Post without a picture

I like it when the Doctor is happy.

- confirmed the weight loss.

- cut the blood pressure medication in half.

- blood work scan to confirm that everything is progressing

- see me in october.

Last night's boot camp was horrible. Horrible. We had a substitute drill sargeant. OMG - no breaks in her way of doing things. Push hard. Gut it out. I had missed almost two weeks. So I hit all of my reserves. I almost cried more than once. And I finished everything last. Damn I hate that.

I absolutely am so angry with myself for letting it get to this point. I think most of the near tears were about that. Frustration and anger at letting my body go. There is emotional baggage with all of this and I have avoided unpacking those bag for so long. Well they are demanding to be unpacked and dealt with. Then I can move on mentally. I now have a new fitness goal in addition to my weight loss goal. I want to cut my mile time to 12 minutes or less - I am at 13.6 now.

MaggieGrace will be busy this weekend.

See ya'll Monday.

Bathing Beauties

Another "stranger" photo - clickable - check out those 1930s swimsuits. From the back of the photo information the girl on the left is Sarah Frances and the girl on the right is Molly.

I am a white chick - there is no racial connotation there at all. I am a natural redhead - freckled face - fair complexion - scream out loud here - BLINDINGLY WHITE.

During my teens I was a sun-worshipper too. Talking babyoil and reflective sun blankets. Weekends at the lake laying on a float in the water. One hellatious sunburn - remembered in great detail - on vacation at Myrtle Beach. Even with all that sun overexposure, I was always the lightest skinned girl in the group.

Let's also cover sunless tanners -- OMG -- orange skin and red hair -- hideous.

Then I watched as my Nanny's friend - fought and lost a battle with Melanoma on his face. His exposure not a result of worshipping the sun, but of working hard in the sun - in the fields - at the sawmill - hard work required just to survive and feed a family. He lost most of his face to the surgery - a disfiguring, awful surgery - and we loved him right on. The last of his days were painful and ugly - metatastic melanoma is an ugly killer.

At the sight of him right after the surgery - sunscreen became my friend. I still love the Bullfrog Orginal Formula and my children have never been without mom hovering with that "stupid tube of sunscreen" (teenspeak here for those who don't have those). I also faithfully wear my sunglasses.

The result - one very fair skinned redhead who is proud of the fact that I am a seriously white girl.

I was with a friend of mine in the last few days. She owns her own tanning bed - uses it everyday - spends lots of unprotected time in the sun - and thinks the "tan lines" generated by sunglasses are hideous.

There is a picture of us as same age teens in my yearbook. We were both pretty girls according to the Man at my Address. When my girls saw the two of us together the other day, both commented that Miss ________ looks "rode hard and put up wet" and at least 20 years older than I. She is wrinkled and age spotted - squint lines around her eyes and between her brows. She also just called and said that the doctor found a spot on her back that may be a skin cancer.

Take note people - take all the precautions you can with sun exposure. Protect your kids. Protect yourself. You will look younger longer and it does matter to your health.

This concludes todays random outburst public service announcement.

Now - thanks to all the encouraging words and hoorays about my wieght loss - 40 more to go to get where the doc wants me. I'll keep plugging away.

Have a wonderful day.

wow - what spaces

I toured studios and I toured studios - I found great inspiration. Mostly I found highly personal spaces that each and every artist is proud to say is theirs. What fun? I added a few blog feeds to my google reader (a lot of the participants were already there) That was some party.

I did not get MaggieGraceWorld ready on time for the party, but I did walk away with some wonderful ideas. I have printed and saved links and such.

I will show you some of the recent additions to the studio that I am liking.


Being a packrat, I have stacks of tins, obviously some are missing their lids. This is at the ceiling in the barn. I used fender washers and drywall screws to attach some to the trim. These will hold supplies that are not often used. Like floral and metallic ribbons and those ribbons that I have duplicates of. There are also bags of cancelled postage stamps in one of them. I have a folding chair/ladder contraption that I can use to reach these so it is not all that inconvenient to use either. As I stock things into them, I am adding labels to the bottom edge, just to prevent that out of site out of mind thing. Yes, I am out of ceiling tiles - need to buy at least one more box.

Friends, family, fun stuff. All are featured on the design wall. It has become an inspiration board and I love it. 8 feet wide by 7 feet tall - this may be my favorite built in feature here.

How exactly do you take a decent photo of reflective items? I love these side stacking lab bottles. I have about 40 of them and I have sorted buttons, beads and baubles. I still have several more available to fill too. Available space - isn't that a packrat's dream?

This last picture is a favorite detail. I had the raw edge of the wood countertop on my blue cabinet. I looked and looked to decide what to do. Then I went to the dollar store and found packets of cheap wooden school rulers. I think all crafters measure constantly and this may not be the most accurate way, but it sure has been handy. I simply attached them with metal thumbtacks. Confession - this idea is not new - think about cutting tables in fabric stores. Oh and look - yes those are two empty locker baskets retrieved from the trash - empty as of right now - that means more available space for stuff.

So there you have a few more details of my space.

I am persevering on the weight watchers eating plan and workouts. I have been frustrated by the weight loss number, but yesterday I put on a pair of pants that were uncomfortably too big. I traipsed off to the scales to see and I am down 22 pounds. I was pleasantly surprised. Last night found me walking three miles and running/jogging 1.5 miles in intervals. I feel stronger and physically better. My doctors visit on Friday could be interesting - hope he is impressed that I have lost some weight.

Have a great day all ----

I will

stuff

VBS is done for another year. The closing was wonderful and I want to thank all of those who pulled this off again. I remember as a child thinking that things at church just "magically" happened.

Now I know just how hard the work is to make the "magic" happen.

I love this picture above of the two girls playing. This is another Girl Scout Camp photo and it is clickable.

Now for MaggieGrace to get back on track. This weekend will find me attacking the mountain of laundry. Thanks to the Man at my Address - it is all clean and dry - just piled on the daybed. I also will be completing some clipboards for the art show.

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About that Art Show. November 14th in and around the Old Danielsville Courthouse. Directions to the venue - find Danielsville, Georgia on a map. The Old Courthouse is in the middle of Hwy 29. Can't miss it.

I agonized over that dang application especially the describe your work section. Lannae has already laughed at me so I'll share what I wrote.

"An array of items in an array of materials from soldered glass pendants to crochet lace and wearables. Recycled and repurposed materials play alongside vintage ephemera and/or new supplies. Look especially for the collaged spoon pendants."

Local Best Friend said he could simplify that statement. His description "artsy fartsy shit". Leave it to a man. LOL.

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Now fun stuff - I really want to know if any of you have ever done something like this ---- imagine the car next to you in traffic with a lady holding a chewy granola bar in front of the AC vent That was me in my car yesterday and I was trying to salvage the dang thing to be able to eat it after it sat in the sun on the dash all afternoon.

The trailer for Alice in Wonderland is up. Go here to start making your plans for this one. The link for the trailer video is close to the bottom of the article. I'll be there. If anyone in the athens area might be interested in a "girls night" on this one - lets chat.

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IMPORTANT -FUN EYE CANDY LINK AHEAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did not get MaggieGraceWorld ready in time - but I am going to the party anyway. As an invited guest instead of a participant. My friend Karen over at My Desert Cottage is having a studio party - so I 'll be touring studios today. Come go with me - you never know you might just be inspired to work on or in your space.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Laid on my heart to say.....

Another of my "stranger" pictures. I have found out that this was made at a Girl Scout camp in the foothills area of North GA.

This is not a sermon - I just feel like this needs to be written down and since I treat this as an online journal for myself as well as a craft blog, here is where I am recording it.

Last night was night 4 - tonight is the last night of VBS. Have we made a difference in anyones lives? Well last night something happened that made a difference in mine. I pray for people in our church. Don't really even think about it, it is just what we do. I consider that prayer effective and necessary. I pray for my family. My friends. Strangers even (if the prompt is given to me).

I am not one of those "holier than thou" people. I have a faith statement but refuse to push it on others and I am so far from perfect that even I shake my head at times at some things I have done.

Last night I was have a conversation with one of the VBS workers and as we finished and this person was leaving, I felt the urge to wrap my arms around this person and lift a prayer WITH them - thanksgivings to God - a request for strength - a request for peace - and for reminders that we make a difference with what we do. That simple 5 sentence prayer affected me and this person and the results were immediate, soul feeding, and more than likely long-lasting.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20

Now - I'll be stepping down from the pulpit. Just remember - it is just as important to pray WITH people as it is to pray FOR people.

Have a wonderful day.

Beautiful - Lovely - Angelic

Photo lifted from the ArtbyNatalya blog.

I found out about Natalya Aikens in a magazine article. The article referenced a website and I followed all the links and dicovered that she blogs about the process of her art. It is a beautiful site and blog. I immediately added her to my Google Reader subscriptions. Her "window" series of art quilts are stunningly beautiful. Please go see her, it is well worth the trip.

The above angel is an art doll from her latest post. I cannot begin to describe how drawn I am to this doll. Simple. Elegant. Beautiful. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

We have completed three of the five days of VBS. Those kids last night continued to talk about those whistlers. That was a very successful craft project.

Last night, Lannae and I were talking about the form required for the art show. Can someone please tell me why I am frozen into inactivity on writing a description of what I do on that form? Why do I struggle so much with the idea that my creations are something that someone will pay money for? I have no problem gifting people with a made by Teresa item, but this is a huge stumbling block. I even went so far as to suggest to Lannae that she could write my "blurb" for me. Oh well - this is my issue - I'll figure it out.

I hope each and everyone of you has a day filled with blessings. I have been blessed with "crazies" for two days at work. I am not even frustrated - its even become so absurd that we get the giggles about it. (And draw straws to see who will take the next phone call)

See you tomorrow.

Rough Night?????

Scanned from my "strangers" photos that I pick up as they strike me. You can save the image for your use if you like. I love the barkcloth curtains and you know she woke up with that chenille pattern pressed into her face. I think this was in her room because that is her picture on the bookshelf to the left of the bed.

We did not have a bad night at VBS. We made wind up whistlers in our craft class. They took about 30 seconds to make, but figuring out how to wind them and make them whistle - different story. My favorite part of teaching kids is the look on their face when they "get it". It took a while last night, but they finally (all but one) did successfully make the things whistle. Parents will be unhappy I am sure. Two nights down - three to go.

Since MaggieGrace is a little busy this week - there will be more scanned images.

A little update on my sisters escapade. My mother has an angel and a daughter - I AM NOT THE ANGEL. Me and a good friend actually joked about me getting my halo polished a little by my mom after this. Not even - but oh well. Let me point out to everyone my philosophy on life.

My life as it is right now is a product of the decisions I have made.

Yes - unfortunate things have occured - my Dad died, I had cancer, etc- but how you face those challenges is a part of happiness and satisfaction (or unhappiness, jealousy and dissatifaction). There are things I wish were different, there are decisions that I look back on and think I could have handled differently, but again - my life as it is now is a product of the decisions I have made. I can't blame anyone else for who I am or how I feel. I look now at others whose have bigger homes, newer cars, even lots more money and I really am not affected by lusting for their things. This is a good place to be. I really do love my life.

Think about it. There are too many blessings that you could miss if you are constantly feeling like somebody else is more blessed than you are. If you focus on recognizing your blessings, you will very soon see just how rich your life is.

Please share a blessing (large or tiny) with me today. You will enjoy finding one and I will enjoy hearing about it. Then what we will have is actually a double blessing.

Have a wonderful day.

hodge podge

Good morning. Busy weekend. Vacation Bible School started at our church last night so all of MaggieGrace attention has been given to Jones Chapel UMC for setting up and first night. But there are a few things to share.

College Girl and the Morman Boy are still an item. Since dietary guidelines are a part of their faith, the two of them drink root beer and cream soda - A LOT. Knowing that I keep all kinds of crap, they started piling the bottle caps in my kitchen window.

Several weeks ago, College Girl asked me if I would make her some sort of necklace from the caps. Something that represented the two of them. So I started pondering and gathering ideas.

I made this Friday night for her.

This is the back. I left the caps unpainted. In the past I have painted them because they were more than likely from a Bud Light bottle.

I had a craving for something sweet and bought some Animal Crackers. I don't LOVE them, so it was easy to control the quantity I consumed. When I emptied the box, I realized that there were giraffes on it. (somehow this animal has become a symbol of their relationship)

One circle punch, a few alphabet beads, waxed thread, and some 3d glass finish - here ya go - a fun little casual necklace that she loves.


It's cute.

Friday afternoon we had storms in the area. Even my co-workers were not surprised when I ran to the car and grabbed my camera.

The contrast of the dark grey storm clouds and the almost luminescent lime green of the tree foliage was gorgeous. Even though this photo is a close representation of the color, it really does not do justice to it. It really was amazing.

One last hodgepodge picture.

My poor pitiful house.

The painter has sanded it all the way around. Hopefully he will start painting in the next few days. If you look carefully you will see that my foundation walls and column bases are solid granite. They are about 7 inches thick. Those curved steps on this side porch are one of the reasons I fell in love with this house. They are made from granite slabs too.

Obviously I have a ton of landscaping to accomplish as well. If anyone has ideas for what to put in the bed shown, please share. I need full sun tolerant, low water usage, and low maintenance plant ideas. The house will be basic farmhouse white - so some color would be nice here.

Have a great day. I may be sparse here for the next few.

A favorite gift......

My Nanny had one of these. She kept it in a kitchen drawer. I spent hours playing with it.

A few weeks ago - I decided I wanted one and we have no idea where Nanny's went. So I went on a hunt. Old fashioned hardware stores. Antiques shops. Junk shops. Flea market. Everywhere I went - I looked for one of these.

I said something to Local Best Friend at the time. Then did not think another thought about it.

Look what LBF gave me for my birthday.


A hammer - not just any hammer - one exactly like the one I played with as a small girl.

It comes apart into increasingly smaller flat screwdrivers.

I was facinated by this as a child - I would unscrew it and put it back together. At the kitchen table while my Nanny was cooking or cleaning or whatever.

I have no idea how much something like this is actually worth. But the memories associated with it are so very rich. More than that - having a friend who listens and really hears what you are saying is priceless.

Yes - there were hugs for this. There have been tears shed too.

I hope you all have that kind of friend in your life. I have been blessed to have more than just one. I try to be this kind of friend as well.

Have a wonderful day --

Can't get it out of my head.

Image is clickable for you to save and use.

Thanks you all for my birthday wishes - I had a great day and I can't wait to show you one of my favorite gifts.

I have a phrase echoing through my head. I woke up more than once last night - thank you boot camp and extra weights in the weight room, everytime I move something hurts. Any way -- everytime I woke up this phrase was there.

Lannae and I have talked about having a one day art workshop together. I am thinking this would be a great tagline for a January workshop. I am also thinking January would be a great time for a workshop. The holiday stress is over. The winter doldrums could easily be setting in. What better than a mid-morning brunch - followed by an afternoon of creative energy - to pick up the spirit.

Mind you - Lannae and I are just starting to talk about this. I haven't even run this by her. Maybe she won't be upset with me for kinda spilling it here.

Back to the picture and the phrase. I can see that picture used as a part of the welcome package. and will someone please help me identify where I may have heard the phrase.

Here it is ....

Winter-spend the afternoon.............

Have a great day -- feedback please -- especially from you my precious friend Lannae.

A Celebration

Buy Candlelight (1 Euro)
Originally uploaded by nickphotos

Good Day all of you. I have been receiving greetings via my facebook all day, so I guess I should share with you guys too.

I am officially as old as my mother today. (that would be 29 and holding)

I snagged this picture off flickr - There may be enough candles shown here for the real number.

I plan on working out - then dinner and a margarita later.

Really is just another day though.

Thanks for being my friends.

Images for You

On Saturday, I was at my local hardware store looking for something old fashioned (aka wierd to places like Home Depot and Lowes). Steve has the coolest stuff and the store has a secret treasure as well. Upstairs contains an antiques sales floor. Steve's wife, Carol, collects stuff and resales a lot of it - very reasonably.

I did not find what I was seeking, but I did dig through a box of photographs. These were from an estate in the Gainesville, GA area. I grabbed a few. It struck me to share these two this morning.

This is labeled Anne 6 mos. She looks like such a happy baby. I fell head over heels for those crochet stockings.

This is another picture labeled Anne (1936) from the same box. She grew up to be a beautiful young woman. The hand tinting is exquisite.

You may have these for your use - by right clicking them. I scanned and cropped but did not color correct these at all.

Other things this weekend.

1. I worked in MaggieGrace world. A lot. I have 5 bags of magazines for the recycling bin. I whittled 5 boxes down to one box. I finished the front edge of my countertops. I have 10 more days before the Where Women Create Virtual Studio Tour.

2. This made me so very happy. We went to a local BarBQue place to eat on Saturday night. They were having a kareoke night. I love to watch people perform - actually I love to participate myself. One of the guys sang "thank you for giving to the Lord." He could sing. What made me happy wasn't that though - every chorus - 98% of the people in this very full restaurant joined in and sang along. What a wonderful atmosphere.

3. The painter will be ready to paint in the next few days. He has sanded the outside of the house - good grief at the dust. I have quit dusting in the house for the time being. It was just a complete waste. I imagined my house to have always been white, but in sanding and prepping it he found a layer of bright yellow paint. Not going back there - it will be white.

4. We have owned a boat for many years. For the last several we have not used it at all - the lake levels were too low and it was just too dangerous. The Man at my Address decided this weekend that it need to be completely redone. I'm good with this - the Softball Princess will be needing him less and less - she will be driving in about three weeks. I have worried about this - what he was going to do. So this will be his "pet project". I glad he has something to do. Wonder how much this is going to involve me?

I hope all of you have a wonderful day.

Thank You

Try and explain the difference between bloggers and social networking designed to hook up. Especially when you are in the middle of a Myspace generated nightmare. Impossible.

But I can explain how the people I have met here came through with encouragement, prayers, support, when I sent the alarm signal. Some even shared their own stories.

The major points of the crisis are over. She is safe and sound. She has her car back. He went to jail for previous fraud and petty theft warrants. She regained a job without losing seniority - she was demoted back to level one on the totem pole. Now the hard work starts - her oldest son feels like she needs to be chaperoned even to the grocery store. Her youngest does not have a clue how to feel and what to believe. Her husband - well if they can make it through the nightmare of her running off with some man - I will be surprised. She is defensive and my hurt and anger are bothering her. (I really call it guilt) But I can't help her with that. The hard work needs to happen at her house first.

Thank you all for you prayers and encouragement. Thank you also for the birthday wishes for the Softball Princess. We took her to dinner and had a wonderful night.


Now for some MaggieGrace goodness. A friend brought a big plastic bin of flatware they had thrifted. Some will appear as jewelry pieces, but some was not really of that quality. I took a pair of pliers to a couple of forks with a vague idea of what I wanted to do. (The butterfly box is a sneak peek of something else entirely) Yeah - I know the forks look funny.

But here is what they are for. - Two fork easels -one vintage book cover - three old fashioned pleated curtain hooks = the beginnings of my table displays. Feedback please.

I also realized I did not post about my new favorite tote. Pockets galore. The center section will hold magazines, patterns, and most important my paper cutter. It has feet and a hard bottom. Will be perfect to pack for art retreats and or display setups - etc. I bought this from Kim at Artistic Bliss. This was money well spent and there are a few more available here. I love my bag Vallen sent and I have several from MaryAnn. Each bag is used for various purposes and they all sit along the wall in my dining room packed and ready to go. Its funny to hear the references when we are getting ready to go somewhere that I know I need a bag. Vallens is - "the black bag". The Most often used one from MaryAnn is - "that bag MaryAnn sent." The funniest is a Relay for Life Bag that I keep my workout stuff in - the bag is a black zipper tote with a 1/2 inch border of purple trim - what do we call that one? - "the purple bag". The one pictured above doesn't have a reference name yet - we'll see what it becomes.

I hope all of you have a great weekend. I think I might finally get some sleep - God knows I need it.

Sweet 16 .....

There was not supposed to be a second child. I had complications with the College Girl and was advised not to repeat that whole pregnancy process. But God has a wonderful sense of humour. One birth control pill - not missed just taken 8 hours later than normal - one night of drinking - and wow - tequila causes babies. I was 3 months pregnant before I really knew - call it denial. I just remember coming out of the bathroom holding that test and saying over and over "its pink".

Well - Softball Princess was a surprise - a happy accident.

She also got here fast - really fast - 42 minutes fast. Labor induction - was most of the morning - but from the first "real" contraction to holding her in my arms - 42 minutes. My lovely inlaws missed it - they tried to be there - but they ran to grab lunch and she made this arrival while they were gone - I'm just glad they didn't talk Daddy into going to lunch with them.

I say all the time "she got here fast and hasn't slowed down since."

She also continues to surprise us every day.

In honor of Softball Princess Sweet 16th Birthday - here are 16 things for her.

1. You were never afraid to try anything. Climb a ladder as a toddler. Color John and Maria's wall purple. You always wanted to go higher and faster than everyone else. Honey - keep reaching - be the best you can - always be open to trying new things - you never know what or who you are going to love.

2. The picture above was taken during one of your Mom's stupid moments. Molly was 3 you were in a stroller and still drinking formula. Dad told Molly we would go to Disney World and away we went. You were recovering from the chicken pox. Exhausting trip - but like always and like you still are - you enjoyed every minute. Mom's advise here - never take a non walking baby to a theme park.

3. I adore your sense of humour. You function like I do. Humour is your go to for stress reduction. You use it to break the ice with others. Sometimes you use it to cover your insecurities. Honey - hang onto that - it will be a device that will hold you together when it may seem like the world is coming apart. Maybe even someday - we will share those jokes that I refuse to share with you now.

4. You are secure in who you are. Really always have been. I cannot express how proud that makes me. You are beautiful inside and out.

5. You have chosen your friends well. I love those kids you hang out with. I love being around them. They are good kids. Always trust your gut about people - you will know.

6. Forgive. I have seen you forgive me and Dad. Molly too. I have also seen you forgive yourself. We all really screw up at times. Forgiving is always a part of life. Go easy on yourself. Go easy on others. But remember - forgiving is not the same as letting others run over you.

7. Always stand for what is right. Sometimes that is hard to do, but you are strong. You also have a good faith basis - you know what is right and fair.

8. I am so glad we don't have to fight about indecent clothing. I love the very respectful way you dress. It helps that everything is beautiful when it comes in a junior size 5.

9. You have always treated others with respect and integrity. Please continue that. If you are respectful most of the time others will respect you. Above all, conduct your life in a way that allows you to respect yourself.

10. Being intelligent is not a crime. I am glad you take pride in your studies. I am happy that you are ranked so well in your class. I know it takes a lot of work to be an athlete and a good student. We are proud of you and proud that you understand the need for all that effort.

11. When you were born - your Daddy bought you a ball. Damn, there are times that I wish it had been something else. But you are a natural athlete. Your abilities and your heart for your sports and your teammates, leave me in awe. Your discipline to improving your skills amazes me. Your committment is worthy of many peoples praise. I love being there on the sideline cheering you on.

12. You take adversity in stride. I will never forget the day you had you hand surgery after that injury. Although coach had given you a reprieve, when you woke up that afternoon all you said was "you are gonna take me to practice, right?" So I took you to practice. A surgical break - not one missed practice. Sitting there in the dugout - cheering on your team. Still the loudest one. Challenges are just that to you - something to overcome - a way to better yourself - to find another task you can do - or a way to accomplish what need to be done. A wonderful trait.

13. Sweet - kind. To kids, to adults, to animals. I have no words to describe how proud that makes me.

14. You got your Daddy wrapped around your finger. And you know it. That ain't a bad thing. When you finally go away to school I am not sure what I am going to do with him. Can I send him off with you? I love the close relationship that you two have. As you become an adult, go forth in your strengths but always know that your Daddy and I are right here. Cheering you on all the way, ready to pick you up and put you back on the path. We got your back.

15. Live out loud. God I love this picture. Wide open. Ready to go. Your personality was always this big. Your personality still is. Throw yourself into loving your God, loving others, loving life, loving yourself. Don't regret - it is wasted energy.

16. Happy Sweet sixteen beautiful Abby. God blessed us with you. You continue to bless us. I hope to celebrate so many more years with you. Hang on and enjoy the ride. It only gets better from here.

Love mom ----

Note - I will pass on any comments and birthday wishes to the Softball Princess.

Trim ........

I wish I was describing myself. My clothes are fitting better. Because of my sisters little escapade, I missed a couple of workouts. I will miss tomorrow night too, because Softball Princess will be 16 tomorrow and we are taking her to dinner. But, I still have gotten a walk in and some major situps and lunges. I continue to eat like I am supposed to as well. I have lost some, it is just not as much as I would like.

Instead, the word trim refers to crochet lace trim. I am piddling with my creations right now. Trying to find my muse again. It will happen, the stress of the last 10 days is just in the way right now.

I have been so inspired by the cuff bracelets I have been seeing. Here's an example of one I like. There have also been some in publications of late too. I thrifted a ball of crochet cotton yesterday and I have been experimenting with some crochet edgings, so I dug out my book and my hook last night and made this trim.

It is a short piece - a little less than 8 inches long. It was enough for me to figure out that I love this trim, easy to make and very pretty. I think it is the jump off item for a cuff.

Tonight may find me working in the studio. I am getting ready for this party. I hope to be able to show all of you the studio about that time. I really like having the space, I just need to finish moving in and arranging things.

Please continue praying for my sister. This morning, she met with the boss of the job she quit by phone last Tuesday and we are all praying that she can withdraw her resignation and go back to work. The entire situation has me almost sick from the stress. I can only imagine what it is like to be in her house and trying to deal with it. She and her husband are trying to work through this like adults as well. It is just an ugly ugly thing. I stay mad, because she will not accept any sort of responsibility for what she has done. (Her latest is that she doesn't "remember" doing all that stuff - he must have drugged her. I am calling BullSh^* on all that)

This does however make the crisis with Molly back in February look mild.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Thank you...

Thank you to everyone who reached out either via comments, phone calls, or emails about the scenario with my little sister.

FYI - I am looking but haven't yet found the right outfit to wear on the Jerry Springer show (laugh people - it was supposed to be funny)

The nightmare continues. Late yesterday - I received a call from my bank - my account has been put on hold for unusual usage. See, she had wiped out their money so there was no money to retreive her vehicle from Ocala, FL. I took off and used my debit card to buy gas and food for all of us for the trip. Thus - unusual usage. I had to go this morning and verify all the charges to release the hold. Thank goodness we did not need to use that account. It makes me sick to think about all this and the anger at her for being so selfish and stupid was/is eating me alive. At least I am not in her house trying to sort through all of it. I just pray for her entire family as they struggle with this. She has an adult son and a teenage son, along with her husband who are all trying to come to terms with it. Please continue your prayers, that really is all that anyone can do at this time.

I thought about all of this as I checked my facebook this morning and found friend requests from people I had never heard of. Just so you guys know, if I send you a request on facebook, I will add a personal comment about this site so you will know it is me.

Beings stressed last night - and skipping boot camp because of dealing with things - left me NEEDING some exercise. Abby was at soccer practice. So I left to go pick her up early and walked HARD for 1.5 miles while I waited for her to finish. It felt good to physically move and get some of the stress out of my body.

Then I came home and found my center - MaggieGrace goodies called my name. I soldered and cleaned, then punched display cards for the pendant charms and mounted them.

I got new favorites......


The deer is punched from wood veneer and then stained. There is an oak leaf punch on the reverse side. I think I will do more of these and stamp a gold embossed backdrop for him. The tiny roses were cut from a piece of vintage paper from the En Le Jardin SWAG bag. This is a smaller charm (.5 x 2.5 inches) and has vintage music on the back side.

I also finished this one - designed by the College Girl for a friend of hers. It is reversible to gold paper on the other side. I like the silhouette punchout of the star that will show either skin or clothing color through. The little beaded charm is fun too.

I'll be selling these as just the charms, but people can add a knotted leather lace necklace like above for 2.00 or a stainless ball chain for 4.00. I have one ball chain that I just switch my pendants on so I would buy this as just a charm and be good to go.

Tonight is Boot Camp and then I am trying to figure out a way to make my table displays. I also have some floral china and glass candlesticks to glue together to make tiered serving pieces.

Thanks again for all your encouragement and support. This sister thing is absolutely the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced. Jerry Springer style stuff is supposed to happen to other people.

Have a wonderful day.

Beware .......

Crisis is temporarily over. My sister lost her mind - nutted up - something. She left town with some guy who promised her the world on myspace. She left her husband and children and simply walked away. He was a con artist. He took all her money. We did retreive her and her car. This has been the week from hell. The really scary part - she is 42 years old - old enough to know better - and she was a uniformed officer for the local sherriffs department. Warn your children and friends about all of this.

Her reasons were selfish. Unnecessary stress on all of the family. The outcome could have been so much worse. After 1000 miles and 16 hours in my vehicle on Saturday, we did retreive the vehicle and bring her home safely. I should be grateful for that.

Instead - I am pissed. I can't stand to talk to her. She told us lies and now is making up more lies to try and cover her tracks. I have not heard a "thank you" or an "I'm sorry." The reality is she doesn't want to talk to me either, she only wants to be surrounded by those who are buying her "sob story"

Today - MaggieGrace has nothing good to say - so I'll be taking a short break. I am holding a personal prayer meeting about my feelings and praying that her husband and children can piece some semblance of family back together.

Hope your weekend was better than mine.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Hey everyone - a quick update based on some of my comments about my loss of dignity. The instructor for boot camp is a certified instructor and there are myriad medical professionals in the participants. I have not been unsafe in any way - I grew up in the south and have two athletes in my house. Me and the Man used to be athletes. I am staying hydrated before during and after my workouts. I am eating so much healthier and, while I am sore and stiff and challenged by this program, I am beginning to see and feel the "good" results of this effort.

Enough of that - we are having a really stressful time in my family right now. Not my immediate family, this is an extended issue. The kind of thing that is a result of really bad decisions.

The Man at My Address is off this week - I am working. Yesterday he put the AC in my studio --- YEAHHHHH -- now I can escape to MaggieGrace World and get some relaxation.

He also called yesterday afternoon and he and the Softball Princess had taken off to the lake fro the afternoon. They packed up the stuff to grill and we had an impromptu evening of dinner and swimming. Then Softball Princess drove home.

Oh and Happy Birthday Granddaddy - he will be 81 on Sunday.

Did you know that the best "buns of steel" workout is riding with your teenage child in the dark for the first time? The clenching of your butt cheeks on the seat = great workout. Those of you who are parents of teen drivers will know what I speak of.

I love the lake. Sunset is my favorite time of the day there. The water smooths down, the air is warm, not hot, the water temp is near perfect. We swam - then got the floats and sat in the water and watched the sunset.

Look ---


I love shoe and feet shots so I took a few. Flip flops -- live in them when I am not at work. These are my favorites today.


The result of many days of ballfield sitting. Tan lines.



Yes the shore is rocky - not great beach walking at all. At least the lake bottom where we were is the same way - I hate an icky bottom.

As we were leaving last night, I spotted this.

Love it when the universe sends its love. I didn't even edit this - the heart was really that red on this leaf. My family just shrugs and shakes their head when I grab the camera for these shots.

All in all a nice evening - good food - relaxing swim. I love the feel of lake water on my skin.

Did I alreay say --- AHHHHHHHHHHH?

Have a great day.