Sunday, May 31, 2009

Julies' Book Signing!

Julie had her first book signing for her new book,
'Autism is a Four Letter Word- Love', yesterday!
It was exciting to see the connections she made
with mother's and grandmother's of Autistic children.
Getting and sharing information really enriches the
relationships and lives of everyone involved with
autism or any physical or mental health issues.
It was a great turnout and afterward Julie had
many of us out to her home for a bonfire and food!!


Memorial weekend, when we celebrated our 30th anniversary, I kept forgetting to get a picture of Tim and I! So yesterday while I was snapping over a hundred pics for Julie, I handed off my camera.....not bad for 30 years together! ;)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Forgotten Treasures!

I solicited some decorating advice
(and got some unsolicited from the dd's)
on color for walls and furniture arrangements and
was told this (dusty) cabinet should go....
I knew it but just needed to be told!
It sat in the corner of our kitchen for years......
....it contained all these treasures!
My dad's sailboat and blue 'top'! A small leather coin purse I got in the Black Hills as a child. Two wind up toys from my dh's grandmother. Many Boyd's Bearstones. My dad's 'pee' pot! (ha) My first teddy bear(far left, black and white panda).


An old Coke bottle, our oldest dd's wooden rattle, 'jack's', my horse head stapler from the early 70's, my 'flutophone'(trademark name, omg, they still make them) from 4th grade, antique figurines from my gma. And various other 'treasures'!

Now to find a home for everything....

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

30 YEARS.......AND COUNTING!!

This was 'us'!
May 1978
Then, this was 'us'!
May 26th, 1979
I said 'I do'! (and so did he!)
With family and friends!

We have always found joy! (winter '79)


Especially with these two! (1984)


And no matter where we go.....

...we have fun....
....and adventure....

....and lots of laughs!
....thirty years.....
...let's do it again!

Friday, May 22, 2009

HHH!

With Humbleness(deepest respect) I Honor my Hero!
There are many I would call my hero....
but today I want to honor my mom!
I wish I had understood more clearly all the elements of her life that made her the type of mother she was! And I admit, with humbleness, that I did not appreciate what a wonderful mother she was until after her death six and a half years ago.
So, with love to my sisters and my dad......
I honor her!
(about 1962...mom, myself, Deanna & Ruth)
This weekend I will be spending time with my family at a sisters lake cabin(hey...it's Minnesota)!
And with the size of family we have there is always a birthday....this month it's a niece and a sister!!
With limited time and mojo these are what I came up with!

I hope all of you have a great Memorial weekend....
celebrate with family and friends!!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

It's a Windy Wednesday!!!

A quick post before I head off to work....on this very
windy Wednesday!!!
Warm but windy!!!
Another Unity May KOM LO!

Have a great day!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

GOOD MONDAY MORNING!!!

I hope your Monday morning is as sunny and beautiful as mine!!
So what's with the mixers you ask?!!!
Well, the little gold and white one on the right was given
to me by my dear Aunt Dory! Thirty years ago for my
bridal shower! I was also given a stand mixer, but I always
used this little one! It still works but isn't as strong as it
should be....and I had mentioned to my girls some time ago
that I would like a new one....so for Mother's Day I got a
new Kitchen Aid!! I feel sad about giving up my very first
and favorite mixer but it's going to a good home...sister
Julie is going to take it to her lake cabin!! So I don't feel
so bad! Haven't tried out the new one yet but I know
I will love it! Thanks T, R, N, E and M!
Creativity wise I was able to conger up another LO
this weekend in between activities! And finally got to
use my new Unity Stamps kit, 'Confessions'!
We do love this little bald head.....
trying to imagine Eli with hair!!
hehe!

Have a joyful day!!

Friday, May 15, 2009

ARE YOU HOPPIN'??

....or are you wondering what's going on??
It's the
UNITY KIT OF THE MONTH BLOG HOP!!
Hopefully you are coming to my blog from
If not....... to get started go here:
There are 101 blogs signed up for this 3 day event!
A 'long weekend' of inspiration!! All using Unity's
Kits of the Months!! If you're not a KOM member,
maybe all the creations you see on this blog hop
will convince you to join!!
to join and view all of Unity's stamps!!
Enjoy!!

Stamps: Unity's May KOM
Paper: Imaginisce(Baby Powder-Bubble Bath)
Ribbon: Dashes,Dots& Checks(from Michaels)
RicRac: by the yard from Archivers
Buttons: vintage
Glitter: Martha Stewart
Label: MME


Stamps: Unity's May KOM
Paper: Making Memories, MME(Laundry Line for Archiver's)
Ribbon: Making Memories
Flowers: Prima, Got Flowers?
Brads: Creative Impressions
Label: Me&MyBigIdea
Pens: Copics


Thanks for stopping by my blog,
next 'hop' on over to the fabulous



who happens to be one of
Unity's super talented artists!!
(Love her designs!!)

Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Blog Hop Eve!

Tomorrow thru Sunday is the
Unity Kit of the Month Blog Hop!
Looks like 101 bloggers participating!
You'll want to start out at
at 11 AM tomorrow!!
You don't want to miss any of the blogs,
there is so much talent out there,
lots of inspiration!
Enjoy!!
I needed to make a few cards since we
have a couple of birthdays to celebrate
this weekend. With a very busy week
at work...simple and quick is the order!!
Stamps are Unity's April and May KOM!
Ribbon: Martha Stewart, ink: Target, pens: copics!

Monday, May 11, 2009

OUR FIRST MOTHER'S DAY......

....Randi's as a mommy!

.....mine as a gma!


.....and on Eli's first Mother's Day he had his first cereal!
He made a slight face at first and then ate and chewed like a pro!
At 5 1/2 months he has gotten so long.... most of his long sleeved tops have gotten too short, gonna take after his tall daddy! Randi and I figure we'll be looking him in the eye by the time he is ten. HA!
Any way...I hope all of you enjoyed your Mother's Day as much as we did!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

HAPPY FIRST MOTHER'S DAY, DD!



THINGS OUR MOTHERS TAUGHT US


1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If your going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."


2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."


3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week."


4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."


5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."


6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."


7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."


8. My mother taught me the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."


9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"


10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."


11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks like a tornado went through it."


12. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait till we get home."


13. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home."


14. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes they are going to stick that way."


15.My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on, don't you think I know when you are cold?"


16. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."



17. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."


18. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."


19. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"


20. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."


21. And my favorite: my mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids and I hope they turn out just like you!"

from; femail creations catalog

















Two days before you became.....



.....a mom!


I know the joy you feel!
You two will always be my babies!



Your joy will never end!

(There will be heart ache too,

it just makes your relationships closer!)






Then you'll find a new joy as a grandmother!

(Thank you!)











Have a Happy Mother's Day!



BEFORE I WAS A MOM!



Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.


Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peeed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.



Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.


Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby

just because I didn’t want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn’t stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.


Before I was a Mom -
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn’t know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.


Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.


I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,


before I was a Mom.

(unsure who wrote this)



"My mommy!"

Friday, May 8, 2009

IT'S FRIDAY???

That means it's HHH!!!













This cutie patootie just celebrated his first Birthday!!! (He has got to be the smiliest little guy I know!!) And his auntie is a little late getting his card(made) and in the mail!!

So for Unity's HHH I had a LO idea......which didn't pan out...so a first Birthday card was in order! Quickly!!

Have a great weekend and all you mom's,

.....enjoy your day!!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Still 'Celebrating' Unity!

All the challenges for Unity's First Anniversary are coming due this week! My challenge is finding time to craft.....but it's so relaxing that I do a little between laundry loads and early morning! Maren's challenge is to be inspired by some YUMMY cake images on Flickr! Since I may need a wedding or anniversary card I enjoyed doing this one!
Enjoy your week!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Celebrating Unity Style!

Unity stepped out for the evening to celebrate their first milestone. One year in business! But it doesn't take a milestone for this fabulous group to have a good time! Going to work is a party for them. I stopped by Unity on Thursday(lucky me to know Chris and Angela and live so close) and I hear Chris singing away in his office....music going... and there is always laughter in the back work room too! Ya just wanna hang out there~~it would brighten any one's day! CONGRATULATIONS,
dear friends!!
Here's to continued success!
And no celebration is complete for Angela without her parents presence!
It is known that their love and support has been a strong guiding force for her too!
Keep your eye on Unity!
I have a feeling there is more exciting changes ahead!

Friday, May 1, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNITY!!! (and happy May Day & happy hhh!)

It's been one year since my friends Angela and Chris sold their first rubber stamp!! (I wonder who got the first official stamp?) And it has been an exciting year for them!! I sure have enjoyed seeing the changes and growth they have gone through! Knowing them, there is still more, lots more, to come! Congratulations you two! Your idea, faith and love have brought so much joy to the stamping/scrapping world! Can't wait to see what is next!!

Check here for the May 1st, 2008 post for Unity Stamp Company ! The day you could order your first Unity stamp!!

Now for Friday craftiness....
I made this card for Christi's "Unity's FIRST Birthday" challenge!



Papers; MME Penny Lane and Making Memories(inspired)
Ribbon and pearls; Martha Stewart
Eyelet lace; vintage
Flowers, leaf;?
Stamps; Unity


Have a great May Day and celebrate all the UNITY in your life!!