First Snowfall

Hi everyone. As my mother used to say (I think she made it up) "Hello Mr. Rabbit, your tail is mighty white. Yes, by golly, it snowed last night". And it did! Only a dusting and it'll be gone soon but it was great to wake up to. The temp here is 38 degrees so it's not going to stay long. I know for you easterners it isn't worth noting but this could be all we get this year!

Question For You

Hi everyone. First, this is a picture I made for Jane Davenport's class Supplies Me
. I enjoyed drawing this as she represents my granddaughter who is really skinny like this, loves purple and is taking ballet. (Her mother told me in LB's saturday class they were told to kick their legs behind them and try to reach the back of their head. When she saw LB she exclaimed "OMG (long version), she's really doing it"! And my LB said she kicked her head pretty hard with her right leg but only touched it lightly with her left. Now can you do that? I can't even kick past knee-height!

The second thing and the point of this post is a question. Do you have an Ipad or an Android tablet? I am looking at these and have read that on the Android tablets some of the web sites come up in cellphone version rather than a PC version and some find that annoying. Since I don't get sites on my cellphone I don't know how annoying that would be so I am hoping someone can tell me! If you have an Ipad, do the sites come up regular version or cellular version on it? Maybe this is the real reason people love the Ipad over the Android tablets?

Taking a Break

Hi once again everyone. I'm sorry about the skewed picture. I had to ask Mistress to take a photo as we are at her sister's house in Fallbrook now and we can't get hooked up to her scanner right now.

We've been so busy it's taken a few days to get this done and posted. We went to see a cheapo property for sale with a small mobile home on it in Hemet. The realtor didn't show up the first day and it's an hour's drive so Mistress was a bit upset but she got to talk about it with her sisters and we got to see two dogs who live at the home next door. They were pretty large dogs but I am bigger and a bit more refined (at least I hope). They seemed friendly enough and after saying hello a few times, they settled down. They were behind a fence so we couldn't properly get to know each other. (Mistress deemed the property unfixable which is sort of what she expected as it was only $36,000.00 in California. Yes, that's really unreal isn't it?

Anyhow, back to the subject here. We went out to sit on the patio here at Cherrie's and it feels like a nice room. It's really pleasant except that two of the chairs just aren't my style. Mistress finds them comfortable enough and was kind enough to leave the 3 seater swing for me. I didn't swing but it felt so good to be able to stretch out for a bit. It's lovely here in Fallbrook. It's still a bit cool except midday but it's so green! I love it.

Hope you all have a great day. I'm going back outside to sniff the pretty flowers and maybe, just maybe, the neighbors cat will try to go through the yard while I am out there. Oh, won't he get a surprise?

Ladybird - Huh!

Well, while Mistress was taking all those photos I went after the fun bug. I chased the flies! I am always chasing the flies. When I am at home and even here in Simi Valley. Flies are fun. They buzz around and just invite me to catch them. I haven't gotten one yet but someday I will. So Mistress can have the boring ladybugs or ladybirds, as some people call them and I will continue chasing the good ol' fly. Want to join me?

Hmmm, maybe I should darken that pink background. What do you think? Is it as bright and distracting to you as it is to me? I mean, I'm pretty used to seeing things pink since every time I look at myself that's all I see but this might be a tad too much.

Pictures in Simi Valley

Since it was so beautiful out yesterday I took some photos. These are my best shots. I wish the bee was in clear focus but I didn't even know he was there when I shot the picture. Bugs and weeds say spring don't they?

Fake Journal Month for 2011 and A New Class

It's time for Roz's International Fake Journal Month again.  You can find out all the info by clicking on the button (I can't seem to remember what the clickable pictures are on the sidebar) of the blue dog on pink background over at the top of my sidebar or you can just go here.  Just be sure to scroll down and maybe even go to previous posts to read the whole thing.  There is a description at the top of the blog but if you want to join in do read the whole thing.

I am going to be Mitzi, a pink, standard poodle who happens to be very unusual in that she can do art but hey, my family insists I live in lala land and if that's true then I get to decide what dogs can or cannot do in my world.  I decided that although I prefer toy poodles, I do not want to keep my nose to the ground for a month.  I want to be able to see what's on the table at least!  So stay tuned and we'll see how this goes.

I'm going to be in California for most of the month and I am also going to be taking Laure Ferlita's newest class "An Imaginary Trip To The Garden" so I believe Mitzi will be seeing lots of interesting stuff.  I think Laure still has some open slots too so why don't you join me in both the Fake Journal Month AND Laure's new class?

Mail Day!

Aren't I the lucky one? Helena of Creating a Likeness blog from England sent me these things for my birthday which is coming up very soon. She makes some very nice cards which she sells but I didn't have to buy mine! The booklet is so cute too. I have to show it to my granddaughters as I bet they'd love to try to make one like it. I don't have butterflies as pretty as these but they'll make do.

I am lucky to have Helena as a blog friend. There have been a couple of times in the past couple of years when I thought of giving up blogging when I was in a blue funk and then out of the blue, she'd send me an email asking how I was. That got me going again. She sent these photo corners because she remembered me making some once for a project because I didn't have any from the store. Thank you for the birthday gift Helena and for "being there" when I needed it.

About Time Eh?

Yes it's about time I posted here! I went to California to be with family which I do several times a year. This time I just got so busy I didn't even get online for a long time!

We went to our granddaughter's ballet recital where she had a solo after taking ballet for only two months. She got to do a dance she'd made up before starting ballet and didn't know that was what she was doing! (She was in gymnastics for 3 years so I'm sure that helped).

We stopped first in San Diego to visit our son for his birthday and then went for an overnight to my sister's in Fallbrook where I picked up my new bedframe (my husband had his truck with him so could bring it home for me).

We went to the circus in Los Angeles as my husband was given that as a gift back in Feb. for his birthday.

Then up to Simi Valley for that recital I mentioned and then staying for my grandson's 16th birthday unparty. He didn't want the anxiety associated with a party so it was mostly family and a few neighbors and we kept up the unparty theme teasing him that we brought an ungift and so on.

My daughter took me shopping for the bath stuff I don't get here at home and for skirts that were on clearance at JCPenneys. I was down to only two very old skirts hanging in my closet so needed something.

And then it was watch the girls do this and watch them do that and journal with us Grandma and listen to this and watch us swim and play a game of pingpong with me and on and on. I had fun!

Finally it was a couple of days with my sisters and brother. The last time all of us were together was eleven years ago for our dad's dying and funeral.

Busy, satisfying and very tiring. Now I am home trying to get back into doing classes and catching up with everyone.

In the pictures I am wearing a blue t-shirt and a skirt at the beach and a purple t-shirt at my sister's condo she just moved back into (lucky her, she's back in the San Diego area). We range in age from 51 to 63. The journal page pictures were done mostly at my daughters in spare moments. I added the words to the borders page when I got home.

Animals in the Desert

I rather enjoy watching the animals around our place. I saw these crows in the yard and wondered why they were hanging around - until I went out to water my apple tree. They had pecked apart every apple and torn off many of the branch ends! Couldn't they have just eaten ALL of a few apples and left everything else alone?

The bunny is so cute sitting in the shade of our tree. I'm sure he didn't expect to see me come outside with my camera but then they've surprised us a few times too. We now surround all new plants with chicken wire because the bunnies decimate them. They have even chewed off many lower branches on our oleander bushes but drop them when they realize they are poisonous. Once my husband opened his car hood to see why the car wouldn't start and there was a cute little bunny who had chewed the spark plug wires!

I still like watching all these animals. I don't know what to do about the apple tree. We built a garage to keep our cars away from the rabbits and rats. I have foil strips hanging from my tomato cage which is up on our porch away from the bunnies but evidently not the birds! I sure hope I get a few of the tomatoes.

Baby Birds Have Hatched

The baby birds have hatched! These are the two not-so-cute-yet babies! In a week they'll love so much cuter. I'll try to catch another picture then.

Dove's Nest

The doves that built a nest in this tree last year are back. This year's nest looks rather flimsy to me. I sure hope the parents know what they are doing! The eggs arrived some time about a week ago. I don't know the exact date. It looks like two eggs again.

Apple Blossom Time

Good morning everyone. I thought I'd share some photos I took yesterday of my apple tree and rose bush. Aren't these so springlike? Spring is well underway and I'm loving it!

Another Inchy?

Yes, another inchy. It seems I am not being too creative lately but really that's not the case. I just finished a spoon rack I've had sitting here since November. The end of November but yes, it's been a long time coming. I think it turned out great though. The pictures show the before and after. What do you think? Originally, this rack was my mother's. After she died and my dad redid the house I painted it for him. Now it's mine and it was time for another update.

Now for my inchy. The theme for this week and last is trees. I was visiting family last week so I am glad it was a two-week time span for this one. This was suggested by Karen known as Missy K and her blog can be seen here . This is for the group you can find here at Inchybyinch. I drew the tree with markers and added some text. Come and join us. We can always use some new inchy artists.

The Birds and the Bees

We have a nest in one of our smallish trees with a dove family occupying it. I noticed it because our big dog Sarah of rattlesnake bite fame was trying to jump up high enough to get to it (and she got very close - I yelled at her and she's left it alone since). In the nest were two eggs and they have now hatched. My hatched pic isn't too great but I didn't want to bother them too much. You can still see the very new birds in it.

The bees, well I just wanted to have fun with the title but you can see them in the flower pic I've added.

Have a good day everyone.

Wish List

I've added a new button to my sidebar. A blogging pal is hoping to make an ebook with everyone in the whole world's wish lists. Her name is Fadwa and you can see her blog here. This is just a bit about what she is hoping for:

"I am hoping that The World’s Longest Wish List Ebook will end-up bursting with possibilities, hope and untamed imaginings, that it will circulate wildly all over the world, that it will continue to grow fatter and fatter, that it will spread warmth and humanity, and that it will confirm that we are all the same somehow."

I hope you'll think about it, take a visit to her blog and maybe add your list. You can copy the button picture and link it to her blog and perhaps by posting it on your sidebar or making a post, she will get her wish!

I'm a Winner!

A little while ago (time seems to have lost it's meaning lately - it's just go, going, gone) I won a giveaway on Lisa's blog Pursuing Art...Life and Dreams and then time got away from me and I didn't post it when it came in the mail. Now Lisa has written asking if I got it. I didn't realize it'd been THAT long but it has. I am so sorry Lisa. I usually make a post (usually only a little late) and then let the person know I got it and share the post link. I am sooo sorry. It was totally rude of me. Lisa gave me some wonderful stuff too. I thought I'd just won the doll and face but she sent me vintage and other beads and everything came tied up so

I could use the packaging in future projects.

Lisa is the type who remembers little details such as a poppy I'd asked if I could draw from her blog months ago. She sent me the photo of it. And no Lisa, I haven't done that yet either. No more classes for me for a while. I evidently need a breather to clear my head so I stop forgetting so much.

Gifted by Grace

Grace of Grace Beading blog had a giveaway for her second blogiversary and she was so kind to send me a super gift just because I find her blog interesting enough to visit when she has a new post. What did she give me? This pin she made. Isn't she beautiful. Grace does an excellent job on her beadwork. Thank you so much Grace. I truly appreciate it.

Update to Rattlesnake Bite

Yay! It sounds like Sarah is going to live and be okay. She survived the night and is getting wound care to her nose today and then tomorrow (when I get home) we'll bring her home from the veterinarian's. Thank you all for caring and hoping and praying for her. I really love the community we have here online.

Rattlesnake Bite

My poor Sarah was bitten by a rattlesnake today. I'm visiting in California so my husband had to deal with it by himself. I gave him the vet's name and told him to call ahead in case they needed to get the anti-venom from somewhere else. It turns out they had it and he got her there while she was still able to walk okay. My husband came around a corner to see Sarah's nose just two inches away from a diamond back! He yelled and she backed up and he thought she was okay but noticed about 15 minutes later her nose was all swollen. That's when he called me. So anyhow, she's at the animal hospital and has been given anti-venom (which the doctor says she can only have one time in her life - I didn't know that), and they said they'll call us in the morning to tell us how she is. They could not say yet that she would be okay. I sure hope so. I'll let you all know when I know how she'll be.

Swap

When Karen of Missy K blog said she'd give away some of her
extra bird inchies just for the asking I jumped right in and asked
for one. I told her I'd trade her one I made. Unfortunately my computer acted up on me and just before it wouldn't start up one day, it must have eaten my photo - actually the whole last day of photos I'd uploaded.

So anyhow, I sent her a quilted inchy with a shell bird attached that I'd dabbed Ranger's alcohol inks on. I also sent her a couple of the extra shell birds I made. In return she sent me this wonderful packet of goodies and two of her bird inchies - one of them with some of the foil on it which she sent me. Aren't they pretty? I am so very lucky.

Thankyou very much Karen. I really like the inchies and the goodies!