Don't forget to look at all kinds of hobbies! You never know what you'll find!!

My, My...Have I let so much time go by once again. I hope all is well out there in 'blogworld'! Me, I've been having to use my time to fill out yucky paperwork:( Not much fun if you ask me! I'm down the last section of it though....and when I finish, I plan on rewarding myself with a few new types of birdhouses.... I hope. LOL, now that I think of it, I have several that need roofs, and all those barns I made need to be finished, too. The lighthouses just didn't work out for me~ yet, but I'm still thinking about it........And I've been working on the tree house again!!! YUP! :) And it's killing me Not to finish it. Now that I've figured out where to go with it, I just want to finish it! I've been watching Railroad train scenery DVDs from the library, and learning all kinds of fun stuff. Like wet newspaper and plaster ~the kind they use to cast your arm after you've broken it!! Who knew it would work perfectly for my tree:) I've been taking pictures as I go, so when I finally get back around to getting pictures up again, I'll do a post. The one good thing about not having a computer, is you actually get work done, sometimes, lol....Well, Me and the kid are at the library, and my time is almost up......
So
Until Next Time...

Hello from Oklahoma!

Yup! You read that right..... I'm in Oklahoma City till tomorrow, then I will be on a plane ride back home:) My sister and family got transferred to OK, and she needed someone to ride with her and the baby, and you know I love road trips, so here I am. Took us 3 days to get here.... which is pretty good considering we had the moose, Um... I mean my 4 month old nephew with us. Poor thing was so tired of being stuck in the car seat, he either slept or he screamed! But we're here.... and tomorrow I have to say goodbye! Brings tears to my eyes just thinking of leaving him....kinda got used to having him around this week!

So the trip has been kinda boring....Saw lots of trees!! However, there were a few things here and there that got my attention. First you'd see a beautiful church...then you'd see a XXX Adult toy store sitting right next to it....I guess when you get done shopping, you're suppose to go pray for forgiveness or something?? LOL ........Saw lots of barns, and a few had quilts hanging from them....Gives me ideas to do some in miniature:) Got to drive through Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock......Didn't stop or anything, we were on a mission to get here.....but it was neat to see the cities from the road. I'd love to spend some time in Tennessee...Beautiful state!! Lots of things to see!

As for Christmas..... I don't want to go there. I AM soooooo Pissed over a Christmas present that was bought for one of my kids.... I just don't feel like some people really think about things. Totally ruined my Christmas! But hey...the buyer got 'brownie points' as he put it..... I just hope that they were worth destroying my family over! Anyways.... Now that I've had a week to think about it, when I get home....Things are gonna change. I just need to find the energy to get my point across! Hey, people! Before you buy something for someone else's kid....why don't you ask the parents first, It would make everyone's life easier if people could respect the way people want to raise their kids, ya know!! Well....think that's all I need to say about that! Ugg!

As for Cora, she's doing a lot better. She's still a little congested.... but that will pass with time.

And as for me...... I am soooo ready to be back online! I'm using my brother-in-law's computer right now, and it's making me miss my computer. I have sooooo many pictures to show you:) And I miss reading everyone's blogs! ......don't know when my computer will get fixed....still trying to come up with the money to get my tooth finished...had a root canal, and filling, just can't afford the crown yet......Oneday?!

Oh, and I got a few barns built and painted before I left.....and they're so freaking cute:) Just have to drill holes in them and put the roofs on, Ya'll are gonna love them:) I hope, lol.

OK.....well I guess that's about it........
Until Next time............

With the good comes the bad....

This past weekend, we went to my bf's Grandmother's 81st bday 'party'. It was really nice to be around family, and all my kids finally got to meet his whole family:) But I wanted to share something with ya.... I gave her a miniature birdhouse for her birthday. She collects real life birdhouses, and has them throughout her yard. But she has gotten where she can't get up to see them all the time. It's too cute, cause she keeps a mirror by her chair so she can look over her shoulder, outside, to see the birds. So I figured she might like to have a mini one sitting next to her chair. She was thrilled with it:) And what made my head really swell, is when the uncles were passing it around, studying it. They are all master carpenters! So it made me feel really good to have them examine it the way they did.... 'It's hollow?!' one said...... "How did you age this thing so perfectly?!' .......Oh, I ate it up! And when they asked me what tools I had used, and I told them just an exacto knife, their faces said it all!! They told me I needed tools, and I laughed and said, I'd probably cut my fingers off...... I like working with my knife, more love goes into it when it's all hand carved, right:)?? Needless to say, I was on cloud nine for a little while:)

Did I tell you I had some barns sketched out?? I'm really excited about those. I can't wait till I get my computer back running right, and I can share pictures, again. I miss ya'll!!

And on a crappy note...... My daughter is sick. There's been a cold going though the family, and it has taken more out of her then we'd like. I got a call this morning from the nurse, telling me she was wheezing, and running a fever of 104.4. My daughter hardly ever runs a fever. But when she gets sick, the sky falls out. As soon as I seen her, I knew we needed to head to the docs office for some TLC. They had her do several breathing treatments, gave her steroids.... did a chest x-ray, and concluded that she may or may not have pneumonia. And then we got to go home:) This part always scares us. We've spent many of days in ICU, and I could tell she didn't want to spend Christmas there. I teased with her that we've spent all the other holidays in the hospital, so why not Christmas too. She tends to start to panic when she thinks they're going to keep her there, and I knew that making a joke of it, might make it a little easier to deal with if it happened. But like I said....it didn't. Her fever finally broke this evening and her numbers are looking better on her peek flow meter, so I think, I hope... it's all up hill from here! :)

Well...... I'm off to go curl up in bed with a good movie and my sketch pad. I got some lighthouse books this morning from the library, and I want to see what I can come up with:)

Go Away Mr. Grinch! You're not welcome here!!

Went to lunch with my bff yesterday and he politely reminded me that I hadn't updated in awhile... lol... Just haven't had anything big happen yet... no money has magically fallen out of the sky..... and I can't make money till I get money. Just a real frustrating time of year for me, and well.... I'd rather have my pitty party all by myself. So.....

I have been slowly plugging along on the big bird houses. Even made one for Mom and Dad to go on their Christmas tree. I rack my brain every year when it comes to them. They have everything they need....And I just don't think they could put any more pictures up of the kids if they tried.... But then I had this bright idea to turn a birdhouse into a ornament.... and I think they'll love it!! I think hand made gifts are really the best gifts:)



I've been reading a lot of books and watching a lot of movies from the library. Well...not really reading, but looking at lots of books! I love books with big beautiful pictures!



Oh, and my oldest turned 15 last Friday! People tell you kids grow up quick, but you really don't realize the truth in it till it happens. It seems like just yesterday I was bringing him home, wondering what in the hell to do with him....lol..... I was 16 when I had him, and now that I look back at it, I laugh because I have no idea how we survived! I was so clueless.... And yet I thought I knew it all. Then one day you grow up and realize you really don't know anything. And before you know it, You see your kids thinking they know it all..... Vicious cycle, huh!! lol



OK.... Pretty sure I won't be back until sometime after Christmas~ So I hope all of you have an amazing holiday:) XXXOOO



Until Next Time...

Just another update...

Hey ya'll.....

Can you believe it's December already?? I swear every year, I have such big plans for Christmas.... and yet before I know it, it's here, and I'm stressing:) .... And I normally take December off from the doctors so I can relax and enjoy the reason I'm at the doctors so much.... not sure if that made much sense...so let me rephrase it for you.... I know I have this lemon, and I choose to fight to make my quality of living better... And I do it for my family. I have this 'illness' and it's here whether I go to the doctors or not, so on the holidays.... I like to separate myself from the 'medical' issues, and just try and enjoy things. Hope I made sense that time, I'm afraid my brain has been on over drive all week, and I'm sure it will be going again next week.

I did meet with the doctor that ran all those test a little while back, and it was so Awesome to walk outta his office feeling like someone finally got it. I can't even begin to tell you how great it felt! .....I've always wanted to write a book about my life~ and yet I've never known what the point of it was going to be.... until that day. I want to spread hope to those that are running out of it. It has taken me around 1o? years now to get where I'm at, and it's a good feeling:) I can't say there is hope for a cure, but at least I have someone else on my side now:)

I have been able to steal a little bit of time at night to work on the birdhouses.... and for the past 2 days I've been working on a barn birdhouse~ I can't wait till I get pictures up online to show you. Also found a new paint color that I have fallen in love with. It's called 'barn wood' by ....awee crap~ I can't think right now~ Folk something.....lol... Anyways, everything is getting painted with it lately, I just love it:) I've also managed to make some benches, and refinished a table~ with benches to go with it. So I've been busy! See how much work one can get done when the y don't spend all day surfing the net, lol.

Well.... Alrighty then. I'm at the library again...... getting ready to check out some more movies and books.... I've been ate up with home decorating lately... not my home of course, but thoughts of minis things I want to make.....

So, Until Next Time!
Enjoy your weekend!



Oh, and someone recently asked how I made my clay baskets... I just used my hands to make the coils:) That dang on extruder is too strong for me:)

Just Wanted to check in with ya'll

Thought I'd take a minute to let you all know, I'm still here...... And without pictures:( Soon though, ok! I swear everybody and they're brother wants money from me right now... and well, I'm afraid getting the computer fixed is last on the list right now. BUT..... I am working. I have several 'big' birdhouse that need there final touches...... Have to make some stands, and make them look old..... And they're all differerent! Well, different colors.... and a few new models:) I'm at the library now.... and it's telling me my time is almost up, so I'll close with this:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Eat lots of pumpkin pie!!
Spend quality time with your family!
But most of all Enjoy the holidays:)

Until Next Time......

Questions....

Nope, No pictures yet! And I'm too scared to go digging around for them, So hopefully the next time I go home, I can talk my Brother-in-law into fixing it again. But in the mean time..... I'm keeping myself busy! I made some 4 tier birdhouses.... (the one I had made before had only 3 tiers) ..... And I've made a couple of fat ones. Just have to finish up the roofs, and I'll be done with this set of birdhouses..... Then I have to make some stands. I did manage to order some supplies from HBS.. So I gotta wait on that to get here before I can finish the posts. I think I'm most excited about the 'dental molding' that I bought:) Can't wait to get my hands on it!! I also ordered some drawer pulls and door knobs..... But you'll have to wait to see what I come up with.

So...On to those questions....

What color birdhouse should I make next?? I tried red last night, and could not get it crackle~ So I'll have to play around with that some more! I did make one yesterday using the 'sand' colored paint I have~ And I really, really like it. The age and green mossy stuff show up so much better on the sand:)

An Etsy question~ How do you price your stuff? Sometimes I feel like I'm over charging... and sometimes I feel like I've really cut myself short and not charged enough. I want to be able to give my customers the best price I can...... without them, my store would be nothing. But if this is a business that I want to keep going, then I've got to figure out how to price things right.

Anyone got any good pointers on making 'miniature' strawberry jam? I got 2 tiny little jams jars from Nikki, and I'd like to fill them with some kind of jam/jelly for Marshmallow Manor.....

What do ya'll use to stick things down with in your dollhouse? I have some of that yellow tack stuff, and it just doesn't seem to work like I think it should..... Or it ends up sticking out from under the object you're trying to place...... Any suggestions??? I don't want to glue things down.... I like rearranging them....

OK.... I'm off to work on the birdhouses...... And finish watching Benny & Joon........ I love Joon's studio..... I love Johnny Depp~ and all his quirks.....love the music...... Just one of my all time favorite movies!!

Until Next Time......