BEFORE AND AFTER LIVING ROOM

So.
This is a living room of a client I have that I tried to finish before Christmas, but didn't quite make it, although the results are not bad...We bought new furniture and redid windows treatments, and accessorized and this is the outcome...what you can't see is a beautiful baby grand player piano by the stairs...it was great to finish this one...

ANNIVERSARY CAKE

This was a "fake cake" a friend asked me to make up for her friend's parent's 50th Anniversary party...first one I have done, was fun, but it turned out nice and they loved it. It spins so you can see all the way around it...Enjoy...

THANKS TO GIVE

So another Thanksgiving has passed...life changes so much as you age...besides the wrinkles on my face, hands, and body, the way you view life changes with you. As you get older, you lose people, watch friend's parents pass, or even friend's kids pass, you are handed a regular diet of sorrow...things that you never heard of when you were younger you experience on a regular basis....the longer you live, the harder life can be to find joyful moments....it's no wonder old people get cranky!!

I learned in my Medical Terminology class last week the word "presby" means "old age" in Med. terms...suppose the Presbyterians feel ok with that??? (not so sure they would appreciate it) and the amazing thing I have learned is how complicated our body truly is....we have so many tiny cells doing a lot of big work...things that you don't even have a clue about are going on inside there....millions, let me repeat that "MILLIONS" of cells going about doing the thing they do since the day they were formed...involuntarily...you aren't even aware...it's amazing to me how people can believe that "BANG" it just happened all by itself....I am still waiting for my body to go "BANG" and I turn into a....a... I don't know, who knows what the next BANG might bring to life...scary, huh?

Back to Thanksgiving...we had a quiet day with our kids...good food, fun games, and great dessert...and the grandpups were here too...it was nice...but I wanted to list 10 things I am so thankful for in my life...so here goes:

1. A God who loves me, unconditionally, mercifully, and is so gracious with me in my current state...He has forgiven me, and given me the free gift of eternal life. He is working all things together for my benefit in my journey to become more like His Son Jesus Christ...I live to glorify Him. Thank you Lord for giving me life.

2. The Word of God, my Bible...it is the "lamp unto my feet" when darkness would overtake me, a guide when I feel like I have lost my way, and full of wisdom that He wants me to benefit from...Thank you Lord for allowing me to live in a place that allows me to freely read from your Word.

3. Family...Bob, thank you for your unwavering love over these 30 years of marriage, and for not quitting even when we might have felt like it...To Josh, Jenna, Julia, and Luke, thank you for letting me be your mom and mom in law, and for allowing me to make mistakes and forgiving me when I fall extremely short of all that title holds, and for putting up with my quirks...Mom and Dad, thank you for raising me to love the Lord, and to care about others, not just myself...To my siblings, thanks for contributing to the person I have become, whether I liked it or not, you have influenced my earliest years for better or worse, I still learned to live beside you and be tolerant, you were my first "friends" and I love you for it...To extended family, thank you for letting be part of your life, and sharing part of yours with me...you each provide me little unique and different gifts of love...

4. Friends...Teri, Donna, Jodi, Suzanne, Kerri, Martha, Cathy, Karen and others...you all have touched my life at one time or another, you have been there for me, listening and sharing, loving and caring, giving and allowing me to give to you too...you are my reprieve from the hard days of life, and I enjoy the time we laugh and cry, and giggle and act silly when we feel like it...our memories bind me to the past, and grant me access to happy moments when life would otherwise overwhelm me...I know you are there for me, and for that I am forever grateful...

5. My skills and talents...I am glad I can do many (not all) things well, and that my mind can learn and wants to be ever challenged to the things I haven't yet learned about life and myself...never underestimate yourself...believe you can never get too old to learn more...thank you Lord for a "semi" sound mind...

6. My country, and the freedoms we enjoy...no matter how dim the light gets, I know God is there, and He has blessed this nation richly, thank you for allowing me to be born here Lord.

7. For a home, a place to rest, to lay my head, and to just hang out in...Dorothy has it right because "there is no place like home" and that is the absolute truth...when I feel sick, tired, weary, sad, there is only one place I want to be and that is home...messy, clean, or otherwise...it is home.

8. For food, especially chocolate!!! Starbucks...and tea too...along with these heathly foods, comes good health, and I am thankful that even though I have been Knocked out for procedures I could have lived without experiencing, I am still so glad I have been as healthy as I have been...I thank you Lord for the blessing of health...grant me much more I pray, and then take me swiftly.

9. I am thankful for music, bet that surprises you....but the gift of music can minister to a weary heart, a sad contenance, a tearful day...all kinds of music, and I especially love the Lord's music...it makes a glad heart in me...

10. I am thankful for each day, each, hour, each moment I get to live, hoping I can please my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ with how I live it...every day is a gift waiting to be unwrapped...I hope I never fail to cherish it...

So there are my top 10...from there I could mention Disneyland, favorite restaurants, my favorite store Home Goods, cupcakes, a reliable car, daisies, overcast days, time with my hubby, clocks, church, parties, forgiveness, my old job at Beazer that I hope to get back one day...my favorite movie, oops I don't have one...don't have a favorite color either...basically, I don't have a lot of material need favorites...I have learned to be content with little and focus on the blessings that are not replacable...that is what I cherish most....thank you Lord for the many blessings that you have given to me whether I deserve them or not...I am blessed indeed.

I am Happy to be Giving Thanks. God bless you all...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - 30 YEARS

My darling husband took me away for a 3 day escape to the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo...we had the most wonderful time and I can't thank him enough!!! It felt like a week off...he didn't even care about watching TV, he spent all his time and attention on me! How could I rate...it will be the highlight of my married life to him, like my honeymoon...I only hope we can do it again one day...we ate great food, and went to the beach, saw a sunset, visited Avila Beach Barn, a cute like veggie farm with a bakery and sweet shop, walked around downtown, and just sat and enjoyed the quiet and read, did sudoko and other word puzzles together...it was so nice!!! This is a picture of our room, it overlooked the creek...oh, and he gave me princess cut diamond earrings!!! I felt like a queen...Thank you my best friend and lover....I was blessed the day God gave me you, and I am grateful for all these years, whether hard or easy years, we got through them and have stayed committed...thank you for putting up with me!!
You have my whole heart, and I will love you till the day I die....thank you for loving me...

FOOTBALL DIAPER CAKE

Just finished another diaper cake, someone ordered this one for a client. I have such a good time making these, and personalizing them. This one has a large fuzzy blanket, diapers, onies, a sleeper, two pairs of pants with shirts, receiving blankets, two pairs of shoes and socks, a teething ring, spoons and wooden letters. It's the first sport one I have made. But it turned out cute, it was going to be a jungle, but they changed it to this theme...oh well, thanks for looking. If anyone needs hints at how to do this, please feel free to ask. Anytime...

COLORING HALLOWEEN

Here are some pictures to blow up and color for Conner, Parker, and Riley...Happy Halloween...love you. Just click on them and they blow up bigger to print...Have fun...

ZIPPITY DO DAH...

These are card toppers for zip lock bags you can fill with goodies...they are so cute and an easy way to use up scraps of scrapbooking paper...gotta make some I think...they look easy enough, we will see.

TRICKY TREATS...

These are cute too...a french fry box makes a great pattern to stuff goodies into...Wendy's has this kind...then the skelton is a chocolate bar with a new wrapping (skin?) and little scary man on the front...I also saved and washed out my El Pollo Loco mini salad bowls, they look like a witch's cauldron to fill and wrap with a pipe cleaner handle...fun...

Treats Can Be Tricky

So I am going to attempt to make these pretzel treats this week...we have several kids in our neighborhood that I do special treats for...then there are others who come to visit on the 31st, and still others we see before or after that day...these looked yummy and interesting, so what the heck, I bought all the stuff and will go for it...I will let you know how they turn out.

MORE FALL TO LOOK FORWARD TOO...

Here are some more shots of the yard...this wheelbarrow is an antique and as soon as the pumpkins hit the stores I will fill it up with them...it's fun to decorate so glad autumn is here!!!

IS FALL IN THE AIR? IT IS AT MY HOUSE...

So today was the day...I was just tired of the weather, and decided I would usher in fall, "weather" mother nature likes it or not!!!! So I started at 9 this morning and worked until 2 trimming hedges, vacuuming leaves and dirt, visiting a little lizard that likes my wicker sofa, and scared me to death...and then wondering if I am going to attract real crows with my fake crows...but in the end, a fresh coat of paint, a little fabric and a few cheap scarecrows spruced up the place in a hurry...now all I have to do is add some spiders and their webs and we are ready for Halloween....thing I will have my tea on the porch tomorrow morning and it won't matter if it's warm or a cool breeze is blowing, cause it makes me feel like fall is here, and that is the best news I've had all week....good times....

A FISHY STORY

So we were in Mammoth this week, with Josh and Jenna, and Luke and his friend...we stayed in a condo (beautiful, wish we could own one) and J & J took their new trailer up and stayed in the campground, so they could see bears. Well, we saw bears, and had campfires with them, which was great, and stuffed ourselves on SMORES...went fishing, and had fun. You can see by the picture the rather large fish Luke caught, he even got to spin the wheel at Gull Lake to win a prize for this beaut...It was 4lbs 9 ozs. and was a brown trout. I was so glad cause a few years ago when we were there, I accidentally lost a big one he caught cause I grabbed the line...well, funny thing...this one had a hook in it's chin...when Luke got it in, and it didn't even fight...the fish had swallowed Luke's hook, and here was one sticking out of the chin at the bottom of the gills...made me wonder...could it be the same fish? We will never know, but God has a great sense of humor and might have just needed the laugh in heaven on Thursday when this happened...but at least I don't have to feel bad any more....he got his big one....we had a great time, but there really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

BACK TO SCHOOL

Well, I am back to school on Monday night...hitting the Medical Terminology course...taking it with my two friends, and looking forward to the visit too...I told them, it's not about the grade, it's about what I learn...I am way beyond caring about the grade, I am just pleased as punch about remembering enough to pass!!! So off I go...my friend kids me that I don't have a backpack...I told her I'd need a chiropractor appt. every Tuesday morning if I carried one at my age...balancing them in front of me in my arms works just great...wish me luck!!

TIME FOR A LAUGH

Ok, so if you haven't checked out some of the funny kids on You Tube, you just have to check out these...google YouTubeEvilEye and YouTubeBlood...these kids are a crack up!!! Make sure you watch the originals, not the ones that other people took and made evil red eyes on...just click on the ones with the most views...I just adore that Evil Eye kid, he can't be more then about 9-10 months or so..but he is a scream...and it's obvious he loves laughing more then the ice cream!!! My kind of guy!! And then big brother looking out for the little brother in Blood is so cute..."NOT FUNNY" (you'll see) and it's a kick to see him really get into the sound of the word "BLOOD"...what a hoot!!! OK, enjoy!!!! Let me know what you think, and how hard you laughed....

HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY LUKE!!

So we celebrated his 22nd birthday...he's such a great guy...and our lives are blessed because he is in it!!! That was my thoughts yesterday all day when I baked him cupcakes, and bought him a gift...and had dinner with him last night...we are blessed and look forward to the years ahead that God will grant us with him. Praying always that he will pursue the things that God wants him to do, and not the things that would please just himself. That he will know the love of his Lord and Savior, chose to serve Him all the days of his life. I love you son, and thank you for being the person you are. Now if I could just tweak you a little bit!!! Stay strong, stay committed to doing what is right before God. Hugs!!

WILL I EVER BE DONE???

So I am drawing and drawing, and trying to complete these plans...we keep making changes to them and it is a tedious process, but I really want them to fly through the building department the first time...I hate revisions!!! So we keep at it, and hopefully we will get it right soon...maybe today, if luck is on my side...life could be worse, they could be opening a chain of them!!! Yikes!! I would be out of here!!! Well, time to go...draw!!

TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

So I am in the midst of drawing plans for this little building...and old place built in the 1950's and it's about to be transformed into a coffeehouse...this will be an amazing feat, to say the least...impossible? No, it's doable, with a bit of luck and and some hard work...but how nice that my clients see potential in this little old gas station...I will keep you posted as the improvements begin....wish them luck.

BEFORE AND AFTER

Don't you love before and afters...this was a room did a few years ago, and it's amazing what a little paint, carpet, and $150 will do to a place...it was fun and a great success...I love going in and reworking a place with whatever is on hand. Pull from this room or that...it's fun...and so easy. Now if I could just do this so easily with my before and after weight loss...wishful thinking...it wears me out just thinking about it....thanks for looking...

EXERCISE

Ya know, exercise really sucks...I just finished a 45 min. workout on the total gym and while it does give me energy, it isn't fun...work this, work that. It would be easier if I had a workout buddy to talk to...or music to listen too...but the kid was in the next room sleeping....I am too nice....oh well, maybe it will get easier as the days go by...we will see.

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY

And far away at that....time for a little rejuvenation after all that pressure of school....a yummy hot bubble bath...then off to sleep.....awhhhhh! sounds absolutely serenditious!!! Good Night....

I SURVIVED SUMMER SCHOOL

Hallelujah, I finished my summer class at the college, and so glad it's done...had my final exam tonight, think I got an A in the class...had all A's on my homework...it was great to exercise my brain a bit...now I will start a Medical Terminology class in two weeks....that will be fun...better spruce up on my anatomy till then...I love going with a friend, it's fun. and you can help each other....then in the spring I am thinking I will take a Coding class...that would be fun too....praying for a good instructor...enjoyed this one a lot, well onward, upward.....busy busy.

A TRUTH

This is one of my favorite ME sayings...love her work, and love the truth of this saying. I am working these days on not worrying, and no doubt God giggles at my feeble attempts at it...but most days I do well with His help...life is too short to spend it carrying negative energy...when I used to work at the spa, we would talk about this truth...and I found that relaxing environment very uplifting despite the stresses that came with the job...when we were going through a really hard 5 years in the 90's, I hung on to stress far more then I should, and I feel like it robbed me of health, my body has suffered for that...so I vow to do better, and keep as upbeat as I can...with ME (Mary Engelbreit) to pick up my spirits....have a strong day....

MY LITTLE GIRL

The post below was written after I felt conviction about something I said to my darling daughter....it wasn't meant to offend or hurt, but on my drive home yesterday I realized I might have done just
that, and I felt bad...She is so sweet, and I know she loves the Lord so much, and she like all of us, is in process, growing as she learns more of His love for her...she has been blessed many times in recent months, and has blessed many too. I just wanted to say publicly, I am so proud of her, and I love her so much, and know God has a wonderful future planned for her...stay strong my little girl, and reach for His hand when the going gets tough...you're my best girl!!! HugsXOXO

LINES MAKE LETTERS

I love old typewriters keys, I have stickers I use in my scrap booking that look just like these...it's funny to think that someone just drew lines and with a dot here, and a curve there a letter was born...then someone started looking at the letters and deciding how they sounded, and how they came together to form a word...then when words were born they gave them definition, just a someone, somewhere (not sure Webster was totally responsible)...creating something very useful for us and yet we take it for granted everyday...

...our media maker, our major communication tool, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week to week, month to month, year to year, decade to decade, century to century....but we rarely think about the gift we hold when we use it....for good, for bad,
for encouragement, for discouragement,
for building up, for tearing down,
for expressing emotion, for suppressing emotion,
for stating love, for escaping love,
to bring joy to a heart, to give heartache to a soul,
to make clear, or to confuse,
to sing a song, to destroy a rhythm,
to invite a friend in, to create distance from a friend,
to write a book, to give criticism of a book,
to cheer another on, to comfort in defeat,
to apologize, or to offend,
to share good news, to gossip bad news...
and the list goes on and on...everyday, all day, we use our words to help, or hurt...
sometimes, even when we feel like we are trying to help, we are misunderstood, sometimes when we are trying to express something important, words just don't seem to fit together in the right order,
they don't come out right...
but
once out, we can never take them back,
once spoken they are non-redeemable,
for some once said you will never forget them, words can be remembered for a lifetime...
the scariest verses in the Bible for me are Matthew 12:36-37, I heard them years ago, and I too am guilty of not always using my words rightly, so I must remind myself..."every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment, for by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned"...forgive me Lord, for words I have not used carefully, I know there are many... may I always filter the gift of words in my day, as though they were being spoken to You, give me discernment that You and You alone would be my purpose for speaking them, that like You, I can learn how to use them to love those you would bring into my life.
I think I will go use those stickers now...time to create with a clean heart....it's been two months since I have completed a scrap project....gotta get back into it. Enough words said, have a nice day!!! By the way, don't try to "read between the lines"...it's just blank there...wonder if whoever came up with that saying was blind....

COULD NOT RESIST

Couldn't resist sharing this darling picture of the grandpups.
Aren't they the cutest darn things? I just wish I could read their minds, wonder what they are thinking...

SCHOOL DAYS

So I am in my last week of summer school...don't know where the last six weeks went, but I am glad I am finishing up...I have to turn in my forms binder, and then do my final exam on Thursday...wish me luck...I have signed up to do a Medical Terminology class this fall...starts the 24th of August, and I just realized I will miss a day while I am in Mammoth...oops...I hated missing school when I was growing up, I just loved being there...in a house of six people, being anywhere but home was great...that's probably why I loved church too...school all day, church all weekend, and in the summer in the pool all day...only ate and slept in the house, it was great!!! Fun times, how I wish could go back...visit one of the days of my life...now which one would I pick to visit???? Have to think on that one...

PUPPIES!!!!

These are Josh and Jenna's new puppies, Scout and Foxy Lady...aren't they the cutest!!! They are so entertaining to watch...play play play and then sleep sleep sleep...We just had so much fun playing with them last night...now if they could only stay this way for several months...they grow so fast...love it!!!

IMAGINE THIS...

Ok,
so
what
would
you
do
if
there
was
no chocolate? Really, what would be your next craving satisfier??? I LOVE to buy Hershey bars and put them in the freezer and then just break off a square when I get a craving and let it melt in my mouth after being so cold....UUMMMM!!! Is there anything yummier? I don't think so...the world would be a cranky place without it....

BEAUTIFUL FEET

I am so excited...tomorrow is pedicure day, and I need one...even though I go every 4-5 weeks (yes, mine last that long and never chip!) I tend to go without shoes way too much and although the polish stays perfect it reeks havoc on my soles....sorry Merlina!! So I go soak, and she fixes me up and of course, the best part is the massage at the end...can't wait...love my pedi days....hope you are having one soon too!!!

KNOWLEDGE FOR THE TAKING

I haven't written in a few days, cause I have been so busy with my school paper that is due tonight...you forget how much work goes into those things...but it id finally done...don't know how well I will do, but I am there to learn, not to get a degree, so it really doesn't matter, I do my best and then move on. I always liked learning and going to school, so I suppose it makes me a "brain-nerd" as my kids used to say. But knowledge is a good thing, and too much of it while daunting (like that big word?) can be fun...so much world out there so little time to learn about it....oh well, wish me luck, I have to orally present this in class tonight....

I CAN'T BELIEVE THESE ARE CUPCAKES!!!

Are these not the cutest cupcakes you have ever seen??? Will wonders never cease? AMAZING!! Just goes to show you, you can do anything if you put your mind to it...so next time you make cupcakes, think outside the wrapper, and make them spectacular...I have tried baking them in the little cardboard cups I got from Cold Stone, that was fun...then wrap the outside of it with decorative scrapbook paper...Kerri, I know you will be lifting this idea...take pictures to show me!!!




These little ducks are so cute too...I think they are candles, and then the white frosting pearls around the bottom....so sweet for a baby shower!!! Quack Quack!!

SO YOU WANT MORE CUPCAKES HUH?

I give you paper dolls and you want cupcakes...so here you go Wanda!!! I have tons of cupcake pics....for good reason but that's another blog. Aren't these so cute...so serendipity? I love them, how creative people can be, and the pink is just over the top!! Enjoy, I will post more later....

WHY PAPER DOLLS?

So...did you wonder why I posted a paper doll? Well, here's my theory...I HATE CLOTHES SHOPPING!! So I am jealous that I can't just cut out an outfit and slap it on, AND have it fit!!! See, I used to like shopping, but I think from my design days of having to hunt for things it doesn't hold fun for me anymore, just stress...so I wear the same things over and over, and now buy two of them of I really like it...I just know someday "What Not To Wear" is going to come calling, cause a clothes police person has turned me in. So why can't I just be like little Anne Estelle from Mary Engelbreit and cut out my clothes from a piece of paper and stick it on....please? Of course, I wouldn't look as cute, but what the heck....can't have everything now can we???

HUBBY LOVE

Well I have been a bit busy with my class, but it's fun and energizing to use my brain once in a while. My hubby has wanted family pictures in his office for a long time, he asked me months ago (I know, I'm a bad wife) so I decided to just GET IT DONE! So this is the wall arrangement I made on my bed, prior to final glue down (all the white edges) he was happy with the final result and now looks at all of us all day, helping him remember why he works so hard...thank you honey, we love you more then you know and appreciate all the hard years you have worked for our well being. XOXO

CLOCKS

So clocks are another thing I love, all different shapes and sizes, but I am picky about a "good looking face"...you know, the style of the numbers and hands...this was a clock I took apart and made for a friend's son, he loves baseball, for that matter they all love baseball, the clock came with the baseball face, I just added stickers, wood cutouts, and the pictures and BELIEVE rub on...it was fun and I went out and bought two more clocks, different from this and I still haven't made them up yet...looking for some inspiration I guess, but I need to work on that...a scrappin up project for fun...

I LOVE CUPCAKES

I love cupcakes...not so much to eat, although they are yummy...I just love that they look like a little mini cake, and you can decorate them so many cute ways...They are fun to make too, so baking isn't so boring when you make cupcakes...maybe I should open a cupcake shoppe...that would be fun...but maybe too much work, that might take the fun out of it...will have to think about it....

ONE OF MY WISHES

One of my many wishes in life is to live by the coast...of course in this area I could never afford to live anywhere near the beach...but a girl can dream can't she? I never tan, and I really don't sunbathe...but I love the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea, and fog that comes with it...a good book, a comfortable chair, no wind, and an umbrella and I am content...until I have a chocolate or coffee craving...but I would be content for a few hours...it's so beautiful.

Coastal Living is my favorite magazine, the only one I subscribe to, I have the first one, fell in love with it immediately, and give it as gifts to special people in my life. I keep it all intact, whereas my other magazines I yank out the pages I like and throw the rest away...can't keep them all, and I would rather keep my Coastals then any of the rest cause it will never go out of style....

DON'T ASK ME WHY

Ok, don't ask me why, cause I don't have a clue...I love old keys. They absolutely fascinate me, but I have no idea why...is it the shapes, the colors, the intricate detail, the sizes, the simplicity...I don't know why I like them...nothing rings in my childhood...I can't remember having a great run in with an old key...I am at a loss, I should collect them, but I wouldn't know what to do with them...maybe it is tied to something about me that loves front doorways too...entryways, porches, I love doorways, no clue why...maybe it's always exciting to me because doors often lead us to somewhere we haven't been...and keys unlock the doors...what do you think? I know, you think I've lost it...

TIME

I saw a wonderful quote yesterday on a church billboard...

"The rhythm of God's timing can only be broken by disobedience"

It's so true, God can take days, weeks, months, probably even years to make a single situation come to fulfillment, and at the last moment, because we have a free will (that's probably why it took so long) we can turn away from His opportunity to bless us, because we decide we might have a better plan for ourselves...if only we could learn to sit back, and relax, cling to His promise and watch Him at work....amazing things we miss out on...

FAMILY FLIP ALBUM

This little family album is easy and fun, just chipboard (the cardboard on the back of a pad of paper) that has scrap papers glued on and then hole punch the cards and add pictures, then put them on a book ring and add ribbons to cover it, and little journaling tags...so fun, and I got this idea from Donna Downey, love her stuff...