Yippee it's Saturday!

What is it about weekends that makes me so happy? It seems that during the week I just keep counting the days until Friday because I know the next day is Saturday. Maybe it's the freedom I feel knowing that I can lounge around in bed all day if I want to, although that never happens unless I'm so sick that I can't move. Could it be the pressures of my job that make me yearn for the freedom of weekends? No, my current job is pretty much pressureless unless you count having to get up early, get dressed for work (fairly casual), drive 10 minutes in to town, park close to the building, sit at a computer all day and then drive home as being pressure I've been pretty much blessed with a good job and great co-workers. Besides that, my weekends are usually full of projects around the house that need to get done, so I'm actually busier at home due to the pressure I put on myself. Maybe that's part of it, I love weekends because my creative spirit has an outlet and there is usually so much more to show for my efforts than what I see during the week. Whatever the reason, I love weekends and look forward to the day I can retire so every day will be like my weekends are now!

So what, you might ask, is on my plate for this weekend? Welllll..... TONS! What will I get done? Who knows? Last night I made eight mini books to sell at the craft show Emily and I are doing on November 27th. Today I need to embellish them and make the ties for keeping them shut. I have about ten more sheets of paper to use to make more. Then I need to make more Thanksgiving cards for my own use and some for our Etsy shop. Oh and I MUST make some gift bags/shopping bags for our sale. We had so much 6 inch tulle left over from Emily's wedding that I'll use that to make simple reusable drawstring bags that are in keeping with our Eco Chique philosophy of reuse, repurpose, recycle! Even the Thanksgiving cards I've made have embellishments made out of cereal boxes. Hmmm, I wonder if using up my stash for those mini books counts as repurposing if the original intent of the paper was scrapbooks? lol!

Ok, so I'd better get busy working on all those weekend projects before the day is gone!
Tootles...

Celebrating over 100 Posts!

I just noticed that my last post was Number 100 and that is something to celebrate! I'll come up with something really cool when I get home tonight unless of course I just collapse from this crazy cold of mine. Watch for some kind of giveaway soon, but in the meantime here's a Wordle containing some of the key words from this blog. If you click on it you can see it more clearly and even make one of your own!

Productive Sunday

I created a pattern for an apron Emily saw at the store and sewed it today. She picked out the fabrics from my abundant stash (THANK YOU EMILY!!!) in colors that compliment the apple green in her kitchen. I love pink and green together and was happy when she picked two prints with those two colors. The prints are Joel Dewberry and the pockets are a Japanese print. You've got to zoom in and look at the cute pockets!

Lessons learned the hard way

How many times have you picked up a prescription and ignored the written materials that came with it? Well I guess I'm too trusting of my doctor and the pharmacy because last Friday I did just that. Yup, picked up my Non Steroid Anti Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) for my 2nd visit by the old man called Gout (yes that's right, NO woman would inflict this kind of pain on another woman!!!), rushed home and gobbled down my first dose. Let me tell you that I was in so much pain that at that point it probably wouldn't have mattered even if the papers said in big bold red print, "DON'T TAKE THIS DUMMY!!!"  The good news is that the inflamation was almost gone by Saturday and not at all noticeable by Monday, but then again I didn't notice much of anything through the fog that crept through my brain. On Tuesday my boss asked what I was taking because he has also fought the nasty gout and ended up in the ER when he took medicine. I printed out the information that Walmart so generously provides on the web site and before giving it to him I read it. Well.... seems as though my blood pressure medicine is listed in big bold print under the heading "DO NOT TAKE WITH THESE MEDICINES!" Not under the "potential drug interactions", but under the "under no circumstances are you to mix these two drugs!" So WHY, I ask, did my doctor prescribe it and WHY did the pharmacy dispense it? And and even BIGGER WHY DIDN'T I READ THE INSERT???? The answer to all three questions is "I don't know!" Have I called my doctor or the pharmacy yet? Well no not yet. Probably will call the doctor after I feel more back to normal and probably won't call the pharmacy. Giving them the benefit of the doubt since I switched to mail order back in May and so they aren't showing a current fill of the triamterene/hctz. Anyway, I hope if anyone is reading this you will learn from my mistakes and always read the inserts that come with your prescriptions and over the counter medicines.

Some Christmas cards I made last night for Operation Write Home

below is a closeup of the glitter glue embellishment that I made. If you zoom in you can see how sparkly it is.

Sorry about the sideways card below. It is made out of a soda can colored with Tim Holtz alcohol ink, embossed with my Cricut and touched up with stickles and Crystal Effects (zoom for detail).

Oops, I just found out that we are supposed to leave the inside blank, so these cards won't be going to Christie (see previous post about her challenge)  because I stamped this sentiment on the inside of them. It seemed really appropriate, but rules are rules and hey, I need Christmas cards for other things anyway! I'll make more tonight and leave them blank. It was really fast making these out of one sheet of a page out of a glitter card stack and a page or two of decorative paper. The cards themselves are just plain old card stack either white, blue or green. I really love the fun colors and think they'll brighten anyone's day, so will make more like these for Operation Write Home.

A frog in my plants

Earlier this week I moved the plants from my front porch in to the garage to protect them from the predicted cold temps at night. When I reached down to move what appeared to be a rock in one of the pots to my surprise it was soft and breathing! Yuppers.... it was a frog (or are they called toads?) Here's a few pictures of the darling little thing.

Sadness and mourning

I am in mourning now over the loss of my dear Tucker. If you have time, please celebrate his life along with me by watching this slide show on his blog. It was tough putting it together, but is part of my healing process. Thank you for your warm thoughts and prayers.