VOTE! So proud to be an American

"I voted" button from Delaney Gates' blog. Thanks for the lovely choice! Her blog is delaneygates.typepad.com

I woke up today with great anticipation knowing that it would be a historic day. Histoy would be made on many levels, i.e. there is the possibility that an African-American man will be elected president, the oldest man to ever run for president might be elected, a woman could possibly be elected the nation's first female vice-president, and a record number of American citizens will be voting. From all accounts, polling places have NEVER seen so many people in line to cast their vote. When I voted today, I was in line for about 5 minutes. The whole process took about 15-20 minutes including marking my ballot which took up most of the time. I was so proud to walk out of my local polling place with my "I voted today" sticker on, and I was happy to see so many more people in the short lines waiting to vote, too. I went shopping after I voted, and I saw so many people with their stickers on as well. What a good feeling! I've been voting for many years, and I don't ever remember another time when so much emotion has been stirred up and so much has been at stake. Our local propositions have also proven to be hot button issues for so many involved. I'll watch the national and local news coverage tonight awaiting the outcome of yet another major historic American event. God bless America and may we all be at peace with our decisions.

Halloween, 2008....what a difference a year makes!

Brandt just kind of went with the flow when he was 8 months old for Halloween, 2007.

Brandt wants no part of being a frog for Halloween, 2008.


Karen, Brandt and Joe celebrating Halloween, 2008. My daughter, son-in-law, and my darling grandson take in the neighborhood festivites on Halloween night.

Saturday morning specials.....

This past Saturday wasn't a great day for going to yard sales. There were several community sales in my area, but I didn't find too much that interested me except for the following treasures.......

Elmo slippers for my grandson who happens to like the Elmo character very much. They were all of a $1.00 at a yard sale and they were never used.


The tissue holder was $2.00 and it will look lovely in my new bathroom.


The truffle dish was .75 and the candle holders were $1.00. I'm very happy with this yard sale find, but I probably should dust the candle holders!

Bounty galore.....

I made this flower pot candy holder with gauze, orange paint, "eyes", ribbon, and candy corn inside the green tissue paper.



I found these two Christmas night lights at an estate sale for $1.00. I'll use them during the holidays and switch out the decorative fronts so I can use them throughout the year.




These four spoons were $1.00 at an estate sale. The first spoon is a Hop-A-Long Cassidy spoon. I'll use these for swaps by adding glitter, ribbon, and pictures.



These two laundry plaques were a total of 50 cents. I love the"vintageness" of each.






This vase is a Lefton and I bought it for $1.00. The doll's face is so pretty but I don't understand the wooden body. The doll was 50 cents!











I can't believe that I found this darling Jim Shore Santa at a yard sale for $1.00 ! This is the second piece of Jim Shore's masterful art that I've managed to buy at a yard sale. I just love his work and I'm always looking for a bargain. This retired piece retailed for $34.99.







This is the very beginning of my "BOO" banner. I've never made a banner before but my friend, Cindy, from So Inspired guided me through the process. Thanks, Cindy.


I found this trio at a yard sale for $1.00 ! I love the cute fabric on the pumpkins and the scarecrow.

Nana on a "mission" for the new Elmo Live or The Thrill of the Hunt

Mission: buy the newly released Elmo Live for my grandson~~the "it" toy for the season!
This "mission" was BORING! Being the "pro" that I am, I was soooooo disappointed that there wasn't even a line in front of Target. I got up early and drove to my local Target (arriving at 6:50 A.M.) fully expecting there to be some people milling about but, alas, no one was in sight. I checked to make sure that I was, indeed, at Target and called Karen, my daughter, to make sure that it was Tues. Oct. 14, the date of the Elmo release. I was correct on all counts but I was the only one in the parking lot except for an occasional employee arriving for a grueling day of work. I passed my time in the car listening to the radio and talking with Karen and my husband via my trusty cell phone. Finally at 7:45 A.M. a man in a pickup pulls into the parking space next to mine and gets out and walks to the entrance of the store. Hmmmmm, hadn't I been there before him? I wait 5 more minutes and then I casually walk up to the entrance and the two of us engage in conversation. While standing there, an employee makes eye contact with me and holds up a ticket regarding the Elmo "treasure". I nodded that I wanted one so she passed me a ticket with the number 2 on it. I told her that the man needed one too, so she passed me another ticket with the number 3 on it. Score for me!!!
Shortly after that, the doors opened and I walked over to the electronics dept. to get the Elmo. I handed the cashier my #2 ticket (never could figure out what happened to the #1 ticket), she handed me the Elmo, I paid for it and left the store. Very uneventful and quite boring. For a pro like me, this wasn't even worth getting out of bed. I need a challenge and this certainly wasn't one! Now the whole Cabbage Patch doll craze was right up my alley. I was right in the thick of things and I made numerous trips to various places just to see if I could get the coveted doll. My daughter ended up with 3 Cabbage Patch dolls for her third Christmas and that was after I sold several "extra" dolls that I managed to buy along the way. Today's hunt/mission turned out to be a bust....I need excitement, thrills, competition, yelling, screaming, pushing, shoving, occasional swearing, etc. I need help!!!!!!

LEAST WE FORGET.....

I can't believe that it's been 7 years since that fateful day in September, 2001, when our country was changed forever. It started out normally for me as I went about my usual routine getting ready for another day of teaching 5th grade on a rather warm day in Arizona. Suddenly Matt Lauer announced that a plane had hit the World Trade Center! Hmmm, the pilot of that small aircraft must have been asleep at the wheel.....or so I thought! I really kept thinking of the time a small plane hit the Empire State Building and I just assumed that something similar happened. Boy was I wrong! When I realized that a second plane hit the other tower, I knew something far more serious was going on. Another teacher from school called me and asked if I was watching the news. My response was, "Is our country under siege?"
All the teachers managed to get to school early that day and our principal hastily called a meeting requesting that we NOT have our classroom televisions on while the students were in the room. Can you imagine not knowing what was happening throughout the day? Of course we put our TVs on during our preps and lunch to learn more about the horrific things happening in NY, PA, and at the Pentagon.
I was in contact with my husband who happened to be working at our local airport that day and he told me that all flights were canceled. He also told me that everyone in the terminals was glued to the TVs and that life just seemed to be standing still.
My daughter was a few hours away at college but I knew she was okay from our frequent phone calls. Her classes were canceled so she sat at home with her roommates watching the coverage of the tragic events. I seemed to be the only one who was out of touch with reality that day.
My students asked questions....I had no answers. I kept asking myself questions....still no answers. I wanted to know why, how, who.....what exactly was happening to our country. The word "terrorists" kept being repeated on TV but I really didn't know who the terrorists were or why they wanted to cause so much destruction and grief. What had the USA done and to whom? In the days that followed, we learned who was responsible and how the plan was carried out. I was still puzzled and a bit confused by everything that was happening, but I never realized what an enormous impact 9/11 would have on our lives. Things changed drastically that fateful day. Fear.....so many people were fearful to fly and fearful of more attacks, Hope....many people suddenly had more hope that our country would bounce back from this tragedy,....Patriotism.....I've never seen so many flags flying in defiance of misguided ideals, Courage....courageous souls offered aid and comfort to the injured, bewildered, dying, weeping, and masses searching for help, Anger.....the enemy had to answer for the innocent lives taken due to fanaticism.
I reflect and I know how our country has changed because of what happened. I, too, have changed. I hold loved ones dearer, gives thanks more often, speak with God daily, and look for peace amidst turmoil. God bless us and our country.....we have experienced and witnessed much.....but we will prevail.

SHADES OF INSPIRATION (PLUM)

Here is a beautiful picture of my mother taken sometime in her 20's. She will be 94 on Sept 4, and we happily share our home with her. This is for SHADES OF INSPIRATION (PLUM).My mother always dressed very fashionably and I've always really liked this picture of her. I love the way she matched her hat and gloves with the suit. The watch pinned to the left side of her chest is the watch worn by my grandmother for her wedding in 1913, by my mother for her wedding in 1943, by me for my wedding in 1978, and by my daughter for her wedding in 2006.