Can you get too may links, pings, sites, and blogs to visit?

{image by Penny Black}

I don't know ..but I keep adding sites to my faves - and I don't even know what a "ping" is but I've joined several now.

I'm on Facebook, have photos on Picassa, Flickr, Snapfish, Picnik, BeFunky, Cozi and Shutterfly...I tweet on Twitter...and am on GoodReads..and videos on YouTube

And I wonder why I'm always tired??

I love my blog visits and blogging buddies - love my renewed interest in actually creating art - love the "junkin' " sites, the recipe ones, love watching instructional videos on YouTube. Love the Cute Overload animal site..Love finding even more links to other great blogs...

....with all this in my brain... I can't remember what I had for breakfast...

Go figure..

Even when I was a kid, I never wanted to miss a thing..and I'm still that way.

OK, so I'm heading for bed - and traveling in my dreams - which I do almost every night..

Wonder where I'm headed this time??

-me

Yes, indeedie-do..

I am getting older.

How do I know? You mean other than the obvious: Metamucil in my Mt. Dew.... Di-Gel in my Diet Coke....Maalox in my Majitos... Gaviscon in my gin... and Mylanta in my Margaritas??

My sisters.

Yep. Both are older than me..but they always have been..older. So why now is that the true measure of my fleeting youth? (fleeting, yeeah, more like running at warp speed..)



Because one older sister moved to Arivaca (near our brother, the Kindergarten Cowboy) and the other {older} sister is down from Lake Havasu for the week to help out..


( Hahaha..like "this is my brother Daryl and my other brother Daryl"..this is my older sister and my other older sister..and my brother Larry..)

Hmmm..sort of like the blind-leading-the-blind or on this case, the blond-leading-the-redhead.


One can't hear. The other can't see.

...hearing aid? "Oh nooooo. Not with these cute earrings!"

Glasses?? "Not on your life...beside, I only need them when I want to see.."

And, while neither one is completely technologically-challenged,

("Will my garage door remote turn on the TV too?" " You mean I can walk around the house and still talk on the portable phone? Really?")

..the two of them together is, well.... frightening.

And, one's a snappy dresser..

..while the other is a true cowgirl..


But they do have one thing in common...shopping.

Take today. Seems they found a thrift store in the next town over (they're 50 miles from any decent shopping and they find..."shopping"..in less than 5 miles...go figure)


Gerri, the sister that moved, didn't have an answering machine and her cell's reception is fuzzy at best (yes, she does have a cell phone..I think it's her 3rd or 4th - they keep getting.... lost)

The visiting sister, Kathy, actually said " CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW??" several times in our brief conversation on Gerri's cell.....

Until today. They found an old ATT phone, with SPEAKER and an answering machine built right in for $3.00. At the thrift store.

The only store. For miles.

And miles.

No instruction book, no tech-savvy kids around. They managed to get it hooked up and working!

Then they decided to "try it out" by calling me! (at work! ) and, with both of them on speaker-phone, talked to me..... simultaneously.


When Kathy couldn't think of a word or remember a name to tell me, I'd hear Gerri in the background telling her..then Kathy saying "HUH?? WHA--"

Then Gerri trying to read something to Kathy...Kathy's not hearing Gerri..me hearing all of it..then Kathy starts laughing and yells to Gerri (who, I assume is close in proximity to her, being the whole speaker-phone and all..)

"You have your shirt on...... INSIDE OUT! HAHAHAHAHAA!"

Then Gerri mumbling..."well, you have dirt on your face..I think..oh.wait...it may be blush.."

"WHAT?? WHA?? Oh, Gerri's saying something...I'd better go."

God bless 'em..

Kathy said if I visited, she'd come down from Lake Havasu and pick me up at the Tucson airport and we could drive down to Gerri's - stay in the "bunk house"...

Scenes of The Golden Girls flashed before my eyes...



Just shoot me now.

-me

PS - these are my "real" 2 sisters, the loves of my life:

Gerri & Molly (above) and Kathy & Owen

Hey, you know you're loved when you're....blog-fodder :-)

When I was a little girl...

..I didn't play much with Crayola Crayons. Not much. Maybe in school. But I remember how a new box smelled.

And when you opened the box, how they were all so pointy and perfect.



Then they came out with the double-decker box that seemed {to me anyway} to hold a gazillion colors.

But somehow, I don't remember actually using them that much.

{The PMS fairy}

Kinda the same way now with a lot of my craft supplies. I buy them. I love them. I smell them. {I know, I know, weird, huh?}

But I don't actually use them much.



I've tried to figure out why. Maybe it's the fear of scarcity. That if I use it, I won't have it anymore.

{Cher? Is that you??}

And what if I mess it up? Then I've wasted it. And it's...gone.

{Pfft...all gone..}

So a lot of "stuff" goes unused, but not un-loved.

And, seems I may be going into my second childhood, which is actually my first because I got married so young and had children that by the time they were kids, I wasn't anymore.

I missed it. I was too late for the party.



But not now. No, un-uh. Give me a pencil with a good eraser, a sketch pad, a few colored pencils and some down-time and I can go to town.


And am I enjoying it. Can't wait to cut up some of that pretty paper I've had all these years and USE it for dresses..and get out those hoarded ribbons and put them in their hair..

Maybe this too shall pass...but for now, I'm going to play with my colors, smell my eraser and feel the paper...and be a kid again..


nanaer, nanaer, na-naer {yes, my inner-child is a brat..}

What did you miss out on when you were a kid? Can you do it now?? So, what's keeping ya??

Go out there and play...I'll be waiting :-)

(no, I did not get a perm...yet..)
{just messin' with ya Mr. B.}

No, I'm not really getting a perm - I was teasing Mr. B (and Mr. B 2.0) - neither one of them like perms ..heehee)

-me

When I become an Angel..

... and am in Angel Training 101, I am going to take notes.

Lots of notes..

My instructors, whom I'm betting will turn out to be my Angels, unless of course they are quickly re-assigned, which I'd be really disappointed if they were ...just saying, O Heavenly Hosts.....

..because my Angels are brat-ish.

And I like that about them..

Take today for instance. While walking the pups past the park, a pine cone came crashing near us..like only 2 feet away ! And, it must have weighed, oh, like 2 ounces...well,with enough force, could have easily..like seriously..messed up my hair, you know??

Needless to say we were all 3 taken aback..

( I've always wanted to say "aback" - and now that I have, I think the only time you can use it is when your taken..aback. You don't say "I don't like this purse, I'm going to take it.. aback!" Or if you are returned from being taken aback are you just..back? Hmmm...)

So, when I looked up to see what errant squirrel had pitched {hurled is more like it} the pine cone, there was no one. No squirrel. No cat. No wind.

But what I did see was the beautiful mottled-colors of the tree trunk and how it's various layers of bark, part of what was off the tree, made it look like it was wearing a camouflage ..

..well, I guess they are "camo" in real life, you know, with the different shade and hues of green and all..

So, I'm thinking one of my Angels threw that pine cone at me so I wouldn't miss out.. on the walk..the experience of seeing the new day.. of being "in the moment"..

So I started looking for great little things. And I found them...a big bird (not Big Bird as in yellow and vertically advantaged..) but with really pretty rust colored feathers high up in the trees, maybe scoping out a place for a nest??



Yep, I wanna be one of those Angels.. like the "crazy Auntie" one.. the one who sometimes gets in bit of trouble.. the odd-ball.. the fun one, not sooo serious.



So, in my down times today I sketched a few Angels...sort of in the style of Kelly Rae, DJ Petit and Milande..

Whadda ya think? I need to get them on canvas, or fabric, or something. I want to learn the layering and collage thingies they do with them..



Thank your Angels, pay attention (there may be a test one day) and decide now what kind of Angel you'll be..

-me

Heaven has a new Angel..

To all of our blogging family..

Betty's (Joy in Our Lives) beautiful sister, Carol passed away last evening.

I ask that you send up prayers for her family as well as hugs to our wonderful friend, Betty.

It is healthy and honorable to weep at the loss of someone we love.

Healthy because such passion must be released.

Honorable because it is respectful to admit the importance of people who have loved and supported us...people whose footprints cannot ever be matched

- Maya Angelo

Love to Betty,

-me

Are you an image junkie??

BowHowdey, I am.

I have so many "things" saved to my computer I don't even know where to look for them..


I know I should be organized and I should save them to disc..but I am such a visual person (that's my unorganized excuse for.... "I will forget anything and everything unless it's in my sight constantly..")
So, I keep them in Picasa..and in Picasa albums..and on Flikr...and in Snapfish..Shutterfly..and anywhere I think I can set up free storage.

Oh, these are not just adorable photos of my grands..oh noooo..


These are images of fabrics, old tools, flowers, magazine houses, food, birds, crafting ideas..you name it. If it looks pretty, I'll save it.


Disclaimer: I won't , do not, and will never save any photos of "real" people. I mean, I have saved vintage images..but not "real-current-people"..



..except like when I'm referencing movies stars...or a Muppet, dogs, cats or TV characters.


OK, OK almost any animal.. at all ..even some cute bugs..yes there are cute bugs...like Lady Bugs.. and Rolly-Pollys..



Images of books, and pans, and drapes and bedspreads...




Containers, and letters, and Letters..



But show me a pretty picture of a garden, or a dream room, idea, or an art studio and it's in my "saved" file(s)

One would think my brain is too over-loaded..we'll, not the ones that know me so well..but you know what I mean..

..so much to see.. to remember.. image-overload..full to capacity..over-the-limit..

"Danger Will Robinson!"

Truth be told, I just want to see everything, to remember every moment, to smile and be visually pleased..

To "travel" by way of photo, to create by way of appreciation, to be where I have not been..I love it all.

So, yes, my computer may be bogged down, it may be slow, and I may have to put some on the CD's...but I want to surround my eyes with all the wonders of the world..

Ah yes, I am an image junkie...how about you??
No wonder my eyes have to close the curtains and rest..you never know where they'll travel to, what they'll see, and who they'll visit with, huh?

Goodnight eye-balls. I love you.

-me

Happy Birthday Jeff....no, you can't be...35!!??!?!

Our youngest son, Jeff is turning 35 on Monday. But with Monday being a "back to work day" we thought we'd celebrate it tonight.

Did you ever do that when your kids were little? Have their birthday party on the closest Saturday to the actual date?

We did.

They were always wondering how their birthday always fell on the weekend..how lucky was that??


This year, I thought I put out some fun older photos of Jeff..so the neighbors could see what he was like when he was little.


We had my fun dip with fresh strawberries, Brats (bratwurst) and Beans..chips, dips, salad and of course ..the "Jeff's Favorite" birthday cake..

This is Oliver - the chicken-charmer..

Me & Mr. B..

Brooks & Jenny (our darling next door neighbors and Mom and Dad to Braham and Oliver)

This is what happens when you give a little boy a digital camera and say.."You can take a few photos." "Oliver..Self-Portrait"

We didn't get candles, but Jenny remembered she has one each from the boys' past birthdays..when Braham was 5 and Oliver was 3 - Perfect!

Kinda goes along with the card Braxton & Lulu got Jeff..

This is Braham..the one who specializes in the "Chicken Dance"..

Smile for the camera! And to think, all they had was root beer..

Yes, his party theme was Elmo and the Sesame characters...hay, it's about all the Dollar Store had besides Strawberry Cupcake..

The "boys" go the special fun-foam hats...

Happy Birthday banner..oh and some great old plates and dish drainer I got thrifting today..

The happy couple - married 2 years this coming September..

I love leaving Scrabble messages..

..and of course my platter messages..


More "Early Jeff" on the fridge..

Braxton waited oh-so patiently for someone, anyone to drop a brat, or a hot dog or just about anything else..

Didn't happen.

Poor Pooch..

Well, that was our fun, rainy, exciting Saturday on Main Street, USA..

Happy Birthday Jeff, we Love you tonzzzz!

Dad & yo Mamma