Really??...you don't look that old.....

Yes...it is true..I am another year older. hopefully not middle aged....but then again....when I'm 80 I don't want that to be my "middle age" either.....

I got a beautiful necklace that was given to me by BD and designed for me by my friend Yoli who designs and makes jewelry. The piece of course has a history.....so I'll share that with you.

Many years ago BD and I worked with Yoli's husband on a contract in Nebraska. We knew him for about 7-8 years then we moved to Alabama in '02. Well in '05 her hubby called and was asking about the area and jobs and housing...only to find out that their youngest son was going to be going to school here!! They were looking to move to stay close by and was there anything we could tell them...well we did more than tell them...BD recommended him for a job with BD's company and they were moved here pretty quick.

Yoli and I became fast friends (partly because we are both looney tunes) and have a standing "date" for lunch and shopping every Wednesday when the TTs are in school. Yoli works at a bead store. I have gone in and helped with inventory and to just peruse the gems. I fell in love with Swarovski and pearls.

One day I was checking out the new items and there was the most wonderful mother of pearl cameo like nothing I had ever seen. It wasn't a true cameo in the sense that it was two toned and cut out...but it was more like a natural occurring relief in the pearl. It was amazing. I wanted it so badly...but it was not in my budget at the time. I would check on it every time I went into the store to make sure it was still there, and as luck would have it the day that I came in prepared to purchase it - it had already been sold and was gone. Figures.

Flash forward to my birthday....BD comes home and puts a string of pearls around my neck...I run to look in the mirror...and what do my eyes behold but *my* mother of pearl cameo!!! The strand is pearls and crystals (pink of course) and my cameo. A perfect pairing of demure and bling..just like me. Brazen enough..but also properly sedate. It is by far the most perfect piece of jewelry other than my wedding ring.


Without further ado...here is the new woman in my life...












Isn't she B-E-A-utiful????

Blast from the past....

Second verse same as the first...


You all may remember the oldie but goodie.......my injured knee from may...

isn't it pretty? It looks much better now...no discoloration...no swelling...a perfect knee.


A perfect knee that needs to have surgery. I just found out that I have to have arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn miniscus. I have both lateral and medial tears that need to be removed and repaired. That means that I have tears on the right and left side of my cartilage that is attached to the top of my tibia.

I'm scheduled to go in at the end of August...I'm just going to keep a bright outlook on the whole situation. I've been through many many surgeries...and they've all had great outcomes...so this one shouldn't be any different. I'm going to pray about it and let God take it into His hands. If you are a praying sort of person, please pray for a quick and easy recovery and that I will get back to running my house and taking care of my children as soon as possible.

It's finally happening

We are getting a new deck!!! The old one was in horrible shape and just needed to be ripped down and replaced...so that is what is happening this week They started on Monday by ripping down the old deck and starting the framing. Yesterday they started the cross supports and setting the posts. Today they have cemented the posts and are completing the cross supports. We will probably have decking getting laid before the day is out!! I'm just a little excited.



This is what it looks like from my doorway looking out into the east side of the yard. The small green "nubby" that is sticking out from the wall is where the old deck stopped. This deck is considerably larger than the old one. It will be 10' deep and 34' wide across the back of the house.







This is the other end of the deck. It goes about 4 foot past where the old deck stopped on this side. The stairs will come down the side and across the front. We're going to put decorative brick from the front of the stairs to the concrete in the back so you don't have to walk on grass. I am so excited to get this deck done. We'll have enough room to have people over.....for the TTs to sit on the deck and play or color. They will finally be able to sit outside and I won't have to worry about the deck being unsafe. Plus it will be prima party space man!!!

I'll post more pics when it is done...they are framing up the stairs as I type...so it should be done by friday!!!

TGIAF....

Thank goodness it's almost friday....

I have seen the future and it is iPhone!!! We went to check out new phones the other day...we've been toying with what company to switch to and what features we can get with what company. let me tell you how cool the new iPhones are....they have full iPod capabilities and then some. It's an MP3 player and cell phone...but on crack...it's crazy. The price is also crazy...$499 for the "simple" version....whatever. As cool as the phone was...active scroll screen...album cover playlist graphics...it was not 500 bucks cool....

do you know how much rubber I can buy for 500 smackers??? haha

I also had my first and hopefully last MRI today. I am not in the least bit claustraphobic...but let me tell you....fat women in small tubes - doesn't happen.

I had to have my knee MRI'd and even though they don't stick you all the way into the machine it still freaked me out...longest 35 minutes of my life. They did give me headphones that played XM radio though...I was able to rock to the 80's the whole time. That made the time pass quicker at least. I get my results and see the surgeon next friday...we'll see how that goes. I keep telling BD that it would be ironic that he broke his leg and has been out of work for a while to avoid having surgery on his leg...and that I've been hiking around on my bum knee the whole time and now I'll have to have surgery...that would certainly suck big time. I'm sure that the doc will just tell me that I screwed it up and have to wear a brace for a while...but I really wish the numbness would go away...it feels really screwy to be walking and bending a knee that you can't feel.......

You're welcome Northern Alabama!!

We knew it would happen. We contracted to have a new deck built since the old one was small and in disrepair. Northern Alabama has been in its worst drought since 1921. As soon as the lumber hit our driveway it started raining and it has rained every day since!!! We are officially the end of the drought I guess.....it never fails to happen. It's like our own personal version of Murphy's law.

So now my beautiful new deck is sitting in it's raw form on my second driveway....I had wanted it to be done within the next 2 weeks...but now I have no idea when we will get to enjoy it....*sob sob*.

YAY rain....get us out of this drought.....boo hiss rain during the day....I want my new deck!!!! My luck it clears up every night and only rains during the day....maybe I can offer the contractor extra and he'll build in the dark???

I'm selling it all!!!

okay...well maybe not all of it...but a lot of it!! What am I selling? My plethora of accumulated scrapbooking supplies. I have realized that I overpurchased in the past couple of years and will never use all the stuff that I have bought, traded for, or rec'd as gifts.

I have paper, cardstock, embellishments, stickers, rubons, fibers - you name it I probably own it. I have found myself going into my scraproom and not doing anything becuase what I have overwhelms me. It's time to clean house!! I have so much stuff that I bought thinking I'd use it for some project later on...and I've never touched it. How horrible is that??? It's just wasted sitting here.....

So if you know someone or if you yourself are looking for scrap supplies....contact me and we can work something out!!