Thank you to all those who have served and who are currently serving. Your service is so very much appreciated.
Here are neat item put together in a treasury on Etsy (created by Pamela Leo) in honor of all our service men and women. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTE3OTc1NDh8MjcyMDMwNTc4NQ/in-flanders-field
Life has been crazy busy since the beginning of the month. My Mom lives in a town 100 miles away from me in North Dakoa near where the oil industry has been booming. About 2 years ago she was paying about $500 a month in rent. It has been going up every 4 months. It was raised from $925 to $1200 starting this past January. Then she got a notice that it would be going up 50% to $1800 the beginning of June. She can not afford that rent as a retired woman. Oh and did I mention this place is old, falling apart and no garage?
So I headed to Dickinson at the beginning of the month to help her find a new apartment or living arrangements. Housing is impossible right now. We found a brand new condo with a two car garage just being finished. It will be less expensive for her to buy it then to pay rent. Absolutely crazy. So we made an offer and are closing on Friday, May 25. All this is being done in a 2.5 week time period. On top of it, my Mom has been out of town since the beginning on prior arranged plans. So I have been pretty much spending most of my time there making sure it all happens. I have one sister that lives there so we have been doing it together. Don’t think I would still be sane if it wasn’t for her. The past weekend my other sister came from Minnapolis, and we (my niece and JV helped too) packed up her place in anticipation of closing this week. We also did some major shopping for new items she will need now that she owns a “just finished” home. What would we do without family? I am so thankful for their help.
So my normal life has pretty much been on hold. No scrapping, no auction sales, no spring cleaning. My three men in this family planted our large garden without me. But that is ok, it is definitely the right thing for my Mom, and I know she will love it all when she comes back next week. I know she appreciates all the work.
So I took a quick picture of my bearded irises. I love that there is a bud just ready to open. Reminds me that my Mom is on the verge of a new adventure. At 70 years of age she gets to own her first new home. How exciting is that?
A special thanks to Lynette, Sue, Joshua, Lynae and Jon for all they are doing to make this happen. Thanks to Big M and Z for holding down the home front.
I promise I will be back sometime in the beginning of June. I have auction sales and garage sales to attend. I have scrapbook pages to make. How about you? Has May been crazy for you. If so, I hope you life is beautiful.
Finally, yes, finally the weather is nice enough for garage sales. This past Friday my Mom and I hit about 10 sales on the way to the airport. She was off to visit my brother in Dallas.
I was so excited to find this large printer drawer; it is in wonderful condition. Someone modified it by adding hinges and string to be able to hang it. I really love the patina on the handle.
I thought this 1971 Coca Cola Tray that is a reproduction from the early 1900s is fun. I love the lady image. I think someone will want it for their Coke collection.
These flashcards are a lot of fun. They are from 1981, but in great shape. I have not listed them yet, but plan to soon. They will make great pieces for someone’s crafting projects.
I also found a couple of items for myself. I had to have this wonderful box. I love the look of the picket edges and the handle, not necessarily the fruit. I can paint it, but I might leave it as it for right now.
I love snowmen, so I just had to snatch these little guys for Christmas decorations. Yikes, can’t believe I said that…I want summer and warm weather. These guys are being stored away.
Life is crazy busy right now, but I hope to hit a few sales this month. How about you? What have you found for a steal?
It’s May, so Iced Tea time must be starting. One vegetable that grows well in spring here in North Dakota is Rhubarb. I have four plants so when they grow, I need to start using it. On Saturday I picked a plant and made Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce and Iced Rhubarb Tea. It is so yummy.
Iced Rhubarb Tea
8-12 stalks rhubarb (cut into 3 inch pieces)
3 tea bags (any flavor) (I have added up to 5 when I want a stronger tea taste.)
3 quarts water
¾ c honey or to taste. Can use ¾ cup sugar
Place rhubarb in 3 quarts water. Bring to a a boil. Boil on low for 30 minutes until rhubarb is soft and mushy. Place tea bags in water the last 6 minutes. Strain. Place into 2 quart pitcher. Add honey or sugar while hot. Chill. Serve over ice.
The best part is that the flavor changes with the type of tea bags you add. This time I had a strawberry kiwi tea flavor. I have tried all types of flavors in the past. Go ahead and experiment.
So this morning when I got up it was in the 30s and a little chilly in the house, so I had me some Hot Rhubarb Tea. It was just as yummy as iced. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
What do you do with rhubarb?
I love taking classes at Big Picture Classes. I just started a new one called, Design Challenges from Elizabeth Dillow. It started today. A fun part of this class is that Stacy Julian will be creating a page based on the challenge and then showing it to us via video.
The first challenge was to make a layout based on a familiar form. I took it as something that I see everyday.
I knew immediately that I wanted to make a layout based on the My Classes page on Big Picture Classes. Above is the view when you click on the Design Challenges page to sign up, but you get the idea.
I am not a digital scrapper, however, I decided to try this layout digitally. It went so quickly. I am so pleased with this layout that captures my boys…right now. The gray lines state specifics about each of the boys, and the right hand column are things that they both do right now. I would not have done this layout without this class. Life is changing so quickly; I know I am going to love looking back on it to see what the boys were into at this time.
You can still sign up for Design Challenges through May 2. I don’t get anything for telling you about this class. I just think it is fun and motivational. If you want some motivation to scrap, go check it out.
I am so excited about my recent purchase…a custom designed necklace for me to wear when my son swims for high school.
I love Etsy. I found a shop, Resonates, that takes a nickel and creates a custom design on the front. Susy and Debby were awesome to work with. I sent them a link to the school website so they could see the school colors and gave them words that I felt were important. They created a couple of sample designs for me to choose from. I was so thrilled to have Z’s swim team, his name, his favorite races and our favorite saying, “Attack the Wall” all on the front.
I am so pleased with how it turned out, and Susy and Debby were so fantastic to work with. They were timely in their communications with me and so quick in getting the necklace to me. So if you need a customer necklace for your child’s sport, check out Resonates.
I love it when I upload my photos to my computer, and I find unexpected images. JV must have taken this photo of our fruit bowl. I love the bright colors and even the composition. Now I am going to have a piece of fruit.
