Who Says Grass and Trees Have To Be Green?

Leftover paint ~ Not enough to save and too much to just throw away.

Remember that fish drawing I did? I'm painting something similar on canvas board with acrylic paints. I mixed a small amount of orange acrylic paint for one of the fish I'm painting and I guess it wasn't small enough. So I used it to paint a picture in my journal. What do you do with leftover paint?

Fish and Babies

My latest journal page. This is on the back of the "Home is Where Your Story Begins" page. I like how the glue and the fabric gave this piece texture. I have a really pretty scrap of cloth with a blue background and colorful fish all over it. I decided rather than gluing it to my page why not draw it out. I used color pencils. It really was fun and relaxing.

Have you ever created art in the dark or semi-dark? I have and did with this piece. Sometimes it's a fun surprise to see how it turns out under bright light. I think my purple fish must be full of little fishy eggs. :-) I like the black and yellow striped fish best.

On another subject:

If you have a baby shower to plan for you may find my newest published content on AC interesting. Just click on the titles and enjoy reading my newest articles:

Free Printable Baby Shower Invitations

Baby Shower Invitation Sayings: Words to Include on the Baby Shower Invitation

No, no new babies in my near future. I chose to claim these assignments because the looked interesting and fun.

And if you'd like to write for AC click below and join me on Associated Content:

Become a Source on Associated Content

Have a blessed day everyone. It's Friday, woo hoo!!

Tess

A Bag of Scraps, An Art Journal, A Button and Some Glue

Rainfall

It's been windy here the past few days and now it's raining. So I thought I'd leave you with a poem about:

Rainfall

With each and every rainfall,
everything is made anew.
From the tops of trees so tall,
to the grass touched by the dew.
All things are made fresh and new.
And yes, sometimes,
Even You!

Poem By Teresa Mahieu, cir. 1986

~~~

Many in my region are under thunderstorm and tornado watches.

I pray all will be safe.

Have a good evening,

Tess

Surgery Rescheduled

Greetings all,

I've just a bit of news to share about Bobbie. Her surgery to remove the heart catheter has been rescheduled. It will take place on April 6th. A scheduling problem with the doctor I, I am told she is fine with it in place but that it is not needed so is best it be removed. As she had some signs of paralysis just after the initial surgery the catheter was inserted as a precaution to prevent a blood clot from getting into her lungs or brain which would have been fatal. as it is she has regained the use of both her left leg and arm. The arm and hand are a lot weaker than the leg but she is quite mobile and thus the fear of a blood clot forming due to being sedentary is gone. It was so good to speak to the nurse myself and better fully understand this. Bobbie admitted she was worried but is relieved to know that nothing is wrong.
~~~~
It is Spring break time here as it is in many places. My granddaughter has been making new friends in her neighborhood and having sleep overs with "adopted cousins", nieces of Bobbie's best friend. I took the afternoon off from work this past Wednesday and picked her up for a play date. It was a dreary overcast day, (I love how this photo of the sun turned out)so we went to see a movie. I took her to see Race to Witch Mountain. It is the remake of Disney's Escape from Witch Mountain. If you have a chance to see it you will enjoy it. A good family movie with Dwayne Johnson and two of the cutest kids in Hollywood. I didn't recognize either of them but have a feeling we'll be seeing more of them to come. It was a fun movie and my granddaughter was amazed that she was able to sit all the way through it. (Yes, it was that good.) She usually gets up to go to the bathroom half way through a movie.

Afterwards we drove through McDonald's Drive-thru for an ice cream sundae and then to the park to sit under the shelter and eat.

We ended up leaving this park to go to Wal-mart and then stopped at another park on the way home where she decided to play a while. She was swinging and climbing and crawling aound, while grandma clicked away with her camera.

A fun afternoon and something to tell about when she returns to school on Monday. I'm sure she'll be telling everyone she saw "the Rock" fighting aliens. :)

Till next time, be well,

Tess

A pictorial view of Bobbie...

She has gone from this...
To this...

And from here...

To here...

Wearing a crown of metal...

But who is this?....
Could it be...

It's Bobbie and she's wearing a smile...

One month later the crown is gone and the sight is almost healed,

And she's growing hair.......

A long overdue update:

Bobbie is healing well and smiling more each day. Her hair is coming in nicely and she seldom wears the scarves or caps any more. (Her daughter picked this scarf out for her.) We ask for prayers once again as she is to have surgery this Friday, March 20th, to remove the heart catheter they put in just after her first surgery. We have no idea why they want it removed now just that the outpatient surgery has been scheduled and it needs to come out. We are taking this as a good thing. Bobbie is much more mobile than I think any of the doctor's expected. That's my girl, stubborn as all gets out, and never one to stay down for long....

Many Blessings to you all,

Tess

Is Life Not Like A Puzzle?

Many times the pieces of Life's Puzzle come together easily.

Sometimes fitting Life's Puzzle pieces together can be difficult.

And other times Life's Puzzle pieces are scattered far and wide....

I'm not finished yet, with my Life's Puzzle,or these ATC's.

~~~

I hope you all are having a good weekend. I am. I spent part of the afternoon with Bobbie and her family. She is doing good. I'll have photos to show soon.

Tess

Recycled Envelopes and Surprises in the Mail

I wanted to share a special surprise I created for my mom. I actually mailed it off today. We like to send each other things by snail mail now and then. Just little thinking of you reminders. Anyways, I was browsing around on the internet the other day and found this Donna Downey youtube clip with instructions to make a mini album using recycled envelopes. Since I just happened to have some bill envelopes saved and the clip looked pretty easy to follow I decided to give it a try. This is what I came up with.

I had more fun coming up with ideas to make the tags I think. At first I had stuff on just one side of the tags and then i added to the other. The black is ink. The instructions Donna gave sure looked easier than it was to use the ink. Either that or I'm just not any good at inking things. I think I will definitely do this again but without the ink next time. Maybe I'll try adding paint to the edges of the paper and envelopes. Any way I had fun with this, and recycled, and used up some themed scrapbook papers and stickers I had just laying there, calling to me. Ever have that feeling; your stash of crafting stuff is calling to you? :-)

I received a very special package in the mail recently myself. I bought a pack of postcards from Jessica of vol.25. She is a stay at home mom and an artist. I love her drawings and designs. She has a great little etsy shop too. She is running a special on post card packs this month and is including extra cards in the packs too.

The backs are blank so they could be used for other things besides postcards. I just mailed one to Finland and one to Texas through postcrossings. Isn't this just the cutest image? If you haven't seen her designs before do stop by Jessica's blog and etsy shop. She has two adorable little girls and is a wonderful artist.

I must sign off now. Frankie is needing attention again. That little cat gets into everything.

See what I mean!!

Tess

My little annies: ANNIE QUILT GIVAWAY!!

Check out this wonderful blog and her March giveaway. The quilt is just darling.

My little annies: ANNIE QUILT GIVAWAY!!

Have a great Monday,
Tess

Surprises in The Spiral Composition Book

I found this wonderful old Spiral Composition Notebook behind a bookshelf after we moved in to my husbands family home many years ago and just recently found it again. I understand now why I kept it. It contains a treasure trove of recipes and old home remedies.



The above Cake Mix insert is dated 1947. Printed on fine paper it's amazing it's lasted as well as it has. The box in the lower right hand corner of the second image is a "Double the cost of your ingredients back guarantee" and get this, offer expired July 1, 1949.

Do you remember Calumet Baking Powder with the Indian on the Can? I sure do. I knew that meant grandma was baking again. Mmm Mmm Good! This Ad is torn from a Country Gentleman Magazine and is dated March, 1952. I sure wish I had the rest of the story for the other side of the page (below).

Don't you just love the kitchen pictured here? And the colors on this page are still so vibrant. The story speaks of a couple building a new home at a cost of $14,000.00. The heading under the top photo states the kitchen has 17 outlets. I love the drop down laundry bin in the 2nd middle photo. We have a similar bin in our homes kitchen but I use it to hold paper sacks and plastic bags.

I hope you enjoyed the little trip down memory lane or peek into the past for you young'uns. Do any of you remember that term? There is actually an article on the back of a recipe that was torn from some magazine that uses the term young'uns, in print, slipped inside this wonderful little Composition book. And here I thought my grandpa made up that word!! :-)

Have a great weekend folks,

Tess

P.S. Click on the title of this post for a link to my grandmother's banana bread recipe.

A Fellow Blogger is Having a Give-away

I follow several bloggers around and find that clicking on links of other bloggers that have left comments on favorite blogs is a great way to meet new people. I did just this again today and had to share with you all the wonderful news. Tristan has 50 followers in just a few short months. Isn't that great? "Who is Tristan?" you ask. Well click on over to his wonderful blog and find out for yourself. Have fun and join in on his give-away while you are at it. Oh, and he has an etsy shop too.

Happy Tuesday,

Tess

Bobbie Is Home

I had butterflies in my tummy driving by myself to pick her up. "Is she really ready?", kept swimming in my head!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1514314/answered_prayers.html?cat=5

Prayers said, candles lit, positive thoughts and messages conveyed and finally

Bobbie is Home!!

My OWOH Prize Arrives & Another Update on Bobbie

Woo Hoo, My OWOH giveaway arrived today. Edrian was so kind to also send along a postcard and her business card showing off her artwork. She is just a wonderful illustrator. And I love her blog. I tried both taking a picture and scanning the items and I just could not get the sparkle of the bracelet to show in the pic. And the pretty gold foil pouch is just icing on the cake. The bracelet looks really small but it fits just fine, and it's lavender. I love it! Thanks Edrian!!

*************

And now for another update on Bobbie. She has now been transferred to the inhospital occupational rehab unit on the 4th floor. She is to wear her street clothes and will get more intensive therapy. And, they have convinced her she must quit smoking and she has agreed. They will be helping her with that too. She mentioned a patch. Her dear friend Tracy took her clothes and washed them to remove the cigarette smell and sprayed her shoes down with Lysol. He has agreed to quit smoking too. Now to get my son-in-law to agree to quit also, that would be great. We are looking at the rest of this week in the rehab unit working with the left hand and learning ways to get around. She handled the stairs well today and is walking just fine on linoleum and carpeting. :-) She is already practicing writing her name with her right hand. I am so glad they are teaching her these things now.

You all have a bright and beautiful day tomorrow and a calm and peaceful evening tonight.

Hugs,

Tess

Bobbie is Out of ICU

Please read an update on Bobbie at my AC site posted Feb. 20th first if you haven't yet here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1496189/update_on_bobbie_post_surgery.html?cat=5

Then see the photo update of my granddaughters first visit to see mommy since the surgery (below). The visit went well. Bobbie is out of ICU and in her own room.
Raven wasn't shocked at all to see her mommy without hair. We prepared her by showing previously taken pictures.

Bobbie has missed her little girl and so enjoyed her visit even though it really tired her out.


Gifts for Bobbie to brighten her room. The bear is a Ty Bear named The Beginning. We thought the name was perfect and so did Bobbie.

Bobbie gives a smile for all of the wonderful prayers, thoughts and words of encouragement she has received from family and friends here and in blog land. The black eye just appeared a few days ago as well as swelling and bruising on the right side of face. We are told this is normal.



The sun setting on a beautiful day.

Bobbie can walk, talk, use the bathroom and feed herself. Praise God!!

She still has trouble with some paralysis of the left hand and arm but can move it and is working with occupational therapy to strengthen it. This morning she said she fed herself breakfast and didn't even have to change her gown afterwards. She has stated she had no idea using a spoon could be so hard. She now understands what babies learning to use utensils must go through when we adults are impatient with them. I told her to take all the time she needs to master that arm/hand. Her walking is somewhat slow but she is gaining speed daily.

Thank You all for your wonderful gift of prayers and encouragement for us.

Flowers from her sister.

Please continue to pray for Bobbie's swift recovery............

Bobbie Is Doing Great!!!!!

Chuck and I are back home for a few. We left Robert in Topeka with Bobbie and a dear friend there, Tracy, will bring him home tomorrow night. Life still goes on even when we want or need to be with loved ones. Work calls for all of us and he is needing to see their daughter. As for Bobbie.........

She is doing great. I/we want to thank you all for your many prayers and positive thoughts for Bobbie. We also need to Thank Tracy and Brian for the use of their home so we would not have the expense of a motel. The pre-surgery time took about 90 minutes and then they called to say the surgery had started. About an hour and a half later a surgical nurse called the waiting room attendant to tell us that Bobbie's vital stats were steady and that the tumor is out. The surgeon was able to get it all without any trouble. About an hour later we were called to the conference room to speak to the surgeon. He said the surgery went extremely well and that the tumor was smooth. This is a real good thing as it means it will probably be benign. Of course they will have the tumor tested. He said she would spend 2 or 3 days in ICU before moving to a regular room.

Bobbie checked in yesterday at registration at 7AM and we gave our hugs and kisses before she was taken away at about 10:30 AM. We finally got to see her at about 3:30 that afternoon briefly in the hallway and an hour later we were allowed to file in 2 or 3 at a time to see her. She was very groggy of course and went in and out on us but all got to hear her voice and most got her to open her eyes. There were 8 of us their and many close by their phones waiting to hear. I apologize for not getting online sooner.

I can honestly say hearing Bobbie say "Hi Mom" after the surgery was more joyful to me than even that first cry the day she was born. She knew my fear that she would wake and not know me. She knew all of us and seems to be the "old Bobbie" again. Her feisty, humorous, lovable, obnoxious self is back; praise God. I love her so and can only say that if you have a loved one that you are at odds with, get over it and get back to loving again.

Bobbie had no movement and showed no signs of feeling on her left side the day of the surgery (remember the tumor was on the right frontal lobe). Today she is wiggling her left toes and moving the left leg. She is also talking without slurred speech and without repeating herself over and over. Her left eye was weak and did not open as much as the right at first but by early afternoon both eyes were opening the same. She still has not moved her left arm but has had some pain in the left wrist (the iv's are there) so this is a good sign that maybe it is just taking longer for the arm to wake up. A cat scan of her head was done this morning and the nurse said the Dr. was pleased with it. Her first meal was baked chicken with over fried potatoes, carrots and a salad. She didn't eat much but she did eat some and drank all of her tea, AND, she kept it down. Robert is keeping almost hourly notes in her journal and the first meal note includes a "What?" type of comment. While we were feeding Bobbie (She isn't allowed to sit up more than a 30 degree angle right now so I offered to feed her and she accepted.) she made a funny face and then said she has a loose tooth. She even reached in and tried to pull it. We stopped her and told her to finish eating on the other side. The loose tooth is on the right side. A few bites later she handed Robert a piece of her tooth. Casualty of the first meal, :-) I know it doesn't sound funny but she thought it was and after some chuckles we told her to slow down and of course she blamed it on me with a wink to Robert. Like I said, my "old Bobbie" is back.

She will stay in ICU until tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon and then may get moved to a regular room. We've had contact with the sitter daily and she spoke with her little girl last night and again today. I took my camera and took photo's for Bobbie's journal and to bring back to show my granddaughter. She was so pleased and even laughed at seeing that mommy really is bald. She wants her funny head wrap to keep but only after we wash it. Silly child!! :-)I've already started thinking on scarves and hats and such she will need for coming home.

As joyful as I feel I know it's not all over and she will have lots of healing time to go through, plus the issue of the left arm and how weak will the left side be once she is gotten to her feet. I want to thank you all for the wonderful blessing we have received from your many prayers and ask that you keep Bobbie in your prayers a while longer. I apologize if this seems a bit long or jumbled up, I am tired and still trying to make sense of it all myself.

Many Blessings to you all,

Hugs,
Tess
Both photos were taken today, Feb. 18th.