END OF THE MONTH AND OTHER DEPRESSING THINGS

I can not believe it is already the end of September. It is also less than 3 months til Christmas. Not that I don't like Christmas. I love it. I love to decorate, cook goodies, wrap presents, even shop for presents. I love Christmas music, I have a huge collection. I just can't believe how fast time is spinning. I will be 63 on Oct. 5. I think that is what is so depressing. I am glad I have made it this far. It has been a long and winding road for me. Lots of crazy things have happened in my life. Some I talk about and some I don't. Both of my parents made it to 85 and 87 (Mother was just 2 weeks from 87 when she died so I give her the 2 weeks). All four of my grandparents made it to the mid 80's and one grandmother even made it to 95. So based on those statistics I might make it 20 more years. I don't smoke or drink alcohol. Don't race cars or fly airplanes. Don't ride motorcycles. Don't engage in other 'risky' behaviors. Who knows. I might make it.
Right now the weather down here in central Alabama is perfect. There is a steady breeze blowing, the temp is in mid to upper 80's, cool at night and the squirrels are working like mad on the Hickory nuts in the yard. Usually you see them burying the nuts, but this year they are chewing them up. That is strange. Six years I have been living with 20 something Hickory trees and the squirrels and I have not seen them doing it this way. Always they are burying them. It seems all of nature has been acting a little strange this summer. The deer that got in the garden spent more time eating the tops of the pepper plants that anything else. I have never seen deer eat bell peppers.
Well I guess that is all from here today. Tomorrow is the first so I will spend my day grocery shopping. My feet already hurt thinking about it.
God bless all of you.
Mary

TEACUPSTITCHES AND OLD FRIENDS

Today I found an old friend. I found out where Teacupstitches is "hiding out". Since I no longer sell on EBAY, I don't go out there but maybe once every couple of weeks just to see what is happening to the cottage chic sites I once watched faithfully. So many folks that were there when I was no longer list items. Once upon a time Teacupstitches listed 10 to 15 items all constantly. She made some of the most beautiful cottage chic items I have ever seen. As far as I am concerned, she set the benchmark for beauty and what was selling in cottage chic items. At auction her items brought huge prices. The last year or so I noticed that she rarely kept more than 2-3 items posted at a time and sometimes none. Frankly, I wondered if she was quitting or what. I am so glad to see that she is still designing and creating beautiful things. She is hosting a give away on her blog. I have a link to the giveaway and her blog. Be sure and check it out. She is also listing items for sale at http://www.victoriarosecottage.com/ . Some really pretties out there too. I glad we haven't lost Lynn's talent. She is truely a gifted artist.
God's Grace to you,
Mary

MIND WIDE OPEN AND CHANGES IN LIFE

The weather changes constantly, the news changes by the moment, and life changes without warning. A lady, that I will most likely never meet, had a life changing moment recently. Gail (of the Mind Wide Open blog) had such a moment recently when her father became ill and made a trip to the hospital. When one arrives at a certain age and realizes that parents grow old and one day will cease to exist, that person also in the same instant usually realizes that they also have a 'certain life span' . Jane Fonda (who I really do not like {Vietnam and all those memories}) once said (after her father, Henry Fonda, died) that when your last parent dies, you realize you are next. She was right. I have buried both of my parents and am still trying to come to grips with that particular reality.
For the last 2 years, Gail has run her Mind Wide Open blog with its monthly challenges. I have entered a few, not as many as I wished to. She has provided some truely thought provoking images to play with and inspired some equally thought provoking entries. If you have never been there and watched the entries, go and have a look before they pass into computer ether space. She has run one of best challenges I have watched on line. She has pushed my limits in art and crafting into areas I didn't even know existed 2 years ago. I don't even remember how I came across her MWO blog. I thankful that I did. I pray for Gail to have the strength to face the future. We all have to walk that path sooner or later, sometimes with warning and some times not. It is never easy, either way. I hope that she will be able to treasure and save all the moments she has left to her so they can give her comfort later
I will miss the challenges and the images each month. I will miss you, Gail.
May God's love and grace be with you.
Mary

GIVEAWAYS AND OTHER GOODIES

Well another week end has come and gone. I spent most of the weekend reading. Our local library is having a book sale (10 cents and 25 cents paperbacks). Not hard to load up at those prices. I have already brought in 2 huge sacks (30 + books). Some time I just like to excape everything.
I was checking over at ETSY COTTAGE STYLE to see what was happening and found that KITTY & ME DESIGNS is having a giveaway. She has a pretty art quilt she is giving away when she hits 300 followers to her blog. She is now up to 274 so she does not have far to go. She has lovely cottage chic items and crazy quilted pretties to look at. Worth the time to stop by and see. I added her button if you would like to hop on over and check her out.
Not much happening here . Stopped at the thrift store and found a nice cabinet that should hold 150 + DVD's. Paid only $6.88 for it. The way our collection is growing it will be full in no time. Since we let the sat tv go we have been spending part of $100 a month for TV on DVD's. We never watched any thing but movies anyway. This way we can pick and choose. Don stays on top of DVD thing. The man must have watched everything that ever came out of Hollywood. We have been getting some really good buys on new DVD's on Amazon. 'And the list goes on!'
Guess that is it for today. May God watch over you.
Mary

FRIDAYS AND MORE BLOG READING

I have really been busy this week. Tuesday Don and I were driving between Montevallo and Calera and a car stopped suddenly in front of us. I had plenty of room to stop and did, but things didn't feel right. Don said it feels like we need to have the brakes checked, and I said I thought it was the tires. The back ones had not been replaced since we bought the van 2 1/2 years ago. Well a trip to Wally World and $ 400 later we now have 4 new tires to ride on and not enough money for gas. So much for the state of our economy!!
I can't believe it is already Friday. Unreal how fast time is passing. Today I checked out the challenge entries at http://mind-wideopen.blogspot.com . WOW it is going to be hard to decide who to vote for. I wish I could have finished the item I wanted to enter, but time slipped away. Which brings me to a blog entry over at "A LITTLE IMAGINATION AND A PILE OF JUNK. ( http://littleblackkitty.typepad.com ). I started out reading about her trip to RED ROCKS and a concert, but her Aug 5 entry really caught my eye. She had a number of quotes from Steven Pressfield's book: THE WAR OF ART. Really some heavy stuff. My favorites: "Most of us have 2 lives. The life we live and the unlived life within us. " How true. He calls "Resistance - That internal struggle that maifests itself in fear, laziness, apathy, distraction, addiction -anything that keeps us from our calling.
Those 2 statements almost sum up my life. I have millions (I am not kidding) of ideas and designs in my head and most I have sketched on paper, and yet it seems I never get anything done, or have anything to show for my ideas. Such a wasted life (in terms of my art). Like the Mind wide open challenge. I bought a jar 3 weeks ago to decorate for the challenge. Did not matter what the picture was, that was going to be the base. When the picture was posted I added some ribbons (i purchased new) to match with the picture. I printed the picture and some background graphics to use, gathered beads and other trims AND NEVER GOT IT PUT TOGETHER. I kept putting it off until it was tooo late. The story of my life.
I am going to do better. I have copied some of the quotes and have hung them over my computer and work table and sewing machine. IN LARGE LETTERS. One of the comments described "resistance as a DREAM KILLER. There has never been a term so perfectly described.
Only time will tell if there is any improvement.
Pray - it can really changes things !!
Mary

LABOR DAY AND BLOG HOPPING

Today is Labor Day. Today marks the beginning of the Christmas season to me. From now on I will be thinking about Christmas, planning Christmas, making lists about Christmas and working on Christmas.
I have already started making lists of items I will post to sell for Christmas. When we (my Mother and I) were doing craft shows I would have boxes of (and I mean big tote boxes) Christmas angels, teddy bears, mini wreathes, all kinds of ornaments all ready for the show trail. We would start with Labor Day shows putting out Christmas themed aprons, hot pads, bonnets, tote bags and purses. And always the hundreds of Christmas angels and Santa Clauses we made and dressed.
Those were the days. My Mother made the clothes by the stacks and I made the bodies. I am going to be putting out some of the little angels we made. I found a box of the compontents and as soon as I finish altering Aunt Mary's vests and finish the Mind Wide Open challenge piece this week, I am going to start putting them together and posting them on ETSY.
I have spent the afternoon blog hopping and found some new (to me) cottage chic blogs. One is http://www.creatingvintagecharm.blogspot.com/ .
They are launching a new magazine on Sept.25. I think it is worth the time to hop over and check them out. I can't wait to check out the first issue. I put a button on the side of my blog for you to click on, so hop on over.
It is nearly time for supper and Don is hungry (I am too), so catch you tomorrow. I will have some pictures.
God Bless You.
Mary

FINALLY SEPTEMBER AND A BIRTHDAY!!

Well today is the first day in September. I have never been as glad to see a new month as this one. Remind me in January when it is 20 F and i am shivering. Today is my Aunt Mary's 89th birthday. So far she is running 2nd in longevity in my family. She is my mother's younger sister. Mother was 2 weeks from 87 when she died. My grandmother Thompson was 95 when she died and still holds the record in my family. She was my father's mother. All four of my grandparents lived to their mid 80's or longer. Both my parents made it to the mid 80's (Daddy was 85 when he died).
With any luck I should get there myself. Have to wait and see. So far so good. My Aunt Mary is doing good. She has sight problems but lives alone (her daughter lives close by). Her health is really good. Only medicine she takes is a blood pressure pill and one for arthritis. Not bad for 89. Not in this day and time considering the way doctors want to fill your medicine cabinet with pills.
The other reason I am glad to see September is the weather is finally starting to cool down some. Thank you Lord.
Also, Sept 1st means a new challenge at the blog http://www.mind-wideopen.blogspot.com/ . Gail Schmidt always has an interesting challenge. She gives you a pretty picture and a word prompt and lets you have at it to make anything you want using it. Above is a picture and my entry (a purse) from Sept 2008. She gives you a week or so to do your thing and email an entry to her, then she lists them and lets every one vote for a winner. Lots of fun and lots of beautiful work. And there are prizes for the top 3 favorites.
Check out the challenge, thank God for the cool weather, and A Very Happy Birthday to Aunt Mary.
love Mary