Greeting Cards

In the past when I made Greeting Cards I used a computer program - Printmaster. I joined in a Greeting Card Challenge with the ladies of Scrap101. So I started making some cards using clipart and scrapbook supplies.

I think I'm addicted.........Rich is going to love to hear that!!!!!!!!!!!! I already have so many hobbies.

The first one I did was "Wild Thing". I love to make medallions with teabag folding. This one was white tigers and I used a gold and black button in the center.

I'm off to find some sentiments to put in more cards.

I told you I'm hooked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Create My Keepsake Blog Challenge

1. Tell me why your blog is named what it is........................My blog is named in memory of a special friend of mine, Danny. Danny and I shared a passion for Wolves. Danny died December 26, 2004 from complications of ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease.

2. Tell me one person you admire as a scrapper/artist and why.....................My sister, Bobbie. What I admire about her is her ability to continue growing and meeting the challenges of scrapbooking. Her layouts are changing all the time as she learns new techniques and the availability of new products. In fact for a challenge on Scrap101 I scraplifted one of her layouts.

3. What is one thing you've never tried on a layout or project that you'd like to try................Chipbooard Letters. I have some that I received from a swap and I haven't tried them yet. They intimidate me.................I know I just got to sit down and get started.

4. What is your favorite time of year to scrap and why...........Autumn. I just love all the beautiful colors that God has given us.

5. List 2 other people's scrappy blogs that you enjoy reading and post a link to them..................Bobbie's http://scrapbookbobbie.blogspot.com/ and Tanya's http://princess-tanya-is-in.blogspot.com/

These were fun questions to answer. I'll try doing this more often.

Christmas in July at Create My Keepsake

These ornaments were fun to make. I didn't have any photos to put int he top two.......so I printed out some clipart. The bottom one is Bandit. He loved green M&M's. The bow is one of his that he got in his top-knot after being groomed.
I made the Cooke Tin out of a coffee can. These will be cute for Christmas cookies. Snack box.....These will make cute little boxes for Homemade Candies or Caramel Corn.

Lots of fun this weekend participating in Create My Keepsake's Christmas in July cyber crop. They offered 7 different projects. I was only able to get 3 projects done.........but I plan on doing the rest of them after I go shopping.

Mutt

I ran across this photo of a little Mutt. It reminds me so much of my little friend, Bandit. We got Bandit at a flea mart when he was about 6 weeks old. He was a fluffy little ball of fur in brown and white. He had the cutest little black mask around his eyes..........so naturally we named him Bandit.

Bandit was quite a character..........you see it ended up that we didn't own Bandit - he owned us. He thought store bought dog food should belong to somebody else. He thought he should eat exactly what Rich and I ate...........no special food for him.

It was a crime to think that he might sleep in a dog bed...............his rightful place to sleep at night was on the end of our bed. When Rich was working graveyard............he slept on Rich's pillow and loved to snuggle under the covers. He picked out his favorite place to sleep on the couch...........and heaven forbid if anyone happened to sit there. One time Mom and Dad was visiting us when we lived in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Mom sat on the end of the couch. She asked me why Bandit was staring at her so much. I told her that he felt that was his sleeping spot. Later, when Mom got up to do something..............you guessed it! Bandit jumped up on his spot and slept the rest of the afternoon............occasionally looking at Mom as if to say: This is my spot and don't sit on it again.

Bandit also had his own quilt with his name embroidered on it that my sister, Sandy made for him and a miniature afghan that I had crocheted for him. He owned a personalized collar with matching leash.

Bandit and I would go for a walk............when he got tired he sat down and wouldn't budge. No matter what I tried...........he would just sit there with his big brown eyes and refuse to move. I would have to pick him up and carry him back to the house.

It's been over 10 years since Bandit crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. He's up there watching over us and keeping us safe.

Bandit

I miss you my dear friend, Danny

I miss you my dear friend, Danny. I miss your smiling eyes, shy sense of humor, funny jokes and stories you would email, little cards you sent that let me know you were thinking of me, picnics in the middle of winter, nature walks, the list goes on and on.

I miss those times when we would just sit and listen to music..........the golden oldies or Native American..........it did'nt matter. Mom told me that the last two weeks of your life you listened to the Native American CD I gave you 24 hours a day. I hope my dear friend that you found comfort in that CD..............I know I always feel close to you when I listen to the CD now.

Yes, I miss you so much. I realize that now you are in no pain from ALS, you are not suffering the horrible nightmares that plagued you since you returned from Vietnam, no more are the feelings you had about being rejected, no longer no being able to speak, sing, dance, and do all the things that you lost from the complications of ALS.

Take care my friend.

Fourth of July

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

The photo above is one of the Artist Trading Cards that I made for a Fourth of July Swap. It was a lot of fun to make. I used some patriotic patterned paper, patriotic sticker and rubber stamps.

Fourth of July Quotes

None of us who have always been free can understand the terrible fascinating power of the hope of freedom to those who are not free. --Pearl S. Buck

We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are createdequal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rightsinherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, andliberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
~Thomas Jefferson~

There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in itsabuses.If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven doesits rains,shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and thepoor, it would be an unqualified blessing.
~Andrew Jackson~

Fourth of July History

THE HISTORY OF AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

America was born on July 4, 1776!

July 4, 1776 was the birth of our nation, The United States of America.
On this very important day the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Indepndence.
This day was preceeded by a battle between the colonists of our original thirteen colonies and the British contorl over them.
According to Kenneth Davis, there is evidence of this horrible battle from as early as the year 1676.
During this year a man named Nathaniel Bacon created a document that spoke against the British and their unfair taxes.
This document was called the "Declaration of the People." Nathaniel Bacon not only wrote against the
British but also led troops of poor farmers, slaves and free blacks against the British (Davids, 1991).
Dispite this and many other rebellions of the colonists, the British continued to impose these unfair taxes.
In the mid 1700's the colonists were finding it harder to be ruled be King George III, ruler of Britain.
They desided they were not going to put up with these taxes any longer. Many colonists boycotted these taxes.
In response, the British sent troops into the thirteen colonies.
This led to the Boston Massacre in 1765, where British soldiers fired gun shots into a crowd of people that were
through stones and calling them names.
In 1773 another event occured called the Tea Party. The British put a tax on tea sold in the colonies.
Some men, including Samuel Adams, from Boston dressed as Indians, boarded three ships full of tea and dumped in over into
the Massachusetts Bay. Soon after the Tea Party the Revolutionary War began.
The First Continental Congress created a list of complaints against the King, in 1774.
George Washington was in command of the Continental Army and began the fighting against the British.
The Revolutionary War lasted eight years, with black men, white men, and even women who fought for their right to freedom.
During the war the Second Continental Congress began another list of complaints against the King
This list was called the Declaration of Independence, and was first signed by the president of the Seconde Continental Congress,
John Hancock. This was made public Juy 8, 1776 and was celebrated by bells, the firing of guns, candles and firecrackers.
However, the war continued until 1783, and in this year Independence Day was made an offical holiday.
Today we celebrate America's Independence Day the was John Adams felt it should be celebrated. He said it would
"...be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires andilluminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

Personal Opinion

It seems to me that we had the Boston Tea Party to get rid of unfair taxes. Now we are being taxed to death by our own government each year. Isn't it about time that we had another Boston Tea Party and rid ourselves of the unfair taxes of today???????????

Fourth of July Vegetarian Picnic

Mint Tea Punch
Note from Cheri: Fresh mint can make ordinary ice tea special, so you might opt to stop after the first step of the recipe and completely eliminate the extra ingredients. Try this punch for something even more memorable. It's the prefect refreshment for a hot summer afternoon.
8 tea bags8 fresh mint sprigs1 C sugar2 quarts boiling water2 1/2 C pineapple juice1 can (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawedadditional mint springs for garnish
Makes about 3 quarts
Combine tea bags, sugar and mint sprigs. Pour boiling water over tea mixture. Cover and let steep for at least a half hour.
Remove and discard tea bags and mint springs. Transfer to a large pitcher or punch bowl and add pineapple juice, cold water and lemonade concentrate (undiluted). Stir well, serve over ice garnished with mint sprigs.

Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs2 T mayonnaise3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce*salt & pepper to tastepaprika for garnish

Serves 6 as an appetizer
Cut each egg in half and carefully scoop out the yolk. Mash yolks and remaining ingredients together to make a paste. Wether to make it completely smooth, or leave small lumps is a matter of personal taste, much the same way that some people, myself included, like lumpy mashed potatoes. If you're in the smooth camp, you can make the egg yolk mixture in a food processor.
Once you've finished the egg yolk mixture, it's time to carefully spoon it back into the egg white. For more decorative eggs you can put the egg yolk mixture in a pastry bag and pipe it back into the white. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color and flavor.
*Note: Vegetarians should use vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce or eleiminate this ingredient.

Mexican-Style Chickpea Salad

4 cups cooked chickpeas , or 4 cups drained canned chickpeas (from two 15 oz. cans), rinsed1 med. onion, minced2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed3 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced2 canned chipotle chiles in sauce, rinsed, seeded and minced (optional)3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (optional)4 T extra-virgin olive oil4 T fresh lime juice, or more to taste3 T chopped fresh cilantrosalt and freshly ground black pepper
Makes 8 side-dish servings
Combine all the ingredients and let marinate for 2 hours. Adjust the salt and pepper and the lime juice to taste. Serve slightly cool.

Caprese Sandwich
Caprese is a traditional Italian combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and fresh basil. Serve it on crusty bread or focaccia.
2 crusty bagguettes or 4 large crusty rolls or 4 servings focaccia bread1/4 cup olive oil1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chifonnade4 ripe fresh tomatoes8 oz. mozzerella cheese, thinly slicedsliced kalamata olives (optional) salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Serves 4
Cut bread in half. Layer sliced tomatoes and sliced cheese and (if desired) olives. Sprinkle basil over sandwiches. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Easy Strawberry or Peach Shortcake Squares

4 C strawberries, hulled and sliced
OR
4 C sliced peaches1/4 C sugarCake 2 C flour1/3 C sugar1 T baking powder1/4 tsp. salt1/2 C butter2/3 C half and half1 egg, beaten
2 C whipped cream (or 1 can Redi-Whip®)
additional sliced strawberries or peaches for garnish
Serves 6
Combine sliced fruit and 1/4 cup sugar, mix well and chill.
Preheat oven to 450° F. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
Combine flour, sugar,salt and baking powder. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Mix half and half and egg and mix well. Add to flour/butter mixture and stir just until moistened. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble:Cut the cake into six squares and cut each square in half horizontilly. Place bottom half of shortcake, cut side up, on plate, top with prepared fruit and dollop of whipped cream, top with second half of cake, cut side down and additional fruit and whipped cream. Repeat for remaining squares.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

Creating Pages 8-Week Contest -- Week One

Week one of Creating Pages 8-week Contest was to use "Bling" - something glittery or shiny - on a layout.

I choose to use Gold Glitter and Gold Star brads on my layout for "Bling".

Rogue River Rooster Crow - June 24, 2006

It's been a while since we have been able to attend the Rogue River Crow in Rogue River, Oregon. This celebration takes place the last Saturday in June every year. It started in 1953. There is a parade, food and craft booths, quilt show, book sale, car show, human rooster crowing contest and the big finale...........rooster crowing contest. The object of the contest is to see how many times you can get your rooster to crow in 30 minutes. They give out prizes and trophies to the winners.

Rich and I started going to the Rooster Crow in 1974. We went every year until Rich started working in Security in 1987 and he always worked Saturdays.

We are so happy that Rich has finally found a job that he works days and has Saturday, Sunday and all holidays off. Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!

We are loving being able to attend events like the Rooster Crow. We are looking forward to many events this summer that our around our home.

Gardening and Wildlife

Garden - 6 pepper plants.....................Wildlife - 1 pepper plant.

I started out with 7 pepper plants. I planted my raised bed garden and I didn't have any problem with wildlife (deer) until the other morning. I knew there was a herd of 10 - 12 deer in our area. I hadn't seen them this year...........still haven't seen them...........only the evidence of a sad looking pepper plant left behind.

I'm not mad at the deer............I should have already put a fence around my small garden to protect it.

Rich and I had bought a screen room to put up in the yard. We wanted to be able to sit outside without the flying bugs bothering us this summer. Rich thought that it would be a lot easier to buy another screen room and put it up around the garden than put up a fence. So I went back to Wal-mart and purchased another screen room for the garden. So far it seems to be okay. I go out and unzip the flaps so the bugs and bees can pollinate the plants during the day. Then I go out and zip the flaps in the late evening so the wildlife can't forage for dinner. It seems that the garden is getting plenty of sunlight.

I've been harvesting radishes and onions so far. I see little squash, tomatoes, cucumber, okra, melons and peppers on the plants. The green beans are starting to produce blooms. The beets and carrots are growing.

We can hardly wait for more fresh veggies.

Last week I bought 2 crates (24 pints) of strawberries from the local produce stand. It's about 1/2 mile from our home. I was able to freeze 8 pints berries, made 6 pints of sugar-free jam, dried 4 pints of berries in halves and we had fresh strawberries three times.

The berries were so sweet that you didn't have to add any sugar to them. This is the first year I have made jam without sugar. I got tired of paying almost $4 for 10 - 12 ounces of sugar-free jam or jelly. I don't know why they have to charge so much for foods that people with medical conditions need for their special diets. I guess we are paying for all the artificial flavors and chemicals they use to make sugar-free foods.

Well, I better get off my soapbox and get busy..............or maybe I'll scrap for a while.

I SURVIVED SCRAP FROM YOUR STASH

I made it clear through the 2 weeks without shopping and I scrapped 196 layouts. Whew!!!!!!! I couldn't believe that I could scrap that many layouts.

Congratulations are in order for Joyce and Susan. Joyce scrapped 338 layouts and Susan scrapped 319 layouts. Way to go, Ladies!!!!!!

I was able to get the photos of our trip we took for our 25th Anniversary in 1998. I finished 45 layouts of our trip to Wildlife Safari. Now I just need to get all the photos of our Anniversary party and get them scrapped. I usually just keep my layouts in decade albums........I think I will make a special album for our 25th Anniversary.

It may sound strange but we celebrated our 32nd Anniversary last year at Wildlife Safari. Yes, it is a favorite place for us to visit. It's less than 20 miles from our home. We buy a annual pass that lets us go through the park as many times as we want throughout the year without paying any admission fees.

I was also able to get the 2003 Bear Fest in Grants Pass, Oregon photos scrapped. With these photos I was able to use a lot of items that I had received in a Teddy Bear Swap.

It is a good feeling to be able to use some of the items that you have received in swaps with other scrapbookers. I also used a lot of my supplies with this SFYS. Don't worry I won't run out any time in the future.

All I could think of Sunday that cash registers from around America were going.........Ching, Ching with all the SFYS Ladies out buying after the 2 weeks of NO SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I did a little shopping. Not too much.........only around $25. Mostly what I bought was 12 x 12" page protectors and Xyron refills..............and cardstock. I was running out of blues..........so I really needed it.

Scrap From Your Stash begins today!

We're off and running!!!!!!!!!! or should I say scrapping. I've joined the ladies and gent at Scrap101 in a SFYS challenge. It goes from today until June 3rd. During that time we are not allowed to buy any new scrapbooking supplies (other than adhesives). We are do create as many layouts as we can out of our stash of scrapbooking supplies........hence the name SFYS.

I was talking to Bobbie and I told her maybe we should change the rules to NO shopping the 2 weeks prior to starting the challenge. I spent almost $100 getting ready for this challenge. ROTFLMBO!!!!!!

Recently there has been discussion about how with 1" of scrapbook paper you can do 100 pages. So out of curiosity I measured my 12 x 12" paper and my 8 1/2 x 11" paper.

Don't laugh because you're either ahead of me or gaining ground quickly. Are you ready to read how much paper I have?????

Okay, you're sure you can handle this???????

Positive????

Are you sitting down??????????

Do you have a friend to hold your hand when you read the amount of paper I have?????

Have you called 911 and have the ambulance standing by???????????

Oh, no!!!! I'm not sure that I am ready to go public with my confession!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe!!!!!!!!!

Maybe Not!!!!!!!!!

I'm getting all giddy!!!!!

Is it excitement or is it fear????????????

Okay............I can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really I can!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you sure you are ready???????????????

Tune in next time to find out exactly how much paper this little ole' scrapper in Oregon has stashed away.

Now honestly did you think I'd leave you hanging in suspence??????????????

Me???????????

I'd never do anything like that to my scrapping sisters and brother.

I guess it's now or never.

Okay here it is....................................................................................................................................................15" of 12 x 12" paper..............................10" of 8 1/2 x 11" paper.....................1" of 8 x 8" paper......................and a big huge box of scraps. Of course the scraps are all neat and organized into solid colors and patterned paper in 1 gallon plastic bags.

Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel so much better since I confessed!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel so much better.............I think I'll go shopping for more paper!!!!!!!!

NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you think I was going to lose on the first day? Shame on you.

My First Veggies

This morning I picked my first veggies - green onions from my garden. I can't wait until I can start picking tomatoes, green beans, squash, peppers, radishes, carrots, okra, beets, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe. There's nothing as tasty as fresh picked veggies from your own garden.

I would like to say a Special Thanks to Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa Shaw and Grandma and Grandpa McGuire for giving me my love of gardening.

Trip to the Oregon Coast

Sunday morning after breakfast we decided to drive over to the coast. It's about 95 miles from us. We went to Charleston. We have been over there numerous times but we never could find any easy beach acess. I decided to look at the map and locate Sunset Beach and Shore Acres Botanical Gardens. Well, duh!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really helps to look at a map. We found the beach and we were able to walk down and enjoy wading in the water. I found a couple of nice shells but not a single piece of driftwood. There was a lot of people out enjoying the beautiful weather. There was not a cloud in the sky, the ocean was so blue and the wind was gentle. We sure didn't want to come home.............but Rich had to be at work at 6am on Monday.

My Herb Garden

This is a layout I did for the weekly Quotation Quest at Scrap101. I just loved the quote that we were to use and my photos of my herb garden were perfect for the layout.

Whew!!!!!! What a Weekend!!!!!!!!!! Part Two

After sleeping in a little on Sunday we worked outside in the garden. First off you have to understand that my Rich grew up a city boy. His family never planted a garden or even flowers. I basically grew up a country girl. My family depended upon it's garden for food for summer and winter.

We planted some of the herbs, vegetables and flowers that we bought on Saturday. I decided to plant most of the herbs in a big round planter. I love the way it turned out. I may have too many plants in the planter............I'm not sure as I'm used to planting in a huge garden. Trial and error!!!!!!!!!!! That's life anyway.

Rich built me a raised bed garden this year because of my back and knees. It is based on Mel Barthlomew's square foot gardening. You can see part of the raised bed that the planter is sitting on in the photos. I will post more photos later of the raised bed.

Rich just had to take a photo of my dirty hands. I hate to wear gardening gloves because I love to feel the dirt as I'm working in the garden.

I took Rich's photo while he was standing there watching me plant my herb planter. I love the little grin he has on his face. He may not know much about gardening but he is always willing to learn and help me with the heavy lifting.

After working outside in the garden for about an hour we went inside and spent the rest of the day talking and watching a little TV.

Happy Gardening!!!!!!!!!

Whew!! What a Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!! Is all I can say about this weekend. I am enjoying my weekends so much now that I am no longer working. Before everytime there was events..........I had to work. I might also add that Rich now works 6am - 2:30pm Monday thru Friday and holidays off.

Rich and I started out the weekend on Saturday morning going to the Master Gardener's Plant Sale. We waited in line for about 30 minutes before the doors opened. Finally the doors opened and we got to go inside the building. Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So many plants!!!!!!!

We're off and shopping. We were mainly looking for vegetable and herb plants. We bought and bought and bought. We ended up with 4 boxes of plants. What was really neat was that you didn't have to carry all of the boxes with you. The 4-H had set up an area that you could leave your plants and they would watch them. You received a number and nobody else could use that square. After we had finished shopping the young lady helped us carry the boxes to the checkout stand and then to the pickup.

We bought tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, summer squash, cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, lots of herbs and flower plants.

After the plant sale we went to several yard sales. We found lots of goodies!!!!!!!!!!! As if we need anymore goodies.

Next stop..................Wendy's for lunch. I was more than ready to set down for a while. My knees were starting to swell and become painful.

Next stop..................Bi-Mart. More gardening supplies and summer clothes for Rich and I. I found the cutest knit tops and shorts for $3.99 each. I bought 2 sets - one pink and one blue. We found some neat jean shorts and flip-flops for Rich.

Next stop.................Dad and Mae's. Rich had bought a set of mirrors for our pickup and Dad helped him put them on the pickup. Dad kept teasing Rich and telling him that the mirrors would fit his van better than our pickup. They are really nice looking.

Next stop................HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By now it's 2pm and I so want to participate in the National Scrapbooking Day events. I've always worked so I couldn't join in on all the fun. I decided to participate in one of the smaller sites: Create My Keepsake. It was so much fun.

There was 4 challenges: Make a card and 3 layouts.

The first was to make a Mother's Day Card by hand cutting design elements from patterned paper. Would you believe that a person with hundreds of sheet of patterned paper could not find one single sheet with any design on it that would work. I ended up printing my own paper and then cut out my designs.

The second was to create a list of 10 things you have always wanted to do, etc. I decided to to my list and layout on 10 places I would love to visit in my lifetime. I first made my list, picked out my paper and embellishments. When I finished up my layout I went to post it in the gallery for the challenge. I can't believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't know that Bobbie (my sister) was also participating in the challenge. I hadn't looked at any of the entries or talked to Bobbie (she lives 80 miles from me)................Our entries used the same patterned paper and colors, basically the same techniques and similar style.

The third was to create a layout using very little written journaling as possible and let the photos tell the story. I decided to use photos from the Pioneer Days parade. It really turned out cute.

The fourth was to create a layout using a ad photo. I decided to use photos from a mini-vacation to Gold Beach that Rich and I took in 2002. I've done layouts using ads before but I really love the way this one turned out.

We then had to take a SAT...........Scrapbook Appitute Test.

I didn't win any door prizes or big prizes. I did make the dean's list and I get a blinkie for posts.

All of that was Saturday. Stay tuned for Part Two!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gardening

It's been beautiful and sunny here in Southern Oregon. I've been out working on my square foot garden. I'm just getting it started this year so it's taking time and money to get it up and running. Having severe back and knee problems have made it necessary to have my garden in raised beds. I'm now able to stand up and garden without having to bend down or squat. I'll post photos soon!!!!!!!!!!

The sunshine felt so good today. I do have to be careful about being in the sun too much. Some of the medicines I take make me very sensitive to the sun. I burn easy........but having Native American heritage (Cherokee) I turn a dark bronze color.

I need to go shopping this weekend for seeds and plants. Just think in 28 days I'll be eating fresh radishes from my garden. I can't wait. I'm sooooooooo tired of eating what they sell as fresh radishes in the grocery store.

By the way my onions are about 2 inches tall and starting to take off growing. My garlic is huge!!!!!!!! I planted it last October and it's over 2 feet tall right now. It's regular garlic.........not elephant garlic. Some of the stalks are 1 inch across. In planting it I followed my late Grandpa's advice on growing garlic. He said to only plant the outer cloves of the garlic bulb and you would get the best results. Big cloves = big garlic bulbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, Grandpa! I sure miss seeing you out on your Poppin' Johnny (Vintage John Deere Tractor) plowing and getting ready to garden.


I better get the gardening muck off and get some laundry done. Hey, Michelle!!! I'll be careful while doing the laundry. I agree...................HOUSEWORK CAN KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shirley

"May the spirit of the wolf watch over you and keep you safe."

My Basket of Scrapping Goodies

Scrapbooking Goodie Basket I won from my LSS. I couldn't believe it when Paulette called me and told me I had won the drawing.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

It is a beautiful day here in Southern Oregon. The sun has been shining all day. I was able to work in my raised bed garden today. I've got part of it almost ready for planting. I hope to finish getting it ready by weekend.

I also worked on getting my strawberry bed ready today. Hopefully by this weekend I will be able to plant the strawberry plants. Rich's friend said he was giving us 3 or 4 plants.........more like 12. That's okay! We both love strawberries. Rich especially likes Strawberry Shortcake with plenty of Cool Whip. I also want to try making some Sugar-Free Jam.

Speaking of sugar-free. I had to visit the Doctor's office today to get some of my medicines changed. I lost 3 1/2 pounds since last week. Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!

I've really been trying to prepare not only low-carb but lower fat meals. Being a lacto-ovo-vegetarian I tend to consume more dairy products than I should. Cheddar Cheese is one of my problem areas. I should probably eat the low-fat or fat-free cheese......but the price is unbelievable. I gleaned a recipe from Bobbie for defatting cheese...............maybe I'll try that if I can find the recipe.

Off to find that recipe.

"May the spirit of the wolf watch over you and keep you safe."

I'm Excited!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited!!!!!!!!! Yesterday I received a call from my local scrapbook store telling me that I had won a Basket Full of Scrapping Goodies!!!!!!!!!!! I had forgotten all about entering the drawing. The drawing was being held in celebration of the store's 6th anniversary.

I'm going to pick it up on Saturday. I live 27 miles from the store and with the price of gas ($2.89 gallon) I try to make all my trips to town count. So on Saturday, Rich and I are going to pick up my basket, visit Dad and Mae for Easter and give them some goodies, and pick up 2 little kittens that we are getting.

I'll post some photos of my basket and the kittens later on down the line.

Shirley

"May the spirit of the wolf watch over you and keep you safe."

It's Spring or Is It?

Here in Southern Oregon, it's Spring!!!!!!!!!!! One minute the sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful blue...........the next minute is is raining and the sky is dark and menacing..........the next minute there's a beautiful rainbow in the sky. I love the spring weather because I know that a beautiful warm summer is just around the corner.

I've been out doing a little tinkering in the flowerbeds and garden. I can't do much because of my knee and back. I'm still off work...........in fact I was terminated because I couldn't go back to work yet and I had used up my 90 days Family Medical Leave. So now I happily unemployed.

Dad and Mae gave me some beautiful hens and chicks yesterday. After Rich and I got home we planted them. I can't believe some of Dad and Mae's hen and chicks are 8 inches across. That's not the entire plant......that's one hen. Then some of the chicks are 4 - 5 inches across. The top photo is some of the hens and chicks at Dad and Mae's.

I love to garden..........but with my knee and back its hard to garden the conventional way. So I'm trying Mel Barthalomew's Square Foot Gardening this year. Instead of having my garden bed down low............Rich built it up so I don't have to bend or squat down to tend to my garden. I'll upload photos once we get it going. Mel has a wonderful website and book about the techniques of square foot gardening.

Take care and talk to all later.

"May the spirit of the wolf watch over you and keep you safe."

Greetings from rainy Oregon

It's pouring down rain and the wind is howling tonight. Typical Oregon weather for this time of the year. I actually love the rain..........I'm a native Oregonian and we're born with webbed-feet. LOL

I'm excited tonight as I've just sold my first 2 items on Ebay. Since I haven't been able to work with my knee injury..........I decided to try selling on Ebay. In fact, I set up a store on Ebay. It's called Squirrel Tree Enterprises. I also sell under tahoecrafter. Yep, I got my account with Ebay when I lived in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

My problem with Ebay is that I like to buy too much for Rich and myself. I'm always buying books for Rich and I like to buy scrapbook supplies for myself. I don't bid on something unless it is a bargain. You have to take the shipping and handling into consideration too.

On Scrap101 I've been participating in a BOM challenge each week. It's been a lot of fun doing the weekly challenges. This week was to do a layout about our favorite cartoon. I did my about my favorite.........Woody Woodpecker. I've love him since I was about 3 years old. Oh my goodness!!!! That's over 50 years.

I wonder what our challenge will be next week? Even though my own sister, Bobbie, runs the challenge I have to wait until she posts it on the group site. So much for being favorite sister!! LOL

Speaking of Bobbie, I wonder what I should get her for her birthday this month. Maybe I'll get her some of those cute _______, or _________, or _________ that she was admiring at the scrapbook store when she last visited.

Back to scrapping!!!!!!!!!!!!

SFYS

Easter 1960

This is one of the layouts I have done during SFYS (Scrap from Your Stash). It's a 2 week time period that we can't shop for anything scrapbooking for our personal use.

I've done 9 layouts since we started our 2 week time period. I'm not a very fast scrapper.......but I enjoy the layouts that I get finished.

The photo on this layout is Grandpa, Grandma and myself taken Easter of 1960.

Off to continue scrappin'...............hopefully more layouts today than yesterday.

Update on my knee injury

I've been off work since December 21st with my knee. I ended up having an MRI and they discovered that I have a torn medial miniscus. I just went to the orthopedic doctor and he decided to give me an cortisone injection in my knee to see if we could prevent surgery. NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!!! I'm diabetic and I had a reaction to the injection. My blood sugar elevated to over 200. It's usually never over 120 - 130 after I eat.

Today is the 3rd day after the injection and my blood sugar is starting to lower. Now that I know what caused it............I'm not so scared or worried about my blood sugar levels.

I talked it over with Rich and he agrees that I don't want to have another injection. My knee feels a little better........but not much. If I'm up on it standing or walking for more than an hour it starts swelling and hurting.

I go to the rhuemotogist next week. They think that I have arthritis in both my knees. Will update about it later.

Remembering a Special Friend

It's so hard to believe that my best friend, Danny has been gone from my life for over a year now. It's been very difficult for me accepting Danny's death. I've felt sad, anger, disbelief, lonesome, etc. this last year.

I find that in remembering all the fun times, visits, picnics in the middle of winter, dreams we shared, emails, quiet times we spent together, and discussing the Bible............it makes me sad to know that times like those are never to be had with my special friend, Danny, again here on earth.

I thank God that he let me share those special times with Danny.

For Danny: As always you will be in my heart, my thoughts, my prayers and my soul.
Love, Shirley

It''s been awhile since I updated!

I don't know where to begin in updating my blog. I've been having a lot of health issues lately and they are interfering in my life.
Right now I'm off work because I'm having trouble with my right knee. I was at work on the 20th and my right knee went out and I almost went down to the ground. I was on my lunch break and I managed to hobble back into work and find a manager so I could go home. They had to call a paramedic and have him look at my knee. He wouldn't let me drive home so I had to call my Dad. Dad stopped by my home and picked Rich up. They got me home and I couldn't get into the doctor until Thursday. I refuse to go to our local hospital-that's another whole story.
My doctor was out of town and I had to see the other doctor in the clinic. He told me to stay off of my leg and work for the next week. I go back to the doctor tomorrow. It's better.........it still swells and hurts if I'm up on it for more than an hour. I'm supposed to go back to work Friday................I just don''t know if I can or not. Will update tomorrow about my knee.

Rich and I had a quiet Christmas. It seems like any more the family is so scattered that it is hard for us to get together. I sure miss the good times we spent together during the holidays.