Paprikas Perch

Busy, Busy, Busy and Some Exciting News!

2010-12-16T15:13:00.003-05:00

It has been a crazy few weeks over here! My grandmother was in and out of the hospital with dehydration and we originally were told she was going into kidney failure but it turns out to be her kidney functions were "failing" due to the dehydration. Anyways, she is doing much better and I spent a lot of time giving my parents a hand with things around the house and getting ready for Christmas along with getting all my stuff done for Christmas, which still isn't done!! I haven't even started my Christmas cards and I have no picture good enough to use with the boys! Man!! What kind of Mom am I not to send out a picture with my Christmas cards! Hahaha!!
I am also puppy proofing my house!! We, I, am finally going to be a Fidelco Foster Mom!!!!! I am so excited about this! I am picking up the puppy on Saturday. It will be a girl and her name must start with a B which we get to pick. We came up with Bliss, Bindy, Brie and Believe so far. Not sure I am liking any of them. I really wanted to have a name with a really cool meaning behind it since these dogs are born to help the blind. If anyone has any ideas for a name feel free to let me know. I am up for suggestions!! I have 3 days from the time I pick her up to send in 3 names so they can check and make sure they are not in use right now. Oh and the name has to be 1 or 2 syllables. So, Yes craziness is the word for the past 2 weeks. I have not decided if I am going to start a new blog for the fostering or if I will do it right on this blog. I guess it all depends on if you all will like to read about it ;) I thought it would be fun to document all the hard times of raising the puppy and the good all the way up til it is time to hand her back over to become the dog she was bred to be.
I have to get back into entering into all the wonderful challenges! I miss them very much!!! I am not sure if I will be back as much I would like to in the next week or two but I will try.
Hope you are all having a wonderful week and please let me know if you think of any names and if you are interested in reading about my Fidelco adventure!

Favorite Photo Challenge

2010-12-07T14:14:00.003-05:00

This is was a very hard choice to pick just one of my favorite photos!!! This picture is pretty close to the top!
It was taken when my son was 19 months old and his first trip to the farm. I had not been up to the farm in a VERY long time due to my aunt and uncle getting a divorce and he was my uncle by marriage. Anyways, my cousin got married on the farm and my mom and dad spoke with my uncle after a VERY long time, and one of the 1st questions from him was "How is Karrie?" You see, I was the only niece that loved being on the farm and would spend at least a week up there every summer. I was always up his butt learning and listening. After all this time I thought he might have, well kinda forgotten about me...but nope! So my parents said my aunt and uncle have been divorced for so long now (Trying to keep the peace with her sister) that why don't I call...and my uncle wanted me to call him. It took me over 2 weeks to get up the nerve to call but I finally did. So the rest is history! We have been up there every yr at least once if not twice to visit. It is always like going home for me. My youngest loves it just about as much as I do and this picture shows that. We were only there a few hours and he wanted to go in the barnyard and see the cows, so I took him in and I had to jump behind every cow he just zoomed past since he had no fear of them...at all!!!! As my uncle says "Just like his mother!"
At 19 months you think they would be intimidated by these big creatures...not my son! He really tried to make friends with her but she was not interested in the hay (which that doesn't look just hay since he took it off the barnyard ground...hahaha) she was more interested in why was this human so small? This picture always brings back good memories for me not only being back on the farm and getting reunited with my uncle again but to see my son running, playing, feeding the calves, now milking the cows and helping out with so many different chores the older he gets. This is the life I wish I could have but I am happy enough that we can go and spend some time up there and my kids get a taste of what a hard working life is all about. I am also glad my kids know that milk doesn't come from the grocery store ;)

Oh and this picture was taken with my old little Olympus. I really did love that camera!

Please stop by and see all the other wonderful enteries at Simplicity this week. I am sure there are going to be some wonderful photos! Can't wait to head over there myself. Have a wonderful week!

Macro Friday

2010-12-03T08:18:00.004-05:00

I am using this for my Macro Friday picture. This is one of my favorites and I have several!! It is so hard to choose which one to use!!!! I love the detail and how clear it came out without a tripod. hope you enjoy :)

Hope you had a wonderful week and have a great weekend ahead!

Clothing and Blankets needed for our wounded!! Please Help! Just 1 would go a long way!!

2010-12-02T09:21:00.005-05:00

I know things are tough out there for most of us this Holiday season (me included) but I saw this post and needed to spread the word!
I have been apart of Soldiers Angels since September and I have adopted a Hero, sent many TLC request cards and letters and I even got the nerve up to make a no sew blanket! Which reminds me I have to post the pics of that one! It is so rewarding every time I send out a package or letter. Just to know they are going to receive my letter that hopefully puts a smile on their face to know that people back home care about them. Thomas is also very much into helping and loves shopping for our Hero and he includes a picture for every card we send out! I also have recruited his kindergarten class! they are taking donations (which has turned out to be a good size box) and the class is making Christmas cards for some soldiers! We have had a wonderful and generous response from families in the class. Thank you all!!
Anyways, This call out for help right now is for our wounded who end up being flown to Germany to get treatment and the best treatment at that! Most of the wounded are flown in on helicopters which are very cold this time of year. They are in desperate need of blankets and sweatpants and sweatshirts. I know it doesn't seem like much but if you read here You will understand why they need them so badly. Next time I run into Walmart I am going to pick up some sweatshirts and pants to send out. They aren't very expensive there, and probably at target too. You can ship them in a flat rate box from the post office (which they will give you). i am guessing at this point but I would say the $10 or $12 box would get you maybe 2-4 pair of sweats in them if you really squeeze them in...just estimating tho :) Get your neighborhood involved, get a school involved, a church, your work, anywhere you think people could help. Just think, if everyone picked up just 1 thing...how many wounded soldiers would no longer be cold and they would know how much they are cared about. If you can do anything to help out, I know you will feel good and I know Soldiers Angels would be grateful! They are such a wonderful group of people and I couldn't have found a better group to be a part of!

If you need any further information or help please feel free to contact me at Krem0922@aol.com put "wounded" in the subject line just in case it goes to spam. I will gladly help you out, help get you started, help you find a project that fits you or find answers for you if you need them. You can also Click Here to go to the Soldiers Angels site and make a small donation or read about them and what they do. There are many ways you can help.

Thank you and God Bless our Troops! Bring them home safe!!!

Disney Giveaway!

2010-12-02T08:22:00.003-05:00

If found this and thought I would share it with you. They are giving away something from Disney everyday!! Today it is a Disney watch. You need to either leave a message on their facebook wall, blog about it, follow and tweet on twitter and/or subscribe to their newsletter. Not too hard!!! Too bad they aren't asking for pictures since I have a million of them from when we went almost 2 yrs ago! So I thought I would share one anyway.
So click here to enter the giveaway and I will hopefully remember to post the new contests everyday!
Have a wonderful day!!

Summer Favorite

2010-12-01T12:43:00.005-05:00

Not to sure if it is a little early to be thinking of summer since winter really hasn't kicked in too bad yet for us but on the other hand...who doesn't think of summer all the time! I know I do!!

I took this picture this past summer one day spending hours chasing butterflies and bees. I just love how this came out and every time I look at it, it puts a smile on my face. I had it made into a 5x7 and it looks awesome but I really think I need an 8x10 for my wall!

I entered this picture into Simplicity's "Dreaming of Summer" Challenge. Please stop by and look at all the other wonderful entries :)

I also entered this picture into the "Happy Monday" Photo Challenge...also a great blog to cruise around and look at the entries :)

Now since I am finding so many photo challenges to enter...how do I keep them all straight and when? I am not a very organized person so this is going to be a challenge in itself for me...lol!!

You can also purchase this photo on my Artfire store. Please stop by and take a look the photos (which can be made into any size print, contact me for other size pricing) and my moms wonderful jewelry which I hope to have some new items listed this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-24T08:22:00.005-05:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for my friends and family. It has been a rough year with learning who I thought were friends really aren't and family...well...enough said. My friends and family has been very supportive of me and my ideas, thoughts and projects. Thank you all!!
I am also thankful for my blog readers and followers! Thank you for standing by me and helping me on my journey to becoming a better photographer and putting up with my bad spelling and proper grammer.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for in pictures.
Have a wonderful, safe and very Happy Thanksgiving!

My youngest son for doing so well in kindergarten, getting his first trophy in karate, loosing his first 2 teeth and for just being him! He is such a love and a joy :)

For my favorite place in the whole world! The Farm

My oldest son for doing very good in school, for being a good kid (except for the mood swings of a 15 yr old) and growing into a very fine young man

My husband. My friend, my biggest supporter, my love. Thank you for all you do for us, for me, and being so understanding and supportive of me and my "projects"

For Sasha. Sasha went to be an angel this past August. We had the pleasure of having her in our lives for 10 yrs and our family is not the same without her. She was 14 and we saved her from being put down for no good reason. She is missed and will always be in our hearts

For my grandmother. We just celebrated her 90th birthday last month! I am thankful that she is still here with us and has gotten to see her 6 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren grow up, well not all the great grandchildren since 2 are 5 and 1 was just born a month ago ;)

and for my mom and dad. I dont have a really good pic of my mom so my dad will have to do. I am thankful that both of them are here for our children and they are always here when we need them. They are the best and when they move to North Carolina in 2 yrs I don't know what I am going to do with out them being 15 mins away. They will be 10-12 hrs away :(

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My 1st Family Photo Shoot

2010-11-22T21:02:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, I am not really a portrait photographer. At least the "sit down, stand here, do this, do that, smile now" type of photographer. I used to love when all the kids from preschool would get together so I could just chase them and get them in their natural setting. I love nature and natural. So this leads me to Alicia and her family.\
Alicia and I went to high school together and reconnected on Facebook. It has been 16 yrs since I had seen her! I just gave away how old I am huh?! LOL! She has been following me grow into my photography since I post almost every picture I take! She emailed me one day and asked if I would take some pictures of her and her family and of coarse I said yes but I had to explain that I was not a portrait photographer and she had said that was perfect for her! She was is a natural type person and would love for me to just get some shots of the kids running around and her family just being together. Now, for me, I was doing the happy dance and was just honored that she believed in me enough to give me a shot but to be honest I was scared to death!! What if I failed? What if I didn't get any good shots? What if she was really upset with the way my pictures came out? As I am not into photoshop either. I love the natural photos...a little tweak here, a little tweak there...but that is it!
So the day came and I was so nervous!! Not only to shoot her and her family but to see her after all these years. Well....I had nothing to be nervous about! Her family was absolutely wonderful!!! Her family was so much fun to be around and to take pictures of. Her husband..such a nice man, fun, patient and pretty handsome I do have to say ;) her oldest son...what a wonderful young man! and a good sport with the little guy and having his picture taken.. and her youngest....talk about adorable!!! He was all over the place!! running here and there but he was also a great sport with the photos. Such handsome boys she has! Alicia must be very tired at the end of the day keeping up with that little man!
Anyways...enough jibber jabber.....here are a few of the photos that I took that day in Meridan at Hubbard Park of Alicia and her family:)

This is the photo that Alicia is going to use on her website Naturawl Being. Isn't she beautiful!! Please be sure to stop by and check it out. Alicia and her friend Kelly are starting a business that is all about Raw, Organic and Vegan foods! They are in the Beta stages right now but be sure to check out the website and follow them on Facebook. They have some wonderful recipes and information they are always posting on Facebook!

This was such a blast to do!!!! It also helps when you have a great family to do it with! Thank you Alicia for giving me the opportunity to meet, hang with and photograph your wonderful, adorable, fun and beautiful family!!! It was also so wonderful to see you after all these years and hopefully it won't be another 16 years until we see each other again!!!!!

A Big Thank You to All of You!

2010-11-18T19:17:00.006-05:00

I have decided to take a leap and put some of my most popular photos up for sale in my Artfire store!! I am very excited about this and if it wasn't for all you wonderful readers/friends, my wonderful friends on Facebook and my wonderful family, I wouldn't have made this leap. I really enjoy taking photos but never really thought about putting them up for sale but with all the encouragement of friends like you and family I am going for it. I also have some other projects I am currently working on and should be putting them up to show off in the next few days.

These are just a few of the pictures I have had made up and are currently in my store. The river one is a metallic print and let me tell you this picture does not do the actual picture any justice!! The rest of the photos are all matte prints and all the pictures are 5x7 prints. If you have any questions please feel free to email me here or on Artfire.

Click HERE to view my store

Thank you to each and everyone of you for the wonderful encouragement you have given me with my photos and for making and teaching me to be a better photographer. I learn every week with the photo challenges I am involved in and gain encouragement from all the wonderful comments everyone takes the time to leave me. I thank you all very much!!!!

A wee bit of me Wednesday

2010-11-17T11:17:00.002-05:00

I have been watching this for a while now and thought that maybe I would give it a shot. I think it is a great way to learn more about all of you and you can learn more about me. I think this will be fun. Go ahead and give it a try with me :)

{one} what time do you normally wake up?

Usually between 6 & 7 so I can have some quiet time before my son wakes up.

{two} do you have a go-to song for karaoke?
ummm no! I cant sing and don't think I should put people through the horror of trying to listen to me...lol!

{three} if you could only see black and white except for one color, what color would you choose to see?

Blue! It is such a wonderful, vibrant color and so I can see my sons beautiful blue eyes

{four} what color best matches your personality?
hmmm..probably red...why? I'm not to sure but I do love it :)

{five} if you could choose one meal to cook better than anyone else, what would it be?
Anything! I am not much of a cook but I love to bake and I think I am not to shabby at it either

{six} how many keys do you have on your key ring?
4. house, car, parents house and hubbys spare car key

{seven} do you give your pets birthday/christmas gifts?
Not really. They get spoiled all year but sometimes I will pick up special treats just for Christmas.

{eight} when your plate has different foods on it, do you mix or not?
NOT! I can't stand mixing! My husband always says "it all goes to the same place" I can't mix or eat a sandwich or burger upside down and I have to have my meat, veggies, and whatever else on the same place on the plate all the time...yep..totally crazy!!

{nine} if you could hire someone to do one thing for you all the time, what would it be?
Has to be a house cleaner. I am ok with cooking even tho I am not good at it but housecleaning...HATE it!!

{ten} when flying, do you prefer the window or aisle seat?
Doesn't really matter to me. I like to look out the window but with no having kids...they get it :( LOL!

"DayDream"

2010-11-16T09:56:00.004-05:00

Day Dreaming of the place I love the most. The place that I can wonder with no worries, where my boys can play and learn like they can't do in the city, the place that I have been going to since I was little, the place that when I get out of the car after a 4 hr ride I take a deep breath of the clean farm/mountain air and love every second of it, the place I call my second home. This place is my uncles dairy farm in upstate NY.

This picture is taken from the barnyard looking out at the Green Mountains

Head on over to Simplicity and enjoy all the other wonderful pictures! Have a wonderful day everyone :)

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T07:46:00.006-05:00

This is a picture of my dad and my son standing next to a replica of the jeep that my dad drove in, lost his hearing to, slept under to stay dry and kept him safe in Vietnam for over a yr. He was very excited to find "his" jeep at a local air show we went to. The stories that followed were the best part of it. Thank you for your service Dad!! Love you!!!!

I would like to send out a sincere and big thank you to all of our Vets past and present. I would also like to say a personal thank you to both of my Grandfathers who fought in WWII, my father who fought in Vietnam, my cousins who 1 just retired from the Army, 1 who is in Top Gun Training the the last cousin who just graduated from Annapolis this past May. I would also like to thank my adopted soldier and all the soldiers who we are sending care packages and letters to who are currently serving overseas. We Thank you all for your service and are happy you are home and wish everyone overseas a safe return home. Thank you for protecting us and defending our freedom.

Here is a little poem that I found that I really enjoyed reading and I hope you will too.

They Did Their Share
On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.

By Joanna Fuchs

If you see someone in uniform, not just on Veteran's Day, make sure you say thank you! Most of our Vets from Vietnam did not get a nice welcome home, not like our soldiers today. My Dad told me a story of when he landed in CA and when he got off the plane was spit on. Ever since I heard this, I try to say Thank you to those Vietnam Vets. I simply say "Thank you for your service. I know it is a little late but I would like to Thank you" Most of them just look at me funny, but others welcome it.
A little thank you goes a long way....lets get out there and thank everyone we can!

If you would like more information on adopting a soldier.....click here or please click the button on the top right hand side of my blog. Every little bit helps :)

Eyes

2010-11-09T11:24:00.003-05:00

The theme over at Simplicity this week is "eyes"
I know most people are going to show off their little ones and loved ones beautiful eyes but I am taking a bit of a different approach ;)
This is a picture of Billy. She is a 13 yr old Jersey cow who somehow is still milking! She is such a sweet soul and you can see it in her eyes. She is very thin and her poor teats are about a half an inch from the ground but when you look into her eyes you can see she knows she is old and not at pretty as the other cows but you can also see her inner beauty and kindness. She always seemed to be off by herself and the first time we met her she just looked at us with such wonder and gentleness. She and the other cows are not used to seeing little kids so when we are out in the pasture and my son wants to hug all of them I am very cautious and I am only a step away to get him out of harms way with them. With Billy it was different. She seemed to welcome my son up to her, almost like she was so much smaller then the herd, so she welcomed a small human. Billy will always be a favorite of ours and she represents how sweet and gentle cows can be and why I love the Jersey breed so much.
Also if you look closely you can see a reflection of me in her eye. Not sure if you can see it in this picture but in a bigger picture I am there :)

Please stop by one of the cutest blogs, Simplicity, and check out the other wonderful entries.

Finally!! Sentenced to Death!!

2010-11-08T13:01:00.003-05:00

I know this case has been all over the news and not just here at home in CT. We have been waiting on a verdict from the jury who met all weekend to figure out whether Steven Hayes should be sentenced to death in the Cheshire Home Invasion Trial. I understand that there are many people out there that do not believe in the death penalty but if you read about what happened to this family...death is not enough for these 2 monsters. Click here to read.
Only one man has been tried so far. The other monster is going to start his trial sometime next yr. It has been 3 yrs since the invasion took place and how Dr. Petit keeps himself going is beyond me. He has been to the court house everyday of the trial and for the sentencing. I, Personally, am happy about this verdict but CT will probably never get around to actually doing it. This monster will probably live on death row until he dies on his own!
Who knows what will happen but I and the majority of people here in my home state believe this is the outcome that should have happened. As someone had stated from I believe the Petit family "If this crime doesn't deserve the death penalty, then what does"

May God bless the Hawke and Petit families and hopefully the girls, Jennifer (mother) and sisters Hayley (17) and Michaela (11) souls can rest a little more peacefully.

I Heart Faces Week 43 "Orange"

2010-11-08T08:27:00.005-05:00

This was taken when our preschool class went to the apple orchard for a field trip. Most of the kids were running in and out of the hay maze but when I looked into the pumpkin patch, this little cutie was just sitting on the pumpkins watching everyone. Talk about the right place at the right time :)

Be sure to stop by I Heart Faces this week and see all the other wonderful entries! Just click on the button below

Tell a Stranger Tuesday

2010-11-02T09:22:00.006-04:00

Today is Tell a Stranger Tuesday at Soldiers Angels. We as angels are asked to tell at least one person about Soldiers Angels. So what a better way to do it then to blog about it.

There are so many wonderful organizations out there that help the deployed, the wounded and/or our Vets. Soldiers Angels just wraps all of them up into one and you can pick or choose how you would like to help or you can help by adopting a soldier who is currently deployed. To adopt a soldier you just need to make a donation, which can be as little as a $1 or as big as you would like. There are currently over 1600 men and women who are waiting to be adopted! This is a wonderful organization to get your children involved with or if you know of a school that may be able to help out or maybe a Veteran who would like to help. It doesn't take much and I have to say that it is very rewarding! Click on the button above to read more about how you can help.

Oh! Speaking of schools helping, I have a meeting with my sons teacher tomorrow to talk about how we can get the kindergarten classes to make cards for Thanksgiving and for Christmas to send over. We are also thinking of doing a donation drive to ship out to the Soldiers Angels warehouse in Texas. She says this will be a great lesson for all of the children and she is going to incorporate it into the classes lessons. After my meeting with her I have the joy of talking to a class of about 20 5yr olds...that should be fun! My son is so excited about it!

Today I am going to finish up the blanket I am making to donate to Soldiers Angels "Blanket of Belief" project. I don't sew (yes I know, sad) but they have a no sew fleece blanket you can make. It seems fairly easy. I will post some pictures later.

Please, if you can't make a donation or you don't have the time to help out in a group, just take a few minutes and take a look at the Soldiers Angels website and help me spread the word about how anyone can help!

Fall in New England

2010-11-01T08:29:00.007-04:00

I know I showed this one off a week or so ago but I have to admit it is my favorite fall photo so I have to use it one more time for the "Fall" challenge over at the Trendy Treehouse. Enjoy!

Living in New England is absolutely stunning in the Fall. The picking up of leaves, the crisper air, the one day of warmth then the next day dropping 20-25 degrees.....Ahh!! The joys of fall. Mark Twain put it best "If you don't like the weather in New England, Wait a minute." That statement is so true and if you live in New England you know it is!

To me Fall only means one thing....Winter is right around the corner. I do love watching the leaves change color and love driving by houses with all the mums lining the driveways, stairways and walkways but it all goes back to one thing....Winter IS coming!
We know when it is fall when... we have to get leave bags to bag all the leaves, get 2-3 cords of wood delivered and stacked so we can stay warm all winter, winterize the chicken coop so the girls are as comfortable as they can be, put away all the deck furniture (I cry when this happens), Get the gardens cleaned out ( and I cry again), clean up anything in and around the yard so no one gets hurt walking or sledding when it snows, fertilize the lawn, and if you are lucky enough to own a boat, get the boat out of the water and on dry dock. These are just a few things that tell us that Fall is here.
One of the other things about Fall is, you miss having your windows open and hearing all those familiar sounds. Whether it is the sound of dogs barking, certain birds chirping, the sound of the ocean or the crickets at night. One thing that is a normal sound for us, is the running of the trolley on the old trolley tracks. With its squeaks and screeching on the tracks, you ALWAYS know when they are giving rides. Living very close to the Farm River, the tracks used to run right along the river. Now there is only a small portion left where they continue to give rides during the spring and summer months. The trolley started running in 1900 and ran for almost 50 yrs. It connected New Haven to some of the shoreline towns so people could shop or go out on the town for the night. It was shut down due to the automobile coming into more and more households. It is now kept alive thanks to the Shore Line Trolley Museum. The tracks aren't long since most have been removed, but if you walk along the river, across the way, you will see the tracks with the old lines and poles to run the trolley. I happen to be driving by the area where the tracks end. It was a beautiful autumn day and I was lucky enough to have my camera on me. This picture was taken at the very end of the tracks. To the left is an old platform and from what I can see this is the only "bump" in the tracks probably to help the trolleys stop. This picture is one of the reasons why I love living in New England! With its wonderful, colorful trees and history.

Please be sure to take a look at all the wonderful Fall stories at I Heart Faces this week :)

and all the wonderful photos at Simplicity :)

My Newest

2010-10-24T18:25:00.007-04:00

I have fallen in Love with Photography!! I love taking nature shots of all kinds and I love chasing the birds and butterflies around the yard for hours at a time to get that "right" photo. I have had my camera now for just about 2 yrs and I have gotten so much joy out of it. I have sold some photos to family and friends and had a thought..... how can I incorporate them into my Artfire store. Well....I thought about how nice would it be for some of my pictures to make others happy as a blank note cards!! All my pictures are printed on Kodak paper and are attached to card stock with matching envelopes. The pictures are 4x6 and the cards themselves are 5x7. The pictures are attached to white or ivory card stock and they all come with matching envelope's. They are blank inside so they are ready for your personal touch!
These have been so much fun for me to make. It has made me so happy seeing them in a way that will bring a smile to someone Else's face. I hope that every person that receives one will be as happy receiving it as I was to take the photo and make it into a card.
I will have many more coming up in the next week or so. They are not currently listed as I am waiting for a supply to come in. I didn't want to list them until I had everything in hand.
So here is a sneak peak on some of the cards that are already made up.
There is also another project I am working on with the photos that I can't wait to share but I will show them off as soon as they are ready.

Camp Spann Thank You Video

2010-10-22T08:26:00.003-04:00

If you have ever thought about donating to some of the wonderful organizations out there that support our troops then you must watch this video. It is a video on how the troops are living and them saying Thank you to everyone who sends care packages or letters. This video explains why I have joined Soldiers Angels and the great joy that I have gotten from them in the little time I have been a part of it. Please take a few mins to watch it. You will not be disappointed and if you have been debating on if you should or shouldn't join some type of organization...I'm sure it will shine some light on should! By watching this video it made me see what I do is so special and makes me want to do more. I have sent out many cards to many soldiers who needed a little boost to keep their spirits up. I have not heard back from them but this video proves that they do get them and read them and appreciate them. It makes me feel wonderful to know that! So know it is time to get some more cards and see what soldiers are in need today!!

Thank you to each and everyone of our soldiers all over the world for what they are doing and thank you to their families for being so strong, understanding and patient while their loved ones are away!!

I Heart Faces Week 42 "In The Orchard"

2010-10-18T08:38:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it has been 2 yrs since my little man started preschool. For the 2 yrs he was in preschool, about this time of year, we all met up at the orchard and spent half a day there taking hay rides, playing with animals and picking apples. They also have a corn maze AND a hay maze! The kids loved it. This brings me back to when the children seemed so small but now to look back on how big they actually were and are still getting to be.

Be sure to stop by and see all the other wonderful pictures at I Heart Faces for this week. They are so much better then mine ;)

We've Adopted a Soldier

2010-10-13T18:50:00.009-04:00

We are so excited to tell our story of adopting a soldier. I know some of you may not agree with what is going on in Afghanistan but the men and women that are over there fighting to keep us safe here at home, believe in what they are doing and so do I and my family. I have been wanting to do something for our soldiers for a long time but I really wanted my son to be involved, so I held off a bit until he got a little older and could appreciate what we were going to do. Not that he is 5 1/2 and a smart cookie I might add, I thought it was time. I 1st tried to get some names from my cousin who is in the Navy but that didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I looked all over for some different organizations that you can get involved with helping our heros overseas. There are many great organizations out there but the one that I kept going back to was Soldiers Angels.
Soldiers Angels has many different parts to it, if that is how I would say it. One of the best parts (I think) is that you can actually "adopt" a soldier! You sign up for a donation of as little as $1 or any amount you see fit and you become a verified Angel. When you become verified you can then adopt a soldier. I kept watching and reading all about Soldiers Angels for a few months and decided this was the perfect place for my son and I to join. We became verified angels and received the name of our soldier within 24hrs. I am not allowed to give out specific details of our soldier so all I will say is she is a female and we will refer to her as "D". When you adopt a soldier you are responsible to write your soldier once a week and send out 1 care package a month. Not hard, is it? Nope! We received D's name and address about a month ago and have sent letters and our 1st care package, which she should have received the end of last week or sometime this week. We had no idea what to get her so we sent candy, toothbrushes, toothpaste and a whole bunch of other little things! We are hoping she finds a few minutes to write us back but we are not expecting to hear from her since we are doing this because we want to and believe in them and we also understand that she is working and is really busy with being in a warzone.
Soldiers Angels is also a place for you to join different groups like "Blankets of Hope" which if you sew or knit you can make blankets for our wounded soldiers being flown into Germany, or "First Response Backpacks" which makes up backpacks of items that the soldiers may "loose" while being transported with an injury. Sometimes their items never make it back to them since the transportation process is fast for their safety or how about "OperationBirthday Cake" This group gets birthday cakes over to our soldiers on their birthday. These are just a small portion of what SA does. You can go to SoldiersAngels.org to look around and possibly join to help. To join one or more of these groups I believe (don't hold me to it) that you do not have to make a donation...I'm almost sure of that. As I am writing this there are currently 1387 soldiers waiting to be adopted. I have gotten some of my family and friends to help me and join so even if you can't join right now maybe you know someone that may want to...so pass the word on!! Some of the people that I know that haven't joined but did help me send a 34lb package to the SA warehouse in TX filled with snacks and many, many boxes of toothpaste and at least 75 toothbrushes and other little goodies!! I thank them all for their help!!
I know the economy is tough right now and a lot of people don't have a lot of money to be sending care packages and stuff but if you join you can do a 1 time care package. There are addresses you can send items to that they are in desperate need of like the call out right now is for toothbrushes and toothpaste and floss. If you go to the dollar store you can get big things of toothpaste for $1 and a package of 4-5 toothbrushes for a $1. And if you go to your local Post Office they can give you a box ahead of time that you can fill for as little as $4.95. Fill it and send it! It felt really good to send out that first box but now it is a little more personal with having our adopted soldier.
Just remember, what they are fighting for and that they are protecting us. Some of them don't get mail and have families that don't support them (yes I have seen this posted on SA about family not supporting their son or daughter!). Each and every one of them deserve to get mail on mail call days, each and everyone of them deserve to know that there are people at home that do care and do support them! Do this with your child, do it in the name of a family member who is a Vet, just do it because you care about the men and women's moral and well being!
If I can help anyone get started or answer any questions feel free to leave a comment or email me and I will gladly help you out.

God Bless our soldiers and bring them home safe!!

A Restart?

2010-10-06T16:51:00.007-04:00

I have been MIA for a long time and to be honest I was trying to hard to keep up with the selling on Artfire, Etsy, Bonanzle and keeping up with blogging, being a mom, wife, daughter, step-mom, sister and friend. It got way to over whelming and I felt as tho I had nothing to say. Who really wants to read something that isn't interesting?

So I took a long time off to get back on my feet and to figure out what was important to me. I spent most of the summer taking pictures, bringing my son down to the beach and we went up to my uncles dairy farm twice this year! I love it up there!! I was planning on going up again this weekend but I can't make it :( But I will get back up there soon. We did alot of things this summer as a family which was really nice. I had also gotten a part time job working from 4-8pm and worked alot of overtime. I was let go in Sept because I had gotten really sick and was out of work for almost a week and a half. The drs still don't know what it was but let me tell you...it wasn't fun!! I feel much better but to be honest I don't think my stomach is the same since then. Good news is the drs can't find anything and nothing is wrong internally so i guess I am good to go. I am currently looking for another job and it will have to be second shift due to my son being in afternoon kindergarten. Yes, we are probably one of the last towns around that don't have full day kindergarten. We had a great summer and I Hope that everyone out there did too!

So for right now I am going to end this with some pictures that I had taken over the summer. I hope you enjoy them and you can always see more on my flickr photo stream :)

This picture I think is of the Farm River up in Mass. Funny part is I live where the Farm river and Long Island sound meet. It is only a 3 minute walk for me and this picture is taken about 1.5hr ride away.

My oldest son...we called him the cow Whisperer. The cow he is with is Red and she followed him everywhere he went while we were walking in the pastures. The he got the honor of her giving him a kiss :)

These next pictures were taken at an airshow just outside of Springfield Mass. Took us forever to get into park but it was well worth the wait.

This is a picture of my Dad and my son Thomas (My son is named after my father). They are standing next to a replica of the jeep my dad spent almost a yr and a half in and sleeping under when he served in Vietnam. My father was very excited to see it and Thomas was very proud to hear all the stories my Dad had to tell that day.

I have many more pictures I would like to share from the airshow!

Week 2 I Heart Faces

2010-01-11T20:49:00.004-05:00

This weeks photo challenge is "Best Face Photo"
I can't tell you how hard it was to choose a photo for this one! I had so many to choose from and I had so many I love. I picked this photo because of the sweetness and pureness in his face. Thomas was about 3 months old in this photo and I think it has to be in the top 3 of my favorites. Even if this photo doesn't win it is a winner in my eyes. My baby will be 5 this March and this picture seems like it was taken yesterday. Time goes by way to fast and you need to enjoy every minute you have with them while they are small.

Take a look at all the entries in this weeks photo contest on the I Heart Faces Blog! This is a fun and awesome week to stop by.

:(

2009-12-15T11:26:00.002-05:00

Do you remember your favorite blanket, teddy bear or something that you held close to you when you were young? Now do you remember when you had to give it up because you were a "big girl/boy"? Well....this is how I feel about giving up my smokes :(
To be honest I haven't been doing to well. I have cut back greatly but haven't "kicked" the habit completely. I have been having 2 or 3 cigarettes a day. It has worked well because it is just enough to take the edge off. The part that is making this the hardest is my husband is still smoking. Every so often he will forget and light up in the house and it totally screws me up. It isn't all his fault tho...it just takes so much will power and I just don't have it right now...not with Christmas coming and getting ready for it. I know, I know, just another excuse not to totally stop and to be honest maybe it is but it is just so hard!! My hubby says that since he has the week during Christmas and New Years off it will be a good time for him to quit too....we'll see. I believe it will be easier for him then me, but I am the one who has no choice but to quit. Last Monday I finally asked the doctor for a chest Xray because my chest hurt so bad and I thought at one point I was having a heart attack but come to find out when your lungs are inflamed they can spasm and make your chest hurt. The good news is that the chest xray showed nothing out of the norm and the doctor is thinking that I either have a nasty virus that just doesn't want to leave me or I am in the beginning stages of a chronic lung disease...great!!!! They put me on antibiotics AGAIN and also 2 types of inhalers which seems to be working. This is not fun and pretty scary too. To think that I am only 33 and starting a lung disease already is really scary.
Now to why I haven't just stopped? I have no idea!!!! I wish I could answer that. I know it is bad. I know every time I smoke a cigarette it is making my lungs worse and I am slowly killing myself....still no answer. I have read that stopping smoking is harder then quitting street drugs....if that is true I am not sure. I know what you are thinking, if your not a smoker, "dumbass". Come on admit it you think that I am stupid and should have gotten rid of all of the smokes when the dr told me what was going on...and you are totally right!!! If you are a smoker or an ex smoker then you probably totally understand what I am saying. This is the hardest thing that I have done and I am praying for the strength to stop completely. I just wish I knew if there was a trick or something. This time around I have figured out it is not so much the nicotine that keeps me coming back, it is the habit. The habit is the worst to break. I try not to talk on the phone much because there is something about smoking and being on the phone...don't ask. The morning smoke isn't bad for me. I can get up and go a little bit without having that morning cigarette (unlike my hubby). The after you eat smoke is getting easier. Now after dinner I just go straight to washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen before I really want that after dinner smoke. I now have a bottle of water I carry with me all the time so when I want that smoke I just keep taking small sips. There is a down side to the bottle tho....way too much time spent in the bathroom..Hahaha! But it does take that edge away for a little bit and it gives my hands and mouth something to do...that is the key I believe, keeping things busy. I can't chew gum as it always gives me a headache so I have stuff to suck on which works only for a little bit, but it does help.
I am hoping that I can figure this out soon and be smoke free by the new year! For all of those people out there that have quit smoking cold turkey...I am on my hands and knees bowing to you for your strength and commitment and asking for your help on how to just give it up! I am open for suggestions of any kind. For all you non smokers out there I am willing to hear the nasty comments you may wish to say....as long as they are not so mean you make me want to smoke...hahaha!!
Hope you all are doing great out there and are ready for the holidays. I am on my way slowly but I am one of those people that wait til last minute anyways...guess I like the stress.
Have a wonderful and blessed day :)

Sweet Dreams Week

2009-12-08T13:51:00.003-05:00

This is my entry for the I Heart Faces Photo Challenge called Sweet Dreams.
This is Emily at the end of the yr preschool picnic on the beach. The older kids were playing so nicely together and having fun on the beach, poor Emi couldn't keep up and just ended up falling asleep in the swing.
Too Cute!!

This picture below is just a shot a little further away so you can see her hanging there and she kept moving her head trying to get a more comfy spot.

Today is Day 1

2009-12-04T07:35:00.005-05:00

I have quit smoking today....for the 3rd time!!! I have tried to do it before but I really have to do it now. Doctors orders and also my body is saying enough is enough!

Hello everyone! I know I have been gone for quite sometime now and to be honest I didn't know if I was ever going to come back to writing. I started blogging for my stores on Etsy and Artfire. I had eventually grown to not like blogging for the fact of I was bored talking about selling. I enjoyed it more when I would talk about what I liked and loved but then I said "who cares how you feel about certain things" I know some of you do....if my old blogging buddies are still out there. So I have decided to do this for myself. I need to vent the frustration of stopping smoking and I thought what a better place then here due to the fact of there are millions of you out there that have overcome some sort of an addiction. I hope you all will be able to give me some hints, ideas and encouragement to do this so then I may be able to help the next person in line to quit smoking or whatever their addiction may be.

I have been having some medical issues and to be honest I am getting really nervous now. I am the type of person that doesn't like to talk about very personal things. My thoughts are that somewhere out there someone has it worse then you. I didn't want people to think that I was whining or anything. I have decided to try writing about my issues going on and about quitting smoking. I thought that it may help me to just put my thoughts and feelings down and if anyone wants to read or if anyone can offer some advice I would love it so. I have heard that quitting street drugs is easier then quitting smoking...don't know if that is totally true or not but I can say it is the hardest thing I have had to do. I haven't figured out how to constantly find things for my fingers to do or my mouth for that fact. I have lost some weight (45 lbs to be exact..in 2 yrs) and I am soooo scared I am going to put it back on and I can't do that since I am already pre diabetic or I should say was pre diabetic:) If I have to put some of that back on I am good with that but I have seen and read horror stories on how much weight people put on due to stopping smoking and I am not good with that!

Right now I need to take this one day at a time and see what happens. Right now I have a patch on and I have a cut down straw to hold in my fingers or in my mouth. I have also heard to put a little bit of cotton in one end of the straw so if you decide to suck on it is gives you a little resistance like a cigarette does (think I may have to try that). It is still early here and I haven't been up long enough to really start craving. I was never the one to get up and the first thing I had to do is light up. I was always about to hold off on that and also after eating I could do the same. I will probably have to post something later when I am cranky and really could use a smoke.

On another note. I thought I would show you a few pictures that I have been taking with my Christmas toy from last yr and a pictures of how big the boys have gotten :) I really would love to hear from you guys and let me know how you all are doing. I have popped in from time to time but I never really commented to much on the blogs but I always was wondering how everyone was.

48 for Larry!!

2009-07-24T09:29:00.003-04:00

Please stop by and try to help a great person in our handmade world who is in desperate need of everyones help! Please stop by Block Head Radio and show your support even if you can't afford to donate or participate in the silent auction! This all starts at 6:00 P.M. tonight. One of our Handmade friends needs our help....help show your support by posting this video every where you can :) Thank you!!

I Heart Faces "Pets" and "Sports"

2009-07-13T08:59:00.006-04:00

This is not a "real" sport, but ask any 1 year old and she will tell you it is one of the best sports out there....swinging!!!!

This is my entry into the I Love Faces Photo Challenge for this weeks "Pets"

This is Marsala! She is a Silver Wyandotte Hen. She is no longer with us as I have downsized my flock but non the less she is a beautiful bird and is greatly missed. She went to a wonderful girl who is in our local 4-H and will be showing her this yr in the upcoming fairs. We are hoping to see her at our big county fair this yr! How could she not win :)

Bob Bull Goes into Retirement

2009-06-24T04:26:00.000-04:00

For all of you that have been following my husbands adventure with having a partnership in a race horse, I have some bad and good news.

I will start with the bad news first. Bob Bull will no longer be running on the track. He proved to Tom that he no longer wanted to be out there but gave it a shot. So Tom made the decision to put him into retirement for the rest of his life. Tom listens to his horses and lets them make the choice if they are going to run or not. Bob Bull has had a hard life and Tom gave him a chance out there on the track again but Bob wanted nothing to do with it. Tom says that he loved going out in the morning and running but when it came to race time he just didn't put his heart into it.

So now for the good news!!

This is a picture of Bob with one of his new owners!

Bob is currently living on a 40 acre farm in Wellington FL with a couple who really wanted to take him in. Tom told us Bob also has a girlfriend to hang out with!! How cool is that. Bob is now going to live out his life being happy and running but not for competition.

Also the best news of all.....Tom has had a "No Slaughter" Bill signed for Bob. This means that Bob will never have to see the inside of a slaughter house again. He made it out and will never go back. How lucky is this horse?! I think he is one of the luckiest animals out there. If it wasn't for Racefund.org finding him in the slaughter house and calling Tom, and for Tom taking him back in...and now knowing that he will die an old horse, happy and loved! He is one of the few that get a second chance at life, so please just remember all of those that aren't that lucky.

I hope to try to get some more pictures of Bob at his new home but no promises. We will still be in contact with Tom and hopefully when another partnership comes around we will be ready and be able to afford it. Even if another partnership doesn't come around we have made a good friend and I have had the honor of knowing someone who is a horse trainer and also a man who cares so much for his and all animals alike. You don't meet people like Tom everyday and I am glad that I have met him. He gave us a chance at one of my husbands dreams and I will always respect him for that! It was a great ride for Mark... and me too! It was a lot of fun and a time that we will never forget. I love you Tom! You are a nice, wonderful, warm hearted person and it has been an absolute pleasure to have gotten to know you! Thank you!!!

I am hoping to keep updated with other horses that Tom is running. You can always catch Toms horses at Calder race track in Miami FL. Just look for Mcschell Racing and Tom Schell!

Thanks for sharing in our adventure. It wasn't as long as we would have liked but it has turned out better then we ever thought it could.

2009-06-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello to all my blogging friends. I have been MIA for a few. I have had some personal things to take care of and it has not been fun for me. The weather here has not helped with motivation to do anything either. It has been raining or cloudy for the past 3 weeks and it has got me very down. My personal things have gotten better but I have one more hump to get over on Friday. I am sure everything will be fine but it doesn't make my mind any calmer. It has been really crazy around here with all the stuff going on and the boys graduating from school and all the money we have had to dish out this month for all of Marks end of the yr activities for school. It would be so nice if the school would give a heads up about mid year on what will be going on at the end of the year so you can financially plan for everything. I am also currently looking for a job to help with some added expenses that have come up. It hasn't been easy to find anything around here. I know it is rough all over but for some reason no store chains are hiring around here. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find something soon.

So one day this past week the sun came out for a few hours and Thomas and I sat on the deck enjoying the sunshine and listening to the birds sing and feed the babies in the birdhouses. It was so nice to see the sun and feel the warmth. The only good thing about the rain is my gardens are wonderful!! I decided to get my camera out and take a few pictures of some of the beautiful colors in some of my gardens. I hope you enjoy them.

I hope you all are doing good and that things are going well for all of you. I have missed you all and missed blogging. I am hoping that my time of stress is over and I can get back to life the way I know it. I have missed you all tremendously and it feels really nice to write again and be back into this!

I heart faces week 24 "Let's Hear It for the Boys"

2009-06-22T19:09:00.003-04:00

I had such a hard time picking out a picture to use for this weeks challenge.

I have a million pictures of this blonde haired, blue eyed cutie and I picked this one because I thought it fit into the "Let's Hear it for the Boys" category just perfect. What is better then a boy playing in a mud puddle for this weeks challenge.

Thomas was just over 2 in this picture, he found a mud puddle and went crazy!!

Nothing wrong with a little bit of dirt right? This may be to the extreme but this is probably one of my favorite photos of him. He still has no problem finding dirt and getting dirty.

We Were at Belmont Park!

2009-06-08T08:18:00.009-04:00

On Saturday, Mark and I took a ride down to the Belmont in NY to watch the races. We had been to tracks before but never been for a big stakes race like "The Belmont". Can I just say what a blast we had! I got wonderful pictures, met some wonderful people and had a great time just the 2 of us. I really didn't think I was going to like being there all day since we got there at 10 and the main race wasn't until 6:30 but time went by fast and we had great seats right on the rail. We were near the finish line and had a great view of everything. The people were mainly friendly,but there were plenty of rude people too, a lot were drunk and so funny to watch and the people that were so over dressed for the cheap seats...they must have thought they were at the Kentucky Derby but sitting in the cheap seats! That was interesting to see. It was a great time and it was wonderful to have some "adult time" just me and Mark. We came home tired and really sunburned but it was well worth it!

I am so proud of some of the pictures I got. I owe it all to my wonderful husband who got me the Canon Rebel XSI for Christmas. These pictures would not be possible without it. I have started a new Flickr page that has more photos on it if you would like to see more. I did this because I was so surprised when a man came over my shoulder when I was looking at some of the pictures I had taken (200+!!) and he saw some he liked and asked if I sell them and wanted to know if he can purchase a few. Can you say EXCITED!! So I hope I can figure this out and any and all advice on selling pictures would be greatly appreciated!! Please!!

This is "mine that bird" getting ready for the gate
This is Summer Bird taking the lead

Just a photo of one of the turf races

Busy, Busy and More Busy

2009-06-05T08:31:00.003-04:00

It has been a very busy 2 weeks here. We have had all sorts of end of the school year activities going on, graduation, band competition, field trips, play dates and yard work! Emily sums it up in this first picture!

We had a great picnic with the preschool at our town beach. It was cold and windy that day but the kids had fun. Emily is the younger sister of Jamie who is in Thomas's class and the poor thing just couldn't keep up.

This is part of our beach overlooking Long Island Sound. As you can see we don't have much activity when it comes to waves. Long Island protects us and the only time it gets choppy and we have any types of waves is when a storm comes in. Not as nice as some beaches but it is nice since it is only 3 minutes from my house.

Thomas and some of his classmates and parents enjoying the beach

This is the graduating class! I can't believe my baby has graduated from his first year of preschool. I did ok since I know there is 1 more year of preschool before he is off to Kindergarten. Now talk to me in a few weeks when my oldest graduates from 8th grade...I don't think I will do well with that one.

This is Thomas and Jamie. They will be married some day(we joke all the time)! They absolutely love one another. Jamie asks Thomas to walk her to her car everyday after preschool and they walk hand in hand to her car. It is the cutest sight ever!!! I do have to say that Thomas is a gentleman and just does as he is told to do....LOL!

Thomas getting his diploma!

After Disney this is no fun at all for him...can you tell? Look at the look on his face. I can see him saying to himself "this is boring"

Thomas was big enough to drive the car on his own. He told Dad that he was a big boy and can do it all by himself. So Dad and I sat and watched as he "bumped" his way down the track. He looks like he has been driving for years the way he is sitting in the car with his hand like that on the wheel.

Mark had a band competition at Lake Compounce which is a amusement park here in CT. After they played a few songs we got to enjoy the park for the day. It was so cold and only finished raining shortly after they performed. It wasn't that fun. Last year it was about 85 and sunny and we all went home sunburned and the kids were able to use the water park...not this year! Sweatshirts never came off :(

I couldn't really get good pics of the band concert. The place that they performed in was big. They all did a great job and it was very enjoyable. Most of them have been playing since they were in 4th grade and I can't believe how much they have grown in the last 4 yrs.

Now that Thomas is done with school we just have to get through Marks last 2 or 3 weeks left and much more to do. We are also trying to get Mark into the "little explorers" program at our local firehouse. It is nice since we know the chief! Hopefully he can get in and it will keep him busy for the summer. If summer ever gets here!! We have had a few nice and really warm days then it drops back down again. Like today it is only supposed to be 60-65 degrees. Isn't it supposed to be warmer now!!

I hope you all are doing good and are having much better weather then we are.

I will also be posting on Bob Bull later today.

Take Care

I Heat Faces Photo Challenge Week 21

2009-06-01T08:24:00.005-04:00

I know most of you have seen this darling face already but I have decided to enter Reese's wonderful smile into a photo challenge. If you haven't seen the I Heart Faces blog then you really need to stop by and take a look. Every week they have new challenges going on and I love looking at all the entries. So now I am taking the next step and entering!

If you missed the shirt that Reese won for the best smile and to learn a little more about him you can go here to read more on this wonderful part of our family.

2009-05-28T09:15:00.003-04:00

Bob is running in his second race today at Calder in Miami. He will be running at 2:14 this afternoon in race #4. I wish him and Tom luck and hopefully he will show us what a great runner he is this time. Keep your fingers crossed!

Good luck Bob Bull and Tom!!!

2009-05-25T11:31:00.003-04:00

Today is Memorial Day, A day to remember all of those in our armed forces that have died, been injured or are still out there fighting for all of us here. We should all take a moment to remember those from past and present wars. Say a prayer from them and their wonderful families, if you don't pray put out a flag, when you see someone in uniform say thank you!It doesn't take much. Even if you don't believe in war these men and women are doing there job and doing what they believe in. They all deserve our support and love.
Just a little story for you.
My father who served in Vietnam for 16 months and came home safe had not to long ago took all of the grandchildren together and showed them all how to properly salute the uniform and flag. Now you would never think that it would stick in a 3 yr olds head. Well, I was wrong. We were in McDonald's just a few weeks ago and there were 2 men in uniform. They were in the Army. We were waiting in line behind them and my son turned to me and said "Mommy, what did Dziadziu (grandfather in Polish) say to do?" I had no idea what he was asking. He took his hand a put it up to his head all funny and then I caught on. So I gave him a fresher coarse. The 2 men were walking out and Thomas says "bye bye" and puts his hand up and saluted them. The older of the 2 turned around and saw him and went into a full salute himself! The younger of the 2 had a HUGE smile on his face and you could just see the joy in his eyes. Everyone in McDonald's that day that caught it started clapping and cheering. It was such a touching and wonderful moment. I really wish I had my camera for that one. But after seeing the mens faces, full of joy, I knew that it only took a small act to show these men that we appreciate them being out there doing what they are doing. It was also a very proud moment for me. My father always taught me to salute or at least say thank you. Now that I am older and have seen this war go on, I know how much they risk their lives for us and truly believe in what they are doing. Please just say thank you next time you see a man or woman in uniform. I guarantee it will make their day.

I also would like to ask for your prayers and thoughts for my cousin Philip. He is a Navy pilot and is being sent to Afghanistan on June 1st. He is in training in North or South Carolina right now and will ship out in June. He only found out 4 weeks ago that he will be serving a 12 month tour. Didn't give him a lot of time to get his wife and life situated. He says he is in some ways excited about going since this is what he has spent all this time training for. He will hopefully be sending emails home and sending pictures. I pray for his safe return and pray that his wife has the strength to get through everyday. She is a very strong person and probably one of the sweetest people I know. I know she will do fine but it will probably take a toll on her. She will be moving back home for the year he is away. At least she will be with her close friends and family to help her. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

This is a picture of Phil and his brother Doug in the cockpit. The below picture is of one of Phils fly overs at a Nascar race in Miami. Don't know which one is him :)

Bob Bull's Race

2009-05-19T12:04:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the delay in this post! My son has a double ear infection AGAIN and a upper respiratory infection. They think the ear infection didn't clear from almost 4 weeks ago. He is doing better now! But lets move on to Bob Bull.

Bob did race this weekend at Calder Race Course. Unfortunately I don't have any good news. He came in last place:( We contacted Tom after the race and asked what he thought happened. Tom told us that he worked out in the morning and looked great! He just didn't run. As Tom put it he didn't look like he wanted to be there. It is very hard to judge with animals what is going on. Tom is going to run him again hopefully in 2 weeks. Tom told us his heart has to be there. He needs to want to be out there on that track and run. If he chooses not to have his heart in it then Tom will make a decision and take him off the track and find him a good home. That is one of the things I love about Tom, he will never just throw a horse away. He will find a home for his horses that will be good for them, where they can be loved and cared for like they should. We hope that it was just a bad day for him and that maybe he will show us he wants to be there. After the life that Bob has gone through, I wouldn't want to see him get unhappy again. He seems as though he is a good horse with a good heart. If he wants to be a stable pony then I know he will make someone very happy and he will be able to live out his life in happiness.

Thank you for all your support for Bob. By no means is this over. I will NOT give up on him until he shows us that he doesn't want to be on the track anymore. Bob will run again and will hopefully show everyone what he has. I just wish I had better news to tell but I do have to say that this has been such a fun ride for Mark and I. I can't tell you how excited he was to see Bob out on that track. When he loaded into the gate my hubby was super excited! I'm not going to lie and say he wasn't disappointed that he didn't do better but he just happy that Bob was not hurt and that he got to say that that horse out there was part his. It was so nice to see Mark glowing with excitement on Saturday. This has been a long time dream for him and it was great to see it come true!

Here is the race from this Saturday. He is #6 and if you watched the video I put up last week you will see the difference. He looked like a different horse to me but that is just my opinion.

Bob Bull is Going to Run this Saturday!

2009-05-13T08:24:00.005-04:00

Bob Bull is supposed to run at Calder Race Track, in Miami, this coming Saturday the 16th at 1:46p.m. EST. This is ONLY if Tom can get his papers in time! He has had some trouble with the Jockey Club with getting his papers sent to him. IF he gets his papers in time Bob is going to run! This has been the day my husband has been waiting for. Right now Bob is entered into a $10,000 claimer with a $10,000 purse. So if all goes well, Bob will be looking at the finish line once again!

Bob has been doing great!! He just did a practice run out of the gate last week. He broke with 3 other horses and came in 2nd out of 50! How awesome is that! I think Bob Bull is happy to be home and has a slight understanding of what could have been (If you are new to reading about Bob Bull then please read this and you will understand his story).
He has also been knocking time off of each of his breezes, not a lot, but they still haven't had to push him to take time off. Imagine what will happen when they do push him....he is going to fly!!
I hope you all will join us for this great day and celebrate Bobs first run in about 2 yrs! I will let you all know if there are any changes. Keep your fingers crossed that the papers will come in in time and Bob will run on Saturday!

I have included this race for you all to see Bob Bull at his best. This is the race in which he won on November 25, 2007. If you watch closely you will see that the jockey barely pushes him to run. What I mean by "pushes" is, that he doesn't really use the whip on him. I think he used it 2 or 3 times. When it comes to horse racing, that is great! He is also very beautiful and runs his heart out. I hope you enjoy this glimpse at Bob in action and hope you all will send good vibes to our friends Tom of McSchell Racing, Lisa, his wife, our jockey, and of coarse Bob Bull! Good vibes, mojo, wishes or whatever you want to call it, is greatly appreciated!

2009-05-10T07:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Mothers Day to everyone!

Sending warm wishes for a wonderful Mothers Day.

Enjoy your special day!

I would like to send out a very special Happy Mothers Day to my Mom, Sandy. She is a great Mom and Grandmother and we appreciate everything she has done for me (us) over the years!

Nothing beats a Mom!!

LaDeDaCreations

2009-05-02T19:01:00.003-04:00

If you like fun shops then you have to check out LaDeDaCreations!

This shop is full of such fun items that I had a hard time choosing just a few to display. Not only is the shop wonderful so is Laura who runs LaDeDaCreations!

I have secretly been admiring this soap dish :) I need one for my kitchen and it would go great with my new counter. Hopefully one day!

I Finally Won Something!

2009-04-30T12:28:00.003-04:00

Well, not really me. This cutie face won "The Cutest Pet Contest" on a great blog called Furrytwang! He won his own T Shirt. We picked out the one that says Spoiled Rotten. Which he is of coarse! They also have a website with some great southern based T shirts. Stop by if you have a chance, it is a really cute site with many different types of shirts and sayings. You can also follow Furrytwang on Twitter. Thank you Jodi for the great prize and a picture of Reese in his shirt will be on the way when his shirt gets here!

This is Reese. He is a 10 yrs old Border Collie/Dalmatian mix who acts like he is about 2. We picked him up at the local pound when he was about 1. He was jumping so high in the pen and was a crazy man but there was good reason for it. He was so full of love but no one wanted to love him. He was found wondering the street and brought to the pound when he was a few months old. He was then adopted 2 times and brought back to the pound both times. He was taken in the 1st time and returned after a week because he was to hyper and the second time he was returned for the same reason but after about 3 weeks. Yes, he was hyper!! Jumping all over, running like a mad man but I think if I was locked up for that long I would have been doing the same.

While at the pound I took him out to the pen to see what he was like. He was a doll. You could see in his face that all he wanted was to be loved and to love you. He was jumping all over me and was trying to lick me to death. You really need to watch that tongue...it always wants to lick! There was no way I could walk away without him! He has turned out to be such a great dog! He was and is trained very easily and quickly. He is so smart (must be the Border Collie in him) I trained him to lay down near the table when we eat. He won't even lift his head until we are done. He will not lay under the table (I HATE that). He can sit, stay, roll over, paw, lay down, speak and best of all smile! Yes he really does smile. He lifts up his upper lip and shows his teeth but if you can see him do it his whole face gets into it just like when we do a real big smile. I am trying to get a picture of it but it happens so quick I can't get a good pic. Reese is also a great dog with kids. He doesn't care what is done to him. This dog has a heart of gold! I remember when Thomas was a few months old and he was lying on the floor and Reese can into the room and tried to step over Thomas. Well, at that moment Thomas decided he was going to roll and Reese caught Thomas's arm with his back foot. Thomas started crying and Reese took off and went and crouched by the door with his head down and wouldn't look at me. I saw the whole thing so I know he was being gentle and trying to step over Thomas, he never meant to hurt him. I felt so bad for Reese that I went over to him and spoke to him like he was human. I told him I know he was trying to be careful and that he didn't do anything wrong. He then gave me a kiss and was much better. Can you tell how much I love this dog?

He is the best dog you could ever ask for and there will never be a replacement for him.

The one flaw about Reese....NEVER let him off his run!!! We can't fence in our yard due to all the rock in our yard so we have him on a 100ft run. If he gets off his run....we get in the car to go fetch him. He is a white streak running down the road...LOL! I swear he has some greyhound in him. He is super fast. He hasn't calmed or slowed down at all since we got him. He still loves his long walks by the water, but hates to swim. We take him to my neighbors who has a large fenced in yard and he plays with their 2 black labs.

So to those families that let this love of a dog go....Eat your hearts out!! You missed out on the best dog you could have ever owned!

This is Reese playing with his grouchy sister, Sasha. As you can see she puts Reese in his place when needed and she will go after any dog that doesn't belong in our yard. Can we say Ornery. She is about 14 and we rescued her too. She was about to be put down when she was about 5 because her owner didn't want her anymore so we took her in. She is a typical female dog...no pun intended..LOL! She is an old girl set in her ways and has gotten bitchier the older she has gotten. We love her no less but she does need an attitude adjustment...LOL!!!

Reese with his Christmas bandanna on.

We love all our animals just the same and we couldn't ask for a happier household of 2 dogs and 3 cats, a bird, a 50 gallon fish tank and our chickens and of coarse my boys!

Next Stop...Catfluff!

2009-04-29T09:44:00.003-04:00

Please stop by and check out another great shop at Artfire!

Catfluff makes such wonder items.

you will find recycled items, pillows and great totes!

Great Giveaway and Helping All In One

2009-04-24T16:01:00.004-04:00

A good friend of mine, Franni of Sunny Days Embroidery, has brought it to my attention that a very close friend of hers is in need of some help from her fellow artisans.

Her DH is having heart surgery and needs to come up with $25,000 for the copay! Isn't that just crazy!!

Anyways,

Joann of A Pieceful Afternoon is having a giveaway of this gorgeous "Grandmother's Garden" quilt.

You can find all the details at Joann's blog and learn a little more of what is going on.

Not all of us can donate but we can all show some love! Do what you can to help out. Post on your blog, tell a friend, twitter it etc, whatever way you see fit. Also, please, stop by Joanns blog and leave a comment just letting her know that you are thinking and or praying for her and her family. Every little bit helps!

Thanks for taking the time! I know our blogging community is close and you will all do what you can!

The Crazy Train Is On The Move Again!

2009-04-23T09:48:00.008-04:00

Our next stop on the Artfire Crazy Train is to a great shop named CreativeCoveJewelryDesign. Not only does this shop have some wonderful items that are very reasonably priced but is run by a very friendly and sweet women!!

Please make sure you stop by her blog if you have a chance too!!

Earth Day!

2009-04-21T19:28:00.006-04:00

In honor of Earth Day, I would like to talk about ways that I try to be green. I would also love to hear how you are green!! Maybe we can learn from each other :) I am not the "greenest" person out there but I try to do my part.

To start, I had my local utility company come to my home and run an energy efficiency test. They locked down my home and tested to see where air was seeping out of which windows and plugged up any holes in the attic and crawlspace that air may be getting out. They also changed all of the light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs and this was all done for FREE!!! If this is something that you would like more information on please feel free to contact me or check with your local utility company to see if they have this kind of program. I didn't know that this program existed until I spoke with someone who had it done. Not like they are going to advertise it since it costs them money but not me!! LOL! But it is a great program to take advantage of if your utility company offers it.

I also do my part in recycling plastic, glass, tin and newspapers. Every week our recycling bin goes out full with our trash.

Speaking of trash...I think my biggest "green" project is my compost pile. I started composting full time last year. I have a little bit of an advantage with having chickens. I use all the pine shavings I have in the chicken coop with the poop of coarse! Chicken manure is one of the best compost you can get. It just takes longer to compost then other manures due to the high amounts of ammonia in the droppings. I have 2 empty coffee cans on my kitchen counter...one for the chickens and the other for the compost pile. Not very many food scraps make it into our trash due to my little system. The compost can get anything that is not meat or food that will rot and attract rodent or nothing that has seeds. The girls get just about everything else.

The pictures below are of my compost pile from last year. It sat all winter and this is what it turned out like

When I left this pile at the end of the fall it was well up over the top of this black plastic "compost holder". I got this plastic from my town hall. I didn't know they offered this either until I saw someone walking out with one! There are so many little hidden secrets out there

This is a close up of what it broke down to. You can still see the shavings but the deeper you go the blacker the new "soil" gets

If you look on the right hand side of this photo you will see a longer piece of something...it kind of looks out of place...I think that is a piece of a corn husk. I did learn that corn cob doesn't break down like I would have liked it to.

These are my 3 raised beds that Mark built for me last year. I live on a rock ledge so there isn't much digging that can take place in my yard. Raised beds are supposed to be the best way to garden. They aren't expensive to make unless you go with top material of coarse but we always find a less expensive way to make things. We will try to make something before we buy it!

This is Ash in the compost pile. The girls love pecking around in it. When it gets warm out, there are all sorts of bugs and worms in it and the girls go crazy. When I find worms in the garden I feed a few to the girls and the rest go into the compost! The best thing for compost is a bit of moisture, different materials and WORMS!!

I just started a new pile when I cleaned out the coop and I have already spread the old pile into my raised beds to get the soil going. I cannot plant veggies until around mid May. Mother's Day is the rule of thumb for us up here in CT. I am nothing close to a expert gardener but I do try and LOVE trying!

Hmmm? I just thought that maybe I will write a little more on composting and take pictures of my new compost pile so you can see how it breaks down and how to do one. You don't need a big pile...you can make a small pile in one of the lawn and garden brown leaf bags..yep, really! it works! If you have children it is great to start even a small one so they learn there is another way to dispose of food and the reward of healthier plants later is a great one. I know Thomas loves taking the coffee can out to empty it. Sometimes he will notice it is full and take it out himself. This year he will learn what all that hard work has done for our garden. He gets very involved in gardening and it makes me happy to know that he would be able to feed himself, if necessary, when he is older. Hopefully it will stick with him and he will teach the same thing to his children.

Oh!! I can't forget to mention that I try to remember my reusable grocery bags every time I go shopping too!

I apologize for the long post but I feel as being green is very important and I feel as though we should all take pride in trying our best to be as green as we can!!

I would love to hear what you do to be green! Please share!

Silver River Jewelry

2009-04-20T19:26:00.005-04:00

If you love jewelry and shinny items then you will love this shop on Artfire. Silver River Jewelry has a wide variety of items for everyones liking and budget. You will find beaded items to metalwork to wire wrapped items. She carries everything from rings to pendants to belt buckles and bracelets. Silver River work is amazing!! Stop in and see for yourself...you won't be disappointed, trust me!! :)

Here are just a few of my favorite items from this shop. I know you will find something you will like in this shop. Please stop by and have a look ;)

Also feel free to stop by her blog to say hello!

We're Back!

2009-04-19T15:33:00.005-04:00

We are back from our Disney trip and now I need a vacation..LOL! We did so much but that is what you do in Disney right? We had great weather and the kids did fantastic. We had only one major melt down the whole time we were gone. I thought we would have had more but Thomas did great for the 10 days we were gone. We went to one park a day in the morning and had some quiet time at the pool for a few hours every afternoon then went back out to the parks. It made for long days but the down time was well needed and deserved. I am tan and refreshed (to a point) and feel so good! It will be a few days until I am back in the groove of things but it is ok.

Bad news is that cranky day we had with Thomas...He started a cough on Wed which slowly got worse by Saturday. I took him to the doctor yesterday and the poor little guy has a double ear infection!! He never once complained about his ears! The only sign I had was when we were landing in NY he was complaining his right ear hurt and I thought it was just his ear wasn't popping on the way down. This happened all the time when he was younger, he never gave any signs of an ear infection except not sleeping. He is on meds now and should be better soon. I just feel really bad I didn't know!

I thought I would mention, that we kept the trip and getting on a plane from Thomas until we got to the airport!!!! I thought that was pretty good! LOL!

Here are just a few of the million pictures I took.

Enjoy!

This is a picture of my husband, Mark with Mark (blue Cape Cod shirt) and Thomas, along with his brother Ed and his two children Edward (black shirt) and Emily.

Here is a picture of us taken on the boardwalk. I hate pictures but at least I am tan!

Animal Kingdom. I got some great shots of the animals. We did the safari first thing in the morning and the animals were out and active. I love the photo.

NY City from the air. A perfect day to fly home.

Thomas and the Big Guy himself

Every child has to have Mickey Ears!

One pooped little boy :]

Thomas turned into a water rat while we were there.

This is him and Emily. It was great to have the cousins together on vacation. Thomas loves Emily and wouldn't do anything without her.

I have many more to share but I won't bore you too bad!

It was a wonderful vacation and it is nice to be home. Nothing beats home!!

CaterpillarPeacock

2009-04-05T21:13:00.002-04:00

Here is another wonderful store found on Artfire!

If you like felted items then you will love CaterpillarPeacock!

She has very cute items and some are very small. You'll need to stop in and to see what I am talking about :)

Please stop by and take a look!

Lazy? Break? Vacation Mode?

2009-04-03T08:54:00.003-04:00

How about all 3!!
Yes, I admit it! I have been very lazy this past week and no I have not been ignoring you all!!! Things have been a little crazy around here. Thomas just started T-Ball, Mark is running Track for his school team, DH has had a crazy few weeks at work and I have been busy dealing with a messed up hip! The hip is something that happened a long time ago and is now giving me problems...nothing to worry about though. I also have to admit I have shut myself down a little early...vacation mode! We are off to Walt Disney World in Florida on this coming Tuesday. I have not been to Disney since 1996 and my DH hasn't been there since before Epcot!!! I have been trying to pack everything around my 4 yr old so he doesn't figure out that we are going on vacation. Yes I know that sounds rude but you don't understand! If I told him we were going on vacation I would have no hair left. For an example, We went to get our haircut yesterday and our appointment wasn't until 4:00, I made the mistake of telling him in the morning that we were going, and from the time he got out of school at a 11:15 he was bugging me every 20 to 30 mins if it was time to go! He LOVES the women that cuts his hair! So I do not DARE tell him we are getting on a plane and going to meet Mickey Mouse!!!! I do like my hair even though it is getting some grey in it :( LOL! I have clothes piled everywhere so it looks like I am being lazy and not putting them away but they are just waiting for the suitcases to come out. I have a boxed filled with snacks and breakfast stuff to ship down to the hotel and poor Thomas thinks it is for when they go camping...he said it so I didn't lie to him..LOL! I was busy this week getting all of the running around done, getting the animals ready for the sitter, cleaning the chicken coop and getting it ready for some baby chicks!! Hopefully soon after we get back we will have a few new chicks that we are waiting to get from someone down the street. They are supposed to hatch around the 18th of April.
Again, I am sorry to be so lazy in posting but I hope you all will deal with me for a little bit longer. I need this vacation and I think I also needed a break from this crazy, but fun, online world! I will miss everyone and I will try to post some short posts and pics when we are in FL. My DH now has a laptop that his company gave to him for the trip to catch up on emails...they just don't know I will be using it more for posting and checking emails and looking in on my stores ;). Thank you for your patience and I will be back very soon! Miss you all and I hope everyone is doing good :)

Artfire Easter Egg Hunt

2009-03-30T07:46:00.003-04:00

Do you like Easter Egg Hunts? Do you like to win prizes?
On Wednesday April 1, Artfire will be holding a Easter Egg Hunt for all to join in on. I believe there are 50 studios involved in this hunt and you can play for 1 of 3 prizes. Prizes go to the highest score who will win a $50 gift voucher, 2nd highest gets a $20 gift voucher and 3rd highest gets a $10 gift voucher. The best part is, you get to use your gift voucher in ANY of the participating stores! Make sure as you are looking for eggs that that you check out everyones stores so when you win you will know what items you would like to purchase! You can get all the information on how to enter and what you need to do here on the Easter Egg Hunt Blog.
This is the first time I have been involved in something like this and I am very excited about it. Moonstone of Artfire has put this whole thing together and has spent A LOT of time on it. Please stop by and sign up!! Don't worry if you don't have a lot of time to do something like this, it is going on for 3 full weeks, so you have plenty of time!! If you have any questions on the process you can leave a message on the blog and Moonstone will get right back to you. You can also leave a message for me here and I will find out the answer for you.

Come by and join in the fun for some great prizes!!

Cathy's Angels My Newest Adventure

2009-03-23T21:14:00.005-04:00

I would like to share with you my newest "adventure". I am proud to announce my involvement with starting a non profit organization call Cathy's Angels. It is a non profit organization for ALS. If you are not familiar with ALS you may know it better as Lou Gehrig's disease.

I got involved with this new organization kind of by mistake. It all started with a friend of my brothers named Melinda. Her mother was diagnosed with ALS about 8 yrs ago, when my brother and Melinda were just out of high school. Melinda held a few fundraisers in which my brother and parents attended. I didn't know Melinda very well but new of her and her mother through my brother. Melinda then started a Facebook causes page for her mother called Cathy's Angels and my brother passed the page on to me and of coarse I joined. I then saw a post from Melinda asking if anyone knew of any fundraising ideas. I shot her an idea and from that point on we have been talking and messaging each other. We have also become very good friends.

After getting to know Melinda a little better she told me about her idea of starting a non profit to help others with ALS to find resources and used equipment to donate to families in need( ALS is a very expensive disease). She then asked if I would be willing to help out with starting the non profit and of coarse I said yes!

I am proud to announce that I am the Secretary of Cathy's Angels! This is so exciting for me. I have never been involved with such an important cause before and I can't wait until we can get cranking on this. There is so much paperwork that needs to be submitted to the State and IRS and such to get a non profit up and going. We currently have some of the paperwork in and being processed. We have just gotten back the paperwork from the state of Connecticut stating that we are officially a Non Profit Organization!!!! There is much more work to be done but it is slowly coming along.

I am currently in the mist of starting a blog for Cathy's Angels, to write about our journey of starting a non profit and what it entails. Also, Cathy has agreed to write some for the blog (when she feels up to it). I hope to have a special day put aside for just her posts. We are also starting a website that will hopefully be up and running in the next month or two.

Please stop by Cathy's Angels when you have a few minutes to look around. I am asking all of my blogging friends to share some feedback with me. I am trying to make this blog very professional and informative and need any and all feedback, good or bad, from anyone who would like to share. Please remember this is a work in progress and I would love to hear any ideas you may have. Our goal is to help others with ALS but also maybe give someone else the strength and encouragement to start their own non profit by learning through how we did it.

I am very proud of doing this and I think we will do great things for other people who have ALS and their families. I hope this new adventure will be very rewarding and fun all wrapped up into one. I hope you will stop by every now and then and show Cathy how great the blogging community is! Thank you for staying and reading this, I really and truly appreciate it!!

2009-03-23T10:17:00.006-04:00

I would just like to share a few of my newest listings in my Artfire store. Just click on the pictures and it will take you to the listings. Have a great day

I would also like to say thank you to all of you that sent Birthday wishes to Thomas. He had a great 4 days of celebrating! Imagine what his 21st birthday is going to be like with having his birthday after St. Patricks Day?! Oh my!!

Thank you to everyone!

Happy 4th Birthday!

2009-03-17T22:32:00.005-04:00

To my son Thomas. I can't believe that it has been 4 yrs already.

I put together a little slide show of some of my favorite pictures since the moment he was born till now. I hope you enjoy a little trip down memory lane :)

Sorry couldn't get the slide show to work but I got it working now!

Bob Bull Breezes...Getting Closer

2009-03-17T15:08:00.008-04:00

Bob Bull is doing great! He has been out on the track breezing. A Breeze is when the horse runs with a bunch of other horses, just like in a race but the horse is not pushed. They run easily without much encouragement. This is to get them back out on the track with other horses and in a real racing environment. You also want to start them out slowly so they don't get hurt in the process. It is like building up to running in a 5k road race, you wouldn't just go out and run. At least I hope not!

His first breeze was on Sunday March 8th. He ran on a fast track of 3 furlong and had a time of 39.20 seconds and was 7th out of 10.

His second breeze was this past Sunday March 15 and again ran 3 furlongs on a fast track. His time was 36.40 with a rank of 2nd out of 10!

Tom said he came out of both breezes just fine and that Bob is doing great. This last breeze Lisa just sat on him and Bob did it all on his own, no pushing. He cut 3 seconds off since the 1st breeze. Imagine what he can do if he was pushed! Tom is very pleased with they way Bob Bull is performing and he says that things are going according to plan.

Way to go Bob!!! and of coarse Tom and Lisa!!

He's on his way!

The first picture is of Lisa and Bob getting out on the track while Tom is on Bobs stable buddy Atlas Peak who escorts Bob to the track and will run with him when Bob is not breezing. Tom says they are great buddies.

Giveaway Winner

2009-03-17T06:39:00.004-04:00

I would like to say thank you to all who entered! It was great fun to look at everyones stores. I would also like to thank Dawn at Lifesmomentscaptured for helping me with this giveaway. We enjoyed it and we hope you did too!

The lucky winner for the banner giveaway is....Lillies!

Thank you everyone and have a safe and fun St. Patricks Day!

Last Day and a Thank You

2009-03-16T08:23:00.004-04:00

I would like to take this time to say thank you to Sundays Pearl and One World. They were both kind enough to give me a blog award! Make sure you stop by there blogs, they are both wonderful blogs!

Thank you guys for thinking of me!

Hopefully this week I will be able to get back to writing and I would like to share my newest project/adventure with you. I have been working on another blog that I am starting for a friend of mine and I will explain everything real soon!

Today is the last day for the banner giveaway! Please enter 1 post down

Banner Giveaway!

2009-03-09T15:52:00.011-04:00

Do you have a lame or ugly banner? Does your banner hurt peoples eyes? Maybe you are banner less or in some need of fine tuning.

Then let us help!

Baci's Creations, PaprikasPlace and Life's Moments Captured have teamed up to give one lucky shop a spring makeover! The winning shop will be able to pick any basic banner and avatar set of their choice from Life's Moments Captured Etsy or Artfire shop (excludes custom orders).

This was a fun contest that came about on the Artfire forums in which a shop named PicardCreative decided to do something nice for someone and offered to purchase a banner and avatar set for someone who had the "Fulgiest Banner". Baci's Creations was one of the winners in the first contest and wanted to extend the act of kindness to someone else in need and purchase a banner and avatar set for the winner here. Dawn at Life's Moments Captured is so sweet to offer her services once again! She has 2 amazing shops with many styles and colors to choose from. I know you will find something you will love in one of her stores!

Let the contest Begin!!

This is what you need to do:

1. Go to Dawns Etsy and or Artfire shops and pick the banner and avatar set that you would like to see in your shop.

2. Leave a link to your shop with your name and tell us why you deserve or need a new banner! Also make sure you leave the link to the banner and avatar that you want changed, this is what is going to be judged.

3. Tell us how you would give back to the Etsy and/or Artfire community if you had the chance (examples: give someone their first sale,offer a service, purchase a new banner ETC)

Please make sure you stop by Baci's Creations and PaprikasPlaces shops. Both shops are offering 10% discount on anything in either store for the length of this giveaway. Please include "lame banner" in note to seller during checkout.

If you have a problem leaving a comment please be sure to let us know or enter into the contest through Lifesmomentscaptured,Paprikasplace or Baciscreations, just leave us a message! :)

Contest will close at 6 pm EST Monday 3/16.

Winner will be picked by their families of the participating shops based on the lamest/ugliest banner.

Winner will be contacted on Tuesday 3/17.

Please be nice and have fun!

Kissing up will not get you further ahead but would be enjoyable and fun!

Please make sure you also stop by Picards shop and take a look :) Trust me you won't be disappointed!

1st Blog Giveaway!!!

2009-03-08T19:17:00.002-04:00

I would like to announce that tomorrow 3/9 I will be launching my first giveaway!!!

I have teamed up with a wonderful women named Dawn (who I will introduce to you more tomorrow) who makes wonderful banners and avatars in both of her shops on Etsy and Artfire. I had a new banner and avatar made by her from a contest on the Artfire forums called the "Fugliest Banner Contest". I had so much fun in this contest that I have decided to do the same and purchase a banner set for someone else out there that has a banner that needs help.

I will fill in the full details tomorrow when the contest starts.

Please get the word out! If you know someone who has an ugly banner or even no banner at all, let them know about our contest!

See you tomorrow!

Spring Ahead

2009-03-07T10:01:00.002-05:00

Don't forget to change your clocks ahead 1 hour before going to bed tonight! Yes it sucks since we loose 1 hour of sleep but I will take the extra hour of daylight anytime!

Also take the time to change the batteries in your smoke and CO detectors too!

We are going to be around 60 today so hopefully the snow will be gone soon and I am getting outside today in the warm sun! Have a wonderful weekend :)

Spring is Almost Here!

2009-03-05T19:22:00.004-05:00

Some of us watch for those first tulips or crocuses to pop out of the ground. Some wait until we set the clocks ahead an hour and get more daylight and some wait until the first day that you can walk outside and smell spring in the air.

This is not how I know spring is coming. I guess you may have figured it out but I know spring is on my back doorstep when I start getting a lot of eggs!! Yes, Eggs!

I went out this afternoon to feed all my girls and I was soooo happy to find 10 eggs! This is a awesome number for this time of year and for having 13 chickens, 10 is a wonderful number to have in 1 day.
Now how do I tie eggs into spring you may ask? Well, chickens stop or slow down their reproductive cycle when they loose daylight. So in the winter some hens will stop laying all together and some will lay every once in a while. Once the daylight hours start getting longer the chickens reproductive cycle kicks back in again and they start laying again. So now you understand why I am so excited about getting 10 eggs. I was only getting 2 or 3 all winter and then the other day I had 5 and now 10!! Yea!!!

My girls are wonderful. Believe it or not every one of them has a different personality. I know, who would think that stupid chickens would have personalities. They really do. Some not so nice and others just totally lovable. The 3 in this picture are Ginger on the left, Sesame in the middle and Sage on the right. Ginger and Sesame are so friendly and Sesame will actually talk to you! I will talk to her and she has her own way of answering back. I always know when she is near me. Mostly all of them will let you pet them. Miss Paprika, aka Paps, will let you pick her up carry her around and she will even help me garden! They are also a lot smarter then you think they are ;)
Here is a real treat for me to show you. Ok, maybe not a treat but let me explain. You are looking at an egg. Yes, a shell-less egg. Every time I have found a shell-less egg it has always been destroyed and I end up having to clean all that yolk out of the nests. This egg was perfect. It was fully formed but just no shell. This picture shows how the membrane is fully intact and why it has a "tail" I have no idea. But this was so awesome to find!

A missing shell is when a hen's shell forming mechanism malfunctions or for some reason and one of her eggs is rushed through and laid prematurely. A shell of an egg forms just before an egg is layed so if it passes through to quickly then the shell never has the chance to form. This is something that is common this time of the year because the chickens cycle is getting back into motion and it can sometimes move the egg faster then it should.

Just another piece of information, it takes 25 hours for a chicken to produce an egg. I have read that it takes a bit more but that is an average time.

Well that is my egg laying lesson for today...LOL. I hope you all enjoyed it :] Maybe I will have to fill you in a little more on where your eggs come from in the future. It is really fascinating to know where and how you get some of the items you use all the time and are always in your fridge.

This is a very happy time in our household knowing that the girls are starting to lay again and that spring is just around the corner! Thank you girls!

Bob Bull

2009-03-04T15:53:00.005-05:00

I finally received pictures of Bob Bull! Tom and his wife Lisa were so kind to purchase a disposable camera and fill it with pictures of Bob. I can't believe that the pictures aren't that bad! I am so used to looking at digital pictures that I thought the film would be horrible, but they aren't bad at all. Anyways we get to enjoy seeing Bob get ready for April. I can't thank Tom and Lisa enough!

This is Bob all decked out to run out on the track. Toms wife Lisa is the one riding him. She works out the horses every morning and is a huge part of McSchell Racing. Lisa was a jockey herself a few years back (I will fill you in more on her later) but now runs their horses.

He is currently running 2 miles to get him warmed up for his 5-5 1/2 furlongs (almost a half mile) 1st run in April

Here is Tom giving Bob a bath. Looks like Bob could care less about it. I can't tell if he is really enjoying it or hating it..LOL. I would think after a nice long run in Miami, I would enjoy a wash down.

Here is Bob out on the track with Lisa in their morning run. I know the picture isn't that close but it is still a nice picture of what you see around the track area and it gives you an idea of how wide the track is. If you look a little further above the white barrier you will see green...this is the infield where turf races are run.

Here is Bob looking all handsome in his "racing uniform". If you are wondering what is around his eyes, well those are blinkers. Blinkers stop the horse from seeing the sides to the back of him. A horses eyes are set more on the side of their heads so they can see all around them. If I am right, horses can see all around them except for the tip of their nose and tails.

Tom says he needs to wear these blinkers otherwise he is not very cooperative out of his stall. As Tom put it "if you take him out of his stall without them on, your in for a wild ride!"

He is all saddled and ready to go! Look at him waiting patiently, I think. That look may be also..."Let me out of here!"

We are getting so excited to see him run in his first race! Tom says he is doing really well and has good feelings about Bob. So do we!

I really hope all of you will share in our excitement on the day that Bob Bull races. I will have to check to see if you can streamline the race on the web or you will be able to get the race on HRTV if your TV carrier provides that channel. I will have more details when the race gets closer.

More of the White Stuff

2009-03-02T19:20:00.003-05:00

Yep, we had another round of snow last night and today. We got about 12" maybe a little more, but this is the first big storm of the winter. We had a lot of snow this winter but it came little by little. It seemed like it snowed everyday there for a while. This storm was a good one for the amount but not for the quality. Not good snow for making a snowman or snowballs. I had one very upset little boy who wanted to make a snowman so badly. But we all still got out there and enjoyed it and I mean everyone!Reese LOVES the snow. Sasha doesn't like to be cold or wet for that fact, so she gets a little upset with her brother when he wants to play. She is usually a good sport and goes along with it for a little bit. She is 14 but still has a lot of pep! You also have to imagine that this poor little dog couldn't walk in the snow..she had to hop!
Thomas was so upset that we couldn't make a snowman or make snowballs so he went with the next best thing....throw snow at everyone. Daddy got smart and started going after him with shovels full. Thomas didn't mind at all.

After Mark got home from work, we all headed out to watch the 2 "big boys" clean all the snow off everything. You did catch "watch" right...LOL. They do such a good job all by themselves! I did have something set up with our neighbor that was supposed to come back and plow the driveway before Mark got home...he never showed. Nice neighbor :/

It really doesn't help that the dogs have a touch of spring fever and have so much built up energy from being inside all winter. It was fun to watch them get some energy out. Sasha kept up...at least Reese made her think she did!

Now who wouldn't love this face!

He is the sweetest and most loving dog! Yes, he is one of those dogs that thinks he is human. Can you tell? Ok, we let him think that way too...LOL.

Monday Morning Wake Up

2009-03-02T08:59:00.006-05:00

It's Monday, it's cold and we have about 7-9" of snow outside which is only from round 1 of this storm. They say "March roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb". I hope this is true and that this winter is coming to an end soon.

Grab a cup of coffee and look at these cool illusions. Wake up that brain this cold and wet Monday morning!

I just thought that this one was so awesome! Painted Eagle on hands :]

This is double illusion as well! First thing you'll notice is that this "spiral" is moving in some strange way. It appears it is somehow rotating, even though it is actually standing very still. Your eye movement across the image makes the illusion of movement. Like Borat would say, "Niicee!". The second illusion is that this "spiral" is actually no spiral at all! It is made of two concentric circles (two circles with same center).

Can you find the word 'Liar' in the picture of the face below

Have a wonderful Monday and I hope everyone stays warm and dry. I know I won't be....I have a snowman to make today!

These illusions were found on Mighty Optical Illusions

Plurk?

2009-03-01T21:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, So I am trying this Plurk thingy. Seems like it may be a little too addicting for me. I don't need to spend anymore time on this stupid computer! I have never tried Twitter so I have nothing to compare it to. It seems really easy and fun too. Is anyone else out there on Plurk? Any tricks or special things to know? I am soooo behind on the times...LOL.
Come join me if you are!

Just wanted to share :)

2009-02-26T20:58:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to share some new items that I have ready to list. I have listed a few on Artfire tonight but have many more to go. Here are some of my favorites! Have a wonderful night!!

I really need to figure out how I got this last picture to look so great. No clue and I can't get the others to look like it...Hmmmm?

I Have Been Interviewed!

2009-02-25T18:54:00.004-05:00

We have been interviewed on Sick and Wierd! You have to check out Bonnie's interview. It was so organized and easy to answer. We love how it came out. Please be sure to take a moment and stop by Sick and Wierd and learn a little more about my wonderful Mother, Sandy, and her jewelry making. Thank you Bonnie! It came out great!!!

Wednesday Afternoon Fun...

2009-02-25T13:40:00.004-05:00

So it is Wednesday, Hump day! Let's try to wake up those minds a little.

Last week I put a few brain teasers and it seemed as though a few of you had a good time with them so I thought I would try to find some more :) I found these brain teasers that I thought were fun. You have to check out the color one! I find it to be kind of freaky but cool! Maybe I should put one of two of these up on Mondays to wake us all up instead...

Hope you enjoy!!

Can you find the baby in this picture?
Stare at the centre dot and the colours eventually disappear. Spooky!

How many black circles can you see?

1. The baby is outlined using the tree and land.

2. Is just too cool!!

3. There are no black dots. All the dots are white. If you stare at one dot they will all be white!

I found these on Brain Bashers !

Enjoy the rest of the week!!

Another Artfire Perk

2009-02-25T08:32:00.004-05:00

For those of you that don't know or are not on Artfire, Artfire just released a new checkout program called "Rapid Cart". You can now purchase items from someones blog or website without signing up for Artfire and it is supposed to be quick and easy.

If you look to the right you will see my new Artfire store Mini with Rapid Cart ----->.

This is so great! Of coarse there may be some bugs that may need to be worked out but that is OK! Artfire is on the right track and trying to make it easier to sell and to buy.

Now, if you are cruising blogs or see a mini with this checkout on a website and see something that you want...just go ahead and purchase that item or items in a quick and easy way.

It is very exciting but remember there may be some patience required with this checkout being brand new. With the way Artfire is, if there are bugs, they will be working on it until it gets fixed and it is right!

Great job Artfire!!!!

Now I think I have to try it :)

What a Week!!

2009-02-24T14:21:00.003-05:00

This past week the kids were off from school for February vacation and what happens, Everyone is sick! I don't know about you but it seems as though almost every person I run into has sick kids! I really can't complain since this is the first time all year that the boys are sick. So now everyone is on the mend and I am hopefully at the end of it, I can back to getting the house put back together and back to work!

The good news is...I made my first sale on Artfire!!

How exciting :) I love the feeling of a first sale and it is even better when you have a wonderful customer.

I sold these wine glass charms. They are not much but I loved them and hopefully Linda will too.

Hopefully all of you and your families are healthy!

Hopefully mine will be back to normal real soon.

Fugliest Banner Contest

2009-02-19T13:34:00.011-05:00

A few days ago, Picardcreative started a post in the Artfire forums that she was shopping on Artfire and decided she wanted to buy something for someone else. How cool is that!!!So she started "The Fugliest Banner Contest". Well, I had to join in. My banner was just nasty!! My brother, who is an IT major and works for Microsoft, made me a banner and it was just bright, ugly and pitiful (as you can see above). I thought he would do something nice for me, but I was just happy I had something up. Anyway, There was 2 of us who stood up and said we had ugly banners and 1 had none!! Well, the good news is, we all won. Picardcreative said she would purchase the 1st and 2nd place banners and SoyScentual said she would make the 3rd place banner for free!

So now that we won, we got to deal with this amazing woman, Dawn, at LifesMomentsCaptured. You can find her on Artfire and Etsy. Come to find out, Dawn, generously offered her services to us. Way too cool also!!! She is such a sweet and patient person. I told her a round about way I wanted the banner to look and she tried many times until I saw exactly what I wanted. She says I didn't drive her nuts but I drive myself nuts so I can only imagine what I did to her...LOL. It was such a wonderful experience working with her and getting to know her.
Here is the new banner and avatar that she made for my mother and I at our Artfire store! Aren't they wonderful. She hit the nail right on the head with these. We liked them so much that we are now purchasing business cards from Dawn!

For you those don't know about the name Baci's Creations. This is the name of my mothers store on Artfire and Baci means grandmother in Polish. My mother is a Baci of 3 grandsons and a beautiful granddaughter!!

You really need to check out all the great work in all of these wonderful and generous stores. Now I would like to come up with something to do that is as nice as Picardcreative did...I would like to spread the love too! I just need to come up with an idea...this could take a while. I would love some suggestions if anyone has some. Pass them along. I would love to hear them!!

I just want to say that my whole experience on Etsy, Artfire and with blogging have been wonderful. I have met some wonderful people and made some new amazing friends! If I never sell anything else on either site or write another post here, I will be grateful for the people I have met and can now call friends!
I also want to send a very special thank you out to everyone who took part in this. It is really nice to know that people are still nice out there in this strange world. Thank you to everyone!!!!

Can You Do This?

2009-02-17T19:26:00.009-05:00

Just for fun. Can you figure this out?

1. Whats wrong here

AAA

BBB

CCC

DDD

EEE

FFF

GGG

HHH

III

JJJ

KKK

LLL

MMM

NNN

OOO

PPP

QQQ

RRR

SSS

TTT

UUU

VVV

WWW

XXX

YYY

ZZZ

Did you know that 80% of UCSD students could not find the error above?

2. This isn't really a game but it is still cool! fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it

I couldn't believe it when I could read it! The human brain is amazing! Now I am going to see if my DH and son can do it.

Where you able to read it?

The answer to #1 is there is only something wrong in the title! "Whats" is supposed to be "what's". The letters are there to throw you off and there is nothing wrong with the letters. Pretty stupid but still kind of fun!!

Do you like giveaways?

2009-02-16T09:26:00.003-05:00

Then I have 3 great giveaways that I would like to share with you! You may have found them already and have entered or maybe I can introduce you to a few more great giveaways. It is like one stop shopping for giveaways....Have fun!!

A absolutely gorgeous giveaway is taking place at Lilbitof with a wonderful Leaf Pendant. You have to check it out...just beautiful!

A brand new giveaway can be found at Tootie's Tidbits. She is giving away promo clothes pin magnets...they are so cute!

If you don't know of this blog which always has such wonderful giveaways then get over to One World Organic Clothing for her great giveaway (which ends today..sorry a little late with this) from Boysenberrylane , way to cute wrist wraps! You can always click on my side bar on Jen's button to check on her giveaways.

There are so many giveaways out there right now there is no way I could list them all! These will just get you started. So if you have a favorite blog giveaway or know of someone who has a giveaway and would like me to add it to the list please feel free to let me know.

A Friday Find

2009-02-13T16:20:00.006-05:00

I had just gone onto Artfire and I saw some of these items on the front page. I fell in love at first sight. I found these items at a shop called byapryl.

They are all made to order. You have to check out her shop. She also has some jewelry that is being sold at a discounted price.

Click on the pictures and it will bring you to the descriptions.

I chose this Amethyst one since it is February
I love this Emerald one since it is perfect for my birthday

If I ever make it to 50 yrs...you bet you will see this on my cake.

She also says that she can make them into a family tree and you get to choose the color stones. Hmmmm, gives me an idea! My mother would LOVE one of these for Mothers Day! So would I...Hint, hint Honey!!

I just had to share. Hope you enjoy.
Have a great weekend!!!

Bob Bull Saved From Slaughter

2009-02-09T18:31:00.008-05:00

This is the story of Bob Bull, my husbands race horse.

I am telling this story with the facts that I have. We have most of the information but some of the time line has holes that we cannot fill and will not without the facts.

Bob Bull is a 4 yr old Thoroughbred race horse who originally made his debut with Tom Schell of McSchell Racing Inc when he was 2 yrs old. He was born in March of 2005 and hit the track when he was 2. This is the age when Thoroughbreds start racing.

Tom ran him in a claiming race in the 2007-2008 racing season and Bob was claimed by another trainer. Bob raced 4 races in 2008 under this new trainer and then ended up in Pennsylvania. We are not sure how or why he was in Pennsylvania but anyway, he was eventually found in a field starving. He was then brought to a slaughter house to be slaughtered. Yes, it is true, people from all over the world eat horse meat!

Just a little information before we continue on. All race horses have tattoos on their inner lip that identifies them with the Jockey Club, this is where all names of race horses are registered. If your horse has a tattoo, then you can track their pedigree, race records, past owners, sales history etc. It is just like Carfax (in a way). Tattoos are made up of a letter and numbers. They start with a letter (every year is assigned a letter) followed by the year in which the horse was born and then followed by the last 5 digits of their Jockey Club registration number.

A wonderful organization called Racefund dedicates everything to finding home for race horses and helps provide funds to help race horses in retirement. They also go regularly to the slaughter houses looking for horses to save since a lot of race horses end up at the slaughter houses due to injury or retirement, Sad! On a day that Racefund was at the slaughter house, they found Bob Bull in a "Kill Box". The kill box is a box that is just big enough to fit the horse in it. The horse is not able to turn around or move much in this box. In a slaughter house this is the last place that a horse, or any animal will see. The kill box lives up to its name so I am not going to go into further detail. Usually once an animal gets into the Kill Box they will never walk out on their own.

Racefund found Bob, found his tattoo and traced him back to Tom, who was one of his past trainers! Thank God for tattoos!! Tom was then contacted by Racefund and the rest is history.

Bob Bull has spent some time in Ocala FL resting, putting on weight and getting ready for his trip back to Miami FL. He was reunited with Tom a few weeks ago at Calder Race Track in Miami FL. He has starting his training to get ready for his first run in April!

This story just amazed me! You always hear of cats and dogs being thrown away like they were nothing...did you ever think a horse? Bob is one lucky horse and has a very kind and caring owner. My husband could not ask for a better person or horse to be partnered with. We have so many animals that we saved and Bob just fits into our family!

I know people don't like to read super long posts so I have tried to keep it short and I will be filling you in more on Bob Bull and his race history and personality. I will also be filling you in a little more on how Tom got into racing and how he cares about all his animals.

If you you are thinking of donating money to a great organization, please consider Racefund.org! You can find there site on the right hand side of my page to make a donation!

If anyone has any other information on this story or has anything they would like to add please feel free to contact me through my profile email. Thank you

Moon Over Connecticut

2009-02-08T19:03:00.003-05:00

We finally had a BEAUTIFUL day today and we spent almost the whole day outside. My thermometer read 52 this afternoon. I felt like I should have been in short sleeves and shorts. OK, so not that warm. The girls were out today flying around the yard and playing in the lilac trees. They were so happy! Most of the snow melted today and we can see a lot of grass. We haven't seen grass in what seems like months. I know that this is just a tease and it will only be in the 30's again by mid week. I will take what I can get!! :)

So what's a better way to end a beautiful day? A beautiful night. The moon is shinning and I have my new camera to play with. I really have to learn how to use this thing! So, I went out and enjoyed the night for a bit, a little chilly and you can see the melted snow on the driveway starting to cystalize, but still nice.

These are some of the pictures I got.

I love this one!
This one is a screw up but I liked how it turned out.

This one is sooo cool. That is a cloud coming over the moon.

I don't think they turned out to shabby. Now I need to figure out how to get my camera back to everyday settings :0

Hope you all enjoyed the warm weather for a bit!

Have a great week!!

Summertime Finds for the Garden

2009-02-05T19:12:00.004-05:00

I spent some of the day today dreaming that it was warm out. It was -6 this morning. I have been thinking that the crocuses will be popping up in about a month and soon after that all the trees will be budding. Then I said to myself, "I have to get more stuff for my gardens!" So I thought I would cruise Artfire today to see what they have available and man did I find some wonderful things that I would like to share.This is a stained glass butterfly garden stake that I found at Glassfancy. This shop has so many wonderful stained glass items. I LOVE stained glass. She has yard items, suncatchers and more! Very cute shop! You should check out the Strawberries n Cream butterfly..Tough choice between these two. I thought this one would stand out more in between my 2 rose bushes.

When I make a few bucks I am getting this sign! It would go perfectly on my chicken coop. My girls would have a blessing and stay safe every night from raccoons. I found this at Tolemountain. She has some wonderful signs. Some of the signs are wreaths with animals..very cute! You really need to check out the sheep birdhouse on the first page..it is just adorable!

I thought this was the cutest thing I have ever seen! Do you know what it is? It's a fairy door!! You have to check out the other photos. It looks like it is a door that leads right inside a tree or wood planter. I fell in love with this! These fairy doors come in a few different styles. These can be found at nothinbutwood on Artfire.

I am always looking for new pots. My husband would kill me if I got another one! But isn't this just wonderful! It has such style and I love how all the different colors were used and put into all different types of patterns. It would look great on my deck! This and other pots and mosaics can be found at broken4art. This shop also has mosaic pendants!

Now this is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time! You have to check this shop out! this is a fire pit at johntunger. He uses recycled material and hand cuts these wonderful pieces of art. A bit pricey for me but man if I had some money and a pool....

You have to check out all the styles and look at the pictures by the pool...so awesome!

Well, these were just a few of the wonderful things I found for my backyard at Artfire.

They all made me feel good today since it is soooo freakin cold! Only another month and a half and we should be smelling spring, maybe sooner, I hope!

Have a great night!

Types of Races/Bob Bull Update

2009-02-03T21:09:00.005-05:00

I have recently posted some horse racing terms that you may see in upcoming posts on Bob Bull. Now I would like to shine some light on some different types of races that are run by these magnificent animals.

Allowance Race: A race which has eligibility conditions to determine the horses that may enter and is not a claimer.

Claiming Race: A race in which any horse may be purchased at a predetermined price.

Handicap Race: A race in which weights have been assigned by the racing secretary after evaluating entrant's past races.

Maiden Race: A race for horses which have never won a race.

Stakes Race: Highest class of race, reserved for the best horses. Owners have to pay an entry fee or "stake" for these races.

Derby: Stakes race for three year olds.

In horse racing they will run on one of two surfaces, dirt or turf. If it happens to rain the day of a race you will hear terms like sloppy or soft or yielding and you may see a lot of horses scratched from the race. Some horses can't run in the mud or wet surfaces, they are too slow and of coarse safety becomes an issue. If it is a beautiful dry day you will hear terms like Fast (dirt) or Firm (turf).

Bob Bull update:

Bob has adjusted just fine into his new (old) home and has starting training to run in April. He has put on weight and is around 1000 lbs. Tom says he seems to be very happy he is home and is still pretty "goofy". I will explain more of this in the next few days. I am currently working on Bob Bulls and Toms wonderful story of how Bob ended up back running with Tom.

I will be posting this story in the next few days. Please stay tuned. It is a wonderful story! Unfortunately it will be minus pictures but we are working on that right now. It's a little hard when we are 1500 miles away from each other :) but the pictures are coming!

Proud Moment

2009-02-02T20:12:00.003-05:00

Last week Thomas starting asking me how to "make letters". He has been able to say the letters in his name for a while now, so I new it was only time but I'm thinking "you are nuts, your not even 4 yet". Well he kept asking me so I wrote the letters out in his name nice and big and showed him how to trace them. He started tracing and then lost interest and that is the last I heard of it....until today.

He was drawing and then he says "Mommy is my name right" So I go over and was expecting to see a bunch of squiggly lines and this is what I found

How cool is that! What a proud and sad moment all in one. Proud because he is growing and learning and sad because he is growing and learning.

Super Bowl, 4 Foot Sub, Wings..Oh My

2009-02-01T18:36:00.004-05:00

For the past 16 yrs my father has ordered a huge sub for the Super Bowl. When I was in high school he used to order a 6 ft sub and now that we are grown and all moved out of the house he has downsized to a 4 ft!

As kids, we used to invite all of our friends over and have wings, pepperoni bread, chips and dip and so much more. The biggest hit was the Sub!

To this day my father still gets the sub and now my kids now enjoy their grandfathers tradition.

This is the massive sub that we always get every Super Bowl

It always has Turkey, Roast Beef and Ham.

I know this doesn't look that good but this is a bowl of hot wings that I made. My husband and Jessi LOVE hot wings.
This is the sauce that we found in AZ on our honeymoon almost 8 yrs ago. We can't get hot wing sauce like this up here in CT. So, Thanks to Jen..My husband is a very happy man this Super Bowl Sunday. We had tried soooo many different kinds of hot sauce that we can find here and nothing ever stood up to this sauce according to Mark. Jen...You made Marks Super Bowl!!! Thanks again!

Jen sent us 3 different kinds of sauce,Jalapeno hot sauce, Chipolte-Habanero hot sauce and Habanero. Can you tell which one I used? Well...It's the Habanero! It was sooo hot that Mark had 3 wings and Jessi just about made it through 1!! As you can see by her face it was HOT! They say that is the hottest of them all. After about 15 minutes she was soaking her lips in a cold drink.

I personally can't stand hot things. I can't see how you can enjoy your food when your lips and tongue are numb...this picture proves my point.
So now that we are all stuffed and in the mist of watching the Super Bowl, I have to clean up! I don't watch the game I just like to watch the commercials.

Enjoy the rest of the night!!

Picture Tag

2009-01-30T19:36:00.010-05:00

I have been tagged by Jen!

I have to list the 6th photo from the 6th folder in my archives.

This was not easy since all my pictures are on 3 flash drives!! Yes I am a picture taking fanatic!

So I went with the first full flash drive and this is a cute but embarrassing picture.

So......

This photo was taken on our 1st trip to my uncles farm. I had not been there in over 13 yrs (divorce...he's my moms sisters ex husband) So anyway. We got back in contact after all those yrs and he wanted to see me and my family. He says I was the daughter he never had, He had 3 boys! I truly loved this man and he taught me everything about farming and what it meant to get up and go to work every morning. He has been dairy farming all of his life.

Thomas was only 19 months old and had no fear of the cows! The funny part is, by the time we left there he had his own cow that we named Hershey. I'll have to show her at a later time and you will understand why we can up with that name.

Besides me and Thomas, that is my husband Mark in the hat and my Uncle Gary.

I would like to point out that I was a bit chubby, ok thats an understatment, but now I can proudly say I am 35 lbs lighter today then when this was taken!!! YAAAA!

I can't believe I put my fat ass on here at all, an I am the one behind the camera all the time, but like Jen said in her post that she couldn't cheat...well neither could I.

Please make sure you all stop by Jens blog at www.10oneworld.blogspot.com to enter a great giveaway from Silvermooncrafts! Jen always has giveaways so check back often!

I now get to tag 6 others and I tag....

http://idreamofjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://jennifershell.blogspot.com/

http://thechubbyartist.blogspot.com/

http://kaleidaeclectics.blogspot.com/

http://juicy--pop.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresinmyworld.blogspot.com/

Looking for Spring on Etsy

2009-01-29T13:01:00.004-05:00

I was cruising Etsy looking for some spring items since I am just sick of the cold and snow....when I came across a thread in the forums with newbies and shops that had under 10 sales.

Well, needless to say I found some really nice items that I wanted to share. I couldn't share them all but these are some of the items that brought a smile to my face and took away the cold for a bit.

Hope they do the same for you!I found this wonderful hand painted daisy tray at www.yessysdesigns.etsy.com. I wouldn't dare put anything on this tray! I would have to hang it or something since I know one of my boys would put a greasy hamburger on it...LOL. What beautiful painting she does. This shop also has other wonderful wood hand painted items and cards. She also has knitted purses.

This sign made me laugh (maybe since I have kids and chickens) and know how chickens peck the ground ALL day long. Pretty funny! You can find this and many other wonderful hand painted signs at www.Gemmy200.etsy.com.

This basket along with the others can be found at www.pinegardenbaskets.etsy.com. They blew me away. They are made with pine needles! This one I loved because of the walnut that was added in. What a neat touch. I have to admit I have a bit of a fetish with baskets. She also has some beautiful stoneware jewelry for sale. You have to check out the other baskets!!

I think this is way to pretty to hang outside. I love the coloring and the painted flowers on all sides. The picket fence is too cute. This can be found at www.catmacdesigns.etsy.com. She has many other wonderful items in her shop. Stop by and take a look!

Hope you enjoyed a little bit of spring!

Good Bye Olympus C-740

2009-01-26T14:49:00.004-05:00

This may sound stupid but it is time to retire my Olympus camera that I have had for almost 5 yrs. She has been such a great camera but I need to now spend more time with my new camera, a Canon Rebel. I need to figure out how to use this new camera and since December I still have no clue. My husband got me this for Christmas and I am loving it (please don't tell the Olympus). The Olympus has been so wonderful to me. She has taken pictures of my youngest son Thomas since he was born and has captured so many very important and wonderful memories for me and my family. I have never had any problems with her and she took wonderful pictures for a 3.2 mega pixel! She has thousands of picture under her belt, so I wanted to post a few of my favorite pictures that were taken with my Olympus C-740. She will not be forgotten and she won't be put away for ever but she will not be brought out as much anymore. I know that there always comes a time to upgrade, but to be honest, I am pretty upset about this. She will always be on back up but I wanted to retire her with dignity!

Thomas meeting a cow on his great uncles farm for the first time. Can you tell he is a boy with no fear? He didn't shy away from the girls at all...they didn't know what to think of him. I was always running and standing behind a cow in the barn yard since he had no fear and would walk right behind them! I think he would have walked under them if they would have let them. I have spent so much time on that farm growing up that when my uncle met Thomas for the first time and saw how he was with the cows, my uncle looked at me and simply said "just like his mother" That says it all.

Thomas at 5 months.

I love this picture! I have it hanging on my wall and I still haven't changed it yet with his picture from preschool. I don't have the heart and I already have too many pictures hanging in my house.

Thomas and his Dziadziu (grandfather in Polish) on our annual family vacation to Cape Cod. My family, my parents, my sister and her family and my brother (comes up from Virgina)spend a week in Cape Cod. We all get together and rent a house for the week and the kids love it.

Mark playing baseball in Cooperstown NY at Dreams Park '07.

Mark made the East Haven All Stars and got to go to Cooperstown to play a week worth of baseball. It was so wonderful to see the kids so happy. There were teams from all over the country playing. That week Hawaii made it! They got knocked out early in the tournament but they had a blast.

Thank you to this wonderful camera for all the memories she has preserved for me!

I will miss her!

Now on to my new toy!!!!!! (shhhh don't tell)

Tagged!! 1st Time

2009-01-24T12:41:00.005-05:00

I have been tagged for the first time by http://kaleidaeclectics.blogspot.com/ to list 8 random things about myself and then tag 8 other people.
Here they are:

I love to bake anything and everything!

I hate to shop. I know hard to believe a female not liking to shop...

I have not worn a dress since my wedding 8 yrs ago.

I love blue, purple and red

I have way to many animals...2 dogs, 3 cats, a bird, 50 gallon fish tank and 13 chickens.

My favorite place in the whole world is my uncles dairy farm in Upstate NY.

I love warmth and sun and being tan

I wear any crazy color of nail polish. The brighter and crazier the better.

Now I must tag 8 people and I tag.....

http://timesandchimes.blogspot.com/

http://lightandwriting.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresinmyworld.blogspot.com/

http://jnicdesigns.blogspot.com/

http://woodandpixels.blogspot.com/

http://kittskrafts.blogspot.com/

http://lightscamerapicture.blogspot.com/

http://my-little-halo.blogspot.com/

Horse Racing Terms

2009-01-23T18:52:00.004-05:00

I wanted to give some horse racing terms that you may see in upcoming posts about Bob Bull. I am no expert and believe me it took me awhile to learn the terms but I wanted for all of you who don't know or know a little about racing to have some understanding of some of the basic terms you may hear.

As I stated before Bob Bull will be training soon to get ready for April. He had made his 6 hour trip from Ocala FL to Miami and has settled in just fine. I am hoping to have the full story of Bob Bull and how Tom rescued him shortly.

Here are some terms and definitions to get you started.

Favorite: Horse having the most money wagered on it to win
Furlong: A distance equal to 1/8th of a mile.
Length: About 8ft, the length of a horse from nose to tail. At racing speeds a horse travels about 5 lenghts a second.
Longshot: Entry not well regarded by bettors, resulting in the possibility of longer odds and higher payoffs.
Pole: Distance marks placed around the track, usually every 1/16th of a mile.
Post Time: The designated time for the race to begin.
Scratch: When a horse is withdrawn from a race.
Starting Gate: A mechanical device which allows each horse to begin a race at the same time.
Stretch: The straight portions of the track. The first straight way is called the Back Stretch and the Home Stretch contains the finish line.
Blinkers: A common piece of racing equipment that contains eye cups which limit a horses vision and prevent it from shying from objects or other horses.

Soon, I will also be posting about different kinds of races and about odds and how they work. I am gathering all my information about Bob Bull and Tom to share and will have that up soon too!

I know this was probably a boring post to read but I wanted to make sure everyone has an idea of what I am talking about when I post about Bob Bull and his Spectacular wins!!!! :)

The pictures that I have in this post were taken when we went to Saratoga Springs to watch a few races. My Uncle and Aunt were so nice to take the boys for a few hours since we were visiting and they are only about 20 minutes away from the track. The top picture is of the horses coming down the home stretch just before the finish line. The second photo is of all the horses walking to the starting gate in the post parade.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Thusday Thank You

2009-01-22T08:07:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share with you a very special thank you to Debs1967.

Debbie's items were the first items in which I purchased from Etsy. I saw her items on Flickr and I contacted her to make me some towel hangers for my stove. I couldn't stand it anymore that the kids never hung the towels after they used them and they always ended up on the floor. I wanted to thank Debbie for the wonderful first experience of purchasing on Etsy.

She was very friendly and VERY quick! If I remember right, she sent me a convo at 3:00 in the afternoon to tell me that she was starting them. At 5:00 she sent me another convo to tell me that she was done! She was a great seller and I recommend her to anyone.

These are the 4 towel hangers in which I received and she added a Christmas one as a bonus!

Debbie started crocheting about 30yrs ago. She learned the basics from a family friend and then self taught herself the rest of the way. She crochets anything. Her store is filled with all different types of items from towels to stuffed bunnies to bags. She has a wide variety of items and prices. Her prices will fit any ones budget.

You can find Debbie on Etsy at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5813525

or on Flickr at:

http://flickr.com/photos/27481013@N06/

Please take a look! You won't be disappointed with her work or her service!

Here is a few pictures of her work below.

Thank you Debbie!!!!

Never to Early!

2009-01-20T18:35:00.000-05:00

So I am a little hopeful as of today about spring being here soon. It is now January 20 and we just watched Mr. Obama the 44th President of the United States be sworn into office and what a better day to start thinking the best of things. One of those things on my list is Spring.

Last year I watched the crocuses come up at the end of February into the start of March. I do realize that is very wishful thinking this year but now is the time to start thinking about your spring gardens!

I have started receiving mail order catalogs for seeds and seedlings! This is very exciting for me since I am a warm weather person. I may have been born and raised in the Northeast but I'm still not used to it! I am now trying to figure out what to plant in my vegetable garden and where I should put everything. You need to rotate certain plants, like tomatoes, so they don't develop root disease and such.

Last year my husband made me 3 wonderful raised beds to put my veggies in and last year was the first year I had a wonderful crop to harvest (the chickens helped too). The only problem was I had too many things shoved into these boxes and smothered some plants...Ooops! I have learned my lesson this year.

So anyway, I am starting to make a list of what I want to grow and what I need to get. Some places, like Gurneys or Henry Fields, have such a wonderful collection of plants but you need to make sure you put your order in early so you will be guaranteed your plants. I usually don't order from catalogs since I am a strong believer in supporting our local farmers. If I do order anything it is usually just seed packets. I have a wonderful but small nursery not to far from me and I also go down to a local farm market and get plants there. I got the best celery plants at my local farm market this past year. You better believe I will be going back there!

I know the snow has a while to go before it is done but I think it is never to late to start thinking about spring and new growth. Today, being such a historical day and waiting for change and hope for our country, made me start thinking about all sorts of stuff that made me smile...Spring being one of them.

Sneak Preview

2009-01-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

Just want to show off some of our upcoming posts.

They will be up starting tonight.

They will be divided between Artfire and Etsy.

This bracelet and necklace will be sold separately but sold at a discounted price for the set!

The necklace is made with beautiful Czech beads and finished off with a very nice toggle and the bracelet is a stretch bracelet with 2 wonderful charms. Bracelet is made with the same Czech beads.

The silver and gold necklaces are absoulty gorgeous! Made with a mix of swarovski crystals and Czech beads. They have a 1.5 " long x 1" wide pendant which is in gold or silver tone and both necklaces are 16" long including the toggle.

Thanks for looking and enjoy what is left of this weekend!!

My Husbands Dream

2009-01-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share my husbands dream with everyone. I am so excited about this for him!!

My husband, Mark, is a HUGE horse racing fan. Maybe HUGE is an understatement, but you get the point. He has wanted to own at least a share or two of a racehorse for a long time now since we can't afford a "whole" racehorse. This was going to be his way to get into the great sport of horse racing.....Here is how his/our story started.

Last year for I was looking into getting him a percent of a racehorse for a Christmas present. A lot of stables now offer percentages or shares of horses to help out with the cost of running and keeping a horse. If you purchase a percent (1% is equal to 1 share) then you are 1 percent invested in the horse for it winnings, claiming price or sold price. Then if there are more shares available then you may purchase more. Trust me, 1 share is not much and very expensive! It is not cheap to run this magnificent animals.

Our journey began when I got this wonderful idea of looking for a stable that we could afford to invest in a percent or two of a horse that would possibly make the track. I looked at so many different farms and stables and didn't have a clue which way to turn. I had so much to learn in a little amount of time (I started in November..Ooops). So what would any person do...turn to the forums. I found this forum called "Pace Advantage" and listed a post about what I wanted and needed. I had many responses guiding me through so many questions and suggestions. They were so nice on that forum to give me the hand that I needed. One man ended up responding to my post and said if I had any questions he would be more then happy to help. This man, Tom Schell, was a huge help to me with learning the ins and outs and answered every single stupid question I had. Tom is a trainer with several horses of his own. He owns McSchell Racing outside of Miami, FL. You will learn more about Tom in the up coming weeks. Well, to make a long story short. Tom and I kept in touch over the past year and needless to say we never found the "right" stable to partner with, until now...

Let me introduce you to my husbands dream..Bob Bull!

This is Bob Bull. A beautiful 4 yr old thoroughbred who has made my husbands life exciting (besides me of coarse). He is also a rescued horse, but I will get into that another time. Tom has given us the opportunity to invest in Bob Bull, but the best part is...Mark now owns 25% of him, not just 1 or 2%. Let me guess you are asking which part does he own? Well we joke and say he owns the ass end, which is good, because I would have to say that is one of the best parts since the hind end is probably the strongest to run and what comes out of it is great fertilizer!

Bob Bull will hopefully be racing in April at Calder Race Track in Florida as long as he is ready to run. He will be training soon and will not run until he lets Tom know he is ready. Of coarse dealing with animals, there is always the chance that Bob will never make the track. If he does, there is always the chance that he will never win. If you ask us though, Bob Bull will be on that track and will blow his competition away! He is beautiful, big and strong like most winners are and our horse is a WINNER! Having a race horse is like going to a casino, you may win but you might loose. You never know. This is a chance my husband says is worth taking. He has told me "It is more exciting then going to our local casino and blowing our money on slots!". He does have a great point.

We are very excited about this and have no idea what will happen or what to expect. Bob may run and never win, place or show, but that is ok because Mark is loving every minute of this and can't wait until the first day he runs. You bet we will be cheering Bob Bull and Tom on!! This horse will be the best ride of his life (again, besides me!).

I will be posting updates on Bob every 2 weeks or more to keep anyone that is interested updated. I hope you enjoy this journey along with us and also learn a little about the great sport of horse racing. I hope you all will tune in!

Please take a minute and take the poll that I have up to let me know if you are interested in learning and hearing more about Marks dream and keeping updated with what is happening with Bob Bull!!
I will also be adding in some facts and information on racing for all to learn.

Great Recipe for the Cold Weather

2009-01-16T09:12:00.000-05:00

Ground Beef/Turkey and Carrot Soup

I thought this recipe would be perfect to share for these wonderful cold days we are having.

This recipe was given to me last year by my aunt who made it when we were visiting in December. The Temp was about 14 degrees and it just hit the spot after being in the barn doing chores and with the boys driving around in the cold for hours. It still blows my mind on how they did that!

They look so warm, Don't they! Thomas then told Mark to go again and Mark was like "What!?"

Here is the recipe:

1/2 and onion cut as you would like
1 lb ground beef or turkey (we use turkey)
2 cans cream of celery soup
3 cups tomato juice
2 cups water
2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf

Saute onion and garlic
Cook ground beef/turkey meat
Combine everything else in a big pot and cook for at least 30 min

I have thrown this in the crock pot and I have slow cooked it on the stove for several hours and it always came out the same no matter how you cooked it. We also throw any king of cheese on top when put into bowls. My husband puts Parmesan cheese or cheddar and the rest of us like mozzarella cheese on it. I have also thrown in sliced mushrooms for a little twist. We also LOVE to have different kinds of fresh muffins with it...YUM!

Trust me, this recipe doesn't look the best when cooked but it tastes wonderful!! My kids just love it. It is not very often when I hear my 14 yr old say "Your making that soup...YES!"

Super easy recipe and it is nice and warm

Enjoy!

We are always up for trying new recipes. If you have any to share please send them my way! I am blessed with a non fussy family when it comes to food.

Doesn't it just look cold!!! My lens was fogging from my hands.

Winter Safety Tips for Dogs/Cats

2009-01-13T13:11:00.001-05:00

Please, Please, PLEASE remember your pets when it gets this cold!!

Just a friendly reminder :)

A lot of us are going to be getting or are getting a very bad cold snap the next few days and I would like to remind everyone how important it is not to leave animals outside for any length of time when the temperature is going to drop like is supposed to in the next few days.

If you dog is an outdoor dog here are a few tips to keep them safe:

1. Make sure they are protected by a dry, draft-free doghouse that is large enough for then to sit and lie down in. Make sure the floor of the doghouse is off the ground a few inches and that the ground is covered by straw or shavings. Also make sure the doorway is turned to face away from the wind and the door should have some sort of a cover like burlap or plastic.

2. Make sure they have plenty of food since food helps keep them warm. Also make sure they have fresh water at all times. Please use plastic water and food bowls rather then metal. Their tongues can stick to metal with below freezing temperatures.

3. Warm engines in parked cars are a hazards for cats and small wildlife. Make sure you bang on the hood of your car before starting you car in the morning. You never know what might have curled up there after you got home last night.

4. By throwing salt down on your driveway or walkways and having your animals walk on it can irritate paw pads. After you bring your animal in make sure you wipe your animals paws to get any salt off of their pads before they lick them.

5. Watch for antifreeze spills. It is not only a poison to us but a huge poison to any animal. It tastes sweet so a animal will lick it up. Make sure you clean up any spills you may find.

The safest tip is to always bring your animals inside. Even if you don't like them in the main house try to put them in a garage or a basement. Please check on other animals in your neighborhood. Any stray animals you see please try to feed them and offer them a warm place to sleep. It is going to be to darn cold for anything to be outside!

I hope everyone stays warm! For those of you that are in a warm climate...I don't want to know :)

The 2 dogs in the pictures above are mine. The white and black one is Reese and the other is our old lady Sasha. They were both rescue dogs and are a huge part of our family! as are our 3 cats who are indoor cats.

Introduction

2009-01-12T18:30:00.000-05:00

I should have done this in the first post, but I had no clue how to start. So now I have decided to introduce myself and my very talented mother who got me in to all of this.

My name is Karrie and I am a wife and a mother of 2 boys, 3(soon to be 4) and 14. I am a stay at home mom who loves and hates what she does. I love being a stay at home mom because it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I hate being a stay at home mom because you don't get to interact with many people and your life becomes the same thing day in and day out. I would not change it for the world though. I also love to bake and garden and be outside in the warm sun (not now). Summer is the best time of year for me and I love doing anything outside. I also have a HUGE love of animals. I currently have 3 cats, 2 dogs, a bird and 13 chickens (some of who you have met already) and I would probably have more if I had more land and could stand all the hair in the house!!

Now I would like to introduce you to my mother Sandy. She is the main creator of the wonderful pieces you are looking at in the pictures on this post and on Etsy and Artfire. She is a women of many talents. She is a wonderful crafter, baker, cook, decorator, gardener to name a few. She has been making crafts for almost ever, but not until a few years ago found her calling of making jewelry. She makes such wonderful things that they sell right off of her. Really, people ask about something and she will sell it right off of her. She also sells her jewelry at a store called Green Eyed Daisy's which is located in Falmouth Mass, Cape Cod and on Martha's Vineyard. She has been very proud of what she has done with her jewelry and is trying to make some extra cash. She just has fun and loves it.

Sandy is also a mother of 3 and a Baci (grandmother in Polish) of 3 grandsons and a granddaughter. She has been married for 39 yrs and still going strong. She is a very talented women with a heart of gold. She also is a RN but now works for an allergy doctor. She has been there for 14 yrs now. She is a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend. I am very happy she is my mom.

This was just a short introduction, not that short huh, about us. I hope for you to learn more about us in this blog.

I have many thoughts and ideas that I want to use and share here. I just need to learn how to do it to keep all of you reading. I will tell you now that I will not be posting everyday or possibly every other day. I am setting a goal to do at least 1-2 posts a week for now. If I can sneak more in then that would be wonderful. I also don't plan on this blog being just about Etsy and Artfire but personal things that make both of us happy. If you haven't noticed, I am the computer geek. So most of the stuff posted here are by me. Our stores are team work and this blog, well, is a little bit more fun time for me. You will probably catch lots of grammar issues and misspellings (never did good in English class), please excuse those I miss to fix. I hope to get better at this and hope that you all will check back and hopefully enjoy one or two things you see on this blog.

Thank you and I hope to see you all back again and maybe leave a comment or 2 :)

Snow/Ice of 2009

2009-01-11T10:37:00.000-05:00

This is turning out to be a crazy winter. I have had enough. It is down right cold and all the ice and snow we are getting is crazy. Yes, this is the way New England is supposed to be. I think we have been spoiled over the past several yrs. I do love looking at all the white on the trees and such. I do find it beautiful as long as I don't have to go out in it.
This is Ginger yesterday afternoon. All the girls were out and about once the snow started they all went back to the coop. Ginger was one of 3 that stayed out to brave the cold and snow. I don't know why since she looks so unhappy with snow on her back and one leg tucked underneath her to keep it warm. I don't get it.

The one thing that kills me the most about winter is the bitter cold and the ice. Ice is the worst. Living just a hop, skip and a jump away from Long Island Sound, we get a lot of sleet and icing. Not usually as bad as the picture above. We usually get some good snow and then it will usually change to a sleet or freezing rain (like the storm we had last night), leaving a coating of ice on top of the snow. It is no fun for the kids to sled on and you can't do anything with it.

This morning I went out to open the door to the coop so the girls could come out (if they wanted to) and only one made it out. Paprika took a few steps out, looked around and said "no way in hell". She then just turned around, went back inside and that is the last I have seen of her. The rest of the girls were smart and decided not to venture out. Could it be because they are spoiled and have a heater? Humm? Maybe I should have followed their lead this morning. I have had enough of winter. I love the first snow. It looks so beautiful and everyone goes out and plays in it. After the first snow, according to me, Old Man Winter can take the snow, cold, bitterness, ice,sleet, freezing rain and everything else that has to do with winter and shove it!!

Hopefully, for the ones who like winter, are enjoying this winter with all the snow.