The perfect day!

I hope you all had a beautiful memorial day! The boys had so much fun playing outside all day, and to top it all off, Nicholas finally lost his first tooth! 

Summer Weekends are for....

Planting!

The flowers are blooming!!! 

I love this time of year! Warm nights, hot days, and lots of yard work!

We spent this last weekend fixing up the yard, seems like each spring we do another new project, I figure this way I will be ready for the Grad party I will be having Spring of 2013! 

We Planted our Garden! Lots of good veggies and herbs!

Zach did such a good job getting the corn in neat little rows!

I tended to my perennial garden, can't wait for this baby to be in full bloom! 

Can you smell the apple blossoms?

This is the front of the house, you can't see it from here but in the middle of the 2 shrubs on the right is a hydrangea tree, it will have green flowers! I cannot wait for it to bloom!

These are the new gardens we planted this year, my chairs worked perfectly in the middle! When the sun hits those tall shrubs, the leaves are bright red! 

Luckily for me, my mom owns a greenhouse, otherwise my yard would not look like this! If you live near Duluth be sure to go see her, you will not be disappointed! Suzies Greenhouse, Normanna Rd.

And how do I really know it is summer? Because this is where we always begin & end our weekends...

At the race tracks, both of my brother race stock cars. Both are so much fun to watch! 

So what do you do on your summer weekends?? 

Did you see it???

'Grey's Anatomy' ends season with a bang (SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't watched yet, read no further.) Well, that was shocking. We've been through a lot of crises on ABC'sGrey's Anatomy — many of them exaggerated to TV supersize — but we've never been through anything quite as nerve-racking or draining as the show's two-hour season finale. A crazed, grief-deranged widower, Mr. Clark, who blamed Derek for the death of his wife, stalked the halls, shooting surgeons while he hunted — and then shot — Derek. It was melodrama to be sure, but it was very well-done melodrama: a stalker movie where you actually cared about the victims. Written by creator Shonda Rhimes, the episode did an excellent job of building and sustaining tension, from the first unexpectedly sudden murder (a fast bullet in the head of a rude doctor) to the confrontations with Alex (shot) and Bailey (spared), to the shooting of Derek and Owen. And all this on the day Meredith discovered she was pregnant. And suffered a miscarriage. OK, the shooter might have been on the loose a little longer than made sense, and once he was shot, it might have been nice if he just died. But his Jason-like resilience did lead to a few cool second-half surprises: the cops shooting Clark before he could shoot Lexie, Clark showing up to terrorize Arizona and Callie, and best of all, popping up in the operating room with a gun to Cristina's head, threatening Meredith and shooting Owen. It was a tough hour, by the way, for lead characters. Over on CBS' CSI, Langston was stabbed by the Dick and Jane killer and left for dead. Unfortunately for Langston, he doesn't have Cristina Yang to come to his rescue, as she did on Grey's by operating on Derek. The finale boasted fine work from all of the show's regulars, including from the always wonderful Chandra Wilson and the sometimes unfairly undervalued Ellen Pompeo. But it was a particularly good episode for Sandra Oh, capping what has been a very good season. Was it done in big strokes and with bold, bright red emotional colors? Sure; that's the show. Grey's has always loved grand gestures. You like them or you don't; the only real question is whether the show pulls them off or it doesn't. This year, it did.

Well, that was shocking.

We've been through a lot of crises on ABC'sGrey's Anatomy — many of them exaggerated to TV supersize — but we've never been through anything quite as nerve-racking or draining as the show's two-hour season finale. A crazed, grief-deranged widower, Mr. Clark, who blamed Derek for the death of his wife, stalked the halls, shooting surgeons while he hunted — and then shot — Derek.

It was melodrama to be sure, but it was very well-done melodrama: a stalker movie where you actually cared about the victims. Written by creator Shonda Rhimes, the episode did an excellent job of building and sustaining tension, from the first unexpectedly sudden murder (a fast bullet in the head of a rude doctor) to the confrontations with Alex (shot) and Bailey (spared), to the shooting of Derek and Owen.

And all this on the day Meredith discovered she was pregnant. And suffered a miscarriage.

OK, the shooter might have been on the loose a little longer than made sense, and once he was shot, it might have been nice if he just died. But his Jason-like resilience did lead to a few cool second-half surprises: the cops shooting Clark before he could shoot Lexie, Clark showing up to terrorize Arizona and Callie, and best of all, popping up in the operating room with a gun to Cristina's head, threatening Meredith and shooting Owen.

It was a tough hour, by the way, for lead characters. Over on CBS' CSI, Langston was stabbed by the Dick and Jane killer and left for dead.

Unfortunately for Langston, he doesn't have Cristina Yang to come to his rescue, as she did on Grey's by operating on Derek. The finale boasted fine work from all of the show's regulars, including from the always wonderful Chandra Wilson and the sometimes unfairly undervalued Ellen Pompeo. But it was a particularly good episode for Sandra Oh, capping what has been a very good season.

Was it done in big strokes and with bold, bright red emotional colors? Sure; that's the show. Grey's has always loved grand gestures. You like them or you don't; the only real question is whether the show pulls them off or it doesn't.

This year, it did.




WHat an episode huh?? I thought it was great, how about you? 

Grommets anyone?

So over the weekend I began designing a new purse pattern. Tonight I was finally able to put it together, I added something new to this one, grommets! It still has the magnetic snap, and zippered inside pocket. 

I chose a really fun line from Moda, I just love everything they put out!!! Their fabrics are to die for! 

So what do you think? It is about 10 wide by 12 deep, the handles are 24inches long. 

Ideas? Suggestions? Would you buy this purse? I love your feedback, so let me know! 

It's time to loose it!

Since I have had 2 surgery's this year, it is really no surprise to me that I have put on a little excess weight, 12 lbs of it to be exact, and I know, that is not much, but when you are only 5ft tall, 12 lbs really starts to show. None of my clothes fit right and I am not happy with how I look in most of them. I also know if I don't do something now, it will really get away from me and be even harder to loose.

So today is day 1, eating better and excercise. I went to sams and stocked up on healthy foods, and went for a bike ride tonight after work. It's a start, and I know each day will get a little bit easier! No more chips and top the tator while I sit & watch TV in the evening!

I will miss you top the tator...

Are you here for the party?

It's time to celebrate! Donna, my amazing blogging friend has hit 2000 followers and she is throwing a party, and I am so excited to be a part of it! I have 2 giveaways for you to chose from! First up, my first official purse design, this is the Pockets and Posies Purse. 

This bag was the first one I designed from start to finish, it even has a zippered pocket inside. 

You might be the lucky winner, don't forget to sign up for the drawing over at Funky Junk Interiors! 

Not a purse gal? Well then I have 2nd option for you! 

Here is one of my original burlap tote designs. This bag is fully lined and great for an everyday tote or a re-useable shopping bag. 

This one is 2 sided too. Front is above, back side below. 

Now be sure to head back over to Funky Junk, and be sure to let Donna know which one you would like if you are the lucky winner! 

Just in case you don't win, be sure to stop by my Online Store, I have just listed several of my handmade purses, so then you at least have the option to buy! Thanks for coming by! Good luck! 

A must have

Now you all know that I love photography, especially nature photos. I take a ton of them, and I don't think I do too bad. But yesterday I saw the most amazing nature photos ever. I was at a craft show, and my booth was next to his, so I got to stare at his work all day. it was stunning, it looked like paintings, not photos, almost 3 dimensional. There were many that I would love to have, however, they are printed on canvas, and they were a bit out of my price range. It wasn't until the end of the day when he was packing up that this one print caught my eye, he didn't have it out, no room on his display. I knew I had to have it. This photo does not do it justice, the yellow flowers look like they are coming right out of the print. 

I bought it having no idea where I would put it, until I walked in my front door. The photo in my entry way was a tree with a fence covered in snow, and I love it, but this would be perfect especially for spring and summer, although I can't imagine taking it down even in winter. So I go to work re-arranging things in my entry way. 

I added little touches of yellow throughout the decor I already had. I worked out perfectly! 

This is my newest scentsy bought, also bought yesterday, before the impulse buy of the photo. But it matches perfectly! Can you smell the new cucumber lime scentsy bar melting in that pot! 

This is what you now see when you walk in my front door! So now go check out Ryan Tischer Photography, you will never see anything like it!

Tiptoe through the tulips?? NOT TODAY!

So yesterday was sunny and in the upper 50's. We have even had a few days in the 60's and 70's this spring. The grass is green and really needs to be mowed, all the trees have bright green  buds & leaves on them, the daffodils and tulips are all in bloom, and then today this happened! 

And it is still snowing! It has been snowing all day, and now that it is evening and it is getting cooler, it is beginning to accumulate! It looks like a blizzard in November outside!

I know we have been spoiled this spring, but really, is this necessary? 

Last weekend I planted my perennial garden & hauled out all my summer yard decorations. 

Did I jinx us? 

Somedays I think mother nature is really out to get us! 

Don't die little pansy, it is supposed to be nice out again tomorrow! 

The reveal

So here she is, my first official handmade purse designed by ME! That's right, the pattern is all my own, I have had a few ideas floating around in my head on what I wanted to make, and I have made some other purses patterns that I have purchased, which is fine, but I wanted my own design to do with as I please, no copyright laws to worry about! I Think I finally figure it out. I put pen to paper and started sketching. I had make a few adjustments, but I think I have it down now!  

There are 2 pockets on the outside, and a zippered inside pocket. It also has a magnetic snap at the top for easy opening and closing. The flower on the front is a pin, and can be removed. 

So what do you think? I am now trying to come up with a name. The only thing I have come up with so far is Pockets and Posies, any other ideas out there?? I want the name to be one that when you hear it, you know the bag must be adorable! I know all of you wonderful ladies must have some ideas for me!

Now keep your eyes on the look out in blog land. Do you know Miss Donna? She's funky, she's junky, and will be having a 2000 follower event very soon, and guess what, you can win this bag! I will be giving away the one with the flower pin, so be sure to watch Funky Junk Interiors this week for more details on how to win! 

Here are the other 2 that I have made so far. I will be busy sewing them the rest of the week to get ready for my craft show coming up on Saturday, after that is done, you can find them in my Etsy shop!