±‡± The Gratitude Campaign ±‡±

I just learned about it tonight - so grab a tissue, click the link and watch the video...

This is moving - and needs much more spotlight! Feel free to snag it and put it on your blog!

♥ The Grititude Campaign ♥

~ Arte Y Pico ~

Tina / The Artful Life has humbled my heart by giving me the Arte Y Pico Award. Now, I’m not really sure how that title interprets, but I’m pretty sure it’s a good thing! :)

Rules for this award go something like this: (and if you can't adhere - it's ok... you STILL get the award!)

1)You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material and also contribution to the blogging community, not matter what language.
2)Each award has to have the name of the author and link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.
3)Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award.
4)The award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “arte y Pico” blog so everyone will know the origin to this award.

Thank you to Tina for touching my ♥!

Now, my awards go to:
Goob, Countryfolk Keepsakes - because she is always there for me
Kat, Katerpillars No More - because she can always touch my heart exactly when I need her to!
Blondie, Vintage Primitives - because she has such a gracious heart for me and a fervent love for the Lord
Janelle, Little Sisters Dolls - because she is NOT ASHAMED!
Patti, Winding Vine Wanderings - because as we have gotten to know each other a bit, I realize how much I admire her.

♥ Just wanted to share something ♥

There are times that I fall head over heels in love with a doll as I'm making them and I find myself not *really* wanting to part with them. Instead I (secretly) think about keeping them in my own little corner of the world.
And when you get an email from someone wanting to purchase that special creation that you've grown particularly fond of, you can only hope they will love the special one as much as you do.
Recently, I sold Zeb the Punkin Picker on the TDIPT Merc. I admit, I was thrilled when I read who had sent the request to purchase him - M is a repeat customer who has impressed me with both her honesty and sincerity.
I just got an email this morning from her and it touched me in such a way, I felt it was appropriate to share. It goes like this:

Zeb arrived in fine fashion this morning! He truly is wonderful and has taken up a spot on my outdoor coffee table saying something about all the potted flowers under the wrap around porch needed protecting from all the birds living in the prim birdhouses. I tried to assure him that the houses were not occupied and that he need not work until fall, however he was somewhat persistent and indicated he thought the job he was sent for started immediately and we all know you can't reason with a scarecrow!
Thank you so much Karen! Zeb is perfect!

Thank you M ... I know Zeb will have a full and fruitful life under your roof!

Meet Blair

This is my newest creation - soon to be listed on the Humble Arts marketplace.

I love everything about her ... from the tip of her old hat right down to her sweet boots :)

A weekend in Madison County

Originally, we had planned to go to Madison County, Iowa to check out the covered bridges but with all the flooding, we decided to head south to Eureka Springs.


We really did end up in Madison County - ARKANSAS and had such a great time touring the country roads -
I always enjoy the scenery and try to get shots as we are touring along.

We ran into some pretty intense storms on our way down, but when we hit the Arkansas border, it was smooth sailing for most of the weekend.


Somehow, I managed to get a shot of us in the mirror - eeek, what a sight!
This was some little spot we stopped at and it was so pretty with the stream.

Our cabin was secluded and quaint - little did I know, the owners feed the deer on a daily basis.
I didn't know that and as I was walking up for some supplies, ran into 2 deer - there was a 3rd that wanted to play a game of peek-a-boo and who can say No to that sweet face?

On our way out of town this morning, it looked like we were heading into some serious storms and we got hit with about 7 raindrops, but all of us were praying and God heard our pleas, because the sun popped out and it was sunshine all the way home!

A Lil Getaway to Arkansas

We took off early Friday morning - beating the rush hour traffic as we made our way south of Kansas City on our way to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. On the way, we stopped off and visited with Ona and Eliza. She is growing so much and her laugh is so infectious... you never want to stop loving on her! !Eliza did pretty good considering she had only been around us one time before and as she was sitting on Darrell's lap, she decided she wasnt quite sure what to think ... but after a little coaxing and playing with her, she decided everything was just fine She is the most precious baby I've ever seen - and if I could spend time with her and Ona every weekend, I would surely do it

What's on Your Cell Phone ?

Just a lil blast from the past ... one of the first posts I ever made on my Rolling River Prims blog and thought it was funny enough to share again:

This morning I started thinking about our interests in life - some years ago, my husband bought a motorcycle. I was dead-set against it and didn't hide the fact. I let him know that I wouldn't object to him buying one, but clearly stated in advance not to expect me being on the back of it too much. (( HA! )) Well, it's 2 motorcycles later and we've grown closer than ever (we've been married 28 yrs this coming weekend) and now we look forward to our getaways!
So that leads me to the title of this little excerpt - I bet you can guess what photo is stored on his cell phone, right ? uh huh....his newest "never enough chrome" Road King!
4 years ago, we rode to Yellowstone, then to Glacier Nat'l. Park in Montana and from there, to Jasper Park in Canada. We stopped at a beautiful little spot called Lake Louise, perfect for all us tourists to take gorgeous photos. My hubs said "I want a picture of my baby in front of this lake" and I proudly prominaded up to where the bike was sitting and struck a pose. He
s-l-o-w-l-y lowered the camera and in the sweetest voice he could muster, said "looks great, and after this shot I want one of just the bike, ok?"
You bet, sure Hun - anything for you! :)
Here we were last summer crusing over the Continental Divide -

Honor Among Knuckleheads

There is an unspoken code of honor among motorcycle riders - WAVING!
But it's not the madly flailing arm over your head kind of thing... but rather, a smoooooth "from the hip" type of salutation to others sporting 2 wheels. And it's not limited to makes of bikes sticking together like the HD to HD formula. We wave to everyone on the street and have found that it doesn't matter if you are on a crotch rocket, HD, Honda or any other type and style of bike... Bikers pretty much stick together on this and it's a beautiful thing.

Well... my Chey just gave me the lowdown on a similar code for Bug owners! We both are das bug-lovers, she has an awesome green one and I have a silver one. And this is what Chey spilled today:
If you drive a beetle you have to wave at other beetles passing by. And if it is the same color beetle, you have to let all inhibitions go and wave like you have never waved before. I hope by passing on this lil tidbit of info, it helps enlighten all of you other Bug owners out there!

The Grass is Always Greener...

Or so it seems....
I know the old saying doesn't really hold true, but Missouri does have some beautiful areas from the central to southern parts of the state.
A friend sent this to me - she took these photos of swamp land near Dexter, Missouri last weekend. I asked if I could post them - they are just too gorgeous NOT to share!

It's called Otter Slough (pronounced Slew) and I'm thinking a lil roadtrip is in order to experience this first-hand. Did you know Missouri not only has swamps, we grow cotton and rice too!

- Now, who'd a thunk the "Show Me State" was so diversified??

Ethel, Gitcher Clothes On!

My dad was one of the funniest fellas I ever knew - everyone that met him liked him instantly and knew they could count on him.
When he was trying to get the family out the door, he used to always say this to get a fire lit under us. :)

So - my "ethel" decided she was either going to get some clothes or get to run nekkie through the sprinkler.

I figured I needed to get busy...

I love this picture

One of my favorite photos of Darby and Cheyenne - anytime we are together, I know it's going to be an awesome day! :)

♥ A Productive Afternoon ♥

After church yesterday, we grabbed a quick bite and headed to the theatre for a showing of the new M.Night movie, "The Happening". I like his movies and I think Markie Mark is a great actor, but I have to say - I was sorely disappointed.
We came home and the skies were threatening to pour buckets at any given moment, so I figured it was a great time to head to the dungeon. I wasn't sure what I wanted to work on, but I just started cutting muslin when it hit me...
I had made a punkin last fall and had been using it for a pinkeep so I converted that effort into my first doll. I call it "Pick a Hand" because it reminds me of when we were kids and always tried to choose the hand that held the greatest surprise.

My next venture involved paperclay. I haven't worked with the clay in quite some time and forgot how much fun it can be.
I gotta tell ya though - I'm not too sure if this is going to be a little witch or a Santa Clause! It may just get covered in white hair and become St. Nick himself.

Stay tuned to that Bat channel ...

This Must Be What Heaven Smells Like!

seriously....

I have been walking on clouds lately with much much good fortune. My friend Dana Eskes of Moon Maiden Soaps & Sundries emailed me at the end of last week to say my name had been plucked from so many trying to win her fabulous Blog Giveaway. I have known for a very long time that this girl has Skills Extreme when you put her in front of a sewing machine but lo and behold - turn her loose with wax and oils and she becomes a lean, mean incredibly scented machine. So you can imagine how delighted I was to hear that I got to choose my flavor of candle, 2 soaps, a lip balm and body butter! Wow, trouble was, I could not pick one thing to rule out, so I ended up placing an order in addition to the gifts she was bestowing on me. You see, I have a neice that I'm quite fond of and she has very similar tastes to mine, so I knew she would be digging herself some Moon Maiden goodes too! And this way, I thought I could smell both candles and decide what I'm keeping and what I'm giving to Cheyenne. There is just one problem... I love it all!

Dana - thank you so very very much! You have such a generous and giving spirit and I wish you great great success with the new business. To anyone reading this, I urge you to go check out her Etsy store ... and believe me when I promise - you will NOT be sorry!!! I know for a fact I will be hitting the Etsy store again very very soon!
Aaaaaah, Avino - you must experience the ecstasy!

You Talking to ME ?

I just thought this was the cutest dang picture of Eliza and wanted to share it for no other reason than a giggle.

Isn't she precious?

Eliza makes my heart happy too!

~ Bird on a Wire ~

Last Friday, I got home from work to see that my hubs had trimmed up my lilac trees. They looked great, so I was more than a little puzzled why he was obviously upset. Apparently, there was a nest with 2 Mockingbird babies in one of the Lilac Trees and he unknowingly jostled the nest and the babies fell out. Once he told me about it, I found them hiding for safety in the shade and it was then, I realized there were several adults flying and divebombing all around where the nest was - they were seriously distraught!
I went into the house and put on a pair of gloves and came out to rescue them and make everything right again. I managed to gently pick them up and set them back in the nest and as I walked away, feeling quite accomplished, hubs stops me in my tracks with "THEY JUST JUMPED OUT AGAIN!!"
What??? Are they crazy psycho birds? I had just tucked them back in bed but they had tasted sweet freedom and now wanted no part of that crib! I tried to get them back in the nest again, but they weren't having any part of it.
I know the course of nature has to run it's course but I sure didnt want anything to happen to the babies. (I remember seeing another nest last year and there was a hawk keeping a very close eye on the babies, so I was really worried about these lil guys.) I searched all over but couldn't find them - and to tell you the truth, I have no idea what I would have done with them if I did find them. I resigned myself to the fact that mother was watching out for them and went to work putting in bedding plants and spreading mulch in the garden, all the while being scolded and heckled by Mother and 4 or 5 of her Mockingbird family. And then I turned on the sprinkler and what came scurrying out behind the tall flowers but one of the babies that had been hiding out. When he spotted me, he went running off wings flapping and little legs running through the tall grass.
Hallelujah!! He was scared, but he looked healthy for a lil sprite - and hid out between the posts in the fence! As I went to sleep that night, I heard the adults still out in the back crying out warnings to anyone who dared come close to the babies.
Well, the weekend played out and the adults have been monitoring the backyard like they own it and I just assumed they still have kin hunkered down but today I went out to take some photos and guess who should peek his lil head up? Can you see him? Yup... baby is getting bigger and looks stronger to me. I hope they are both safe and well out in the safety of the tall flowers - oh, and my new flowers? I planted one named "Jerry Garcia" and I saw blooms already today - the way I figure it, anything named after that guy has to be awesome!

Karen DeGreve... Come On Down!

Now I know what all those screaming people are feeling when they hear the announcer on "The Price Is Right" saying COME ON DOWN!! I thought I was going to have kittens right on the spot... seriously!

My sweet friend Kat of Katerpillars No More sent me an email saying that my name had been drawn as a winner of one of her many adorable gifts she was giving away.
I was so excited but wanted to wait and be able to post pictures of the lil sweet-sweet when I made the announcement on my blog. So, after a long and grueling day at the office, I came home to see this package on the kitchen bar! CHA - CHING - immediate smile when I see it's from Miss Kat. She sent me some of the cutest things but I just fell in love with my angel. This is her taking a lil gander outside, but trust me - she wont be spending much time outside! I've already found the perfect place for her above my computer, and will post a pic later tonight.

Thank you Kat - you are the sweetest !

Zeb, the Punkin Man

Been working on my newest creation, soon to hit the TDIPT Mercantile on June 15th -
Zeb is a man with a plan who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty :)

He makes my heart happy :)

~ What Phenomenal Photography ~

Last Tuesday, lightning struck a tanker filled with 2 million gallons of unleaded fuel, igniting it instantly. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported, but with the current price of gas, it was a helpless feeling watching that fire take more than 3 days to burn itself out. (more of the story) This photo was sent to me last night and I thought it was just too amazing not to share!

♥♥ Summers on Woodbine Road ♥♥

Growing up, we didn't have alot of money to go on family vacations. We would make the 600 mile trek every blue moon to visit relatives in Colorado, or drive the 5 hours down to south Missouri for a trip to Silver Dollar City and a few times, we went waterskiing at Grand Lake in Oklahoma.

What I remember the most about every summer is playing outside.

We lived outside of the city limits, what we considered "country". We had an acre of land next to our house where all the kids came to play. Lining the back and side yards were apple trees, a cherry and peach tree and evergreens that towered as high as the house.
My summers were always spent outside... from the moment we woke, had breakfast and were dismissed by mom, we played baseball, football, kickball, tetherball, dodgeball and of course hide and go seek (especially at dusk). When we got hungry, we would climb the apple trees and eat till we were full. There was a septic system that claimed the very back end of the acreage and I hated when one of the bigger boys smacked the ball back there - if you were playing outfield and you missed the ball, you were responsible for retrieving it... ooey gooey and garter snakes galore. It was a nasty job and one I didnt take to kindly, so I usually tried to claim an infield position.
There were 3 girls in the neighborhood - 2 of which were tomboys, and my brothers would never tolerate me crying to mom or not being able to hang like them - so it toughened me up in alot of ways.
We also had a picket fence that lined the driveway and my middle brother and I walked that fence so much - we were trapeze artists on the high wire, linemen repairing the lines, birds walking the roofs of houses and anything else that would come to mind as we walked that impervious railing. Independence Day was a HUGE event at our house and we had real roman candles and fountains and black cat firecrackers. There were 2 large trees in the front yard that we nailed spinners to every 4th of july and lit them to watch it spin at a rate of 1000 rpm!
Life was perfect and good. We never worried about kidnappings, murder, rape, a child NOT being safe in his own neighborhood - no matter how far they strayed. Mom was always a hollar away, dad was always the hero who protected me and disciplined the boys for picking on me and I was the perfect angel who never did anything wrong....
(ok, everything was true up till the angel bit :) )


oh yeah... and our big treat was getting to go to the city swimming pool. Mom would drop us off at 1pm when it opened and come back to pick us up at 9pm. We would spend the day double dog daring each other to dive off the high dive or play fetch, tossing anything we could find to the bottom of the pool (the smaller the better) and would always be worn slick, waterlogged and starving because the hotdogs and Big Hunks taffey from the snack bar never filled us up from swimming all day.

~Best Daddy and Cutest Baby Contest~

I got an email this morning talking about a contest that my George Wayne and Eliza have been entered in on Parents.Com by mama.
Some of you have heard about Georgie - he grew up next door to us and from the moment he moved into our neighborhood, he moved into our hearts and became the son my hubs and I never had. He lived at our home more than his own - going home long enough to check in and eat - and then skipping out the back door to come over and eat again at our house and hang out all day and night.
George has the BEST laugh - and it's easy for him to break out in one and get me laughing too! He will always be like our son and you can imagine my relief when he was delivered home safely in God's hands after his first and second tour of Iraq. But a little over a month ago, we learned he is going back a 3rd time - and will be right in the middle of the mess, taking up the cross and standing tall as chaplains assistant. The photo above was taken on the day he was leaving for his tour.
I wasn't there... we had come back home and this was a time for him and his wife and baby to say goodbyes. Not an easy task - no matter how you slice it.
But I know God is faithful and I believe He has a reason for sending George back over ... and I trust He will deliver him back home in 400 days safe and sound and ready & raring to erase every trace of the absent times with his family.

By Golly, I think She's gonna make it!

Seems our lil girl is as persistent as I am - even with every obstacle popping up in the way. :)

~ whew ~

She'll be making an appearance on Ebay later this evening.