Wednesday Craft Update

I'm just working on a simple, fast scarf this week. I hope to start a more involved pattern after I complete the one below, but we'll see!

Have a crafty week!

Happy Birthday to Our Sweet Baby Boy

Dear Caden Lee,
One year ago today you arrived in our lives filling us with wonderment and joy, replacing an emptiness not even known. You have completed us in a way that will never change through the years to come.

You are our life, our new found love. What a beautiful little boy you have now become at the end of your first year living. You have taught us so many things that were never thought possible and have given us an unconditional love that cannot be compared.

Thank you for being our wonderful son, and here is to many, many more birthdays to come.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the 1st Birthday Bash

Even though it is not my birthday until tomorrow, my Mommy wanted me to have a BIG party on the 4th of July for added celebration! Plus it was a Saturday, so I guess that's really why. I had lots of fun and saw lots of neat stuff and got to visit with family and friends. Here are a few pictures from my big weekend/day. Enjoy!

My first yummy cake. All mine!

I already said it, but yummy!

I didn't get as dirty as Mommy thought I would.


My first rodeo. Very cool.

My first parade ever!

Learning to walk. I took my first steps by myself at my party! Yippee!

My awesome present from Mommy and Daddy and Grandmee and Grandpee.

It sure was a great weekend!

I hope all of you readers out there had a wonderful weekend as well!

Fritz....signing off.

Happy (Soon to Be) 4th!

I will be in my hometown over the holiday, having a big 1st birthday party for Fritz (he turns one on Monday) so I am wishing all the US folks a happy 4th now!

Enjoy the festivities and family get-togethers!

Wednesday Craft Update

I had a busy craft week. Finished two scarves and two paintings! But, since I will be gone from home for a couple of days over the holiday, I won't have time to do anything until much later. Oh, well.
It's funny how different light can make pictures have strange colors. The two scarves have the same color of olive green yarn, but they look completely different.

The two paintings that I did were simple, just color ones. I didn't want anything busy or fancy... just beautiful colors.

The above one is for my bathroom. It was to match a ceramic plate that I bought at a festival picturing horses. I wanted to use the same colors in the plate for the painting, and hanging up on the wall, it fits and looks perfect in there.

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The purple one below was for our bedroom to put in front of a mirror to hide the reflection of cords. Our bedroom has accents of green and purple, but the painting is actually black and purple. Again, how funny for the camera to capture a different color?!

The Love of a New Purse

After my low-self esteem day yesterday, I decided that I needed a little retail therapy. I know that shopping is not the way to go to solve problems, but I couldn't help it when I saw this beauty. I had needed to find a pair of shoes to go with the outfit that I am planning on wearing this weekend, so Fritz and I headed off to shop. I know that I will see lots of people that I only see every couple of years this weekend, so of course I want to look somewhat good. Hence, the self esteem issues yesterday.
Post-pregnancy, my body is still being mean to me. I had a really good month last month and have lost (and kept off) five pounds, but nothing more. It just doesn't seem enough. I didn't have a terribly hard pregnancy, however, I had serious issues with food. I didn't have nausea all the time, I just couldn't eat or find anything that sounded or smelled good to eat. I was told by my doctor not to work out so that I could save any calories that I gained that day. At the end of the pregnancy, I had only gained 12 pounds. I have never in my life had problems gaining weight until the time I was suppose to!
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And then.... after Fritz was born it felt as if I had been starving completely for the nine months and had to make up for it. Plus the non-working-staying-at-home-new-mother-one-income-semi-depression, hounded me into some form of weird happiness with food. I'm still at the weight that I was when I had Fritz, but now that the body has changed from the stretchy belly, I can't seem to get rid of it! My legs are getting smaller, but sadly I have been forced to buy a bigger size pants just to fit the tummy! Then of course the legs are soooo baggy I look ridiculous. Man! That feels better getting that all off my mind.
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Even though I know I don't look my best, at least now I will have a damn fine new purse to show off. Oh! And I did find the shoes too. ;)

Bits of Dark

I'm having one of those days...



Trying to find any kind of light and wondering if it will show tomorrow? Hopefully.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Sniffles

NO PICTURES PLEASE!!!

Yep, I was sick this week. My first official cold ever! It wasn't too bad, but the first night it was a tad bit hard to breath so Mommy spent the night in my room to make sure that I would be okay. She noticed that I was sleeping with my blanket on my face (which is usual-I love it!) so when she tried to take it off I got really mad at her and cried and cried and refused to go back to sleep for a long time. That's because she wouldn't give me my blanket back!
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I still have a tiny runny nose, but mostly all is well. Mommy was telling me that she hopes her and Daddy don't get sick as well, as we have a big family gathering next weekend. For my birthday!! Yippee, presents!!!!!!

I SAID NO PICTURES!!!

Added to the Art Collection

Yeah, I'm a tattoo kinda gal. This is my fourth addition to my body art. Now I don't ever see myself as one completely covered (or even close to it), but I do have plans to have a few more. I still need/want to get the little feet prints that Fritz got on the day he was born, and a few other that are in the works in my mind.

The pic above is of the one that I got done today. It is of two African Violets and scroll work that I designed myself. The violets are because my Grandmother always had these growing in her house and I love how fragile and precious the real ones always look. The bottom three scrolls are for my other Grandparents that have both been deceased for quite sometime and their son, my Uncle, who is also passed. The top two are for my late Grandmother and my Grandfather (whom is still living). That's why the bottom scroll on the top is different from all the others as he is still living and it will not be changed until (hopefully) years from now.

If...

You love giveaways, click on The Vintage Pearl button on the sidebar! Hurry!

A Family Lunch

This weekend is the family reunion on my Mother's side, so since the Hubs, Fritz and I were/are not able to attend the entire thing, we did manage to drive two hours away to have lunch on one of the days. Not all of the family were there yet, but enough to chat with for a couple of hours.
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For dessert we had one of our family's most favorite things! Angel Food cake with whipped cream and strawberries. My Grandmother made the most wonderful, delicious cakes (she was an awesome baker and cook) and it was always asked at family gatherings if the Angel Food would be served. In honor of her, it was the perfect ending to lunch.

But.... the truly strange thing was were the happening, happened. Yep, in a cemetery. Since our very special Grandmother is no longer with us and last year before she passed she had looked forward to this reunion, we decided to still include her with some of the celebration by eating the cake by her headstone.

Now I can check mark off on my "Life's crazy to-do list" eating lunch in a cemetery! I have lived across from one before in Idaho, and strangely enough, it was actually quite peaceful!

Goodies, Goodies, and More Goodies!

I won my first blog giveaway a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday I received the awesome gift from Canada! Carmen from About A Girl sent me an incredible bounty of stamping goods. Included also, were some handmade cards made by her! I can't wait to start using this stuff, as I use to do some stamping here and there. I probably will find that my inks are all dried up as it has been a long time since I have taken out my stash. I'm sure there will be a pound of dust on everything as well!

Thanks Carmen for having a fabulous giveaway, and thank little Grace again for picking my name!!

Wednesday Craft Update

I'm starting a new scarf! After taking a three week break from scarf making, I decided it was time to start up again. It did help that I found some awesome new yarn. Below is my favorite kind of yarn. It is thick and fuzzy and very warm. This is a new color that they have out so of course I had to grab some of it! It's a darker olive green, and oh so, so lovely. I love this olive/sage-y color. I love green! Any kind of green. Seriously. I might have a small problem with the color actually. In fact some of my living room walls are almost the same exact color!!




I will have a painting for the update next week as when I re-painted my bathroom I realized that we did not have any wall art for the new color scheme. So, I decided that I will just paint one instead of trying to buy one! And I have to get it done as we have cousins from out of state arriving for the Birthday celebration for Fritz next Wednesday (HE'S TURNING ONE!!!!!).

My Funny Cats

Waiting for cheese handouts.

Having a conversation.

A Tiny Smell

Call me crazy... A few days ago I got a whiff of something delicious. Not food cooking on the stove nor a sweet perfume, but a silent sent of fall.


I'm not ready to meet this Autumn year yet, but catching the smell of fall was a nice surprise mixed in with the blooming of flowers and light Summer rains. I love fall. It is such a wondrous time to see the world getting ready for the cold days around the corner.

The colors of changing leaves slowly floating down to the Earth's floor while walking along one of my most favorite streets here that is lined with glorious old maples. My Grandparents house was located on one of these streets. I remember fondly a few times of raking all of the leaves into that huge pile to jump and play, or to simply just sit still on their cement walkway, staring up into the aged trees. Peering through the different colors to find the sky. Although that house is no longer in our family, those treasured memories are sure to stay.