Gardening and Such

My long weekend is almost over. It's been a good 5 days. I've accomplished a lot and played some too. I'm feeling stronger each day and am happy with my new medications. We've been ding a lot of outside cleanup around here. The yard has been mowed and trimmed and we even gave the old tractor tire a new coat of paint.

This is one of my favorite things about this yard. My mother-in-law "planted" this tire many years ago. Today the inside was weeded, turned and it had some fresh dirt added. Plus we gave the old tire a new coat of fresh paint. It looks so much better than it did. Mom would be pleased.
We dug up and re-planted the cauldron. Do you see that little cat peeking from behind? I like this picture because of that little statue. And of course the little angel offering water or seeds from her apron.

This is in the backyard. The area beneath the wash tubs still needs more weeding and a fresh layer of rock but it is looking much better. The rose bush was full of weeds and crowded by little trees that I did not want there (squirrels!). It's a pink and yellow rose I dug up from my grandfathers yard after he passed. Everyone said it would not grow. It has survived every year and I get many beautiful blooms from it all summer long. My gift from grandpa Zackie. The wash tub will soon be full of rose moss. So pretty!!


Hubby placed garfield in front of this potted plant. Isn't he cute there?

I pray you all had a safe holiday and will have a good start of the new short week. I wish to send a Big Thank You to all of our sevice men and women and their families. Your sacrifices are greatly appreciated. To my loved ones in heaven I send this message: I miss you and I love you; You are not forgotten!

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

P.S. I took my granddaughter to see the new Shrek movie today. It was wonderful. Do stay for the after credits. I so love happy endings.... :)

A Christian Nursery Rhyme or Three....

Happy Sunday Everyone,

As promised I am here to share a Christian Nursery Rhyme or 3 with you from one of my new favorite book finds:

The Christian Mother Goose Book

by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker.

I wish I had found this book when my girls were still young. I've really enjoyed reading it and almost singing along with the rhymes.

First, I would like to invite you over to Associated Content to read one of my very own altered nursery rhymes:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Now for the Christian Nursery Rhymes ~

There Was An Old Woman

The was an old woman

Who lived in a shoe,

She had so many children,

And loved them all, too,

She said, "Thank you Lord Jesus,

For sending them bread."

Then kissed them all gladly

And sent them to bed.

Wasn't that cute! ~~

I See The Moon

I see the moon,

And the Moon sees me.

God bless the moon,

And God bless me!

That would be a really sweet & quick bedtime prayer, don't you think?~~

One more, I'm sure you won't mind :) !

Three Kind Mice

Three kind mice,

See what they've done!

They helped a lost chick

To find Mother Hen,

They brought some food

To the church mice, then

They cleaned up the tree house

For Jenny Wren,

Three kind mice.

Aren't these such sweet variations of the beloved Mother Goose Rhymes we all know and love. Well I guess we all know, maybe not. Anyway, I will share more next Sunday.

In the meantime I have paint-overs to finish and share. And fused plastic envelopes to finish and share also. Plus hubby and I have been cleaning out flower beds and replanting today and still have more to do tomorrow. And we bought a Topsy Turvy Tomato Plant holder, and a Strawberry Plant holder too, so we'll be fixing them up later this evening. A big thank you to my brother Randy and my nephew for coming over and helping us with yard work today. We wouldn't have gotten as much done without their help.

You all have a safe and Happy Memorial Day,

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Goodwill Hunting

Hello Friends,
I spent part of my afternoon at our local Goodwill Store. It seemed like they had so many new things in since last I was there. I lost myself for hours.

Literally.....Hubby said he was beginning to get worried. Poor dear...

I wanted to share will you all the wonderful finds I found today. Above is a tray that will be decoupaged and a bottle of felt glue. Also a rather large artists canvas. It is 16 X 20. I had to grab it as I wondered how it would look covered in pastel-over (paint-over) roses. Hmmm!!

(Note to Peggy: I've painted more tulips.)

I'm afraid I don't have pics of the wonderful plastic little girls clock that looks like a shirt and has a certain word above the 12:00. My granddaughters name!.....I just had to buy it. And the pretty half moon plaque that was just perfect for over my granddaughters bedroom door although her mommy seemed to think it would be pretty on the living room wall.

Ahhh but the books, I do have pics of the wonderful books I found today.

I grabbed all 5 of these wonderful little paper back books and they are in great condition.

Then I spotted this hard cover book and flipped through a few pages. I fell in love with this book on the spot. I will share some of the Christian Nursery Rhymes tomorrow and each Sunday during June (I'll try not to forget). This book is in excellent condition and the copyright is 1977 with First Illustrated Edition 1978 on the inside. I think it will be altight to share here with you. The author is Marjorie Ainsborough Decker. It is inscribed "to J.J. Smith with Love from Grandma and Grandpa 1979". He (or she) took very good care of it. I will too as I share the rhymes with the little ones in my life.


Then I spotted these two little books. Isn't the praying hands book cute?! My nieces name is Angel so she will get the Angels book one day. And the other one was just too cute to pass up.

(See that dark spot on the left of each pic. Do you think maybe I should clean my camera lens? LOL!!)

Then I saved the one below from the trash bin. It is in awful condition but I thought the covers and pages would be great for artwork.
And even though it is falling apart the pages themselves aren't really all that bad. See that little leaf there....I found several leaves pressed in the pages. There are even some Winnie the pooh coloring pages tucked in the very back. Someone loved this book...
Just as I was telling myself "no more books" I spotted these two little gems.

I can't wait to read the Teddy Bear Philosophy. The introduction is a real hook. Quote: "Therapists are expensive, husbands and wives may stray. Family can make you crazy, and friends can move away. But no matter where you go, no matter what you do, Your Teddy Bear will always be there, Loving and caring for you."

Aww!! Now how sweet is that!! See, you do understand why I HAD to buy it...

This paperback will be a lot of crafty fun I think.... I love weddings and so does my youngest daughter. My son-in-law is a preacher and he has joined many hands together in matrimony. My daughter is often the photographer or decorator and she helps with writing the ceremony. Once I've read this book I'll pass it on to her. She doesn't think so but she really is a pretty crafty little lady. She has designed a wedding cake for a Halloween Wedding (skeleton bride and groom) and puts on a grand party at any budget. It's the big day and even when budgets are tight a wedding day should be one to remember and the bride should feel very special. Yep, that is their philosophy...

So there you have it, my wonderful Thrift Store finds for the day from The Goodwill Store. I bought some clothes too but hey I thought you'd enjoy seeing my books instead. It's hot out and I found some cute skirts and a couple tops.

So when were you last at your local Thrift Store?

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

Insomnia Rocks....Not!

Hello Friends,

Seems the rains we've been having has decided to make my degenerative joints act up. I had leg cramps all night last night and a bad case of insomnia. I hate sleeping one hour maybe two and then waking wide awake. I did put my awake time to good use though by experimenting with some art techniques. I bought Cutter Bee cutting board and cutter from Crafty Steals and it came in yesterdays mail. I love that little cutter. It fits great in my hand and I like that I don't have to touch the blade to use it. It came with two cutter bees for piercing paper to sew also. I'll be trying them out later today or tomorrow. As for last night, I made this:

Original Picture (Above)
4X4 Paint-Over (Below)

And this:

Original Picture (Above)

4X4 Paint-Over (Below)

And This:

Original Picture (Above)

5X7 Paint-Over (Below)

These are my first attemps at paint overs and of course I had no idea how to do it. I used the water soluble crayons I received a while back in a giveaway from Tristan over at Enchanted Revelries. A wet finger was my brush. I love finger painting!!! I am pleased with how they turned out and the tulip will be entered into Lisa Bebi's Orange Challenge on Face Book. I still have to figure out refining the edges better. I cut out the tulip and created a water color background to glue it to before painting over it. The same with the Fire and Ice painting. That one took on a life of it's own as it is not what my original vision was. It was fun though and a quiet project. Mustn't disturb the hubby's beauty rest just because I have insomnia. LOL!!

So there you have my newest experiment. I plan to try this again. I think the tulip will be mounted on a piece of wood. The Fire and Ice will go into my journal with explanation to myself of how I did it. The roses are on just plain copy paper. I'm not sure what I will do with it. Maybe just add it to my journal too with journaling about hows and whys while it is still fresh in my mind. I'm thinking I should have colored the tulip before gluing to the background. Or maybe I should outline it with a black pen. I think I'd rather leave this one be at this point as I like it as is. I can always work on refining the edges on the next one. I'm thinking a purple tulip would look pretty. Maybe a series of tulips from this same picture is in order. This little tulip comes up all by itself every year in my front yard. I did not plant it there. Hubby wants to dig up the bulb and plant it somewhere else but I won't let him. One lone soldier stands alone every year to announce the arrival of spring.

I'm off to a Dr. appointment and then motor vehicle to register my new van. Yep, We bought a new vehicle and now I'm kinda sad as I drove the same vehicle for over 10 years. Butt...I love my new minivan. (The AC works without slamming the hood!!) It's a 4 door - just what I always wanted. Woo! Hoo! We took a loan out against ourselves (Savings Account) and I set it up with the bank to make a transfer from checking to savings each month to pay ourselves back. No interest to pay out to the bank this way. A big plus! We picked our own payments. Another plus! And we'll be able to pay ourselves back even faster once we sell the old van. Gotta be thrifty like this now days.

Go over and say hi to Tristan and Lisa, they love visitors.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

HeARTworks: Miracles Come to those who Wait Necklace Giveaway

Greetings All,
Go visit Patsy and enter her giveaway today. Ends soon... She's created a beautiful necklace using one of her favorite collages.
HeARTworks: Miracles Come to those who Wait Necklace Giveaway

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,
Tess

eWillow.com: A Giveaway and a Keeper

Click on the link below to learn more about Amy Anderson of Mod Podge Rocks fame and enter the giveaway to win a free sample pack of mod podge:
eWillow.com: A Giveaway and a Keeper

eWillow.com is a pretty coool place too.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

P.S. It's beena good weekend....I can breathe!!!!!!

Groovy Giveaway

You don't want to miss this one. Go visit Tristan and see the Groovy Giveaway he's offering...http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com/

The above will become part of a word weave for Cinda of Turquoise Cro Thyme.

Please pray for my friend Cinda who I've never met in person but cherish dearly.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

An ATC Swap and A Word Weave

Good Morning all,
And it is a good morning indeed. I was able to sleep clear through the night last night for the first time in almost a week. Friday night I was awake all but about 3 hours of the night and those three were broken up in little doses here and there. Saturday night I managed 3 hours straight then was up again until 6:30 AM and stayed up until bedtime last night. I was exhausted. The prednisone does this to me. But as I knew it would my body finally adjusted and I feel well rested this morning and I can breath. Woo Hoo! I did rest over the weekend by sitting quietly and reading or crafting between spurts of energy when I did my laundry and cleaned my stove. I do like those little spurts of energy even though I hate being sick. ~~

I love Somerset Studio magazine and at one time purchased several back issues I did not have. I decided to dig them out and read. I found the March/April 2005 issue and it spoke to me (literally, it said "read me please, you like my cover and you'll love what's inside"; or was I hallucinating?!) :) So I sat myself down at 4AM on Saturday morning to read. I had it read cover to cover by 6:30 AM and went to bed. I was up again a couple hours later. Sunday night I was up and down all night also with coughing or needing my rescue inhaler or just being awake. I went back to bed about 6:00 AM and hubby woke me Sunday morning at 11:30. " You need to get up and take your meds", he said, "it's 11:30". I stayed up the rest of the day fearing if I napped any at all it would prevent me from sleeping last night.

I made the above Word Weave following Dory Kanters article instructions on page 91. This was fun to make and definitely was a quiet, sitting sill project. I did the mind doodle in one of my journals as it said to and picked my list of 10 words and then chose one. I chose the word creative as the thoughts I had written really seemed to have a creative edge and the word create or creative was spread throughout. I did not have a gold leaf pen or a gold gel pen so hubby took me for a drive on Sat. to hobby lobby and I bought both plus more watercolor paper. He went inside with me and did most of the running around through the store looking for things while I stayed in one general area. Isn't he sweet... ~~

I did an ATC and ephemera swap with LayHoon of mescrap and finally got her items scanned. She has posted about her swaps now and I wanted to show you all what she sent me.

These are the ATC's sh sent me and the pretty little envelope they were tucked inside. The back of the envelope has fish on it too. It is very shiny also. I love it. I love the sentiment on her ATC's. They are lovely. I think that as crafters and artists we are compatible as far off friends because we both love art and artistic play time. In a way all artists and creative people do have hearts that beat as one. One in the same as in same hopes and dreams. This is the ephemera she sent and the stamped envelope. The postage stamps are awesome. I love the museum piece there in the center with the paintings. All of it is so fun and beautiful. You can see some of Lay Hoons other swap items she received and what I sent her by clicking here. I have another project I started this past weekend using fused plastic. I had some that I hat made and never did anything with and found a wonderful article online from a blogger in the Philippines. I'll show you when I finish. Until then.....

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

Bronchitis Round 4

Good Morning Fellow Bloggers,

I went to our new after hours clinic yesterday after work as I was having yet another asthma attack and had been coughing and wheezing for 4 days. I couldn't get in to see my regular doctor so his office suggested I go there or back to the E.R. My E..R. co-pay is $100.00 and usually a very long wait. I was pleased with the Alpha Care Center. As soon as the nurse walked past and seen me trying to speak to the receptionist she said "Having trouble breathing?". I shook my head yes and and suddenly she was standing next to me and took my arm and said come with me. Without even being checked in she checked my oxygen saturation (low) and my pulse (high). That little thingy they put on your finger to check these stats is pretty neat. I was able to get the coughing under control enough to let her know I have Asthma and had been seen this would be the fourth month in a row. She came back with a cute little nebulizer machine and hooked me up with a breathing treatment. She told me I'd spend the next 10 minutes just relaxing and breathing and then we'd see to the paperwork. I gave her my I.D. and Insurance card and she was pleased that she could give that to the receptionist. I actually heard the nurse apologize to her for snatching me away. 10 minutes later she checked in with me and it wasn't empty yet. It took almost 15 minutes for me to suck down the medication. It did help some but not as much as usual. It helped me to speak easier and I was able to go over meds with her that had been given to treat me the last times and of course weight/height etc. for the doctor. They let me stay in that little room and brought me a clip board to fill out all of the forms. That took about 20 minutes as I was shaking and I had to call my husband because I could not find my complete med list in my purse. Of course I remembered where it was later. Shortly after that the Doctor came in and checked me over. She may have hit on a good factor. I used to be on Advair and when my insurance stopped covering it I quit using it. My doctor knows this of course and why. This doctor said she felt I was a definite candidate to be on it especially in the spring. I was hurting so bad I told her I did not care what it cost, we'd manage it. I ended up leaving the clinic with 5 prescriptions. They will be sending a report to my regular doctor which is good as I will be seeing him on the 27th for something else and he'll be able to check my lungs then to see how I am doing. I am on prednisone again so needless to say I did not get much sleep last night. It wires me out. The stuff works for me though. It's just that the bronchitis keeps coming back. This doctor thinks the Advair will prevent that. Let's all pray it does as this is getting expensive and can't be good for my lungs.

I had two nice surprises though. The clinic fee was the same co-pay as a doctors visit which for me is $25.00 and last month my E.R. visit was a $100.00 co-pay . Now that I know about the clinic and where it is I will definitely use it for after hour not wuit emergency but just can't wait visits. Oh, and the Advair was covered so it only cost me $30.00 compared to $98.00 the last time I got it when they said the insurance denied it. So two nice surprises!

I made a wordle about my bronchial asthma attack. Click the small picture above to be taken to a larger view of this wordle. Wordle is fun to play with when you can't sleep at night. I found out about it from Anne Gaal of Gaal Creative. It's great for inspiration too when you want to figure out a desgn element/placement for a piece of art or a card.

It's raining here so I think I'll go start a crockpot stew. Sounds good to me...

Be Happy, Be HEALTHY, Be You,

Tess

almost Wordless Wednesday

My asthma is acting up again. I'm so tired of coughing and not being able to take a deep breath. Valrie I apologize for not getting this posted over the weekend.

My May Day swap package from Valrie of Poems My Way

I was so shocked and surprised to receive so many goodies from Valrie. I love it all. (Especially the flyswatter and spring angel. She sent a special poem too.)

This is the piece of art I made special for Valrie. She loves tulips, butterflies and the color pink. I sent her some book marks too. I forgot to scan them. She has photos on her site. Go visit Valrie please. She is a fun gal and a great poet.

I have more to share another day.

Thank you to mescrap and 29 Days of Giving. Your packages arrived also.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

Shameless Advertisement:
Join Associated Content and publish an article before May 31st to be entered for a chance to win an Apple i-Pad. I also get a chance to win one too. Click the word join for my referral link or click Associated Content to go directly to my content page.

Quotes for Today

Yesterday is a fallen leaf; tomorrow is still a dream; but today is here.

~Esther Baldwin York

Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons.

~Ann Schabacker

(from the book 1,001 Inspiration Quotes for Crafters)

What will you do with your gift of "today"?

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

Crafty Steals

Have you heard of Crafty Steals? It's a great place to buy craft/art supplies at greatly reduced prices. I bought a set of slick pens for $11.99 and with shipping the grand total was only $14.98. This set is valued at over $40.00. I placed my order on May 2nd and the pens arrived on May 5th. How's that for quick service? You really must check this site out. Crafty Steals is one of my new favorite places. She offers a new steal/deal every day. She's on FaceBook too. And there is a Crafty Steals blog. The owner of Crafty Steals is a stay at home mom of two rambunctious little boys. Aren't they all? (Rambunctious) LOL!

So if you are in the market for some new supplies at deeply reduced prices check out this site. I'm not being paid for this endorsement. I just love her site and was impressed with the service so of course I wanted all of my friends to know about craftysteals.com

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

Play Date w/ Myself

ATC inspired by LayHoon of mescrap fame.

Top

Bottom (It's a long piece.)

I had a play date with myself yesterday. I decided to try my hand at making paper fabric/cloth. I seem to forget what it is being called but I'm having fun with it. I had a bottle of Elmer's glue about 1/3 full so I added water to about 2/3 full and shook it up real good. Then I cut a piece of thin muslin and had at it. I used scraps of this and that both paper and fabric. I had some stamped images on tissue paper and I added that too. Then some strings and rick rack and more tissue paper and more glue and all with my fingers and a sponge brush; but mostly my fingers. I added a few bits of lace too and didn't even think about what I was doing, just did it. It was fun, fun, fun and I'm not done yet. I want it to have lots of texture. I think I'm going to run it through my sewing machine next. I also think that it's too pink or needs another shade of pink. I started with a blue and yellow idea. Not sure how I ended up with pink. Some of it seems to be a bit stiffer than other parts of it. At first the edges were curling but now they seem to be lying flat again.

I also played with my Lisa Bebi Studio fodder and made 2 ATC's with it. This is the second one. The first is actually a ATC size card. I will show it later. I am not sure yet which I will send to Lisa to enter her original art contest. You can find out about it on her Facebook site, Lisa Bebi Art. I'm excited to see all of the things the participants enter.

***

To the May Day Challenge participants, Happy May Day! My package has not arrived yet but that's ok. I will be sure to photograph and share my excitement when I receive it later this week. Valrie has been ill too. I hope she got hers yesterday (she is my partner). I hate our postal system (such harsh words). One never can tell how long it will take something to arrive. But I shouldn't complain as the mail has delivered many fun things to me of late. I still need to scan or photograph my ATC's from LayHoon to show you all, and the extra ephemera she sent is so wow. Thank You Lay Hoon. (She is the muse for the ATC at the top of this post. I call it pennies from heaven.) You are a dear LayHoon....

Well, I'm feeling a nap coming on...Sunday afternoon naps are so nice...

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be You,

Tess

PS. I just joined bArter Sauce. I found her, Rosalie, on Facebook. If you haven't been to this blog yet you really must check it out. They are having way to much fun and I want to join right in. I've already made an offer on something. Wish me luck...