friday in love.. and 7 things about me~

sweet sandy of sandys creations is hosting a blog party! Everyone is posting things they love! So here are some of the things that I love! not in any specific order!

I Love Little pink teddybears! and all other teddybears too.. but mostly the smaller the better!

dancing sock monkeys!
who doesnt love christmas!

Blue beary muffins!

I LOVE easter!

The OCEAN and the lake are the only seriously the only places where I can truely feel relaxed!

I adore Halloween!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my girlfriends!

I love that I have fun with my girlfriends and that they can talk me into some crazy stuff! I LOVE that I WENT parasailing.. though I didnt necessarily love parasailing itself!

I LOVE creating! I love needlefelting.

This is a new love! I just bought another box of these tonight!

I LOVE food! I Love Fruit!

I LOVE popcorn and eat it daily! ( I eat fruit daily too!)

One of my favorite things in the world.. lemon merange pie! I do not eat this daily!

I love this old biker man!

and these sweet precious little naughty pumpkin heads!

these are the people that I love the most in the world.. (include hubby here too!)

I love my home, even though it needs sooooo much work!

I LOVE lake ontario! I live for the beach in the summer time!

Switching gears here..

my dear friend Kai, has tagged me to list 7 things about myself that you might not know!

1) I didnt really go to highschool, but I do have a 4 year college degree!

2) I dont like to read books! but I'm a magazine addict!

3) I wont drive on the expressway!

4) Im a morning and a night person.. I wish I could exist without sleep!

5) I recently have not been able to focus or manage my time wisely!

6) Im often running late! Only because I always think I have enough time to do just one more thing before i go, and then.. I have to really hurry!

7) I have a secret!!

If anyone else wants to play the game.. consider yourself tagged! but be sure to tell me, so I can besure to read what you write!

I'm so glad its the weekend! Tomorrow night is girlsnight with a bunch of my friends.. Were having a bon fire and drinking margaritas! sounds like fun to me!

Saturday I am staying home working on bear orders and Sunday I'm going to see WICKED!

Have a great weekend everyone!

HUGS!!

holy cotton candy blogland!

WOW! I feel like the lost blogger! Still struggling to keep up these days.. I dont know what the heck I've been doing since I last posted.. lets see.... Friday night I went to see Jersey BOys! OMG.. if it comes near you, you should go see it. I loved it.. All about Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons. It was so good! the music was awesome!
Saturday, I went to a craft show/auction/luncheon with 5 girlfriends. We had a great time visiting and getting caught up with each other. I also put all my easter stuff away. (took forever!) SO SaD to see it all go. This is the hardest time of year for decorating, because I dont know what to do with out a holiday! It'll take me a couple weeks or so to get things put back together! Then, in June I'll get out my summery and patriotic things, but til then, I guess its just a springy theme.. birds, nests, plants. Does anyone have any great springy decorating ideas??? I really need some cheap and easy ones!
Sunday all my kids and their boyfriends, girlfriends came over for steaks on the grill in honor of my little Tonys 24th birthday. uhh.. wait.. I think thats his 23rd birthday! eiy yie yie! I loose track sometimes! We had a good time all together. I'm always so glad that they all get a long and love each other! Thank you GOD!

Lets see.. Today it was back to work. There was calling hours for my friend from work that was killed last week. I was talking to her children at calling hours and had to leave quickly to go have a little cry. It just breaks my heart that those precious kids will grow up with out their sweet mommy.
Tomorrow is the funeral and child and family services is putting on the meal for after the funeral. While I was at the store getting some things for the casseroles that Im making, I found these cotton candy buddy bars! ONly 100 calories, or 2 weight watchers points.. I ate two of them! I ate one as soom as I got in the car, and I just ate another one.. I did it for you guys.. I needed to take a picture of one, with a bite out of it, just so you could see how good they look.. So.. Yes, I sacrificed my weigh in for tomorrow night, just for you all! I hope you appreciate it! lol!!
OKeedokie.. I really need to go work on some bear orders!! huggles and night all!

sweet stuff, sad news and prayers requested..

I finally finished the project we are going to do together at our Niagara retreat! In june, 7 of us will be heading to Niagara on the lake for our second annual weekend of crafting, relaxing and shopping! Oh.. and lets not forget eating!

Sandy Camarda, Maija Lepore, Natalea Kandefor, Amy Powers, Martha Brown and Jenny Caple and I will all be hanging out for a fun filled weekend. We had a great time last year and with two more joining us this year, its sure to be even better. Sandy does most (all) the behind the scenes work putting everything together.. she ROCKS I tell ya! (hugs to you Sandy!)

Anyhow, this is one of the projects we will be doing. Jenny Caple will be teaching us something fun too.. I dont know exactly what it'll be yet.. but I know it'll be something special!

Really does anything beat hanging out with girls who love the same things you do? There is something very special about the hearts of artists! But I think you all know that already! And just what has brought us all together??? Blogging and flickr! we would not have met other wise. and, I am so thankful for my blogging buddies.. everyday!

Speaking of blogging buddies, I think most of you know who Cindy of thimbleprimstudio is. Cindy is one of the first girls that I really connected with "out here". She has been a sweet friend, inspiring, encouraging and very kind hearted. She is ever so talented and makes the sweetest dolls and other creations.

She remembers birthdays and holidays with wonderful cards and gifts. And I am lucky to own many of her sweet creations. If you dont know her, you should certainly pop over and introduce yourself. I want to just say Thank you to Cindy for being so thoughtful. As most of you know Ive had some stuff going on in my life the past couple weeks and Cindy sent me the sweetest and biggest cheerup care package ever!

Full of the sweetest and neatest stuff! Thank you so much Cindy.. you are a good friend! I look forward to meeting you someday. I also got to talk to cindy for the first time on the phone this weekend. We had a great chat and now, as I will be able to hear her voice now when I read her posts!

Cindy sent me all the things you see in these last 4 pictures! All so much fun! thank you again girlfriend!
_________________________________________________________

I now have to share with you some very sad news and ask for your prayers.. A horrible thing happened today. One of the sweetest, friendliest and bubbliest girls I work with was killed in a car accident today on her way to pick up a client. she was in her thirtys and had two young children, 5 and 8 or 9 years old. I feel sooo sooo bad for those kids. Also, Nicole was one of the girls from work who took two of Frannies kittens. so, please keep her family in your prayers and also the people I work with, everyone of us will be struggling to do any work the next few days.

thanks for your prayers all.

and goodnight for now.

playing outside in the sunshine!

Morning friends! Just want you to know I'm feeling much better!
Still have stuff to deal with, but its ok..
Life is never dull around here.

People have often told us that we could be on reality tv, like the osborns..
OK! I'll do! just give me lots of money!
actually I'm afraid people would be pretty bored with us most of the time.
but there would definitely be some interesting moments.
eh... isnt it like that in every family though??


I'm thinking Roberts friends that spent the night here last night are probably pretty convinced that his mother is off her rocker when I started collecting some little friends to take out to play in the garden with me!

That was after I made a big huge fuss about capturing a bumble bee that was flying around on the enclosed porch. I wanted to let him go, though things didnt work out well for him in the end. bumbles usually remind me of miniature teddybears, so I dont like to hurt them.

anyways, I probably am nuts!

How 'd this weekend go by so fast? I started this post this morning.. and now its almost dinner time! Yesterday I did just about nothing all day long! I went to Joann fabrics and Barnes and Nobles in the morning, then came right home.. but Im not sure that I did anything constructive after that! I talked on the phone for hours yesterday.. Im not usually a phone talker. but Friday I had received a phone call from Cindy Owens from thimbleprimstudio, so I called her back yesterday and talked to her for quite a while. such a treat! then Jenny (be cheery) called and I talked to her for a long time! And to top it all off, after I talked to Jenny, Natalea ( Kandeland) called and had me laughing my butt off! so it was a fun and laid back afternoon. Then last night we went to our friends house to play euchre. So really Saturday was a very nice day.

Today.. I'm still not being very productive~
I sent my husband all the way to Conesus today to pick up two chairs that I bought on craigslist. He just got back with them a bit ago.. wow, they are really nice. Well worth the money. They are twin chairs, but I'm breaking up the set, one is going in my craft room the other jennifer is taking to put in her bedroom at her new apartment.

Im waiting for him to bring the chair in the house, but he has decided to take a break and is watching something dumb on tv. annoying! Actually I think he has fallen asleep already! I want my chair in now... I might go try to get it myself. Yes.. I'm a very impatient girl! Truthfully, I dont think I can get it out of the truck though, so I will have to wait....

Well.. I guess I was a little productive today...

This afternoon Jen and I pulled the carpet up out of the living room and put it out to the road. I wanted to go back to the hardwood floors with just the big area rug. It looks so much better.. much fresher and brighter. I had to clean the floor good and then I used liquid gold to shine it up some.. only problem.... ummm... its a little slippery in some spots now! hope no one falls!

Well, I should get busy here, Bethany and her boyfriend are coming over for dinner along with Jennifer. We're cooking hotdogs and burgers on the grill. Im making a macaroni salad for them and a tossed salad for me as well. And, what are hots and hamburgs on the grill with out baked beans! So I really should get off the computer and get moving in the kitchen. Plus I need to go out for a walk before it gets dark out!

OH.. one more thing.. Just want to thank everyone for all the encouragement this week.

You are all such kind and caring souls!

Love to you all!

now.. off to the kitchen I go!

hugs!

omg... I'm still playing with my dolls!

well, 1st off.. Thank God its the weekend!

2nd.... My life just keeps getting crazier and crazier!

spinning.. spinning.. spinning..

out. of. my. control!

Yesterday brought even more craziness to my life...

just absolutely crazy and Totally unexpected!

will give more details soon..

but let me just say..

OMG!

when you have 4 kids...

you never know what will come next!

Good thing I like baby dolls!

(like this pic Dione? I can hear you laughing!)

when life hands you lemons and things are out of your control.... play with your dollies!

Thank you to those of you who emailed me to say you were worried and missed me this past week! that means a lot to me! I have thought about posting a few times, but my life has been crazy since easter. home life and work life both are causing me huge amounts of stress!

I have been struggling with a family situation that I would love to be able to talk about here, but I just dont feel that it would be right to advertise to the whole internet. So let me just say that one of my children got into a little trouble and as a mama.. I am trying hard to remain positive on the outside, while on the inside I am angry, disappointed, frustrated and worried about the child.

I have tried to put it in Gods hands.. but I keep taking it back! I'm like that.. a bit of an indian giver. (Ummm that may be an inappropriate term these days.. is it Kai? if it is ... I take it back!!) Another of my children is in the process of moving and had a run in with the landlord that she is leaving, this too caused me a large amount of stress.. however that has resolved its self after I called the woman and the police and we let her know that she was breaking the law.


As for work.. cant really talk about that here either.. but the last few nights have not been good in one of the foster homes.. lots of problems.. and many phone calls to me after hours. some of the kids we work with are just plain pains in the butt. SERIOUS pains!

So anyways... I feel things have been spinning out of my control, Not that i'm a control freak or anything, I just dont like it! And Im struggling a little more then I normally would. HOwever.. I will be just fine.. yes I will.

I just hate when things are out of wack.. (not that anyone likes it that way! lol!)

Also always at this time of year.. I find a hundred things wrong with my house that I want fixed and I get irritated that they arent done when I want them done!! And the yard work.. which I m not good at overwhelms me too!

but Its all good.. I just need to make something cute.. and eat something choc in a large quantity! oh yes.. I would love to eat a couple dozen homemade choc chip or peanut butter cookies.. or maybe a whole apple pie! but first.. how about a huge plate of spagetti and garlic bread! or a trip to red robin for a huge bacon blue cheese burger with onion rings! oh my gosh! that sounds soooo good! or... a whole cheese steak sub.. with extra cheese onions and mushrooms! Or.. a country sweet chicken calzone! eiy yie yie!!! I better stop it now!

dont worry.. I wont eat anything like that! I wont do it.. I wont I wont I wont!

I actually lost 4 more pounds in the last couple weeks! yippee! so now I'm just under a 50 pound loss!!

OK.. girls.. sorry for the whinny post! and that I've not been keeping up this week.. I will get caught up with you all! I promise!

Gotta go.. I need to go figure out what to have for dinner.. I was really going to make spagetti, but now im thinking about peanut butter toast and hot choc! (about 10 pieces !!! LOL!)

have a sweet night all!

I'll be eating and playing with my dollies!

thursdays tag day!

Well, its was only thursday tag day yesterday because I got two packages full of delicious tags in the mail! the first batch shown above is from Rachel Velder who hosted the "april showers bring may flowers" swap. This group of women outdid them selves. Its a group that has been swapping tags with each other for a while now. I wonder whats next and whose hosting! go to Nataleas blog to see them all up close and identified!
And these fabulous retro kitchen tags came from Elizabeth of creative breathing! She hosted this very imaginative swap. what a blast it was, and the tags are all awesome!
thanks to both Elizabeth and Rachel for hosting!

And lastly!!! ITS FRIDAY!!! yay!!! tonight Jen and I are going to see CATS (the musical!) at an area highschool that does over the top musicals. Out to dinner first.. which means I better eat lightly today! If I dont get off the computer and get busy, I wont be eating anything because I'll have no time to make my lunch! speaking of eating or not eating.. I didnt go to weight watchers this week, but I do believe that I've lost about 47 pounds now. its coming off much slower now.. but were still moving in the right direction! I think my face looks very thin in this picture that I took of my baby and me last night. but its mostly just the angle of the camera!

Anyways.. off I go.. still have to shower, iron, make my bed, make my breakfast and my lunch and I've got less then an hour!

so I must hustle hustle!

see yas later!

Its spring! I'm nesting!

tweedle deedle dee...

tweedle tweedle dee

tweet tweet!!

cleaned my craft room lastnight
and did a little needlefelting.

I'm a little sad, because I was supposed to be going to ARt Opera this week in NJ.. but we just couldnt work it out. SOOO disappointed. wanted to meet Jenny Heid and Jenny Hernandez and Lisa Kettell..and so many more. Kecia posted a picture of jenny H on her facebook lastnight and she has pink hair.. I've always wanted pink hair. just dont think I could pull it off and live in my small little town. maybe a pink streak.. now this I should consider! I want pink hair!!!

Not quite this pink though.. sweet soft cotton candy pink!

the exact color of Jenny Heids!

maybe I'm too old for pink hair..

I'll be the big 50 this year!

waaaahhhhh !!!!