tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87974198846605981492024-03-21T23:07:20.330-05:00Scrapping by DesignBrought to you from "The Ark:" A place somewhere between the Waltons, the Brady Bunch and "Let's Make a Deal."Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-2713136756659886512011-03-19T22:44:00.001-05:002011-03-20T22:00:29.172-05:00Spring Has Sprung!Hi, Everyone,<br />
As you know, tomorrow is the first day of spring, according to the calendar. While some of you in the more northerly climes may still have snow on the ground, spring is in bloom down here in sunny south Alabama. Maybe our blossoms and buds will cheer you until yours peek their little heads out of the barren landscape of their winter sleep.<br />
Here's one of the dormant Japanese magnolias in our back yard just about 3-4 weeks ago:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barren, gray branches make the tree look lifeless.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6whfvPIKmnKbreaaiTy0yAHm_B_Or_boIjtfynAXxCc3IrZMamANYcvQNzJLBodwT8GFQI66oFpNY9gBrO6j48blUim9pCQcczhoWWQWixthDhKmDMQpd4qWYM8FgfvlWhEkqOhLi4_dO/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6whfvPIKmnKbreaaiTy0yAHm_B_Or_boIjtfynAXxCc3IrZMamANYcvQNzJLBodwT8GFQI66oFpNY9gBrO6j48blUim9pCQcczhoWWQWixthDhKmDMQpd4qWYM8FgfvlWhEkqOhLi4_dO/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+092.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today, her delicate blooms look like an explosion of pink popcorn.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_zjdDptTRXQxm10UkYKkYUVUvfdYUzIBScLiYz8IHYoYDsUAt02bovSJBnmelVxbdk90liCn6n1t5Yfx-L1bSgoDA-o7mN8V0AYoqotMC9eiaVY0ME8-VwZTQJf7vFUlF8QZ64sW_Mkk/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE_zjdDptTRXQxm10UkYKkYUVUvfdYUzIBScLiYz8IHYoYDsUAt02bovSJBnmelVxbdk90liCn6n1t5Yfx-L1bSgoDA-o7mN8V0AYoqotMC9eiaVY0ME8-VwZTQJf7vFUlF8QZ64sW_Mkk/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+100.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sturdy old bay tree in our front yard will be loaded with traditional white magnolia blossoms soon.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This little dogwood struggles to grow beneath the towering long leaf pines in the back yard.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvt993l7YBVykF2uIOXKAJFi1jrpKs5fIVFeE8AGBnWRBSlq-Oy66WM3U8sjnAdJxvFtLx_vFe1NFFaVHLTQH5i0LLZt2mfoouvzz7UhzAtY-PKo9e-14O9P1BRdmBvtbWusQtodZFBf3/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvt993l7YBVykF2uIOXKAJFi1jrpKs5fIVFeE8AGBnWRBSlq-Oy66WM3U8sjnAdJxvFtLx_vFe1NFFaVHLTQH5i0LLZt2mfoouvzz7UhzAtY-PKo9e-14O9P1BRdmBvtbWusQtodZFBf3/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+096.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The neighbor's bridal wreath drips branches of lovely flowers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_kd5qkAsm_-fc3rg7HhNws-Vf0OEBDPHxRQx_6-RFE_octMuj_o-ABNHetiWdZYSWN0mgliiazQ4AtLVJoBbusDrfh8sn6cMFj1JNDbrexnOo0z5V_0THPBGphFVAfRaVt3Y6HmnWv2s/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_kd5qkAsm_-fc3rg7HhNws-Vf0OEBDPHxRQx_6-RFE_octMuj_o-ABNHetiWdZYSWN0mgliiazQ4AtLVJoBbusDrfh8sn6cMFj1JNDbrexnOo0z5V_0THPBGphFVAfRaVt3Y6HmnWv2s/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+097.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>This azalea in front of our house could use some pruning, but provides lovely flowers all the same.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-scoyFtF0VIxCKzk6gj9CVsxtWghIWC9MdlfYt5atZHqA0h3S9yteipOlTrt0jUB62O9vwr3CXblfVOaMe-Hm3P9dcG_MyC9cLhCislVskWHx2jBBjY1zmGQqkF_JcJMU3POFy8dQneZ3/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-scoyFtF0VIxCKzk6gj9CVsxtWghIWC9MdlfYt5atZHqA0h3S9yteipOlTrt0jUB62O9vwr3CXblfVOaMe-Hm3P9dcG_MyC9cLhCislVskWHx2jBBjY1zmGQqkF_JcJMU3POFy8dQneZ3/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+102.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Up close, these magical flowers are breathtaking. All over town, masses of different colors and varieties of azaleas turn Brewton into a Southern wonderland.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ESVSlbcU7GbuCbeIMCJg8O8gMhIGadAiSJcrJ0vlG_Nd4kBy6PlSY4HQrdUCfbv6TG2N0daLjgxxAfOo9p8Kk1ksTz-_vEb6EqRO_4Dn82me9M3nUnBCs10DtwRihuEL_l2DUgwUL7Fs/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ESVSlbcU7GbuCbeIMCJg8O8gMhIGadAiSJcrJ0vlG_Nd4kBy6PlSY4HQrdUCfbv6TG2N0daLjgxxAfOo9p8Kk1ksTz-_vEb6EqRO_4Dn82me9M3nUnBCs10DtwRihuEL_l2DUgwUL7Fs/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+101.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Beside our front steps, a more delicate pink variety peeks out from behind other greenery.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKCdcOB6eSWvzfujqcAFoe6woOC975urPsRTiOO33DHnRJ_HMr4Nm9_lCX1_ylxJ9_V4WWNK-Ft8UjM8G4YGv3HqfSF9pkOmF-QVicivWZg8MSGmtH_NXQB8f1s7mg8uLFVVfWDrevxia/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKCdcOB6eSWvzfujqcAFoe6woOC975urPsRTiOO33DHnRJ_HMr4Nm9_lCX1_ylxJ9_V4WWNK-Ft8UjM8G4YGv3HqfSF9pkOmF-QVicivWZg8MSGmtH_NXQB8f1s7mg8uLFVVfWDrevxia/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Though not as brilliant as her pink and fuchsia sister, this white azalea is a beauty in her own right.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyR1SmQOm3NBzCvLoZVhIq051uJIh0FvvchaAm3jn6HGACVStc83bnP1J4K4tZ3eSNo69apV1j474LHMTqAAP5XiKhAnp9eYhqoBV9E8pNnXVI1_gVdEgOvBdDizWjbowZMgFttZRVN_Dn/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyR1SmQOm3NBzCvLoZVhIq051uJIh0FvvchaAm3jn6HGACVStc83bnP1J4K4tZ3eSNo69apV1j474LHMTqAAP5XiKhAnp9eYhqoBV9E8pNnXVI1_gVdEgOvBdDizWjbowZMgFttZRVN_Dn/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+104.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here, a darker variety is covered in buds, ready to bloom any moment.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP37ab7-RyCfJa2ntGRTVkJcBdR9XADOi9ZBGWMz8G00lG8VLY3lacR-hNgXcQZK-GlABL5834J7mr2IzLlK6koRrvxpgKLnOFn72LhJzQDjyZiNyn0uOFbnJoW77OT_lhet2oSBslvgPp/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP37ab7-RyCfJa2ntGRTVkJcBdR9XADOi9ZBGWMz8G00lG8VLY3lacR-hNgXcQZK-GlABL5834J7mr2IzLlK6koRrvxpgKLnOFn72LhJzQDjyZiNyn0uOFbnJoW77OT_lhet2oSBslvgPp/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+047.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These graceful trees line the boardwalk downtown. In the fall, they provide beautiful autumn foliage in colors from oranges to reds. I think they're Japanese pears, but I'm not positive.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjTdrwlO_mMbnn1dOfZU-URZiTNgSqOM429HY0n8Mwjg30MSFoI41FOo6gsxWiJhqc7-fYWutjRqglmviv6I5eCyJM2Z00YLX-C5-I2T6ssogcf5mUoNrBp2pTmz6pwUgafnvcidnPvo-/s1600/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjTdrwlO_mMbnn1dOfZU-URZiTNgSqOM429HY0n8Mwjg30MSFoI41FOo6gsxWiJhqc7-fYWutjRqglmviv6I5eCyJM2Z00YLX-C5-I2T6ssogcf5mUoNrBp2pTmz6pwUgafnvcidnPvo-/s400/Spring+and+Stacey%2527s+kids+048.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the parking lot across from the boardwalk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Each spring I drink in the gorgeous flowers and trees that clothe our town in glorious colors. Wherever you are, I hope that the wonder of God's beautiful world never ceases to amaze you. May the first day of spring bring you renewed hope, health and happiness.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-11779956244381610182011-03-07T22:10:00.011-06:002011-03-08T00:06:44.825-06:00Craft Room, the Sequel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Hi, Everyone!<br />
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but sometimes life just takes over. I showed you the front of my craft rack on wheels a while back, and I promised to show more later. I guess it's time to reveal more. Here's a view of the left side of the rack:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fptDLqCYyd8sNoFpfpOw8Zfcsjkcr4iIMDvopFWJkdZA7sLKvOFfbPc4teQ-5Bdz1cIyArDTeL3EqAXrrFSJz-CJOuKV0gzRTsEEhSCSwsZZki4a23D7wFcI0oKigI80e5EkrkT4suZu/s1600/Scraproom+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fptDLqCYyd8sNoFpfpOw8Zfcsjkcr4iIMDvopFWJkdZA7sLKvOFfbPc4teQ-5Bdz1cIyArDTeL3EqAXrrFSJz-CJOuKV0gzRTsEEhSCSwsZZki4a23D7wFcI0oKigI80e5EkrkT4suZu/s320/Scraproom+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embellishments, buttons, ribbon, brads, grommets, eyelets, a brayer, tags, cello bags, label maker tapes, ribbon setter punch, etc.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDIDAstTIzGNR0m4K5z5u94bZbb_uK4427RWTewDYinhO7zs_NIcpSwBOGgl03W6Qk2Kk69_9qlYvXkQyaXxckAdpBjE-tDwvhNsgCSHmywwQeDkNIg-MZoYwMtnDnD6hGin4V_F0Ldzc/s1600/Scraproom+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDIDAstTIzGNR0m4K5z5u94bZbb_uK4427RWTewDYinhO7zs_NIcpSwBOGgl03W6Qk2Kk69_9qlYvXkQyaXxckAdpBjE-tDwvhNsgCSHmywwQeDkNIg-MZoYwMtnDnD6hGin4V_F0Ldzc/s320/Scraproom+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rub-ons, hot glue sticks, small flowers, small ribbons, quotes on velum, assorted small paper in packs and in the large pink box. The shelf below contains an empty sorting tray.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next is my crafting/computer desk:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiblmf0vuRIUt6UifxbfuuCR0QRXMmf-fhLvgp6rsC8LvJaUiEhLupFEN9F8nMh9f4AA-3u8lmXspaXYRdPccX390byfpCWBJtTaDUf4qdxkMyPyHBoYuPdlVf5Eof7_xr0DyYzJAfkzvf/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiblmf0vuRIUt6UifxbfuuCR0QRXMmf-fhLvgp6rsC8LvJaUiEhLupFEN9F8nMh9f4AA-3u8lmXspaXYRdPccX390byfpCWBJtTaDUf4qdxkMyPyHBoYuPdlVf5Eof7_xr0DyYzJAfkzvf/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This was a shot from back in the days when the desk was new and clean! LOL There are two drawers below the top and vertical and horizontal paper storage slots underneath. Here's the wall above the desk now:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHB-a9qoiAr5oUn87zi4lOHFOMWkI9X6MWOo97e1shx3EhpyjIkNxV5EoEPHXued3AfkZMsVwsOBmJRKZlQCPMar5xp4BL6uUyBzng-NtByoF0IV1FxxfJZKEo7kKZJ7uqNMYFNaueHyG-/s1600/Scraproom+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHB-a9qoiAr5oUn87zi4lOHFOMWkI9X6MWOo97e1shx3EhpyjIkNxV5EoEPHXued3AfkZMsVwsOBmJRKZlQCPMar5xp4BL6uUyBzng-NtByoF0IV1FxxfJZKEo7kKZJ7uqNMYFNaueHyG-/s320/Scraproom+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The masks are from a trip the granddaughters and I took to New Orleans over spring break last year. We stayed at my daughter, Daphne's, and we had a great time. The four of us wore our masks from the mask shop, to the ferry, and all the way home. Hardly anyone even paid any attention to us! I mounted two of the masks on coordinating place mats. I made the ribbon and fabric bulletin board and spray-painted the plastic part of the clock to match the room colors.<br />
Speaking of room colors, these are not the colors of the rest of the house. I just decided to have fun and make my craft room a fantasy room for me. I have used mostly shades of pink, green, yellow and turquoise. It's a happy place to be, and I love having my own "woman cave." LOL! I suppose you could say it looks more like a little girl's dress-up play room. That's okay with me. :)<br />
Here are some other views of the room:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuYl0-FfRziH3id_AfY_Vgr4-VSy-B6BfV0gim92fRKCJQ3kmhGo6AOfrw7I5YZeahyU8hCDrNG9RRiwERV-vZ-JLUkjbPVtMAW8hzl4PWCJknIpItod25hessg4UE6e1cP2HjzLW5xWu/s1600/Scraproom+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzuYl0-FfRziH3id_AfY_Vgr4-VSy-B6BfV0gim92fRKCJQ3kmhGo6AOfrw7I5YZeahyU8hCDrNG9RRiwERV-vZ-JLUkjbPVtMAW8hzl4PWCJknIpItod25hessg4UE6e1cP2HjzLW5xWu/s320/Scraproom+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top left shelf houses a doll I bought in Las Vegas as a souvenir; I made the flower arrangement at NDI on a field trip when I was teaching 8th graders, and the hat boxes are currently empty storage. The bookcase on the right has a mate on the left.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb-5c4F3kaI0krqiTEXDN0oQzCA35e9_4mT03NNPwhqYQ2NJqZLrG2JXAegKdZUk2_-_PNiqyBR-qYCLsHn52qiEes9vOzI2BBM6W7U3aKspMRojcxdvMVT5mfCdqM_fwszWFVJqKExgH/s1600/scraproom+2+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb-5c4F3kaI0krqiTEXDN0oQzCA35e9_4mT03NNPwhqYQ2NJqZLrG2JXAegKdZUk2_-_PNiqyBR-qYCLsHn52qiEes9vOzI2BBM6W7U3aKspMRojcxdvMVT5mfCdqM_fwszWFVJqKExgH/s320/scraproom+2+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This shelf contains stamps mounted on wood in clear storage boxes which are labeled by categories. The pink shoebox holds photos to be placed into albums, and the green one stores blank mini albums. The upright container holds roller stamps, and additional rollers are stored in a clear cylinder behind the roller container.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizC-a87nAThb9nthT-D4PUeb28ej6XSyY2aBoKviaPb0t1hgXlMAjU59z8FHKM1wdBOTLMdv3We-YNvkrR6UhUfKoZG7ibq1zUjfUDZqaG8-8APTtGHXPtbs2rz2YKXZdCB_SvQ5LWY-A-/s1600/scraproom+3+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizC-a87nAThb9nthT-D4PUeb28ej6XSyY2aBoKviaPb0t1hgXlMAjU59z8FHKM1wdBOTLMdv3We-YNvkrR6UhUfKoZG7ibq1zUjfUDZqaG8-8APTtGHXPtbs2rz2YKXZdCB_SvQ5LWY-A-/s320/scraproom+3+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This shelf holds more wooden stamps and a CD/tape player.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBYmkrZdoyjyc4XKhWKY0qkGpQilkhiCtH-YfDsJToHXy0gKzAfVjuEy9FAihFBMhj_EGEMxaFhorNZYIcY66oJDQGm2tkC_DVU5ya5xJ9XshyosE-fCVbPSIR2W1k5miyoL6tql5YOmM/s1600/scraproom+2+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBYmkrZdoyjyc4XKhWKY0qkGpQilkhiCtH-YfDsJToHXy0gKzAfVjuEy9FAihFBMhj_EGEMxaFhorNZYIcY66oJDQGm2tkC_DVU5ya5xJ9XshyosE-fCVbPSIR2W1k5miyoL6tql5YOmM/s320/scraproom+2+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Albums and an odds and ends organizer are on this shelf, while large cookbooks are housed on the shelf below. There are already too many in the kitchen! The bottom shelf (not pictured because it's too messy) holds a Xyron 900 sticker maker and various empty notebooks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2rBU3Tsxst2xxp_vrFQnLIVrYwC3NxVga22evVVM1Hl0Kbn99yha2YjFO4IFqXpFhytlL7W_qe5EPCsMgN_SgfND5GtQviWgwgJdQKDthQvVrMKfzQPBdW9dmALt0dXl2jvl8Syz95l8/s1600/scraproom+2+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2rBU3Tsxst2xxp_vrFQnLIVrYwC3NxVga22evVVM1Hl0Kbn99yha2YjFO4IFqXpFhytlL7W_qe5EPCsMgN_SgfND5GtQviWgwgJdQKDthQvVrMKfzQPBdW9dmALt0dXl2jvl8Syz95l8/s320/scraproom+2+004.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>I found these colorful cubes at Walmart. The top one holds a greeting card organizer and a take-out style decorative box. The bottom one holds crafting books and magazines, and the bookend houses a glitter pen dispenser.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxErGflqTbQmZ7q_hY5BDh46bD8ndMO1RIDMo5Awt_BTV0qlWigMeZvPtJW2aUNHAbjggojrTXpKd4deBxecfmOkv9hxb69hsMW-Zh1LpHttmFCRPUov7pwm1O0pT4oyLG8pAQtnRXvFjr/s1600/Scraproom+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxErGflqTbQmZ7q_hY5BDh46bD8ndMO1RIDMo5Awt_BTV0qlWigMeZvPtJW2aUNHAbjggojrTXpKd4deBxecfmOkv9hxb69hsMW-Zh1LpHttmFCRPUov7pwm1O0pT4oyLG8pAQtnRXvFjr/s320/Scraproom+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The space between the cubes holds a CD rack, my Martha Stewart Score Board and a box containing a scrapbook kit. The photo on the wall features three of our ferrets at Christmas time in Santa and antler hats.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM3LetpustUCFtmCdAGegoS2YypJ-DSCS3eA8bVBe1wirnCdHkQyJll6c6mPc9DIT3K9hU9Nl7IpyVhvsOswGR86YwNCX244m65ZN6VpJLrj8UJPyTcZN1_flmyBAkWLBudZOq0MnSxTT/s1600/scraproom+3+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM3LetpustUCFtmCdAGegoS2YypJ-DSCS3eA8bVBe1wirnCdHkQyJll6c6mPc9DIT3K9hU9Nl7IpyVhvsOswGR86YwNCX244m65ZN6VpJLrj8UJPyTcZN1_flmyBAkWLBudZOq0MnSxTT/s320/scraproom+3+002.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top cube holds my Gypsy (portable electronic layout design tool used with a Cricut cutting machine) in its black and pink case, and the hatbox and bag are currently just for decoration but could be used for storage.<br />
The bottom cube holds more craft books and a butterfly bookend.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwzcncjdmCYmV9WuLUT5wrIExv5pUw0vItxV69IIDpiqaTXRpu_5DWG1nkxalrhTDt5fLc3MKrwpBwisP7HAPM4z71FWhs5-0VXz78AKxP6r2ajOrhV5QG-ey5VszAJ09ebXmDKac6ETX/s1600/scraproom+2+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwzcncjdmCYmV9WuLUT5wrIExv5pUw0vItxV69IIDpiqaTXRpu_5DWG1nkxalrhTDt5fLc3MKrwpBwisP7HAPM4z71FWhs5-0VXz78AKxP6r2ajOrhV5QG-ey5VszAJ09ebXmDKac6ETX/s320/scraproom+2+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shelf contains an album , computer CDs in the pink box, assorted scrapbooking kits and empty storage containers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnb818f9z7UDtt3qTlqr_C-Tyzb10-rI0sQ1xcXuKd96NdD1Ey2uwUjCLwEQC3RgVA9siJIuxIICvAFhCR2LH8WYVvxl1g5ACjrCXHmIFNQ-7sMRr-4vLrDb2ZYJhy75AuD79RRZ5nPfm/s1600/scraproom+2+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnb818f9z7UDtt3qTlqr_C-Tyzb10-rI0sQ1xcXuKd96NdD1Ey2uwUjCLwEQC3RgVA9siJIuxIICvAFhCR2LH8WYVvxl1g5ACjrCXHmIFNQ-7sMRr-4vLrDb2ZYJhy75AuD79RRZ5nPfm/s320/scraproom+2+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Housed in the three shoe boxes on this shelf are ceramic tools (I took ceramics in college), paper crimpers, and beads and wire. The black bag trimmed in pink is a tote for tools to take to a crop (scrapbooking event). The house-shaped box came filled with a collection of greeting cards.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7gY217AMaAfG7qWwPC1UcfKmo6XDJCv-00hGEOslnq5zp7XY4wr-DpcOA14p6crpToBhbnKnXcl4M0nkCUu8JPykdWyhDQA723A6zfZAf9lKO_UsuP-rU_yTRMTF8TUvPLtWQDcgEY4-/s1600/scraproom+3+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7gY217AMaAfG7qWwPC1UcfKmo6XDJCv-00hGEOslnq5zp7XY4wr-DpcOA14p6crpToBhbnKnXcl4M0nkCUu8JPykdWyhDQA723A6zfZAf9lKO_UsuP-rU_yTRMTF8TUvPLtWQDcgEY4-/s320/scraproom+3+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The adjustable rack on this shelf was designed to hold pot lids, but I'm using it to store labels, envelopes and various specialty printer products. The orange drawer holds small pieces of cardstock, the blue box has glitter writers in it, and the yellow boxes contain 4"x 6" photo paper. The shelf below that holds a literature sorter filled with different colors of 8 1/2" X 11" papers, labels and other assorted specialty printer supples. The bottom shelf was appropriated by the ferrets. Nothing is safe there. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdf9gsia4wyReCR55iK3hmmet0pAB5RxvaLxeqqnGs4tzW_VWb39kSOSG4RggRKL798yA4qp_w3sMrRKj41dXDMXzvy_dSZsPq8Ochq9lv4QPuG9x-tg9xeNy3JTIroyvenl0KjftgT-c/s1600/scraproom+3+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdf9gsia4wyReCR55iK3hmmet0pAB5RxvaLxeqqnGs4tzW_VWb39kSOSG4RggRKL798yA4qp_w3sMrRKj41dXDMXzvy_dSZsPq8Ochq9lv4QPuG9x-tg9xeNy3JTIroyvenl0KjftgT-c/s320/scraproom+3+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>You can see part of the printer in the picture above this one. This is to the left of the bookcase and to the right of my desk. It sits on a paper storage container. The container's four trays can adjust between letter and legal size paper. It sits on top of a two-drawer filing cabinet filled with...stuff.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8EEI7ZeSVgBGFAV_mZAdc5IcebVoxO5Uk7n5p9mG_s6ZFMqBqDlFr_4f4tc7Rni_uaDCj6CrM30yGjmzrmkRScTm4lX_DOhcACleOs5wLnEEepexbKXY1TPvuIvzOeYhPIB5M5asr7s-/s1600/scraproom+2+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8EEI7ZeSVgBGFAV_mZAdc5IcebVoxO5Uk7n5p9mG_s6ZFMqBqDlFr_4f4tc7Rni_uaDCj6CrM30yGjmzrmkRScTm4lX_DOhcACleOs5wLnEEepexbKXY1TPvuIvzOeYhPIB5M5asr7s-/s320/scraproom+2+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The top shelf holds a book binder that uses the comb-style fasteners. The two yellow boxes hold die cuts, stamped images and embossed images, all in alphabetical order, indexed by categories and stored in individual cello bags. I told you I like to organize things! The adorable baby picture is of Tyler, my now 19-year-old grandson. The blue and pink fabric-covered box you can see below stores Cricut supplies, and my Cricut Expression is in front of that on the desktop.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Believe it or not, there's more to show. I still have one wall and part of another, but you've seen most of it. I'll get the room cleaned up one of these days and show you the rest! LOL Until then, hope you're having fun doing what you love to do!<br />
Love'n stuff,<br />
Sandy :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-91834629074372693252011-02-23T00:50:00.002-06:002011-02-23T01:03:35.120-06:00Spring CleaningHi, Gang!<br />
Monday was quite a productive day. The first thing Eddie worked on was the pool in the backyard. He had taken the cover off a few days ago to check on the state of the water. After he spent quite a bit of time fishing leaves off the bottom, adding new chemicals and trying out a new method of keeping the cover off the surface, I helped him stretch the cover back across the pool and begin the anchoring process. If you don't tether the cover to the ground, it'll do a Mary Poppins disappearing act when the wind blows.<br />
Since the weather was mild and glorious, it was a perfect day for taking the ferret cage outside for a good cleaning, too. Here's a before picture:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_0ep6ihnxiWhcl_ZcMd1m3VkLW1e08bwz8zmg_IB9Wu2aoIiBqg2N06Nj2HD63C3TXiblr8Ius14MkfHHJwZelRmXO1zrB_RV949HeNQ-_6E9dcw41Dow67IoCUFEImR4f_qyQWCSeSA/s1600/Ferret+Cage+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_0ep6ihnxiWhcl_ZcMd1m3VkLW1e08bwz8zmg_IB9Wu2aoIiBqg2N06Nj2HD63C3TXiblr8Ius14MkfHHJwZelRmXO1zrB_RV949HeNQ-_6E9dcw41Dow67IoCUFEImR4f_qyQWCSeSA/s400/Ferret+Cage+001.JPG" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bandit and Sugar Baby in their dirty cage</td></tr>
</tbody></table> As you can plainly see, their cage was sorely in need of a good cleaning! We had already taken out the hammock from the top section, then set the wire part of the cage off the base onto the ground so they could experience a little bit of real nature. When we started on the serious cleaning part, we turned them loose on the inside of the house to wreak havoc. <br />
After soaking and scrubbing litter boxes, shelves and the wire cage itself, we put it all back together. The wind kindly dried it off for us. Here are some after pictures:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzBs2_188xfo_x5M7aynumFA3z6LNLT3z3QFZWSgrW8D9TSOuri8YsLSZ7T5n7iNTv1rwvWf1Kexl0WbCB-up5rCQa6Z1oAtjIQHOmiJazRHE4_2DOS2tBFf3BjBnmW9hmHXIPF-AQpiz/s1600/Ferret+Cage+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzBs2_188xfo_x5M7aynumFA3z6LNLT3z3QFZWSgrW8D9TSOuri8YsLSZ7T5n7iNTv1rwvWf1Kexl0WbCB-up5rCQa6Z1oAtjIQHOmiJazRHE4_2DOS2tBFf3BjBnmW9hmHXIPF-AQpiz/s320/Ferret+Cage+003.JPG" width="239" /></a></div> From this picture you can see about how tall it is compared to our front door.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QvUFtvKB9QU1EDAVHDRSurVrRJc6gZDz5X1s8z3RtAi9SBxS3TdkpqRMOrm0NBJ34WVc-xIW02sBFY5QU46eS2S5IVvohyphenhyphenoFB_JbiFn1K2PCMcDIotlUAO-ahq8-2-w-1MZ8sXee27bO/s1600/Ferret+Cage+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QvUFtvKB9QU1EDAVHDRSurVrRJc6gZDz5X1s8z3RtAi9SBxS3TdkpqRMOrm0NBJ34WVc-xIW02sBFY5QU46eS2S5IVvohyphenhyphenoFB_JbiFn1K2PCMcDIotlUAO-ahq8-2-w-1MZ8sXee27bO/s320/Ferret+Cage+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of the bottom two sections.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The red plastic thing on the bottom floor is an igloo. They like to snuggle up together and sleep inside of it when it's cold. The curved yellow and red tubes hanging down from the ceilings are their "ladders" between floors. It's funny to see them crawling from one floor to the other with half of them hanging out the top and bottom at the same time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n8HQV2cVHPsi_BuRKLluvdAaPSWMnfBFrdw4uCWL20_ud_iJToFp7BeVf9DV1tOoHluz0pERPunZITASLLwdU7ytNnEapv88By0WT35PzJY8ArRkWmYOni-yP-jdh0bKSp9OmQwYb7U3/s1600/Ferret+Cage+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n8HQV2cVHPsi_BuRKLluvdAaPSWMnfBFrdw4uCWL20_ud_iJToFp7BeVf9DV1tOoHluz0pERPunZITASLLwdU7ytNnEapv88By0WT35PzJY8ArRkWmYOni-yP-jdh0bKSp9OmQwYb7U3/s320/Ferret+Cage+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top two tiers</td></tr>
</tbody></table> You can clearly see in this photo that their shelves are nice and clean. The litter boxes were all freshly filled after their vigorous scrubbing, and the brand new double-decker hammock is in its place. Before putting them to bed, Eddie applied their monthly flea treatment.<br />
At bedtime, the ferrets were excited to explore their clean-smelling cage and clean pair of pants (they're crazy about this old pair of trousers that has a lining in it; they like to crawl inside the legs to sleep). Sadly, the new hammock didn't work out. It sagged too low with them in it, so they didn't use it. Tonight we returned one of their older hammocks (freshly laundered, of course) to the cage, and they happily settled down in their comfortable digs. Wish all the rest of the house was that clean!<br />
Hope your bed is nice and comfy, too.<br />
Love'n stuff,<br />
Sandy :)Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-27298309441175921472011-02-19T19:46:00.048-06:002011-02-19T23:10:40.630-06:00Budgies, Bunnies and Skinks, Oh, My!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNZXmIO_yia0w_qqMmRs83yB4OWYOH0ZNcoxFP6tMQ4l0beMRScz4aPln5O8fdpAqHbfWwxAC0SgpK-j4veHC_9GaTrV7bTUIy06lR5y18qxOEPLNBTaPevml56NxmsqXK0811IlYJj8n/s1600/pet+shop+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNZXmIO_yia0w_qqMmRs83yB4OWYOH0ZNcoxFP6tMQ4l0beMRScz4aPln5O8fdpAqHbfWwxAC0SgpK-j4veHC_9GaTrV7bTUIy06lR5y18qxOEPLNBTaPevml56NxmsqXK0811IlYJj8n/s320/pet+shop+022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parakeets aka Budgies</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxsfI1GGm26BJjEpeJttihNd5JCRSYKrudOpt4qDMnLeSHvfNDawKwXevJ2OvxwTSXJdOFYZDuHdoULYnoLsA02HqaASlDEt0OKA5kKRDaVe-XgWUfyokfEBlcVk9-W6q1O7sEqd402jq/s1600/pet+shop+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxsfI1GGm26BJjEpeJttihNd5JCRSYKrudOpt4qDMnLeSHvfNDawKwXevJ2OvxwTSXJdOFYZDuHdoULYnoLsA02HqaASlDEt0OKA5kKRDaVe-XgWUfyokfEBlcVk9-W6q1O7sEqd402jq/s320/pet+shop+026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Give me a break. I'm running as fast as I can!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8Gde0Rhc4BevV9jjSb8Rg3Q2Prsk088qg0j_5XCsuTJ0aDV9R16ctk8yRNE3Wzioc9pGfV6A0GAwSX12drFKWGsfHaddBlkchCwFicE1Ytc6v0hF_wIMif0t5wGFOg_p0knPqKyFy4BK/s1600/pet+shop+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8Gde0Rhc4BevV9jjSb8Rg3Q2Prsk088qg0j_5XCsuTJ0aDV9R16ctk8yRNE3Wzioc9pGfV6A0GAwSX12drFKWGsfHaddBlkchCwFicE1Ytc6v0hF_wIMif0t5wGFOg_p0knPqKyFy4BK/s320/pet+shop+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She said what???</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM12-wqcTvJWvBUvLiDxqOwkDyB6Xze-Dz3BKGqNzLwayuU9EG2dsSCXAEb4znXawcIV-PI_K8RdpMXk8M4PgtDgyPOmKcJ1jVmndJMM9OvqkWmnHejT0l9MrJqbxxDok4pPqU7uo6Ote_/s1600/pet+shop+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM12-wqcTvJWvBUvLiDxqOwkDyB6Xze-Dz3BKGqNzLwayuU9EG2dsSCXAEb4znXawcIV-PI_K8RdpMXk8M4PgtDgyPOmKcJ1jVmndJMM9OvqkWmnHejT0l9MrJqbxxDok4pPqU7uo6Ote_/s320/pet+shop+030.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ever feel like a turquoise parakeet in a cage full of green and yellow ones?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Hi, Everyone!<br />
Today we went to Pensacola to a pet store to buy ferret food. "Why not buy some at the local Wal-Mart?" you might ask. Good question. Ferrets are very picky about their food. They like the flavor of whatever they were raised on, and ours were raised by the breeders on an expensive brand from the pet store, naturally. One of our rescue ferrets, Baby Bear, was used to eating the cheaper food, and we hoped that the others would try it and like it. No way. Not only did they <u>not</u> like his, he didn't like <u>theirs</u>. So we had to continue buying both kinds of food as long as he was alive. It isn't impossible to change what ferrets eat, but it's difficult and time consuming, according to the books we've read, so we just keep giving them what they're used to. <br />
Anyway, I was hoping to bring you some nice pictures of a business of ferrets from the pet store (yes; a group or bunch of ferrets is called a "business," and if you ever saw them running and playing together, you'd know why), but they were completely out! In the 4 years we've been going there, they've never been sold out of ferrets. I can only conclude that the reason is because I wanted to take some pictures for you and cuddle adorable ferrets that I can't take home.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Since there were no ferrets, I decided you might enjoy some of the other pets for sale. I love budgies (the Australian name for parakeets), and we did have some a long time ago, but I got tired of vacuuming bird seed out of the AC vents and poop off the windowsills. When Guinevere died, we finally gave Arthur to an unsuspecting girl, lock, stock, birdseed and cage. Still, I enjoy looking at their brightly colored feathers and trying to get them to talk to me. When I was growing up, I had a blue one named Pretty Boy, and he'd repeat his name for me. By the way, if you want parakeets to talk to you, don't buy more than one. They'll only tweet to each other and ignore you.</div> The bunny was sweet, but he didn't tug at my heartstrings and make me want to take him home--today.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbDQ4qsgOleK6SGIuKGs7o5R-aP725k2BCT3x7GKLc_m5Fh7nNGTJf3hp1vqYicZi9NT9ZwSKgbRshJ0R4TbQkBF2mP5zEe5OcEjvPud7h3FUPfX6YkicJAV4XkaEEOOowfqgTiGbmmOe/s1600/pet+shop+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbDQ4qsgOleK6SGIuKGs7o5R-aP725k2BCT3x7GKLc_m5Fh7nNGTJf3hp1vqYicZi9NT9ZwSKgbRshJ0R4TbQkBF2mP5zEe5OcEjvPud7h3FUPfX6YkicJAV4XkaEEOOowfqgTiGbmmOe/s320/pet+shop+023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thumper?</td></tr>
</tbody></table> This beautiful fellow below wasn't even in a cage. His color was washed out a bit by the flash; he's a much richer green than he appears in the photo. He's also a great deal larger than the parakeets. My aunt used to raise birds, and she had at least one that looked like this in the house. Most of the others were in an aviary outside. I was warned that her large parrot would take my finger off if I gave him half a chance. I didn't. I didn't try to feed this one a finger, either.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYjEC-BqGLuEFfV38IlSdV1GO1JpMoLnaP1Esa2cFYpB03zOpDmtJg2cRR6V79Lgo4n1hOTwR3RsUrSUKWvGabA95mftybVRYxyyNVpyssb6z4SiDAfyEf9sdG4SydSIyGk-TFobJaM4f/s1600/pet+shop+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYjEC-BqGLuEFfV38IlSdV1GO1JpMoLnaP1Esa2cFYpB03zOpDmtJg2cRR6V79Lgo4n1hOTwR3RsUrSUKWvGabA95mftybVRYxyyNVpyssb6z4SiDAfyEf9sdG4SydSIyGk-TFobJaM4f/s320/pet+shop+031.JPG" width="222" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> As we were paying for a new double-decker hammock, ferret food and flea treatment, I spotted some more exotic animals. The young man waiting on us asked if I'd like a picture of me with a skink on my shoulder. Since I'd had a picture made of me with a python around my neck while we were in Singapore, I could hardly refuse, could I? Here it is; a lovely blue-tongued skink. He's $129.00 if you're interested, and no. I'm not on commission for the pet store. Notice I didn't even give their name????</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzNAJBKAlY7FsSrPO-iqinXnztJLqyqoPP1_aYsgKdDPitXhudwzE0PPfmRrFkJNKFiwk-hmC9VrAZHga7fHHY-aa_X9yi3Irgyd-hSRb7CiBzRC3EAbhHwWy6br6fBFj0hB20zvkU3Ng/s1600/pet+shop+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzNAJBKAlY7FsSrPO-iqinXnztJLqyqoPP1_aYsgKdDPitXhudwzE0PPfmRrFkJNKFiwk-hmC9VrAZHga7fHHY-aa_X9yi3Irgyd-hSRb7CiBzRC3EAbhHwWy6br6fBFj0hB20zvkU3Ng/s320/pet+shop+035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The skink is not the one <u>in</u> the pink striped shirt! He's <u>on</u> the pink striped shirt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvWJjacodv7pUCDRKgfZ0fjuiJ76nNdPTD-HXjGbvsuDYwFYdUE5tBaAj_R6uBiX7JHqRlkeORS5e0oInAXRxli5qULjiNHO6-uzcq3FWipsu1tYTrLIZ3ZeuX_DzDYZfnWPEd-gqs35d/s1600/pet+shop+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvWJjacodv7pUCDRKgfZ0fjuiJ76nNdPTD-HXjGbvsuDYwFYdUE5tBaAj_R6uBiX7JHqRlkeORS5e0oInAXRxli5qULjiNHO6-uzcq3FWipsu1tYTrLIZ3ZeuX_DzDYZfnWPEd-gqs35d/s320/pet+shop+036.JPG" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do our stripes clash?<br />
<div align="left"></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table> I'm sure you noticed my beloved standing solicitously by. I thought he was there to protect me, but I discovered later that he was, in fact, making sure that the lovely, blue-tongued skink didn't fall and hurt himself. He said that anyone who had posed with a python around her neck could certainly take care of herself!<br />
Hope you had a glorious spring-like day, too! <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">P.S. I keep telling you we live in the Ark, but you still don't believe me, do you? We have all the people loaded up; now we're working on the animals. LOL</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-29253032188501425672011-02-17T16:04:00.003-06:002011-02-17T16:26:07.197-06:00Mouse in the House UpdateHi, Everyone!<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Remember this from a couple of weeks ago?</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHqtzguMUZwTWC61EfdPcXL77Cmuwls_Rbj-wuLARipMsaxDmCE9sfIpCSS9xDuFmmP1wS9rxdPFEkOYaloR67PmBjCqVCTEVGjinzi-DCJfswVmJpq2BJSVueSzzy4d8Z_ZrvGpCfhTr/s1600/478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHqtzguMUZwTWC61EfdPcXL77Cmuwls_Rbj-wuLARipMsaxDmCE9sfIpCSS9xDuFmmP1wS9rxdPFEkOYaloR67PmBjCqVCTEVGjinzi-DCJfswVmJpq2BJSVueSzzy4d8Z_ZrvGpCfhTr/s320/478.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> This is a different shot my granddaughter took with her phone. Remember that mouse I told you about? If you don't, and you'd like to catch up, here's a link to the other post: <a href="http://scrappingbydesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-floor.html">http://scrappingbydesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-floor.html</a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Anyway, I thought you'd be glad to know that the mouse finally showed up dead on the kitchen floor yesterday morning--death by d-Con, I presume. Just thought I'd clear that up for you. I didn't want that mouse running wantonly through your mind in case you came to visit me.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Incidentally, I didn't tell you that the night the mouse got loose, one of our ferrets escaped from her cage during the night as well. I was vaguely aware of something walking over me as I was sleeping. My subconscious remembered the mouse, and I came very close to slinging my sweet baby ferret across the room. Fortunately, I opened my eyes and realized that it was Sugar Baby, and not Mickey or Minnie Mouse, and I collected her and put her back in her bed. I told you we lived in the Ark. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> FYI, ferrets are not rodents. They are in the same family as weasels and skunks, as I've mentioned before, but I don't guess that endears them to you any more than rodents, if you're not inclined toward small, furry animals. We think our white ferrets resemble miniature baby polar bears. One of our gray ones, Baby Bear, looked somewhat like a raccoon. You can see him below with the black "mask" on his face. In any case, we're making sure the 2 we have left stay very far away from the d-Con!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBE8NpRWyC25ooTpCC9I0RwVpOFeh9kdQJS2K6F8p9u34MMvuGrsTrHEg2HRQjVZwZTsGo5j-WxOK5w_6OGdiCT8cjqHumOZRVcFJUZ4G4q6vzZLok97_dq4d5e0rrRIUQJKDfIdcXfpR/s1600/157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBE8NpRWyC25ooTpCC9I0RwVpOFeh9kdQJS2K6F8p9u34MMvuGrsTrHEg2HRQjVZwZTsGo5j-WxOK5w_6OGdiCT8cjqHumOZRVcFJUZ4G4q6vzZLok97_dq4d5e0rrRIUQJKDfIdcXfpR/s320/157.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Bear, Bandit, Sugar Bear, and Smokey</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Just in case you don't want to be left with the image of a room open to the dirt below, I'll repost this picture of the finished floor: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-D251s4EOyN4ogs9bOlAN8ldzCH3dHczNGvPTZE6yoBN4gdfV15WtUl5HhtJs_loMWxO0eSZuDvOUOQYO0ntC1XWIVVL9SPKXVJ1VUJWPRu3vVYbWeaoZ20Np5dfNapNxPz56nfxZsb-/s1600/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-D251s4EOyN4ogs9bOlAN8ldzCH3dHczNGvPTZE6yoBN4gdfV15WtUl5HhtJs_loMWxO0eSZuDvOUOQYO0ntC1XWIVVL9SPKXVJ1VUJWPRu3vVYbWeaoZ20Np5dfNapNxPz56nfxZsb-/s320/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After<br />
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</tbody></table> May all your "afters" have happy endings.<br />
Love'n furry stuff,<br />
Sandy :)<br />
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</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-687074950738099052011-02-15T01:06:00.006-06:002011-02-15T20:07:10.845-06:00Valentine's DayHi, Everyone,<br />
Valentine's Day is over as I'm writing this, and I hope yours was a good one. My special Valentine surprised me with a trip out to dinner tonight, and he didn't let me know our destination until we arrived. Of course I figured out pretty quickly that we weren't eating in town when we passed the city limits. It was a delight to be surprised, and I especially enjoyed our time together.<br />
As we turned into the driveway of the Olive Garden in Pensacola, we both knew we'd have a long wait, but we were prepared to enjoy being "alone" together. What we didn't expect was to play musical chairs during the nearly 1 1/2 hours.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> When we approached the front of the restaurant to sign in, the overflow crowd outside exceeded our expectations. I'm sure there must have been at least 50 people outside, and inside was only slightly better. After receiving our signaling device from the hostess, we took up our positions standing beside a potted plant.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAie55VPvC2EQQkyOl2JD_GNVjJ8Irl1lMcwL1AlUmJVix6hG3bp8TvWd_E7A-ciXVYyU9t3mkL5dKWIqBHJqGTot1zMYkcc-e7ZBv87Nr1pFIb19zWB1WotcE_NJ3DIjVpBleP2bMVWV3/s1600/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAie55VPvC2EQQkyOl2JD_GNVjJ8Irl1lMcwL1AlUmJVix6hG3bp8TvWd_E7A-ciXVYyU9t3mkL5dKWIqBHJqGTot1zMYkcc-e7ZBv87Nr1pFIb19zWB1WotcE_NJ3DIjVpBleP2bMVWV3/s320/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signaling Device</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I was reminded of an old episode of Star Trek in which Kirk was invited to an overcrowded planet to introduce disease to the inhabitants so they could die. Do you remember that one? When the door opened to Kirk's room, people were standing shoulder-to-shoulder like sardines in a tin. We weren't quite that cozy, but you get the picture--it was packed.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Settling in for the wait, I told Eddie to help me keep an eye out for someone being called to their table, thus leaving an empty seat. Our first break came after about 15 minutes. As luck would have it, one chair was vacated below the menu board advertising the night's specials. I hastened to the chair, and Eddie leaned on the wall next to me. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xH7rOSMpW0GOdly_fjakr3gAY-2NPdzAkpEgvJam6tF63uZFgR__wPBNAUuOVa45kTSBkiu5g4-G1NrCe4Xzz46Qxh-vh-4CsJYc7lFan3-Qm8vC3Xk4VT1su7l_NSWuTvLCu0OyCP37/s1600/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2xH7rOSMpW0GOdly_fjakr3gAY-2NPdzAkpEgvJam6tF63uZFgR__wPBNAUuOVa45kTSBkiu5g4-G1NrCe4Xzz46Qxh-vh-4CsJYc7lFan3-Qm8vC3Xk4VT1su7l_NSWuTvLCu0OyCP37/s320/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25285%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> As we people-watched and tried to scrunch ourselves against the wall, I told him that this reminded me of musical chairs for restaurants. "Watch for the next seat," I chuckled, getting into game mode. The next move didn't gain us an additional chair, but the next one vacant was at least in a corner out of the direct flow of traffic to the restrooms and dining area. I offered Eddie a turn in the chair, but being the gentleman that his is, he told me he'd been sitting all day, and for me to remain seated. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMv-4GQ07BZJsGANHtQvWVYT6DeWiyQgKaAmGjsdWWH93-zWn42tFRZ9unJxt0hMvjRLdlqkZL3laiIw21Yz1YyK9sy0ITDdQrNTb2oAdjvz5PQ4e_TMSIlNzAOLuGA966msVgMc1LhgR/s1600/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMv-4GQ07BZJsGANHtQvWVYT6DeWiyQgKaAmGjsdWWH93-zWn42tFRZ9unJxt0hMvjRLdlqkZL3laiIw21Yz1YyK9sy0ITDdQrNTb2oAdjvz5PQ4e_TMSIlNzAOLuGA966msVgMc1LhgR/s320/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> As luck would have it, our next big break came when a party of 10 was called. Suddenly all manner of chairs opened up around us, and we quickly snagged a bench for 2 right beside us. I must say it's been years since I played musical chairs, and this electronic buzzer version was almost as much fun, but not nearly as violent. Nobody tried to knock people out of the way and pull chairs out from under each other. We got the young couple across from us to take our picture for posterity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7l-1hIntRpkwAH4ry_rbM9QGj8FaCIAowCJwCV6HGiCZZW8mTeVhOXl1OsigHrmexkLQFN4KeNRUJqxVabc95ZDPw7AfjaeiLkx-zAOcKzig_DvdOJNVfcBK2Ki6YRrK4kmZEctXDLGK/s1600/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7l-1hIntRpkwAH4ry_rbM9QGj8FaCIAowCJwCV6HGiCZZW8mTeVhOXl1OsigHrmexkLQFN4KeNRUJqxVabc95ZDPw7AfjaeiLkx-zAOcKzig_DvdOJNVfcBK2Ki6YRrK4kmZEctXDLGK/s320/OLIVE+GARDEN+%2526+RA+BOYS+%2528%253B+%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> When we finally did get to our table, the service was remarkably quick, the food was delicious, and we left full, contented, and renewed. Getting into our car was another matter. Those of you who have been to the Olive Garden in Pensacola know that it's built on a steep hill. Our parking place was on a sideways incline, and if it had rained, it would probably have been washed downhill into the next county. As it was, it was a struggle to get the doors opened and closed, what with gravity and gravy and such.<br />
Happy belated Valentine's Day!<br />
Love'n stuff,<br />
Sandy :)Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-9708771933422176212011-02-11T22:58:00.000-06:002011-02-11T23:25:49.632-06:00Heart to Heart Hi, Gang,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Yesterday I went for an appointment to have a carotid artery ultrasound and a heart echo performed. It has been many years since I had these tests done. When I was in my 30s, an eminent endocrinologist told me I'd had a heart attack at some time, and he had me undergo almost every heart test known to man (or woman). It turned out that I hadn't; I just have a weird EKG, and it reads like I've had a heart attack sometimes; I told you things were crazy in my world. So in case you haven't had an ultrasound yet, let me prepare you. Here's what the machine looks like that you're hooked up to:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpQWtWfVBVrinSDPUTJTCZxCWcmf3kLnFgjmCMFaDqR8wLllnv0wzJ3CfBwV2Sz-kk1-DPQEg1M9lZ0WUudjT4lBqHNtnqP1PbHRdlrsC5vXbcZCcGKGh6xwNvQizzTzPqcJyjFodQK3I/s1600/ultrasound+machine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpQWtWfVBVrinSDPUTJTCZxCWcmf3kLnFgjmCMFaDqR8wLllnv0wzJ3CfBwV2Sz-kk1-DPQEg1M9lZ0WUudjT4lBqHNtnqP1PbHRdlrsC5vXbcZCcGKGh6xwNvQizzTzPqcJyjFodQK3I/s400/ultrasound+machine.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ultra Sound Machine</td></tr>
</tbody></table> First, the technician tells you to "assume the position," and so you do. This really means to lie on your left side while he attaches electrodes, which resemble the snaps on your baby's rompers, to various places on your chest; yes you do have to unbutton your shirt. At least this man was sporting gray hair and was <u>not</u> one of my former seventh or eighth grade students. And yes. I've been there and done that, too. It can be rather embarrassing, but somehow you both get through it.<br />
Next, he hooks leads up to the electrodes which are attached to the computer. By the way, this is the same machine that is used to do an ultrasound on the uterus of a pregnant woman to observe the progress of her unborn baby. And no! I'm not pregnant!!!! Do not start rumors about that! <br />
To conduct the test, the tool he uses to move around to the various areas he's checking is a hand-held probe called a transducer, and he anoints it with a liberal amount of gel before applying it to my chest. It doesn't hurt at all (just in case you were wondering). With a few keystrokes, the monitor springs to life, and I am being entertained with a live, real-time image of my heart beating. It's an interesting sight. I ask him which valve I'm watching doing a nice double-time rhythm. He informs me it's the mitral valve, and I'm happy to say that it seems to be closing nicely and not letting any backwash through (I think that would be mitral valve prolapse, but don't quote me on that). <br />
At various points, he outlines an area of the heart on the computer screen using dotted lines, much like you would play a computer game. The areas then get filled in with a pattern, and I see flashes of red, yellow and maybe orange streaks in the midst of the gray image. I assume these are electrical currents, but I since I didn't ask that, I'm not sure. It's also interesting to hear the sound when it's turned on. It reminds me at one point of an old-fashioned sound effect from the radio days when an assistant would shake a thin piece of tin to make it sound like thunder. If you're a cardiologist, don't call and tell me I'm in trouble, please. <br />
After a time, he has me lie on my back and moves the transducer to a different part of the heart. I'm amused to see what looks somewhat like the image of the man in the moon blowing bubbles. Of course I always did enjoy trying to see shapes in clouds, so yours might not look like mine. Or vice versa. The bubble-blowing apparition keeps steady rhythm with the two-step beat of the mitral valve, and all seems right in my world. Not that I was worried. Ahem. No really. I wasn't. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0krs7_RT48xQfoJIVR9P5SUYirwmU76_H1yMduCke3zI-d5J1jU9ZwXYVi49E1zWvXYbaL1vs4o29caJg1uPTKV7XnfvFlknHvfmOdCBbpyFRvxmhe8NjIUCOfjh3k2lhu55_etTkCvGZ/s1600/human+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0krs7_RT48xQfoJIVR9P5SUYirwmU76_H1yMduCke3zI-d5J1jU9ZwXYVi49E1zWvXYbaL1vs4o29caJg1uPTKV7XnfvFlknHvfmOdCBbpyFRvxmhe8NjIUCOfjh3k2lhu55_etTkCvGZ/s1600/human+heart.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model of a human heart</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
After I wipe the cold, gooey gel off my chest, we proceed to the neck for the carotid scan. Lying on my left side, I can clearly see the river of blue running along its channel in the right side of my neck. It looks like it has plenty of room, so that's nice to see. For the other side, I'm turned away from the screen, so I can't see if it looks any different from the right side. This is the side my doctor said he heard something with the stethoscope that he wanted checked out. Since I have diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, which both can contribute to heart disease, my doctor is careful to keep these things checked for me.<br />
When the ultrasound is finished, the technician prints copies of the report onto what looks like specialized paper and tells me it will be next week before the heart specialist will read them. I assume that since he didn't call a code, send for a gurney and whisk me off to a cath lab, I must not be in imminent danger. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!<br />
Since it's almost Valentine's Day, be good to your heart, and mind your doctor. Not that I do. But then, my sweetheart always tells me that advice is meant to be given, not taken. (Insert chuckle here.)<br />
Have a wonderful heart-shaped weekend! Early in the morning, I'm off to a *crop in Morris, Alabama, a small town above Birmingham. I know I'll have fun. Hope you do, too.<br />
Love'n stuff,<br />
Sandy :)<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4H7-74Ab1z47oVcApyk1Hewzwbnt_3O-hZhHNO-kM7mMKSfIirGYRzvGmkDmOOJ0G3B8WYcMYHAae7JDnW_eoUFpqVEEIAVnir2wWSGD0u-SaHYJx03B8YbcAznDZ83W1y6rZmtrCEgZB/s1600/red+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4H7-74Ab1z47oVcApyk1Hewzwbnt_3O-hZhHNO-kM7mMKSfIirGYRzvGmkDmOOJ0G3B8WYcMYHAae7JDnW_eoUFpqVEEIAVnir2wWSGD0u-SaHYJx03B8YbcAznDZ83W1y6rZmtrCEgZB/s200/red+heart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>*Crop: Traditionally a scrapbook retreat where scrappers work on various projects for a specified amount of time. The word is derived from cropping photos to go into albums. Our crop is for any kind of crafter, and it's just for the day.</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-70909165309162460702011-02-10T17:05:00.000-06:002011-02-10T17:25:01.263-06:00Hearts & Flowers, Anyone?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hi, Everyone!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Evidence of Valentine's Day is everywhere: candy hearts, flowers, doilies, napkins, teddy bears, cards and so on. So how are you preparing for the big day? Did you select your sweetheart's special gift yet? Do you like plain or fancy? Milk chocolate or dark? How does one decide with so many fabulous choices?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-Fmho9ha_Np73PTAoBXOV9r7Pf_YrAMFDfu90gacR1a7wh7q1HXycUU5qAd9x9TySxpZUkiVKReHscyadEUOeFCcTtfheA8A6OHYaM3z0SnskVgVHZsoKmO3SHTBboQyk7hpkFWnx3-1/s1600/red+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-Fmho9ha_Np73PTAoBXOV9r7Pf_YrAMFDfu90gacR1a7wh7q1HXycUU5qAd9x9TySxpZUkiVKReHscyadEUOeFCcTtfheA8A6OHYaM3z0SnskVgVHZsoKmO3SHTBboQyk7hpkFWnx3-1/s1600/red+heart.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> As I was shopping at the Dollar Store the other day, I passed by a young gentleman who was browsing the Valentine gift section. We murmured our "Excuse me's" and such as we sidestepped each other. I was looking for chocolates to take to our weekly Mexican Train Domino game. He, apparently, was looking for just the right gift for that someone "special" in his life, as evidenced by his careful scrutiny of the artificial roses and heart-shaped candy boxes.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Quickly, I found some assorted miniature Hershey bars and was making my way past him to the checkout counter when he said, "This is about as cheap as I can get, don't you think?" He indicated a single rose wrapped in cellophane and a generic, plain, red candy box.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> After glancing at his selections, I looked pointedly at them and responded with amusement, "If that's what you're going for!" </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> He grinned unashamedly and defended his choices with, "Well, something's better than nothing."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Smiling, I raised my eyebrows and nodded. "It <u>is</u> the thought that counts. I hope that works for you!"</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">By this time we were both walking up to the checkout counter, and I was shaking my head chuckling. He grinned, and got ready to pay for his gifts.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I just want to say that if you're his girlfriend, you have my sincere sympathy, and just know that I tried to embarrass him into something better.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> So, what have you planned for the most special person in your life?<br />
Love'n stuff,<br />
Sandy :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aaBSM53D4glhMIIaFE3j04z3DWo3KTO896jFl1xRqhZl3Wth8hnhaj5CVIlWW-ADLisFunN-Gi1rLQP_SlRKc9pNui5tKbMgkpKAd7pPzFvx9oVEiQnMwAziyd328AVepqLs6HJVoXOS/s1600/fancy+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_aaBSM53D4glhMIIaFE3j04z3DWo3KTO896jFl1xRqhZl3Wth8hnhaj5CVIlWW-ADLisFunN-Gi1rLQP_SlRKc9pNui5tKbMgkpKAd7pPzFvx9oVEiQnMwAziyd328AVepqLs6HJVoXOS/s1600/fancy+heart.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-26631003303695314322011-02-08T23:20:00.000-06:002011-02-08T23:22:54.744-06:00Scrapbook Borders & Pet BoardersHi, Everyone! <br />
I thought I'd share some crafting things today. I did start this as a crafter's blog, although things have gone far afield of that goal! Anyway, maybe those of you who aren't crafters will still enjoy looking at some things that are--and aren't.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQ9JKjylqBxWXd5bg_bUbhat8j_BiAsEw23HkbsEn0SAch0Qd-Uzwn7KZcMy6B_gZ1_xTD3uR0pIvh2zF-3TzPDhnmlrIB4Gq7zkdzpOyFWusL9LY32L0-T9EaSsSRyQXj14hTlFXaGol/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQ9JKjylqBxWXd5bg_bUbhat8j_BiAsEw23HkbsEn0SAch0Qd-Uzwn7KZcMy6B_gZ1_xTD3uR0pIvh2zF-3TzPDhnmlrIB4Gq7zkdzpOyFWusL9LY32L0-T9EaSsSRyQXj14hTlFXaGol/s320/020.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pet Borders</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9HQLcGj5UjRvpzZ9YSuD9m9hsMvDxMBl043cCUYyZjle2Tgv55UIG2dBqE2UNrk7DNO41ppZfEuYZ8yx1Wb2cDEt9Sg3KJHT-wY22Vv2kojS3bj4HL2FSYKqwbBscKNwbGYCM8zuGvXt/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9HQLcGj5UjRvpzZ9YSuD9m9hsMvDxMBl043cCUYyZjle2Tgv55UIG2dBqE2UNrk7DNO41ppZfEuYZ8yx1Wb2cDEt9Sg3KJHT-wY22Vv2kojS3bj4HL2FSYKqwbBscKNwbGYCM8zuGvXt/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dear Friend Border</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAoFp6_5GQMzl9N5VfynkiFHV3OYBcm-NCxrJBE2FQ6bl5TS2e0Qn6AClKq7kjWZBO81Wr7SE9XFq3BV6XWUXopcgtoIC4x6SymMvL2p-Z05AsaOYik6pnmgU4lnp19qt90hU-MZOwLX5/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxAoFp6_5GQMzl9N5VfynkiFHV3OYBcm-NCxrJBE2FQ6bl5TS2e0Qn6AClKq7kjWZBO81Wr7SE9XFq3BV6XWUXopcgtoIC4x6SymMvL2p-Z05AsaOYik6pnmgU4lnp19qt90hU-MZOwLX5/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">College Student Border</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp36ZKatQCLAHEWZARQxFpQf-DbwiKKUoU2u2eYVWdA_ZR4i3q2D4erSJhMrz_8igxqk52yzHzvt0-veaAne_njP-NHrAsTdgnmTl8i_HjFgDlgW37WElGdFb_2WkzQA69z0eBXGZ54cGy/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp36ZKatQCLAHEWZARQxFpQf-DbwiKKUoU2u2eYVWdA_ZR4i3q2D4erSJhMrz_8igxqk52yzHzvt0-veaAne_njP-NHrAsTdgnmTl8i_HjFgDlgW37WElGdFb_2WkzQA69z0eBXGZ54cGy/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Princess" Border</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DR4gxQFCLOlacSxPZytWw6NKp3zdjVIfKxyinrlpibX3yB8wfuFcNCiYfpYiKhxX7WAvGH5RWaxHljuHbbkrDa1C6S5PryxzqQLKSurTtKa64fVN4eMtQCbDZkCog8_58Qze6yKUSEXs/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DR4gxQFCLOlacSxPZytWw6NKp3zdjVIfKxyinrlpibX3yB8wfuFcNCiYfpYiKhxX7WAvGH5RWaxHljuHbbkrDa1C6S5PryxzqQLKSurTtKa64fVN4eMtQCbDZkCog8_58Qze6yKUSEXs/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boy Border</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnC7_6a2fZwenyG8f06eVcZYnMp4BWh-FwBfRpNV5C3rK9Uo9L2o1B34Mo3udplq88D2pALMrrayXkvhLNf30xE2c2E07Yvoihyo-g9Xi8YJlJqSoSdeL0qcViX4-FLNRQYmGzlKJaeA1/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnC7_6a2fZwenyG8f06eVcZYnMp4BWh-FwBfRpNV5C3rK9Uo9L2o1B34Mo3udplq88D2pALMrrayXkvhLNf30xE2c2E07Yvoihyo-g9Xi8YJlJqSoSdeL0qcViX4-FLNRQYmGzlKJaeA1/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smokey asleep in my caftan; ferret boarder</td></tr>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Oops! No, this isn't a border; he was our first ferret, Smokey, who is living in ferret heaven now. I'd love to have him as a boarder again! We had him for almost 4 years, and like most of our pets, he started out as the pet of one of our grandchildren. Children always want pets, but most of them lose interest fast when there is food and water to change and litter boxes to swamp out! We fell in love with Smokey and acquired several more ferrets as time went by through purchase and rescue. We're down to 2 now, and we love the little dickenses dearly. We did find them asleep tonight in the underlining of our new couch, so we'll have to add some thin wood underneath to keep them out. They think of it as a hammock, like the one hanging in their cage. Our skunk used to like to sleep in furniture linings, too, but then skunks and ferrets are both in the weasel family. Ah, well. I told you this was the Ark!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Love'n stuff,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sandy :)</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-10198822338785335232011-02-07T23:32:00.000-06:002011-02-08T00:01:00.565-06:00Off the Beaten Path<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20iq3o4wkdxlGtBZ-6ilOilfTmy2OzQ8DjvGwxaCfXIwvzjz-fMCVfjguhAHfBB2Qx0rUpQhSI6fb3ZR8VQ7kwu5BNxYsHEdmKU3agssuy7j6EVx-zWy0SpYUMXnKdHW_Phe9avx6UTFR/s1600/rainbow+and+clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20iq3o4wkdxlGtBZ-6ilOilfTmy2OzQ8DjvGwxaCfXIwvzjz-fMCVfjguhAHfBB2Qx0rUpQhSI6fb3ZR8VQ7kwu5BNxYsHEdmKU3agssuy7j6EVx-zWy0SpYUMXnKdHW_Phe9avx6UTFR/s1600/rainbow+and+clouds.jpg" /></a></div>Hi, Everyone,<br />
As we've worked our way through some major repair projects in the last week, it's made me think about the way life seems to ebb and flow. It seems there's always something that needs to be done on the upkeep of a house. Broken windows need replacing; dirty windows need washing; exterior doors need waxing; bedroom walls need repainting (for the third time because you still don't like the color) and so on. I'm not complaining, mind you. I'm counting my blessings that I have these "burdens." I've been reading <em>The Shack</em> by Wm. Paul Young, and excerpts from another book, <span id="btAsinTitle"><em>One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are</em> by Ann Voskamp</span>. The woman who wrote the book finds out she is dying, and only then does she contemplate how she is living. Don't we all find ourselves guilty of "living for the weekend," or "surviving the day?" It also reminds me of myself as a little girl spending so much time getting ready to play, that I never actually got around to playing. <br />
When I hear the cold wind howling outside my windows, and a myriad list of chores rises up to annoy me when I just want to relax, I am reminded today to count my blessings. We've all heard the idea of "everyday" miracles before, but trying to internalize the concept is another story. I hope that we all focus more on the joy of the journey instead of just trying to reach a destination. So today I will savor the blessings of cleaning and cooking, doing laundry and keeping my household running. All the little things that can add up to suck the joy right out of us if we let them. The aggravations of flat tires (a nail left over from last week's flooring job), to a missed appointment can leave us feeling ill-used and angry.<br />
My prayer is that you find joy in the little things in life, and you don't wait to be happy for only the big things. I pray for people in your life to love you and things for you to do to feel fulfilled. May you be blessed, and may you be a blessing in return.<br />
With love,<br />
Sandy :)Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-61295557200974803342011-02-06T21:46:00.000-06:002011-02-06T23:48:23.695-06:00Adventures in Shopping<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hi, Gang,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> It's been a few days since I last posted; no news is good news, hm? I mentioned the Black Bean Salsa I was making in the last post, which brings me to the reason I stopped by the grocery store last Friday. I was in desperate need of Tostitos Scoops. Since I just needed a bag of chips, Eddie stayed in the car while I dashed in to make a quick purchase.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFqA-z2X3QSpn0IqFp7ZgD7Ljv6zGcnr3JkTmvoA21X_ihdgKzbz53U9fv5oZgC6hwGgVCqBt-WaaE7F6x6epn8WhPqByOnBMWi4ITAA4lL9Uy0EP0-KDYHMQg7MW3aBnS-Zs1onb_CMZ/s1600/Salsa+2+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFqA-z2X3QSpn0IqFp7ZgD7Ljv6zGcnr3JkTmvoA21X_ihdgKzbz53U9fv5oZgC6hwGgVCqBt-WaaE7F6x6epn8WhPqByOnBMWi4ITAA4lL9Uy0EP0-KDYHMQg7MW3aBnS-Zs1onb_CMZ/s320/Salsa+2+003.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> I grabbed my selection and looked for the shortest line. Even when I find the shortest line, it usually turns out to take the longest amount of time. You know. Someone ahead of me has a cigar box full of pennies, or the item doesn't have a bar code and won't scan, and they have to send to the back forty for a price check. Or the register runs out of tape, or they have six different orders that are all paid in coupons. That sort of thing. This time, it looked like I was in luck. I glanced at the register, and a woman with a long, curly, black pony tail and earrings was nearly through checking out. As a man in a work uniform approached me from behind, it seemed to me that I had noticed him leaving from the register to grab one more item and then returning to the line. I assumed he might have been with the woman ahead of me, so I politely asked, "Are you with that woman?" I try to be a good Samaritan; I didn't want to keep the two from being able to finish their shopping together.<br />
"What?" he asked.<br />
I repeated, "Are you with that woman?" and I inclined my head toward the lady ahead of me.<br />
He said something unintelligible, so I asked him what he said. He leaned closer to me and whispered, "That's a <u>man</u>." I jerked my head around, and sure enough. The "lady" ahead of me had a nice growth of beard and the distinct features from the front view of the face of a rugged cowboy. The cashier tried to stifle her reaction, my eyes got wide, and the man behind me tried to not to choke to death with suppressed laughter. When the pony-tailed customer finally left the store, we all dissolved into relieved laughter, and I elbowed the man behind me and told him I needed to put my glasses on! <br />
So how was your weekend?Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-87028341161471796272011-02-03T21:05:00.000-06:002011-02-03T21:11:59.936-06:00Hey, Baby It's Cold Outside!<span style="color: black;">Hi, Everyone!</span><br />
I guess most of us are freezing tonight--from up North to way down South here by the Florida border. Everyone, that is, but my cousin Randy in Maui, Hawaii. My guess is it's nice and warm as usual at his house. As for the rest of the country, most of us feel like we're in the deep freeze. So much for that pesky global warming.<br />
We were down to a mere 7 for supper tonight, so it only looked like Ma and Pa Kettle's on the farm around the table. I baked pork chops in cream sauce (that New Year's diet is already yesterday's news), rice, Italian green beans and Crescent rolls. We have plenty of leftovers, so come on over if you're hungry. I also made Black Bean Salsa after supper, and I'm eagerly looking forward to it's magic transformation overnight as it sits in its spices and the flavors meld. I embarrassed myself eating it at a friend's house last week. I hope she took that as a compliment! <br />
As for tomorrow, I'm hoping we have time to quickly check for counter top material after Eddie's eye checkup. Hopefully his eye pressures will be just fine, and we can zip through a home improvement store for a few minutes. The bare counter top is looking pretty sad upstairs. We're trying to decide between tile and laminate (not the same kind we used on the floor, of course). Granite would be overkill, I think, and I had marble once, and it stained easily. My biggest concern with tile is the grout. It would definitely have to be dirt-colored. That's my color palette--dirt, mud, sawdust--nice earthy colors. I'll be sure and let you know what we choose.<br />
Here's a nice spring picture to keep you warm during this freezing weather. Only a month or so and the Japanese magnolia in our backyard will look like this again (I hope). Stay warm!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-38637493313094046892011-02-02T21:59:00.000-06:002011-02-02T22:43:56.933-06:00A Day Later, and a Dollar Shorter It's Wednesday, and I've been blogging for a whole week now! Isn't it amazing what can happen in such a short space of time?<br />
Our excellent work crew got back at it bright and early this morning, and I'm happy to say that there is a functional sink in the upstairs bathroom. No more rain downstairs! So far the counter is just a piece of exterior plywood, but there's always tomorrow. As Eddie tells his loan customers at the bank when they're trying to figure out how much money to borrow for some kind of building project, "Figure high and double it." His advice has certainly held true for us, too. We had planned to just buy laminate flooring and underlay, and if you've been reading about our adventures for the past few days, you know it ended up being much more extensive than that. <br />
Still, God provides and is so good. A few months ago our son Michael called and asked Eddie if he'd like seven sheets of exterior plywood that he had left over from a project. Eddie said yes, and Michael brought them to us on his trailer and stacked them neatly against the inside wall of the carport. They were still there Monday when Marcus needed them for the sub floor. Guess how many sheets it took for the first layer? Yup. Seven. To quote another cliche, "Ain't God good?" And though it was raining Monday and Tuesday, it was warm enough in the house, even with the door wide open, while they went in and out working on the floor.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Today, it was freezing, and fortunately the door didn't have to stand open too long while they put the new weather-tight threshold down. It would have been terrible if they had begun the work after this cold snap blew in! <br />
As for the ferrets, they're snug as a bug in a rug in their favorite drawer of my craft cabinet. I gave up trying to keep craft supplies in there and just gave them an old hoodie to snuggle in. They also like the drawer closed while they're napping. Privacy, don't you know?</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAZzUTEq5gVOrMWTotZkIQL7kcseoZkMeOglAuygOa07d9oJI6o9NZOIvWEldW15MI6_UqgQnFjx8AEGgMlzY3fmfQs5gbZrfZb2qllDm3DV83PAMmogyNVcKUVvwZGViAUYv-IRfJgjD/s1600/Sugar+Baby+3+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAZzUTEq5gVOrMWTotZkIQL7kcseoZkMeOglAuygOa07d9oJI6o9NZOIvWEldW15MI6_UqgQnFjx8AEGgMlzY3fmfQs5gbZrfZb2qllDm3DV83PAMmogyNVcKUVvwZGViAUYv-IRfJgjD/s320/Sugar+Baby+3+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugar Baby (aka "The Princess") in her favorite napping drawer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Nighty night, and don't let the bedbugs bite! Stay warm, too! It may sleet and ice tonight.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-27692163549621916462011-02-01T21:23:00.000-06:002011-02-01T22:05:56.287-06:00New RugHi, Everyone!<br />
It's about 9:00 p.m., and I'm really tired. I'll bet Marcus, Chris and Tyler could tell you a thing or two about being tired, though! The floor turned out just beautifully, and they didn't stop until they got the carpet down, too. I'm very happy with how it looks. Ready to see it? Ok.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kxTUP9rIVTeu_P8ypeNcJOgNZ8jf3qgYt022fs1A7DbRykAIYNKYxdcJdG_RoBz-r2tJWzLIFjnCDAWF22HnfKh6SvgRI8kd8zbJTLCAeKAtlOayb-AlNVt3wtXFe19DBjSzCgyr_6Z5/s1600/New+Rug+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kxTUP9rIVTeu_P8ypeNcJOgNZ8jf3qgYt022fs1A7DbRykAIYNKYxdcJdG_RoBz-r2tJWzLIFjnCDAWF22HnfKh6SvgRI8kd8zbJTLCAeKAtlOayb-AlNVt3wtXFe19DBjSzCgyr_6Z5/s320/New+Rug+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGOsdiGP9kIj0cnEiXQPeI-XuXKmMXbtlwWjekFz1Xz6_oovKHNjedm970UkbwRClOhjU0pRtEBHF_3Wtyhuo2I1O2z9F2dN-wEDnBL9AwKb8aXW-lkbWoE3uMMrlCq1ZS66ok13PC4CA/s1600/New+Rug+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGOsdiGP9kIj0cnEiXQPeI-XuXKmMXbtlwWjekFz1Xz6_oovKHNjedm970UkbwRClOhjU0pRtEBHF_3Wtyhuo2I1O2z9F2dN-wEDnBL9AwKb8aXW-lkbWoE3uMMrlCq1ZS66ok13PC4CA/s320/New+Rug+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeSZvFoXqU461B_HwrKn3rHsQmGf_4my2EP-FF27_VEg_Mrs5kn1lTcERPi8YbeVxWWnaCnKtXTLoQZM0SzYCcoqJOjsbR9W4kTRRFdO5u8yBus93SUtDdmaESGPIBucF4Uc9W-eIXYHU/s1600/New+Rug+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkeSZvFoXqU461B_HwrKn3rHsQmGf_4my2EP-FF27_VEg_Mrs5kn1lTcERPi8YbeVxWWnaCnKtXTLoQZM0SzYCcoqJOjsbR9W4kTRRFdO5u8yBus93SUtDdmaESGPIBucF4Uc9W-eIXYHU/s320/New+Rug+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> As you can see, the TV is finally out of the kitchen. Just don't look too carefully in the background to the kitchen, either. I've spent all my energy on the den, so the kitchen went lacking! We only had 9 for supper tonight, and I made the 3 girls "pay" for theirs by having them carry all the books back into the den from the floor of my craft room so I could put them back in alphabetical order by authors and subjects. Did I just hear you ask if I was OCD? The ferrets were having a great time playing King of the Mountain on all the things piled up in there, and I even had to get Sugar Baby off the shelf of ribbons one time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Those of you who know us know that our lives are a comedy of errors. Maybe yours is, too, but you just have more sense than to let everyone in on it. I personally believe that laughter saves your sanity, so I tell you all about our insanity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Tyler and I had been vacuuming and dusting and returning (read <em>lugging</em>) the furniture to its proper places while we waited for the guys to get back from returning some equipment they borrowed and picking up the girls from school. They had one more cut to make in the laminate flooring for the last vent, so we knew we had to leave the vacuum out to clean up the sawdust after that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Now, if you've never used a Rainbow vacuum cleaner, you probably don't know that the dirt collects in a water container that must be emptied after each use, or when it turns to mud, as the case may be. If you're going to let it sit for more than 10 minutes, you're supposed to remove the motor housing from above the water container so no condensation gets into the motor (or something like that). I disassembled the vacuum while we waited, and when it was time to finish the cleanup, Tyler asked me to put it back together so he could vacuum for me. I reattached the motor housing, made sure it was plugged in, and told him it was ready. I forgot to reattach the hose to the unit, and he accidentally plugged it into the blower port instead of the suction port. That really gives new meaning to the term "dusting" your house. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Anyway...most of the things are put back in the den, although I'll be continuing to <u>un</u>dust (or is it <u>de</u>dust?) for some time to come. The Christmas gifts that still haven't been delivered are about 1/4" deep. It tastes pretty good in meatloaf, too, by the way. At least nobody complained about the sawdust flavor at supper. They were probably used to it after the spaghetti last night. It might make a pretty good meat extender, kind of like bread crumbs, you know. Hm....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-43135907215521728662011-02-01T13:46:00.000-06:002011-02-01T14:11:46.257-06:00New Floor; Day Two<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Don't you just love cliches? They just seem to fit so often, so I guess that's why they've become cliches. Anyway, here goes: What a difference a day makes! From yesterday's mayhem:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeTbq-7z4SXBU1fKSqaLdbcLDPAkbOUoSqjm6JUdnBMie3R3WIuNQFkpEVpuDBkJMdTUK3abCUdodGw8_UstK52P9wzwZctnszYg33wh9oyWZ2I_2gBSVRsblC0Gwgf-72GEOwbRsnqKA/s1600/New+floor+1+Jan+31+11+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGeTbq-7z4SXBU1fKSqaLdbcLDPAkbOUoSqjm6JUdnBMie3R3WIuNQFkpEVpuDBkJMdTUK3abCUdodGw8_UstK52P9wzwZctnszYg33wh9oyWZ2I_2gBSVRsblC0Gwgf-72GEOwbRsnqKA/s320/New+floor+1+Jan+31+11+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_GHbffcb3ff5jZSxqNixlBFwHnxLNFs89BENfpOGmwki6Pzx-Jicu8q8fM6JBIpC0SDfEC1L7SCr-ToWZ8Z2-bxrseDipFNIaPFwILaj5JwQYsSZ0PjpD288gIoixV22lQyep_kKgOe0/s1600/Den+Floor+2+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_GHbffcb3ff5jZSxqNixlBFwHnxLNFs89BENfpOGmwki6Pzx-Jicu8q8fM6JBIpC0SDfEC1L7SCr-ToWZ8Z2-bxrseDipFNIaPFwILaj5JwQYsSZ0PjpD288gIoixV22lQyep_kKgOe0/s320/Den+Floor+2+001.JPG" width="320" /></a>To today's amazing results:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeRwa8JC43fDZGnif2SmX6k02-U-mmiEcf7Pt2evR3e0fOxh8FyLY1e8p5GXUKEM9Pbp6mtfEp8Euk4PytyvFAhcXzm0Krop8wr4JcadIl62lbFjsKE0IPoatGm__6c045QWhdRBxVdsp/s1600/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeRwa8JC43fDZGnif2SmX6k02-U-mmiEcf7Pt2evR3e0fOxh8FyLY1e8p5GXUKEM9Pbp6mtfEp8Euk4PytyvFAhcXzm0Krop8wr4JcadIl62lbFjsKE0IPoatGm__6c045QWhdRBxVdsp/s320/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTAsF5qbQRWGUMzkNjhaTOAv3JMO14u_7P5anHbcO7rfy0nEYeA1rAmv3Nt1hpVVkM8yKOYb10G8R0eNsts-0kCTwg_k-DXoXTNP7OrXA2eAX6F6-jnS7K1tKm7IkPdtETkaWiIbibwdt/s1600/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The floor has been completed, and now they're working on baseboards and trim. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating, so it may take a while for all the stain and varnish to dry. Anyway, you can see how much better this looks! </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's another treat. Tyler, our grandson, is holding Tyson, our great-grandson. They are cousins. Isn't that sweet? Now Tyson has a nice, new floor to learn to crawl on. Tyler learned to crawl right here on one several remodels ago! More pictures and updates later today.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTAsF5qbQRWGUMzkNjhaTOAv3JMO14u_7P5anHbcO7rfy0nEYeA1rAmv3Nt1hpVVkM8yKOYb10G8R0eNsts-0kCTwg_k-DXoXTNP7OrXA2eAX6F6-jnS7K1tKm7IkPdtETkaWiIbibwdt/s320/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+001.JPG" width="239" /><br />
P.S. See those green shutters in the background? They were country blue before the last remodel. Some things change while others stay the same. Tyler is 19, and we put them in before he was born!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsb8Gflx2AlJPk-8kJTyGqLgV0XrGqZqOG4lXbsH-yYIW2c6OtNOJuzISSvM-QJ955HLGrw4oE7uU3H7itOladYcECoBTeJHolQz3lMrw4gtb-L-hNUSkc7wlqSQS7DBOlx2L1pMVZ0O1/s1600/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsb8Gflx2AlJPk-8kJTyGqLgV0XrGqZqOG4lXbsH-yYIW2c6OtNOJuzISSvM-QJ955HLGrw4oE7uU3H7itOladYcECoBTeJHolQz3lMrw4gtb-L-hNUSkc7wlqSQS7DBOlx2L1pMVZ0O1/s320/Laminate+finished+Feb+1+11+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tyson is in my lap, and he says to tell you that the TV is still in the kitchen.</div></div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-38099632384341963522011-01-31T21:53:00.000-06:002011-01-31T22:02:26.544-06:00News at Ten; Photos at Eleven <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Ha, ha. You thought I was just kidding. Actually, I was. After a few more interesting events today, I thought I would add some late-breaking news. At one point today the house smelled like dead fish, and the 52" TV was in front of the kitchen sink. As I cooked supper for 10 people while maneuvering around the TV, and trying to keep from falling through the den floor, I was idly wondering what sawdust would taste like in spaghetti. After eating supper, I can tell you that it tastes a lot like chicken and is about the size of New Jersey. No, wait. Wrong question. With a little Parmesan cheese, you never even notice the sawdust. Want the recipe? One of my granddaughter's friends ate supper with us tonight and saw this quip on Facebook. She replied, "OMG! I didn't see any!"</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZZjo3YQzQJTVJk7gxw2l8j7RCnF87-FBk0rNXxd5Eti9E4vcNb79om50BGTSrl2ptZHYdIaNrAAZk5-EIiGvwRwX_mMGfjQaeKAQPclMJuoVwiMxfq1R004tyLDy6CDIChZGw0pf1xdw/s1600/Tyler+and+floor+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZZjo3YQzQJTVJk7gxw2l8j7RCnF87-FBk0rNXxd5Eti9E4vcNb79om50BGTSrl2ptZHYdIaNrAAZk5-EIiGvwRwX_mMGfjQaeKAQPclMJuoVwiMxfq1R004tyLDy6CDIChZGw0pf1xdw/s320/Tyler+and+floor+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> To add insult to injury, the bottom of the 50-year-old sink in the upstairs bathroom had rusted out last week, and we have a replacement sitting amongst the flooring equipment and furniture on the carport ready to be installed. Today, of course, someone upstairs forgot that the sink wouldn't hold water and turned it on. I was alerted to this situation by my youngest granddaughter who wanted to know why the downstairs bathroom had water all over the floor. As I looked at the dripping water coming down from the door frame nearest the ceiling, I had a pretty good idea. Hope it isn't raining in your house!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I'm happy to report that the floor joists were strengthened, new insulation added between them, a layer of decking was nailed to the joists, a layer of felt was attached to that, and the final layer of sub floor decking was put down. The guys did an excellent job, and if anyone is looking for some good carpenters, just ask me! They should be able to put down the underlay and laminate tomorrow. For now, the furniture is safely tucked in for the night on the sturdy new sub floor, and it smells like new house in here instead of dead fish. Best of all, no critters can get in tonight! Picture at 11:00. Aw. All right. I'll post it now.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Love'n stuff,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sandy :)</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRRjQzbFRTsU1fwUhDG-IWi_MbGdCbGfvKE4ZlOBWP2oQmpfr-sYD_jEpJocsIWcr4_-z7bhSrc6Xz_auIC4VscLtX-pvQrwwOFqXFa5ufsCbi4V4axolPMPRT2CLoj3ndiMfeGSi395Z/s1600/Entry+floor+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRRjQzbFRTsU1fwUhDG-IWi_MbGdCbGfvKE4ZlOBWP2oQmpfr-sYD_jEpJocsIWcr4_-z7bhSrc6Xz_auIC4VscLtX-pvQrwwOFqXFa5ufsCbi4V4axolPMPRT2CLoj3ndiMfeGSi395Z/s320/Entry+floor+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;"></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-59790902109311102142011-01-31T11:53:00.000-06:002011-01-31T14:11:10.894-06:00New Floor?????Have you ever awakened to find men standing <u>in</u> your den floor?<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV38UKfXioAqs5Mi23GE3uVDGVcXevKlM3rifGDzHz1pDcmSsNldoAwzRsk5vUUFm246pg694Zx7BFRcXEjb43xpdH0kNwCDpqj5JnEPVHhRItND9ilQs2n9EpOT5pce8yXFJMmy08B63f/s1600/New+floor+1+Jan+31+11+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV38UKfXioAqs5Mi23GE3uVDGVcXevKlM3rifGDzHz1pDcmSsNldoAwzRsk5vUUFm246pg694Zx7BFRcXEjb43xpdH0kNwCDpqj5JnEPVHhRItND9ilQs2n9EpOT5pce8yXFJMmy08B63f/s320/New+floor+1+Jan+31+11+009.JPG" width="320" /></a>No? I didn't think so. Me, either until this morning. It turns out the particle board sub flooring that was so wildly popular in the 60s has deteriorated from moisture by the --what do we call this decade? Has anyone come up with a name for it yet? Anyway, over 50 years later. Not only was the particle board rotten, but it held the moisture against the plywood decking below and rotted that in places as well as the actual floor joists. This is much more information about floors than I ever wanted to know. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> So instead of just removing tile, adding a waterproof underlay and adding new laminate, we're having to replace or reinforce floor joists, decking, insulation, waterproof barrier, underlay, <u>then</u> laminate. Does this remind you of the wallpaper debacle? We learned our lesson from that fiasco, so we're getting it done right from the get go. Did I mention that a mouse came running up into the house from the exposed area underneath? Yup. They said he ran right into the kitchen and disappeared at breakneck speed. Sigh. I sent Janet to get d-CON and a mouse trap. I can hear you laughing! Cut that out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_GHbffcb3ff5jZSxqNixlBFwHnxLNFs89BENfpOGmwki6Pzx-Jicu8q8fM6JBIpC0SDfEC1L7SCr-ToWZ8Z2-bxrseDipFNIaPFwILaj5JwQYsSZ0PjpD288gIoixV22lQyep_kKgOe0/s1600/Den+Floor+2+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_GHbffcb3ff5jZSxqNixlBFwHnxLNFs89BENfpOGmwki6Pzx-Jicu8q8fM6JBIpC0SDfEC1L7SCr-ToWZ8Z2-bxrseDipFNIaPFwILaj5JwQYsSZ0PjpD288gIoixV22lQyep_kKgOe0/s320/Den+Floor+2+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1vOJrgymsZsFAAk6idXGZaBv1xQI2093hgBPc4CWojwsqJOUcnkqagEuOCbBffmFY0nxEV4z0aKeH2pNTD8CKZnXKjrFQhIM1kwVZLMz_xf4ZcMBUniII8_b2dT7njz4QRaPfdNzrNeG/s1600/Den+Floor+2+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1vOJrgymsZsFAAk6idXGZaBv1xQI2093hgBPc4CWojwsqJOUcnkqagEuOCbBffmFY0nxEV4z0aKeH2pNTD8CKZnXKjrFQhIM1kwVZLMz_xf4ZcMBUniII8_b2dT7njz4QRaPfdNzrNeG/s320/Den+Floor+2+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> As for the den, it's outside on the carport now. Oh, yes. And it's raining. Yup. We're having a "Nall" day! More news at ten.</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-83324961376296273222011-01-30T14:32:00.000-06:002011-01-30T23:28:51.492-06:00Craft Organization <br />
Hi, Everyone!<br />
I thought I'd mention craft organization today and show some of the ways I organize my "stuff." Happily, as I mentioned in an earlier post, organizing "stuff" is one of my favorite things to do. I'm forever trying to find the definitive way to access my overflowing collections of craft supplies, tools and projects. Toward that end, I've researched many other people's craft rooms on line and in books, and I've incorporated some of their ideas and come up with some of my own. Today I'll focus on one particular area, a treasure I got from a store that went out of business.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> When I heard that Movie Gallery was closing, I wondered if they might have some fixtures that would be useful in my craft room (aka dining room, study, computer room, as it's evolved). When I saw their wrought iron candy rack on wheels, I fell in love! To save you from the drama of me just missing getting it, calling another store in a neighboring town and putting dibs on it only to find that it was already promised to someone else, and finally getting a call from the original store telling me I could have it for $50.00--$25.00 less than the store in the neighboring town--oh, well. You still got the drama! I'll show you how I use it. Here's a picture of it right after I first put things on it:</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZA7YFBuEfJTQDWkjKVRyDkzWjyWBm-QsuvPiXEosOZ7OSm4G7KSbv9QDw1mC9c4Sz1OGJedF8f3dYiWMyHX6xz8RIiIdgAZSh1NWsiqI-meKAmIFXVktDAjwXpTpfJj0MIoAJcXHJujp/s1600/Craft+Rack+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZA7YFBuEfJTQDWkjKVRyDkzWjyWBm-QsuvPiXEosOZ7OSm4G7KSbv9QDw1mC9c4Sz1OGJedF8f3dYiWMyHX6xz8RIiIdgAZSh1NWsiqI-meKAmIFXVktDAjwXpTpfJj0MIoAJcXHJujp/s320/Craft+Rack+001.JPG" width="239" /></a>This is the front view. All of the shelves and baskets are removable and can be placed in a large variety of configurations. You can see that I have flowers in canning jars on the top shelf, and rolls of ribbon and fibers next to them and below on the next shelf, along with Cricut cartridges and Close to My Heart stamps. Below that I have a box of photos to be scrapped, a basket of adhesives, and below that to the right, a jar of ribbon and a case of glue sticks. On the shelf below that is my Cuttlebug and a piece from my Anna Griffin tote bag. Next is a plastic box I decorated and indexed for stickers, then a basket with embossing powders and glitter. The bottom shelves are empty.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Fast forward a few months, add more cartridges and drawer units, and you have a different configuration to handle the additional "stuff."</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRKpbmu3Tt_JYR9Q4sWWRAnw1HOutw-bENCQy4Ts5QPObpKT5q-8JuFCM-w_PE8hnOwwwWTBmZrPS0rBw9FL2fmeb9oZOhGGSUjX9na7RH1FAAniaxXiNG7-2WfcfXNgWyh7dRkPUZsIY/s1600/Craft+Rack+Jan+11+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRKpbmu3Tt_JYR9Q4sWWRAnw1HOutw-bENCQy4Ts5QPObpKT5q-8JuFCM-w_PE8hnOwwwWTBmZrPS0rBw9FL2fmeb9oZOhGGSUjX9na7RH1FAAniaxXiNG7-2WfcfXNgWyh7dRkPUZsIY/s320/Craft+Rack+Jan+11+002.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59Djf8zEvd3Md2afDsXUK6ph0Hx6OTylg87WoKIgnXqZKqJq0Xo5DyCsnQfAFEQ7oIKKPZ6LJz4mLmfOVKfhkzXvn-xm3wVhYIe4XuZLtam5O4iEj9ON9SCRG_3PMWrwIbjCGTwoIzlYQ/s1600/Craft+details+Jan+11+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59Djf8zEvd3Md2afDsXUK6ph0Hx6OTylg87WoKIgnXqZKqJq0Xo5DyCsnQfAFEQ7oIKKPZ6LJz4mLmfOVKfhkzXvn-xm3wVhYIe4XuZLtam5O4iEj9ON9SCRG_3PMWrwIbjCGTwoIzlYQ/s320/Craft+details+Jan+11+001.JPG" width="320" /></a> On the top I still have jars of flowers sorted by color, then Stickles (glitter paint) and other paints. </div></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The next row is entirely Cricut cartridges. The first section on the left is composed of Imagine cartridges, and the rest are original carts. All are in alphabetical order. Hanging on the left of this row are packages of ribbons and extra cutting blades, and below them are paint markers. Hanging on the right is a small "book" system for embroidery floss that I've used for small pieces of ribbons. Each remnant is wound around a plastic "bobbin," and then similar colors are stored in plastic bags that are punched to slide on the binder rings. It's an easy and compact way to store and carry a variety of ribbons to crops. Here's a link to the bags at Hobby Lobby: <a href="http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/bag-it-floss-organizer-645929/">http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/bag-it-floss-organizer-645929/</a></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQjlvFhVuyvDbR5sRTGjPY2W2g3NrxsmCg0KIGvmBANmh2iTTup8GFYr3bHHDbH_HE28QkNW4u-veQqruEhpxBGN6ss6IV6geH-ugHcYUd3MvbITUtUFcFemIJiJBXqdxKg8OE_FQoHVw/s1600/Craft+details+Jan+11+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQjlvFhVuyvDbR5sRTGjPY2W2g3NrxsmCg0KIGvmBANmh2iTTup8GFYr3bHHDbH_HE28QkNW4u-veQqruEhpxBGN6ss6IV6geH-ugHcYUd3MvbITUtUFcFemIJiJBXqdxKg8OE_FQoHVw/s320/Craft+details+Jan+11+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Embroidery floss organizer used for ribbon</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPm_8gjsYsR3TgefRHMpLhJiQUeaD4UduvEqNDn3U2e38VJXFb2_dJSsTW9DMbC1KqX_VC_RZxERDaCT-ola4zlKiHm_Js8mgHDX6rTns34GBQsBXvEfccmp6vgoAoUq-hujkD1OwPoIpJ/s1600/craft+ribbons+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPm_8gjsYsR3TgefRHMpLhJiQUeaD4UduvEqNDn3U2e38VJXFb2_dJSsTW9DMbC1KqX_VC_RZxERDaCT-ola4zlKiHm_Js8mgHDX6rTns34GBQsBXvEfccmp6vgoAoUq-hujkD1OwPoIpJ/s320/craft+ribbons+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Griffin ribbon organizer</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> On the next shelf you can see the remainder of the Cricut carts on the left followed by an Anna Griffin ribbon storage box. Instead of just storing the ribbon inside the way it's designed, I've turned the lid over and stacked it on top for additional roll storage. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> For now the space beside that holds rolls of vinyl used for cutting on the Cricut. Below that on the left is adhesive storage. On top of the adhesive drawer is a yellow Rolodex that I'm planning to use for a craft project inspired by one made by Sandi Geneovese. Here's the link to that project at her <em>Scrapbook Showgram</em>. <a href="http://scrapbookshowgram.com/?p=1524">http://scrapbookshowgram.com/?p=1524</a> I purchased these colorful plastic drawer units at Wal-mart, and I'm using this one for runner-type and pen adhesives. The basket houses refills, pop dots, rolls of tape and other types of adhesives. The Anna Griffin tote insert fits behind the wicker basket. To the right of that is a wrought iron basket that contains a Close to My Heart plastic container for their stamp sets, a Crop-a-Dile punch, my Cuttlebug die cut plates, a Memories Direct set of stamp ink duo daubers, and the Polaroid computer program "My Memories Suite." You probably can't see them well in the picture, but I also have a yardstick and a clear plastic ruler hanging on the right side.</div></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> The next shelf holds my sticker box and two plastic holders of Copic markers. In a separate basket are embossing powders, glitter and a box of homemade glimmer mist equipment. Finally, the bottom area has a basket that contains my Cuttlebug storage binder, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Provo-Craft-Novelty-Cuttlebug-371575/dp/B0015KCV92">http://www.amazon.com/Provo-Craft-Novelty-Cuttlebug-371575/dp/B0015KCV92</a> , then my Cuttlebug, and next to that to the right are two drawers that contain various types of decorative punches. You can probably find the Cuttlebug storage binder on sale on the web if you check around. By checking the link, you can see what it contains and if it would work for you. On top of the drawers are 3 styles of paper cutters. One is the Craft Lite cutter with interchangeable blades that are stored in another section of the unit. This is only the front. I still have both ends and the back to show you, but we'll save them for another day!</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> Hope you're having a blessed Sunday.</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Love'n stuff,</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy :)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-39331416105391865342011-01-30T13:57:00.000-06:002011-01-30T13:57:13.901-06:00Furniture Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwqv8GoEoilua0_nUPZL4IZnUw6suI14aKwjiL6iMsbGVEAmuAjSVsmds-o80BorYa6HdqwWfFfCC6BJThfsTz5jP-eb2Qghy8gImDWLOcEI6KItkLUGj_JCKklMTjG1Jx-buHHSgNhY8/s1600/new+furniture+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwqv8GoEoilua0_nUPZL4IZnUw6suI14aKwjiL6iMsbGVEAmuAjSVsmds-o80BorYa6HdqwWfFfCC6BJThfsTz5jP-eb2Qghy8gImDWLOcEI6KItkLUGj_JCKklMTjG1Jx-buHHSgNhY8/s320/new+furniture+068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF8fUe8kwnb8iVm7H8sYNEj0CxHFGNVs7L4pKXi5hKxaddZZrEqqHRO4FFRMHLIuOrBLNoxW8G3fE9mY8hPUm1ocVzeFy3JuG-az3Kx2n57f62w17DaVLsMY_7ihZXCM8EL2LpQEUA6Et/s1600/new+furniture+069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF8fUe8kwnb8iVm7H8sYNEj0CxHFGNVs7L4pKXi5hKxaddZZrEqqHRO4FFRMHLIuOrBLNoxW8G3fE9mY8hPUm1ocVzeFy3JuG-az3Kx2n57f62w17DaVLsMY_7ihZXCM8EL2LpQEUA6Et/s320/new+furniture+069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVadUv-i5a3pnCETEi285xDm71o8TQonigyoF2lWI8P2geWLuoqrjY7ACj7HdUGRFqxkLa6iLMx7QSli7Poa1dFXLVECMwtpxsQLxJ2A9kgouJ084ZNPgRtnHEH-cXtLPcw3ks_zAJ0cn/s1600/new+furniture+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVadUv-i5a3pnCETEi285xDm71o8TQonigyoF2lWI8P2geWLuoqrjY7ACj7HdUGRFqxkLa6iLMx7QSli7Poa1dFXLVECMwtpxsQLxJ2A9kgouJ084ZNPgRtnHEH-cXtLPcw3ks_zAJ0cn/s320/new+furniture+070.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBkyBHj_9omDZXEjT1-fD2LsEzLqoVdLP35SKOhIFQCPclsqxU3_dCFLUnlhqhXyqvJWuEZSBedPz86vTk4X61FwRK8AjF5E6ELaiyd4iHlQW3X9oSrPTyubUvwWHn5iTp0lW4zhMZVkp/s1600/new+furniture+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBkyBHj_9omDZXEjT1-fD2LsEzLqoVdLP35SKOhIFQCPclsqxU3_dCFLUnlhqhXyqvJWuEZSBedPz86vTk4X61FwRK8AjF5E6ELaiyd4iHlQW3X9oSrPTyubUvwWHn5iTp0lW4zhMZVkp/s320/new+furniture+071.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJITRrPB3oUa-SAyFU8bO9yKTk7w8vK2C7j4Jf2GnT2nM4tJE1JNXqp-00UoAnxPewDV8QANPje4sk4nyM441jbgy5QM8jLVlyVL9qCCavjnV8LR5IqhjrMo0oOfKtJllJ6trIVElr9lr/s1600/new+furniture+072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJITRrPB3oUa-SAyFU8bO9yKTk7w8vK2C7j4Jf2GnT2nM4tJE1JNXqp-00UoAnxPewDV8QANPje4sk4nyM441jbgy5QM8jLVlyVL9qCCavjnV8LR5IqhjrMo0oOfKtJllJ6trIVElr9lr/s320/new+furniture+072.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8MmBP88_YQNHeESPjOXyLQSogdrsX1wU7ADP7IfSKzsEG02lshalEyl1oM90JXkePZQuZimgvYONgxN3x5OWlXipZFzsxmmpeps0YX5Go9Bn7h7gtzzURqTvZcsD6wheAg2yuJn36rW_/s1600/new+furniture+073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8MmBP88_YQNHeESPjOXyLQSogdrsX1wU7ADP7IfSKzsEG02lshalEyl1oM90JXkePZQuZimgvYONgxN3x5OWlXipZFzsxmmpeps0YX5Go9Bn7h7gtzzURqTvZcsD6wheAg2yuJn36rW_/s320/new+furniture+073.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here are some photos of the new furniture in my den. You can see that I have what I term as a sort of "safari" theme. I've also heard it termed "global caravan" and some other things I can't remember. I've tried to incorporate mementos from Eddie's and my travels to Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, the Czech Republic (Bohemia, no less!) and Hawaii, as well as our children's to Mexicao, Canada, and Australia, and my parents' to China, Korea, Egypt and anywhere else you want to name into an eclectic mix. I have more throw pillows to add, a new leaf design area rug that will compliment the ceiling fan, and at some point soon (I hope) a new laminate floor.Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-77965533984269844122011-01-29T20:39:00.000-06:002011-01-29T21:34:49.593-06:00Mirror, Revisited & Wallpaper, RehashedHi, Everyone!<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I have a couple of pictures of the new mirror hanging in place now, and this time you can see the sconce and part of the parrot picture reflected from the opposite wall. You can also see my palm tree wallpaper a little more closely. When I went to pick out new wallpaper for the den several years ago, I saw this pattern right away and liked it, but I spent hours looking through books and samples to see if there was something I liked any better. I ended up back where I started, and I've been happy with it ever since. The one thing I didn't like was the bright coordinating border I bought to go around the top of the room. It had a wine-red background, and when we hung it, it just seemed to close the room in and overpower it, so we scrapped that part of the design.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzzGSlc1t1zntHlcdeJs_Swdo1aO11Wg4inwRrBch4t6QMH7UJaAHANGwsXcaFxmE9e529d6DLp36tRg4Q40qfJOBSBkEowvAoTKwXgIejH5uZwrrPo44zuLGRAO-w76IETUZWQJqyHaH/s1600/Mirror+Hanging+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzzGSlc1t1zntHlcdeJs_Swdo1aO11Wg4inwRrBch4t6QMH7UJaAHANGwsXcaFxmE9e529d6DLp36tRg4Q40qfJOBSBkEowvAoTKwXgIejH5uZwrrPo44zuLGRAO-w76IETUZWQJqyHaH/s320/Mirror+Hanging+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I don't know if you can tell, but if you look closely to the lower right of the mirror, you can see the outlines of the ugly, gray electrical breaker box that was installed in the den wall. Why would someone do that--put an ugly electrical box front and center on the den wall???? I covered it with wallpaper, too, as you can see, and it isn't very noticeable, even in person.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Originally, the walls in the den were completely panelled (as so many houses built in the 60s were), so shortly after we moved in, we prepped and wallpapered over the top half. Let me tell you, that's a job! First you have to <u>paint</u> the wood and let it dry thoroughly, then <u>paste</u> and hang the fabric underlay to help hide the seams and let that dry thoroughly. Next you <u>paint</u> the underlay and let it dry, and <em>finally</em> you <u>paste</u> and hang the paper. This is the proper way we were told would be necessary to prepare the unsealed wood for accepting the moisture of the paper and hiding the panel seams. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Doggedly, we did this enormous prep work for the exterior wall and the two smaller end walls of the den--which took about 4 days of waiting between jobs for things to dry--but after so much labor, inconvenience and waiting, we decided that the interior wall would be just fine if we hung the underlay, let it dry and then hung the wallpaper. What could it hurt? Ha! Famous last words. As we sat relaxing in our new country blue patterned den, we suddenly heard a noise that can best be described as the sound I imagine an avalanche makes before it breaks lose! Terrified, I looked around to see what on earth had made the terrible noise, and it soon became apparent that as the walls of the unprepared wood dried, the wallpaper was wrenching away from the drying wall with a horrible ripping sound. As the papered wall came "tumbling down," we were forced to take a utility knife and cut the wall sections into three large panels. The underlay had become "cemented" to the wallpaper, and the resulting panels now looked like large sections of stiff, printed paneling. We moved the furniture, repasted the sections, and hung them again, but periodically over the next several years, we had to reattach parts of it to the wall. It never looked as smooth and nice as the correctly prepped side did, and we were continually reminded of our misdeeds when we looked at the wrinkled, gaped paper.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> So---when we re-papered with the palm tree design, we finally did the remaining wall properly, and we've never had so much as a whisper of complaint from the walls.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL4C69xsq5tWDcR3IG-S5Oa8UMYtbFpI8x6MUSGlvv9QjFq2bK9wW1y0RxjIBu4n5bU9IMKVwUWOnVaFu_xpkuOUr0aOHNcMJ_3Lsh6kiAgPK2zRVCBepw2E6DMIYfUhyBa0qEoundP9N/s1600/Mirror+Hanging+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL4C69xsq5tWDcR3IG-S5Oa8UMYtbFpI8x6MUSGlvv9QjFq2bK9wW1y0RxjIBu4n5bU9IMKVwUWOnVaFu_xpkuOUr0aOHNcMJ_3Lsh6kiAgPK2zRVCBepw2E6DMIYfUhyBa0qEoundP9N/s320/Mirror+Hanging+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Also, we decided on a medium oak floor today and have it acclimatizing in its new home. Laminate "floating" floors have to get used to their new environments for about 48 hours before they're installed, so we have ours stacked up in the den behind the love seat. Marcus (our son-in-law) plans to get some guys to come and help him start on Monday to begin the installation. We have a couple of low places in the sub-floor that will probably need replacing, the old tile will have to be removed, and the underlay will have to be put down before the floor can be installed. Based on our previous experience with not doing things properly with the walls, we will definitely follow the directions for the floor. What kind of sound do you suppose a floating floor would make if improperly installed with all us heavy humans walking on it? Pictures beginning Monday! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Have a great day (or night, as the case may be).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Love'n stuff,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sandy :)</div>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-45019080813248316962011-01-28T19:52:00.000-06:002011-01-30T01:33:27.818-06:00Eye Surgery and Feeding a Crowd So far this blog has been less about scrapping and more about our lives. Hopefully I will soon get more of the scrapping part of it going. Today, however, Eddie had eye surgery, and we had to go to Pensacola for that. Everything went well, but his eye was uncomfortable for a while afterward. He was able to rest his eyes on the way home, though, and that seemed to help. He has glaucoma, and the doctor has performed surgery on both eyes during the last two weeks to help lower his pressures. His pressure was 17 after a couple of hours, so the technician seemed pleased with that reading. He'll go back next Friday to have both eyes checked again.<br />
While we were waiting around in Pensacola, we ate at Red Lobster and shopped. I got a couple of new pillows for the den and a mirror, too. Below is a photo of the mirror, but it didn't turn out very well in the low light. I had the overhead light on, but the bulbs reflected too brightly off of the polished frame of the mirror. Maybe you can still get a good idea. The center square is the mirror part, but it's reflecting the opposite wall and ceiling, so it may be hard to tell. I plan to hang it over the brown loveseat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8E6fQgaGJd989YmuFlFzIwGSEI-3Kljzusqp5suW0g0frxq9r1z8hL4dOC2RZlEI5TeF2Bd0FEYvEdA7X4mWrhOP0ZJsx7Vxzu6FRtxW4X-38swlVguJ3krQDL9XM_ebiCX9g_4nKD_s/s1600/New+mirror+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj8E6fQgaGJd989YmuFlFzIwGSEI-3Kljzusqp5suW0g0frxq9r1z8hL4dOC2RZlEI5TeF2Bd0FEYvEdA7X4mWrhOP0ZJsx7Vxzu6FRtxW4X-38swlVguJ3krQDL9XM_ebiCX9g_4nKD_s/s320/New+mirror+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Global Caravan" Mirror</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> In the meantime, it was our church's turn to feed the kids at JDCC (our local community college). We had planned for 160, but we only had about 100. That means we're having chili Wednesday night at church! LOL In addition to the chili, we fed them Fritos, cake and soft drinks. Each Friday one or more of the Southern Baptist churches in our association (county) prepares lunch for any of the students and faculty who would like to come. Of course it's free, and during the meal there is also a short devotion provided, and a blessing is asked. It has grown from about 35 participants to the 160 that were served last week. I was sorry that Eddie's eye surgery prevented me from going and helping today, but I'm so thankful that I had over 17 volunteers to make chili and a wonderful team to go and serve. I'm sure those who enjoyed the lunch appreciated all the hard work and love that went into it.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Hope you've all had productive days and safe journeys.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Love'n stuff,</div>Sandy :)Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-61567657731758437002011-01-27T15:51:00.000-06:002011-01-28T23:16:46.888-06:00New Furniture I'm so excited that I got the new furniture I ordered today. We got a couch, love seat, ottoman and recliner for our den with an area carpet coming soon. All of this change is making me want to get in here and get my craft room organized! <br />
One of my favorite things to do is organize "stuff." When I was a little girl I used to spend so much time setting up the dollhouse made of odds and ends of boxes and fabrics, that I usually ran out of time to actually play with the dolls. Somehow, though, that was the most fun to me. I'm afraid I have some of that same mind-set working on me with crafting. I love to acquire the tools of the trade and organize things to please me, but I often prefer that to actually using them! LOL <br />
Maybe the infusion of orderliness to the den will make my creative juices overflow and get me going on making things with my delightful tools. I have a Cricut Expression, Cricut Imagine, Gypsy and Cuttlebug, to name the major "toys" at my disposal. I love seeing what new things are out there for us crafters, and I enjoy trying them out.<br />
Hope you're having a great day and crafting to your heart's delight!<br />
Love'n stuff,<br />
Sandy :)Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797419884660598149.post-48765845454711704672011-01-26T23:52:00.000-06:002011-01-26T23:52:04.567-06:00My First Post<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> My very first post has been a long time coming. I really didn't think I would have anything to share that anyone else would want to see, but I've decided I need a place to enjoy participating in things like blog hopping and posting things I'm working on. Hopefully this will be the beginning of an adventure that takes me to new places as I explore the brave new world of blogs. Please join me as we travel on the "space" crafter's journey of discovery. (Sorry about the pun.) Have a wonderful day!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Love'n stuff,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sandy :)</span>Sandy N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11716367383549778317noreply@blogger.com0