Oh My

There comes a time in every Grandma's day that you just have to stop singing about everything.  Good night.

Halloween, 2013

I'm not dressing up this year, but I may spray my hair a different color tonight...maybe not.

There was this one Halloween, it's been a few years now...oh wait, *insert wavy flashback sequence here*

Back in the day when I was enjoying my life experience as being a single mom...I had WebTV, I was working as a lunch lady at the high school from 10:00 am until 1:00, at the Pro-Shop & was a waitress at the restaurant upstairs, as well as working in a convenience store starting at 5 am until 10:00 am.  The kids and I had a 3 BR apt. with woods in the back...tire swing in the back yard, life was about as good as we could have wished for, and we were so happy.

Another single mom moved into the duplex next door.  She put on a "Southern Belle" personality, you know, she thrived on being the dumb blond with her nails done.  We struck up a friendship, as single moms do.  I got her a job at the school, I got her a job at the country club...it worked well until she decided she wanted to take my place...so she got me fired from the country club, and tried to make a ruckus at school, but I had already found other employment to take the place of all the jobs I was working.

Anyway...*close flashback*

This was probably in 2003 or 4, cell phones were just coming out, and I had one through work.  I left it home when I took Young Son trick-r-treating.  When we came home, I saw that I had a couple calls from this former friend's ex-husband, which was odd because he had never called me before, despite what she thought..

The next morning, my former friend was found dead from a drug overdose.  It wasn't him calling me, it was her.  This still freaks me out, but I know if I was supposed to have been available to her, I would have been.
~~~
When my mother was a little girl, the family lived in North Missouri, Stanberry, to be exact.  Sweetheart owns some farm land up in that area.  One day, his farm business needed his attention, we took a little trip.

A few months before my mother was born, her older sister passed away from Diphtheria.  Being poor, she was buried in an unmarked grave.  While we were there on business, we thought we'd see if we could find the cemetery.  We drove down an old road, there was a cemetery on each side of the road.  We saw an older lady walking down the side, so we pulled  up next to her.

She turned to speak to us.  She was wearing a straw hat, and had the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.  I was looking into an ocean, clean and blue.  We asked her where Cooper's Cemetery was, she replied that she wasn't from around there, she'd only been there about 3 weeks.  Her smile, her eyes, we said thanks, and drove down the road to turn around, both of us saying, "What?"  "Did you see that?"

When we turned the car around, she was gone.  No homes around, just 2 cemeteries.  We knew for sure we'd spoken with an angel.

Have you ever had anything happen to you that you couldn't exactly explain?  I'd like to hear about it!

Play Nice!  xxoo

Welcome Fall

For the record, I adore Fall, but it makes me feel so trepadacious because of what comes next.  I do not like Winter.  It is too cold, the cold makes me hurt.  I appreciate having a garage, but do not enjoy the 50 yd. walk from my car to the Pro Shop.  And...there are no vents in the Ladies Room, so that room is always butt chilling in the cold months!

These are the views I am so happy to watch change day by day this time of year.  (Last year those two lakes were so empty, due to the drought...it's a blessing for them to be this full now.)

My SIL, Ben, has been here for the month of October.  At the moment they are in Mass., visiting family.  Of course, Baby D took right up where she left off with her daddy.

That is my little dog, Karma, on his lap. 

Critter wise, I have been working every day.  Well, I didn't on Friday.  *gs*  Handmade by Cosmo is where you can go see my latest.  I'm working on a custom order...see if I can give you a peek...  

This is a WIP...the mane is much fuller now, only just a little more to go.  

Every day I hear the news, and every day I feel so weary of it all...then I remember that I don't have to worry, that all I have to do is be the best person I can be every day, all day.  I will defend myself and mine, if if and when it comes to that, but until then, I'm going to remain peaceful, and calm in my heart and soul.  

That is why I love my "job."  I love the place, it feels like home.  I can work on my art, I get to cook for my friends, my sweetheart is there most of the time, we chit and chat and laugh, and for me it's a wonderful place to be.  

Today I am thankful for my heating pad, and for having a comfy bed, with comfy sheets.

Play Nice!  xxoo

Yes, Yes, I know.

It has been awhile.  My summer has been jam packed full of fun, adventure, some sadness, of course, there's always that to balance things out.

Having my girls here with me has been the absolutely perfect thing for me at the perfect time.  I have developed a strong bond with my g-daughter, and strengthened the bond that my daughter and I have.  She's an awesome mother, and I've learned so much from her.  I'm sure all the grandmothers out there will know exactly what I mean when all I can do is sigh.

My job at the Pro Shop has been awesome.  I've hosted a few tournaments, I've scored a bit of business for the club on my own, I have a card reader there now...finally I can take plastic instead of cash only.

The girls and I have done a bit of traveling over the summer, in Missouri, we haven't left the state.  We've been to Hermitage to a little family thing, we've been to Osceola for a funeral, we've been to Sturgeon for the 4th of July.  We've gone to the zoo, taken many shopping trips, and a couple of trips to a couple of emergency rooms, but all is well now.

My Young Son is out in the world.  I pray for him every day.

I've been working on some new/old Critters.  Here are a few I haven't listed yet...

Toying with names..."Comic Canine"  

Not sure I care for the circle under the eye, and you can't see it but it has the wrong tail on it...

Floral ???  Flora... I kinda like Flora.

This one is going to be Dream Something I think...

(oh look, someone needs ears *gs*)

If you have any ideas for names, please feel free to share.  

My Son-In-Law is home for a month on leave.  It was almost as if he hadn't been gone, thanks to modern technology, they were able to see each other every day.  It is good to have him here.  

So, I don't want to drag this out...can't catch it all up in one post, right?  

Play Nice!  xxoo

Doing what you like...

Critter wise, I have been lucky to have a few orders, and discovered a new (to me) marketing trick, working on this has been exciting.

Out of all my patterns, I am enjoying making the new horse.  I haven't sold any of them, yet, but I just ordered some real wool felt to put together a few Magical Rainbow Unicorns in the new pattern.  Because making these horses is what I like to do right now.

Palimino Pal

Little Joe

Pegasus

And now some random thoughts:

So, the "ladies" at the golf course planted some flowers last Spring, the Hibiscus I brought inside after the first frost, and it flourished.  I just put it back outside yesterday.  There is some kind of ferny plant in the same pot, and when I went to pull it out the door a prickle from the ferny plant got me.  Now where it got me is itching, and I remember the last time I got one of those prickles in the palm of my hand, it took forever to heal...and until I figured it out, I thought I was going to get a whole buncha moola coming my way, the way my palm was itching!

Two golfers that I am friends with are "at odds" with each other over a card game.  A .25 cent card game.  This makes me very uncomfortable, but it is not up to me to fix it.  They've been friends for years.  A person would think that two grown men could either talk it out or get over it, or duke it out.  I wish they'd do one of those things, just get back to normal (whatever that is)!

I have a date with my sweetheart tonight.  And a couple more hours here before,  Love my job. Really I do.

Later that same day.  

We (Sweetheart & I) went out to dinner, and our food was tasty.  He's watching some basketball game, I am waiting for a load of laundry to dry...such is the life of the goddess that is me, and I like doing what I do.

Play Nice!

xxoo

New Normal

My new normal...We have coffee with the girls in the mornings now.  We have dinner with the girls at the end of the day.  And one little girl is becoming very smitten with her Grandpa.

This is Otis, Delilah's Dog 

me (in the sweater), 

and Delightful Delilah (in the giraffe print) 

  

We've gotten more snow in the last month or so than we have in the last 2 years.  After the drought last year, it's got to be a blessing...and a good soaking rain to wash all this white stuff away would also be a blessing.  (so tired of snow.)  The weather for the rest of this week looks promising.  

I've been stitching and stuffing up a storm the last couple of weeks, finally starting to feel like myself after the February Flu kicked my you know what...and took some pics.

The first 3 were for a custom order, the bottom 2 are available in my shop.

This one is going to a Baby Shower

Easter Sunday afternoon, Delilah and I were peeking out the window, and I was whispering silly things in her ear, like, "I'd like to see a squirrel ride a bike past here," and she would laugh quietly, and sometimes she'd just turn and look at me with such a happy, joyful look, my heart melts.  I am so blessed to have my girls here.

Play Nice!  

xxoo

Cyber Friends

I have some pretty good ones.  Some I've had since 2004, from a blog site called Xanga.  Some I've made playing games on FB, or friends of friends that I hit it off with, some are family that I don't see very often...but the group I wanted to tell you about  today is a crafty bunch of ladies (and one man) that belong to a group called Artists Loft.

We really do care for each other, we check on each other, we advise, laugh, cry and celebrate together, all online.  And generous?  One of our girls is pregnant, she's getting gifts from everyone in the group.   There doesn't hardly a day go by that one of us is thanking one of them for something they've received.  We proudly share our latest creations for all to see, and to ooh and awww over.  We promote each other, we encourage each other, we're friends.

I was the lucky recipient of a couple of gifts this week.  Well, one gift was for Delightful Delilah, along with a Steamboat Willie tin for me from my friend, Sophia.

A very soft hat made from Alpaca.

A very cute dragonfly and a couple of flower embellish this thoughtful gift.

Check out Sophia's shop here.

My friend, Pam, gave me the BF discount on this custom scarflet.
Exactly what I wanted, in the colors I wanted, and I love it.

(Seriously cold blooded woman that I am, I'll wear this until May.)

You can take a look at Pam's shop here.

Pam and I have met in person, she actually came to see me at work one day.  It was a little out of her way, but she made the trip and I was very happy that she did.  It's nice having a cyber friend in the same locale, at least to commiserate about the weather with!  One of these days I'll tempt her with a greasy cheese burger, or another Reuben and she'll come out for another visit!  

On the Handmade by Cosmo side, I've been busy fixing up some new patterns.  I'm getting used to a "new normal" now that my girls are here, the weather's been so blizzardy, I've been hanging with them, getting to know my granddaughter, and getting to know my daughter as a mother.  She's a good one, I'm proud of her.   Soon I'll be back to working 6 days a week, and sewing Critters like crazy again.   So ready for Spring!  

Play Nice!

xxoo