How does your garden grow?

During my gall bladder surgery recovery I have been spending my time out in my yard, playing in the dirt. Of course since most of my garden is made up of perennials it doesn't take much work on my part. I have to thank my sister Cindy for doing most of the work cleaning out one of my raised beds. She cleaned out and reset the bricks in the back of the bed. (It's the one with the large black Mickey Mouse plant hanger with the new yellow tickweed). These are the pictures of the flowers that are blooming right now. Unfortunately I didn't get my camera out earlier to catch the blooming of the tulips and the dwarf irises. I will try to keep up to date as new flowers spread their beautiful petals.

This year there are two new attempts at food: strawberries and cucumbers. I'll note their progress as the season moves on.

Have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day Holiday weekend.

Where Oh Where Did You Go?

It must have been the combination of a relaxing vacation and the anesthesia but my crafty mojo has disappeared. What a horrible time to be absent when the only thing that I am able to do is work/read/craft. I cannot lift anything that weighs 10 lbs or more so that eliminates the projects that I want to do in the yard. I cannot exercise yet except for walking and it will take me awhile to build up some good stamina so that does not take up all of my free time. So, I figured that I would craft, craft and craft some more. But, my creative juices have just stopped flowing. So, in an attempt to jump start some crafty mojo I created an old stand by that at least had me cutting, folding and stamping paper which will (if you are listening crafty genes) wake them up!!!

When your crafty mojo has stalled how do you rev it up?

Very Quick Update

A very quick update on what's shakin' in my world. Trip to Vegas was a blast and will update stories with photos when I get caught up with life.

Last Monday I had my gall bladder removed and have returned to driving and work even though I have not yet been released from the surgeon's care. I am off the pain meds and the outside is healing quite nicely. I was reminded yesterday when I reached a little to much that the inside is not healed yet. A lesson learned and hopefully not repeated.

Much thanks to everyone that came to see me, sent me cards, called and kept me in their prayers for a speedy recovery. All that love helped me hurdle this bump in life. I hope to be able to update soon with those Vegas stories (they may be edited due to the Vegas rule of: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas). I also hope to be able to play with some of the new stamps bought in Vegas. I will post any new creations when they are born.

Have a good Monday!

Viva Las Vegastamps

On my recent trip to Las Vegas I went to the Mecca for rubber stampers. Tucked just a couple of miles from the strip in a very nondescript building is nirvana. You can bet that I was VERY happy that I had restraint in the casinos so that I could purchase the manna that feeds my soul, rubber stamps. Viva Las Vegastamps was a store that I could have spent hours in reading all the phrase stamps and just thinking about how I could use the stamp. It was literally wall to wall stamps. No paper, no inks, no markers, pens or scrapbooks. JUST STAMPS. Rows and rows of stamps. I had to be conservative because I had to be able to carry (didn't trust the baggage handlers)my purchase. Believe me I developed my arms walking around the airport the day I left, LOL. The only negative that I have about the store. There were adorable pets behind the counter (who wouldn't want to work where they could bring their adorable "children") but the store had a slight aroma of those adorable little ones. It was mostly the felines that made their presence known. Other than that, this was a great place to visit to top off my fantabulous vacation. They do have an online store and of course I have an inside connection, my friend Stacie (who shopped with me) lives in NV and can always make a trip for that one (or two or three....)stamp that I may have forgotten and must have. Enjoy the pictures and if you are ever in Las Vegas by all means CHECK OUT THIS STORE!














Check out the table full of unmounted rubber. Those were only $1.00 and on the opposite side of the table were used rubber stamps for just $2.00. You could have a field day just at the bargain table.

No More Sleeps!!!!

Well today is THE day that I leave on my trip to "sin city" to see the bright lights!
I am off to celebrate the 25 anniversary of our 25 year for the majority of the JUG's (just us girls). The next 4 - 5 days will be filled with good times and will add to the vast amount of good memories that I have made with these lifelong friends. I will take pictures and will tell some stories but have to reserve the right that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" for some of our antics.

I will also be going to the GIANT rubber stamp store and hope to find some good bargains.

Have a great weekend, see next week!!!



Bright light city gonna set my soul
Gonna set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,
So get those stakes up higher
There's a thousand pretty women waitin' out there
And they're all livin' devil may care
And I'm just the devil with love to spare
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas

How I wish that there were more
Than the twenty-four hours in the day
'Cause even if there were forty more
I wouldn't sleep a minute away
Oh, there's black jack and poker and the roulette wheel
A fortune won and lost on every deal
All you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas with you neon flashin'
And your one armbandits crashin'
All those hopes down the drain
Viva Las Vegas turnin' day into nighttime
Turnin' night into daytime
If you see it once
You'll never be the same again

I'm gonna keep on the run
I'm gonna have me some fun
If it costs me my very last dime
If I wind up broke up well
I'll always remember that I had a swingin' time
I'm gonna give it everything I've got
Lady luck please let the dice stay hot
Let me shoot a seven with every shot
Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas,Viva Las Vegas
Viva, Viva Las Vegas

One Down a Few More To Go

Well, the countdown begins, only three more "sleeps" until VEGAS BABY!!!

Got some fantabulous news, there is a SUPER GIANT rubber stamp store in Vegas. Thanks so much to my friend Simone for giving me the scoop. They are only open M-F and Saturday would have fit in perfectly for me to spend hours in the store while the other JUG's did the whole pamper thing at the spa. But alas, that will not work. So instead I figured out how far away the store was from where I am staying and asked my good friend Stacie (who has graciously accepted to house the 9 of us JUG's on this trip) about the easiest and cheapest way to get to the store on Monday and she said that she would drive me!!! Yeah Stacie!!! You see, none of my JUG friends are into crafting so to get one to agree to take me to a craft store and stay and shop is wonderful. I would much rather spend my hard earned money on some good ol' rubber than to lose it playing games in a casino. (Don't get me wrong, the casinos will probably get a small sum of my money). But oh, that $10.00 that would have made it into the hands of say The Flamingo Hilton will now come home with me in the form of a rubber stamp. Yipee!!!!

I have charged my camera and packed the charger so one more item off of the "to pack" list. Just praying for good weather because this girl does NOT like to fly but endures the scariness because I know that it is the fastest way to get to places that I want to see and explore.

I have my appointment with the surgeon. At 9:15 on 5/5 I will meet the doctor who will hopefully rid me with this ache/pain and acid reflux and get the stone filled gall bladder out of my body so that I can go back to feeling normal. Not that I was ever really normal, LOL!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Counting Down the Days

Well, there are only 4 more "sleeps" until my Vegas trip with the JUG's (just us girls). I pulled out my suitcase, did my laundry and packed the majority of what I need/want for the trip. Just the last minute things that I will use the morning that I leave are left to pack. I am REALLY looking forward to this trip and seeing all that has changed in Vegas and just hanging with my peeps.

Here is a card that I have been working on. It is the May edition in my card a month to the JUG's new year's resolution. The front depicts the April Showers while inside is a packet of flower seeds for May flowers. On the back I wrote "April showers bring May flowers. Plant a bountiful bouquet of blooms. Happy spring"

All the stamps, ink and cardstock used are SU and the image was colored with colored pencils.

Have a great Monday.

Long Long Time

It has been a long time since I posted (so much for that New Year's resolution) LOL!!!

I haven't been feeling well and finally went to the doctor and came out with an extra ailment that I wasn't even aware was wreaking havoc in my body.

So, the outcome was that I had a bladder infection and gall stones. After two rounds of anti-biotics the bladder infection is gone and when I return from my trip to Vegas on 5/5 I will need to schedule an appointment with the surgeon to remove my gall bladder. I was advised by my primary care doctor to cancel my trip but I told her "No Way". This is the JUG's 50th birthday year celebration and the fact that 10 of the 12 JUG's (just us girls) is going to Vegas is great and unless I am in the hospital will not miss this milestone in our lives.

I leave on 4/30 and return 5/5. I won't be able to drink or eat anything super rich and fun (boy do I CRAVE a hot dog with all the trimmings right now) but watching my food/drink intake will prevent me from a possible visit to a Vegas hospital.

I haven't really been doing any cards lately as my mojo has disappeared. I don't know if it's because I don't feel good or because I am just blocked. Maybe the trip will release new creativity into my blood.

The weather forecast this weekend is for rain so that rules out gardening. I did purchase a couple of tulip plants and got them in the ground last Saturday. I also got some of the pots that border the patio planted. I cleaned out the West-side raised bed and soon the irises will be blooming. I hope that there is some break in the weather as I need to get the East-side bed cleaned out so that the lilies and black eyed susans can begin to grow.

As always there are projects inside that are also on my "to do" list. Hopefully some of them will get crossed off the list this weekend.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Belated Easter Greetings

I hope that everyone had a great Easter.

Last week's weather was just fantastic and it really got me moving on the spring cleaning / purging. Over the weekend I packed up a few bags and will be making a stop at the Salvation Army. I still need to finish the linen closet organization but the linens that needed to be purged are already at the Salvation Army. I hope that someone finds good use for them. As for the rest of the "stuff" in the closet, well some will be tossed (old lotions and expired stuff), the rest will be grouped together and organization will abound. I cleaned off my tall dresser and was surprised at the amount of things that were stacked on top of that dresser. Most of it was shoes but there were also pictures, crafting supplies and some dust bunnies. The shoes are back on top until I can really delve into my closet and do a good purge inside there.

I finished reading "The DaVinci Code" and I am going to the library to see if they have the movie. I really want to see the movie now that I have finished the book.

Maggie got a new haircut for the summer. She looks so much like a little lamb. Gidget got her nails "done" and I did some cards. Enjoy this sunny Monday!