I Wish I Could Post Some Pictures

I have so many new things I want to share, but I haven't figured out how to post pictures on my blog from the library computer.  I have been busy sewing, making swap packages and working outside.  My "stump" is finally looking nice and I can't wait to finish it up and show you all what it looks like.

Remember my post about how things were not going so well for us????  Well, Earl got laid off last week....budget cuts from the schools.  So now we are kinda at a loss as what to do.  Everything happens for a reason though...I'm just hoping all of this is for a good reason!

It's Amazing the Things I Can Get Done When I Don't Have A Computer!

No internet, no DVR, NO distractions.  I'm getting quite a bit done and actually enjoying it.  I must admit I do miss the computer, but the time I spend on it is ridiculas and so it has been nice to take a break.  Gotta go so I can get home and clean some more, make dinner and babysit Anthony and Owen.  Have a great couple of days!

The 4th Annual Brown Paper Bag Swap



The Fourth Annual Brown Paper Bag Swap is a little late in starting this year, but it is that time again for some fun and creativity using Brown Paper Bags.  Sign ups are only until Friday so sign up quick.  I may not be able to get back to you for a couple of days to confirm, but I will get back to you.



Swap Rules:

1. You must use a brown paper bag in your handmade swap item. You can purchase things to add to or embellish though.

2. You MUST contact your swap partner by email. You need to say "Hi", introduce yourself and then tell them a little about yourself. I am making this a rule because I have participated in a couple of swaps and have never heard from the person I am exchanging with. I think this takes away from the whole point of the swap and kind of leaves everything up in the air. Make a new friend, it doesn't mean you have to email them constantly, but be friendly.

3. Please thank your partner for the package they send to you. I hate when I swap with someone and they don't just say "thank you". I may be late on most of my swaps, but I do put a lot of work into them and I do appreciate the work that my partner puts into theirs. Everyone likes to here "thank you!"

4. There is $15.00 (+ or - a little) price limit. All Homemade is fine!!! Please don't worry about going out and purchasing things. I'm sure between tags, cards, scrapbooks, etc..... everyone can come up with enough stuff to feel satisfied. Please just be comfortable with yourself and what you send.

5.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE SWAP IF YOU SIGN UP.  IF YOU CAN'T FOR SOME REASON LET ME KNOW ASAP AND I WILL ANGEL THE PACKAGE.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE FOLLOW THROUGH THOUGH IF YOU SIGN UP!!

Please email me at sherryreneew@hotmail.com or leave me a comment on my blog if you would like to join the swap. I need your:

Name:
Mailing Address:
Email address:
Blog address if you have one:



I will take sign ups until May 20, 2011. The mail out date for your brown paper bag item will be June 20, 2011.

If your interested, here is a little history on the Brown Paper Bag as we know it now. There were other paper bags before this and other people involved in the invention of the bags. I just decided to post about the type of bags that are familiar to us now days. Square-Bottom Paper Bag w/ pleated sides On June 12, 1883 the U.S. Patent office issued #279,505 to Chas Stilwell a patent for a paper bag machine. After fighting for the Union in the Civil War, Charles Stilwell began to tinker with the idea of making a better paper bag. Paper bags already existed at this time, but they had many flaws. They had to be pasted together by hand; their V-shaped bottoms prevented them from standing on their own; and they were not easily collapsible or conveniently stackable. In the summer of 1883, Stilwell put into operation the first machine to produce paper bags. The bags had flat bottoms for standing up straight by themselves and pleated sides that made them easy to fold and stack. Dubbed the S.O.S., or Self-Opening Sack, it remains in widespread use today. With the birth of the American supermarket in the early 1930s, demand for Stilwell’s paper bags skyrocketed. Their versatility, strength, and low cost made them first a nationwide then a worldwide phenomenon.



Hedgies and My Stump

I was so late in mailing out my Hedgie package to Missy from the YOE2 swap that Val hosts with my trips back to Kansas and all, but I finally got it finished and mailed out.  I made a couple of hedgehogs, 2 tawashi's, a set of coasters and 4 cloth napkins.  I also made a matchbox and found a cute duster that reminded me of a hedgehog.

Here's an updated picture of my stump.  I worked on it over the weekend and Earl carved a little door in a piece of wood so I can make a little fairy house.  I still have a lot of work to do on the stump, but I'm waiting on some $$ to come so I can buy some rock and other things to decorate it with.

A Piece of Art or Just an Old Stump??? That is the Question....

Much to my dissappointment our new house has no flowers or flowerbeds already here and waiting for me to play in.  So.....I am having to start from scratch and make my own.  I had Earl till in front of the house and around this tree stump for my big flower bed.  I figured I could decorate the stump somehow and it would be fine there.  It is fine, but as I started digging to plant some flowers, I found lots of really big roots that were attached to the stump.

Here's what the stump looked like before I started.

and here's what it looks like after hours of digging around the roots.  The picture doesn't look as cool as it looks in person, but I think this stump and roots are going to look so cool when I get done.  I still have a lot more digging to do!  I am going to clean off the roots and hopefully find some beautiful rocks down at the creek to put in and around the stump.  Earl looked at me really strange and I think that the people that are driving by probably think I'm some nut case that thinks she's actually going to get that stump dug out of the ground with her little hand shovel.  I think I am going to have a unique and beautiful piece of yard art though.  I'll keep you updated with pictures as I progress this week.  I'm so excited to see how it turns out!



What do you think?

My Trip to Say GoodBye to Daddy

After a 36 hour bus ride with Jace, we finally made it to Kansas.

Daddy's Vigil was so hard for me. 

I was doing okay until then....

and the reality hit and boy did it hit me hard.

It still doesn't seem possible that Daddy is gone

and I don't think a day will go by that I don't think about him

and feel his love.

 This is a picture of me and my mom and siblings.

  My foster brother surprised all of us and came to the services.

  It was so nice to see him again!

 Here are my Daddy's girls.

Robyn, Sherry, Stacey and Cathy.

 and it's amazing what a little wine and beer

will do to cheer up a broken heart!

and this is my sister, Robyn, who put up with me on both of my trips back home.

She spoiled my rotten too!

So besides the trip being a hard one to make, it was so nice to see my mom, siblings and my stepmom and her family.  We got to laugh together, tell stories, and cry together.  Daddy would have been happy to see us all together and supporting each other. 

I want to say a special thank you to my Stepmom, Carol,

for making sure I got to be home and grieve with my family and not here by myself.

My Daddy

James David Wescott

October 27, 1939-April 10, 2011

I love you so much Daddy!

I'm will miss you, but I'm glad your not in pain anymore.

May your soul rest in peace.

Welcome to the World Little Owen!

Grandbaby #12 was born yesterday

April 6, 2011

at

8:12 am

he weighed 7 lbs. 5 ozs.

and is 19 inches long.

Now were waiting for October when Grandbaby #13 is due!

Tomorrow Is The BIG Day!

Yes,

Tomorrow is the BIG Day! 

 My beautiful daughter, Lexie, is having her second baby. 

 Baby Owen should be here bright and early in the morning

 and his Nana can't wait to finally meet him!

Good Luck Lexie and Jake!

My Trip Back Home

An angel enabled me to go back to Kansas and I can never thank her enough for thinking of me and giving me the chance to see my Dad for probably the last time.

God is Good and miracles are around every corner!

This is my Dad and my stepmom, Carol.

This is a picture of me and my Nana. I probably won't see her again either because she's 88 or 89. I'm so glad I got the chance to see her again and to laugh with her!

So besides the goodbye's I had lots of extra benefits on my trip back home. My mom took me and 2 of my sisters to a Stamping Class and then out to lunch. We had fun and I learned a lot about stamping and I discovered watercolor pencils. I think I've found a new love!

Thanks Momma for a fun day!

I got to see all of my siblings except one.

Stacey, Mike and Danny are in the back and Robyn and I are next to Daddy.

I wish Cathy could have been there too, but she went back home the week before I did.

I got a new haircut from my cousin's daughter, Sarah. I haven't seen Sarah since she was a little girl and now she is a really fun young woman!

One of the most special parts of the trip, besides seeing Daddy, was getting to know my sister Robyn better. This is Robby and her oldest daughter, Jessica. I had so much fun with them and really connected with Robyn. We had long talks, shared secrets, had fun, drank a little and just had a really wonderful time being sisters and friends. I can't thank you enough Robyn for all you did for me during my stay and I miss you so much! I think we need to live closer together so we can have more fun.....or could that be a dangerous thing?!?!

and as an added and unexpected benefit....

I got to meet Aunt Pitty Pat and her little Pitty. Look at that cute raincoat that Pitty is wearing. It was nice to finally get to meet a fellow blogger....and to prove what a small world it is Aunt Pitty Pat and my niece Jessica's boyfriend, talk on the phone everyday for work.

Thanks everyone for making my trip back home such a wonderful experience and for creating so many memories with me!

Lovin' Being Home in Kansas!

While I'm in Kansas I'm staying with my sister Robyn and we are having so much fun together! It's nice spending time with her and her kids. My dad is in such good spirits and isn't ready to quit on life yet. He amazes me! Daddy is.....well, he's Daddy......and the best one I could ever ask for. He is so weak and fragile, but he does as much as he can for himself and is in good spirits. My stepmom, Carol, is so good to Daddy and I am thankful that she is here to take care of him and be such a wonderful friend and partner to him while he's going through stage of his life and preparing for death. I am so blessed to have my family!
..........and yes, Earl I do miss you and the kids and I'll be home soon! Love you!!!

I Clicked My Heels and Here I Am Back in Kansas!

I am in Kansas! Yay! I am so happy to be here for a week.....although the reason I came home in the first place isn't a happy one. My Dad's cancer has spread and he isn't doing well. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He's been in a lot of pain and is having radiation treatments to try to help with this, but there is nothing more that can be done for the actual cancer. I'm having a really hard time with all of this....my dad is a wonderful man and it's really hard to see him aging at such a fast pace and not feeling well. So anyway, please keep my dad in your thoughts make sure you tell your Dad that you love him!

Wow! Where Did the Time Go??

We have been moving the last couple of weeks and I have been really busy packing, unpacking, sorting, trashing and organizing. It snowed and rained while we were moving which made things fun.....and now our basement, that the landlord assured me wasn't a wet basement, has been flooded since Friday morning. I took a picture of the backyard which has essentially become a pond. The water is constantly seeping up into the basement floor. Oh well, thank God for plastic containers!

My washing machine also decided not to work when we moved it so we had to go get a new one. Not good timing, but a washer is definitely a necessity!

All in all I love the new house and can't wait for the water to dry up so we can see the yard and for the warm weather to get here so I can start planting flowers.

Here's hoping for dry weather for New York and some rain for Oklahoma!

Dressed for Winter

I am participating in Val's Enchanted Ornament Swap again this year and the theme this time was "Dressed for Winter". The first thought that I had was to make dresses for garland. So here are the 6 dresses that I made for my partner, Kerry.

then I made some Elf clothes for those little helpers

and then for the ornament part I crocheted some snowflakes

and put glitter on them with the stiffener.

This was a super fun swap!

Kerry I hope you like the stuff I made and the other goodies.

I really had fun making them all up!

Jace the Dinosaur Excavator

Last night Earl and I bought Jace this little Dig-It Dino's Excavation Kit at Cracker Barrel. It was $4.99 and Jace spent hours chiseling away at the egg.

Here's Jace getting started.

The kit comes with the egg, a hammer, chisel, a matt, brush and knife.

Everything a dino excavator needs.

Jace thinks all of the dust is pretty neat

Our sofa thought otherwise!

Jace finally got a hole in the egg.

This process took him about an hour.

This is getting exciting!
Jace can identify the Dinosaur now

but we have to be very careful with our chiseling

so we don't break the dino bones.

and Jace did it!

Now he has a plastic dinosaur skeleton.

Jace had to go dig through his box of dinosaurs until he found the one that matched the skeleton.

The inside of the egg had imprint of the bones in it which was pretty cool.

This morning Jace spent another hour or so chiseling the rest of the egg just for fun.

So all in all I think it was $4.99 well spent.

A few hours of entertainment, a little toy and a neat educational experience.

Just for Fun

Mallory and Earl went to a girl scout Sweetheart Dance last weekend.

Mallory and Ezie knocked this icicle off the side of the house.

I'm glad they didn't break the guttering off!

Lots of Love Goin' on Here!

I received this pretty package in the mail

from my friend Cathy.

and look what is inside

a cute Valentine sewing kit that Cathy made for me.

Thank you so much Cathy for your thoughtfullness and

for the time you put into making something special for me!

I am so touched!

and then I also received this beautiful card from Mallory and Jace

Mallory spent hours handstitching this card for me.

She also stitched the inside of it.

Thanks Mallory!

You did a really great job and your stitches are so nice and even.

I LOVE it!

I made Mallory this bag for toting her school stuff around

and then some matchbox ornies for my stepmom, bus drivers, teachers, and Ezie's girlfriend.



and then some extra ones for swaps and to have on hand.

Happy Valentines Day to Everyone and Thanks again

Cathy and Mallory for the special gifts you made for me!