It's spring in Missouri

But, it's supposed to SNOW Friday. That's the Ozarks for you. Yesterday we took Jimmie Dean to a local park. It's a huge park that has an area of Master Gardeners demonstration gardens, a Huge Japanese garden, another park area with a large lake full of wildlife. My neighbor said she heard that the park has recently been vandalized. Pleeeze....Get a life. This is nature!!! Leave it alone. Period. And prosecute to the fullest if they catch the little SOB's!

I was totally fascinated by the geese and ducks today. They're really beautiful.

Check out my store in my home!!! My hubby made the peg board for me and hung it. Now I know how much STUFF I really have. Too Much!!!

Tammy and Dulcy are coming over Wednesday to play in my room. I think we'll probably work on our journals. I got four old wallpaper books for us to cut from. That oughta be fun! It's also Tammy's birthday Wednesday. I hope we can help her to have a great day.

Peace to you,

Sheri

Big Smith concert

Last night we were entertained by a group with local beginnings that's "going places". Their name is Big Smith and for those of you who have never heard of them, here are some terms used to describe them from their website/press page. hippie-tinged roots band, hillbilly music, a vivid reminder of their hell raising antics of their bootlegging ancestors, haunting, ancient, raucous, comic, patriotic, and deeply religious. Oh yeah and a bona fide hillbilly band. If you ever hear of them in your town you MUST attend. They'll blow your socks off! You can read more about them and purchase their music at www.bigsmithband.com.

They played at our beautiful Juanita Hammonds Center for the Performing Arts building in Springfield, MO. I'm sure it was quite a change performing on such a stage. I think they're really used to people drinking a little beer and doing a lot of dancing. We all sat properly in our seats. I thought the crowd was a little older until my husband told me they were all about our age!!! Well, he's ten years older than me.

I haven't got much hooking done since I started the visual journaling. I'm obsessed with it!!! Imagine that... me, obsessed. I know!!! So far the words have been, space, comfort, layers, new, ebullient, and secret. I knew I would enjoy journaling but just never thought I could possibly make any time for any other artistic venture. Well I'm glad I did. Wanda gives us a new word each week and we interpret it's meaning in our visual journals. I have used magazine pics, newspaper clippings, balloons, you name it! Like I said I already had the rubber stamps and scrapbooking paper and Glue... every kind imaginable. Here are a few of my pages. Don't laugh if you're an experienced journaler. Remember, I'm new. Anyway there's no way to do it wrong. It's MY journal!!

This is my "secret" page.

And this is the "new" page. New president and new puppy. How lucky could one girl be, I ask?

And finally, here is my fountain rug in progress. I have made Some progress. I'm worried I'll run out of green roving for the tree I'm working on now. If I do, it won't be such a tall tree I guess!?!?! I used teeny-tiny prodding for the black-eyed susans on the left. And Jimmie Dean didn't like the look of the hot pink flowers I guess, so he pulled some of it out for me!

Jimmie Dean is changing colors right before our eyes. Each day he has a little more silver on top of his head and on his chest. He's still fighting the bronchitis!!! I went to a new vet and she put him on a steroid/antibiotic combo. She raises Yorkies, so I feel much better with her as my vet. She said if we don't get the coughing controlled it could permanently affect his trachea. Boy, I'm still mad at that breeder for selling me a sick puppy. Shame, shame, shame.

That's all for now. Off to a Superbowl party at my sisters! She told us to bring Tupperware. That's a good sign there will be plenty to eat!!

Peace,

Sheri

Local Valentines challenge

Hope this finds you all well and happy. There's been a bug going around here and people have been sick for three weeks!! Head cold type thing. Mine started with laryngitis on Christmas day but only lasted a week and a half. I count myself lucky!

Tammy has challenged the local hookers with a Valentine project. We had two patterns to choose from. Both are Primitive Betty's patterns and very hard to choose which one to do. I chose the two hearts. I am making it into a pillow to match the Karen Kahle rug I made for the bedroom floor. I'm going to rip out the outlining around the hearts and replace it with the "grenedine" colored wool to make it pop more.

I did remember to take my camera to hooking on Wed. this time. Rita is working on a rug she started over a year ago and has vowed to finish it now. Isn't it beautiful?

And here's Tammy helping a new hooker get started. I'm sorry I don't know her name. They were very involved in getting all of the neccessities. And speaking of Tammy...

She's having a HUGE PATTERN SALE with Free Shipping!!! on her blog. http://www.skiptomyewe.blogspot.com/ Please check out this sale. Very cool patterns and you can't beat free shipping!!

A few notes on Jimmie Dean. He's doing well with the clicker training. That is until Mickey gets home from work. Then it's one step forward, two steps back. He is just as bad as a four year old, (Mickey my husband, not the dog) This morning I saw him trying to get JD to play with his fingers and flipping his hands all around. I've been trying All Week to get him to stop biting my hands!!! I got him a new sweater and it's really warm. It snowed here a minute ago, for about a minute. I wish we would get some accumulation so I could see how Jimmie reacts to it! He's growing up and changing colors now. The top of his head is about 75% silver with black tips. It's kind of the awkward teenage years I guess.

And one final thing. I'm still organizing!! This time I've moved on to the kitchen. This armoire was a total hodge podge. Couldn't pull out a pan without four or five coming out with it. Now it's so perfect. Maybe I won't cook so I don't have to mess it up. The stereo and a TV are in there. I could just sit at the island and watch Oprah and admire my work. I have seen a rug that says No cookin' just hookin'.

Maybe I'll hook that for in front of the sink. How many of you do have your hooked rugs in front of the kitchen sink? It seems like they would get dirty. But I will probably make one anyway. Get out the old wire beater like they used to do when their rugs got dirty.

Have a great weekend,

Peace,

Sheri

Needless to say I'm not hooking much

I've got to get back to hooking so I can finish the "river rug" by Christmas. But Jimmie Dean has had my full attention for the past week. I can't believe it's been a week already. But I've been using the crate potty training system and he actually knows where he's supposed to go now. No accidents in the house today. I think that's pretty good after only one week! I have to take him back to the breeder tomorrow for another shot and I can't wait to tell her how great he's doing. I assured her when we brought him home I'd be the best mommie I could and she said she knew that or she wouldn't have let him go with us. He was her favorite of the litter. I'm sure he's the smartest one!!! OK I'm a bragging puppy mom.

I signed up for the Wool Snippets Christmas swap. (an MSN rug hooking group for those of you who don't know) Check it out, www.groups.msn.com/woolsnippets/ .That stuff has to be mailed by the 15th of December. I have also done two other internet Christmas ornie swaps this year. How fun!!! I got an authentic German nut cracker ornament from Australia. I gave it to my sis though as she collects nut crackers. I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away though. You just can't think of photographing everything! But when I read blogs I love to look at the pictures more than reading the actual post.

Yesterday I went to my mom and dads and met my niece and her daughter Zoie for some crafting fun. I bought a kit for making the beaded candy canes we made as kids. The ones with the triangle beads and pipe cleaners. Remember?

Zoie helps her GiGi and grandpa decorate their tree every year so we gave them to her GiGi. We each kept one for ourselves as a memento of our day. I also took her the stuff to make the decoupaged soap for her teachers gifts. She and her mom had read my blog and she wanted to make these. I didn't know that so what a happy coincidence! She's a very talented and crafty seven year old. Last year she knitted scarves on a loom for her grandparents and great-grandparents. She thought it was so funny that I asked her to teach me how to use one. I bought two at a garage sale with no instructions. She said, hum... that's funny, you're the one who always teaches me to do crafts!!

My babies are both sleeping (Jimmie Dean and Mickey) I think I'll try to hook a little now. I'm going to make some more of the Santa dolls as gifts this year.

Here's a copyright free Santa you can use to decoupage your soap. I bought a wonderful CD of antique postcards that are all c.r. free. Just right click him and print it on plain paper. Remember three coats of mod podge first, then pic, then three more coats.

Let the beauty we love be what we do...

Sheri