Showing posts with label other stuff. Show all posts

4

Beautiful day...

Posted on Thursday, May 16, 2013

It is a lovely day outside and I had a few spare minutes, so I thought I'd seek outside and snap a couple pictures of the budding trees in our yard.
We even had one tulip in bloom! (Our poor tulip bed needs some work!  Hardly anything came up this year.)

Our lilac trees are getting ready to bloom...
(And I can't wait, I just love when all the lilacs bloom!)


So far only the purple ones are blooming...
I really hope the white ones start soon!

We purchased a type of verbena tree last summer and it survived the winter...
And is starting to bloom!


Once the buds open, the tree will be full of pretty white blooms!
(I did edit the photo a tad, just for fun!) :)

Lastly, a picture of our lone tulip...
(At least I think it is a tulip.)


Quite frankly, I think its a lovely little flower...
Planning to work on these beds this fall, so next spring there will be a whole bunch of tulips in bloom!

Anyway, off to work I go...
Hoping to have tons of new products to upload to the shop soon!

2

Blogging and Stitching, Week 2...

Posted on Sunday, May 12, 2013

Almost didn't think I would get this post up today...
...got busy working on new pictures for the shop and lost track of time.  Luckily, my hubby made it home from work and is making dinner for us tonight, so I have a few extra minutes to get this post written up!

Well, after finishing my post last week, I started this week all "gung-ho" to get stitching! (I really wanted to make some progress on my projects.)
So, I started the week working on my angel project and you can finally see the angel!



(I think the entire piece is coming along nicely.)

My hubby came home on Monday and we finally had a few nice days, so we headed out to the lake to go fishing. (Well, my hubby fishes and I sit and stitch or read.)
I had planned on stitching most of the afternoon, but I got busy reading through my cross stitching magazines (planning out future projects) and didn't get much time to actually stitch...
Thankfully, Tuesday was a lovely day, too!
And...I finished my first piece!

 I'd started this piece last summer, after coming across different "Keep Calm" patterns and adapted this one to suit my needs. 
I'm just happy to finally have it done!  Now I just need to clean it and get it framed!


(Looking through other cross stitch blogs, it seems customary to show a picture of the back, of a finished piece...which is quite scary for me!  Honestly, the backs of my pieces are usually a mess.  This one isn't too bad...good one to start with!)

Well, you'd think that with one finish under my belt, I'd set to work finishing other pieces...
Yeah, my brain doesn't think like that!


I started TWO new projects!

Thursday night, I started the kitty project...
I've had this kit for around 2 years, but just never got around to starting it.
Well, I wanted something bright and fun to work on, so I thought this would be perfect!


It doesn't look like much, but it is the start of the gray and white kitty.
This project is going to be a challenge for me...
It is full of quarter stitches, which I've done in the past, I'm just not crazy about them.  Plus, it has a ton of french knots. (I have a love - hate relationship with french knots...I love how they look, but I hate to trying to make them.) 
So, this project will probably make me pull my hair out, but it will probably turn out to be my favorite, once its finished!

Lastly, I ran into town and Friday and picked up the Live, Laugh, Love kit. (I never intended on doing that, but I just couldn't pass up the piece.)
I've only put in two days worth of stitching, but I think it is shaping up nicely...

 I'm having a lot of fun working on this piece and I'm quite excited to see it when it is all finished!
(Plus, I have the pattern now and I would love to try using different colors and see how it comes out.)

So, that has been my stitching week...
Managed to get my first finish, but I think I canceled that out, by starting two new pieces! :)
Either way, I'm excited to keep working and see what I'll have done for next week!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and has a terrific week this week!
(See everyone next Sunday!)

0

Exciting news...

Posted on Saturday, March 23, 2013

Wow, I can't believe it is March 23rd all ready! This month really got away from me. I do have some very exciting news to share... I was recently interviewed by the lovely people at Nature's Garden...
Today, they published my interview on their blog!
To check out the article, you can find it here: http://blog.naturesgardencandles.com/candle-company-owner/

Nature's Garden is such a wonderful company and I really love their products, so its a huge honor to be featured on their blog.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

0

March (is Lupus month)...

Posted on Saturday, March 2, 2013

Well, a new month is upon us...
The month of March is always a bitter sweet month for me.  It has been a month filled with great joy, with the birth of my son, happening near the end of the month.  It is also a month filled with great sadness, since I lost both my parents in the month of March.
The reason I am writing this entry, is so I can discuss the illness that claimed my mother's life.
My mother was a wonderful person, caring and kind, hard working, creative and always worried about others before her self.  She also suffered from Lupus.
Lupus may be a disease that you haven't heard of or it might be one that has touched your own life or someone you care about.  In my house, Lupus was one disease that my family and I knew intimately well.  I am certainly not a doctor, nor a researcher, I am simply the daughter of a woman that suffered with it daily.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, that can damage any part of the body.  This disease is chronic, which simply means signs and symptoms last longer than six weeks and often for many years. (My mother had Lupus for 18 years, with only a 3 year remission.)  With Lupus, something goes wrong with the patient's immune system, instead of the body attacking "invaders" or the viruses, bacteria and germs that can make us sick...a patient's body begins attacking healthy tissues.
One of the most difficult parts of the disease, is that it affects people very differently.  Some people with Lupus have problems with their kidneys, other have issues with their joints...
My mother's Lupus affected her blood counts.  She had very low blood counts and was often left unable to fight off common colds or flu. (She would also bruise very easily, especially when her platelets were low.)

I do want to make it clear that a diagnosis of Lupus is NOT a death sentence.
Yes, my mother did pass away, but she died 13 years ago.  There have been advancements in Lupus research, since she passed away.  Plus, what ultimately claimed my mother's life, was an experimental treatment. (Her disease had gotten to a point where "normal" treatments weren't providing results, so she underwent a new treatment and unfortunately, it didn't work.)

So, some may be asking..."Why are you writing this entry?"
I'm writing this entry to start to tell my mother's story and share my family's experience with this disease.  I also want to expose Lupus to as many people as I can.  The more that know, the better!

There are some wonderful resources for people with Lupus or for those that just want some more information...
Please visit the Lupus Foundation of America.
Thanks so much for visiting and reading!  For my household, March is Lupus month, so I will be sharing information about Lupus all month long.


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Caturday, my kitties...

Posted on Saturday, February 9, 2013

Well, the last couple weeks, I've been busy snapping pictures of my kitties and thought I would share a few on here. 
(I hope no one gets tired of my cats, because I honestly love taking and sharing pictures of them!)




(My kitty Hoss, all tuckered out after a session of playing.)

Some Kitty Close-Ups:




And folks, those are my beautiful felines!  Hope everyone has a great weekend and gets to fit in lots of "catnaps"!

1

New kitty toy...

Posted on Friday, February 1, 2013

Anyone that knows me, knows I love my cats and I just adore finding new things to keep them entertained...
Well, we have one cat, Cooper, that is almost 2 years old and absolutely loves to play.  Unfortunately, my other cats DO NOT enjoy playing with him. (Who could blame them, though, Cooper is about 14 pounds of fluff, claws and teeth and he doesn't seem to realize just how big he is or how rough he is playing.)
So, we've tried to find other things for Cooper to play with...
He destroys most toys, though.  He LOVES feathers (and birds), well, he actually loves to KILL feathers!  He eats them. (I don't like him eating them, because of the end results.)
He loves to play with balls, but he always bats them under our couch, where they are never to be seen again.
So, we've bought several different "chase toys" for him. (You know, the plastic disk with a ball in it or around it that the cats bat with their paws.)
He loves those toys!

This past weekend, we were doing our weekly shopping and found a "chase toy" that has 2 balls for the cats to bat at and one of the balls makes BIRD noises! 
We had to get it, since Cooper loves the birds so very much! (I knew he would go bonkers for it!)
He loves it and so do my other, older cats. (The bird noises really draw them in.)
You can find the toy here: Birdie Chase Toy
This is seriously one of the best toys we've gotten! (Of course, we couldn't put the feathers in the middle, well we tried, they lasted a whole 2 minutes before Cooper pulled them out and started eating them.)


For good measure, here is a picture of the fluffy brat, playing with his first "chase toy". (The ball in that one lights up, another thing Cooper loves, bright lights!)

0

Valentine's Day...

Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2013

With the end of January today, February and Valentine's Day are coming closer...
Honestly, my husband and I don't usually do a lot for V-Day, because he is usually at work and we don't really get to spend the day together.  That's no different this year, but I still thought I would try to do something special for my hubby this year.
I have recently started making soap (and I'm enjoying it quite a bit), but my hubby doesn't like bar soap. (Even though I bought fish shaped soap just for him...oh well...)  Well, I came across liquid soap base and I thought that would be a perfect gift for him.  I could make him special soap, with a scent that I know he'll love.
Still not sure if it is a good idea, so I thought I would post about it here...
What type of V-Day gifts are you planning on giving?  Think a special handmade gift would be a good idea?

0

Took a little break...

Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2012

I've been doing nothing but working on candles lately, however, I managed a small break this morning to snap some pictures of my fluffy kitty, Cooper.
(Cooper is our year old, Ragdoll kity and he is full energy!)







He decided to be extra playful (and cute) this morning...
I just couldn't resist grabbing my camera!

0

Something Sweet...

Posted on Saturday, October 13, 2012

Yesterday, I had to make a run to our local pharmacy and pick up a sympathy card for a friend...
While I was there, I stumbled across a card that really touched me. (I actually got tears in my eyes, while I was reading it.) I had to buy it and I wanted to share the message, because I just really love it!

The card is about love...
"Perfect love only happens in the movies.

In the real world we sometimes say things in anger that we wish we could take back.
We sometimes do foolish things without thinking about the consequences...
and we hurt the ones we love most.
But that doesn't mean our love isn't real -
or that it's not worth fighting for.

Let's focus on what's good between us and remember the reasons why love brought us together.

I believe we can grow from these hard times and our relationship will become stronger and healthier as we learn more about the power of compromise,
forgiveness -
and love."
By: Jason Blume

My husband and I have been married for nine years and we've certainly had our ups and downs, but we've never given up.  We have hung in there and fought to keep our marriage together and we're trying to make it stronger and better.  I was just inspired by this card...
Love is definitely worth fighting for!

2

Things I've always wanted...

Posted on Friday, September 28, 2012

Last night I started thinking (I know dangerous, huh) and making a list of things I've always wanted to do....
...some of them were funny, some will probably never get accomplished and some many just happen in the near future.
(Maybe I'm being introspective, since my birthday is tomorrow...)

Anyway, I thought I would share my list and encourage everyone to make a list of their own...
(Feel free to share them here, if you'd like!)

I've always wanted to...
...whistle with my fingers.
...bake/make a decent loaf of bread using yeast.
...read the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes books.
...make a decent pie crust from scratch.
...draw a straight line without using a ruler.
...travel abroad.
...draw or paint anything beautiful.
...learn to play the guitar.
...make my own pasta.
...have a "green thumb".
...dance without a care in the world!
...learn sign language.
...watch a Broadway play, on Broadway.
...write a beautiful poem.
...learn to kick box.
...shoot a gun.
...learn how to NOT throw like a girl.
...live in the country.
...play the stock market.
...own a Mustang!
...attend a rock concert.

I'm sure there's more, but that seems like a pretty good list so far...
Now, just to get them marked off and DONE!

So, what things have YOU always wanted...

0

Revamping...

Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2012


I've decided to start revamping/re-branding my candles and my Etsy shop.
I really needed to find my place in the candle market and I think I just might be getting there now...well, my fingers are crossed that I am!
It hit me about a week ago that I should really use the fact that I'm from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a selling point, especially since there is a whole mantra here of "Made in the U.P." and I am very proud to be from the U.P. (I love being called a Yooper!)  It fits in with my candles quite easily, since I work with natural waxes and zinc-free wicks. (I try to work with as many natural ingredients as I can.) And, the Upper Peninsula is hailed for its natural beauty, so it really is a good match. (At least in my head it is!) 
Plus, I get to practice taking pictures, too!  I love taking nature pictures and now I'll have a good place to share them and actually get some use out of them! 
I just hope the idea works and that I'm not completely crazy in thinking it is a good plan! :)

Anyway, I thought I share a few pictures that I took this weekend...






0

First "Wrap Bracelet"...

Posted on Friday, July 27, 2012


I found a couple tutorials on youtube.com, about how to make these "wrap bracelets" and I just had to give it a try. (I thought they would make cute Christmas gifts for my family.)
So, I finally got all my supplies today and decided to sit down and give it a try. (I think my first attempt came out pretty well.)





I definitely need more practice (and longer cord), but I'm happy with it!  I'm really excited to keep trying and seeing how the future ones will come out!