Me and my Girls

Lunch at the Bamboo Buffet in Manhattan, Kansas
Bobbie can't take anything too serious for long. If you've followed this blog for any time at all I am sure you can understand. Life is too short to take too seriously. She is doing good by the way. Still a left side weakness and such but all in all doing ok.

My favorite girls in the whole wide world. I can't belive my granddaughter will be 12 years old next week.



Just thought I would peep in and say hi and I'm fine.



Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,



Tess

Kelcy

Chloe

Chloe

Grace

Grace Kelcy

My nieces performed at the Sundown Salute 4th of July Celebration. The oldest is Chloe, in the yellow, and Grace and Kelcy are on the two opposite ends of the line in the red, white and blue costumes. Grace was so hot and tired she looked sad but she said she really had fun.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe

Tess

Horizon Line

Still playing along with Claudine Helmuth in her online Collage Composition class. I am so far behind. She's posted week 4 and I was just finishing up week 2. I've viewed most of week 3 but am not sure if I am going to like the vignette college or not.

Heading home after a long trip and the homestead is in site. (Horizon Line Composition)Calendar page for background, collage elements supplied in downloads by Claudine, watercolor pencils and crayons. I really enjoyed watching this come together. I thouhgt the background fit perfectly and all I had to do was spritz it with some glimmer mist.

She never feared the storm when he was by her side.

This one is on water color paper. I found the focal image in a very old Readers Digest and knew instantly it would be a horizon line image. Claudine supplied the boat image and sheet music. Water color crayons, glimmer mist and ink.

I found Claudine's book Collage Discovery Workshop on Amazon.com for a very good price and snatched it up. I love that I'm taking her online class and found her book at the same time. I'm really enjoying browsing through it before I sit for a marathon read. I need to focus on the class and start a vignette piece. There are so many Uber talented people taking her class and I'm loving browsing through the gallery and seeing how everyone elses using her collage sheet downloads.

I also found Misty Mawn's book Unfurling on Amazon at a really inexpensive price so bought it too. But then that is a whole nother story....

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

P.S. Don't fall down stairs while carrying an awkwardly shaped box. It really hurts and makes for some awful aches and pains and bruises.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

More from my Claudine Hellmuth Collage Composition workshop. I am having so much fun with this class.

Not really a collage as this piece is mostly paint, crayons and markers but I was thinking of the asymmetrical composition theme as I was playing. The little yellow dots are paper.

Another piece from my Claudine Hellmuth Asymmetricl Composition class. Or is it a Low Horizon Composition? I think it would fit it both categories. This is a paintover collage of a summer sunset.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Asymmetrical Composition

Greetings fellow bloggers,

My apologies for not being around much. I have been in a bit of an artsy/crafty slump as well as very busy. (Aren't we all, busy that is?!) I've been to a wedding of a friends daughter and then to a reception for one of hubbies co-workers. Chiatra was married in India. It was so much fun trying out Indian foods and watching the video of her marriage ceremony while at her reception here.

We've also been doing a lot of yard work here and at Bobbie Jo's place. Bobbie is doing good but just cannot handle the yard work by herself. Hubby and I have also planted a pot garden. we have cherry tomatoes hanging in an upside down planter and a big pot with roma tomatoes. Also a big pot with bell pepper plants and another pot with snap peas. I already have pea pods forming and flowers on the cherry tomato plant.

Yesterday I was cleaning the weeds and such out of my rose bush that was dug up and transplanted here by me after my grandfather died many years ago. I had a terrible mishap and cut a good chunk out at the base. So we have decided to try to get it to root. Right now it is in water but hubby has been researching the process and we think we are going to attempt the sand and soil mixture in a pot with a plastic bag over the rose bush technique. I hope this works because if it does we should end up with 3 clippings plants and my mom has been wanting a piece for her new home for a while. I just had never attempted doing a cutting because I did not know how. I hope this works.

So to try to get out of the artsy/crafty slump I decided to take an online class over at Big Picture Classes. Since I really enjoy Collage I decided to try Claudine Hellmuth's Composition for Collage class. I love Claudine's art and liked that the class is self paced. You can still join in until June 8th . Above is my first asymmetrical composition collage attempt using Claudine's downloads. I just thought that sweet little girl was begging for wings.

So what have you all been up to?

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Nom Nom Nom Nom, Babies! - PIcture Song

The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino

The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino

I came across this article today on Facebook (link above) and was so very moved by the content. I may not have lupus or fibromyalgia but I do understand what the author is going through to some extent. When my osteoarthritis is flaring, when my knees are enflamed the mere act of walking across the floor is so painful it is sometimes just not worth the effort. And yet I push myself to get up and get going. I have a cousin that lives with lupus and I think I now understand a bit better what she is going through daily. I hope everyone reading this will click on the link and take the time to read the spoon theory. The the next time you think someone is being lazy or you see a "normal looking" individual taking slow calculated steps or someone getting out of a car with handicap plates that looks just fine; I hope you will remember the spoon theory. I know I will.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,
Tess

For My Menopausal Friends

Hello Dear Friends,

OK, I admit it, I sometimes experience hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. Extreme mood swings. A while back I was desperate to find a cure for my night sweats. I tried a product called Estroven and it worked. i even took it with me to a doctor appointment and got my doctors approval to take it. The product is a bit expensive, over $6.00 a box. I take the Estroven Plus Multi-Vitamin. With all of the prescription medications I take I figure a multi-vitamin is a must. Why am I telling you this? Because I just found the Estroven web-site and they are offering a printable coupon for $3.00 off any Estroven purchase. And the coupon does not expire until 12/31/11. Here is the website and here is the coupon link. Go grab yourself a coupon and give the product a try or if you already do use the product save yourself some money. Woo! Hoo!

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Gods Little Creatures

(He came up on the porch and took a siesta with my hubby standing just off to the left with camera in hand. He is layinf exactly the way one of my cats lays.)

Greetings Friends,

I've been a busy little beaver for some time now. My apologizes for neglecting my blog. Please kow that I have peeked in from time to time on many of your blogs.

We have been blessed with visits from God's little creatures lately and I wanted to share some pics here with you today.

This little guy was spotted recently foraging for a snack in our yard.

Our yard bunny is still doing fine. We think he has a friend too.


My hubby was delighted to catch this male house finch in his view finder. This little guy was not afraid of the human with the camera at all. Yes, you are seeing Christmas lights. This bush is dead so we left the lights on it. Now we can't remove it untill after the birds decide to move on as they are nesting in the bottom of the bush.

Easter was fun at mom's house again this year. This is my granddaughter Raven and my niece Angel. They are 6 months apart in age and both still love and expect the Easter egg hunt.

Mother's Day was a bit different this year as my mom went to Texas that weekend to meet my step dads new grandbaby. She said they had a lot of fun on the trip and all of her kids called her on Sunday.

I'm off to an Eagle Scout ceremony this afternoon and then to Camp Brown for to follow our Cub Scout Pack around during Chuck Wagon Days. I won't be climbing up the hill from rafting across the river this year. Doc says no as it would be to hard on my knees. My next Synvisc injections are scheduled for May 31st. I really am needing it. I'm hit a plateau with my weight loss but my flexiblity is better. The doc says he can tell I am building muscle and that is a good thing.

So what have you all been up to lately?

This week was my granddaughters DARE graduation and she has passed to the 6th grade. My baby girl will be a middle school student next year. She is both excited and anxious at the same time. She won the 5th grade Most Curious Award. We thought that fit her personality perfectly.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Empty Nest

Happy Sunday,
Remember this photo from approx. 2 weeks ago? (above) These eggs were so pretty. Hubby has checked on the eggs every day. (He gets so excited.) Pictures were taken through out their growth and today the last bird flew from the nest.

You can see a slide show of the progression here on my AC site. It was so much fun watching these babies grow. I hope you'll take the time to look. The pics are perfect for kids to view too. I do feel more like Spring has Sprung now.

Did you all have a chance to watch the royal wedding? William looked so handsome and Kate was stunning. I so loved the sleeves of her dress. I had the day off and was able to look in on the ceremony on different channels and on the Internet throughout the day. I had watched the wedding of Charles and Diana and was so glad to be able to watch Prince William wed his love. I do like that they are closer in age and have known each other a long while. Diana was so young when she married Charles and they had known each other for such a short time. Ah but that was then and this is now. As you can tell I followed Lady Diana's life and was so saddened when I heard of her accident. But to see William and Harry together, proud and strong, Diana would have been so proud. Didn't you just love the little ones in their finery? They were so cute... And the hats, oh what lovely and ridiculous hats were worn. I had just as much fun seeing the head gear as I did seeing the wedding.

On a different subject, please remember to pray for the victims of the horrible tornadoes this past week in the southern US states. Such destruction, so very sad. Continue to pray for Japan too. And I'm asking for prayer for the mother of a school friend of my daughter. She is on chemo fighting her second bout of lung cancer. Such a sweet lady. Please pray for Mia.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, be Safe,

Tess

Pink Checkbook Cover

This is the new checkbook cover I bought for my granddaughters checkbook. Isn't it cute? Chrissie of "In His Grace" made it especially for me. I told her I wanted pink and purple. I think she did a gret job. Now there is no doubt when I reach into my purse which one is my granddaughters. Do visit Chrissie's blog and her etsy shop when you have a chance. On etsy she is known as mixedmediamama. She is a sweet soul and her etsy service is fast. She stayed in touch with me during the process and I was so pleased with her workmanship and service.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Hello All,

Look what we found on our porch recently? Aren't they pretty! Momma bird was out to lunch and we were able to go right up to the nest. We had some nice weather and it really felt like Spring was finally here.

And look down at this little guy/gal.

I caught this bunny in my lense after hubby pointed out into the side yard. We were on the porh for a while and I was just snapping away with my camera.

A good scratch behind the ear always feels good!

It's been cold and raining today with high winds. We had some rain mixed with pea sized hail yesterday and today I am told it is snowing just an hour from here. I hopet hese little critters will be ok tonight. It is suppose to get down to freezing overnight and then sunshine and temps in the 60's tomorrow. I sure will be glad when Spring is finally here to stay.

Wishing you all love and happiness,

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

A Carnival Themed Birthday

Greetings All, Sorry about the sideways pic above but I wanted to try to get the whole tray/cake into the picture. We spent mopst of yesterday with our youngest daughter and a group of her frineds celebrating three little peoples birthdays. Three families came together to put on a carnival themed birthday complete with a giant bouncy house (truck) and clowns. It was so much fun.

This busy little man is now 3 years old. I have lots of pictures of his back. He was constantly on the move and had so much fun.

This is Donald with his youngest princess who is now a 1 year old.

This little princess is now a 1 year old also. My daughter, Billie, made the tutus for the girls. They were soo cute.

All it took were some family and friends, hot dogs, popcorn, fruit & veggies, a couple bouncy games, face painting, plenty of bubbles, a couple clowns with balloons and

a few other odd games to create a busy and fun day.

Have a great Sunday,

Tess

Wild Tiles by Chrissie Grace

Greetings friends,

It's a beautiful day and the sun is shining. There's even a warm breeze out to caress the skin. I can almost believe Spring has finally set in.

I spent a couple hours at Hasting's yesterday. I love book stores. This one has an attached coffee shop that serves up the best lemon poppy seed muffins. Mmmm, yummy! I love looking for bargains and of course my favorite magazines too. Yesterday I found a real bargain indeed. I spotted the book "Wild Tiles" by Chrissie Grace. The suggested retail price on the back cover is $22.99 and I got the book for $5.99. Now that was a bargain. I've covered vases with glass beads before and enjoyed the process. Just flipping through the book I am thinking many of the projects could be done with paper, glue and paint. I plan to try this first. I love Chrissie's creations and am a follower of her blog. Go check it out here. She is also on etsy and has a wonderful collection of items available in her mixedmediamama shop.

I hope you all enjoy this blessed Sunday and have a beautiful week ahead.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Good Morning Peeps,

For those of you that know about the ordeal we went through with Bobbie Jo and a brain tumor 3 years ago. I thought I would show you how she looks today. She is doing well and loves her wild main of hair. If you remember she had to have her entire head shaved before the surgery.

Can't tell it quite as much here but she's lost lots of weight too. She is doing good keeping her blood sugar under control also. I'm so proud of her and how far she has come.

And this is our little girl (my granddaughter) that is growing up way too fast. These photos were taken during a warm March Saturday when we thought Spring was here. Now it has turned cold again and we even had more snow. I want to ring that groundhogs neck; or mother nature. I am soooooo ready for warmer weather.

Remember the word weaves I was talking about in my last post. The ones that I scanned and now are missing from the folder on the computer. Take a look here at the CraftyMoose blog to see one of them. I am sure Debbie will love your visit.

Have a great day,

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

New Word Weaves

( We might be seeing more of this sometime soon if the weatherman is correct. I hope he's wrong.)

Greetings all,

I made 2 new word weaves as my giveaways during the 2011 One World One Heart. I had each winner pick the colors and verse. It was a lot of fun creating these special word weaves. I always take photos or scans of items I create and gift but this time something went wrong with the scan. The folder I created for the scan is empty. I'm still getting used to this new computer and this really saddens me that my scans did not take. It's the same scanner so I just don't understand how it can be so difficult.

I invite you to visit Debbie over at her CraftyMooseCrafts blog. One of the word weaves went to her. The other word weave flew to Florida to find a home with Bonnie. Visit Nanbons blog here. It took me a while to get motivated to make these weaves and to decide on just the right shades of the colors they chose. They were very patient with me as I did not meet the March 1st deadline for delivery that Lisa Swifka asked us to follow. I am very grateful; for these ladies patience. I also decorated their envelopes to send mail art out into the world. I had just recently purchased some glimmer mist and have found this stuff is wonderful for decorating envelopes. A decorative template and some glimmer mist and wow did those envelopes pop. Hopefully they made the mail carrier as well as the mail recipient smile.

I've recently joined the List My5 web site and think I will probably have a lot of fun there writing and publishing lists. I've found I am able to turn some of my Associated Content articles into lists too. So that is cheating a bit maybe but it's a new way for me to revisit some of my past posts over at AC. I have also found list ideas in my everyday life. I hope you will jump over and check out my first few lists here. I sure would appreciate your views and comments.

It's spring break here and I've the day off from my day job so I'm going to take my granddaughter to see Rango. I love the commercials and she is really excited to see the movie (OK, I admit I am too).

Have a great day and remember to

Be Happy, Be Healthy and Be Safe,

Tess

I'm a 2011 OWOH winner

Hello folks, Blogger is haunted tonight. Either that or it's been so long since I posted I forgot how. Or blogger just hates me this evening. So you will get a post that is all out of whack. But hey, that's ok, communication is important and I have so much to share right now. So please do read and view and then click on some of the links. Thanks,

Tess

This is a lovely art doll mermaid created by Shauna Henry. She is made of clay and her eyes are glass beads I believe. I love her hair and her eyes. I've named her twiggy because her waist is so small.

I've rearranged my wall board several times today. The zentangles hearts are from T'Rina and the 2 large cards are from Boston Patterson. Do you see the little four leaf clover in the middle of my inspiration board? I got it from an OWOH friend too with the story behind it. The original clover plant came from France with Barbara Cagle's grandmother. She has written a book titled "A Mastery of Motherhood 16xMOM".

This painting of a dog is also from Boston Patterson.

These zentangle ATC's (above and below) were created by T'Rina and are also magnets . I love that idea, magnets. These are going on my cabinet in my workspace at the day job.

Those heart zentangles from T'Rina are also little cards, perfect for gift tags. I'm not sure if i could part with them though. They are so pretty. T'Rina has another blog here > Standing on the Borderline.

Greetings blog friends,

I can't believe it is snowing here yet again. It's pretty but I'm finished with winter. It started out slow and now it's coming down good.

I'm ready for spring. I've got tulips pushing up in my backyard garden and I'm sure they'd prefer some sunshine. Be safe to you all in the rain and snow zones.

I participated in the One World One Heart event again this year and I'm very behind on sending out and thanking those that sent to me. To my winners I do apologize. I have one word weave done and another is close to finished. And to those that sent goodies to me. Thank You so much. I've made new friends during OWOH and found some wonderful artists I may never have found if not for Lise Swifka. A big thank you to her too. Now for a look at my wonderful new works of art: (Which you have already seen because they all ended up above.)

Thank you bunches to all that sent me wonderful door prizes. I hope if you have made it to here you will take the time to go back and click on the links to visit these wonderful artists.

Have a great week ahead,

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

The Serenity Prayer Book

I made this little book for a fellow bloggers Aunt who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I wanted to send her something speacial instead of just a card. See more pictures and how I created it here. Please add Jeanne to

your prayer lists.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess

Buffalo

This is what my pork chop looked like right from the oven after Shake N'Bake. Mmmmm, It made me hungry for a buffalo burger but I had to settle for pork. First time I ever had buffalo was at a barbecue at Philmont Scout Center in Cimmarron, New Mexico. Loved that place

and that meal.
My apologizes to my vegetarian friends.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,
Tess

OWOH Winner Announced

Hello Fellow Bloggers out there in this great big world of ours.

This Years OWOH event is finished. Oh boo hoo! I've had so much fun and met so many new blog friends this year and revisited with some from days, months and even years past. Wow, what an exciting few weeks it has been. Have you seen Lisa's announcement for next year? And here we all thought this year was it and OWOH would be over. But no, of course not! The genius and energy of Lisa has created yet a whole new realm to OWOH! We will now be able to participate in OWOH = Our World Our Art next year. Wow and to think we have a whole year to design, create, start up a new art shop or just revamp an old one. I am already so excited and have ideas spinning around in my head.

I know I am a day behind so here it goes, the big announcement you are waiting for. I had 145 commenter's and I will pick two winners using the Random Number Generator at http://www.random.org/.

The first winner is:

#54 Nanbon44 visit her here: nanbonscorner.blospot.com or here: Southern Style

Congratulations Bonnie, Please send me your choice of verse, quote, poem, scripture, prayer or just a favorite word or two and 2 or 3 primary paint color choices and I will make a special word weave just for you. I'll also need to know what color of card stock you would like your weave mounted on. There will be a wonderful swirl of gold in your word weave also.

The second winner is:

#85 Crafty Moose Crafts visit her here: Crafty Moose Crafts

Congratulations to Debbie, Please send me the same info as listed above in Bonnie's Announcement. And ladies don't forget to send your address to tkm1960@cox.net

A big thank you to everyone that visited my blog, I love how this blog has introduced me to such wonderful and artistic people around the world. If I have not yet visited your blogs I assure you I will in time and I will be sure to let you know how I found you (you found me).

Have a wonderful TGIF and a great weekend.

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Safe,

Tess