Butterfly Kisses

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”  Nathaniel Hawthorne 

                                                         photos by Angela

Yesterday I was greeted by several butterflies and bumblees frolicking in and around our bushes ...  Had to snap a few pics of these beauties to share with you all.  Have a great week!

Settling In

I'm still doing massive amounts of organizing, unpacking and making my new digs feel like "home".  I must say that I don't miss apartment life but I definitely miss quiet alone time.   I love people and have missed living with another person at times.   This is all a growing experience and I am pondering exactly why I'm not missing the ol' apartment...
My top reasons:  I'm a nurturer & taking care of things somehow makes me feel worthwhile in this world... wow! Big, eh?  Sometimes though I have to remember to take care of me, too.  So I'm aware that I need to reign it in and not let it take over.  I need to be taken care of too, sometimes :)   It has been quite nice spending time with my brother and his sweet pooch who has been my shadow lately.
I like to cook for others but not just for me... silly I know!  This weekend I'm hoping to get some of our favorite WW recipes dusted off (where is that WW cookbook anyways?  Oh the boxes!) and get this home smelling yummy!  Speaking of, I have TWO cousins that are Scentsy reps and I'm enjoying the white tea/cactus scent at the moment.  Have one in the living room and one in the bathroom.  Works great!
So here I'll leave you with a sweet pic from the other night while relaxing at home ...

Nesting

I have a funny picture to share...

Well, I tried to put my touch on the front door but there's a little bit of a conflict, don't you think?  Adding feminine touches to a mans home takes time, I guess!   Don't get the wrong idea, the man is my brother!
This last fall my brother approached me about moving in to save some dough so we both can be debt free!
I wanted to stop in and say hello and take a break from unpacking and organizing.   Have a great Easter!

Packing Up The Pretties

 "Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights."  ~Pauline R. Kezer

Very soon I will be moving from my own apartment to a house with a large Labrador Retriever and a roommate!  I'll no longer have the pleasure of walking to work, leaving my car protected in a carport (and not having to drive it to work in the winter after spending time cleaning snow off of it - oh how I wish that I lived in Arizona), staying up late on the couch, and all the kinds of things that one does when one does not have a roomie.

However, I am SO looking forward to living in a house, having the company of another person (and cooking for more than just me - booorrring), an excited dog to greet me when I come home, a place to decorate (I have visions of bright blue paint in the laundry room), and most of all getting bills paid and living on a better budget!  

The hardest part for me is letting go of "stuff" which is a good thing!  I have too much stuff!

I'm sick of seeing said stuff everywhere ... and packing it up.  LOL!  It's getting to be crunch time and I've called in some assistance.  Thank God for my good friend who is so willing to help me out.  

Soon I hope to be back to posting more interesting content and pretty pictures!  Spring is coming and I'm getting excited for all the possibilities that a new season in life brings.

p.s. isn't she cute? :)

Berrylicious

Okay not the berries you eat but these are some of my favorites to enjoy in a lovely floral bouquet...

photo by me

I'm getting used to the freshly piled snow that dropped on our city Saturday. It was inevitable that it would come.  I stayed in the entire weekend with a cold and by Monday I was ready to embrace the beauty of bright sunlight against all the frost on the trees.  If only I had my camera while going to work.  Every road seemed picturesque covered in a winter white cloak!   

What I'm Loving Lately

Pottery Barn Public Bike

Isn't it pretty?  I like the color, the fenders, the shape and of course the basket! I have dreams of getting a bike like this and riding in the neighborhood to the summer farmer's market this year!  If only I could test ride it!

Fiskars Jenni Bowlin Scalloped Banner Punch

A big thanks to Lindsey from Two Crazy Crafters for bringing this to my attention in one of her  recent blog posts.  I went to my local JoAnn's store and bought this punch immediately!  It's a limited addition so I was happy to find it!  I've already made a sweet banner card for a friend and plan on making more (sorry no pic).   I am "bonkers for bunting/banners" (so many found on Pinterest too)!  I'm surprised I haven't made dozens and have them hanging from every ceiling in my home.  

Clear Mini Stamps (Inkadoo, especially)

I snapped up several of these cute stamps during Christmas and keeping an eye out for Valentine-themed versions, too.  They simply make me smile and hope that when I put them in card form they'll make someone else do the same! 

Humidifier by Honeywell

I had to breakdown and do it - Target had this germ-free humidifier on clearance in the store this weekend. I looked them over and left only to come back and cough up the money for it.  It was either that or the cheaper one that looked like a penguin or frog (I wouldn't put it past me)...   This baby has a nifty UV light that purifies and de-germs the H2o inside.   Although we've had unseasonably warmer weather - the heat of the furnace is incredibly drying at work and home.   I had a terrible stuffy nose last week and I know this would have helped.  Did you know that you also can by UV lights for your furnaces, too?  

Trader Joe's Fig Butter

                                                             Image Baking Bites

If you like Fig Newtons you are gonna love this stuff!  My BFF Tammy(who has a gluten free diet) told me about it and I had to run out and get me some.  Recently I decided to try the apple honey butter - also very delicious!  Someone asked me if it was hard to spread because of the honey.  It has the consistency of baby food and spreads nicely - not sticky.   I used to beg my mom to have my baby brother's canned baby food  (peaches or banana I'm sure)- that funny memory popped into my head when I tried a tiny taste of it straight from the jar. 

I think I'm going to try this recipe from Baking Bites for fig crumble bars since right now I'm only putting my butter on toast or globbed on top of a peanut butter sandwich!     

Hope you liked what I shared! Let me know if you tried any of these items.  Sometimes it's fun to see what everyone else likes.  Nothing like hearing reviews from real people who like the same stuff I do.   I'm still deep into purge mode in my home and filling many boxes of items for donation.   Will it ever end?   I hope so!  It should hopefully be cleaned by Spring!!  

One Little Word for 2012

Here's my word for 2012

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 NIV


Linking up with The Lettered Cottage One Little Word 

Happy New Year!

I'm still here!  Sorry for being away so long - I was having some computer issues that had to be fixed as well as playing catch up after all of the holidays.
I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!  Mine was very nice and low key.  Sometimes the holidays pop up on me so quickly and then it's all over and I wonder where did time go?  This Christmas I found myself thanking God for the things that so many take for-granted sometimes.  Having the gift of sight, a job, a loving family, health, etc.  Many bloggers like to choose a new word to focus on each year.  I think last year my word was strength and this year I'm choosing courage.
What else have I been up to?  Well, right now I'm in a cleaning/purging/organization mode.  I realize that I looooove mags a little too much!  I like to hold onto them for a long while.  Especially craft, cooking and decorating mags.   I have been sorting and keeping only the ones I will reference again.   A great organizational tip I just read said to keep a few and put them in nice magazine holders.  If you want to keep more for reference - label them and put them in a box for 6 mos.  If you never touch them - time to let them go.
I've also had to get tough and donate a lot of the decor that I have around my home that I liked at one time but my taste seems to be evolving.  I only want to keep what I really love, use, or has sentimental value.   I must say... it's really REALLY hard!
My local charity has been getting some nice stuff to resell.   It's all for a great cause and that's another reason  to keep giving it away...

One thing for sure is that I'll be keeping these cute lil snow people!  Time to wrap them up safely until next year.  I have Spring-time on my mind already - probably because it's been unseasonably warm here, which I must say has been so very  nice!

Do you set goals for the new year?   I picked up a great book (in a bargain bin by the way)  by Debbie Macomber called "Knit Together Discover God's Pattern For Your Life".    Some of you may have read a few of her best-selling books(had 9 books on the New York Times bestseller list) or have seen her movies on the Hallmark channel.  She's a Christian and has a lot of biblical principles in her book, which really spoke to me.  We are created with a purpose and sometimes determining that purpose and nurturing your gifts can be hard.  I haven't read her entire book yet but I found her chapter on goal setting and quickly put it to use for 2012. Thought I'd share some of them that maybe you'd like to utilize:

• List three new things to experience this year  (I have down photography classes, bicycling/purchasing a cute girly cruiser bike, learning a new craft like quilling or needle felting)
• List three non fiction books to read this year
• List three things about yourself you want to improve
• Spiritual goals
• Family goals
• Physical goals
• Career goals
• Recreational goals
• Financial goals 

I put on the bottom of my goal list "life is too short to wait"!  Amen?

This year I hope to be pulling out  my camera more and hopefully posting some pretty pictures to share with all of you.  Thanks to you that have followed me and stayed in touch.  It's meant a lot.  God bless!

More Christmas Cheer

all photos by me

Hi again!  Are you all ready for Christmas?  I truly cannot believe it's THIS Sunday!  Where has the year gone?  Life goes by soooo fast sometimes.  I've been gathering a few more presents and braving some of the parking lots in the city.  At least the snow is all melted and the weather was cooperative for lots of shopping travels.  Felt like I was in Arizona (I wish- love to my peeps in AZ)!

I wanted to share a few photos of another personal  gift exchange I did with my sweet friend Jenny from Jenny's Heart.  We became friends after doing an Easter tag exchange this year.  It's been a blessing to know her and make a new friend! 

She and I both have a lot of similiar tastes and both of us love gingerbread men as well as vintage.  So I had to do both for her.  I was able to use the K and Company chipboard for her tag and I used Melissa Frances paper for her ornament.

This gingerman ornament above is an extra that I made while I was on a roll.  I think he's awfully cute!  So much fun! 





Ornament Swap Part II

all photos this post by me

Happy weekend everyone!  We are inching closer & closer to Christmas and I just can't believe how fast time is flying by.  I'm still crafting away on my kitchen table and it's been completely enjoyable!  The other day my ornaments & goodies arrived from Tabitha and thought I'd share the pretties with you

Here's a glittery floofy pink & purple birdy!  Fun!

I love this pretty tag she put in with a bag full of lovely goodies including a pretty pink rose trim.  Thanks so much Tabitha - you totally spoiled me!

Ornament for Tabitha

                                              all photos by Angela
I wanted to share a photo of the handmade ornament that I sent to Tabitha for the recent swap I was in.   It's not a great photo but as you know the weather was on the gloomy snowy side that day!  I used beautiful Melissa Frances papers, wood, and some vintage trim.  I also aged it a bit with some distress ink as well.  I also sent her another one that I made (but no photos sorry) and the store-bought one with a Victorian Santa in all white encased in a soldered glass case.  
I'm so thrilled that she loved them all! 

I enclosed the ornaments in a box I covered with some wonderful new fabric paper by DCWV!  Love this stuff.  I knew it would be perfect for Tabitha's love for a pink Christmas.  I had the sweet cherub in my stash for several years and I thought it would be great to use with the golds in this fabric.  The lace is vintage.   I have tried finding the link for the paper online but it's nowhere to be found.  I bought the paper at Joann's if you're interested.  Only saw it in 3 color categories.  Let me know if you try it out and how you like it!

I can't wait to see what I get in the mail soon!  I will be sure to share once I receive it and also post to the linky on The Bloggerette Sorority's site, too. 

Braving the Elements - Handle with Care!

swap pkg on it's way to Tabitha!

Yes it is true - It's snowing in Nebraska!  First it was raining and now it's been snowing since about 11 AM this morning.   I knew I would have to get out to make sure to mail out my ornaments for the swap today.  I also made an appointment to get my brows waxed and shaped for a little Christmas dinner party I was invited to.  A gal's gotta look her best, right!  *Smile*
Well, it was all hunky dory in the AM and I was getting along just fine to my appointment.  They even had horse drawn carriage rides in the little mall I was at.  I sometimes wish that I had a little pocket-sized camera or a smart phone to share these lovely sights.  Because it was snowing it looked so neat!  Especially since Santa was along for the ride in the covered carriage.

As I was out longer the heavy slushy snow was getting deeper and it was hard to walk in, too!

Thankfully I was able to get the package safely in the mail, pick up a few groceries, Jimmy John's sandwich, and gas.   I was getting stuck when I had to stop at a light - panic always strikes me - I go into daddy's driver's ed mode.

"Drop it down to 2nd or 1st gear, slowwwly give it gas...."    Spin, spin.  No movement.  Ugh!  I look in the rear view at the bright yellow car practically on my bumper and I couldn't back up if I need to.  Cars on my left happily going by me.  Hey!  I have front drive this should not be happening to me. 

Turning the front wheels I was finally able to move!  Whew!

Unfortunately, I had to cancel going to my fab friend's dinner party.  No delicious caramel apple bread pudding, ginger snap crisp, or meat simmered in red wine.  Not to mention wonderfully amusing company. 

This is why I wished that I lived in Arizona at times. Lord get me through - it's the first snowstorm. 

The Kid in Me

At this very moment I am watching "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" on TV.  I just love this movie and it totally gets me into the Christmas spirit!  It was a favorite when I was a child!  

I actually own the soundrack with Burl Ives singing all the wonderful songs from the movie.  I also went to see "Arthur Christmas" on Saturday and loved it!  It's not even December yet but I'm already rearing to go on decorations and hand-made tags and cards.

Did you all have a blessed Thanksgiving?  I'm sorry I did not have a chance to pop in and post something.   Mine was a nice low-key holiday with my immediate family.  I went to my parents home to help prepare for the meal in the evening when my brother, a dedicated police officer, was done with work.  It's hard have him gone on a holiday, especially Christmas.   Thankfully, he is not currently working evenings so we are so blessed to have him available for dinner-time!

God is so good and I'm truly thankful for a close and loving family, sweet friends and a great job and health!  I'm also thankful for many other blessings of this season ... food on the table, transportation, heat, a home, church home, and a loving God!

As I said in my last post,  I've been doing lots of crafts and hopefully my next post will include a few hand-made items and an upcoming reveal of my swap gifts, soon to be mailed and received!  Such fun!

2011 Christmas Ornament Swap

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... on my craft table and I suppose everywhere I shop, too!  It's a little sad that we cannot get past Thanksgiving anymore and move right on into Christmas immediately after October.  Rush rush rush!  I love Christmas and cannot wait to exchange ornaments with my swap partner Tabitha - so I will admit I've been sneaking some Christmas songs on Pandora while at work this week.  You know, for inspiration (smile)... 

I have joined The Bloggerette Sorority and jumped at the chance to participate in a Christmas swap.  This kind of stuff is so rewarding and it's fun to get something pretty in the mail  during the hectic holiday season.  It's also a great way to meet a new friend!  I find myself reminiscing about the advent swap from last year and hope that Linda from Swap For All Seasons will return again to blogland after her hiatus. 

However, I also love Thanksgiving and cannot wait to enjoy that day with my family! I have so much to be thankful for!  God is so good and I thank Him everyday for all He has done. 



Cheery Little Birdy

                                                    photo by me
How's your weekend going?  I had a nice few days off & celebrated my parent's 45 wedding anniversary and my dad's birthday last night!  I am so grateful and blessed to have parents that are still in love after many years of marriage.  They both have incredibly youthful spirits and a great sense of humor which I think has served them well!  They have been an inspiration to many including my brother and I.

In case you have noticed, I've been in a very crafty mood!  I'm gearing up for the holiday season and enjoying the process of nurturing my creative side!

Recently a sweet church friend of mine has been quite down and I'm sending her this card to give her a little cheer.   The birdy is from the Heartwarming Vintage Crafty Secrets Wacky animals creative scraps (love!).  I also used paper from Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie (from a paper pack) in the background.  The gingham is from Jo Ann's Fabric Store.   Hope it brought you a smile, too!

P.S.  I should mention that the card sketch pattern came from Mojo Monday.  I think I'll be checking back for more ideas because this turned out so cute!