Last Day of January!

One month of the new year is coming to an end. I have a feeling this and every other year after this one will just go by faster & faster. I remember being young and it seemed the days just went on and on! Seemed like I would never grow up and now I look back and wonder where that girl is. I don't feel my age at all (well, maybe when I first crawl out of bed!).

I'm going to try to focus on some highlights for the month. When I first began that paragraph I had written that I really couldn't think of any but then felt really ungrateful, so I erased and started over. So let me dig deep. It was not a total wash...

My husband did get a nice bonus this month (that we were counting on alittle too much.)

We were all pretty healthy this month despite a few colds & upset stomachs.

My oldest son is still employed...hold your breath!

My youngest son is doing AWESOME on his job.

My daughter has not moved back home....again, hold your breath!

I started doing a weight lifting routine with my hubby so we could get in better shape.

I got together with my friends a couple times this month.

My little dog got a haircut this month.

My hubby was a cute Clifford for a night.

We bought a new car that gets better gas mileage.

The economy has not had too much effect on our jobs..yet anyway.

We refinanced our home this month at 4.25% interest!

I made some cool jewelry this month and was able to buy some supplies.

My hubby had a birthday this month.

My dog had a birthday this month.

I got to see a Clint Eastwood movie this month :)

I got to see my in-laws early in the month. (they moved out of town so we don't see them often)

I spent a fun filled day with my sister Shannon.

I made it to church once this month.

My facebook friends are growing and growing.

I'm writing again.

We have a roof over our heads & food in our pantry & we are warm!

I hope I can have a longer list in February!

I remember

This is a writing exercise. You start off with I remember. Make a sentence. Then begin another with I remember. Write what comes to mind. Try it! Here are a few things I remember:

• I remember getting into an old cellar during a tornado in Kansas, and being more scared of the cellar than the storm.


• I remember playing Barbies with my sister Shannon.


• I remember teasing my sister Debbie.


• I remember having lots different cats. "every life should have 9 cats"
I'm in the striped dress, then my older sister Debbie is in the middle and youngest sister Shannon on end.


• I remember the awe and wonder of having a baby.


• I remember being scared he would have my ugly feet and his dad's big nose.


• I remember being a single mother for many years.


• I remember swinging.
• I remember seeing my Mom cry.
• I remember my dad teaching me to paint.


• I remember watching my older sister get on the school bus and wishing I could go.


• I remember wondering what would happen if I swallowed a penny and then doing it.


• I remember the tick tree in my Grandpa's pasture.


• I remember my first real kiss.


• I remember seeing the ocean for the first time.


• I remember the excitement of my wedding day.


• I remember the excitement of owning my first home.


• I remember feeling fat when I know now I was skinny.


• I remember the times Grandma Lou would put special treats on my car when I had my first apartment and how special it made my son and I feel.


• I remember losing a friend to cancer.


• I remember losing a friend to murder.


• I remember my 40th birthday. It was great!


• I remember carrying groceries up 3 flights of stairs and my 3 year old helping me.


• I remember carrying laundry down 4 flights of stairs to the basement, hoping to get back to my apartment before my toddler woke up. (Not something I would ever do over if I had the chance)


• I remember getting pulled over by the police (alot!)


• I remember getting lots of speeding tickets. I don't know if I really drive slower now or I'm just not as cute & "noticeable" :)


• I remember the long drives in my dad's GTO.


• I remember pretending to be asleep after those long drives so my dad would carry me in the house.


• I remember my first dog. His name was Buddy. My dad got him from a guy he worked with and we went to pick him up in the GTO. Buddy rode in the backseat with us girls and we petted him all the way home. When we got to our house the palm of our little hands was completely black!


• I remember catching tad poles and wading in the creek.


• I remember learning to water ski


• I remember the first time I rode a jet ski


• I remember learning to scuba dive, getting certified at age 15 and then never doing it. Getting recertified at age 40 and now a little scared to do it.


• I remember seeing my husband when he wasn't my husband and wishing he was my husband. We went to HS together but never really knew each other too well or was remotely interested in one another. Then after his failed married at a young age and my failed relationship with my HS sweetheart we reconnected at our 5 year reunion and began dating. The first time I saw him walk down the hill at that reunion I wished he & his 2 little children could be mine. I pretty much got my wish! That is definitely a blog for another time! And I think I'll end this exercise on that note!

Creating with PMC

Yesterday I played with PMC. I was very happy with the jewelry I made, esp. since this is only the 3rd time I have ever done anything with it! The Yahoo PMC group has really helped me out with the learning curve. The 2 photos above is the clay in the drying stage. The photo to the right is the finished process after patina. (I didn't torch the smallest charm yet because I'm not happy with it.) I made a bracelet by using the oval floral trinket that you see on the coffee cup. I attached it to a piece of the army green auction belt that I cut apart from last weekend's auction. I had to solder the end to make a clasp. It's alittle "chunky" for my taste but maybe someone will like it.... I need to save more money now so I can make some more! Have to support my habit!

I think I like creating things because it totally occupies my mind. I don't think of anything else while I'm working expect the piece I'm working on. Well, I'm forced to think of my animals because they are always trying to help. Here they are supervising!

The bully- even picks on me! ALI- 8 years old Old grouch-Missy 16+ years Best Boss ever-Valentine 16 years

Anyway, it's a great escape so I guess it really is a "habit". Just a good one! :) Who knows where all this will go someday? It's fun to dream and think about it though.

Girlfriends

I am really lucky to have the friends that I have. Some of my best memories include them. The friend that I've had the longest is a girl named Brenda. She is only a year older than me but she was much wiser to the world. The first time I ever saw her she flipped me off. I didn't even know what that meant but could tell it was hostile! But we became best friends! She has been my friend since the summer before 2nd grade. We were VERY creative children. Which could all be topics for other blogs! ha. We live in different states now and I don't see her very often, I don't think we even talk but a couple times a year but that bond is there. We just kinda pick up where we left off. I think I'll give her a call!

I had a couple of friends from "birth", I guess you could say, but have lost touch with them over the years. Their parents and my parents were friends and then when my parents got divorced it made it hard for us kids to keep up with each other. Last time I saw them both I was in my early 20's. If I could see either of them today it would be great! I have a couple of friends from the 4th grade that I still see often and then one from 7th grade that was one of my best buds through out highschool. This is photo of us in 10th grade. We both wish we were still that skinny!They are all a hoot. We laugh so much when we get together. I've lost 3 of my friends. One died of leukemia at the tender age of 22 and the other was murdered a couple years later. The 3rd, I'm ashamed to say, we just had a big falling out and never have recovered from it. I have my friend that is my husband's best friend's wife. We had to learn to be friends since my husband was married before and they were friends with his 1st wife. (They love me now, I'm pretty sure, and visa versa.) This is their picture.

The group I do the most with is a group of girls that I worked (and a few I still work) with.

We try to get together as a group of 6 a couple times a year. But I'm usually always with 1 or 2 or more at least a couple times a month (outside of work) We have had some amazing fun times. We shop alot, we eat alot and we talk/laugh alot!! My co-workers dubbed us the "6 pack" in a sarcastic, jealous way. But we thought it was kinda cute and it stuck. We have taken a few road trips. We stayed the weekend at a lake and rented a pontoon boat for a day-that was a blast. I captained the boat (my first time driving and I did a fab job!)

We have went on float trips and vacations together with our husbands. In '07 we went to Colorado together. All of us made it except for 1.

I take a ton of pictures and I actually made each of them a book. It turned out really cute, although I took some flack about the bathing suit pictures that I included (I thought they were cute!) and so what if I had one underwear shot...you can't tell whose butt it was?! Except we all knew because the undies said "excessive talker". :) One of the ladies in our little 6 pack lost her son a few years back. That was a horrible time but it just amazed me how we all gathered around her and tried to support her and be there for her. I know if I face a tragedy that I will be well taken care of until I'm able to take care of myself. I know it tugs her heart still and I can not imagine that kind of loss. It's kinda scary as we get older. Each year I wonder what am I going to face this year? I lost my Grandma last year but she lived to be 93 and I think she was ready. I really miss her. This is her cute picture.

I know that if "God takes you to it, He will take you through it" but it's scary to know all the possibilities. I still have my parents and they are all getting older. My husband, children. And just the idea that I still have my 16 year old dog worries me because she has taken me through so many heartaches that I wonder why I'm still graced with her companionship. What does she have to help me through still? She has absolutely been the greatest girlfriend. I have so much fun with her, I think she makes me giggle every day! I know I have been blessed in many ways and I'm very thankful for all of them...especially for my girlfriends. They keep me young at heart!

INSPIRATION

I have been playing with metal clay since around Dec. 1st. (the above photos are not metal clay, by the way)I really like the possibilities of creating with it, designing my own vision. Someday I'll post some pictures of a few pieces I have made- I don't have a lot done yet though. Lots of ideas! I recently learned of the photo polymer plate process and can not wait to try it. (Like everything else it requires some cash to obtain the necessary supplies, so it'll be awhile!) I love to take photographs and I'm already thinking of what i may photograph to start this plating process. From what I understand you are basically making your own "stamp" so to speak so that when you stamp the clay it leaves an indention of all the raised areas. Neat huh?! The Internet has been a wonderful tool for me to educate myself. I realize it can be a blessing or a curse but right now it was been wonderful for me. I have really learned so much and found so many things that inspire me. I really like this one website called http://www.sallyjean.com/ . She is very, very creative and I admire her work so much (see pictures above.) I purchased her book on soldering several months back and then looked up her website from the info her book gave. She has a blog and her most recent entry said, "Sometimes it's fun to see into the lives and lifestyles of others. Like taking walks in the evening, when peering into windows is easiest. Not to see people (I promise), but to look at the decorating!". When I read that I realized that is why I enjoy blogging and reading other people's blogs. It's like peering into the windows and getting ideas for your own life. In turn I'm allowing a small part of me to be revealed to others and hope that they may get something meaningful from it. On her blog she had a list of her favorite sites to visit and I had to look to see WHO inspires someone already so artful and creative?! It was neat and I could see where she gets some of her ideas. I have been doing quite a bit of soul searching this week and have jotted down a few inspiring words. I really like this one by Noah ben Shea: In your life, you are the paint, the painter, and the painting. I still don't know exactly what I'm headed for but I keep smiling! At least my painting will have that...a great big SMILE. :)

Proud to be American!

"This inauguration is more than just the beginning of a new administration. It is the beginning of a nationwide spirit of unity and service.I hope you will stay involved in the effort to renew America together".Thank you,Emmett Emmett S. BeliveauExecutive DirectorPresidential Inaugural Committee

Never in my life have I witnessed such enthusiasm for change in our country. It's totally exciting! You can just feel the electricity in the air. I really lift up this new administration & all America in prayer because our country needs help! We need to start looking out for one another and taking care of our nation. I have always been proud to be an American but right now I am excited to be a part of the "United" States! The last time I felt this bonded to my fellow Americans was right after 9/11. Those days immediately following our country's tragedy were days filled with people looking out for other people, slowing down and really just being nice to one another, and helping where ever they could- people uniting! I remember feeling like no one felt like a stranger and people really talked to one another like never before. It was so sad that it took something so terrible to bring us together like that. I don't remember which president said it but I like the statement about, "it doesn't matter which political party your in because when it comes down to it we are all on the same side, we are all Americans". I've never been very political so I can't claim to know much, just enough to blog a feeling or two that maybe no one else will even read...but it feels good to write it all down the night before history is made!!

Clifford and me

Last night we helped my work with an event to raise money for a local dog park. They had the search and rescue dogs there & face painting and our hospital held a raffle and we did free pictures with Clifford. At the last minute our person who was to be Clifford cancelled. I was asked to take photos of people with Clifford (so I couldn't also be Clifford!) and without asking him ahead of time, I volunteered my husband. oops! He panicked at first at the thought of it, which was pretty funny in its-self. I knew he would have fun with it though so I kept begging him to do it and he did. He was dancing around and playing jokes on people. Once he got into costume he did a fab job!! This is me hugging my Clifford. :)

Yesterday was a fun day. Besides the whole Clifford ordeal, I got up early and went to an auction with one of my best buds. It was held in a very small town not far from where I live. Usually when they have auctions there the items go very cheap and yesterday was certainly the case! I think I counted about 52 people total in attendance in the afternoon. If I could ever get the finances, knowledge (and the NERVE) to open my own little store, I would of been able to really get some deals yesterday. My friend got a beautiful silver Christmas tree for $25 and the color wheel for $2! I got some antique jewelry for $6 for the whole lot. I don't know what I'm going to do with it all yet but it's fun to think about. I'll post any creations I come up with. Unfortunately, money is tight right now so I didn't get to really splurge and purchase the couple of things I really wanted. They went really cheap too! Both the dog picture & the orange flower picture went for around $17!! (I wanted the dog picture and I wanted to give the orange flowers to my sister who loves to decorate with the color orange.) There was a couple of dealers there buying the stuff up. I went just for the fun of going and to nickle & dime it.

I would like to have my own little shop someday. Take a little bit of old stuff mix with new for home decor. And I'd like to have my own creations for sale as I dabble in about everything including a small part of the store for photography fun. Have a few props and just take some photos at certain times of the year for holidays, etc. I could change the room accordingly. Of course, my store would have to have a lot merchandise relating to animals too. And my dream is that while I'm sitting in my store waiting for customers to come in I can be working on my art. Filling orders from on-line or whatever. Maybe one day. It's always good to have dreams.