Let the fun begin

Howdy!!  Since we have found out what the next grandbaby will be, I can now start to make his baby blanket.  I've made all of my grandkids a crocheted blanket, along with all our nieces which has been fun.

Here was Carissa at 20 weeks and we had just found out the day before that we have a little boy coming into the family and we are all very excited.

Here is a great shot of Carson.  He is perfect in every way and they said he is a healthy little guy so my birthday wish was fulfilled.  Yes, we found out on my actual birthday and that is the best present I've ever had.

This is the hat that I've finished.  The color is showing brighter in the picture and the specs are actually more subtle but it is so soft and will be perfect for him as he is due in December.

So other than working on his blanket now also, I am finishing up my redo's of our bathrooms.  I'm thinking that I need to paint the walls in the main bath as it is pretty darn bright with the yellow that is in there so we'll have to see but I'll give you a little sneak peek on the color that I'm loving........ stay tuned lol.

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

xo ~ Laura

Drum roll please.........

Happy Wednesday!!  I hope you are having a fabulous and special day.  I know I am.  Today is my birthday and it couldn't be more special.  I was able to get up bright and early and go to my youngest daughter's ultrasound to see the gender of my newest grandbaby. 

Hmmmmm is it a girl or is it a boy??????????

Drum roll please ................................................................................................................

IT'S A .........................

He is due December 27th and his name will be Carson Roe.  We can't wait and since I found this out on my birthday, maybe he'll give Nana an early Christmas present and be here before Christmas.....hmmmmm.  We couldn't be more excited for the kids and know that this blessing is a true gift from above.  Carson is healthy from head to toe and all his genetic testing came back perfect.  So can today get any better???

Nope!!!

Have a great day....think I'll go work on a few more projects and enjoy myself for awhile.  I've been busy with things around the house so stay tuned.

xoxo ~ Laura

Granddaughter's are so fun!!

Howdy!!  What a wonderful day today!  I am trying to take some time off work inbetween jobs to get some things done around the house and to also spend some time with family.  Today I had promised one of my granddaughters that we would go out and do something fun and special, just the two of us.  Having 6 grandkids, and the ages they are now I try to do one on one time with them too and that is exactly what today way.

I had my physical therapy this morning and then after I finished that, it was off to go pick up Bailey.  She is the next to the oldest of our grandkids.

First stop, we of course needed some energy to get ready for our fun afternoon.  It was a beautiful day here in the PNW and got up into the upper 70's so it was perfect.  We went to lunch at this cute little hole in the wall and had the best sandwiches I've had in quite some time.  Once we finished there, off to all the cute quaint old shops there in town.

Bailey was enjoying all the porcelain dolls and antique carriages.

She had to pose with one of the old bikes we found outside one of the shops.

She was so intrigued at all the old books and was so careful when looking through them.  We found some from way back :)

One of the stores had this light and we thought it was so cool :)

Hmmmm this darn new blogger.....out of order on this one and couldn't delete it and readd so anywho..... this is one of the ceramic pieces we bought and actually painted today after we got done in town.  This is my little piggy lol.

These were cute old tables we found in one of the stores.

Back to the ceramic pieces lol....this was Bailey's piece she painted and then I outlined the black for her and sealed it.  She loves to do crafts with Nana as it is a great stress reliever she says.  Ahhhh a girl after my own heart :)  She did a great job and was very proud of her!!

So we ended up finishing our day with some wonderful frozen strawberry lemonaid and called it a day.  Love taking the time and making memories with the family.  What is on the agenda for tomorrow, well it's the oldest granddaughter's 13th birthday so it will be some bonding time for us too :)

Have a wonderful rest of the week and happy crafting!!

xo ~ Laura

More Milestones :)

This past few weeks have been just a blur with so much going on!!  Milestone after milestones :)  My oldest daughter just turned 30 a week ago and now my baby just turned 21!!  Wow...where did the time go???

Isn't it funny the older you get, the faster the time flies by???  So my advise to all your younger ones, enjoy each day to the fullest as it goes by so quickly.  Enjoy each of those precious little things that happen in your children's lives on a daily basis.

So here are a few shots of Carissa on her 21st :)  Fortunately she is a very responsible girl so you won't see any hammered shots lol.

Her first drink ~ well being legal lol

Her signature shot....she loves the thumbs up.  The lily's are from a very special friend of hers, which are her favorites :)

Carissa with a few of her girlfriends....they are all now 21!  Wow.....I remember driving them all over the place.  See...I told you!!  lol

Busy working on wedding stuff...... 37 days!!!!

Today's quote:  "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do. "

Have a wonderful rest of the week.......looking forward to the weekend!!

 

xo ~ Laura

Another special project....

Hi!!

I was finally able to get back to some sewing to finish the special pillow that I made for my son out of Dad's shirt.  This was Dad's favorite shirt that we had gotten him and Josh last saw him healthy in this shirt so since I had made the quotes already, I finally sat down and made it and gave it to him to cherish.  Although his eyes got tears in them, he loved it and it meant so much to him and I'm glad.

I decided to make a little stuffed heart out of some of the extra material and hang in under where I have Dad's memory ornament and some of his ashes.  It makes me smile when I look at it and underneath where it is on the shelf is my favorite chair that I sit in so he is looking down on me :)

Have a fabulous day and happy crafting!!

Today's quote: “Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”

xo ~ Laura

Very special pillow

Happy Monday!!

The sewing continues lol.  I took a break to work on a project that I had started right after Dad passed away so as you can see, it has now been 2 months already.  I have had a harder time doing this part of it as it has to do with a very special shirt that he owned.  My youngest daughter always told Dad how handsome he looked in this shirt as it brought out his baby blue eyes which could just melt you.  So what did I do????  Awhile ago, I posted an upcoming project that had to do with this................

So I took a very deep breathe and said I'm sorry Dad but I have to do this as Carissa needs to have this and it will be right next to Ole Gus (the very special teddy bear she has from him).  Well I did it and now this will sit right next to Gus on her dresser.

As you can see, I left some of the buttons on it and also the pocket............are you figuring it out?????  lol

Yes, the very special message to her from Dad fits nicely in the pocket which would have been close to his heart.  I am really glad I did this one up...........2 more coming for my other children but with a different shirt so stay tuned.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and enjoying yourself and staying warm for some of you.  Happy crafting!!

Today's quote:  "The key is to have a dream that inspires us to go beyond our limits."

Linking to:

xo ~ Laura

Just touching base..........

Hello,

Oh how I have missed not being able to check everyones posts this past week and I am looking forward to being able to come back soon and start keeping up with everything.

My Dad did pass away peacefully on Tuesday morning but I had fulfilled my last promise to him and that was to get him out of the hospital and into a comfortable and peaceful resting place for his time to go.  On Monday morning, we were able to get his transferred into a beautiful log cabin with pine trees all around and got to play very soft piano music (which he always had loved as I played since I was age 3).  Some of his very special family members were able to just sit and talk with him and hold his hand and got to say everything we wanted to say to this amazing man.  He passed peacefully 7 hours later.

I will be very busy these next few days getting things ready to honor my Dad.  I will miss him terribly but am at peace and know he's in a much better place and looking down on all of us now.  A new angel in heaven.

Thank you to all of you who have checked up on me, supported me and continually do so.  That means so much to me.

See you soon.......

xo ~ Laura

I will be MIA for a few days....

Just wanted to let you know that I will be MIA for a few days as Dad has taken a turn for the worse and we now have him on Comfort Care Level so I am busy making pre-arrangments to have his last days comfortable, plans for afterwards and taking care of my Mom.  I know that my guardian angels are helping me every step of the way.

I would appreciate your prayers during this rough time, not only for strength for me but also for my children who are very close to my Dad.  We are hanging in there as well as can be expected.  This is a time for me to get things handled to take all pressure off of Mom and to reflect on some very special precious times that I am encountering right now.

Hugs to all of you and I will be back when things settle down.

xo ~ Laura

Surprise!!

Happy Monday!!

Yesterday I went to go see my Dad again as my Mom has now gotten sick also with the chest crud going around so she hasn't been able to see him in a few days as I have her at home getting better on her breathing machine.  She has asthma also so the machine really helps her.  I told her she needed to take the next few days to really rest up as my Dad is scheduled to be discharged from rehab on Wednesday morning to go back to the Assisted Living apartment.

It has been a very long week and today my niece and I were able to surprise both of them with her visit.  She hasn't been able to see them in over 2 years so they really weren't expecting it at all.  First up, my Dad.  He had finished his lunch and he lays down afterwards for a nap.  He was sleeping when she arrived so I was able to wake him up and his reaction was just priceless!!  His words were "Well Hi!!  I am so happy to see you" :)  Brought a smile to all of our faces.

After visitng Dad I took her over to their apartment and Mom was laying down and I heard her ask if it was me and I said yes.  I told her she had a visitor and when my niece came around the corner my Mom was so excited and happy and said come here and let me give you a hug.  We were able to visit for quiet a while and it was definitely very good medicine for both of them.

I haven't been able to do much crafting over the weekend as I've been gone so much.  Well it will be waiting for me I know.  Family comes first and that is what my life is consisting of daily.  I will not be going into work (yet again) to get the Caregiver training done tomorrow so that Dad is able to be discharged.  The one thing I have been able to work on is my little holiday/season tree.  It started out like this....

The little flowers are off and the base has the first coat on it.  Another one still to come then comes the decorating so stay tuned for that. 

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!!

xo ~ Laura

Hanging in there

Happy Friday!!

I know I've been away for the past few days as I've been focusing on my Dad and his health issues.  To give you an update, the good news is that he was discharged from the hospital today and put into a rehab center to see if they can get him stronger.  He is down to 127 lbs now and is very weak so realistically things don't look very good right now.

I have been so exhausted and have been trying very hard to take care of myself so today, even though this sounds strange, I went into work to just escape for a bit.  Now how can you now relax when your office is like this right?  This was taken this morning when I got into work at 6:30 a.m.  To bad we aren't allowed to paint our offices huh lol.  Since this is my temporary office I haven't decorated much.

I am hoping for the best and even a miracle but know that things are in the hands of the Lord and I have to just cherish what time I have left with him.

I am so missing my crafting as that is my relief of stress that is happening right now.  Being able to sit and relax a little, I have a few projects that I want to work on and hope to be able to start them soon.

I'm sorry this doesn't have to do with any of my projects, just bumps in the road that we all hit.

Here is wishing you a very happy and safe weekend.  Happy crafting!!

xo ~ Laura

Take me out to the ballgame....

Happy Saturday!!

It is going to be a very busy weekend for me that's for sure.  Today we are going to head to Seattle to the Mariner's baseball game :)  My brother-in-law has season tickets and gave us 4 so we are taking Carissa and her fiance to the game as they have been wanting to go for quiet some time.  It should be fun!!  Great seats too but I won't be able to enjoy a hotdog as I'm on a diet...darn it anyway :(  Oh well, I'll come out ahead right?  lol  Down 20 lbs so far and a few more to go... yay!!

So here are just a few random shots that I took of a few of my zoo, I mean animals lol  These are my 2 sables, Bandit and Taz.  My oldest who is 9 and my youngest who is 5.  They are quiet the characters that's for sure.

Then this is our little Bristol.  She is almost 11 and is really starting to look like a balding kitty in her old age.  You can't really tell it in this picture but her tail and back side are going bald.  She's just a sweetpea.

A few new items around the house I did to spruce it up.  Quick and easy stuff but I like it!!

This little can needed a little something on the bathroom counter so I just tied some fabric on it.  Now when Carissa comes over and spends the night occasionally, she has her toothbrush and paste waiting :)

I love my star and hook in the main bathroom.  Fits right in with the country rustic theme in there :)

A little reminder to relax and enjoy yourself.  See I even have my twigs and flowers on the shelf.  Enjoy the simple things around you at all times :)

I also decided to try a new recipe last night and it was fabulous!!  It is turkey chili.   It is really good. My hubby came home from work and let me say it was a good thing I put a small bowl aside for me for lunch today as he ate all of it. Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it out. Quick and easy :)

2 T. Olive Oil

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1/2 t. Salt

3 large Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 large Onion, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled Tomatoes

1/2 c. Tomatoe Paste

2 Medium Green Bell Peppers, cut into 1" pieces

2 Medium Red Bell Peppers, cut into 1" pieces

1 T. Sugar

2 1/2 t. Ground Chili Powder

1 1/2 t. Dried Oregano

1 1/4 Ground Cumin

1 (15 ounce) can each Pinto, Kidney, and Black Beans, drained and rinsed

In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat 1 T. olive oil.  Brown turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon as meat cooks.  Season with salt.  Using a slotted spoon, remove turkey and reserve; discard any liquid.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, tomatoe paste, peppers, sugar and spices, using wooden spoon to break up tomatoes.  Add reserved turkey and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.  Add beans, stirring gently and simmer 15 more minutes.

Enjoy!!

Oh wow!!  I just noticed I'm almost to 100 followers and you know what that means don't you???  Yup it will be time for another giveaway!!  Guess I better get crackin and get something ready huh :)  Well that's it for me.  I'm taking the day off of crafting today as we'll be out and about enjoying family time.  I hope that you have a wonderful day and happy crafting!

xo ~ Laura

Ever had one of those weeks?

Happy Tuesday!

I don't have any pictures or projects to post and you will see why.  I just needed to vent and then be able to focus on what I have to do today.

Well it has been crazy this past week with a lot of hits from all directions.  I know that life gets busy and we all encounter things and have ups and downs.  Well I've had both let me tell you.

As you know from my previous posts, I had the joy of watching 2 of my grandbabies for 4 days which kept me running but I loved it!!  So this was an "Up" time :)

Yesterday I had another job interview and on my way there I received a phone call from my Mom saying that the nurse at the Assisted Living called 911 as my Dad could not walk and was running a fever.  I was so torn on what to do but since I am on unemployment, I have to fulfill my interviews so I had to carry on and told her that I would call her when I got done.  Now how do you focus on an interview when you have a loved one in the hospital???  You pray and alot!!!  :)  Well they admitted my Dad to the hospital and it wasn't a fun site to see but we are praying for a complete recovery.  It just breaks my heart :(   I'm hoping that things are a little better and will spending time down at the hospital again today.  I have to reflect that this has been a blessing in disquise being off work so I can be there for my parents right now.  Funny how the good Lord looks out for us without us realizing it at times :)

Life gets busy and life continues.  I just have to remember to take a breath and things will all work out.

I received a comment on a post from yesterday and checked out this blog.  If you haven't seen Giveaway Scout check it out.  Fun blog on all kinds of giveaways so why not :)

Well thanks for letting me vent and I want to wish you all a fantastic day!!  Hope to be able to have a little "ME" time soon.

Hugs and xo ~ Laura

Lifes simple joys

Happy Sunday!!

Wow, I'm sitting here wondering where these past 4 days have gone!!  I've been running around keeping up with a 6 yr old and a 4 yr old, oh and the English Bulldog.  lol 

I have been able to capture a few precious moments with them on my camera and wanted to share them.

This is Braeden.  He has lost his first tooth and he wanted to show off his 2nd lose tooth.  Of course I said OK lets get a picture of it.  This is rare as he doesn't like his picture taken at all.

Then little Miss Sydney.  She is my photogenic one. 

I was working on making a card and she wanted to make a crown.  Well this is her own decorating :)

She always says "CHEEEESSEEEE" when you're taking pictures.  lol

I just love this one.  She is smelling the blooms on the butterfly tree.

Even the dogs were hot today so they were getting ice in their water, water poured over them and of course they were definitely wanting to stay in the shade.  This is Carissa's dog "Red" and he was much happier after getting cooled down :)

It's going to be another hot one here in the PNW so am glad that I've got the pool to relax in.  The kids love it too which is nice.  Their parents are coming home tonight and they will be happy to see them.  Nana will be glad to get back into my normal routine and to be able to see my hubby after 4 days too :)

Happy crafting!!

xo ~ Laura

Feeling SO Blessed!!

Happy Monday Everyone!!

Wow I just don't know where to begin.  I had such a wonderful weekend and I was able to sit back and just reflect on some things that really touched my heart.  First off I was getting ready to grab a few things before going to my birthday party and I received a phone call on my cell from a wonderful lady that I had the pleasure to meet last year on my birthday.  Now mind you I've only met her 1x but have talked to her a few times on Facebook.  Teresa and her husband own an Exotic Animal Farm in Monroe Washington.  Well one of her animals is really sick and she called me to ask to pray for cute Yahoo.  I just loved him when we were there.  We even got to hold their little babies when we were there :)

Then I was able to see so many people who truly love me yesterday at the party and I thought WOW!!  I am just an ordinary person who just loves life and obviously I'm touching people in ways I had no idea.  I think it is great that we all sit down every once in awhile and take a look around.  It's an awesome feeling.

This morning I woke up and was reading my email and found that I won yet another giveaway!! Here is the giveaway I got this time from Ashley over at Joyful Creations :)  She's got such a cute blog.  Hop on over and check her out.  I can't believe it!!  Yes this was the clincher that I feel so totally blessed to have such wonderful new friends and old alike in my life.

I have a very busy week and don't know how much time I'll have for my crafting but we'll see.  Looking at wedding venues on Wednesday and babysitting 2 of my grandbabies Thursday - Sunday :)

Here are a few treasures that I received from some very very special people that I love so much.

This adoreable Friends picture frame from my BFF of over 30++ years.

A placque she gave me and this saying is SO true :)

These precious pearl necklace and braclet set with this adoreable golden silk pouch :)

My cute Rooster Scentsy holder!!

My wish for all of you is that you take a moment to look around and reflect on who/what really touches you and your life.

xo ~ Laura

Fun with my oldest granddaughter

Happy Friday again :)  Well today I got to spend some 1:1 time with my oldest granddaughter who just turned 11 last week.  It is always a blessing when I get to spend quality time with them, especially on an individual basis.  She had told me last week on her birthday that she wanted to come over and do some crafting with me so of course I gladly accepted that :)   I just love the little creative minds they have.

So she wanted to do something personalized so this is what we came up with.  First off, she did this clothes pin with her name on it.  She was able to go to the craft store with me today and pick out 5 sheets that she wanted to use.  You will see her selection more throughout this post and how we used them.  I think it turned out very cute and of course my other granddaughter who is 2 years younger saw it and wants to do it on her special day with Nana too.  lol

Then we did a very personalized block.  She painted it blue (which is her all time favorite color), took the scrapbook paper and cut out the squares.  I told her to give me 4 things that really meant a lot to her as we were going to cut out the vinyl.  She is now in love with my Cricut!!  lol  So the 4 words she picked were "Family", "Friends", "Fun" and "Creative".  Here is her own creation.

The next project we did was working on sewing her pillow.  She picked her 2 colors of fabric and she did pretty darn good :)

We also played around with making a necklace with using washers that I saw on Shady Creek's Vinyl Lettering but they didn't turn out right as we couldn't find the Paper Glaze :(  I will have to keep looking.

We also made a headband out of some trim we got but I forgot to get a picture of it lol.  When I was picking some things up, she said to me "Nana I have an idea for my flipflops so I said have at it and this is what she came up with.  Not bad for her first attempt but now she's figuring out how to do all of it and she did this all by herself.

So we had a wonderful day and did a lot of fun crafts which we both enjoyed.  I just love my family :)

Have a great evening!!

xo ~ Laura