So... Its been a minute.. Ok, like a couple years.  Life, like a river, flows quickly and sometimes gets out of control. Since last I posted, we have been to Germany and Singapore. 2 of our 3 kids got married and I have.. *gasp* become a Grandmother..er Mimi twice over.  I was soo not ready to grow up.  : )  But since it has been a while, thought I'd say Howdy, real quick and  let you know that I am indeed still alive and the reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. 

Corn fed

Another fun card that I started during Arkansas retreat.  I am not a fan of fussy cutting, but had to paper piece her outfit!  As you can tell I love the Pure Innocence line.  It feeds my copic mania.  I'm so excited for the upcoming weekend when I get to see my A-babes at the Krop!  Will be working on this years Christmas cards.  Love fall and the colors! What is your favorite season?

Sandy beaches...

Backing up a season or so.. this is a card that I sent out this summer.  Had to share because I am at count down to Hawaii!  I'm so excited.  I can't believe that it has been 20 years since the last time I went.  This little lady was so fun to color and make shiny with spica.   What is your favorite vacation that you have ever been on?

Merry Grinchmas!

My youngest daughter talked me into this Riley stamp last year.  This was a quick card (except for the coloring..again..copics..stop me...wait..no dont!) The white trim has fluff on it.  I have to laugh every time I see this, one our holiday traditions is to go through the movie cabinet and watch a different christmas movie every night in December. Everyone has their favorite that they wait all year to watch.  Whats your favorite?

Cuppie Halloween

Made this halloween card when I went to Arkansas with the A-babes.  What a weekend!  So much fun!  I so miss working there, but the friendships that were formed there are lifelong.  I so need to put the copics down, I love the feel and smell of them.  Some day I will actually get around to watching some tutorials on how to use them.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Color me happy then. 

Woo R U?

This is a pre-halloween card that I sent out my A-babes.  Love doodlebug paper.  Its so cute with out being too cloying.  Trying to use up some of the stash that I have ...yes, I'm a paper whore.  But I'm in good company, we are all in the same boat.  Can't believe that this year is almost over!  Sent out 3 different versions of this, owl, ghost and spider with coordination paper of course! 

Elzybell greetings

Another last years Christmas card.  I so miss this company.  Elzybells were so cute! I got as many as I could before they stopped making them.  So glad that the crisp cool fall is finally here. I've been trying to get the gym as often as I can.  Success today!  10 miles on bike and 2 miles on treadmill.  My legs are no longer talking to me and my hips have submitted a formal protest.  I need to stock up on bananas in preparation for the leg cramps that I know are going to hit in the mid of the night.  Nothing more amusing for my dear hubby then to watch me jump out of bed and hop around.    



Ghosts of Christmas past

So... last year..its a blur, but here is a few quick and easy Christmas cards that I sent out.  Why sharing now?  I'm trying to get my mojo back to start with this years.  I've been stuck in a cowboy rut.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but every time I stamp lately, it seems to be western themed.  Usually October is the month that I start scouring the blogs and websites to find 4-6 card layouts that I want to use.  Then I go through the hoard of stamps and paper to design what is going to be used. The weather here is finally turning cool and crisp!  I'm so ready to get this party started!

Cowboy Up!

I try to send out cards to my Archivers sisters at least once a month.  I so miss working there and was so saddened when it closed.  I have finally started to take a few pics and share them.  (like I said life has been crazy this last year)  This is the latest round to go out.  They are cased from a couple blogs I follow, so no original works here this time folks.  But still imitation is the best form of flattery.  Or.. better to stamp and have lost than never to have stamped.  *wink

Oh la la!

Last fall one of the trips my wonderful hubby was on was to Paris again. Silly man always asks if I want to go or not.  Hello!!! Um, YES!!  This particular time over he surprised me with a stay at the Trianon Palace at Versailles!  Breakfast overlooking Marie Antoinette's farm fields, and then the day of roaming the palace and grounds.  Wow! Talk about corpulent.  There is no way I would want to clean a house that big..lol.  It was great to see a piece of history like that.

What a view!

So once again...I'm a bad blogger.  Its been over a year. 
So much has happened and changed.
But like all things, my favorite place in the world remains the same.  Whenever I go home to the Pacific Northwest, this is where you will find me at least once:  Mt. Ranier.  This particular trip was to introduce a future husband of my 2nd daughter to the family.  He had never flown on an airplane before, so we broke him in good.  He had never been to Seattle, so again, took him on a ferry boat, downtown
Seattle, Mt. Ranier, and Point Defiance Park in Tacoma.  I got my yearly fix of mountains and sea!  He got to meet a whole lot of crazy family.  And the good thing is, he stills plans on becoming part of the family. 

Penrose Pointe State Park

A week of camping under the stars, lulled to sleep by the sound of the trees brushing against each other and the crackling of the warm fire.  Our family get together this year was at a quiet state park in Washington state...at least it was quiet until we got there : )  We did observe the quiet times of 10-6...but other than that..it was a rolicking, crazy reunion.   We erected 7 tents in record time.  Setting up chairs and mess hall for the feeding of 17.  (+ the 2 pugs)  It takes a well orchestrated plan to organize for such a group.  Luckily my mom and sisters are just the people for the job.  The temps and weather cooperated the whole time.  Cold/cool in the am..perfect warmth mid/late day.  The kids explored the trails and beach.  Low tide happened at all the right moments, smores were made.  Many card and board games fought and won.  We came home tired but content, and ready to start planning for next years exodus..where ever that may be.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

The weather here is sweltering!  Over 100 today and reports of the same for the next week.  Might need to do a rain dance.  On the plus side the lovely humidity that marks this region has not snuck into the picture yet.  Reminds me of my childhood in California when we used to fry eggs on the sidewalk when it got up into the 120's. 

Made some cards for the girls at work.  I love putting little cards and such in the mailboxes.  : )

Love those cute Pure Innocents from MFT.  Patterned paper from October Afternoon-Sasparilla.  Solid from SU.  Brads from stash that I'm working on cleaning out.  Die from MFT. Flock on vest.  Coloring-copics.

Surprise.  I am still alive and here.  What a wild ride the past few years have been.  Have I been stamping and scrapping...yes.  Have I been posting...no.  Bad me.  We finally moved lock, stock and barrel last year to Tennessee.  I'm not looking forward to having to do that again any time soon.  My dh, bless his heart, had us unpacked and everything put away in under 3 days.  3 days!!!  No left over boxes hiding in the corners, no boxes put up till later...everything!!!   I felt like we had gone through moving boot camp.  But, it made it easier for everyone after the initial whirlwind.  We had our 25th anniversary in our new home, cut our first real Christmas tree, and met new friends. The kids are adjusting well, middle one in college, youngest about to be a senior. Oldest made it about 9 months before she moved back to Georgia.  Life here is a bit slower , more relaxed.  I got a dream job working at a stamp/scrap store, I don't bring home much in way of pay.  Paycheck...who needs a paycheck.  : )

Made this quick card for my sweetie for fathers day. Very apropos seeing as he has been in the airplane industry all his life.  Know you can't tell but the goggles have crystal effects on them.  I'm loving the Pure Innocents by My Favorite Things.  They are so fun to color!  The fathers day sentiment is PTI.  Solid paper by SU and airplane code paper: Theresa Collins World Traveler. Coloring: copics. Ink: PTI black.  Star brads..no clue have had them in my stash for years.

Food (not for the faint at heart)

Here it is, the food. I have to admit I was impressed...this is the man who will go to Olive Garden and order the same dish. EVERY TIME! He did this in India also, went native, so to speak and mostly ate their food. What can I say, after 23 years, he still manages to amaze me!

Shanghai

Well, honey got back from China a few weeks ago. Sounds like it was a wild time! He found out that a friend that he hasn't seen in years was going to be there at the same time and they hooked up and caught up on everything. (we turned them onto Skype!) And he also ran into a guy he hasn't seen since he was in the military 20 years ago! How small a world is that?!? This building has the tallest observation tower in the world. There are glass floors at the top so you could look down...so not something I would do! I could get up there, but would avoid those like the plague!

At night everything was lit up. They were having a huge celebration on one of the weeks he was there. He ate, for the most part, native foods. There were several of the students that took him around to different restaurant's to sample the local fare.

Wow

Wow! Where did the time go? I have been such a bad blogger. My only excuse is that I lost my craft room. Its gone..history...dream that once was.

We still haven't moved, in fact, eldest daughter moved back home (answer to prayer that) and has decided to go to college. Middle daughter started college, youngest started high school. We live a very disorganized life, dh is sometimes home for a week and then gone for a week. He is heading out this fall to Shanghai and Japan. (we get to go with him to Japan!)

Also with eldest moving back we are up to 3 cats in the house. And dh, for our anniversary, wanted a Puggle. (pug/beagle mix) We are now the proud owners of a cute, if somewhat untrained puppy. I'm so glad that the downstairs is tile and pergo..makes clean up while we potty train so much easier.

I'm hoping to be able to stamp soon, I've rigged my long table in my bedroom (which will probably have to go if we put the house on the market) but for now, I'm clinging to my little patch of stamping heaven. My stamp spending, um, collecting has slowed down considerably, since I have no room to house it until I use it. I keep telling myself ; now is a good time to use up all those designer papers, brads, ribbons, buttons, etc that I've been hoarding all these years. Cause there just ain't room for it now!

Anywho, just a quick update and hopefully will be posting cards soon.

Hello again

Yes, I'm still here.  Haven't had much time for blogging/stamping in the past few months.  So much has happened.  DH retired/new job/location change.  Middle daughter graduated from high school.  House to clean/fix ready to sell(and let me tell you..junk reproduces in porportion to how long it has been left unsupervised).  My poor craft room sits there abandoned and alone, filled with extra boxes of junk I need to go through.  Luckily...the end of the tunnel is in sight and I plan on getting back into the stamp of things next week.  The dust will finally settle for a bit and allow me time to get some cards stamped!  (my stash is horribly depleted..I've been resorting to cards from work!) So cross off the 'fell off the earth' theory..I'll be posting soon.

Mothers

My mother is a quilter, a very good quilter.  She has tried over the years to make me see the light and come to the fat quarter side of things, but I have never had the patience for this craft.  I cross stitch (of which it may take years to finish a project, if it does get finished...) but a quilt is a big investment.  I was thinking about her this week( since I forgot to call her this last weekend) and had seen a card similar to this(actually think it was on Nicole's blog) and knew I had to make one to send to her.  

Top of the morning

I finally got a chance to stamp!  I had seen a card similar to this and just had to try it!  Easy peasy.  My kinda card.  We're heading out to visit the area where we are supposed to be moving to, and as an added bonus...going to see Jeff Dunham in concert!!