I Love Saturday Afternoons at Home!

I love Saturday afternoons at home, when there isn't loads and loads of stuff that has to be done.  I love when I honey is home with us.  I love sleeping in with him and knowing that he's here.  I love the kids playing nicely and me doing whatever…laundry, figuring out dinner, crafting, cleaning, you know…whatever.

Gotta show you this first:

It gets more and more beautiful everyday that I look at it!  A friend of Scott's, at work, sent home several tiny yellow columbines for me to have.  I need to get them in the ground today.  If the blue one is a good indication, they won't really thrive until next spring.  (this one was planted last year and didn't do very well.)  Just got to figure out where to put the baby, yellow ones.

So, after that, I want to finish up a scrapbook page that's waiting, half completed on my desk and start on a binder that I bought to house all the little boy art that I can't make myself part with, I want to start on my summer art journal/altered book and start on an embellishment that's going to be included on my Dad's father's day gift.  (If it turns out, I'll share pictures.)

This week, the boys and I were stuck inside (because of bad weather) long enough for me to get these little projects done:

I've had this little canvas, sitting around waiting for just the right idea.  And thanks to Donna Downey, I decided to try my hand at painting something.  I think it turned out pretty cute, for my first try…  and it's given me the confidence to try an art journal…  and let's face it, even if it isn't great, it's just fun to play with paint!

Cute little layout, documenting my new love of tomatoes.  I think, if you hate tomatoes like I have all my life, but you really want to like them, because they're pretty and red, then grow one at home!  I couldn't help myself when it came to homegrown plum tomatoes!  They're so pretty on everything!  So, now for the first time in my 40-something years, I love tomatoes!  (Yes, my mother is very proud.  lol)

So many fun things going on in May this year, that I decided to make a page, highlighting most of it. 

Remember Ali giving us this idea for a challenge last fall?  (Ummm, in looking for the picture, I realized it wasn't last fall, but two falls ago…  my, how time flies!)

 

This was Ali's second newsletter challenge, in October 2006.  So much fun to look back at all the changes.  I had just discovered Mike's Hard Cherry drinks, was a brand new knitter, Dood had just lost his first tooth. (not to mention we don't have those ugly barstools anymore and we have a new dining room table…)

 I love this idea of documenting a whole month on a layout.  Very cool idea, Ali!  Man, I can't wait for CKU in August!!!  Can't wait to visit with Ali again!  It's going to be awesome!

Guess I better get going.  Got lots of fun waiting to be had!

Eye Candy Friday

My blue Columbine's first blossom is open and it's the most gorgeous flower I've ever seen in my life.  I can't wait to go out and see how it's changed daily.  Just beautiful.

We have a fun weekend planned at home.  Daddy and a friend are going to paint the master bedroom and bath and I'm going to do some yardwork and some crafty projects with the boys.

I'm pretty excited about a couple of projects that I have in mind:  one of which will be my first attempt at an altered book/art journal to document our summer break.  The other is a cool idea for a Father's Day project.  Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day to do all the fun things, floating around in my head…  (it's a terrible problem, but I'll deal with it…lol)

Better go make lunch for my three boys now.  I hope you have a great Friday!

Memorial Day weekend

Want to see how I spent most of my Memorial Day holiday?

Ali's most recent Weekend Creative project.  The challenge was to use one big picture.

 

 

Next are a couple pages heavily based on designs by Donna Downey.  She's so talented.  I've been looking more and more, to her for inspiration lately.  I'm even going to try my hand at canvas painting later today…  Wish me luck.

I knew, when I saw the brad swirlies, in Simple Scrapbooks magazine, some months ago, that I had to do it.  Wow it took far longer than I thought it would to make them, but boy, are they worth it.  Really special, the effect is really cool.

I loved Tia Bennett's page so much, that I made my own flower page.

This one?  Joy Uzarraga.

Why re-create the wheel, right?

This one is actually an original design and just for fun.  I was so pleased with myself and the Easter cupcakes that I madethis year.  They were a big hit with the family too!

Had to document our little girl and her love of fresh, homegrown produce!

This one is based mostly on a design by C.D. Muckosky.  Bee liked it so much, he made one for himself too.

Lots of creative energy flying around our house right now.  It felt so good to scrapbook again.  Afterall, it was my first love!  lol

I broke down and bought some new acrylic stamps last week that I'm dying to use too.  So, more projects to come soon.  The weather is pretty dreary here again today, so the boys and I have plenty of time to play indoors.  Guess that's it for now.  I'm going to go get busy.

We Deserve This!

We deserve a couple days of perfect weather, after dealing with severe thunderstorms, possible hail and tornado watches/warnings for 4 days in a row!

That sky is just unbelievable to me.  Just makes me happy!  Ok, don't look at the grass yet, though.  My honey's in the middle of repairing the sprinkler system, which froze and burst over the winter…  He tells me the grass is not dead and it'll still come back…  AND I BELIEVE HIM, DAMMIT!  Can't wait for warm enough weather to put the pool back in it's place too…  tired of looking at it's dead grass, round spot!

So, he's going to fix the sections of the fence that were blown down in the storm today too, while I continue to manicure everything and hopefully think of more stuff to keep the boys busy outside with us too!

Strawberries are doing really well.  I bought some fresh strawberries at the market yesterday and they were so yummy!  Can't wait til these babies are ready to eat!  There are a bunch of little pink berries under all those leaves already.

The puppies were keeping us company while we were working in the yard.

Even put the boys to work.  Will is much more an indoor person and tires of outdoor stuff pretty quickly, but we made him stay with us and contribute.  I keep telling both boys, now that they're out for summer break, there's no reason that they can't help out, around the house and yard.  They're big boys now.  Will told me yesterday, "Helping Daddy in the back yard does his heart bad."  WHATEVER!  WHERE THE HECK DID HE GET THAT?  Crazy child!

And…look what I found yesterday!!!  My Blue Columbine is on the verge of blooming!  One of my favorite flowers, since I was a very little girl, the blue columbine just symbolizes the Rockies and the mountains and nature and wilderness.  Lots of things that I love.  It makes me think of John Denver and our first trip to Aspen and our last trip to the JD Park in Aspen.  It's my favorite color, purple.  (not sure why it's called blue, because clearly it's purple…)  I can't wait to see this baby in full bloom.  So glad she survived the winter!

I better get moving.  My honey should be home with fence-mending supplies any minute and I'm ready to get busy in the yard again.  Hope you're having a fabulous Memorial Day weekend too!

I admit it. I have a problem.

I'm addicted…, originally uploaded by doo010101.

I'm addicted to vintage pyrex! My mother had a bunch when I was growing up and it reminds me of my childhood. I don't have much pyrex, but what I do have is loved and used. I don't believe in displaying and never touching and enjoying…

I'm presently keeping my eye on several pieces on Ebay that I may just have to have!!! I'll keep you posted.

Eye Candy Friday and other Creative Fun

Is this not the most perfectly manicured little cottage you've ever seen?  I just love it.  Found it in old town Longmont, Colorado.  The colors, the shutters, the lawn, just perfect.  Love it. 

Today's a gloomy day, meteorogically speaking, again.  Supposed to have severe weather late in the afternoon.  So glad my honey made space in the garage for the new car!!!  The forecast for really bad weather came true yesterday for parts of Colorado, not too far away from where my folks live.  As a matter of fact my mother saw the devastating Windsor, Colorado tornadoes from her front door.  It was pretty scarey.  Hopefully nothing that serious will make it's way to our neck of the woods…  Just rain, would be really nice.  My yard is looking very green and happy.

I've got to find something fun to do with the boys today (indoors)…something artysy-crafty would make us all happy.  Didn't get to knit yesterday–still recovering from the stomach bug and lack of sleep.  Bee and I took a long nap in the afternoon.  Then he couldn't fall asleep at bedtime, so he joined me and we watched t.v. in bed for a couple of hours.  ("Grey's Anatomy" season finale, which was UNBELIEVABLE!!)

Here are a couple little fun projects that I've done this week.  The first is just a little bag, made out of left over felt from another project.  I made it to hold all the loose little objects that end up in my center console in the car…like sweet-and-low, advil, Tums, hand sanitizer…  now all that stuff is in one neat, clean place and I can easiy grab it whenever I need it.  And the new car needed a pretty little organizer for it's console storage thingy, right?  (I know I'm weird…)

And here's a scrapbook page I did this week, based on a sketch from C.D. Muckosky.  If you'd like to check it out, here's the link:  http://cdmuckosky.blogspot.com/.  She's so talented.  I don't think my layout is cute as her's, but I really appreciate the creative spark she shared.

In closing, just wanted to share our boys' new summertime haircuts.  Although I miss Bee's longer locks and running my fingers thru his hair, I love when it's time to get summertime haircuts too!

Here's my happy Bee.

And here's our Dood.

Can't wait til the weather is nice again and we can take advantage of the new haircuts and the new sunscreen and the new swimsuits…  Hopefully soon…

I'm off to fix lunch.  My honey should be home soon.  Hope you have a great day!

I was hoping for better…

The first day of summer break has left a lot to be desired…  First of all, I came down with some kind-of stomach bug/food poisoning thing yesterday afternoon and, let's just say, the system has been completely purged.  I'm feeling better today, but really tired.

I was aware, last night, that a thunderstorm was going thru, but I had no idea that it would tear down sections of the fence…  It's supposed to be rainy, foggy, haily, possibly tornado-y for the next two days.  I so love living on the plains! 

My boys are a little bummed too, stuck inside today…

So looking on the bright side, I've been wanting to relax and knit…  hehehe  I managed to eat and drink this morning and didn't have to run to the bathroom…  It's just going to get better and better from here on out, right?

In other news…  I'm so happy and excited for this young man!  He's the new American Idol, announced last night.  He's  the one who's earned my vote for many weeks…  He seems to be a true class act and the judges said many times, that he was one of the nicest contestants  they've ever had.  He's got a vocal style that has given me goosebumps and made me cry, his voice and talent are truly awesome!  He so deserves this honor.

Congratulations, David Cook! 

Think She’s Ready to Eat Tomatoes?

I spent a couple hours yesterday, planting our garden.  This year we have lots of different kinds of tomatoes…much to tootsie-pop's delight!  We have three bell peppers, strawberries, rosemary, thyme, basil, lemon balm, chives, mint, pansies everywhere.  It was so much fun, getting it all in the ground yesterday.  And little tootsie-pop was on my heals the entire time, whining for tomatoes.  (crazy little pup.)  It was too hot outside for K.C.  He decided to wait indoors for us girls to be done farming.  lol

Had a really nice lunch, outside, on the deck, with my honey yesterday.  The weather was really wonderful, with a little breeze.  It was fun, making a special lunch for us.

Love it when he comes home for lunch, which he's been doing more and more lately.  I hope he continues, now that the boys will be home for summer break.  They'd love to have Daddy home in the middle of the day for a while.

Speaking of summer break, today's the last day of school and the boys couldn't be more excited.

We have to go in tomorrow morning to pick up their last report cards and then they're outta there!  Wish me luck in finding ways to keep a 6 and 7 year old entertained for the next three months!

Growing Boys…

I love this shot of the boys.  Took it at brunch on Sunday at a little local restaurant in Colorado that my folks had been wanting to take us to.  Had a lovely time and (my favorite part of the whole thing) got to spend quality time with the family and take pictures of the whole thing!

When I look at this picture, I can see grown men.  I can see them, thinking, caring, growing, loving and learning.  They’re so different from each other, but both such incredibly awesome people!

Look what we did over the weekend…

From a sweet baby mobile…

To a sexy mama ride!

Yep, he spoils me.