randomness on this wednesday

The camper sold and I figured this yellow really didn't match the other yellow in there ...

so I kept it.

I'm back to sleeping in a tent again when I go camping.

 

 

Somehow a tomato plant seed found purchase in the rocks and started growing.

Go figure.

It looks like we are going to have a serious harvest!

 

And this thing? Left over from last winter's freeze. Trying valiantly to produce.

 



I love blankets made of used sweatshirts.

Especially ones that have meaning.

The ones I've done have seams exposed.

The first one I pinked all the exposed seams and my hands nearly fell off from the trauma.

The second one I didn't have any shears,

and I seriously like the pinked look better.

To the rescue ... rotary cutter blade that does the job for you!

 



Sometime in June or July I'll get back to this project.

I'm hopeful.

and the final post leading up to ...

graduation.
It is in 2 short days.
Thank.
Goodness.

You all know I have a problem.
To be honest, I have multiple problems lately, but there is this one.
I like Pinterest and spend a few minutes here and there, browsing the possibilities.
That isn't the problem.
The problem is that all of a sudden I see something that just must be made.

These really didn't take long to do.
I started with 2 frame things I had in the craft supply stash and ended up adding a few more.
Little chalkboard signs.
I really don't know if the recipients will ever even wear these things.
Maybe they'll hang them on their rear view mirror or something.
Or toss them in the back of the drawer.
But I had fun doing them.
Somewhere there is a tutorial, but it goes something like this.

Take black paper. Write on it with a white gel pen. Mod Podge it to frame. Mod Podge or clear nail polish over the top of it and let it dry. Add extra danglies if you choose to.

Seriously easy.

Don't look too closely at this one. For some reason, this was the only one I had left when I took out the camera this morning. The others were already wrapped. This would be the first one I did metal stamping on and one of the letters sort of ended up katty wompus. Is that a word?

I've been really wanting to try stamping jewelry but was too cheap to buy the stamps. And then .... a dear friend game me a gift card to Hobby Lobby. Guess which department I spent that in?!

 

Why not add the key to future?

They aren't anything fancy, but they were fun!

 

Then came the silver.
It is rather difficult to find silver spoons. I haunted some thrift stores until I decided to give it up already.
I didn't shine up the back of this one ....

like I did the front. I rather like the tarnished look better.
I'm sure it will be back to tarnished in no time at all.
Once I did these, I realized just how small my stamps were!

The spoon was flattened with some serious hammer wacks.
The handle bent around a key ring and crimped as tight as I could get it.

And yup.
I wacked that "0" a few times in different spots.
Tia won't care tho'.
Maybe that's why I couldn't find any more silver spoons!

Attach key and you're good to come home!
Did I ever tell you that we color code, or print code, our keys? There is never a doubt which key lets you in the front door around here. And I can tell which key went to which residence because they're all different prints. Works great. Don't ask me why I would have extra keys laying around for every house I've lived in for the past 20 years.

I thought maybe I could just stamp some silverware out of my kitchen drawers.
Don't bother trying.
That stuff is tough!

Two days to tassel moving, hat tossing and a fun party!

Sunday morning ...

I didn't manage to accomplish everything I wanted to yesterday. 

To be honest, I didn't accomplish much. 

I wanted to bring my dear family with new twins some dinner and visit. 

No such luck ... wasn't exactly feeling like a million bucks. 

I wanted to muck out and clean my house. 

No such luck. 

I planned on getting a few graduation things done and managed a few with the help of some very willing daughters. 

I didn't realize I was taking over their plan until it was too late. They can take over some other planned thing. 

I had never seen a candy lei until Alyx graduated in Alaska. I've seen people looking back to buy them on local swip swap sites. We might go into business next year!

I DID make it to a door buster deal and got the graduation gift I wanted for Tia who is gone for the weekend. 

The littles were over yesterday. One of the littles' mom cleaned my entertainment center out. It hasn't been this clean since it came into the house!

This little learned to love stuffed animals yesterday. Especially Eyore. He has just leaned to walk and is doing a bang up job of carrying something half as big as he is!

This morning, because who sleeps past six on a Sunday morning anyway, I figured out how to slow an mp3 file enough to type an audio file! This will be a new one for me!

I got my car registered online and am making a list of Must Do things for Monday. Gosh. I wish I was camping instead!

And ... I slept like a baby last night. 

My dear hubby set up the massage table last night and treated me like a queen. 

I just might have a peek into the next stage of life. 

Looking right fine!

a touch of alaska

take a deep breath
all that fresh air
the sound of water rushing
the thick forests of green

 

the sun so bright it is a wonder

there is any snow left

at the tops of the mountains

and not even the snow

will stop some from enjoying the thrill of water

 



 

time marches on and things change

often the crest of this little mound of grass was a spot for my tripod

today there is a house over this little mound of grass covered dirt

 



and so it was that down the road i went again
just soaking it all in
filling the senses with the grandeur of it all
there is no way to capture it

other than filling the heart with the majesty of what is alaska

oh my goodness
but i miss
its splendor
its quiet
its peace
its supreme beauty

and then there are the people

they fill the heart to overflowing

24 sleeps

Before the 24 sleeps, I must tell you that I'm really excited about the other number ratting around in my head.

8 days of school left.
8 days of making sure someone made it to school on time because she doesn't like mornings anymore than I did at that age.
8 days until I have no more homework to worry about.
8 days until my baby graduates high school.

Throw the hat! Have a party!!

We are relatively young to be at this stage of life.
We certainly have many friends who will be working on projects and papers long after we're done.

I'm ready to be done with all that.

I'm not so ready to be done with the other part.

The 24 sleeps part.

We are 24 sleeps away from being empty nesters.
Like, all the birds will have flown.

I often think of the eagle and the way their nest is prepared for their young.

"Though many of us have seen pictures of a huge eagle's nest high in the branches of a tree or in the crag of a cliff, few of us have gotten a glimpse inside. When a mother eagle builds her nest she starts with thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and a number of other items that seem entirely unsuitable for the project. But then she lines the nest with a thick padding of wool, feathers, and fur from animals she has killed, making it soft and comfortable for the eggs.

"By the time the growing birds reach flying age, the comfort of the nest and the luxury of free meals makes them quite reluctant to leave. That's when the mother eagle begins stirring up the nest. With her strong talons she begins pulling up the thick carpet of fur and feathers, bringing the sharp rocks and branches to the surface. As more of the bedding gets plucked up, the nest becomes more uncomfortable for the young eagles. Eventually, this and other urgings prompt the growing eagles to leave their once-comfortable abode and move on to more mature behavior."


We all know that our job is raise our children so they can leave the nest.

But for the mother, whose purpose for years has been the rearing of her children and keeping them safe and protected, it isn't the easy thing to do.

At least for this mother.

And when it comes to the youngest ... I've done more protecting than pushing.

By far.

It's a good thing she has older brothers.

 

I'm going to buy stock in Kleenex.

Put boxes in every room.

I'll wander around waiting for her to come home and share the latest teen girl drama and heartache with me.

I'll worry about her getting home safely and then realize that she isn't coming home.

I might text her to say "where r u?" just because.

I'll buy her favorite foods and then realize she isn't here to eat them.

I am even going to miss her cranky days.

 

I'll clean her room out and make it a guest room.

And wait for her to be the guest.

 

24 sleeps.

 

Alaska

Where the temp at about 8:00 this morning was ...

The flower baskets are hanging ...

The kids are cute as bugs ...

And I've been drinking so much coffee ...

my goal today is a whole gallon of water!!

i'm off ...

for the weekend.

It is my first trip back to our beloved Alaska since we left there.

 

I've been dreaming of this for weeks.

I'm envisioning a deep cleansing breath of fresh and slightly humid air ..

the clean out the sinuses kind.

 

I am sort of picturing just sitting at Hatcher Pass for a spell

and soaking in the beauty of nature.

 

Of course, I am going to share entire pots of coffee over long overdue visits.

Lots of those.

 

I am going to see kiddos that were little when we left

now grown into bigger versions of those same littles.

I wonder if they'll remember me.

 

There are very good reasons we live where we do right now.

Those reasons haven't changed since we came back.

In fact, if you look at what has happened in our family in the past several years ...

we were meant to be here.

 

"It shouldn't be easy to leave somewhere if you have really lived there."

We did.

If there was any way possible to spend part of the year up there

and the rest down here,

I would do it in a heart beat.

Maybe someday we will figure out a way.

 

For today,

I'm breathing in the sights, smells, sounds (non freeway kind) and people

I've been yearning for.

 

I'm kind of giddy about it.

 

The concrete jungle can wait.

[trying to be a] wordless wednesday

well ... almost wordless.

this little guy is a mover and a shaker.

 

 and a downright friendly sort.

giving his new friend kisses and high fives.

 over the weekend I was having a visit via text.

part of our conversation was about where jari and i might end up living

in this next stage of life.

 

honestly.

i don't think i could ever leave these little people.

 

so much for wordless, hey?

getting ready ...

for that time of year.

 

Graduation is around the corner and so is the tissue box.

I'll probably be putting one on every flat surface around here.

Soon.

All too soon.

 

Until then ... celebrations are getting under way.

Not only is our baby youngest graduating from high school, a number of her friends are as well.

Read that as our friends.

We love many of these sweet young folks.

 

I digress.

 

So .. card making first.

 

Michael's is no longer my favorite crafting place, but it was on my way somewhere (out for a rare Starbucks coffee date with friends) one night and I found these little tags.

 

 

I could probably have figured out how to stuff them through the printer, but lately I've been having issues getting heavier paper to feed through my printer. I really need it to keep working, and don't really want to part with it to bring it in for servicing, so I just printed some large letters on regular paper.

 

2015.

Way back when I graduated .. a long, long, long time ago ... I don't think I could have imagined a child of mine graduating in the year 2015. Let alone my youngest child!

Uffda!

 

 

After cutting the paper with the date to the size of the tag, I hauled out my friendly tracing paper.

By the way .. this tracing paper has some serious mileage on it. One of the better $4.99 before the 40% off coupon pennies I've spent at my favorite [insert drumroll] Hobby Lobby.

 

Next up .. some Sharpie work. Nothing fabulous. Just a bit of black and a lot of lines that aren't necessarily inside the lines.

 

 

Some more writing ... add a string ...

 

and for less than $3.00 ... all of my cards are done.
(I even have tags left over for some other cute card ideas I found on Pinterest!)

I'll add personal sentiments and well wishes to the back of the card.
Plop it into an envelope or tie it to gift and I'm ready for gift giving.

They're plain and simple.
Totally me this year.

Next up ... some fun girl style grad gifts!

wordless wednesday

 

turning the big 'un

I celebrated on of those milestone birthdays nearly two months ago.

It was a quiet birthday with family and a few friends.

My sister Jen flew into town for the weekend.

Seriously, that girl ought to just move down here she has been here so often!

We had a fun dinner of crab legs and then plenty of sugar to wash it all down.

 

This birthday had me showered with all kinds of fun things ..

plenty of coffee guzzling abilities among them.

This was a creative one that I thought needed sharing.

 

A Treasure Map.

 



Not only did the map have a drawing of where my feet should go in my quest,

it also had little hints.

A silver star?!

"I don't have any silver stars in there!"

 

Maybe not the last time I looked, but one had magically appeared.

In fact, it is still there.

Probably always will be ... truth be told.

 



 

Next came the kitchen.

The treasure was hidden a little better than this,

but you really wouldn't be able to see it if I tucked it back up in that dish.

The same brand of treasure was hidden in each spot.

The treasure map ended with this:

 

Our quest is done, our needs fulfilled

Your faith in treasure has been instilled

 

Now we ask, that your feet go up

on the couch of your choice, 'til you have had enough.

 



They know me well, don't they?

 

Fun coffee mugs filled with the good stuff, feet up and chocolate in the hand.

Maybe even a little blogging added in there?!

How long ago was Easter and I'm still working on finishing off those Cadbury mini eggs!

 

Don't bother stopping by.

They'll be gone before you get here.

 

You might want to hang onto the edge of your seat.

At some point I am going to share with you some other things

that decided to take up residence with that milestone.

Ah. Forget it.

Give up the edge of your seat and go about your business.

It's taking me longer to get anything done these days.