Another One Bites the Dust...

I just got an email yesterday that The Scrapbook Village in Glasgow, KY is closing. Actually, it had a new name when it was sold a couple years ago. They had moved locations and downsized. I taught many classes there. Each January, we started off the new year with my organizational class. It was always a fun class with "students" driving all the way from Nashville, Louisville and Lexington.

Besides the physical store, Scrapbook Village hosted a couple of retreats every year at the state park. A few of my friends and I always enjoyed going---and having that time for uninterrupted scrapbooking. Now it's gone.

It saddens me that just about all of our scrapbook stores have closed. There are none in the greater Nashville area. Sadder still is the number of scrapbookers that are no longer scrapbooking. Every one invested a lot of money in this hobby---tools, pretty papers and every possible embellishment. They allocated prime real estate in their homes for their scrapbook rooms. I know. I helped set up so many of them. Now they are lonely, empty---collecting dust.

I started AYM ("A Year of Memories") nearly 8 years ago. It was the natural progression from my "Making the Most of My Memories"---4 week workshop. I wanted to prove that my system for organizing photos, memories and memorabilia was the best system out there. And I did. By year three, I had 39 members in 3 groups. As the stores closed, so did the interest. Slowly the 39 dwindled to the 10 I have left today. I still have a lot of stories to tell. I also know that for the current members in my group---this one layout a month is ALL they do. That's okay as they do have a completed album at the end of the year. Still, it's a lot of money and space tied up for something you do seldom. Even with that, several have not been able to put aside time this year to do even the one layout a month.

Somehow, scrapbooking has fallen by the wayside. I'm continuing to do my part---our stories are important. I believe that. I'm passionate about that. I want to remember the stories---and  more importantly---have my family remember them. What I wouldn't give to know more about my grandmother and great grandmother's lives---if only I'd have asked! I didn't. Now it's far too late. My grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to know me---what I loved, what I did, how I lived. It might not seem important now, because I'm here. But 50 years from now, I truly believe they will cherish this bit of family history.

I called The Sassy Scrapper in Murfreesboro, TN---about 50 minutes from here. They are still in business. Now that I think about it, I haven't taught a class there in years. At the very least,  I want to go before another one bites the dust. Are ya' with me?

Let's make a 2016 New Year's resolution: Tell More Stories!

Not Much to Report

I'm not usually without something to say. But there's not much to report these days. I'm still just laying low and recuperating.

Broken Ankle and Toe Update
It's been three weeks now since my little fall. The pain is starting to subside. I'm still taking ibuprofen---my doctor said it would hurt for a long time. Still, this seems like it was a far less injury than my surgery---which seems completely healed. I've been given the okay to put full pressure on that foot. Probably the biggest improvement I've seen is that I can take a shower more comfortably.

The black and blue is starting to disappear too.

I was on it a little too much over the weekend. I'm laying low this week. I did go to stitching on Tuesday and will play bridge today. But other than that, I'm taking it easy. My doctor said I'll be in the boots for another 4-6 weeks. That was a week ago. However you look at it, I'll be out of them by Christmas. I'm just trying to take advantage of this rest time. I'm accomplishing quite a lot---but have so much more on my list---just as soon as I'm up and about.

Stay tuned...

Wassup?

Working on finishing my Halloween stitching by Thanksgiving. Then I'll pick up a couple of Connie's Christmas projects to finish---because, uhhh, that's just what friends do!

Watching Bates Motel on Netflix---and lovin' it!!

Listening to Opera to Relax Radio on Pandora. I listen to music constantly and was getting a little tired of everything. I was even listening to the Disney channel. I decided on some old fashioned opera to get me in an Italian mood. When I put that in the search, up popped "Opera to Relax." It's "hipper" than regular opera---music of today in a classical format.

Trying to figure out when I can realistically go upstairs. I want to get the Christmas wrapping paper down to start eliminating some of these boxes of gifts. Heck, I'm sitting around anyway, might as well do some wrapping.

Preparing for an upcoming trip to the farm next week. What could be more fun than sitting around stitching? Sitting around stitching with my friends!

Loving that I'm finally caught up on magazines and thumbing through catalogs. Well, until the mail delivers 32 new catalogs today.It's that time of year.

Revisiting what I really want to do in the way of Christmas decorating this year. By the time I'm out of these boots, I'll already be two weeks in to the holiday season. Is it worth going all out for just another 3 weeks?

Continuing to work on my plan to really clean out and declutter this house. I think I'm over the moving bug---just the sheer scope of the work is enough. Do we need this big of a house? Not really. But we are still using the pool. Still, I'm going to attack each room as if we were planning to move. That way I can get rid of a lot of junk now. Plus, I have a ton of boxes to make it easy! If I don't, the girls are going to hate us!

Wanting to take over the grocery shopping. Can't wait for that! And, here, I always thought I hated grocery shopping. But when you are at the mercy of other people and realize you can't get exactly what you want, you realize you'd rather do it yourself. Sometimes, you don't even know what you want until you are there!

Laughing at my ridiculous situation. Surgery on one foot, then fall and break the other. Laughing about it is all I can do. It's still unbelievable to me!

Brainstorming my ideas for A Year of Memories, 2016.

Re-organizing all of my stitching fibers and consolidating them.

Enjoying this sitting around time and making the best of it. 

Catching up on blogs, scrapbook videos and other video clips I've been meaning to watch.

Drinking my morning pot of Earl Grey Supreme.

Thinking about classes I can find to take. I love learning new stuff.

Wearing capris---still. They are the only things that fit over the boots.

Eating frozen waffles---cooked in the microwave so they get soft---such a quick breakfast.

Thrilled that Butch is on the boards of both homeowners associations where we have our Florida condos. I'm so happy that he's actively watching out for our investment!

Excited for the holidays and the family time that brings. First stop---Thanksgiving in Charlotte! Can't wait!

Reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Actually, I just finished it. She can "tear me up" like no other author. I cry so hard---there's always something so gut-wrenching---and you are in the middle of it!

Feeling like these breaks are never going to heal. But I did have a fairly painless shower yesterday. 

Dreading an upcoming colonoscopy. Has it really been 10 years? Merry Christmas to me!

And that's wassup with me!

The Best Medicine....

...is having your daughter, granddaughters and sisters come in town to nurse you for the weekend!! 

Okay, they didn't exactly come in to town to take care of me. They came in town for Mindy's "Around the Clock"  shower on Saturday. 

It was such a great weekend. The shower was lovely. Mindy got so many nice gifts. 

As we were socializing, my sister, Jennifer made this observation:

"Young people's boots---old people's boots!" We all got a kick out of that.

This picture was taken before the girls left on Sunday. Unfortunately, we didn't get one while we all looked "cute" at the shower. That's what I get. I know better! I put Morgan and Victoria in charge of taking pictures. I got exactly 6---and none of them were really what I wanted.

We took this one before we left the house. I do not have a picture of Sandy and the girls either. Janet took quite a few, but she's technically challenged, so I will not be getting those. No pictures for a scrapbooker is a tragedy!!

This made me happy:

The flowers that Justin send me last week were still beautiful for the weekend. 

It went by in a flash. The only good thing is that in just a little over two weeks, we'll be with Sandy again for Thanksgiving. 

Yep, the holidays are upon us!! That will really be the best medicine!

It Never Fails

Why is it that whenever you are planning to have out-of-town company---that's when things break down! This past summer, the air conditioning went out twice on the day people were expected to arrive. Two different units, but still---what a pain. You cannot go without air conditioning in Tennessee. Another time it was the toilet.

Why would this time be any different? This morning, our trash compactor finally bit the dust. It's had a good run---twenty years to be exact. But it chose today to die! Sandy and girls arrive tomorrow night with three of my sisters arriving on Friday. They are all coming in for Mindy's shower on Saturday.

I love the trash compactor. When we put in our first one 25 years ago in our old house. I was going to have to give up much valued cabinet space to do it. But, I trusted Connie when she told me that she'd give up her dishwasher before she'd give up her compactor. I totally agree with her. I can't live without it.

I called A1 Appliance---where we buy all of our appliances and where we bought that Kitchenaid compactor twenty years ago. I was a bit shocked to learn what they cost now-a-days. Of course, there's a premium for white too. Most people want stainless. That's not for me---a bit too industrial for my taste. I have and love my white appliances. There's just something so clean and crisp about white.

Luckily, A1 was able to order it today and will deliver and install it on Friday. Definitely money well spent---and if I get another twenty years out of it, the price in insignificant.

On a happier note:

It's been a week and this arrangement from Justin is still going strong! It is so bright and beautiful---and fragrant. I just love it and so will the family!

That's Just What Friends Do...

...so here's the deal. About once a year---sometimes twice---Connie and I will pick a stitching project to do together. We used to have a couple other friends in our little group, but now it's just us. 

A few years ago, we chose this awesome Christmas project. Size-wise, the stitched part is about 6"x8"---not too big.

Since I try to remember to sign and date my needlework,  I'm realizing now that, it's been more than a few years. It's been 6 YEARS!!! 

Here's a close-up so you can see the detail a little better. Connie never finished hers. She kept saying it was because of the beading---which she doesn't like to do. The beading on this project is the gold star and holly leaves---all beads. Since I've been a stitching fool the last few weeks, I told her to give it to me and I'd do her beading. SIX years---Connie, it's time!

Here I am thinking that all she has left to do is the beading. It almost looks like she barely got the project started. By Sunday, I had finished EVERYTHING of my own that I had going---or at least was caught up with my class project and as far as I could go with my pumpkin/spider pillow---needing more supplies (of course). Since our next class isn't until Tuesday, that gives me a couple days with nothing to do---GASP! I cannot sit in front of the tv without a project. Plus, I'm not even 100% sure I'll be able to go to class on Tuesday. We'll see about that.

I decided to start on Connie's piece. This before picture above is AFTER I'd already done the beading on the gold star---and completely re-worked the red border. Upon the removal of another stitch---apparently Connie nipped the threads of the red border. I wasn't even going to tell her about that (sorry for throwing you under the bus, Connie, but it's part of the story!). I only had to re-do about half of that. Plus, it's a really fun stitch, so didn't take too long. 

Well, I spent 6.75 hours stitching it on Sunday AND loved it just as much as I did the first time. The reason we like these types of projects is that even if you don't like a particular stitch, you only have to do it for a bit---or, you can substitute another stitch. It's nearly finished---just the background and a few details that have to go in after the background stitch. I even did the little carrot nose---and got it right the first time. That's a sort of "guess" how much thread you need and see how it turns out. I think Connie will be able to power through it now.

I think that leaves Connie with finishing the snowman family to be caught up. Oh yeah, and the current little Halloween pudgy. And did I mention she has a few things that she hasn't started yet? Okay, if I'm being honest, I also have another canvas I haven't even started. 

I love our class projects because I also do well with assignments and deadlines. I'm just good with working within time frames. I'm methodical too. I'll start with #1 and go right through. No skipping around for me. I take it as it comes---never putting off the stuff I don't like or starting something else before finishing. I do usually start the background of a piece so I can do that as I go along. Oftentimes, it's the biggest part of the piece and can become tedious to do the same thing over and over. Who's with me on that?

I've always considered Connie to be the "faster" stitcher. But she's been reading more lately. We only have so much spare time. I'm sharing some of mine with her. That's just what friends do!

PS I'm so desperate for something to work on, I pulled these out. 

I made about a dozen of these ornaments five or more years ago for all my girls and grandchildren. Each one is a different color and set of stitches. It's only about 5" tall. Next holiday season, a few of my favorite people will be getting one! Because, uhhh, that's just what friends do!

Favorite Halloween Pictures---Updated!

We only had 9 trick-or-treaters this year. Actually, that's about 4 more than last year. At least the rain held off for them.

It was always about the candy for us when we were growing up. Anything for candy---hunting for soda bottles to get the 2 cent deposit---spending every cent of our allowance for the maximum candy benefit and walking miles, far and wide on Halloween. No matter how much candy we got, we ate it all within a couple of days.

I don't think candy is quite the "big" deal it once was. Kids now-a-days get more candy than when we were little. Still, I think they like dressing up and going out on Halloween. 

When my girls were growing up, I hated Halloween---or I should say---the pressure of costumes. I do not sew and am not particularly creative when it comes to costumes. My happiest days were when the girls were old enough to figure out their own costumes----AND when they took over dressing Mindy! One good advantage of a big age difference!

Here are my favorite costumes this year:

I love seeing photos of the little nieces and nephews on Facebook---that's what I look for there. This is Nathan "Spiderman!"

 And his big brother, Travis. That's the best pumpkin costume I think I've ever seen!

 I'm pretty surprised that Nathan kept that skull cap on.

Scarlett---she's growing up way too fast---as they all are! Just stop it!

Looks like she made quite a haul.

 Stephanie was stressed because everyone at work decided they needed to dress-up. Her team came up with the emoji idea. Perfect---and easy!

 Not exactly Halloween, but close enough. One of Nicky, Steph, Justin and Mindy's friends turned 40 and had a "Back to the Future" party. Justin had the best costume as Marty McFly---in the back.

 A very cute and "hip" Alice in Wonderland---Elizabeth.

 Nicky and Stephanie went to their friends annual costume party as a pair of rednecks. I don't really get it. Don't they always look like this?

 I'm pretty sure Steph wears this outfit to Walmart!

There's no guessing with this costume---it's "Mindy Mouse!"

 Little cupcake Evie!

And little cherry pie Josie! Couldn't you just eat them up??

Although this is no family dog---found the photo on Facebook---I thought it was so clever. My sister in Texas has a dog, Gus like this who has to "coned" regularly---or as Janice refers to it---the "cone of shame."

And this. I never knew. I think I'm going to do it next year and add it to my decorations. Plus, it looks like a fun activity. People make fun of candy corn, but I like it. Well, hey, it's candy! It's always about the candy!! 

Can't stress that enough!