An End To Another Year

I know this isn't the Eve of our New Year but since I had a few minutes, I thought I would take the time to do a final post for 2009. What a year it has been. So much to look back and reflect on. Some good and some bad. Some not worth mentioning.

On the down side of 2009, I over spent my budget this year, gained weight that I hadn't planned on, never got my garage cleaned out and my hubby had his hours dropped at work for several months so we no longer have much in our savings. On a positive note, hubby is back to work full time, I added a few prim pieces to my home that have really brought me joy in my decorating, I found a new hobby of stenciling signs that just gives me so much pleasure and most importantly my mother's health has kind of leveled off for the good.

As I am writing, so many more good things about 2009 are coming to my mind that so out way the bad. I am able to freely serve God and worship as I want, I am healthy, I have a wonderful husband and two super fantastic children. All my brothers and sisters live close to me, my in laws are the greatest, my children have never had to go to bed hungry nor go without medical care. Man am I blessed!!! 2009 has been a Great Year!

A final wish to all my blogging friends whether you are new or old.... May 2010 be the most prosperous and joyous year you have ever had. I wish that all your dreams come true and happiness is abundant.

Blessing my friends,

~AMY~

All Gone!!

I wanted to do a post showing all the signs I had made but before I got pictures of them, I sold them all. I'm not complaining, I just don't have any pictures. I believe I had over 30 signs too. My hubby decided to stop by one of our local stores and ask the owner if he would be interested in selling my signs for me. Of course he would be making a profit from them as well. Anyway, the owner said he would take them all and he paid my husband right then and there. He didn't barter my prices, he just paid what I was asking.

Oh how my heart sang. I never thought I would sell all my signs. I believe I only kept one or two signs for myself, gave two to my mother and one to our pastor. I even sold all my Christmas signs that I had intended to keep for me. Guess I can always make more.

Last night my sister told me about a new "General Store" that is coming to our town. They are looking for crafters to make things to add a home made touch to their store. Well guess what I am going to do next. Yep! I'm going to see if they want some of my signs. I think I will wait until after the new year to start making them again. I am getting an order together for some new stencils. If you have never been to http://www.folkartfromtheharbor.com/, you definitely must stop by and see what BeCca has on her site. I highly recommend her stencils to anyone that wants to start sign making. She has tons to choose from, the prices are great and she ships really fast. You won't be sorry you stopped by. I promise.

Well I suppose that's all I have for now. Call me bad but I haven't taken any Christmas pictures of our home as of yet. I doubt that I will have much time before Christmas to do so either. I've been busy baking and present wrapping and all that other good stuff that goes along with the Holiday. I hope everyone is on their way to being done with all their shopping and preparations and are starting to relax and enjoy themselves. If not, get on the stick!!

Enjoy your weekend my friend!
Hugs,
AMY

My Busy Weekend

Good Monday Morning friends. I hope you all had a nice enjoyable and relaxing weekend. Well I finally got most of my Christmas decorating done. There was a point that I didn't even think I was going to decorate. I'm glad the mood finally hit me. I must admit that the theme of this years decorating was "less is more". I bet I only used 1/3 of my decorations. I think as I get older I like the simpler look. Yes I'm sure that is it. I wouldn't want anyone to think I was just being lazy. Okay, maybe I was. Still things look nice.

Now on to the point of my post. Recently I found myself a new hobby. I love stenciling. These are a couple of Christmas signs I have made for myself. I have probably done about 20 different ones so far. I have regular everyday signs, game boards and blocks just to name a few. I might try my hand at selling them after Christmas. What do you think? I have done multiple sets of these little signs. My mother in law bought some to incorporate into her wreaths she was making.

I really like this sign. I love the red and black together. I think the hardest part of sign making is choosing the right colors. I love dark colors better than light but you can't put dark on dark or it just doesn't show up. I have several signs that I had to redo because of my color choice selections.




Next I want to share a few things with you that I made on Saturday. Now remember I am not the most talented crafter so my creations are pretty simple in nature. Still I think they turned out pretty nice. Remember my post a while back about the bed springs a friend of mine gave to me. Well here are a couple of ideas I came up with.

This first one is a tree nodder. I found this tree amongst my decorations and the little trunk fit perfectly into the spring opening. Just a few bulbs and a couple of red candy canes and tada! A mini Tree Nodder is born. I made 3 of these trees.



This next one is adorned with a little ornie that was in another box. I tried to hide the spring just a bit for a different look.


I have several more nodders to make but I have to wait until I receive my order from my friend Lex at NorthWind Star Primitives. She has been working on crafting several things for me to adorn my springs with. Hopefully I will have them this week.

Well that's all I got for today. Hopefully I will get some pictures of my home posted later this week. Take care everyone and remember to smile. It makes people think you are up to something.

Warm Hugs,
AMY

Amazing!!

I just had to share this story from our Pastor's Daughter Avery. Avery is a very special little 12 year old. She is very secure in her walk with the Lord more so than a lot of older Christians I know. Avery prays in faith believing that God will answer her prayers if it is his will to do so.

Here is where the "Amazing" part of this post begins..... Avery has been praying faithfully to the Lord for a new laptop computer. She knows it is something that her parents can't afford to purchase for her but she knows that God is well able to provide it should he decides she is to have it. She was very specific in what she was praying for because she knows the Lord wants us to pray to him that way. We aren't to beat around the bush. We are to go to him with exactly what we are needing or wanting.

Avery, her mom and her grandmother (who by the way is dead set against religion) decided to brave Black Friday and head out at 5:30 in the morning. One place they stopped was Best Buy. Avery immediately went to the computer section and was looking over everything they had so she would be sure to have the specifics of what she wanted next time she talked to God about her desire for a computer. After a few minutes, she turned to see her mother in tears. There was an older gentlemen talking to her mom and grandmother. Avery went over to see what was going on. The man told them that the Lord had just laid it upon his heart to buy Avery a laptop that very moment. He was very specific as to which computer he was to purchase as well. Carrie the mom just could not believe what she was hearing. Of course the grandmother thought there was some kind of agenda that this man had on his mind. Carrie knew better. She knew that this man was there not only for Avery but for her mother to be a witness to just how God works in our lives. Oh how I would have loved to have been there to see this all take place.

Avery left Best Buy that morning with a brand new Mac Laptop, a case for it, two extra upgrades and a three year extended warranty on the computer. How amazing is this!! It just gave me goosebumps when I heard Avery give this testimony. How could anyone ever doubt this to be anything other than the work of God! It can't be explained any other way.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I love repeating it. Enjoy your week and remember to pray! You just never know what God may have waiting for you!

Blessings,
AMY

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends that read and follow my blog. I personally have so much to be thankful for although sometimes I don't always realize it. I am blessed in more ways than I could ever count. I thank God for my family, my home, my life and my job.

I want to share with you this chorus by Henry Smith. We sing it at church. Read each word and let it sink into your heart. Remember to Give Thanks to Jesus Christ!

Give thanks with a grateful heart.
Give thanks unto the Holy One.
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

And now let the weak say "I am strong."
Let the poor say "I am rich."
Because of what the Lord has done for us....
GIVE THANKS

Blessings to everyone,

AMY

To my daddy. I'll miss you at our table this year.

UPDATE!! One Pair Of Hands

******Sorry this wasn't working for you that wanted to view it. I guess I'm not as computer smart as I thought. If you have the time, just go on to http://www.youtube/ and type in One Pair Of Hands. Click on the first video that looks like a moon shining off the water. It will take you to the video I am trying to show you.
Sorry that this has been so much trouble.

This is simply beautiful. If you have a few minutes to spare and really want to have your spirit lifted you should definitely view this.

http://www.youtube.com/v/xz92NwWehPK&color1

Blessings,
Amy

Can You Stand More Goodies??

Guess what I got in the mail on Saturday!! Lookie Lookie...What do we have here. I participated in another great Swap hosted by Char from The Pickled Pepper Patch. The theme of this swap was Christmas. I got lucky and had Char for my swap partner again. Look at all these goodies she made for me. Sorry but I am not the worlds best photographer so please keep in mind that these prim goodies look way better in person than the pictures show. Char is so talented. If she does another swap in the future be sure and join it. You will have no regrets. There are some very talented ladies that participate.

This is an over all picture of everything I received. We had rules as to what we were to include in our swap.

Here's what the swap consisted of.....

1st 3 homemade ornies. Didn't she do a wonderful job on these. I have the perfect peg rack to hang them from.

2nd a textile item. She sent me this wonderful piece that she stitched Christmas 1802 in the corner and she stained it all old for me.

1st and 2nd are grouped together.


3rd a wooden item. This sign is just fabulous. It looks like it was made a long time ago. Sorry but you have to tilt your head sideways for this one. I thought I flipped it but apparently I didn't.


4th a lighted item. She hand dipped these lights and scented them as well. The smell was so delicious when I took them out of the box, it made me drool. They will adorn my grapevine tree this year. Char also added some homemade tarts. They smelled good enough to eat. My house will definitely smell good for the holidays.

5th was an item of the designers choice. She made this candle holder with candles. I just love it.

Well there you have it. A Perfect Christmas Swap. Thank you again and again Char for being such a good swap partner. I look forward to participating in the next one.

Warm hugs to everyone.
AMY

I'm A Winner!!

Look what I won! Who doesn't love cookbooks....especially ones from Goose Berry Patch!!

Now you might be wondering how I won this gem. Well it came to me by way of Carey at American Girl Primitives-N Such. I also won the fantastic plaid dish towel that you can see under my cookbook. Thanks so much Carey for picking me as your lucky winner. I have read the cookbook from cover to cover and marked several recipes that I thought I might try. Thanks for the little note at the end of the book as well. I will always treasure this.


I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Warm Hugs and Blessings to all,
AMY

ps..Check back tomorrow for some pictures of the fabulous Swap Gifts I received from Char at The Pickeled Pepper Patch. We were partners for her Christmas Swap. I promise you won't want to miss seeing what I got.

Christmas With a Capital "C"

I received this in an email from a friend this morning. I really think it is worth passing on. There is a very good message behind it. Take a minute to view it. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAckfn8yiAQ

Hugs,
AMY

Any Suggestions

I'm really thinking my living room needs a rug. I was thinking a rectangular braided jute rug would probably be just perfect. It would need to be at least an 8 x 11 size or bigger. I have searched the Internet and can't seem to find what I am looking for. I have seen many home pictures with these rugs so I know they are out there. I just don't know where. Here is a picture of one similar to what I am talking about. It is from JC Pennys. It isn't exactly the color I want but it would do if I can't find anything else.

I'm looking for something with some blues, greens, blacks and golds in it. This rug at Pennys is around $250.00. Does anyone know if this is a good price should I decide to get it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy your week friend.

Prim Hugs,

AMY

How Cool Is This??

Now my hubby may not be too crafty with wood but he sure knows metal. He fabricated this stove in two days. Isn't this the cutest little stove you have ever seen? Bob will be leaving at the end of this month on his first hunting trip of the year with his uncle and a buddy and they will be roughing it in a tent this time around. To make sure they are warm enough Bob thought he would make them a stove for their tent. It is only about 24 inches high by 22 inches long by 12 inches wide. Boy does it throw off the heat. I think it is adorable. I honestly wouldn't mind having one to use as a decoration in a room in my house. My family thinks I've lost my marbles but I think its just too cute. There is a long black pipe that extends up from the top but I didn't get a picture of it all put together.

I'm sure my hubby would be interested in what some of you gals think of his stove. I'll pass your comments on to him.

Well I gotta run. Blessings to all my friends, old and new.

Hugs,

AMY

A Few New Prim Things

Recently I purchased a new piece for my kitchen. It seems like most prim homes have one of these so I thought I might as well have one too. Here is my lovely new black stove board. I purchased it from Ashley at Ashleys Primitives.

Wow is my stove dirty. I guess I better clean before taking anymore pictures in the kitchen.

Here is the link to Ashley's website. http://www.ashleysprimitives.comPlease stop over and visit her shop. You will not be disappointed with what you see. She has several other pieces I would like to purchase but they will have to wait until another time. Ashley was great to do business with and she ships quickly. The shipping on this item was very reasonable for its size. I hope you stop over and check it out.

Next I would like to show you a rack I purchased a while back from my favorite hometown shop "Country Wicks". (Chris the owner is working on her website daily and I'll let you know when it is up and running) I think this rack is really supposed to be used as a towel rack but I just added a few things that I had around the house and I think I like the display I created. The cupboard under the rack was purchased from Chris as well for my birthday last year. Sorry the picture looks so blurry.


My last picture is something my daughter Allison painted for me. She knows how much I love crows and since she loves to paint she thought I might find a place to put this. What do you think? I just love it. She used an oil paint for the crow and I think it really made it stand out off the canvas.

Well its off to do some cleaning. I hope everyone has a lovely week.

Blessings,

AMY

Brrrrrr!!!! Ahhhhh!! Much Better

It sure got cold in our neck of the woods here in Northeastern Ohio. I came home from work today and asked my hubby to build me a nice roaring fire.

I don't think he did too bad. The living room is nice and warm but as for the rest of the house, it is cold. I think maybe I should have him build another fire downstairs in the family room as well???I am so not ready for winter to be here!!

Use your imagination for a minute. Can you feel the heat radiating from the fire?

Tonight I decided to be lazy and do nothing. Probably not one of my most ingenious ideas but definitely a good idea. I have so many things that need done but just don't feel like doing them. Do you ever feel that way? I have the desire but just not the gumption. I hope I shake this mood soon or nothing will get done. Any helpful hints out there to get my butt in gear??? ANYONE????

Well I better run. I hear the dinner dishes calling my name! Sometimes I think my name is the only one in the house that they know!

Blessings,
AMY

Fall Baking

Our hometown had their annual Johnny Appleseed Festival over the weekend and the apple theme put me in the mood for baking with apples. Sorry but somehow these pictures got a bit out of order but I think you be able to see all the deliciousness none the less.
These first two pictures are Apple Dumplings made with Mountain Dew. Yes I said Mountain Dew. I got the recipe from Ree at http://thepioneerwoman.com/. If you have never been to her blog and you love cooking, make sure you stop. She is so talented that she even has a cookbook coming out soon. I know I will be one of the firsts in line to order this one. I so love cookbooks and she makes cooking sound so fun and easy.

These were so easy to make and served with ice cream they were delicious.

Next I made a Moist Carmel Apple Cake from an old reliable recipe from http://www.allrecipies.com/. I make this at least once a year and everyone just loves it. It is so moist and the caramel sauce makes everything so gooey and yummy. Definitely try this sometime if you have a fall picnic or gathering to attend. Your friends and family will thank you for it.

Well that's all I have time for today. I'm a bit impressed with myself. I've been complaining that I haven't had time to post much lately and here I am posting two days in a row. I wonder if it is possible to go three in a row????

Have a blessed day ladies.

Hugs,

AMY

A Few Fall Touches

Good Day Prim Friends. Where does the time go? I had planned on posting this a week ago but time just got away from me. I was finally able to dig out a few of my fall decorations and I wanted to share a couple of pictures with you all. Hopefully this week I will be able to post a few more and possibly some outdoor pictures as well. I hope you like what I've done so far.

This first grouping shows a precious little pumpkin that my niece (who by the way is 3 months older than me) bought for me for my Halloween birthday a couple of years back. I just think he looks so adorable sitting there with his legs crossed. Kind of looks like he is up to something. He is holding a little crow under his arm. You can't really see it too good in this picture though.

This next picture shows a little fall picture frame I put together and a framed felt picture of a pumpkin that I picked up at one of my favorite Prim Shops here in town where I live. Hopefully one day soon I can post a website for this shop. I know Chris has been busy trying to get one set up for some time now.

(I just noticed the lonely black shoe in the picture. I suppose if you squint real hard, you could kind of think it adds a little prim touch to the fall theme.)

This next shot is a little grouping I put together with some coffee stained rag balls that I made. I love the color of the leaves surrounding them. This sits on a table in front of my love seat.

This last display is on my coffee table. I just love the beautiful colors in the flowers in this basket. I could leave fall colors out all year round I love them so much.


Well this is all I have for now. With my daughter having Volleyball games 3 nights a week, decorating for fall has just been pushed to the back burner. My intentions are good but my time is limited.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Blessings,
AMY

It's Springtime At My House

I think maybe I might have fooled you on this one a little. I bet some of you thought I had lost my mind. Well let me explain the content of this post just a little bit better.

For the past several months, a fellow employee and I try and walk everyday during our lunch break. While walking, we have so many different conversations about so many different topics. Well one day on one of our walks Chuck and I were talking about doing some fall cleaning around the outside of our homes. Somehow old bed springs came up. Chuck mentioned to me that he had an old mattress out back behind his garage and had been meaning to get rid of it forever and just never did. I stopped dead in my tracks unable to speak. By my reaction I'm sure he knew the wheels were spinning in my head. He told me I probably wouldn't want it because the coils would be all rusted. "Hold on there heart!!!!" I said to myself. "This could be the big one." My pulse was racing and my head was spinning and it was all I could do to get the words out "I WILL TAKE IT!" I think I might have even scared Chuck at one point. Once I composed myself, I told him I would gladly take it off his hands. I'm thinking to myself, "Does he really even know what kind of treasure he has been keeping hidden behind his shed for so long?" Well low and behold the next day, he brought the springs into work for me. He even took them all apart for me so I wouldn't get cut trying to pry them apart from the frame. What a nice guy he is.

A while back I purchased this spring/star creation from one of my favorite prim shops and I always thought it was just so cleaver that they used a bed spring for the base. At the time I thought if I could only get my hands on some springs surely I could make something similar with them. Like a dream come true, I now can. I have so many ideas in mind as to what to do with them. As most of you know, I don't sew so I will have to purchase most of the things I plan to use with them. Still I will try and come up with a few original creations of my own.

If anyone has any decorated springs they have displayed, I would love to see them. Just shoot me an email with your picture. I can always use a little extra inspiration.

Just as soon as a get a couple of these little buggers finished, I will be sure and post them for everyone to see.

I hope everyone is having a great week and are enjoying the weather as much as I am. It has been very cool at night and in the morning but very sunny and beautiful throughout the day. Don't you just love this time of year?

Blessings Everyone,
AMY

Fall Harvest Swap Goodies!!

Good morning everyone. What beautiful fall like weather we are having here in Ohio. Yesterday we had to wear coats when outside. I think the warmest it got was about 68 degrees. I really love fall but I wasn't prepared for it to be so cold just yet.

Well on now to the purpose of my post. Like a lot of ladies in blogland, I participated in another Swap hosted by Char over at The Pickled Pepper Patch. The theme for this swap was Fall Harvest. Char likes us to try and create something homemade for our partner to make the swap special but you can also purchase things as well if you want to add to your package. My partner for this swap was Ann Frank from http://www.aholeinthebasketprimitives.blogspot.com/. Let me tell you, Ann is a very talented crafter. You should definitely stop by her blog and take a look. She is a basket weaver as well and she does awesome work.

This first picture is some darling little pumpkin candles. For right now they are just in a dish on top of a bucket I had on my coffee table. Eventually I am going to incorporate them into a fall themed decoration I am making for my kitchen table. Aren't they just precious!

Now I just love this little doll. She has little pumpkins strung across the front of her with a little bit of Sweet Annie tucked behind. This made my box smell so good when I opened it.



Next is this awesome cross stitched crow and pumpkin. Don't you just love crows! The frame is just perfect for this piece. It is distressed in all the right places.



Ann also included a pumpkin scented candle in a tin but for some reason I didn't take a picture of it. She wanted to paint the tin but her husband didn't think it was a good idea to mix paint with a burning candle. Probably a good idea. Ann if you are reading this, again I thank you for being so kind in your giving. I will think of you every time I look at these special pieces.

On a final note, I would to ask that you say a prayer for my mom. Friday she was admitted to the hospital with Pneumonia. Mom is 82 and has so many other health issues that this has just taken a toll on her. We serve a mighty God and I know he is well able to take care of her so I am not too worried.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and let me know how the weather is in your neck of the woods.

Blessings,
AMY

~Absolutely Perfect~

What a fantastic vacation we just got back from. Everything was just perfect. The food, the weather, the entertainment, the socializing. We were truly blessed! We left home Sunday the 26th at 11:00pm. At 4:00 Monday morning we pulled over for a nap. By 7:00 we were back on the road. We arrived at Myrtle Beach around 1:00 to set up camp. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We headed out to the beach first thing to check out the water. It was heavenly. The water temperature was just perfect. We sat around the camper most of the night because my dear husband drove about 800 miles getting us there so we thought he deserved a nice quite relaxing evening.

We pretty much just lounged around and went to the beach the first week. One evening it rained pretty hard so we went to the mall and did some school shopping for Allison. I knew she would be starting school soon after we got back and I wouldn't have much time to take her anywhere before then so it worked out perfectly. We went to several seafood restaurants that week as well. We had so much planned but it seemed like we were always running out of time.

Week two went just as fast but we did have a couple of guests with us then. My mother in law and father in law came down to be with us. We had a grand time. We golfed, shopped, ate, swam, strolled the boardwalks, walked the beach and ate some more!!

The weather could not have been more cooperative these two weeks. The average daily temperature was about 93 degrees. There was always a breeze blowing off the beach so it felt pretty good. Don't get me wrong, we definitely felt the sweat rolling but it wasn't unbearable.

Some nights we stayed at the campground and grilled and other nights we went out for seafood. There is nothing like a huge plate of crab legs to make your mouth water. I think Allison ate so many of them that she never wants another one. Well that is until next year anyway.

The campground has over 800 campsites and 300 condo spaces available to rent. It is such a huge place. It feels more like a city instead of a campground. It is very clean and orderly as well. 11:00 pm is quiet time and believe me things get quiet. Everyone at this campground has so much respect for their neighbors. It makes the experience all the more fun. They offer so much to do on site that there so there is no way you could ever get bored. They have supervised activities for younger kids so they feel special and teen activities as well. This campground really caters to its visitors.

I have a lot of other things to post about in the coming weeks but for now, here are some random shots from vacation. You may think there are too many pictures here but believe me I have tons more that I won't bore you with. You will notice there are no pictures of my son on this vacation. He stayed home. I didn't think I would do good without him there but all in all, it was alright. I hope you enjoy the pics.




Hugs everyone,
AMY

Here for now But gone soon

Wow I cannot believe I haven't posted since the 4th of July. Well really I can believe it. We have been so busy planning and packing for our vacation to Myrtle Beach. We are set to leave out on Saturday the 25th and we won't be returning until Sunday August 9th. My husband, daughter and I are all that are going on this trip. My son and mother are staying home. Mom is already having separation anxiety and we haven't even left yet. Mom lives next door to us and she depends on me for so much since dads passing. Trust me I am leaving her in good hands though with my Aunt Carolyn. Pray for her if she happens to come to your mind over the next couple of weeks. I know Aaron will have a good time on his own. I almost think he is kind of excited thinking he is going to be in charge of everything for two whole weeks. He is even paying the bills for us while we are away. No he isn't using his money to do that! I've left him plenty of checks.

We will be staying at Ocean Lakes Campground. It is a beautiful place. Our campsite is only 4 sites back from the Ocean. I hear the weather is to be a bit wet for the next couple of days but I can live with that I guess. There will be plenty of days for sunshine.

"Recipient of Multiple Awards.

We have so many activities planned out. Just a couple of examples will be a boat trip out to see the Dolphins and an afternoon trip to Charleston to take a horse drawn carriage ride thru a historical downtown district to view some beautiful homes. I am so excited to be off work for two whole weeks and best of all to be doing it with my family.

I'll be sure to post lots of pictures when we get back. God Bless Everyone and know that I am thinking of you all and missing you as well. Talk to you later!!

Hugs,

~AMY~