My New Creative Passion.....

Ok, I'm getting ready for a Sale that a couple of friends and I have decided to have, and I just  couldn't figure out what I want to make to sell.  So I decided to make some purses from old wool sweaters.  I have always wanted to try this so what better time to experiment.  So here is an example of an old wool sweater that I washed and shrunk in the washing machine.  

After your done shrinking your sweater you then cut it up into what ever shape you want.

Here's an example of one man's sweater that I shrunk up and I can't wait to see what I come up with.  Gray & Black & I think Hot Pink or Pale Pink, we'll see......

Here's my first one that I'm working on.  This is what was a cute sweater...see the arms, I put them on the side so you could see the shape of the sweater and how it once was.....It did not have the embellishments on the sweater; I added the felting (vines and leaves) and then I hot glued these flowers that I salvaged from a throw away item (they were too cute not to use them again).

You can't leave the back of the purse plain! So I added some more vines and leaves.

It's starting to look sooo cute!  

This is the tricky part.  I'm forming the lining and I'm going to hand sew it to the purse.  I used an old fashioned tea towel to make the pocket.

These are the details close up.....

You just can't have enough of details on a one of a kind purse!  I hand stitched the edges with yarn to give it a finished look....
So now that I have a new found passion for making these purses I hope that I will be able to part with them and sell them at the boutique!!!!

Getting Organized.......

I live in a very small house and it seems like the older I get the less clutter I want around me.  I've been purging a lot of things lately.  But I can't seem to part with my craft stuff!  So I decided to get organized.  Here are some of the few things that I've done lately while I've been home feeling under the weather.  I had a collection of pins and frames that I thought would look great as labels for my craft supply boxes.  So I glued them onto the boxes and labeled the boxes.  Now I don't have to keep pulling boxes to find my items!  Keep an eye out for pretty boxes to hold those craft items....I found the pretty pink box on top at a yard sale for $1.

This was a pin and I removed the pin from the back and glued it on to the box.

Opps, not too clear but it says "Stamps" 

I was going to get rid of these jars but decided to put them to use for all of my buttons.  I just added some pretty new knobs.

I even painted my garage sale organizers a bright color to inspire me....

These small drawers are great for holding those little things....beads, misc. earring parts, etc.

Using pottery is great for holding your small tools. ...  So now that I'm getting organized, I hope that I can start to get creative once again.  It's nice to get away from the everyday chores and working all of the time stress and just "Get Creative"!!!!
I hope I've inspired you......

Idyllwild for the day......

We went to Idyllwild with Marti & Ernie Williams last Saturday after service.  It was such a beautiful day!  We went for a ride up there and went back down the mountain the back way thru Beaumont and went to the Outlet.  After that we had a nice lunch and headed home....

Marti & Ernie Williams

It was so clear and the air was so crisp!

It's so hard snapping pictures while your moving!

Ohh, see there is the great view!  It was so clear out!  What a pretty drive!

Marti and I were bored in the back seat so we had to be silly!

And look at the great sunset we enjoyed on the way home!

Too pretty to not share!!!!

What's been happening......

We started babysitting our grand baby girl this last month and of course Papa and I are loving it!  Of course I enjoy it more when I get her all to myself!  She is the best baby to babysit.  Always happy!

My grandson Macaiah with his big smile looking like his mom!  He is growing up before our eyes! He's almost as tall as me and he has been winning awards at school and making us all proud.  He also gave two talks already!  He is progressing so quickly, before you know it we'll be going to his baptism and he'll be pioneering with his Papa!

We love being grandparents!  Here we are at Macaiah's school the day he received an award for being  "a terrific kid."

Uh huh, yeah!  Liz doesn't think she is mean....What do you think?
(Just kidding, she's as harmless as a kitten)

Hiram, doing what he does....keeping the peace.

We had a great family day at Knott's Berry Farm with Liz, Hiram , the grandbabies, Irmgard, Korey & Summuer & Andrew, Sherrie & Bree & Zaden, Adreana and Macaiah's friend Hector.

Kim in the Jail House! (At Knott's of course)

Macaiah & Hector in the Jail House.

Korey & Summuer getting some hugging in at Knott's Berry Farm.

This picture is dedicated to Kamron (who we were really missing on this family outing).   This is the man in the jail house that talks to you at Knott's Berry Farm.  Kamron and Korey use to love to sit there and talk to him and wonder why he knew their name and what they were wearing.  

Andrew James......

After we left Knott's Berry Farm we went over to a great "all you can eat" Seafood Food Buffet by Disneyland.  Everybody was really hungry for crab claws and seafood.

Summuer Horn, like brother, like sister.

Also last month I said good-bye to my trailer....... It was so much fun having her for our special crafting and camping trips. 
I will miss her.  But I'm sure there will be another adventure just around the corner......
Kim has signed up for regular auxillary pioneer and we are both going to be very busy with the Regional Building Committee.  
So who know's what's in store......

A Woman Should Have.....

I was reading some interesting and inspiring things every woman should have and thought I would share it with you.  Maybe you have some to add.....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...





 WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,

and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...



A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...

a feeling of control over her destiny...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to fall in love without losing herself…



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to quit a job,

break up with a lover,

and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that she can't change the length of her calves,

the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

that her childhood may not have been perfect, but it's over...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

how to live alone, even if she doesn't like it...



EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

whom she can trust, whom she can't,

and why she shouldn't take it personally...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

where to go...

be it to her best friend's kitchen table...

or a charming inn in the woods...

when her soul needs soothing...


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

what she can and can't accomplish in a day...

a month...and a year...


It's ok if you don't have any of these things, but a few of them would be nice to have tucked away somewhere..............

A face to LOVE......

Cae Cae is sleeping in her Papa's arms of course!!!!  He snapped this shot with his phone while he holds her.

October.....A Busy Month!!!!!

Ok, this has been a very busy month!!!!  A month of stress.....A month of thankfulness....A month of laughter....A month of reflection.....A month of celebration....A month of change!!!!


Stress and Thankfulness.....


Last week my mom fell in the middle of the night....yes, she did get hurt, but it could have been a lot worst!  She now has a great story to tell about her leap out of bed in the middle of the night, the face plant she did and how she landed up in her closet.  Well we had a good laugh about it, despite the aches and pains and the wounds on her face.  Putting all of the humor aside, I can't help but think about how serious it could have been!  When I went to her house in the afternoon to take her to get checked I had to hold back the tears and all I could do is hug her.  It made me so sad to see her that way.  I am so grateful to Jehovah that she is ok and that she didn't hurt herself seriously. My mom is a tough cookie! And as everyone knows my mom is my best friend.  I am so thankful to have her. 

Reflection....


This month marks our 35th wedding anniversary!!!! And we still love each other!
I know that because....despite all of our mood changes, medications, aches and pains, annoying habits, man-o-pause and menopause....we haven't killed each other yet!  And we actually still look forward to spending our quiet time together.


Celebration.....


We had a beautiful anniversary this year....I'm a happy woman!


Both my boys remembered us and called us to wish us a happy anniversary.  Kamron also sent us a beautiful card with hand pressed flowers on it. 


We spent a beautiful evening with Keith & Cindy Smith and Eddie & Felicia stuffing our faces at Ravioli's for dinner....And  before that, we had a romantic cocktail hour with hordourves and martini's in Keith and Cindy's backyard, amongst their huge fruitless mulberry tree, the twinkle lights and the pond.

And then to top it off...Hiram & Liz surprised us with two nights at Lawrence Welk Resort.  We had such a relaxing two days spending quality time with one another.....Kim and I are so grateful for having such loving and wonderful family and friends.  We thank all of you for making our anniversary a very special one.  We love you all!


And last but not least...Change.....


This has been a month for change! 
I FINALLY CUT MY HAIR!!!
Yes, for all of you who didn't think I would do it.....well I did!!!


And I love the change!  I don't miss my long hair at all!!!! 
And for all of you who haven't seen it yet....I guess you'll have to wait until the circuit assembly or until you run into me somewhere in town.  


Oh, but you might walk right past me as everybody else has done!  No one recognizes me!!!  :)  I Love It!!!

See you soon........

Disneyland and Family.....The Best Combination!

These are some highlights of what we did this last week at Disneyland with our grandchildren.  We can't thank Liz and Hiriam enough for the wonderful four days we spent with them and the kids.  What a great time we had!  We made many memories with them. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel which was absolutely beautiful.  We had adjoining rooms and it was so fun when Micaiah would knock on the door in the morning and greet us with his smiling face.  But we got more of a kick out of the big kid that Liz turned into when you mentioned going to Disneyland!  Boy what a joy it was to spend some quality time with them.  I think Jehovah knew that we needed them just as much as they needed us.  

Liz really made this first Disneyland trip a memorable one.  She had tee shirts made for all of us with our names on each one.  Mine said "Grammy" and Kim's said "PaPa", Micaiah said "Prince Ya Ya", Micaelah's said "Princess Cae Cae" and so on.....
I made a crocheted hat for Micaelah and I also made one for her cousin Zaden.

Everytime I turned around to snap a photo of Micaiah he would make a face, so I told him that I was going to put it on my blog!  Isn't he handsome!  That's my grandson!!!!

See the girls had their tee shirts in pink and the boys had theirs in blue....

Cae Cae is flirting with her Pa Pa.......

Liz, Micaelah's mom makes this face when we mention the Disney character "Blue".  Micaelah is making her "Blue" face with her Pa Pa!

I had to get a picture of the headboards on the beds in the rooms.  They would light up and play music when you pushed a button.  They looked like the Disneyland fireworks!  Cool!!!!

Can you find Micaelah?????

Micaiah and Liz

Hiriam and Micaiah

Micaiah is having a blast!!!!

Cae Cae is giving me that look like she has had enough!  PLEASE SAVE ME GRAMMY !!!!! I'M TIRED !!!!!