HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Off to trick or treat and then many hours of Ghost Hunters Live!!!!!

Have a great evening!

Stayed up too late last night..

Last evening I was working on some cards (and watching Ghost Hunters) and stayed up much too late! Here's my latest addition to my ATCs - she was worth it!


This is me before coffee this morning :-)

Today my daughter's preschool class visited the local pumpkin patch for corn maze, hay rides - the usual fall visit to a farm stuff. Oh yeah, and the pumpkins!!!

It was a MIGHTY cold morning here, at 9:30, when we arrived at the farm the temp was about 42 degrees. Needless to say, we soon lost feeling in our toes and fingers and couldn't wait to come home.

The Challenge

My ATC group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ATC_CONNECTION/) recently had a "Lucky 7 Challenge" where 7 people sign up, they received the exact same supplies for 4 cards. What a challenge it was. My first card wasn't so difficult, add a few pink flowers and glue down, done.

Card number 2 wasn't so easy. The supplies consisted of the beautiful background paper, a green plastic 'dome' thingy and the ladybug. I did the best I could. The scanner didn't like it much because the green thing was like 1/4" tall so that area is the only one that came through really clear.


For card #3, (again, not the best scan because of the embellishments) we were given the background, the lady, the butterfly and the button. The card worked, but by this time my brain was hurtin', I had made a VERY LARGE mess, and I didn't even want to look at what card number 4 had in store for me... it just got worse!



For card #4 we were given the background, the two charms and, would you believe, one of those plastic things that hold your bread rolls package shut. Not the "twisty tie" but the flat plastic thingy... what on earth can I do with this???? Well, as you can see (or NOT see) I decided to cover it, it's beneath the "Wild Wild West" on the card. You can see it if you look beneath the paper - it gives my 'sign' a bit of depth :-) The rules said we had to use all the items, not that you had to be able to actually see them! Hope that flies with JJ!!

The air is mighty brisk....

Today was a chilli and corn muffin day for sure! I wandered through Christmas-ville at my local WalMart today - just looking but couldn't pass up on some really cool tissue paper they have out this year and a couple of tins (for teacher's gifts). The cool air felt like snow and still does this evening. Oh yes, time for cold days a warm fire and baking cookies.. LOTS and LOTS of cookies!!

Yes, I know it's not even Halloween yet, but it's not my favorite "holiday". I can't wait for the colder days and then I feel the need to cook like crazy and make dozens and dozens of cookies (between 5 loads of laundry per day of course - housework must come first ya know). It is Christmas yet???


WOOLY BEARS!!!!!
Are these critters really an indication of the winter to come? Not sure but there sure are MANY of them here. The kids caught 80 this afternoon - yes, 80. This is about half of the pile - YUCK

Flea Market Finds

We had a really beautiful sunset yesterday (after it rained ALL day)


Today I felt the need to get out of the house for a bit - other than grocery shopping that is :-) We have a very large local outdoor flea market every weekend, so that was today's outing. We first hit a smaller indoor flea market where we found some old books for 10 cents each, perfect price for something that you're just going to rip the pages out of and use for ephemera. After spending a whopping $1.91 there, we headed to the outdoor market. I've been looking for an older, cheap dictionary, again for ephemera and found one today for even a better price - FREE! Yay! We also found a book of vintage postcards that had some really neat images in it so I went deep in my pocket for that for 50 cents. Well, I spent a whole buck today on my fun. Now it's time for a cup of coffee and email.

My not-so "Artsy" blog

While I still feel that I'm struggling with this whole blog thing, I must say that I'm loving posting something everyday.

I'm not as "artsy" as some of my other blogging friends but I love to dabble in all sorts of things that I see them doing. So to my "Artsy" friends that might venture over here at some point, don't laugh at my blog, just visit now and then and put up with me :-)))))

Today I want to post a photo of my Great Great Grandfather, Silas Kidwell. He has his truck all loaded with peaches for the local farmers market in Washington DC. I got this picture from my Great Uncle, Marshall Kidwell who I managed to track down while I was doing research on my Kidwell side of the family. Uncle Marshall has since passed away but I'll never forget him and the many bits of information that he shared with me that I never would have known had I not met with him.

Grandad Silas


Uncle Marshall


Another interesting note for today... I've been doing some research for one of my neighbors lately and while I've not found a connection yet, his family was from the same county as mine and so we're assuming at some point our tree branches will join together :-) I've already found a connection to his wife and my family (through an in-law) so it's only a matter of time!!!

Time for Halloween???

So I've delayed getting out the Halloween decorations this year. Not totally on purpose but more out of just "I don't feel like doing it today". Finally, I dug those two bins out of the basement and put some stuff out. Not really in the mood for the decorating thing but the kids like it, so what the heck. I'm sure they'll all be here to help me put it away in a week also (not). Our local store is already setting up their Christmas area - it's not even Halloween yet! Seems to me they do this earlier and earlier every year. I have to visit Christmas-ville every time I go to the store in case I missed something the prior trip - I just LOVE Christmas decorations!!!

Altered art of the day

My ATC friend Tabby posted some altered bamboo tiles on her blog today that I'm absolutely in love with, I immediately asked the good folks at skybluepink to add some tiles to my order which is due to ship early next week. Check out Tabby's tiles at her blog (crooked heart art) from my list. She does wonderful artwork, and is a FANTASTIC photographer - always breathtaking - everytime, AND she has a really cool sense of humor.

No more "woe is me"...

Okay, I sounded like eyeore in those last two posts - such a whiner!!!
Blogger's Note: they were so bad that I removed them!

Much better mood today and I'm done with the whining. Although no one is reading this blog, it does my mind good to write so I'll do it. I started this blog without any expectations, and I eventually wanted to share some of my art, genealogy and family history scrapbook on here but the journaling aspect really attracted me - sometimes I need to vent!

So, I mananged to keep the kitchen clean today (yay!) AND I even cleaned out a cabinet! Only 20 more to go but that's okay - one done is better than none done. All other projects were untouched due to the 5 loads of laundry that needed to be done.

I finally finished my 12 Days of Christmas ATCs, they need backs and labels and then they'll be on their way to JJ. Here's the card representing the 5th day of Christmas and below are a couple others that I completed recently. I'm not exactly what I would call "comfortable" with my art at this point but feel that I'm growing in it and really enjoy it... sometimes you gotta dance like no one is watching :-)


On my genealogy side, I've been anxiously awaiting word from the National Archives about the day that my Grandfather was wounded in WWII. He was an aerial gunner with the 94th Bomb Group stationed in Bury St. Edmund England.

My buddy Chris, who I've been communicating with since February about military history of the 94th Bomb Group (USAF) has fallen off my radar screen. I believe he's moving and he lives in England so I can't track him down right now.. Chris, if you're out there, I've got the documents from the Archives and I need some assistance please!!!!