Clothed with strength and dignity

I have been having an uncomfortable issue for the past few months.

 

Weeks where I would question myself for the sake of others. 

Weeks where I would berate myself to take the blame off of others.  

Weeks where I was so insecure about myself that I felt worthless. 

Weeks where I felt like I had NO ONE to turn to. 

Yep... this is how I felt about myself... this is real and this is true and this is me.

In the meantime I began reading the book 

So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore

 It has been recommended a lot on the blogs and I wanted to see what it was all about too!

A lot of my insecurity (current and past)

has crept up in the last few weeks of reading this book... 

I can usually read a book in few evenings at most but this books was a lot more to digest.

Two situations have been addressed as of now ~ although the effects of what I said and confronted are to be felt for a while,

I will stand my ground ~with the grace of God, know that I am a child of Him, clothed with strength and dignity. 

Thank You!

I wanted to take this time to thank you all who prayed for my hubby and his job situation.

He had the interview and still did not hear back

However we are so grateful for prayers and blessings

We know that God will provide!

I pray for all of you who are in the same situation!

 ~ Blessings ~

Patricia

No Coincidence!

I signed up to do a Spring Fling with Lori @ Life as Lori
Thank you Lori!!!

 CLICK HERE FOR THE LINKS to the other parties

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was so excited to be paired up with Megan from A Little Knick Knack

I just knew that Meg was going to be a wonderful pair when I saw her header on her blog WAS (as in used to be... but her new one is awesome!)... the same as mine!!

There are no coincidences in life!

I excitedly picked out some spring goodies and things I love  for Megan and sent them on their way last week. 

Today it is in the 50's and I went outside to check on the yard ... when I looked at the side porch there was a HUGE box on the stoop... 

I did not order anything I thought so I took it in the house and when I looked at the return address I was surprised to see that it was from Meg!

I then took the package into the living room and after a few "what is that... who is that from" questions from my hubby 

I took out a  bubble wrapped frame?...a toile wrapped square and  a card. 

I held the package on my lap and opened the monogram G card... a beautiful  note from Megan!

Next I opened the tolie wrapped square and ... the tears began to flow  it was the

"I'll Love You Forever" book!!!

Crying... I showed the hubby who put his head down and sniffed!

The large part of the gift was bubbled so I could not see what it was (I suspected a frame) ... trying to see through my tears I began to take off the bubble wrap... and to my surprise was indeed  a frame... 

of  

the words ... "I'll love you forever"...

Well let me tell ya... the two of us are now blubbering ... sobbing!!!

What a beautiful soul Megan is!!

I'll tell you I am still crying!!! 

The frame is shabby and it has a yellow background and a pale blueish gray vinyl lettering... there is a tie that is a yellow ribbon with a black and white check!

it is so ....BEAUTIFUL!!!

 I had no idea when I signed up for this Spring Fling that I would be so blessed with an heirloom for our baby. 

I am beside myself and know that Thank you is just not enough. 

I am so blessed!

I can see myself rocking our baby, reading the book and looking up at the frame... knowing that dreams do come true and strangers become friends and that there are no coincidences!

THANK YOU MEGAN...XOXOX

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did not plan to share this on our blog yet   but after what happened today... now I will. 

I had been adamantly against the foster to adopt program since we began our adoption journey. 

For the last few weeks though as I would pray... I had the thought of doing this program. 

If it is God's will.... we will pursue it  ...so I gave it to God!

In the last few days I could not stop thinking about fostering an infant ... who's goal is  adoption. 

Getting this frame from Megan is a sign from God, I believe, that we should look into this further. 

When I say there are no coincidences... I mean it!

I will let you all know!


EDIT: here is the link to Megan's post about the gift!

Hmmnn...!

I am anxious... 

not in a bad way ~  I feel like there is more out there 

and 

I am on the cusp of discovering it.

There have been a few times in my life that have caused me to 'come alive again' this is one of those times!

I can feel it!

roses from the hubby

It is not here yet but the wheels are in motion!

It all started with a blog post I did a week or so ago where I bared my face... here!

Yah I look MUCH better with makeup...

but this post had NOTHING to do with makeup at all.

This post had everything to do with ME... the real me!

Revealing ME!

That post was the hardest thing I had to do in a long time. 

I toyed with not doing it for a week

I wrote the post twice

After posting on Beth's blog... I then posted the after picture on facebook... 

 I feel liberated. 

I feel anxious. 

I am waiting for something... I have no clue what that something is

I wrote this to Beth as my comment when she posted her wrap up about the makeup blog

"Doing this post was WAY way W A Y out of my comfort zone however it had to be done"


"I am desperately trying to be real and stop pretending"


 "whether you realize it or not... you helped me with something I have struggled with for MANY years. I always hid... WHY? I have no idea"


 "I feel like you were the tour director of my journey... you set it all up and now it is up to me to have the time of my life!"

I am ready!

I will let you all know how it, whatever it is ...goes!

Weigh Down (long)

In my quest to lose 50 pounds this year I am  looking for a way to help me get to the root of my eating issues.

As I wrote in the past, I do not necessarily eat bad foods... I OVER~EAT (all) foods!

A few weeks ago I was having some eating issues... I was so wanting to over eat and just give in. 

 I decided to pray.

 (even my I love you box was not going to help)

The next day I was having thoughts all day about my naturally thin friends... I was tempted to ask them to write down what they eat for a week so I could see what I was doing wrong.

I envy their ability to eat what they want and then stop... STOP!

In their homes they have real foods too... full calories and full fat goodies ~ snacks and meats and cheeses!

I am telling you... if I had this in my house... well lets just say I wouldn't because it would be gone!

As some of you know another one of my goals is to read all of Nicholas Sparks books this year.

I knew I had The Notebook and The Wedding in our basement.

I looked and looked like a mad woman and then FINALLY gave in when after searching to no avail,  I visited the library.

I always check the sale table before I go in to the library to see if there are any must have books

I did not see any so I headed in, checked out my two books.

 As I was walking out the door... I felt a pull

Really, a pull!

I looked to my right and there on the table was the book...
The Weigh Down by Gwen Shamblin

I watched a show on WE a few weeks back about the Weigh Down however I knew that I could not afford to buy yet another program... and FAIL ~ so I disregarded it.

So I took my dollar back into the library and was on my way!

I read the book that evening.
The next day was Friday.
 I began a "diet" on Friday...

The thing is, this is NOT a diet!!

The permise of the Weigh Down is EASY...
Too good to be true... EASY??

Here is the basic jist

Eat what you want... when you are physically hungry
STOP eating when you are comfortably full



I am serious ~
When you feel  your stomach growl... you are allowed to eat.
You pick and choose what you want on your plate the most.
Eat the items that you like the BEST ...
Rate your foods

So for example...
A meal of grilled chicken, salad, baked potato and green beans
I personally would eat all of the salad, 3/4 of the chicken, 1/4 the green beans and the whole baked potato
That is what I would enjoy!




You eat some of your meal and then halfway through the meal ask yourself on a scale of 1-5 how full you are
If you are a 1-3 ... continue eating another 1/4 the meal
If you are a 4-5 stop

I know this makes sense to mostly all of you but to me this is a new concept.

Another concept that I appreciate is that there will be another meal in a few hours...
When your stomach growls again
This too may be obvious however for me this again is a foreign concept
I would eat till I was overfull ~ thinking that I would not eat again.
I would also eat whenever I wanted to



The reason I over~ eat is emotional
I get sad and I eat... I am happy and I eat... Something triggers my thought and I eat.
Well with this plan... I have to wait until I am actually physically hungry... which makes me like a "yo-yo" as the hubby kindly told me a few times this past week.
I explained to him what I was doing and he is assured that it is not him... it is tough but I WANT this weight off more than anything and this is the year that I will get 1/4 of the weight off... for good!

So... it really is EASY and logical


There is an emphasis too on God...
This book is very much about your relationship with God

He and I have a good relationship
However I NEVER thought that my overeating issues had anything to do with my relationship with Him until reading this book...

I will not go into all of the details about my personal relationship with God  however I will say that since beginning this plan almost 2 weeks ago...

I physically feel ALMOST  fabulous!
Emotionally I am getting better each day although I know it is a LONG haul
Spiritually I am on a journey...


I read the book and since found the website as well

There is a section on the website  (weighdownathome) which is basically the book in audio form
It is free
I made no plans to BUY anything more... I guess there is a program etc...

I am inspired beacuse many people have lost 100+ pounds and kept it off
One was on the Today Show... Joy Fit Club

I am a little disheartened because I did read some negative publicty that the program is a religious cult.
I did not personally feel this way


Let me know your thoughts and if you read it or had success with it

I will let you all know by the middle of next month how I am progressing

Many Blessings
Patricia

This weekend...

“Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is theoretically possible”

The hubby and I are holding on and knowing that God has a plan... 
still praying for the best with the job situation for him! 
Searching and applying and ... praying!

Meanwhile...
~ I have been crafting like crazy  ~
 I stocked my etsy shop this weekend with some cupcake toppers and some signs and some tags and some altered books 

Here is a peek at my shop

Click HERE

Dinner last night!

The hubby had a clergy appreciation dinner last night.

He wanted an appreciation gift that was practical and inexpensive

But what do you get the clergy?

Seriously ~ my one Uncle is a priest and he has everything he needs for himself
... the things he really needs cannot be bought on a tight budget!

So on a trip to Christmas Tree Shops the other day (are you detecting theme ~ I love this place) ...

after scouring almost the whole store... I came across these little faux leather notebooks

At 1.99 each these are adorable and they have a really nice attached ribbon bookmark!

So we picked these up for all the priests
My idea is that they are always writing things down and these are compact enough to keep in a jacket pocket  

I knew I would be able to package them up nicely via the cricut!!!

I put the notebook into a cellophane bag from dollar general ( 30 for a buck)

And closed it with  a cross stamped cricut cut tag and my favorite black and white ribbon

The hubby wrote thank you on the back of each tag

I think they are nice and I hope they know how much they are appreciated!

It was a beautiful affair and I am so proud of my husband!

Tear down the school...

my school, my grade school and the church.

A few years ago, my grade school became in ill repair

The local paper invited readers to come to the school and reminisce  about the days gone by

I was one such reader who came by that day and did just that...

I went to this school from K-8

I knew every class room, every hallway, every nook and crannie

I remember slamming Rochelles finger in the crayon box in Kindergarten

I remember meeting Vanessa in 1st grade and Patti in 2nd (two dear friends I have till this day)

I remember just not "getting" 3rd grade math and the day that the baggies full of water (to resemble the Red Sea) burst all over my desk in 4th grade

Oh and how could I forget 5th grade and my crush on a certain blonde hair blue eyed guy

In 6th grade I won the art contest and in 7th grade I can still remember that Dawn take grease out of your way but doesn't make for a great experiment at the science fair

I was counting down the days for 8th grade to arrive and I was holding onto every second as it flew by without my consent

The day I was able to go back to the school was a day I will never forget... I went to each and every classroom ~ now decrepit with age and  reminiscent ickiness of  a burst pipe

I could hear the giggles and I could smell the chalk dust

I could see myself and where I sat in each and every room and I could close my eyes for a second and be back there again

Yellow shirts and plaid jumpers... this may be where my love of plaid came from

I took the mission bank from 2nd grade and a metal hook from the "cloak" room in 4th grade... I stopped and recalled the day Orlando jumped up high on the lockers and they fell, right on the pointer finger of my left hand

Every room was practically vacant but still filled

I am sad now because they are tearing it down... all of it, the school, the church, the cafeteria, the library and the gym

The church where I learned that actually singing is easier than making the nuns think you are singing by lip synching...

The cafeteria where I fell in love with PBJ and Mrs Grass Soup...

The library where we snuck around the nun and read Agnes of God behind the shelves (but only the "bad" parts)

The gym where I learned that "no, you are not cut out for basketball honey"

It is going, and almost gone

I looked up the street today and saw an empty hole

Buildings though I guess ~ bricks and mortar ~not much more after all the good stuff is gone

Bricks and Mortar...not lifelong friendships and memories... The Good Stuff!

Here is a slide show done by someone who understands

I entered this post as my fav for 2009 at Nester

Feeling JOY again...

I don't blame anyone for hardening me.

I am stronger now than I ever was

I was married in 1999 to the love of my life.

When I met him I began to feel. I began to express how I felt. 

We had some tough situations happen to us in 10 years ... we made it through each one stronger!

But I became hard again.

Build a wall with brick and mortar and nothing will hurt

I often felt alone again in my feelings... like I did as a kid.

I very rarely expressed any real emotions!

Despite my hardened being... life went on and  we finally both felt like things were falling into place

~ buying a home ~ adopting a baby!

Finally life would be perfect!

We signed the mortgage on our home on October 9th and on October 15th my husband walked through the door of our new home crying because after 12 years, he lost his job to a foreign contract!

I held him and we both cried and then I said we would be okay.

God will provide

Deep down I know this to be true

On the surface though I wonder sometimes and then I pray AGAIN and ask God to handle it his way.

I ended up getting a job that although very temporary, it brings me joy!

JOY!

I am not sure when or how or why the shift even took place but I am glad it did.
I find myself laughing and crying and smiling and feeling


I realize that this life is temporary  and when God closes a door he opens a window and sometimes He pushes you out and lets you fly!

Finding Gram....

Well I did not make it to my friends party tonight because of all the snow!

I am so looking forward to April when the snow stops and I can visit people again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FINDING GRAM

My gram died back in July ~ I miss her!

On Monday when I was preparing for my tea I thought of her and cried

I could actually hear her in my heart telling me that she was with me

~~~~

Tomorrow while we bake cookies... I know I will think of her often, that was our thing

My gram, my mom and I would make and bake for Christmas

Gram flattened the nutroll cookies with the bottom of a glass and then spread the nuts evenly over the dough and roll them so tight with her beautiful hands

As we made more and more cookies Gram would clean the messes and make lunch

~~~

Grams service when she died was beautiful... my Uncle made programs and every once in a while my hubby will come across the program around the house or in his car... it really is the darnedest thing, he will put the program in one place only to have it appear in another

He will look up with his baby blue eyes and ask Gram what she is trying to say to him

Today he found the program again...

and tonight he came across a birthday card from her to me with $10.00 in it in our filing cabinet

~~~~

She always signed the cards "luv u Gram"

I smiled when I saw the card and teared up because I miss her.

When we "find" Gram around the house or in the car it is a blessing... the hubby rolls his eyes sometimes because he is not "into it" like I am ... deep down though I know he believes she is telling us she is still around

I will miss her tomorrow... a little more than I do today

But I know that I will feel the tug at my heart and feel her presence with us

~~~~

I like finding Gram... and someday when my time is through here on earth I will find her and  will get to keep her close!

Something I have not shared

...that when I look back on this dark time I will see glimmers of light that I know I can't see now.

I am going blindly by faith till then!

Grateful!

It is 2 am and I can't sleep!

My mind is wandering in thanksgiving to God and to our new home!

CLOSING DAY

After a night of tossing and turning, we arrived at our new home to do our final walk through with our realtor

He went over some papers and then we headed down to the lawyers office where we were greeted by a lawyer who also happened to be from my church and who went to school with my brother

All the stress and anxiety melted for both of us!

The sellers agent showed up and gave us the keys ~ we signed some papers and within 20 minutes we were on our way

I called my mom and she screamed

I called my mom in law and she screamed

We did a few errands, picking up some cleaning supplies,  stopping to tell a friend of ours and then finally a stop back to our current home in disbelief that we just bought a house!

We drove by the house twice with both of us looking at each other and saying "that is ours and we can go in"

So we finally went in

My mom was the first to arrive followed by my little cousin who took the tour and was on his way

Then my  cousins husband arrived, took the tour gave us some advice on the neighborhood and left

By then my mother in law and brother in law came by

My mother in law is so cute she brought a broom, salt, bread and money!

Meanwhile the hub was walking from room to room in complete disbelief!

I so wanted the grating to be gone from our front door ~ and was very pleasantly surprised to know that it was only held on with screws!

However the screw drivers would not fit all the screws and it became a battle to get it off

Just then my friend arrived and was determined to remove the grating and after a bit ... did it!

Hub was still walking around in disbelief!

So then the hubs friend called to say he was driving by and that we must be in the house because the wreath was on the door... so he came too for a visit... which helped the hubby because all the guys went to the patio to chat!

Then who came through the front door but my other cousin with champagne!

So then my dad arrived with folding chairs and tree trimming tools!

He is so cute!

My mother in law decided to take a stab at cutting down a bush and before we knew it, we all took various cuts from trees and bushes!

My father in law is coming down this morning to trim and remove!

My Uncle who is superly duperly handy stopped by too and I gave him the tour which put me at ease when he said he really liked the house and that everything I pointed out was fixable!

In all the business of the day we (just the two of us) did not have a chance to sit down and realize what we just did (buy a house) until after my parents left ~ this is when we sat in the folding chairs at a card table and cried both realizing how blessed we are and how God brought us to this day. My hub said a beautiful prayer in thanksgiving for our blessing and then we came home... to my childhood home that I have lived in for 34 years!

I went to sleep at 9pm and woke up at 2 because I had to share my day and get it our so I can rest again!

The hubby and I are  still in shock ~ there is so much to do but we are so blessed to have the friends and family that we do that will be there for us during this time and always!

I am sad... lots of loss!

I am sad... lots of loss!

A lot of things have happened in the last few weeks that have kind of turned my little world up side down

First on my heart still is my Grandma's death on Wednesday
I am still so sad at her passing even though she went peacefully I still wish I was there to say goodbye
I so wish I was able to show her our baby

I know that she is in heaven now talking to God about our little one and how soon, he or she will arrive... whether He knows it or not... she is really stubborn that way!!

Seriously...
It has been a tough few days with the wake and the funeral
I am going to miss her so much!

God Bless my Gram!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am also in the process of losing my job...

as of August 1, I will be unemployed

Darn economy!

I am not worried though because I have faith that as one door closes another one will open


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, I did reopen my Etsy shop


Right now I am listing jewelry and some crafts that I did in the last two weeks
I am ALWAYS crafting and I do believe that my friends and family, although appreciative of my giving are a little overwhelmed LOL
PLUS
I need to make room for baby

I decided to sell what I have in terms of supplies and vintage goodies and then I plan to concentrate on what I love the most,

floral design in terms of wreaths and centerpieces
and little tuck in goodies
as I like to call them

I have drawers and drawers of supplies that can be enjoyed by someone else so I plan to slowly list the goodies that would make someone else happy!

We did hear again from our caseworker to verify our number... NINE...

God has a sense of humor!

This week has been CRAZY~ Nothing bad, just crazy! Two houses we wanted to see, sold within 1 day

I had an interview for a job that turned into an interview for another job which turns out I am not qualified to interview for LOL I learned through all of this that God does have a sense of humor That my adoption case worker is fabulous That things are not what they seem That I could put my faith in God to get me through my nerves That I am still unemployed and that is okay I am off to see my brother and sister in law today for the weekend I am beyond excited to see them and to get away Life is so good

No take backs God...

I feel like I am on overdrive! ~Oil needed to be changed 3000 miles ago and I needed gas 50 miles ago~ I am going to come to a complete STOP soon and it is not going to be pretty~ I have the tools I need ... I am having a hard time finding them! I find myself being moody and upset and irrational.... even though in reality, there is NOTHING majorly wrong! My gram died and we still did not bury her ~ so there is no closure yet~ There will be soon, but just not yet~ I am jobless on August 1 ~ a business I created ~ it was my baby and now, it is over I have been applying like crazy I have faith that what will happen will be exactly as it is supposed to happen I can't stop dwelling on what ifs... I am praying and asking God to please take over... when in the same breath I am trying to take it back from him I can't relax... If I don't get a job soon, all will be just fine ~ my main concern is how others will look at me Everyone around me works so hard... and then there is me... "you should have gotten your teaching certificate" is what so many of my family tells me I went to school to be a teacher, and then decided that it was not for me So here I am with a 4 year degree in General Studies Things around here are not done the way they are everywhere else You need to go, in person and apply ~ a well written resume does not matter A degree doesn't matter 2 international awards don't matter Civic organization affiliations don't matter What does matter is ... who you know that can get you the job and who could "put the word in for you"! I want a job on my own merit ~ I want my future employer to look at my credentials, interview and hire me because I am the best person for the job and not because I know someone! I am blessed though ~ my husband is not worried, he has faith that I will get a job and in the meantime thinks it is cool I will be home I picked up this book

at the library for a buck the other day ~ been reading it~ It is almost as if it was written for me Job loss ~ infertility ~ feelings of inadequacy ~ worrying about what other people think ~ unanswered prayers Oh and a great deal of faith! I am not one to really talk about faith and a lot that is in this book is a huge dose of what I need to read and need to do! I was actually feeling better BEFORE I read this book...imagine that!!! It is stirring up in me so many feelings and emotions right now ~ things that I have hidden deep and things I never wanted to admit! I swear God put this book on the clearance table for me the other day~ he does know I would never pay full price LOL! I know I will get through all of this okay and really it will not matter one bit in 10 years~ I need to remember that and trust God I need to let go ~ My favorite poem is this: Broken Dreams As children bring their broken toys With tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God Because He was my friend. But then instead of leaving Him In peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help With ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, "How could you be so slow" "My child," He said, "What could I do? You never did let go." Robert J. Burdette I am going now to give God my toys ... no take backs~ EDIT: I finished the book in in tears as a complete basket case! I feel refreshed and I feel new~ I moved my book mark to the front of the book... now, I will read it and comprehend it! It has been a tough few weeks~ I will be okay, with the Grace of God!

OVER...

Is it bad that I am looking forward to my job being OVER?

I am

I did not imagine that I would feel this way

I will be thrilled when it is OVER!

~every day I feel so different~

My resume is out there... I am back on the market

At 35 I wonder how marketable I am ...

In all honesty... I want to be a mommy

Until that happens though I need to work ~

I do have resumes out there.... (despite my hubs wishes)

Isn't this the perfect time to look for a job?

Thing is when people ask... "what are you going to do"

I tell them I have no idea and I mean it... I have no idea what I am going to do when I am done here

I found a plaque last night that suits me well

"when God brings you to it...

He'll bring you through it"

I know this to be true!

I am sad

My grandma passed away this morning

She was 84

I love that she got to spend Saturday with her brother and sister and us, celebrating my Aunts birthday

I love that she got to spend Friday with my Dad, her son in law, at the nursing home for Polish Day

Dad said he laughed and cried and enjoyed it so much

Grandma could not stop talking about what fun she had with him

I talked to her again on Sunday

My only regret in life is that she never got to see my child

Although I know that she got to heaven today and had a talk with God about that

I will miss my Gram so much, 81 years of her life were so great, the last 3 since the stroke were not

She prayed yesterday for my grandpa to come and get her

I guess this time he listened!

May she rest in peace!

Today is the beginning of the end

....of 3 years of complete JOY

In July of 2006 I was given a wonderful opportunity to run a home consignment shop

Great !!!

I had no idea though what a home consignment shop was or how the heck I was supposed to operate it

So I researched the Internet and found a manual and did it

So now, 3 years later and an economy that is just not supporting this business ... we are closing!

I am not the owner, never was.

I was the manager/creative director at this family owned business

Where does this leave me?

I have no idea

I am sad to close the shop as I will miss the people

I will miss the fabulous goodies we got in on a daily basis

I am happy to begin again though

I have no clue where I will work, what I will do

I so know that my faith is strong and I know that when a door closes, a window opens

I am heading toward the future!

As an aside:

In the past week, we told a few people here and there...

I am in a complete and total state of shock

The outpouring of email and cards is unbelievable...

so many people walked in as strangers and left as friends

We will NEVER forget this time in our lives

I guess it is true, you never know how many lives you touch... it really is a wonderful life!

Inspiration from Grandpas

I am all about family... even if I never had the chance to meet someone I still reflect on and thank God for the fact that I am here because of them or somehow someway they affected my life and made me who I am today

I think at times about my Grandpa, on both sides of my family

I never met either of them

My Dads Dad died when he was 11 and my Moms Dad died when she was 21

I only know my grandpas through stories

But I still feel a connection to them

I imagine that is why the other day when I was in my favorite floral shop I spotted this lunch pail replica container for 3.99, I had to have it!!!

It reminds me of my Grandpas... workin on the railroad and diggin in the mines havin lunch with well worked hands, thinking about the family at home and God and other stuff

I love nests too they speak to me in a way... new life, I guess or maybe it is that we are expecting a baby through adoption that I find a connection to nesting

I don't know what it is

But I decided to make a nest inside the pail for my living room although I did not know where

I picked up a sheet of moss for 1.49... it is really rigid and it formed to the pail really well

The flowers were also 1.49 a bunch and are a pinky, redish orangie color

The sticks were lying on the ground in my back yard

The eggs were 12 for 3.99 and the larger egg is for another project but it was 50 cents

I did not want to glue anything in case I wanted to use any of these goodies for another project someday

I added the bag I brought the stuff home into the bottom of the pail, formed the moss over the edges and rested the lid inside

I then added the branches and flowers and two Eggs

One for Grandpa Pat and one for Grandpa John

Here is the nest on the suitcase table in our living room

It really is sweet...

each time I pass it ...

I pause and remember WHO got me to where I am today!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

Happy Flag Day

AMERICA: Land of the FREE because of the BRAVE

I am on vacation for the next two weeks I have so many plans to do things that I never get to do because I am working Not sure I will get to any of them but I am sure I am going to enjoy my Staycation Today we are going to three open houses The houses we plan to see are older homes that have been redone from studs EDIT: Houses were nice but they were not for us... oh well onward! It should be interesting I am also planning a walk with my ipod and self EDIT: The hubster came along and we had a nice chat~ Some spray paining of treasures and other goodies because this is the last day that will be sunny for a while I also stop to remember and pray those who fought for our freedom too this Flag Day