Mail Art - Handmade postcards

I'm having a blast using up leftover scrapbooking papers, stickers, seam binding and just about anything else I can get my hands on. One of these cards is on its way to Katerina in Greece.

And I had the time to play tonight with a really cool gadget that I got for Christmas. It's called the enveloper, and making envelopes is a cinch with this!

Have a creative day!

Finding my rhythm

Here I am - at the start of the last week of the month already. Sigh . . .

It was a month ago - almost exactly - that I remember looking forward to the busy-ness of the holidays being over. And my holidays were wonderful, really. There was a dark cloud or two, but also a silver lining, if you'll pardon the cliche. My son and his family came home for a funeral and were here until almost Christmas. We celebrated Christmas early, of course, and it was the first time in a long time both of my children were here and we were all together for Christmas. It was the first time that the two cousins (my grandkids) were together, and it was perhaps my favorite Christmas ever!

But I did miss some things. I missed writing letters and postcards and working on mail art. I missed making tags and scrapbooking. And I missed blogging, or, more specifically, the sharing and connecting that I feel when blogging. I looked forward to picking up where I'd left off, getting back to my comfortable and comforting routine. It's just taken me longer than I'd planned.

I've taken a little time to read. I've spent some time in the kitchen cooking and baking. And when my Daughter-in-Law, C, was here, she taught me how to crochet. And I've been hooked (pun intended). I've made some scarves, I made a lap throw for sitting on the couch, I've made some dish cloths, and I'm working on a small tote bag currently.

I got a couple of my girlfriends, S & T, to go with me to a Crochet 101 class at the local Joann's store a couple of weeks ago. It was fun; we laughed a LOT! At one point S said, "You know, people say this is calming and soothing. I'm not getting that. This is a pain in the a**!" And I told her that she just needed to practice. I explained that when you get comfortable with the stitches and are just sitting with your yarn and your hook - yarn over, draw up, pull through, yarn over, draw up, pull through - that you fall into a soothing little pattern. You fall into a rhythm.

And I've been hearing my own words again lately. "Find your rhythm." I hear them often, as a matter of fact. "Find your rhythm." And so I'm here. And I hope to be back often.

xoxoxo

Feeding the body and the soul

Things have been so hectic. And I'll be honest -- I'm glad to be getting back to my boring little rut.

The weekend was nice though. Thanksgiving dinner was small and quiet. My daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter, k, came over. We ate late afternoon and it was nice enough to sit on the back patio for a while after dinner. I'd cooked the giblets from the turkey for the cats that "live" in our backyard, and I cut them up and k and I put some out in a little saucer for them. I'd named the black and white kitten Zorro some months ago, but k renamed it (she? he?) Patch. So Patch it is. Daughter and family went home with a bag full of leftovers, and hubby and I went to bed with tummies full of pie. Life is good.

k came over again on Friday. We planted pansy seeds and watered everything else in the yard. We painted - I painted Patch and k painted an abstract, with some help from Grandpa. I must say I like hers better! It's currently displayed in La Galeria de Mi Cocina - aka up on my fridge.



k had a runny nose and I had a bit of a headache, so we decided midafternoon to climb into Grandma's bed and watch TV. I even let her take a little package of mini M&M's with her. She'd found them and wanted them during dinner on Thursday, but she didn't eat her food, so she didn't get her M&M's. Normally M&M's in the bed would be a big no-no, but I've learned over the years that it's wise to pick your battles. We both fell asleep and had a yummy nap. Yesterday I washed the blankets and spot cleaned the bedspread by hand to remove the little smudged chocolate fingerprints. Yes, life is good.

I am grateful

for my inner artist.

Today I am Thankful

Sunday

It was a beautiful day today. The first cup of coffee this morning - made for me by hubby - tasted just right. The line at the grocery store wasn't too long, so we have a turkey and many goodies to go with it in the fridge ready for later in the week. Hubby's friend from out of town who came for the funeral stopped by on his way out of town for one more visit. And hubby and his baby brother spent the rest of the day at Mom's house replacing toilets, putting up shelves, putting up blinds, and just general handy man things that good sons do for their Moms.

I got to talk to one of my bestest friends who lives in Texas. I received mail from a new friend in Canada. The laundry got done, the birds got fed, I got to play a bunch, and we had ice cream for dessert. All in all, it was a day to be thankful for.

Postcard I received from Canada - titles of songs from the 1920's

Mail Art I made that will go in the mailbox tomorrow.

an envelope I made from a page from a seed catalog:

a stamped envelope:

a collaged postcard:

Have a wonder-full week,

Absence makes the heart grow fonder . . .

Just another cliche -- "absence makes the heart grow fonder" -- a combination of words that I've heard so many times before that I seldom even stop to think about what they mean. But I'm thinking about them today; the thought is just in my head.

On the surface I could tell you that there's no particular reason I'm pondering this phrase today. But so many little things (and some not so little) have happened over the last couple of weeks that I'd be lying if I claimed such a thing.

My son came home to visit and has since returned home to North Carolina. He's been in the Air Force 10 years now, yet it's never gotten any easier to say goodbye to him. He only returned home on Monday and I miss him already. I wish that my daughter-in-law and grandson had come too, but that didn't work out this time. Just means that grandma has to go visit them again SOON! My grandson, j, who is 15 months old, loves to talk on the phone already. And he has so much to say! Yes, grandma must go visit soon.

My father-in-law passed away a week ago. He was truly one of a kind. He was retired Marine Corps and retired law enforcement after that. We shared the same birthday, which is in two weeks. It certainly won't be the same. His funeral is tomorrow, and it happens to be the day my mother died. I miss both of my parents more than ever.

And I have missed you all too. I have missed hearing your stories and sharing your lives, and I've missed sharing mine with you. But that's the thing about good friends - you can always pick right up where you left off. It's like you've talked every day and never missed a thing.

So I'm going to go see what's new with each of you and to get caught up. Hugs to you all.

And so it goes . . .

I spent last weekend with my BFF's. We went to the big city and had big fun! We ate, we drank, we shopped, we laughed, we hugged. There were many cups of coffee drank, as well as a margarita and a beer or two, and a bottle of wine while sitting in the jacuzzi. We partook of omelets and crab legs and enchiladas and even tiramisu and gelato. We were successful on our quest for new fall jackets and sweaters, and didn't forget our husbands and grandkids for whom we found special treasures. And we bought books - we always buy books - and we even spent a teeny bit of quiet time reading. And we missed the two BFF's that weren't there.

Then we were wowed by The Phantom! It was the perfect show to see on Halloween. And I got to cross off one more thing on my bucket list.

Last Friday marked 20 years at my job. It is quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself. :) And now I'm one week into year 21.

My son, J, comes home tonight for vacation. He comes home about this time every year to deer hunt. I last saw him in June, and I can't wait to give him a big hug. I wish j was coming too, but I'll just have to plan another trip to visit them soon.

Tomorrow night after work, I'm picking up my granddaughter and we're having a slumber party. She's excited because she knows I brought her a present from my trip (a snowglobe). She'll spend part of the day Friday with me, and I think we'll go to the garden center and get some flowers to plant.

On Saturday afternoon, there is a baby shower for the daughter of one of my BFF's. This will be granddaughter number two for her. Four out of the six of us have grandbabies (two boys and soon to be four girls, the oldest of which is 3), and the youngest one of us has a baby of her own who is not quite a year old. Needless to say, our conversations often start out with, "You wouldn't believe what j did! It was so cute!" And of course we always have new photos to share. Ah, babies . . . such sweetness.

Here's hoping there's abundant sweetness in your life this week.