I've been having fun on Pinterest.  I created a board called "My Bucket List".  I thought it would be fun to pin stuff that I would like to do someday.  It has been fun and it's no where near being done and hopefully I'll have LOTS of time to try to complete it. 

The thing is, working on it has really pointed out to me how much I have DONE with my life.  It's really amazing to stop and really consider.  I am so lucky to be so blessed. I am not wealthy or rich but to read this you would not know it... 

• I have swam with the manatees
• I have climbed Big Brutus' boom to the top
• I have been to a drive in movie
• Had an amazing first kiss
• Seen the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
• Seen one of the great lakes
• Been to 19 of the 50 states
• Taken a cruise
• Seen turquoise ocean and white sand beaches
• Learned to scuba dive
• I have toured the capital of the United States
• Rode a horse
• Lost my heart to a dog over and over again
• Lost my heart to a cat if you can believe that
• Found true love
• Witnessed springtime waterfalls on Mt. Rainer
• Vacationed with loved ones
• Got married
• Had a child
• Raised a family
• Had a sunset sailboat ride
• Relaxed in a hammock
• Watched my grandchild learn to walk
• Learned to paint
• Seen the view from an airplane
• Rode rollercoasters
• Had a picnic
• Owned a home
• Crowned once a queen and once a princess
• sang karaoke
• went canoeing
• seen Hoover Dam
• waded in a creek
• went fishing
• drank from a well
• captured a moment with a photograph

I think of things all the time that I can keep adding to this list.  My mind just spins out the memories.

What would you call a list like this?  It's no longer a Bucket List, it never actually was...it's just LIFE happening and going by so quickly that pretty soon you realize it could be someone's Bucket List and you were just lucky enough to have lived it and remember it.

Maybe it should be called "My Amazing Life List".  Start one today and see if it doesn't suddenly become longer than your Bucket List.

This is my cute little grandson holding the earrings he helped me make for his mommy for Mother's Day.  I soldered green stained glass and then we used Staz on ink in white to stamp his little fingerprint on them.  Embellished with a cross and used jumprings to add them to a earring post.  Too cute!  She loved them and he was so cute giving them to her! 

 I did finally do a painting.  I painted a 5x7 picture of my friend Donna.  I used India ink and water for most of it to get the silhouette look, then a tiny bit of watercolor on the lips and necklace to set it off.  I then sewed it to an 8x10 mat and embellished with a bow.   She loves to dance so I wrote up the sides "and if the music is good, you dance"

A "refreshing" way to store beads!

I am one of those people that hate to throw out anything and always thinking of what else "it could become".  When I finished my Tic Tacs the other day I had a AH HA moment and decided they would be ideal to store my beads.  Maybe it was this beaded mess in my art room that brought me to it!  I didn't bother to take the labels off, although you could.  I taped my bead description and price to the tops so that when I do sell something I've made with them I'll know how much to figure in for the item price. 

I've asked all my friends to save me their Tic Tac containers.  So far I only have two.  I  think they will work great so I wanted to share my idea.  They will be easy to see what bead and color are inside each container and I don't have to worry about beads running all over the table and onto the floor where my little grand dog Ruby will gobble them up.  That wouldn't be good for either of us!

watercolor

Today I'm going to watercolor something.  I did a watercolor search on Pinterest and found some really inspiring ideas.  I have a partial painting started so maybe I'll even just finish it.  In the meantime I've been taking more Ruby pictures.  She may be headed to Alaska in May so here is her latest photo.

Ruby

Party Idea

My son and his wife moved to Alaska on Sunday so I threw them a Bon Voyage Party.  I thought this was a great idea and I wanted to share it.  (You could really do it for about any theme and for any type party).  I googled Alaska photos and hit Images so all that came up were thumbnails.  Then I printed them.  Came to 10 pages with about 25 per page, give or take a few.  You cut out the one's you really like and glue them together with a toothpick in the middle.  This gives you a photo for the front and back and you just poke them into cup cakes, cake or whatever else you can create.

Please share with a link to my blog and happy partying! 

It's been awhile

I admit, I have been in Blogger depression.  Last year was a TOUGH year to say the least.  It had it's grand moments but it was filled with a lot of personal heartache as well.  Change is hard and things changed in 2011. 

Just as a recap,  I quit my job of 18 years to help de-stress my life.  It was a very hard decision but one I have not regretted.  I now work for a smaller veterinary hospital that is closer to my home, less hours and much less stress!  My last job did throw me the greatest going away part ever. The theme was "anything but a going away party".  It was really fun and something I will never forget.

I lost two pets last year.  Both were almost to the age of 18!  My little cat Missy and my dog Valentine.  Valentine's pictures have been all over this blog and so it made it especially difficult to want to post anything without really feeling sad.  Time has a way of healing a heart that is amazing, that's all I will say about that.

My step brother took his life last year.   I can't even describe the pain that caused my family.  The question why? still remains on my lips every time of think of it.  Such a waste of a wonderful life.  He was an amazing person with so much life left to live and so much to live for.  I think suicide is so hard to understand.  I wish we could of helped him through the darkness in which he was living.  His two teenage kids need prayers now and always to help them endure "this" forever. 

My oldest son got married and I LOVE my daughter in law.  I have prayed for her since my son was little.  I heard Dr. Randy Carlson talk of doing that- praying for your future daughter/son in laws & I'm so glad I did! They just moved to Alaska for jobs!  wow.  I have kept their little dog Ruby for them until they can take her or until they return.  She has been so much fun (although my cat Ali would disagree!)  She is a good poser too.  Her is a recent picture I took of her.  Isn't she a beauty?   You know how they say the first year of marriage is paper and the 2nd cotton and so on up to 25 is silver and 50 is gold.  Well, if you have a dog you can have your Poochie years, Buddy years, your Duke years and your Valentine years and your Ruby years.  Don't they sound like happy years? How could a marriage ever go wrong if you look it dog-wise?!

Here is hoping I can do a much better job with this blog of mine in 2012.  Thanks for visiting & God Bless!