A couple more sets of pages today. When I was making this book, I was also making a second copy to give to my sister as a surprise. I made a few changes to her copy so that it be a little more special. In her book the witch on the right hand page has my sister’s face.

Yesterday I learned something very important about puppies. When they roll around in, tunnel through, and eat compost, they are kind of stinky! Happy, but very stinky.

While surfing the web I came across a magnificent bracelet at Novelties & Illuminations. A very talented crafter with great imagination saw new life in some vintage cupcake picks. From the moment I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to get my hands on some vintage picks and make my own bracelet. I don’t normally wear much jewelry so I’m a bit surprised that this funky chunky one had such a strong pull on me.

After a bit of looking around, I found enough old picks for 2 bracelets and I invited my dear friend, Billie, to come and make one with me. I suggested that we add some custom beads between the picks, and Billie suggested we use the letters to spell out Halloween.

I think it is safe to say that Billie and I work well together.

Can you believe it is more than a week into October already? I finally got out my box of Halloween decorations today. Mr. Bear is decked out in his ghost costume and ready for Trick or Treaters. By tonight I will have all my decorations placed inside the house where I can enjoy their brief visit, made briefer by my delay in decorating. I have a somewhat good excuse for the delay, I’ve been busy working on a Halloween book. I’ve been collecting images of vintage Halloween items for a long time. This year I decided to put some of them to good use by making a little book. I’ve been having a blast working on this. There are a few more pages to go and then I’ll show you the entire book.  For now, here is a sneak peak:

The pups are growing and becoming more adorable each day.

We’ve decided that they aren’t a Chihuahua mix after all. Now we think they are a Rat Terrier mix. If it weren’t from Batman’s wiry hair they would look just like many of the pure bred Rat Terriers that we’ve seen online. The behavior descriptions of  Rat Terriers fit them to a T as well.

I’ve been crafting lately and enjoying it quite a bit. I’m at least half way done with my chip bag purse now. Yesterday I made two Spirit Dolls for Kim and Karen, my main source of chip bags. They had given me the most beautiful beaded ornament for Christmas and in my disorganized state I hadn’t even managed to get a card made for them. The dolls were partly a thank you and mostly an extension of friendship.

Yesterday was also my first time back at physical therapy. It felt great to be working again and I was happy to see the guys again. The best part was that they were happy to see me and one of the cute young fellows even told me that e had missed me. If all that wasn’t good enough – we discovered that with my torn meniscus, I can no longer do the Monster Walks due to a sharp pain in the back of the knee. What a shame – not! LOL Squats were still doable so I’m stuck with them. We didn’t try the leg presses yet.

Last night was our monthly Bunko night, held at Karen’s home.  We have a wonderful group and I really enjoyed visiting with all the ladies. It was a very good end to a very good day.

Tonight is my art group and I’ll be showing the gang how to make the Spirit Dolls. This will be fun and I’ll take pictures to share with you tomorrow.

Recliner Man was able to catch a ride on the corporate shuttle and come home for the weekend. Today The Boy came over and we all went to Floridino’s Pizza & Pasta for lunch. Floridino’s is our favorite place to go for calzones. When I was getting out of the car I looked down and saw a tube of Burt’s Bees and a recipe card on the ground. On closer inspection I discovered it was a recipe for Zuppa Toscana that sounds good.

ZUPPA TOSCANA

16 oz smoked sausage

2 potatoes – in 1/4″ slices

3/4 c. chopped onion

6 slices bacon

1-1/2 tsp garlic

2 c. kale, shredded

2 Tbs. chicken soup base

1 qt water

1/3 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven – 300 degree. Bake sausage links 25 min. (cut in half lengthwise, slice in 1/2″ slices.) Place onion and bacon slices in lg. saucepan. Cook over med. heat. Remove bacon – crumble, set aside. Add garlic to onions. Cook 1 min. Add soup base, water, potatoes – simmer 15 min. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer 4 min. Serve.

I’ve scheduled my knee surgery for Friday, February 18th. My dear friend, Billie, and her main squeeze, Larry, will take me to and from surgery and then babysit me until my son gets home from work that evening. The Boy will be on hand all weekend to help me out.

One more thing on my check list crossed off. I even finished a few things that hadn’t made it onto the list yet. It’s been a good, orderly week. That’s a good thing because Recliner Man’s surprise visit home has already gotten in the way of some other plans for the time. I had meant to sped a good chunk of today working on my chip bag purse.  I’ll reshuffle my plans a hopefully still find a bit of time tonight. That project is one that I keep setting aside in favor of other activities and it is well past time that it be done.

Let me just make one thing clear – Physical Therapists are miracle workers.

I had my first therapy session on Monday afternoon. During the initial evaluation I told the doctor that I was really happy because I’d been able to lift my foot about an inch off the floor that morning. After weeks of not being able to lift it this felt like a huge accomplishment. I also told him that I felt like I’d had to keep my knee straight for so long due to the inner knee pain, that my muscles had just forgotten how to work. After poking and prodding he told me the goal would be to strengthen the muscles enough to support the damaged knee and hopefully avoid the need for surgery. This was sounding good so far.

They hooked me up to electrodes and and turned on the juice. My knee tingled while I sat back and relaxed. Next they gave it an ultrasound treatment. After this it was time for some exercises. I was impressed that I was able to bend, stretch, and pull the leg well enough to complete all the moves . The next day my knee was feeling great and I could lift my knee all the way up. Forget about getting the foot an inch off the ground, I was doing some high stepping! I am totally amazed that they could accomplish so much so quickly. I don’t know what I’m paying for all of this, but I know it is worth every penny to me. Now that the muscles are working again I need to keep working to build up strength. It is work that I am taking great pleasure in because it is just so good to be walking without a cane or pain again.

As for that video I shared… Can it really be 36 years since this came out and I bought it on a 45? Music has changed a little bit since those days, no?

We’ve been getting more than our normal share of Monsoon rain this year. I think we’ve had 4 good downpours in the last 2 weeks. Normally when the Monsoons roll through we only get a few drops here while all the surrounding areas take the brunt of the storms. It’s been a nice change of pace.

This weekend we have had the added bonus of cooler temperatures so today Recliner Man and I did a little bit of work in the back yard. Cooler temps here just means that it didn’t break 100, so after a bit of work we just  sat and enjoyed the nice breeze. Of course all this cooler air and rain has dropped the pool temp a bit and it is just slightly below my comfort zone. I don’t think summer if going to give up that early so I’m sure I’ll be back in it in a few days.

I’ve been a real slacker on the birthday posts this year. I never got around to posting pictures for The Boy and this past Monday I let Princess Shannon’s big day go by without a post. It’s kind of funny that she didn’t call me up and ask where her embarrassing photos were. Hmmm…  Yesterday was my 53rd birthday. The Boy took me out for lunch and Recliner Man took me out for dinner. At the end of all that eating we swung by Krispy Kreme and picked up a free dozen doughnuts. I never knew that they give you free doughnuts on your birthday. Billie told me about it when I saw her the day before. Yay for Billie!

I got up early today to go yard sailing.

*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*

That was the sound of my family and friends hitting the ground after fainting, because I said I got up early. Let’s give them a second to compose themselves…

Yes, it is true. I got up early and was out the door by 7:30am. Even at that time I wasn’t the early bird who gets the choicest worm at the sale. Around here the sales start at 7am and usually wrap up by noon. I don’t know if it was my timing, the caravan of professional shoppers, or just the luck of today’s offerings, but I didn’t come home with much.

Speaking of the professional shoppers… I am amazed by how many of them there are. They roll up in their small moving vans, giant catering trucks, and over sized trailers. They will be packed to the brim with bicycles, appliances, furniture, and knick knacks. And they will be grabbing even more. They hustle through the scene like they are the only ones there and ask the price of every item, regardless of if it has been tagged with a price or not. A lot of them either can’t, or pretend they can’t, speak English and it can be amusing to watch the seller trying to negotiate a deal with them. Today I watched an elderly man trying to explain the value of surround sound to someone who didn’t speak English. Let me just say that if he were playing charades, and the phrase was “Flight of the Seagulls”, he would win instantly!

I went to about 8 or 9 sales and the only thing I came home with was a half dozen lemons. They were grown in the seller’s back yard and are HUGE! At 3 for a dollar, I think I got a good deal. I also think I need to convince The Boy to plant a lemon tree in his yard. I could trade him some of my Clementines for his lemons. Sounds good to me.

It actually hasn’t been all that bad with splinted thumbs. Every day I get better at using my fingers and finding ways to do what my thumbs use to do for me. I’m already two weeks into this little adventure and I’m quite sure I’ll make it out the other side still smiling. After all, I still have my thumbs.

The colored tape arrived so I can now alternate between beige, teal, hot pink, and neon green. When I placed the order green wasn’t an option so it was a nice surprize to open the box and see that it had been sent as a replacement for the purple.

I’ve been working on cleaning up the craft table. It was mostly piles of paper and small items that I could deal with, even without thumbs. Now that I have some space I’m itching to sit down and play. I just need to figure out something that won’t get my splints all messy and doesn’t call for a lot of cutting. I’m not very good with scissors right now.

Thanks for all the comments and well wishes. Each one has brought a smile to me.

The kids have headed back to their home in Illinois and our lives here in Arizona are getting back to normal. Abbey is happy to roam freely about the house without running into another cat around every corner, although she still is very careful about passing by the open door to the guest room. I’m happy that I don’t have to keep her closed in a bedroom or stay on alert to where the various cats are, but I’m missing my girl and her husband.

Before they left my daughter and I had time for one more craft project. She made this Butterfly Shadowbox for her home. We used some of my scrapbook paper scraps for the butterflies. My gift to my sister this Christmas was a kit I’d put together for her to make a Butterfly Shadowbox of her own. These are fast becoming a family tradition!

I’ve been sitting here looking at the photo of Shannon’s butterflies and feeling refreshed. They remind me of spring flowers with all their bright and pretty colors. I think I’ll have to make myself a new one using more spring colors. It seems kind of silly to me, since I never really feel like we have moved into Winter here, but I’m excited by the thought of Spring being on its way back. I’m sure my anxiousness for its arrival stems from my childhood in Connecticut. Winters were long and cold and the first sunny days and brave little Crocus peeking through the crunchy snow were a cause for celebration. There may be a couple of months left before those days return but with Christmas and New Year’s Day behind us my mind is starting to race ahead.

Today Paris Cowgirl wrote that there seems to be a blogging funk going around. Apparently I’m not the only one whose been letting the weeds grow in  their blog.  Thanks P.C., I needed that kick in the pants! My recovery has been going great and I haven’t had a good excuse for neglecting this blog for so long. It’s time to get back into the habit of posting.

The card is just a little doodle I did yesterday. I was working on one of the techniques from Artist Trading Card Workshop and after doing a few samples I got a little bored so I just started brushing some of the left over paints onto the card. I figured since I didn’t have an image to go with “Paris Cowgirl” or “Blogging Funk” I’d just throw this one up.  Tomorrow I’ll show you the technique samples I made yesterday.