A taste of Europe...

Hi friends! I've been furiously working on getting my tin decorated and in the mail for my Tin Swap and thought I'd share what I came up with...

I found this London clock knob at a local gift store and knew it would be terrific on my tin and that set the design of my project!
I carried the theme through on decorating the inside...

and I filled my tin with French inspired goodies...

I especially love the tiny little spoon!
I also made a few tiles with images to add in with Jim Holtz tiles, love them!

Now on to preparing for a little craft day with some friends and fellow bloggers I met at the Cowgirl Art Retreat. This should be fun!

Dreamin' by the Stream...

Look at my sweetie pie, Madison!

Here is the picture I alluded to with the rainbow...

I know it looks fake, but it's really not, it's just enhanced with my software for you to clearly see. I was pondering rainbows when I saw it. They're so elusive and mystical, aren't they? Some believe there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I don't believe it to be true myself.

I believe rainbows are a sign from God of His presence. When you look at a rainbow, they seem to be a ghostly image of a beautiful culmination of earthly powers and God's wish to share beauty with us and to grace us with promises of a better place.

I dedicate this rainbow of hope and the power of God's Love for us to Tina Wright as she faces some challenges at the moment. Tina discovered that she has cancer recently and needs our prayers and encouragement! She's also our fearless Cowgirl with the Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat and is so creative!

Prayers and blessings for a rainbow of love and hope for you, Tina!

Saved the best for last...

Hi Friends! I am home again from my week in Colorado, but I had to share a few more pictures from my trip, because I found the most gorgeous scenery on our last day there...




The waterfalls at Rifle State Park were just amazingly beautiful!
I couldn't get enough of them! And what was also wonderful is that they were EASY to get to, no hiking with Madison over rocky areas.... You could park and walk a few steps on flat land and you're there! Plus you can walk up steps to get BEHIND them and up a bit more to get views from the top!
I think my son Daniel really enjoyed the falls too... I don't get a lot of pictures of Daniel, he's camera shy (usually closes his eyes in pictures)...



I have more I'd love to share but they're all on my daughter's computer so maybe I can show a few more amazing shots with you tomorrow or Monday. There's one where the mist hitting the rocks on the side of the waterfall creates a rainbow! I captured it too in my picture, I really think you'd love it!
I'll close today with a sleepy Madison at the falls napping on my shoulder while I marvel at the beauty of God's nature before me....



Blessings!

Flyin' High for fun...

We were looking for fun and something baby friendly too and ended up in Glenwood Springs, CO at their Cavern Adventure Park. The "entrance" to the park was made by sky cart, which was really a blast. Great views...


The park sits atop the mountain and was fun for all of us, rides to pop you out over the edge of the cliffs, a roller coaster and bungee jumping and a cavern to tour...

Miss Madison threw a little baby fit and her Mommy had to skip the tour, but, oh, well, that's what happens when you have babies, right?
Miss Madison recovered though and had her first taste of lollipop sugar and then whimpered when she didn't get more!


She's SO cute! We left her today with her other Grammie and just the girls went to the Hot Springs Bath and Spa to enjoy some mineral waters.
"My" baby, Katie, had a run-in with her ice cream cone...



The waters were warm and the shopping relaxing... One more day, we're heading out for the waterfalls in Rifle and to a fishing lake to get some pretty pictures, and then home to reality.
Have a wonderful Friday, friends!

Sleepless in Colorado...

It's 3:45 a.m. and I just woke up and can't fall asleep again. The first thing I notice is that there's a cool breeze flowing through the window above my bed. Where am I? You know that feeling when you're away from home and when you first wake up you have no living idea where you're at? When you're from Texas, you know that you're NOT home if there's a cool breeze flowing through an open window, even if it is September! Ah, yes, I'm in Colorado on vacation and so I lie there trying to coax myself back into a dream state with the breeze as my guide.
Not working.
Might as well get up and blog and start thinking about coffee that's eight miles or so down the road from the resort....

Blink. What a cute name for a coffee shop. A few years ago when on vacation at the Outer Banks of North Carolina there was another coffee shop there, the Dancing Turtle. Loved that name too! You know you're a coffee addict if you get REALLY excited about finding a coffee shop while on vacation.
I'm thinking about today and what we will do. Colorado is gorgeous but not really baby friendly. There's lots of things you can't do with a five month old in Colorado, hike, bike (at least on a bike rental where there's no helmet and the straps just aren't secure enough) or ride the rapids. Yesterday we shopped in downtown Grand Junction and today we are considering going to a cavern in Glenwood Springs or to the Hot Springs. I'm hoping Madison can handle the running around. She's been a good girl all week really. Yesterday she was flirting with that sweet smile and blowing raspberries and baby spit at all the shopkeepers in town.
I think she likes the cooler temperatures here in Colorado.
I wish I could bottle up Fall that you can feel in the air here in Colorado and sneak it back in my suitcase to Texas, or at least a bit of the mountain breeze...
I hear movement in the kitchen, it's Madison's Mommy making coffee. It's now 5:50 a.m. and Madison too is ready to start her vacation day. Megan says that her husband Oliver said there was a bear outside last night. Maybe I shouldn't go to Blink until the sun comes up...

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God's Handiwork on display...

Hi, friends! This posting could be a posting on "Wordless Wednesday" as I could just fill the page with scene after scene of this...

And this...

I am in awe, that's all that I can say...
Today is also a special day for my daughter, Katie, it's her birthday, and from what I'm told it's her LAST important birthday, she's turning 21! Then it's downhill from there is what my children were talking about yesterday! What?! According to them the "big" birthdays are 13, 16, 18 and 21, marking becoming a "teen", sweet sixteen, and "adult" and old enough to drink, I suppose, at 21. Isn't it funny how your viewpoint changes as your age changes?! Here's Katie, jumping for joy at becoming "old enough to drink," ha, ha...


So today we're going to go river rafting! I'm hoping Suzie Button lives to share another post, ha, ha! Luckily too that Miss Madison's other Grandparents are along on our trip and they've agreed to watch Miss Madison while we raft! I couldn't close out my post this morning without a little picture of Miss Madison enjoying the view yesterday with her father overlooking the Grand Mesa...

Have a wonderful holiday today!
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Flyin' away on a jet plane...

Hi, Friends! I hope everyone had a great Friday! It was the type of Friday I really enjoy. I held the sweetie pie grandbaby, we met up with my girlfriends for lunch at a yummy restaurant, Blue Mesa, and then my daughter and I left sweetie pie with her Aunt Katie and went and had pedicures and manicures, and then took the baby to the mall and shopped a little bit and met my husband for dinner! Now, my Weight Watcher diet suffered today and next week also will be what they call at the Weight Watcher meetings as a "challenge" as we're going to Colorado for a week's vacation and it's hard to think constantly eat healthy, count your points!! I am going to try to balance it out with walking and just moving more since it is Colorado, right?!
This will be the baby's first airplane ride and we're all a bit anxious how she'll do, but it's always fun, even if she's fussy because she's just so DARNED CUTE! REALLY! Smiles...
I'm a bit bummed that my husband isn't coming and his ticket is actually wasted too! He works at a company that is in a tough period right now and he just can't leave. We're grateful though that he still has a job, and believe me, since I caption the news every day I know how many jobs have been lost for so many people. There's always another chance to go when things improve, right?!
I'm going to blog a bit if the internet works and I cannot wait to just see the beauty of Colorado! I've never been!
Have a great weekend, and I'll share some scenic pics later this next week and a few of sweetie pie too, I'm sure!

We're looking to create a Cupcake!

My sweetie pie granddaughter, Madison, will have her FIRST Halloween this year and so her Mommy Megan and I are wanting to make it fun for her and for us too!
We couldn't decide, should we go scary like a witch? Or maybe graceful like a Ballerina? I had found this pattern at the fabric store and thought maybe switch the witchy colors to a "Good Witch of the East" look, so I bought it...

My daughters voted for the fuzzy bear, but this is Texas, so I voted no, too hot plus she is only six months at Halloween and won't like her hands covered up, she likes to chew them too much!

But then a friend brought to my attention this Pottery Barn costume...

and I knew that's what Madison should be and her Mommy agrees! Unfortunately, the local stores didn't have it in stock, only online, as I wanted to just look it over to see how to make my own from scratch.
I sew as much as I can, which isn't a lot lately, but I'm really my best with a pattern.
Do you have any tips to share on how to successfully make this costume for a six month old baby who wears a 3-6 month size? I'd appreciate any tips or advice!
Happy Halloween Sewing, friends!

Bloom Where You're Planted!

So I purchased a set of Bloom soul-nourishing quotes from my favorite place, Starbucks, and I wanted to just close my eyes, pick one, and share it with you!
First though, I need a little cup of java, how 'bout you?

AHHH! That's just what I need to feel soul nourished!
But we've gotta smile too to enjoy the quote...

If Mr. Smiley Face here doesn't do the trick, I don't know what will! Anyways, let's get to the quote, right?!!
Here it is!!
Some People are too tired to give you a Smile.
Give them one of yours.
No one needs a smile so much as the one who
has no more to give
Unknown
That's SO true, isn't it?! So let's get out there AFTER we drink that Java and spread the LOVE, friends!
While thinking about my Bloom quotes, I came across another amazingly CRAFTY really CRAFTY blogger over at Just Me Again where she took these Bloom quote cards and turned them into ATC little masterpieces with her friends! Gosh, I am always floored just HOW creative people are! My daughter and I were just talking about all you unbelievable imaginative and crafty bloggers out there! I don't know how you do it! Anyways, I am planning a little crafty day with a few friends and fellow bloggers in September, my friend Gail and I are just starting to talk details, and I'm thinkin' wouldn't it be NEAT to send one quote out to each person in an invite to tranform into an ATV trade to bring for the crafty day?!! Oh, Yeah! SO GOING TO DO THIS!! Thanks, talented bloggers, for sharing so willingly your talents, I LOVE Blogging! Spread the Smiles today! Oh, please also look to your right, I found this neat feature that is an I.M./Twitter box and I have a question related to my post today, so please leave me a quick comment in it, it's easy, really! Love to all my friends!

Mr. Nutcase is on the loose!

Isn't he sweet? Isn't he pretty? YES!! Then WHY are you labeling him as a NUTCASE?!!

Well, sweet baby puppy Ollie here seems to have a rubberband loose in his little head! He gets ALL kinds of attention, Really! I work from home, my daughter and my granddaughter Madison are over too almost every day, my daughter Katie is here, Dad's home by 6 p.m. most nights, but he still seems to need more!I'm sure you know what a nutcase does when you turn your back, right?! He goes into the bathroom if the doors open, sniffs around to see if the lid is up or down (and oh, please, let it be flushed!) and he says a pool party! YEAH!! Or if there's no access there, let's pull on the toilet paper roll and make a little nest on the floor!
Oh, nutcase doesn't end there! He has DADDY LONG LEGS now! Can't you see those in the picture?! He can get more than you'd think off of tables and counters, not really as much food as your "stuff" like craft items, papers for school, and more! He loves to try to sneak into my craft room, I found a roll of tulle going from the drawer and through the hall and down the steps!
Oh, he's so bad if you don't give him lots and LOTS and LOTS of attention! I put him in his cage while I caption, I encourage the family to do it (not everyone complies with Mom) and yet he continues to be Mr. Nutcase!
And what does his "brother" Cody do while he's having a ball exploring and vandalizing? This!...

Cody's one to not get involved in being a rabble-rouser! Ollie's learned how to sit at command, even to leave it if you put a treat down and tell him to, but the mischievousness is out of control!

Any tips for poor wore out Suzie Button?

Being Inspired!

Hi, friends! I found ANOTHER wonderful website called InspireME and I thought you might enjoy it too! Here's a bit of "Inspiration" from their site!

Find more photos like this on inspireME