Happy Haloween

Happy Halloween Everyone! I just had to share my granddaughter's, Sarah, costume with you.

She wanted to be a pokemon for Halloween but after searching every store, there were not Pokemon costumes. So I decided to make her one.

Well I took a pumpkin pattern and made it with pink fabric and stuffed it with tulle, then added the embellishments to it. I don't even know which Pokemon this is.LOL But she was thrilled with it.

Then while trick or treating, everyone was telling her that they loved her costume. One lady stopped her and asked her where in the world did she find it. She went on to say that it must have cost a fortune. Well Sarah's face lit up and she replied, "no my Gram made it" with pride. The lady told her she would never have dreamed it was homemade because it looked just like something you would buy in a store. So Sarah was beaming and I have to admit, I was a little proud myself. Here's pics of the pink Pokemon. Until next time...

Swat Partners Sent

Well I finally got everyone's swap partner sent out. If for some reason you did not get your information, please let me know so I can resend it.
I was asked if there was a size requirement and I just want to let everyone know that I didn't set a size requirement because I trust everyone to send something they would love to receive. Sometimes smaller is better. Sometimes larger is better. Just use your instincts on what size you would like to make. Just remember if you are making ornies or bowl fillers, please send 3 or 4.
I just want this Christmas swap to be fun. The surprise of Christmas and not knowing what you will get until you open it is what makes Christmas so special. Let's all have fun and give our swap partner a surprise that will light up their eyes just like a child.
I would like for everyone to get a confirmation of delivery for their package in case it gets lost in the mail so we can trace it. Thanks for joining in on my Christmas swap! Have fun!!!! Until next time...

A Christmas Giveaway

Head over to www.irishcorkiesprimitives.blogspot.com for a great giveaway. She is giving some lucky winner some adorable Christmas blocks. Until next time...

Thank You

I want to thank each and everyone of you for all the kind and heart felt messages that you have written to help me through this difficult time. Thank you especially for all the prayers. They have helped me and my family through this. Having friends at a time like this is more special than words can relate.
We buried Buster Tuesday and it was a very difficult thing to do. Although I know that he is better off and his body and mind are whole again, I would still love to have him here with me. I know that it is selfish to think this way but it's hard to let go of someone you have known and loved all your life. I know that I will have the memories and the knowledge of his love for me and maybe some day that will be enough.
I am sorry that I did not get the swap names posted and emailed out Monday as promised but I will have them emailed to each of you tomorrow (Wed.) Thanks for understanding. God bless each and everyone of you. Until next time...

I Need Your Prayers

My heart is breaking today. My brother, Buster died yesterday morning.
Buster was my friend. He was two years older than me and we had this bond because of the closeness of our age. My entire family was very close and even though we grew up and went our separate ways, we have always been there for each other. Now Buster won't be here anymore.
All my brothers spoiled me rotten because I was the only girl. But Buster spoiled me in his own way. Now I will never have him to spoil me that way again.
Buster was always the good child in our family. Then they sent him to Vietnam and he was never the same.
Not only did he live with the gruesome everyday life that he spent there, he came home to a country that shamed and dishonered him and the other boys that fought with him. I will never understand how the people in this country can condemn men and women for anything that happens in a war. War is ugly! But we send young men to do an adult job and then blame them if they don't do it the way we want it done. No one can ever know what they would do under the stress of war unless you have walked in each and every one of those soldiers shoes. Yes mistakes are made but we do not have the right to judge what happens in a situation that we have never been faced with. I hope and pray that we open our eyes and honor all soldiers in and out of war and accept their mistakes as just that, a mistake. When we make a mistake, we expect everyone to forgive us but when a soldier makes a mistake under stress that cannot be imagined, we want to persecute and prosecute them. I only ask that our soldiers be given the same treatment that we expect for ourselves.
I need your prayers for me and my entire family during the next several days to give us the strength to get through this.
I know that Buster is better off. I know that he is with God. I know that he doesn't have to suffer the nightmares that have haunted him for many, many years. But I love him and I miss him and right now I would just like to see him one more time. I love and miss you Buster.

Blog Giveaway

Go over and check out mommab's blog. While there, enter to win her great craft giveaway. She has some neat items in it. http://www.mommabsfrontporch.blogspot.com/ Until next time...

There's another great blog giveaway at http://www.touchofsunshine.blogspot.com/ Go over and check it out. She's drawing two different names! Until next time...

I just found a new blog. http://www.whitesheepprimitive.blogspot/ Go over and check it out and while you are there, enter her neat giveaway for a too cute mouse in a shoe. Until next time...

Great Giveaway

Hi, if you love fabric (and what crafter doesn't), go over to www.pumpkinpatchprimitivequiltshoppe.blogspot.com and enter her great giveaway. She is giving away 27 fat quarters to some lucky person!! So go on over and check out her blog and enter for her giveaway. Until next time...

A Surprise Christmas Swap

It's time for a Christmas Swap! So I thought how fun would it be to have a surprise Christmas swap. Here's how it works. I will give each person a swap partner. Those two people can exchange emails to give each other 3 of their favorite items for Christmas or if they like prim or not prim. Then that person picks one of those items to make for their partner and mails it to them. It will be a surprise to see which they get.
This can include santas, snowmen, wreaths, Christmas trees, stitcheries, stars or anything else that has to do with Christmas. You can choose ornies, door hangers, bowl fillers, sitters, etc. You can get ideas on what your partner's favorite colors for Christmas are and anything else you think you need to make this a one of a kind Christmas swap. If you decide to do ornies or bowl fillers, please make at least 3 for your partner.
All that I ask is that your item be homemade and something that you would like to receive yourself, not just something thrown together.
Anyone iterested in joining in the fun email me at valerie999@comcast.net with your name, address and email address before this Sat. Oct. 24. I will give you your partner's name on Mon. Oct. 26. Packages are to be mailed by Nov. 16. That gives you 3 weeks to make your swap partner's gift and get it in the mail so that we will get them in time to display for Christmas.
This is going to be so much fun. I love the mystery of Christmas and I hope you do too. If there is anything I haven't thought of, just drop me a line and let me know. Until next time...

OH MY GOSH! Look what I got

OH MY GOSH! I just received my swap package from Cindy at Thimbleprims Studio today and I just stood there when I opened it saying OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!

She sponsored a Raggedy Ann swap and since I love Raggedies, I was only too eager to enter this swap. And I was lucky enough to get her as my partner. We had talked about the kind of dolls we both wanted and I told her that I would love to have a small prim Raggedy in brown and blue to put in my newly decorated living room. And oh my gosh! This doll is perfect! I just picked her up and hugged her when I got her out of the box. Just look at that adorable little face and the little teddy bears and toys on her dress. And her hair is georgeous! You can't see it, but she has put a little bow in her hair to match her dress.

She also sent me some neat green fabric with candy corn and some flannel fabric with fall pumpkins, squash, squirrels and acorns on it. It is so cute. Then there was Raggedy Ann note pad, a Raggedy postcard, address book, the sweetest Raggedy card and two patterns. I don't know why they don't sell Raggedy Ann merchandise in this area but they just don't. For some reason the north has all the great prim craft shops, prim fabrics and Raggedy products. I am so thankful for all the prim sisters that I have that share this merchandise with me.

THANK YOU SO MUCH Cindy!!! I absolutely LOVE everything.

I am just so ashamed that mine wasn't ready to put in the mail at the same time she mailed hers. My unexpected vacation, that I really needed, has put me so far behind. But yours is in the mail tomorrow Cindy. I just hope you like yours half as much as I love mine.

Here's the pics. Just look at how the fabric matches chocolate and blue! Until next time...

Laura Kay's Vacation

Sarah(my granddaughter) has loved horses ever since she was big enough to say horse.LOL So while on fall break, Laura Kay, Brittany, Sarah and a few friends went to the Outer Banks Island in NC. This is an island that has one way in and one way out and is a wild horse refuge.

While there, they went on a tour in a jeep to see the wild horses. Well the mares were in a dispute with the male horse and would not do what he wanted. So Laura Kay thought watching them was amazing and decided to film them on her camcord. So she is standing a distance from the jeep, running her camcord and the male horse decided to charge the mares to make them do what he wanted. The mares decided to run in the opposite direction at a very high speed, right toward the jeep.

So the tour guide tells everyone they need to get in the jeep now. So Laura Kay starts hobbling back to the jeep and the tour guide says to get in the jeep NOW! LK turns around and the mares are stampeding right toward her and she can't move fast because of bad knees! She said she stood there saying, "help, help" in a small frightened voice. And then the horses just turned and ran in another direction.

Well i told her that's why you don't put yourself in situations where you have to move fast when you can't.LOL

But they had a wonderful time and Sarah loved it.

They also went to the beach and LK found me a georgeous piece of driftwood. While she was trying to get it early in the morning, crabs were jumping all around her. This was just not her trip.LOL

But here are the goodies they brought me. LK brought the driftwood and lighthouse wind chime because she knows I love windchimes. Brittany brought me this cool sign. (Grandpa is the old crab)LOL I can't wait to hang them both on my porch. Until next time...

Rusty Thimble Giveaway

Rusty Thimble is having a great giveaway to be announced on Halloween. Go on over, check out her blog and enter her giveaway. www.therustythimble.blogspot.com Until next time...

I'm Back

Well I am back from vacation and I had a BLAST! This was a last minute, non planned getaway and something that I really needed. I was so stressed out that my darling husband just took me away from it all. And we had a blast.

We had no plans on where we wanted to go, just west. We went through Arkansas and wound up in Missouri. All Chester wanted to see was the great Arkansas mountain peaks only to find out there aren't any (or at least that we could find).lol I finally asked a tourist guide station where we had to go to see the Arkansas mountains and she told me we were in them. When I explained that we wanted to see the peaks, she informed me there aren't any. Well the Arkansas peaks aren't any larger than the Smoky Mountains in our own back yard.LOL

But we did stop at a lot of antique shops and I can't wait to show you what I got. Out of all of it, the butter mold and the tea towels are my favorite. Sarah and I are going to learn to make butter.LOLOLOL The tea towels are the ones with all the different pics in them. It is so cool. And the butter mold has a design on the bottom.

And I have lots of pictures from the trip that I will post as soon as I figure out how I posted the photo bucket thingy. I'll have to look it up again.

But I have to tell you this one. If you read my earlier post, you know Sarah was concerned what they were going to eat while I was gone. Well we got back late Wed. night and I cooked a big pot of chicken and dumplins on Thurs. night(which is Sarah's favorite food". When Sarah walked in the door, she said "Gram, Daniel and me almost starved to death while you were gone." And when Laura Kay informed her that she cooked every night, Sarah informed her, "Yeah, sloppy joes. All you had to do was put the meat in the pan and pour a can over it. You don't cook like Gram does". LOL Laura told her that I also fix sloppy joes sometimes but what she doesn't realize is that I also fix fried potatoes and mac & cheese with it. That poor baby ate almost 4 bowls of chicken and dumplins.LOL

So here are the pics of my goodies and I will post the vacation pics within the next 2 days. Ignore the cup and salt shaker. Until next time...

Great Giveaway

Head over to http://www.oodlekadoodleprimitives.blogspot.com/ and enter her great giveaway.

There is another great giveaway at www.cinnamonberrylane.blogspot.com She is giving an awesome Santa. Go over and check her blog out and enter her giveaway. Until next time...

I Just Have to Tell You

Well before I head to Arkansas I just have to share this funny with you.
We went out to supper with my family tonight since I won't be here Sunday to cook the usual Sunday dinner and my 8 year old granddaughter, Sarah, looked up at me and said, "Gram what are we going to eat if you leave". So I told her that her mother, my daughter, would have to cook (who I might add doesn't cook).
Sarah looked up at her mom and then looked back at me and said, "Gram do you have any recipes that I can cook"? How funny is that?
It hasn't been but about a month since my 11 year old grandson, Daniel, told me he was worried. When I asked why, he asked me if I died, who was going to feed them. Well Laura Kay, my daughter, cracked up laughing. And now she is trying to blackmail me with it. Just read her post.
I bet by now you can tell my grandkids are spoiled rotten. When they come to my house, no matter what we are eating, I make sure I fix their favorites. I don't think their Mom does that.LOL Until next time...

Woo Hoo Going on Vacation

Well, Chester announced that we are going on vacation. So tomorrow morning we are heading out to Arkansas. We have been south and north but never west. So this will be an new experience.
So since I don't have a laptop, I will not be on for a few days. But I will take lots of pictures to share when I get back. Until next time...