Weekends over... but I had a good weekend.. mostly stayed home puttering.. I didnt make do anything very creative, but instead cleaned a little and cooked and baked. I did make this little spider to sit on the lamp above.. but that took all of 20 minutes or so.. I love my little spidey though!.

Its definitely looking like fall now.. the trees are really starting to turn.. Im hoping the sun will come out later and maybe I'll be able to get some pictures on my way home from work. When the weather starts turning colder, I start wanting to bake and cook again.. so saturday I made this apple pie, (which really no one has been eating! there are only 3 pieces missing.. soon to be 4 as I think its calling my name for breakfast!!) I also made my friend Brendas pumpkin bread. Which I call, PUmkinhead bread! it has mini choc chips in it and is sooo good. Brenda always has the best recipes for goodies!

LOOkie at what I got! I recieved a package from my friend Sherry campbell these goodies from the wand swap hosted by bella enchanted. what a fun swap! Thank you Sherry!!! Sherry is a sweetie.. you should visit her blog.
This is the wand I sent her. and to be honest, I know I put a couple of other little things in the box, but I can not remember what they were!!

Once again, I just have to say how special the girls I've gotten to know out here in blogger land are! I recieved this sweet pincushion and wonderful card from Natalea at Kandeland this weekend for my birthday! I love them!! Thank you soo much natalea! Natalea is one of the girls i met a few weeks ago at the cheesecake factory. We are planning a day out together in a couple weeks. we'll be hitting up the clarence fleamarket and antiques shops.. not to mention, pumpkinville will be open too!

Quite a few of you have asked how jasper is doing. Hes really not doing very well, but he is still with me. He doesnt want me to go to work today.. he told me! but I do have to go. He is so precious! I hate the thought that Im losing him.. thanks for asking about him. Its been a tough few months.. Right now is particularly hard as I feel like I'm watching him waste away before my eyes.. He used to weight close to 12 pounds.. he is down to 6 3/4 as of sat am. The vet put him on some antibiotics and prednisone, then I took him back saturday and they doubled the antiboitic and added another medication that was supposed to help with his loose bowels.. (probably more info then you want huh??) anyways, I think it made him worse, so i didnt give any of it to him yesterday.. I just feel so sorry for him.. damn pets.. wish they didnt have to get old?? ya know?? I'm going to call the vets this morning and ask if her really has to take the medications. If I thought they were going to help Id give them to him.. but why stress him out and make him sicker!?

Believe it or not, this kitty, Marmalade, is Jaspers son!!! Marmels is 15! This is not a great picture of him as I think it makes him look elderly!. He's still healthy and weighs over 14 pounds! isnt he precious ??

Well, I could ramble on about a few more things. but I should get ready for work! BLAAAAHHHH!!!

TGIF

OH my goodness.. thank god its Friday. the past two days have been so LONG!!

Look, Violet and Ann Estelle are making friends. Violet really needs a halloween dress. I should probably attempt to make her one. I do have some cute halloween fabrics!

My plans for the weekend are to hang out at home. maybe even a pajama day tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll work on some little project.. and probably cut out the 8 bears for the memory bear order. And, I think I'll make a pot of soup, some bread and an apple pie. probably run the vacuum and putter around a little. I'm thinking it might be about time to bring my porch plants in the house now too. Its been getting pretty cold at night.

Tomorrow night we're going to play cards with our two sets of closest friends, the fellers and flanagans. And then sunday, i'm hoping for a repeat of saturday.. I suppose I'll need to throw laundry in my plans somewhere too.

so there you have it.. a quiet laid back weekend. Little Tony is coming home tonight. He hasnt come home in a couple weeks so I'm looking forward to seeing him. Roberts gone to his girlfriends and Jen is off and about. She is moving out in a couple weeks.. I will have 3 birds out of the nest then!! And only Robert left. almost an empty nest! dont get me wrong.. I love them all dearly.. but I have plans for their rooms!! ha!

I mailed my halloween ball dolls today! and my sweet and sinister swap too.. (I almost wrote sweet and sour swap!) I have a swap to do with Debrina, and one with Kecia, and with Debra Schoch... then Im done with swaps for a bit.. I'm not sure if I'll host a christmas one or not. yeah, I probably will.. but I'm not sure what it will be. Maybe the second annual snowman ornament swap! thats what pops into my mind when I think about it.. well, we'll see.

Oh! I did recieve a package yesterday from my friend Sherry from the wand swap that bella enchanted hosted. I love it and the other sweet goodies she sent too! Thank you Sherry!!! camera batteries need to be charged so I'll post pics tomorrow!

Ok girls.. thats all for now!

hoo are you?

HI,

MY NAME IS VIVIAN..

I AM....

ADDICTED TO NEEDLE FELTING.......

HOO... HOO.... HOO

newest creation

SHOW AND TELL TIME
This kitty in this box is named "Shadow".. therefore.. this is a shadow box! hahahaha!!. I just kill me sometimes!
(sound like you dont I bambi!?) Anyways, I made this for a special friends birthday which is this friday.. I dont think I can wait that long to give it to her though! this needle felting is addictive! I hope my Brenda birthday girl likes it!

and this.. I have no idea what I'll do with it. I had the little bear, its not one that I made, but I thought Id dress it up a little for halloween and make her a pincushion to sit on.. She might end up as part of one of my halloween swaps..

Ok.. now on to regular life.. Yesterday was daughter Jens birthday. And she was in a musical, Your a good man Charlie brown. She played Sally Brown. She was so funny! I wish I could have video'd some of it.. but I forgot to!! I pretty much missed the hole 3rd act of the show because I'm on call this weekend and had a situation to deal with.. at least I didnt have to leave! I could go again today to see it, but I have sooo much stuff that needs to be done here and I have to do a homevisit for work... All of which I should be doing instead of hanging around here!

Jens Godmother, who is my dear friend from JR High days... came to her show, then we went out to eat at Perkins afterwords! Doesnt she look soooo young!? I swear she looks exactly the same as she did at 14!!! Honestly!!
Anyways.. thats all for now .. I really have to do something constructive!!

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!
OOOHHH! one more thing!

go to FatJakOriginals for a wonderful fall giveaway.. she is absolutely so talented.. you'll just want to check out her blog anyways! you will love her artwork... I promise!

my new doll

She came today! heres a picture I snapped of her! she is a sweetie!

this is the letter she wrote to Gina while I took Jasper to the vets!

Dear Gina, I arrived safe and sound at Vivians today. she has been very nice to me. she made me this little bear to welcome me here with. She had to work all day, so I had to wait in the box all afternoon, but she was so excieted to see me when she got home! then she had to take jasper, to the vets,,, (they think he has cancer.. how sad!) but now they are both home again and we are relaxing together, her, jasper and I! No one else is home, so for dinner we're having Popcorn! She gave me my own little bowl full.. she said that later on for a SNACK we could have icecream! (I hope I dont get fat living here!) Anyways.. so far everything is good.. I dont know where I'm sleeping tonight.. I' hope not too far from Vivian, because I might be scared in this new place! Oh.. and vivian is going to a doll show on Saturday... she said that she would take me with her! Im so excieted! Shes said maybe we would find some new clothes for me there! Well, I better go now! we have to go to the store to buy some cat food!!love violet!

I just love her.. I dont know what I'm going to do with her.. (she has a big head... but Shhhhhh! I dont want to hurt her feelings!) She is so pretty though! We will have fun playing! I really am going to a doll show sat.. cant wait!! Im going to try to behave.. I'm been in a spending frenzy this past week or so... must stop now!! REALLY!!!
Ok..
Well, I need to go check on my kitty... Yes, the Vet does think that he probably has some sort of cancer.. He said that even though he isnt finding anything obvious.. he thinks from experience with older cats with these type of symptoms it probably is. But.. Jasper is fine.. I dont think hes that sick.. I bet he'll live at least another year or more!! what does that silly vet know... !!
Well off I go.. I want to work on a project! See Ya's later!

needle felting!

OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!! I CAN NEEDLEFELT!!! Ok.. I am really so excieted about it.. You know every now and then you discover some new medium and your mind is flooded with ideas!! I could not sleep last night (partly because I thought our house might blow away it was sooo windy) and mostly because I just had all these ideas in my head! little critters dancing around in my brain!! I know some of you sooo understand what I'm talking about.. Ok.. they wake me up and then I lie there thinking about how they are going to look and what trims I might use and just how I'm going to make them. I have so many ideas swimming around in my head for needle felting, the possibilities seem endless!


I told you about meeting a few flickr and blogger girls at the cheesecake factory a couple weeks ago, well Jenny (be cherry) had three little needlefelted bears in her purse in a baggy... (which I have to tell you, cracked my daughter up, she told me later, she thought that I was the only person in the world who pulled tiny bears out of baggies in her purse! I bet theres really alot of us!) anyways, (I just cant tell a short story!) Jenny thought I should try needle felting , which Ive always wanted to do.. so I bought Jen Dochertys book on it, and my Jenny (I sound like forrest gump) was SO SWEET, and sent me a package with wool roving and needles and a big foam block ... (and some awesome cookies!) anyways.. I havent even thanked her yet.. I just started playing with it.. poked lots of holes in my fingers and before I knew it I was really needle felting! and... this is what I made!hello Kitty!! what a blast! I am so tickled about this.. THANK YOU and HUGS TO YOU JENNY! You really inspired me! I still want one of your little bears though! cant wait til you move here! (heehee...)

In other news... I bought a blythe doll from my friend Gina of (lilysoflondon) I cant wait to get her.. I dont know what I'm going to do with her, but Im very excieted about having a blythe.. Im thinking I can make her some little needle felted friends!

ok.. lastly for tonight.. how is everyone doing on their halloween dolls for the ball swap??? Please let me know that your working on them! Dont forget to email me pictures!!

OK.. going back to play with needles and wool! GOODNIGHT!!

I decorated for halloween!

new! love him!! from tj max.. they have the best halloweenies and cheap! this was only 12.00 he had a friend there, but I passed that one up.. now i wish I had gotten him! but believe me, I dont have room for another halloweenie! I got everything out the other night after going to dinner with my in laws.. stayed up a little late getting things moved around.. I just love halloweenies! i have a couple sweet pieces on layaway.. I have to remember to pick them up!

this is my "ugly thang" pinkeep for halloween.. actually I thought he was kind of cute, but my daughter has convinced me that they are ugly! oh well.. some things are supposed to perfectly ugly for halloween!

wow.. this is my 151st post!

I have been so busy this week. My inlaws were camping near by so we went up to see them and enjoyed the campfires and campfire treats everynight. I finally got my kitchen cleaned up tonight! My table has been covered with craft supplies all week. and I just mopped the kitchen floor at 11:00 tonight! I really need to clean the kitchen and porch windows.. but I dont think its going to happen this weekend!

I got a phone call from my brother yesterday, hes in NY. so we are all going to my aunts cottage to visit tomorrow for the day. I havent seen my brother in probably about 10 years!

then tomorrow night my friend who we had the pink party for, is having a bunch of us (with our families) over.

sunday I have to meet a lady who is ordering 8 memory bears.. so my weekend is pretty much taken.. any extra time that I have will be to do laundry. I may get some time sunday afternoon to work on a halloween ball doll .. Im thinking that I might cook a ham on sunday...maybe with scalloped potatos and corn on the cob.. and squash.. and maybe a peach cobbler! yup.. I think i'll do that!

tomorrow morning I have to make a potato salad, and some pumpkin bread to take to my aunts. I also have to make taco salad dip to take to my girlfriends tomorrow night. I'll have to get up early.. which I always do.. but I should probably get my butt to bed as its 11:45 right now!

I mailed out my 3 for 3 animal swap goodies yesterday for grace's swap, and Im mailing out my wand swap tomorrow.. as well as finally my pay it forward stuff.. so you girls be watchimg your mail. I have a few things left to work on. I have one of my halloween ball dolls finished and ready to mail.. the other just needs to be dressed. My sweet and sinister stuff is pretty much ready to go.. i have to find something vintage still. I also have something ready to go to marie, for the sept swap that mary isabella is doing! then... I have a couple special little bears for 2 very special swaps I'm doing! (blaah blaah blaah.. do you get sick of my rambling? swap swap swap... blaah blaah blaah!!) after these things are finished I'll probably not do any swaps for a bit.. welll.... at least til christmas! haha!

well, I shall leave you with some pictures from the lake the other night when my inlaws were camping..

mother and daughter deeries!

A very lovely heron!

and a gorgeous sunset! the sky was on fire!

night night!!

PInk Party!

A friend of ours had breast cancer and is now making her way through chemo treatments. A bunch of us decided to throw her a PINK party! last night was finally the night. We had lots of pink foods, including delicious strawberry daquairis. (however you spell that!) We hung out and had a great time. Cheryl was happy and content.. but was not feeling the best. I was in charge of getting a group picture. HA! that meant that I had to learn how to use the tripod and the timer on my camera! The first picture, I didnt make it back into the group in time, the second I had plenty of time, and the third.. Ha! I was lucky I made it! we had a great time and I know that Cheryl really appreciates all of our love and support. this pic is the third one, which I barely made it back for!! a few of the girls really dressed up.. like our friend Renee, who came in her "kick cancers butt" costume! I really have the most awesome friends.. they are all nuts!

IN other news.. Im feeling like Fall is really upon us. I'm noticing lots of trees starting to change.. its getting darker earlier in the evening and the sun is coming up later in the mornings! Today is pretty dreary, but I do love the crisp freshness of fall. I asked my daughter this morning if she thought it was too early to get halloween decorations out.. she said she was kind of surprised that they werent out already! then she thought that the mess from creating halloweenies that is all over the kitchen table was probably enough halloween for now! hmmph! shes probably right. but Ive decided that I can get a few pieces out at a time.. so that means, its about time to put away summery things.. beachy things.. I figure I've probably had the last of my actually on the beach beach days.. but there are still plenty of days left for being on the lake!! In fact.. I think I'm going to plan a fall gathering to be held at "MY" new spot on the lake!

so speaking of fall and halloween hows all my swapper buddies doing on their halloween dolls? I'm almost done with mine. Please please please dont forget to take pics and email them to me!!! You still have a whole month to finish them. soo.. have fun!

flickr date!

SAY CHEESE CAKE FACTORY!!

A rather large blind date! On Sunday night I met up with Natalea and Jenny, and Sue as well as sue and Jenny's friend claudine and my daughter Jen at the Cheesecake factory~ most of us had never met before.. we know each other from Flickr and blogging. with the exception of Jenny used to work with Sue and claudine. We had the best time! 4 and a half hours of chit chatting, story telling, a few good jokes, and a lot of laughter! We had an interesting enough waiter, who Jenny thought looked like Nick lashay (dont have a clue as to how to spell his name) we entertained or possible annoyed the waiter.. ehh.. who cares which.. we were there for our own enjoyment!

The girls were awesome. how fun to met up with others who understand the urge to run to buy a new piece of scrapbook paper, or some new ribbon.. or to take a picture of some silly thing and to post it. They are kindred spirits, creators of art and whimsy! You cant beat spending time with people who really get it!! I do have a couple friends not on line who do understand.. (Brenda.. thats you!) but mostly people think I'm nuts.. well I probably am.. but at least I know there are others who are just as nuts!! So much fun girls! just cant wait to have a chance to do it again! Makes me wish i could go to silver bella! here are a few picks of us! arent they all adorable?

I had hoped to work on my halloween dolls on labor day, but ended up at the lake again.. (sunday and monday!) we had such a good time..Sunday I went to the beach with my beach buddies, sandy adn becky and their kids! Then on Labor day My family and another couple spent the afternoon and evening picnicing at our new spot down the road. I may have been pushing my luck a bit, because I knew I was coming down with something.. bad cold, and sore throat... but I spent a good deal of time in the lake.. .. now I really feel pretty ill.. There was the most gorgeous cat at the lake last night.. I would have loved to bring him home. But besides the fact that I just cant, I thought, well, geez, if I lived in this beautiful place, I would not be happy if someone took me away from it!!!

Bethany practicing to be a mermaid!!

Aint she sweet??