A Short Thought for Today

Please all say a prayer tonight for Charlie, my sweet father-n-law. He is still in the hospital and still determining if they will have to do another surgery. He has been so amazingly positive through all his health problems in the past year. And thank you to all our friends that have been so kind to call and check on his progress and offer their support and prayers.

Yes, that is a picture of the wide open spaces in Iowa. Wide open fields with corn, beans, and I don't know what else is out there. But, it is beautiful driving down the highway just to see. We are planning to leave Friday to drive to see family for a week. Our plans have been put on hold for the moment...Dave's Dad, Charlie had to return to the hospital this past Saturday. The past year he has had cancer and two knee surgeries. Seems like when he starts getting better...something happens. Say a prayer that everything will test out good this time. We always enjoy our visits to Iowa. There are so many things to see and do there that are very different than Oklahoma. Did you know that the Bridges of Madison County, Field of Dreams, Grant Woods and John Wayne's birthplace lived in Iowa? I love to eat German food, never realized that I loved it so much until I got to eat authentic food in that area. Shop the antique stores and galleries are abundant in the Cedar Rapid's area. A nd we always visit the Amana Colonies whenever we go. It is always filled with a big 4th of July family gathering at Dave's parents house. A day full of laughter, food, and bocce ball tournament.

Dave's parent had planned to not have the big blowout this year due to Charlie not feeling well and up to a houseful of company. But, for now....we are waiting to see if the time will be good for us to be there. We might need to alter our plans. Go sooner. Go later. We just miss them and pray for the best for them right now.

Say hello to Butch. This is where he has been spending the hot summer days.

On another note....I've been busy with real estate and trying to get things done before I leave town. I have been feeling extremely creative and craving to spend time with my new Tim Holtz stamps, mask, and techniques I have been learning. I will post some of my stuff later.

Gotta get busy and go to work. Hope you have a wonderful day and I hope your summer allows your family time and resources to take a family trip. If not, enjoy each other.

TODAY

June 28st, 2009

Outside my window... Its cloudy and it makes me want to take a nap.

I am thinking...
about learning to use bees wax on my new art prints. 

I am thankful for... air conditioning on hot and humid southern Oklahoma days.

From the kitchen... Dave is preparing a recipe we tried once before, Herb Stuffed Chicken Breast and Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter. Yummo .

I am wearing... baggy shorts, tshirt, and flip flops.

I am creating... cards for 4^th of July.

I am going... to show a listing later today & hopefully write an offer.

I am reading... the latest issue of Simple Magazine.

I am hoping... that Charlie, my Father n-law gets better and we don't have to cancel our trip to visit him and my sweet mother-n-law.

I am hearing... banging in the kitchen, my cat snoring in his bed beside my computer and the tv in the background.

Around the house... there is laundry I need to finish.

One of my favorite things... Weight Watchers Fudge Bars

A few plans for the rest of the week... work, plan to leave on vacation to Iowa (unless my Father-n-law gets worse) and stay cool. (Cool as in temperature!)

Always Learning New Things

A few weeks ago I signed up for a Doodle Class with Stephanie Ackerman of Homegrown Hospitality. It is one of my favorite blogs to follow, and felt that I was a doodler at heart….but mine didn’t quite look as awesome as Stephanies’. So….. I thought here was my chance to learn some techniques from the master. It all started with searching for the right pens, pencils and erasers. I also learned that using cardstock made a huge difference in my projects. We have had a few assignments, but because work has been so hectic, most of my practicing is around midnight. This weekend, I have taken some time to get caught up and done some of the practice sheets we were given. On the left is one of my completed assignments............There are plenty of talented people in this class sharing their projects. I loved this one on the right by Lauri. This opened up my eyes to more possibilities to using your words than just on cards. How cute is this, she made her words, cut them out and used them like a flower arrangements.

Gotta go…got a great afternoon planned with my Husband and my Dad - 2 great men in my life that are the best Dads! We are going to Lowe’s to pick my Dad out a couple new trees for Father’s Day and then heading to Outback for a great meal. And Happy Fathers Day to my son, Brendhan who is such a good Daddy to his 2 little girls.

I hope you are near enough to your dad that you can give him a hug today. I know I sure am gonna! So thankful for my dear father.

I'll try and post more this week! Lots and great things coming up, vacation time, classes for real estate and a biggie planned for 2010, art class in Vegas!

This is from Seth Godwins blog that I read almost daily. Its mainly a business motivated blog, but todays posting matters in everyday life. So I wanted to share it with you. Check out Seth's blog.

You Matter

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

 

Ps…Did you notice the new link in Friends Blogs? Michelle Calle has the cutest site called Sew Post Boutique. If offers affordable gifts for children that are personalized. I sold Michelle and her husband, Jairo their home a few years ago and she is a inspiring Mom that has started an at home business while raising twin 3 year olds and a 4 years old daughters. During most of the time they have owned their home, her husband was over sees fighting for our country. They are heading for Tulsa, to begin the Tulsa Police Academy. Check out their wonderful home I have listed.

This is for you Kerry!

My dear friend and sweet neighbor, Kerry, ask me to spend her birthday with her and attend a scrapbook convention and take a couple days of classes....what fun we had! This was the first time either of us had done something like this and really didn't have any idea what to expect. We enrolled in three classes, banner making, stamping and new techniques for scrapbooking.

We made this cute banner in our first class.....Gypsy Grunge Banner. The banner was made of canvas and then you used paper to make the rosettes. It included lots of different mediums and techniques. Tons of fun!
Then we took a stamping class and a class titled "New Techniques & Trends.

We both have a new favorite desginer ....Tim Holtz. We are in love with anything he designs, makes, creates, and we are both absorbing ALL that we can learning his techniques.

So....since Kerry ask me why I have not wrote in my blog about this. No good reason other than I have been so busy with real estate is the only excuse I can come up with. So, Kerry...this is for you my sweet neighbor! Thanks for inviting me to come along.

Thank You

There are many ways to express our gratitude. By saying thank you to a gracious host, a kind gift-giver, a caring friend, a loving family member, a supportive spouse.
And today, I am thankful for this site where I record thoughts, ideas and information-sharing. It's like having lunch with my girlfriends and dishing about the latest and greatest in scrapbooking, admiring the new handbag a friend just purchased, where the latest sales and bargains can be found, and seeking ideas on what color paint to use in our house. We feed off each other.

That is exactly how I feel about this blog. Having the opportunity to share what comes to mind on a particular day is extremely theraputic for me. And I do love to dish about the latest and great in almost anything and everything

This is the sisterhood of scrapbooking, decorating and shopping. And I am VERY THANKFUL to those who find this site of any interest. Truly, I am grateful, very grateful.

Have a Nice Sunday….

Sorry I haven't blogged lately! We had a garage sale last weekend. I can honestly say it was fun. This was a combine effort of our best friends, our neighbors and us cleaning out our closets. For the first time in a long long time....my closets are so clean. Now....can I keep them that way?
Real Estate is busy and I have several closings coming up this week and next that take all the final details it takes to have everything in order. Real Estate ALWAYS gets busier when you plan a trip. Never fails....And of course....I am leaving town early Thursday morning for the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington. I must say....I am very excited about this. My next door neighbor, Kerry is celebrating her birthday by going and wanted me to come along with her. We are enrolled in three workshops and plan to do some major enjoying life.