Anne of Green Gables Layered Butterflies

 

 

Each matted and framed set of SIX tri-layered butterflies is going to come with 2 gift tags ~ one will have this lovely butterfly quote and the other will have the Anne of Green Gables quote about kindred spirits ... just in case they're being given as a gift :)

 

 

A Week Has Gone By

I can hardly believe it's been a week since I posted anything new on here! Does that tell you that I've been busy?!

I've been receiving quite a few enquiries regarding custom orders from my Etsy shop and have completed some of those in the past couple of weeks.

I must say that I am thoroughly ENJOYING letting my newly-discovered creative side begin to flourish a little at a time :o)

Every Thursday morning our small church holds a FREE community coffee time for the neighbourhood around us as a form of outreach.  We've only been doing it for a few weeks now but already the Lord has blessed us with several strangers visiting and a couple of them have returned more than once! 

Every 2nd Thursday evening, I hold sort of an open house type get-together for my sisters-in-Christ simply as a way of getting to know each other better.  Since many work outside the home, this has enabled those of us who are there to learn things about each other that we might not have otherwise and it's been a real blessing to me.

I just began trying to climb my cousin's family tree for him but it's been so frustrating with total dead ends on 2 of his branches -- I don't like giving up but I'm afraid I have to on this one :o( 

With the wind chill factor added, our temps were hovering down around MINUS 34 degrees Celsius yesterday but I had to go into town to buy some card stock and patterned paper for a custom order that I'm presently working on.  

LOOK at the sample colours to the LEFT of this -- I must be a traditionalist because I would never have thought of these colours for a newborn baby ~ my new customer has opened my eyes to new possibilities!

Do YOU usually lean towards TRADITIONAL colours for babies and their rooms or would you say you prefer more of a MODERN or CONTEMPORARY look? 

Since I also had to stop at the Post Office to send off an order I had just completed, I figured I might as well go a few more blocks and do the grocery shopping ~ was it ever windy and freezing bringing all the bags back to the car!   BRRRRR --

On top of that, I've had 2 bouts of gout over the past week and it was very painful while it lasted -- hopefully the medication I took on Sunday and today will help it subside VERY SOON :o)

Temporary Mobility

I've been busy baking and buying a few gifts here and there and selling a couple of 3D collages from my Etsy shop . . . grocery shopping and visiting here and there as the Lord leads in addition to laundry, cooking and cleaning our home.

All of this because my husband has been working nights from home for the past few weeks so I have the use of the car during the day ... at least for awhile.
 
It means that I haven't been able to spend much time blogging or creating new items for my Etsy shop while I've been taking advantage of this temporary blessing --- probably sooner than I expect, I'll be back to no car and not being able to do most of these things during the day!

Blessings,

1st Mammogram Finally!!

Pink Ribbon Buttons from Artzoo

It's going on 6 years since my heart transplant and last year at my annual check up I was reminded how very important it is that I have a mammogram!

Because of the immunosuppressants that I am on for the rest of my life, I am more prone to various types of cancer ~ so, I'm going for my very 1st mammogram tomorrow . . .

All I can really say is that "It's about time!"

The snow began falling earlier this afternoon and it's still coming down so I'm hoping that our roads are cleared by the time of my appointment because we don't yet have our snow tires on :o)

Blessings,

Last Showy Days of Autumn

Every time I enjoy a long walk, I take my camera in hand because I never know what I'm going to see ~ a few days ago I was privileged to see bumble bees close-up as they flitted from flower to flower :o)

Something else greets me the morning following a long walk and that is a bout of sometimes very painful gout!

This time 'round it wasn't as painful as other times but it still announced that it was present and wouldn't let me forget its existence as my right foot ached!!

I guess I'll have to try shorter, more frequent walks and see if the same thing happens :o)

Tuesday at My House

It's that time of year once again, when the days are warm and sunny with a gentle breeze ~ today the breeze is much stronger than usual, but I'm not complaining :o)

The nights are very cool and the green leaves are beginning to change to shades of golden amber, orange and red. 

As I sit at my desk typing, the warm rays of the sun are shining through my open door and the glass of the door-length window on the storm door intensifies its warmth and brightens my little home ~ I love it!!

I've been working on the family tree of a friend's daughter's boyfriend and it's been challenging and most interesting and the fact that he and his family are really interested in what I find for them makes it all the more worthwhile to me.

My dear husband has the next couple of weeks for vacation but we're staying around home as we have appointments for various things that we couldn't normally do when he's working during the week! 

He has things he wants to do around the house and yard and we have his birthday coming up so we plan on going to the city to our favourite chinese restaurant which makes Szechuan cuisine from scratch - it doesn't have a drop of MSG in it and every Friday has an all-you-can-eat buffet with this scrumptious, completely homemade food :o)

My intense gout pain has subsided, just barely letting me know it's still there ready to go again and this morning I woke up with a dreadfully sore throat, but other than that, I'm doing fine and on my way out the door to do a few errands since I have the car ... may each of you have a wonderful week!!

Blessings,

All is Well

First of all, I want to THANK everyone who left such caring comments regarding my echo for Friday and my biopsy for yesterday! It's always such a blessing to me that you care enough to take the time out of your busy lives to encourage and strengthen me.

The echo/ultrasound results showed very little change from this past March and the biopsy yesterday morning showed that everything is GREAT!!

I guess I was getting a little winded when doing things because I need to EXERCISE MORE :o)

This past March at my annual check-up, they were NOT able to get a biopsy reading because the samples they took from my heart were fibrous and because of that, I didn't want to push myself when I began feeling winded just in case my body was trying to tell me something ~ now, I have no excuse and know why it's happening :o)

I spent the early part of Friday treasure hunting at my favourite thrift store and came away with 5 childrens' books ~ 4 of them were 69 CENTS each, then you get a 5th one FREE!!

I also spent some time browsing one of our Michaels' craft stores and bought some beautifully coloured cotton yarn that was on sale!

While waiting for my husband to get off work Friday, I managed to almost finish this dish cloth :o)

Yesterday, we had to wake up at 5 AM and I arrived at the hospital catheterization lab about 7:30 AM but they always ask you to be there by that time when you're an outpatient = you walked in on your own steam rather than being brought in by stretcher :o)

Once you're called in, there is prepping with sheets and dyes and such while the nurses and doctor get organized.  The area to be catheterized is frozen and I had a choice this time ~ groin area or jugular vein in my neck ~ with the latter, you are able to leave as soon as the cath tub is removed and your vitals are taken afterwards in the recovery area and you are dressed. 

With the in-groin cath, you have to lay on your back for 1.5 hours afterwards and they check on you a few times once they've removed the cath tube. 

I chose the in-groin method because time was not an issue for me yesterday.  Besides, I've got enough scars on my neck in that exact area from multiple biopsies taken during the 1st year post-transplant as well as others during the 2nd through 4th years!  Not using the neck area also meant no oppressive draping of sheets and multiple covers over my head which is so much more comfortable!

Before the procedure, I had prayed for the Lord's strength and grace ~ that NO MATTER what the news, He would carry me in His everlasting arms because I knew I was not  sufficient --- after I received the phone call telling me the good news [while I was wandering around Michaels' craft store yesterday in the late afternoon], I paused to thank Him for His grace and for the marvellous news!

In treasure-hunting at another thrift store yesterday, I found 2 sets of lovely pillowcases ~ one an ivory with a lacy edge and the other white with a multi-coloured applique edge

During my wait in the clinic earlier in the afternoon, I only had enough time to begin another dishcloth using one of the skeins I purchased on Friday ~ it's not that I did LESS waiting yesterday, but less of it was useable for something like this :o)

Blessings,

A Perfect Day for Baking

Photo courtesy of Kraft

The weather was mild today and gray and cloudy ~ a perfect afternoon for baking, especially since I'm having a few friends over tomorrow evening!  I baked 7 layer squares as well as a mince pie from my freezer and made pineapple refrigerator dessert.

I don't even think I've had the fans on much today ~ not sure if that means fall is in the air or it's just an unusual day?!

Tomorrow morning a friend is giving me a ride to the hospital for blood tests and then Friday I go into the city for an echo-cardiogram ~ an ultrasound of the heart.

Being in the city, I'm anticipating doing some shopping at my favourite thrift store and perhaps popping into Michaels' craft store to see what's new or on sale :o)

Sunday School Picnic

We enjoyed our Sunday School picnic this past Saturday!

Lots of burgers and hot dogs, pop, chips and cookies and later there was a big tug o'war and other races for children of all ages ... even adults!

All of us joined in laughter while the younger and older children were blindfolded and tried batting at a candy-filled pinata ... one determined little boy finally batted it strongly enough to break it and they all scrambled around to get their share of the goodies that fell out :o)

There were quite a few parents out as well and there was a short, simple lesson from Scripture so that as many of the younger ones as possible could understand.

The older gentleman speaking had all the children eagerly calling out answers as he told them they all began with the letter *s* ...

"Sin has so affected the sheep [us] that we are lost and helpless and don't know our way back to God ~ we wander and keep getting into more and more trouble as our sin takes us further and further away from God.

The Shepherd offered Himself as a Sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.
The Shepherd seeks the lost sheep.

God is able to righteously justify and forgive those who trust the Shepherd because the Shepherd has paid for all their sins in full and God was and is completely satisfied with His sacrifice."

I pray that many hearts listening will be opened to take in God's wondrous message of grace and that even as they grow older, this message might stay with them.

Lack of Water

We had a wonderful weekend!

On Saturday we visited the same elderly friend who gifted my husband with a Bible not too long ago. He lives in a nearby nursing home and we always enjoy our visits together.

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to the special ministry meetings that were taking place in a giant outdoor tent as part of a weekend-long conference with hundreds of people. The Lord blessed us with wonderful sunny weather and from time to time, a nice breeze. We renewed some old friendships and met some new brothers and sisters in the Lord.

On our return home Sunday evening, I could see that my patio tomato plant had keeled over ~ I hadn't watered it Sunday morning and because of the day long sun, it must have dried out and I was so disappointed because it had been growing like crazy and I was so looking forward to enjoying its abundant fruit when the time came.

I gave it a HUGE drink and my husband strengthened the tie and tall stick he had put in a couple of weeks ago for extra support and I realized that by morning I'd know if it was going to survive . . .

I'm happy to report that it's standing tall and it's no longer wilting!!

It reminds me of ME - if I don't take nourishment from the Word of God on a regular basis, I can wilt and keel over in the circumstances that come into my life.

Time spent in the Word or time spent under the sound of its teaching are always refreshing and encouraging!!

Finding Treasures

I had a wonderful visit with my elderly friend who was a hospital room-mate of mine over 5 years ago at the time I received my mechanical heart pump.

When I went thrifting at my favourite *new-to-me* store, I found some delightful treasures!

The books were all 69 CENTS -- buy 4 and get 1 FREE ~ isn't that fantastic!!?

If You Take a Mouse to School and If You Give a Moose a Muffin are thin and therefore excellent for mailing to my grandson.

Something from Nothing is adapted from a Jewish folk tale and I plan on using the richly coloured pages for some of my Butterfly and Baby Elephant Wimsy collages. I'll be doing the same with the 2 vintage Beatrix Potter books.

Joan Walsh Anglund's book is in mint condition so I'll keep it on hand for a gift and the bottom Teddy Bear book is to have on hand when little ones come along for dinner with their parents ~ this will give them something to look at that is fun :o)

This is the interior mat of an 8 X 10 frame that cost $3.99 - it's in mint condition and I know from having seen the work of others, that quilling takes a LOT OF TIME and PATIENCE so I appreciated the beauty of these flowers and leaves that accent the top left and bottom right hand corners of the oval mat :o)

I hope your week is going well and that you are enjoying the magic of ordinary days!

Busy Is As Busy Does

I used Google's PICASSA which I freely downloaded quite some time ago and made a collage of a kalanchoe plant I purchased at Wal Mart a few weeks ago . . . I fell in love with the gorgeous colours :o)

I finally finished the bridal shower invitations for my daughter's friend and dashed over to the post office only to discover that I had forgotten the 30 small envelopes at home :o(

With only 15 minutes to closing, I quickly drove home, got them and zipped back as safely as possible with barely minutes to spare ... PHEW!

My DH and I wound up not being able to do many of our day excursions during his STAY-cation because the weather was and still is SO rainy, grey and windy and was even THUNDER-y a few times!!

Tomorrow I'm driving down to the city with him and will pop into my favourite Thrift Store while waiting for my noon meeting with the elderly woman who was my hospital room-mate when I received my mechanical heart pump in November 2004.

After we visit a bit and take a few photos, I plan to visit Michael's craft store and get a few groceries before he gets off work.

If I find any treasures, I'll post them on Wednesday!

A Day at a *New-to-Us* Beach

It's not that easy but if you listen carefully beyond the sound of the wind, you can hear the sound of the waves crashing!!

Here's a collage of a few of my favourite scenes of our trip to this one beach -- neither of us had ever heard of it before ... we walked along a good section of it, about a 2 mile stretch there and back in my barefeet in the clean, beige sand.

Before we even got back to where we started, the gout in my right foot began acting up and by the next day, I was almost limping because it hurt that much :o(

Oh well, the next couple of days were cool, drizzly and extremely windy so we did things around here that we enjoy and hope to go for another day trip on Monday, weather permitting!

Blessings,

First 2 Days of Our STAYcation

We are at the beginning of a stay-cation ~ my DH gets the next 2 weeks off and we're taking Day Trips to places of interest that we've rarely or never visited before ... places that we can drive to, explore, take photos and get back home all within that same day!

Yesterday we took our 1st excursion and as you can see, we enjoyed some lovely spots. The day began with low lying fog everywhere but as it wore on, the sun shone and it was just beautiful :o)

Because we were all the way along shoreline and beach areas, the wind was VERY BLUSTERY and our fingers grew very cold as we held our cameras to get shots of the surf ... we both attempted getting short videos, trying to capture not only the look of the waves crashing against the shore, but the sound!

We got the look OK but the sound of the waves was drowned out by the howling sound of the blustery winds :o(

We stopped in at a Farmer's Market as we got closer to home and bought some freshly baked rolls and veggies, then picked up our favourite English style fish and chips for supper.

We rounded out the day by watching the first 2 episodes of the 1996 version of Pride and Prejudice which is our favourite version starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.

It's just as well we had a great day because it rained on and off all day TODAY so we stayed home and I did laundry, errands, a bit of grocery shopping and created one of my Baby Elephant collages while my husband enjoyed activities that he usually has no time for while he's working!

Hopefully it won't be raining tomorrow . . .

Layout Choice

This was the sample layout that my daughter chose for her friend's shower invitations!

I think I mentioned that I had miscalculated how many cards I could get from 1 sheet of 12" X 12" card stock and still needed 3-4 more sheets!

I went into our local store on Saturday and they found 1 lone piece ... she phoned their store in the city and had them set aside 4 sheets for me which I picked up yesterday after I had my Dr's appointment.

I should finish the invitations tomorrow and will post pictures later in the afternoon showing them in the actual colours and textured card stock ~ you'll notice that other than the butterflies and tiny heart, the sample was in white, so you don't get the real view :o)

My husband has an extra day off today so we're soon off to visit an elderly friend in a nursing home and then this afternoon we're having a BBQ, finally using the last of the steak that's been in our freezer since last summer!

Trust you are enjoying some of the magic in your *ordinary day*!

Blessings,

Tuesday Happenings

I've almost finished the invitations my daughter asked me to make for the Bridal Shower she is holding for her friend -- unfortunately I miscalculated and need 4 more sheets of card stock to do the rest!!

Sometime later today, a friend of ours is to arrive for a few days' visit. He is the young Jewish fellow I mentioned before who trusted Christ as his Saviour a few years ago ... it was his story and others like it that really made me want to read The Search by Lorna Simcox.

So, in preparation for this evening, I've got beef-veggie soup simmering in my slow cooker and I baked 2 apple-cinnamon coffee cakes and 1 simple white cake. One of the coffee cakes will be going to my son who shares an apartment with a childhood friend here in town while the others will be for our *company* ... :o)

EDITED to EXPLAIN BETTER -- Tonight we also have to go to our weekly prayer meeting and Bible study so I'm off to set the table and get things around here organized so we can leave as soon as my DH swallows the last of his soup as he gets home so late!

Have a great day and week :o)

The flower painting is by Barbara Mock, courtesy of AllPosters.com

The Gift of a Bible - UPDATED

This afternoon, my DH and I had a wonderful visit with an elderly friend who lives in a nearby nursing home.

When they were talking about a Christian book store in the city that this gentleman hopes to visit next week, my husband mentioned that he needed to begin looking for a new Bible since the one he uses is coming apart at the binding ~ this was news to me and surprised me because it is less than 10 years old.

Anyways, our friend immediately gave him the choice of 2 brand-new KJV Bibles he still had in boxes that he had purchased several years ago! **One of them happened to be a Bible that my husband has always hoped he'd own one day but thought went out of print many years ago . . .

Both of us were touched and amazed at his generosity and thoughtfulness and ultimately to the Lord who laid it on his heart to present such a wonderful gift in the 1st place :o)

Blessings,


** UPDATED: In answer to Michele's question ~ the Bible he chose is sometimes known as The Englishman's Bible -- the King James Version with Hebrew and Greek notations and references throughout ... a great study Bible.

This and That

Hello Everyone!

Sunday morning we noticed a small crack in the bottom corner of our car's windshield.

By Sunday evening it had DOUBLED in length and today, I'm off to get it replaced . . . before the crack spreads all the way across :o(

My plan yesterday had been to go into the city with my DH but the Lord had other things in mind. I'll take some crocheting with me while I wait for the windshielf to be installed, then I'll do my grocery shopping.

A few days ago my daughter asked me to design 30 bridal shower invitations for her dear friend getting married in July so with her directions and colour choices, I came up with one that she loved and one of the reasons I'll be heading to the city later this week is to purchase all the supplies needed. The other is to exchange a craft punch that I don't think I'll be using much for one that I will :o)

Over the past week, I sold 3 collages [1 was a custom order for colour choices] and a couple of sets of tags and embellishments from my etsy shop and that was a real encouragement.

By the way, the little lunch I had on Friday afternoon with a few friends was lovely! There was lots of food left over which I divided amongst the last guests to leave but I always feel better just knowing in advance there's plenty :o)

One of the guests commented that we should all take turns and do something like this on a weekly basis ... time will tell if that happens or if our busy-ness gets in the way ...

Trust you have a great day!

A Walk to Remember

Our temps have been up and down over the past weeks but last week there was 1 day where the sun was not only shining, but it was actually quite warm :o)

I took advantage of that afternoon and went for a stroll up our street to the top of the subdivision, then decided to wander in the woods.

The last time I had walked through these woods was 4 years ago, 1 year and the 1st spring after I had received my new heart . . . that was a thrill for me as I hadn't been able to walk and wander as I used to for many years!!

Those woods hold lots of memories for our family!

Our children used to play there, the boys builts forts in in, during the winter we often strolled through it because it was a veritable WINTER WONDERLAND.

During those winters, we would take the dog off her leash and let her run while the children would go sleeding down the big hill and laugh with wonder and joy in the icy cold air.

The last winter I remember not only having enough snow and enough physical ability to enjoy that woods area was when my daughter was about 7 years old and we wandered down so all the young children could slide down the big hill.

She is turning 21 this summer so that tells you that it's been a very long time!

I always pray that the Lord would keep me from taking anything for granted because it is so easy to do that when things are going well ...

Blessings,

If you look closely at the top row, you'll *see* my shadow :o)

It's verrrry cold here but with the snow glistening in the sun, I just had to take camera in hand and go for a walk :o)

In temperatures of 16* F and a slight wind, my hands were so cold that they almost hurt by the time I arrived back home!

The scenes captured are just off a pathway in the woods near the top of one of the roads in our area . . . we are blessed to be very near town as well as having nature to view and enjoy, so it's the best of both and we are only a hop, skip and jump to the entrance to the main highway to the city!

Blessings,