Prayers Needed!

My sister, Stacey, started having some hearing loss a few months ago and after getting it checked out found out that she has an acoustic neuroma (benign brain tumor).  Stacey is having the tumor removed today.  The surgery is a 6-10 hour process and she will probably have some balance issues afterwards along with a long recovery period. 

Please keep Stacey in your thoughts and prayers. 

Send lots of positive thoughts to her!

I know she will appreciate it and I definitely will!

Thanks!!!

If you would like to read more about acoustic neuroma, check out this site: http://www.anausa.org/ .

Making Rag Rugs

I've been making rag rugs lately.  There fun and inexpensive to make.  Earl and I have been going to thrift stores and buying old sheets.  I bring them home, wash and dry them, make slits in the fabric and then we rip the sheets into strips for me to crochet.  Earl and the kids have been a huge help with the ripping of the sheets.

Ezie and Mallory are helping with their own technique of ripping.

I guess you have to make it fun!

and hey, whatever works and they're getting along is fine with me!

and here are some of my end results....





I think they're turning out really pretty!  It's been a fun way to be creative and recycle, reuse and go green!

My Mallory Turned 11!

Mallory turned 11 last week.

Our neighbor gave her a certificate for her birthday to drive his red tractor around his backyard.

Mallory was so excited and nervous,

but she did a great job and had fun!

 Mallory with Bill our neighbor

and Jace riding the little tractor around the yard.

He has his mouth opened because he's showing Bill that he

lost his first tooth.

My babies are growing up way to fast.  Mallory and Ezie will both be in Middle School this year and Jace starts Kindergarten.  Earl got his job back at the bus garage and I am going to go full force into my sewing and crocheting business now that I am home by myself all day.

I did tell Jace that I need a "Pillow Pet" to snuggle with while I take my nap since he won't be home to be my snugglebuddy. 

I sure will miss my baby!

although Jace says,

 "I'm not a baby Mom!  I'm big now"

sniff....sniff

little tears in my eyes

What I Received From the Brown Paper Bag Swap

Sorry I know I'm a late posting this, but I left the charger to my camera in Maine and was waiting for it to get mailed back to me.  Now if I could just get all the beach sand out of it so it won't be tempermental.

I received this gorgeous and super creative art piece from Ellen. 

\

Ellen came up with a wonderful idea....I would have never thought of doing this in a million years.  Check out the people sitting under the tree.  So cute!!  Ellen you did an amazing job and I really want to thank you for participating in the Brown Paper Bag Swap and for being my partner.

My Brown Paper Bag Projects for this Year

This year for the 4th Annual Brown Paper Bag Swap I came up with something I really liked and really last minute.  I always have great ideas, but never seem to come up with the one I want to send or am happy with until after the mail out date.  Strange.....I know....but it is just the way my brain functions.

Any therapist out there with an answer to my problem???

 I made some eggs by covering plastic Easter Eggs in brown paper bag strips and then painting them.

I used a deli style plastic bowl for the nest and covered it in brown paper bag strips first and then added some ????, I can't think of what you call that stuff.

Brain Fart!!!!

I also made my partners a matchbox ornament. 

I covered the box with brown paper bag and then added a paper rose to it.

 I also made each of my partners 4 cards out of brown paper bags.

I made the owl out of brown bags and then embellished with printed paper and colored pencils.

and then I made the envelopes for the cards out of brown bags and lined them with printed paper.



I'll post the beautiful piece I got from Ellen tomorrow.

FlowerFairies and LadyBugs

I thought I'd share a few of the things I've made over the last couple of months.  I've kept really busy making things and it has actually been nice.  The computer is so addictive.

 I made these little Flower Fairy dresses for my friend Melinda.

They are made of paper and embellished with all kinds of goodies.

 I also made a couple of Flower Fairy matchbox ornaments for Melinda.

 and a Flower Fairy Ornament out of flowers, a bottle cap and a photo.

 I bought this little Lady Bug basket at the thrift store.

  It was all green and kind of plain,

so.........

 I spray painted it black and added some ribbon.  I think it looks much better now! 

A very quick and easy transformation of a simple thrift store item. 

 I hope Jill liked it!

I also made Jill some Lady Bug cards and a couple of matchbox ornaments and I crocheted her a tawashi.

I've got so many other pretty things that I made and received to share. 

Till tomorrow......

I Have Internet Service Again, Whoo-Hoo!

We have our internet service back again!!  I'm so excited to get back to see what everyone's doing and share my stuff with all of you.  I have so many things to post, buy I'm going to start with my flower garden "stump" and our front porch.

 This is two of my grandsons, T.J. and Jordan in front of our house at Easter.  Although the boys are cute, the porch and the yard left a lot to be desired.

 This is the "stump" that I planned on planting flowers all around to kind of hide it.

 Here is the stump after digging through the roots for a couple of days.  I know several of my neighbors were really wondering what the heck I was doing.  All I had to say is "just wait and imagine".

Here is the stump in May after adding a few plants and some gravel.  My neighbors are still shaking their heads and saying "Okay???" 

 Here is my stump now. 

The photo really doesn't do it justice.  Earl and I added rock gravel and then we got some river rocks to border the bed.  I'm still going to decorate it up with fairies and a door.  It is still a work in progress.

We extended the flower bed out some more in the front and on the side of the house.

 This is the top of our front porch.  Earl and I both really enjoy sitting on the front porch to drink our coffee and I love to sit out there and read and crochet.  The porch was kinda "rough" looking though.

 Now the top of the porch is painted white and looks so much better.  It's still a little rough, but the white really brightens it up and makes it look finished.

I LOVE it!!

 Then the floor of the porch got a paint job too.  One side is the before porch and the other with the beginning of it's new green makeover.  Such an improvement! 

Here is our finished porch.

It is so nice to sit out there and not have the crappiest looking porch on the block.

another view with my Jace enjoying some cool water on a hot day.

Thank you Earl, Ezie, Mallory and Jace for helping me with such a big project and for getting it all done before my mom and sisiters came for a visit.

Oh yeah, my neighbors seem to be very happy about the paint job on the porch and now they even like my flower bed. 

Imagine that!

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.