Thursday, February 26, 2009

Just blogging right now about me....went to the doctor yesterday, ten day follow-up from knee surgery and I still have to be on crutches for another two weeks. But I can put more weight on it and take a few steps without here and there; so at least that'll help with my arm pain! I HATE CRUTCHES! Never had to be on them before, never had the fun!!! Thanks for listening.....

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

More wonderful creations....

Another "WTA" ATC arrived yesterday from Alice Hyde....so gorgeous!!
These are from Pam Sparks for a personal trade we did between ourselves. She's a wonderful stamper....just beautiful work.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Getting to Know You....

Everything that I have done is in bold..
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played tennis in a statewide tournament.
4. Been to the San Diego Zoo
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland and Disney world (only Disney World)
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain (small one in Southern Illinois)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (wouldn't ever, either)
12. Visited Paris (would love to)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (Sorry Sears!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Met siblings you never knew you had.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. Visited Hershey, PA
40. Been to a Renaissance faire (First time last summer in St. Louis)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen a bald eagle in the wild (In Alton and Wisconsin)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant/ in the drive thru
44. Visited Africa (Would love to do this too)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Toured the Norfolk Broads
47. Have your portrait painted
48. Gone to the place where the Mighty Mississippi begins
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Touched a manatee
52. Walked in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (Do home movies count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Rode an elephant
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited the site of a prisoner of war Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Walked the Freedom Trail
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy/book
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Panned for gold
81. Watched the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade in person as an adult
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Road on a trolley in San Francisco
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Been to Mardi Grais
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (Had two)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Beautiful "eye candy"

I won!....Yeah....WTA in my ATC group. That means I get some wonderful ATC's sent to me.....here is a beautiful card from April Dudko...will keep you posted as they come in...
"At the Opera" by Laura Carson

"Lady Iris" by Laura Carson


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Do not forget where we came from....

Here is my great-great-great grandmother and grandfather.....Sarah Rodgers Webb and Samuel Webb Sr. They are surrounded by their children..from left to right...Ernest, Mary Jane, Herbert, Sam Jr., Alfred (bottom), Harry, John and Matilda. Samuel Webb Sr. was born in Warwickshire, England, best known for the birthplace of William Shakespeare and Sarah was born in Bilston, Staffordshire, England. Bilston is a town in the West Midlands regions of Staffordshire. They are buried in the family plot in Seymour, Iowa.
Left bottom corner is Sam, Jr....my great-great grandfather on my paternal grandmother's side. He was born in Yorkshire, England in 1863. Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Surrounding him are his five brothers.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Found a new website to try out, thanks to my wonderful friend, Deb! It's www.wordle.net Check it out and you will be addicted. You can make some wonderful "word clouds" to frame or use in scrapbooking....awesome!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Aprons

Here are some fun apron images and some interesting facts about aprons. It sure brings back memories of childhood...my grandmother always wore one in the kitchen. People just don't use them anymore like the 'ol days...and kids these days don't know what aprons are!
The principal use of grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids!
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents somthing that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron!!!


Monday, February 16, 2009

Here is two of six ATC's I've made for a "vintage ledger background" 6/6 swap that I've done for my Vintage Photo ATC group. They are quite the chick magnets, aren't they?


Here are two of six "Bingo Beauties" that will go out in a 6/6 swap for the Vintage Photo ATC group that I'm in. They were to have a bingo card background. Can't show you anymore, don't want to ruin the surprise!






Look at these two cute "bottle bugs" we purchased at an arts & craft fair we went to a couple of weekends ago. They'll both hang out in a small tree in my flower garden along with a red one purchased last fall from the same people.




You can go to her website at http://www.straycatart.com/ and check out her work. This summer we plan on an overnite trip to visit Galesburg and see all the sites.





Bought a new purse at the show.....isn't it cute? It'll be a great accessory to my favorite pair of jeans!












































Saturday, February 14, 2009

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!


RAK.....random act of kindness. I got one of those this week at a time when Julia didn't even realize I needed it the most. Julia Ziemann sent me a RAK out of the blue for Valentine's Day and it arrived at a very wonderful time. The day before I had had my knee surgery and was feeling no pain but the next morning it all hit and I was a little "under the weather", crying (yes, I was a baby!) and having a difficult time....when what showed up in the mail, but a wonderful ATC for me sent by Julia. Did that ever uplift my spirits. And what a beautiful one it is. Thanks, Julia; just what I needed!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Another fun ATC....give your imagination wings!
Been on an ATC-making "binge" this weekend. I have a little time off, having knee surgery on Wednesday, so thought I would take advantage of some time and create at my desk. Here are a few of my newest.....




















Monday, February 2, 2009

Saving the World One Bird at a Time

Our backyard bird feeders can make a difference! Especially this time of the year. During periods of cold and severe winter weather, our birds will utilize them as the cricitial source of food that enables them to survive from day to day. I read about a 3-year study in Wisconsin that concluded that when temperatures fall below 10 degrees, Black-capped Chickadees (which happen to be my very favorite bird) have only a 37% survival rate as opposed to the much higher 69% survival rate for those able to utilize feeders. That's a substantial difference. And if chickadees are represenative of our other feeder birds, then our feeders can make a big difference in the number of birds that survive the winter.
Also, birds may burn up to 10% of their body weight in stored fat each night to stay warm...and this fat must be replaced every day. Be sure to keep your feeeds filled with the high-energy, high-fat foods that provide your birds with the crucial nutrition they need to survive. What would this world be without them. So get out there and feed those little birds!