Well..... In about an hour....we are off for a week. These are from a few years ago at the cabins.... but they are some of my favorties~!

Take Care everyone.

I'm still here

I haven't posted in almost a week. It's been a crazy week! Our son and grandkids have been over every night this week, up until about 10pm. I love having them over, but that seems to have thrown my entire routine off balance.
My hubby has had some very political issues at work and as a result had been home all week as well. It's been great coming home at lunch and having a home made lunch courtesy of he and our son. On the days I didn't come home, we met for lunch.
Again, this week has just been an .... odd week for me.
I don't "blame" any of this, and admit, I have simply not had any streak of creativity in me at all.
Next week I won't be posting at all as we are going on vacation! Yay~! I need to decompress so bad! Every year, we and two other couples/families, rent the same cabins, right on a lake. The cabins are stocked with pots and pans, cable TV, a fishing boat and life jackets for each cabin. It's a time to do nothing at all but relax, Bar-B-Q, fish, swim, go bike riding and reflect on what great friendships we have with each other. All of our kids thoroughly look forward to this week every year!
I plan on taking, of course, a book and my art journal. I'm also taking my new moleskine journal, freshly waiting to be filled and some basic art supplies.
I'm sure I will have plenty to blog about when we come back!

A soldier's past

The neatest thing happened to my daughter this week. Her boyfriend had noticed a "trunk" laying at the side of the road. He was compelled to the trunk for some reason and stopped to look at it. It appeared to be a metal trunk, completely locked and left as garbage. He thought, at a minimum, the metal trunk could be given to the scrap yard if it proved to be nothing, but was in interesting enough looking trunk, to investigate further.

As my daughter was at work, he wrestled with the trunk and finally got it open. Inside, was paperwork explaining the life of a soldier. LCPL Jerry E Samson, had joined the Marine Corp. in 1969. He served in the Vietnam War for three weeks.

In the trunk, was a Western Union letter to his family, informing them that Jerry had died while serving his country, due to shrapnel to the head. He died on March 18, 1969 along with another soldier. In the trunk was also a certificate of purple heart, a letter signed by President Nixon, and some letters both to and from his family. Amount the letters, was one dated three days prior to his death, to his Mother. He never got to mail the letter.

My daughter had checked the phone book and went on line to check some county court records and was not finding any successful leads to the family. She called the local news, who hadn't returned her call yet. It's now been five days.

I decided to google this young soldiers name, and low and behold, I found Jerry's web page put up by his family.

The comments are obviously outdated, but through the names and a little effort, I have able to find his sister, her address and her phone number.

My daughter called Linda today, who is approximately 65 years old now, and she burst into tears! My daughter lives about 4 blocks from Linda and was able to drive the belongings over to her. Linda expressed her gratitude and how much she, still, missed her brother today.
Linda referred to my daughter as her "angel".

My grandfather (from Scotland) was in the war in Italy, and my very close friend has two daughters (an M.P. and a combat nurse) in Iraq now. Please remember our soldiers. Not weather you agree or disagree with the war itself, but the actual men and women, serving our country and protecting the freedoms we sometimes take for granted. I ask that you remember not only them, but their families, who are sacrificing too ...... for us.

I'm on a roll.....

I did it! I actually finished something on my list. ☺
Here are some of the pages I did for the swap I'm doing with the girls at work.
Now I can get back to my art journal~!

Painting.....

I've already decided I am dabbling in way too many things, but something is gnawing at my heels..... Painting. I've "used" paint in journals, I've used paint on several types of craft projects, I've just never ...you know.... PAINTED! I want to try .... I don't know where to begin. Portrait? Nature? Fantasy? And my sketching/drawing/painting skills are.....seriously....not good....but I don't even care about that. I know it's the old antage....practice practice practice, learn a little, then practice some more.
What I'm wondering is where to start? What am I going to paint ON? My 12x12 scrapbook cardstock? (Oh, no!! that's too big and intimidating, Sandra!) On paper? (Well what kind of paper?) On canvas board? And once I make up my fickle mind.... do I prepare the surface with something first? Do I collage first - then paint, then write/journal/title last? Grr...
I will: This weekI will: 1. Read and learn more about painting "portraits"
2. Finish my scrapbookpages from for my work swap
3. Finish my journal pages
Next week I will: 1. Continue to read/learn about paininting portraits
2. Finish reading my library book
3. Do background pages ahead, in my journal
Third week I will: 1: Be on vacation
2: Sit on the dock and begin sketches, to paint when I come back.

That's my plan and I'm stickin' to it~!

Birthday~!

Yay~! Today is my 39th birthday. (BOO!!)
I woke up to a kiss and hug from my son and hubby and a new IPod~! WooHoo~!
The girls at work also made me a "birthday box"...an altered box filled with goodies and a home made ice cream cake - mint choc chip ice cream on top of brownie..... cake! Yum!



The pictures are not the best..... I used my camera phone...but you get the idea~!

Mom and Dad are picking me up from work, to take me to lunch, too.

I am blessed to have so many people who love me.

All in the name of Fun....

My son had a friend spend the night last night. They have been friends for years, he's vacationed with us, and we always enjoy having this friend over. We didn't do much other than go to the local ice cream shop before watching movies.

Today, we decided they need to burn off some energy and the threat of storms are looming. We took the boys to the BMX track at the county park, trying to "beat the storms". Blue slushies and lots of hard peddling later.....they had a ball!

After watching them go up and over the hills with such ease, I started to think to myself, "How fun does THAT look!?" Then the dangerous thoughts.... I'm not THAT old. I've still "got it"... (you feel it coming don't you? ......I wish that I would have!!) So I ask my son.... "let me see your bike!", only to hear "NO Mom! Please don't!", with the voice of worry for his dear 'ol Mom. And off I went.

Going down is much easier than going up, I tell you! Once I not so gracefully landed, I found myself wedged between the seat of the bike and the handle bars. And oh my poor left wrist! My mother just broke her left wrist a few days ago...... I guess I just didn't want her to be pain alone.

Another Giveawy

I found another giveaway today and not only is this a beautifully creative idea, but it's a way for not only Connie, but all of us, too, to help take care of this beautiful earth God is letting us borrow for a little while. And if you don't want anyone shoving God or save the earth down your throat..... they are absolutely beautiful..... check it out here.


Thank you Connie, for your thoughtfulness in giving one of your creations away, for trying to do your part in keeping the earth clean and for your motivation to try and get others to do their part, too!

Art Journal

I've been working in my art journal the last couple of days....and I'm getting close to finishing my "Medusa" page, inspired by a comment cuteartworld left on my "Pancake Sat." blog. You know what though? I had an awesome conversation with my 10 year old son the other night when I was putting him to bed (yes....he's a momma's boy!....and readily admits it. Big difference between a mamma's boy...and a "sissy boy".... in my opinion...and he's no sissy boy!)

anywhoo..... so I'm working on Medusa, I also started a background for a page about my son and I's conversation. Of course that lead to doing a few extra backgrounds. Am I A.D.D, or does anyone else have that problem? I would LOVE, just once, to start something, and finish it! I seem to dabble in so many different things, that I'm all over the place, constantly trying to finish, "unfinished projects".

Then, of course, there is reading.... I have to have time at night to read, too! right now, I'm reading the Belle Far, by Sylvia Plath. I know God made things perfect....but I really really wish He would have made the days..... like.... 50 hours long. And!!.... not even need an intravenous supply of Mt Dew and cappuccino to stay awake!

will be posting the journal pages in next day or two....

Beautiful Morning

What a beautiful morning~! It rained last night and it's supposed to storm all day today, and when I woke up, there was this mist that covered the front yard when I looked out the window. It just looked so peaceful with the sun trying to poke through that mist.

Most of all, hubby and I both slept trough the entire night without waking up! I actually had some time last night, too, to work on a couple scrap book pages for a "swap" we are doing at work. I really like how this one turned out.

Let the storms come....cuz I feel good today~!

Ok.....that's two posts in a row that begin with Beautiful....I need to explaind my vocabulary horizon!!

I have no idea how to post a you-tube video yet......so I'll give you the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nE9Nkx1llA

Beautiful giveaway~!

I was surfing blogs on my lunch hour and came accross this most beautiful at peice being given away by Pat on Gatherings @ http://krishubick.blogspot.com/2008/06/art-giveaway-and-thank-you.html for simply entering and posting a link to her, on my page.

I would love to have this piece in my home and it's a blog I am sure to return to many times!

Thank You Pat!

Woo~hoo!!!

I just realized my "pictures" were not posting. I'm so technically challenged!
But look! I figured it out!

And thanks to a comment on my last blog, I have an great idea for my next journal page! Woo~hoo! I'm going to do a Medusa page! (I'll post it when I'm done..)

Pancake Saturday

My dear husband gets up early on Every Saturday. While he lets us sleep in, he makes our son and I, pancakes and sausage. Our son gets pancakes with chocolate chips in them, and I get blueberry pancakes.
Sometimes I think it bothers him, that he does that every weekend, and isn't appreciated for it. I love it that he does that for us. He knows that I am the epitome of lazy bones on a Sat. morning and he knows that our son looks forward to "Pancake Saturday", and when *I do* finally decide to roll out of bed, I get the newspaper for him, for all the neighbors to see my Medusa hair-do and squinted wet eyes....
I am very grateful for both him, and his pancakes. Maybe I need to learn to be more gracious.

Why am I writing this??? I'm hungry!!!!!

I would love to have his pancakes right now.