Blossoming (& Opus Gluei candy!)

Cuteness abounds! At least in my tiny studio, in my tiny opinion!

A lot of my creativity comes by way of the laundry room. You see, my studio is in the basement with the laundry room. To get to the laundry room, you have to walk through my studio. If you know me, you know I detest (ew, blech, phooey) laundry. Therefore, I am often happily waylaid on the way to do laundry when my eyes alight upon some pretty papers or supplies. I can also rationalize that this is why I leave everything scattered about willy nilly, so that my eyes can alight quite often and it gets me a temporary reprieve from the dreaded laundry.

These cards happened on just such a waylaid laundry expedition. Most of the paper is from an 'older than Methuselah' line made by SEI. I can't remember the name, but with a full laundry basket, my eye was caught by the riveting beauty of these papers that I had moved the day before and never put away (don't tell mama). For the first card though, I actually used yellow ledger paper as the base. I liked that so much, I made a few more cards that way, but they've already gone in the mail. Now I'm looking around to see what else I can use for card bases. Oh heck, anything to get me out of laundry!

This is that fun, fast project I hinted about: If, perchance, you actually do have some old Easter Egg dye kits and a bunch of white ribbon hanging about, run out to buy the current issue of Somerset Life Seriously, in about 5 minutes time investment, you will have the most lovely, crinkly, soft-washed ribbon and quickly fall in love. Luckily hubby was out of town while I started playing with this because he couldn't question why the counters were filled with mugs full of wadded up ribbon or why there was another package from Ebay when I ordered loads more seam binding.

If you don't have any Easter Egg dye kits, I saw my local grocery store still had some and they were 75% off! (they also had Lindt chocolate bunnies at 75% off. do you know how many times I pushed my cart past that table? I had to keep saying the Serenity Prayer to myself to hold off from mass Bunnicide. I think I left nail marks in the cart handle. even now I hear them calling to me)

Speaking of candy, the Opus Gluei Poobahs have a huge blog candy giveaway in the works! Seriously huge. Huge! You must go over there post haste to check it out. I will do everything in my power to sweet talk them into just giving it all to me, but don't say I never offered to share. Head on over to take a gander: Order of the Opus Gluei

Great Googly Moogly!

I am an affirmed procrastinator, but even I am ashamed that this blog has been getting dusty. My nose is now all stuffed up from trying to clear out these cobwebs!

My internet issues are mostly solved except for the random times it will just stop completely. Then I stomp, yell, kick the can and throw a fit in general. Never fixes the internet, but it surely does make me feel better to indulge in a temporary tantrum.

I have taken some photos, but have yet to upload them. One is a particularly fun, quick and addictive creative play project! Especially if you bought Easter Egg dye kits on clearance after Easter.

In the meantime, can I tell you that I don't know how, but I have gorgeous, gift children! They didn't get it from me.

My older daughter is getting ready to graduate from high school in several weeks. Of course, that means major household projects (this time an upstairs bathroom). It's the price of living in an old home: endless labors of love. Also, major reorganization and planning. The Senior graduation machine is already running at high speed. We have a whole calendar of events and dates sent from the school.

This past weekend was Prom. Ah, my baby is gor-gee-ous! Seriously, I should've just locked her up at 13, right?

This is the younger daughter long jumping last year at Nationals. (The photo was taken by a pro since we weren't allowed on the field.) Now is the season of endless track meets. It's also a season where she's among the youngest in her age group, so she's being challenged in a way that's new to her. Good for her. Mom needs a martini though while she's watching! The kid leaps over the sand pit like a gazelle. When I jump, I look like a drunken glob of flubber.

Twitterpated yet?

(yes, the internet is still doing it's own thing. a tech was supposed to come yesterday, but never showed. hmmph)

Every year I have a little argument with myself over which season I love the most: Spring or Fall. I've decided that I love the one I'm with and that means Spring is my current love. Normally, when I'm doing a walkabout in the yard surveying the estate (bwahahaha), I try to maintain a certain ladylike state of decorum. Considering the events that unfolded last week in my back yard though (see previous post), I felt quite free to do a completely undignified happy dance when I noticed the first stalks of yummy, tender asparagus peeking through the ground. (me, happy dance, not a pretty picture, keep it out of your head, lest your retinas be seared for life)

The little lettuce bed also got similar love as did the ripening buds on the numerous lilac bushes. I love Spring!

I even love the birds coming back home with their twittering birdsong and fun banter. What I don't love is that they start singing at the top of their lungs next to MY windows looooooooong before the sun comes up.

This is the reason I am typing this out far earlier than God intended for anyone to actually arise and greet the day.

I am also reminded that as soon as we put the air conditioners in for the summer (we live in an oooooold house with no central air), they will promptly begin building nests in the tiny spaces to each side of the AC. Each year I am torn between letting them nest or letting my hubby knock the nests from their hidden perches.(before eggs. I'm not a baby birdie hater) If their nests are allowed to continue, we are guaranteed several tiny little voices raised in chorus as Mama Bird feeds her flock. To these birds, I have to ask, what is wrong with using the neighboring home windows instead of ours????

Just one tiny project to show before I go and who knows if that will upload because of this infernal internet. I have to say that at the moment, my tiny studio is an official disaster area. I even walked in there yesterday only to walk out and ask my hubby why he had let the lady who used that room trash it so thoroughly. "Creative chaos?" He tentatively answered. Good man, good man.

I made these cards before I remembered the Post Office has gotten power crazy with what you can send out without incurring extra postage. Luckily, these passed the 'fit through the teensie slot' test, thus requiring no more stampage. I don't even know how old this My Mind's Eye paper is. What I do know is that it is majorly cute and has been hiding from me because if I had known of it's cuteness before, it would've been long gone. And I continue my erstwhile addiction to scallops. I can't seem to do anything without throwing a scallop into it lately! I loved the little vintage look of these seed packets and at $.20 each, they were a bargain embellishment and little giftie for these Easter cards. Plenty of room to write behind the seeds.

Have a wonderful and glorious Easter!

Walk over to your pantry

and get out a jar of molasses. Remove lid and attempt to pour onto anything. That is how slow my internet is working lately. I feel like I'm back in the bad old days of typing in a web address, going off to make a sandwich and coming back to the computer to find the page still loading! I desperately need to tie my IT guy (hubbalicious) down and have him solve this problem. Unfortunately, he's crazy busy with his own work and I continue to swim in a molasses slow pool of internet ooze.

I'm trying to visit my blogging friends, but the internet is letting it happen at the rate of about one comment per hour at the moment. Cross your fingers and knock on hard drives that this problem is over soon.

Contrary to popular reports, I am not dead nor have I disappeared. I did survive the weekend with all the teenagers and it was a fabulous time for all involved. No big mama dramas and only one mild case of poison ivy. How the poison ivy happened shall remain a secret to the grave!

So, I was feeling all warm, cozy and smug once I came home last Sunday night about a successful trip. Hubby had already turned around to fly out of state for business. I tried to get to sleep, but my internal clock had been thrown off and I found myself reading a book late into the night. At around midnight, I hear an extremely loud truck pull up in front of my home. My hubby-less Spidey senses went on the alert, so of course, I had to check it out. I peered out my window to see two men creeping around the side of the house and through my yard. About that time, I was torn between calling 911 or scolding Jack, the huge guard dog, for not rushing to my side. He was too busy snoring and chasing rabbits in his dreams.

Before I could do either, I hear a loud voice yell "Stop! Get down on the ground and put your hands behind your back!" Um, okay, were you talking to me?

I start looking out all my windows and finally discover the source of the voice. It was a State Trooper who had the 2 men down in the middle of the street behind my house with a gun pointed in their direction. Within 2 minutes, 5 more cars had pulled up.

Of course, being a good citizen, I start to scope out where best to see, but not be seen. I finally decided that perched atop the toilet in the powder room gave me the best view as I opened the window a touch. (It also afforded me easy access should nature call amidst this mini-episode of Cops) Over the next 30 minutes or so, it wasn't nearly as exciting as I had hoped it might be. Turns out it was a family dispute over cars and dogs.

What was of note, was the mug shot of one of the men they arrested. I couldn't appreciate him fully on Sunday night because he was wearing a sock hat, but the mug shot photo is priceless. So priceless it made the nation's largest celebrity blog. I kid you not!

Here's a short article in the local paper: The Frederick News-Post Online - Frederick County Maryland Daily Newspaper and here is the blurb on Perez Hilton's website: Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilto

You can't MAKE this stuff up! I just know you all now believe I live in Hooterville or something, but really, I love my litte town right down to the mayor who owns the tiniest of feed stores down the street.

The week went downhill from there with my daughter passing on a lovely stomach virus (and no, I didn't lose any weight, darn it). What's the use of lying about feeling though you will die with the next heave without a little sickness loss? I wasn't quite over that when I helped chaperone a field trip to the Maryland Science Center where 2 of my 6 young charges thought the rule to stay in your group was a mere suggestion.

And the cherry to top this cake walk of a week was on Friday when it was raining heavily, I slippped like a banana peel down our porch steps spraining my ankle and bruising the entire right side of my body in strange step patterns. My ego was nearly as bruised as my back.

Can we all quote Scarlet when we exclaim with hope that "Tomorrow is another day!"?

P.S. Please cross your fingers that my internet decides to cooperate soon and that this entry actually posts!