one is right on.

But then again, so does this one.

Something for the accessories

My new sewing machine came with quite a few accessories and just a flimsy little accessory bag.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to stuff all that in that little bag.

On a recent trip to the dollar store I found all kinds of really nice boxes. For a dollar I couldn't pass this one up.

Now I wish I would have bought matching ones in different sizes. With the luck I have if I go back they will be all out of the ones that look like this.

The same but different

A little playing with the camera taking random shots in the house and I had this picture.

A little playing in photoshop gave me two more pictures. The same, yet slightly different.

The first with a texture.

The second in black and white.

Work in progress

Last year a friend of mine bought me a crocheted potholder. When she gave it to me she said she knew that I could make them.
I finally got around to trying it

This is as far as I've gotten. Not because I was being lazy or couldn't figure it out. It's because I don't have the off white colored yarn for the next row. I thought about going out to get some yarn last weekend but it was just too darn cold and I didn't feel like it. Next trip to the store I have to remember yarn. The one in the upper left corner was the one that my friend gave me.

Missing it

Now I'm not one to ever complain about the heat of summer but I miss it all the same. Highs this week are only expected to be in the teens. If I don't comment on your blog this week it could possibly mean that my fingers are too numb to type.

Today

We choose the one where you lie on the couch with legs extended and head comfortable placed on a pillow.

The picture above is from a calendar one of the girls at work gave me. It's called yoga puppies.

Weather report

Hurry up spring

Rest up

It's Friday so I'm resting up for the weekend. Mom and dad won't be going to work for two days and I want to have plenty of energy to entertain them while they are home.

Happy Friday everyone

Me and my bright ideas

I had it in my head that if I cleaned and rearranged my computer/craft room it might inspire me to mess it up again get crafty. I had an idea of how I wanted to move all the furniture but my mental tape measure is a bit off. I had a huge mess in the room and things were not going back together the way I envisioned.

The rooms in my house are small and I had a very large drafting table in my craft room that Wade had brought home for me. I like it because of the amount of storage it has and the extra work surface but it takes up a ton of room. I finally decided it had to move elsewhere so I put it in my sons old bedroom which is fast becoming a dumping ground.

I'm thrilled with all the extra space I now have in my craft room and it's clean and organized. Well so long as you don't look in the closet it is.

Maybe this weekend I'll tackle that closet.

It really wasn't that long ago that this was totally organized but after several craft projects I've been a little neglectful about putting things away neatly.

A copy cat

Sometimes when I'm out shopping I see something that I like but know that I could make it myself and would prefer to try before I buy. Recently while in Joann Fabric I spotted something that I decided to attempt to copy.

Come on mom, lets get this machine set up and running

The machine, doing it's thing.

This is a picture of the one I saw in Joann. I had Amanda snap a picture with her cell phone so I would have something to refer to while I was making mine. The embroidered "Be Mine" was what made me want to give it a try.

And this is my version. It's not actually done yet because I didn't have any wire to make the hanger for it. Next trip to the store I need to put wire on the list.

Now if I were to do this again I wouldn't use the light colored thread for the Be Mine. I would go with a dark one like on the original. I would also pay more attention to the size I'm setting the font at before hitting the start button on my machine. I didn't intend for the Be to be so much smaller than the Mine. Other than that I was pretty happy with it. Amanda asked me where I got the you and me piece I put on the top. I got it right out of my craft room. I took a piece of fabric and stamped it myself. I thought it made a nice touch.

No good deed

My first two days away from the computer were spent reading. The book was called No good deed. The description as found on amazon's web site: Mark Taylor discovers first hand that no good deed goes unpunished when the old camera he found during a freelance job in an Afghanistan bazaar gives him more than great photos. It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it. Then the unthinkable happened and everyone ignored his frantic warnings. Thousands die. Suddenly, the Feds are pounding on his door and the name they have for Taylor isn't urban hero. It's enemy combatant. And, it means they can do anything they want to him. Anything at all. 

The methods used during Mark's interrogation were unthinkable and although I suppose these could really happen, I had to remind myself that this was a work of fiction. The latter part of the book takes an interesting turn that will have you find Mark to be quite a remarkable character. I won't reveal anything in case someone may be considering or already reading this book. Wouldn't want to give anything away.

Oh and check out the cool case I got for my kindle. It's the Roo oragami case. The front cover folds to form a stand. 

Not quite ready

I know I said I would be back today, and technically by writing and publishing this post I am, but I'm really not quite ready.
Although I should have managed to accomplish a lot while I was away from the computer most of what I did consisted of laying on the couch reading or moving from room to room trying to think of what I wanted to do. It wasn't until yesterday that I finally started to come out of my "blah, I don't want to" mood which didn't leave me a whole lot of time to get things done.
I will be back tomorrow with more details of my absence.

M.I.A.

I'm taking a little blog break.
Just like this iris from last year, I'll be MIA

I'll be back much sooner than the iris will though.

See ya on Monday

Nothing new

Do you know why there is nothing new?
It's because some people are too lazy to go out and find something.
Why she's even using a picture of me that is almost a year old. She can't even be bothered with charging her battery for her camera so she can get new pictures. Geesh!!!

Do you know what that look on my face is from? It's from listening to her whining over and over about the same old thing. She doesn't feel like sitting in front of the computer. She wants to craft but she doesn't know what she wants to make. Oh please, someone just make her cut it out and give me a milk bone.

5 minutes silly break

If you have 5 minutes to kill here's a bit of silliness. What can I say I'm running low on ideas

Common sight

Yes we've been seeing a lot of these things lately.

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. 
Carl Reiner 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/snow.html#O1te2yYJM1tkHJgw.99 

Guess what we did?

Yesterday it was time to take down the tree and pack up all the decorations. Why is it that it's so much easier to pull all that stuff out than it is to pack it back up?
Of course after it's all back in the totes and stored away for another year there is vacuuming to do. Duke enjoys this little household chore.
Little did I know that my daughter was taking pictures with her cell phone.

Duke is the only dog I have ever had who doesn't run when the vacuum comes out. He'll sit and watch me and wait for his turn.

Yes, the vacuum is running in these pictures and he is standing there letting me do this. He loves it for some reason.

Suggestions and Frustration

I'll start by asking for suggestions. You may recall (or not) the rolled book page wreath I made. I ended up hanging it on the wall instead of the door. I liked it so much that I've decided that I want to keep it on the wall.

The only thing is if I'm going to have it hanging here all year long I don't want one with Christmas ornaments in the center. So I'm asking for suggestions on what to put in the center instead of the ornaments.

Now for the frustration part of my post. Firefox has decided that I can no longer open my reader or my blog at all. Internet explorer has made the decision that I can open both of those but if I want to do a blog post it will have to be without pictures from my computer. Yesterday I used Live Writer to do my post but I really don't like it at all so today I downloaded Google Chrome. If all of that isn't enough to annoy and irritate me, my email has decided that since I chose to start reading my mail from my kindle it will no longer allow me to access it on my computer. If I didn't love my techie gadgets so much I swear one or more of them would be flying out the window right now

Took me long enough

Remember when I said I bought myself a new sewing machine for Christmas? It was the brother computerized embroidery/sewing machine. When I bought the machine I neglected to order all the supplies needed to be able to try out the embroidery. I did finally get around to ordering the things I needed and they came in the mail last Saturday. You would have thought I would have jumped right on it and tried out the machine. But no, I procrastinated. Finally on Tuesday I pulled the machine out and set it up I wasn’t sure if I was doing every thing right so I started off with just a plain round circle.

Since that came out ok I added my name. It was so much easier than I thought it would be but this was all I did for the day.
Now I need to come up with some projects to add embroidery to. I’ve already found several sites that offer free designs and everyone knows how I love free. The machine does come preloaded with designs but not a whole lot and not necessarily things I would want to use.
Now to find some spare time to play.

On another note. The pictures look horrible today because I had to use Windows live writer to do my post. I don't know if anyone else has had a problem or not but when I went to do my post I clicked on the insert picture and it didn't give me an option for uploading from my computer. What's up with that?

In Pennsylvania

Snowy days in Pennsylvania...

...are perfect for napping.

Playing

A little play time with my camera always makes me smile.

Unless someone comes along and ruins my fun.

It's my toy from Santa mom, NOT yours.

Well they do say that posession is 9/10 of the law. Looks like Duke is taking the law in to his own paws.

Happy New Year

While searching for either a good quote or a poem to go along with today's post I spotted the perfect words in, believe it or not, the comment section.

We hasten to ring in the New Year, not knowing what it brings.
Along with happiness, are kisses, and all those other things.
Cheerfully we give a toast, with family and friends.
We make our resolutions, and swear to make amends.
Sometimes we forget to say, what's really in our heart.
I suppose it's hard for some to know where to start.
Be thankful for the chance, to start another year.
Hold your loved ones close, be there to lend an ear.
Reach out your hand, and give to those in need.
Become a better person, make that your dying creed.
Take a good look back, at how life was before.
Then honestly make a promise, to make it so much more.
Be kind to others, and be gentle in your ways.
Then watch as GOD rewards you, with many happy days.

written by

Jackie A Bowlin
Dec. 31, 2010

picture from Microsoft images

Happy New Year everyone!

If you would like to renew your contract for friendship please sign below in the comment section :)