Gal Pals

Today I met with some of my gal pals that I have not seen in quite a while.  We met for a late lunch and talked, laughed, made plans, talked some more, laughed some more, it was heaven.  The four of us went to Door County, Wisconsin (the Cape Cod of the Midwest) last year for 3 days and OMG did we have fun.  We shopped, ate, laughed, talked, shopped more, laughed more, talked more, what a great time we had together.  I feel another trip coming as soon as we can.  One is in the midst of a move, one is in the midst of a wedding for her daughter, so plans may have to come later.  But they will come.  Every woman needs friends to have fun with, laugh with, cry with, shop with, share secrets with, there is just nothing like girlfriends.  We all met at the Stamp Shack, a rubber stamp store, that unfortunately closed.  Two of us worked there and the other two shopped there.  We formed a wonderful friendship first based on our love of rubber-stamping and scrap-booking, and continued to grow far beyond the hobby.

I loved working at The Stamp Shack, it was an absolute dream job.  Not only did I sell, but I was able to order fun things for the store, teach classes, demonstrate the newest products to our customers, attend classes, go to great conventions, it was wonderful.  We all loved working there and soooo sad when the owner decided to close.  That was probably 6 or 7 years ago, and many of us are still really good friends.  I never worked after that, I knew I could never find a job like that again.  I shouldn't really call it a job, it was just too much fun to be called a job.  I spent most of my paycheck on new products that rolled into the store almost daily, so all it did was pay for my obsession.  If you are a rubber stamper or a scraper you know what I mean about obsession.  The above is a small sample of my work. 



I loved making little mini books...this one was for my Mom, a rememberance of a summer.  I loved creating them, she loved receiving them.  Haven't done this for awhile, now that I am beginning a new journey I may return to doing this again.  I still have all my "stuff".  Remember that obsession I talked about. 

Anybody watching "So You Think You Can Dance"?  Wow, what great dancers.  I am torn as to who I like the best, they are all so brilliant.  I really like Sasha....and I also like Melanie.  I think the winner  may be a girl this year.  Those 2 are unbelievable. 

"Begin doing what you want to do now.  We are not living in eternity.  We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake."  -  Marie Beyon Ray

Until next time......

Totally Wildflower Tuesday

I drove to Sycamore today to visit my sweetheart.  He is doing so well, adapting, participating and enjoying.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  As I drove both to and fro I noticed the abundance of wildflowers growing by the sides of the highways.  I really wanted to stop and just snap away, but they always seemed to be in an inconvenient spot, ie no shoulder, or high fencing and I wasn't about to hop fences today...it is another steamy, hot, 90+ degree day.  I complained all winter that it was too cold, too snowy, too cloudy....now I am complaining, too hot, too sunny, too windy, too humid.  Is a person ever satisfied??  If it was perfect for me, it wouldn't be perfect for someone else...ahh human nature, gotta love us. 

After taking my granddaughters out to lunch at Applebee's, yum love that place, they have the most scrumptious lunches and a simply delicious mini dessert, brownie with a scoop of ice cream drizzled with chocolate and topped with nuts for $1.00.  Now I ask you, what can you buy for $1.00 these days, especially something that tastes this good? , I took Bailey to get her car and there happened to be a field of Queen Anne's Lace right next to the parking lot.  Love all the stages of this glorious wildflower from bud to the gorgeous dried heads we find in the fall.  I enhanced this with  Kim Klassen's's new texture, July Magic, and added this to Lisa's Creative Exchange.  Please come and oogle at all the lovelies at Lisa's site here.

It's hard to believe that this is one of the stages of the Queen Anne's Lace...it has those tiny purple buds that open up to the wonderful white flowers that dance in the breezes of summertime. 

And at last the full-blown blossom.  Nature has blessed us with these beauties that return time and again to grace the fields of summer time. 

May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day.
-Native American Proverb
Until next time.......

Monday Magical Miracles

This morning I got out of bed, went downstairs to let Toby out for his morning business, made coffee and sat on the screen porch alone.  As I read the newspaper, yes, I still have the Chicago Tribune delivered every morning, I thought how I would spend my day.  My husband is now being taken care of, my sister-in-law has gone home after a week's visit and assistance in the move of which I am forever grateful, my daughter is busy teaching dance classes, my son is busy with work, and now what do I do?  I can do anything, I can go anywhere, but what do I do? 

The first thing I do is sit and read the newspaper, and enjoy a good cup of coffee.  I am one of those coffee drinkers that I call "high maintenance" when it comes to drinking coffee.  I use 1 packet of Sweet n low, and a generous splash of Coffee Mate.  When I don't have these 2 extras, I am cranky. But it is my fault if those 2 items are not added, because I am the one that does the shopping.  So I have no-one but myself to blame for being cranky.

After reading the newspaper and enjoying my high maintenance coffee I get dressed, talk to my daughter, my brother, my son, my sister-in-law on the phone.  Yes, young ones, there are still those of us that like to hear a human voice when communicating instead of getting a text message.  I like to hear the sound of laughter, not LOL, I enjoy the telling of a happening, not shortened to text talk.  After dressing, I go outside to work in the garden.  It has been so neglected lately, by time, by heat, by too much rain that it is looking a little sad.  The weeds seem to be the only thing flourishing. 

The black-eyed Susan's do well in any weather...so reliable, so beautiful. This is my addition to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday....hop on over and check out all the beautiful entries here on Kim's site.

The "Limelight" Hydrangeas are beginning to bloom.  I have two of these and they produce enough flowers that I dried them last year and decorated our Christmas Tree with their gorgeous, golden blooms. 

This little spider was dangling in the midst of the hydrangea bush, so I snapped his picture.  I did not even notice the spider web that surrounded him.  It was so fine that I couldn't see it until I processed the image.  That is one surprising part of this photography that I find so amazing.  Things that are unnoticeable to the naked eye, suddenly appear on your computer screen that you had no clue it was there.  Magic!!

What could be more magical than a Monarch Butterfly feeding on the coneflowers and posing so nicely for me.  Sometimes I go a whole summer without seeing these beauties, but there she was just waiting for me to enjoy.  I still have a hummingbird that comes each day, and one of these days I am going to catch her on camera.  She is so fast that by the time I get the camera and get ready she is long gone. 

After working in the yard for awhile, the temps began to rise and since the sweat was dripping into my eyes, decided it was time to come inside and cool off.  As I was snipping off the dead heads of the red verbena I accidentally cut a live one and decided I certainly was not going to waste that beautiful bloom by throwing it into the weed pile.  I think it looks just about perfect sitting next to the little red wagon and the little red tricycle on the kitchen windowsill. 

Decided after it cooled down a bit to take Toby for a walk across the street at the pond.  The sky was still blue enough that the reflection in the water was beautiful.  The Weeping Willow Tree was hanging low today.  I think sometimes kids start swinging on those branches to see how far they can swing out across the water.  I know if I was a kid that is what I would do if I happened upon some low hanging willow tree branches. 

The sky is beginning to grow dark, there is prediction for stormy weather, hopefully it will only rain.  We have had too much storm damage in the area already this summer with high winds and frightening flashes of lightening.  All in all a good day, nothing exciting, but a good day.  I could do without any excitement for awhile. 

"There are two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle."   -  Albert Einstein

Until next time......