random acts ~

monday
was
just
one
of
those

days... from when i walked with ruger ~ having another neighborhood dog run out & act like he was gonna eat both of us. he did nip ruger some, but did not draw blood. ruger is fine! it was just scarey. to seeing an attny for my dads' estate. to sitting & waiting for almost 5 hours for an oil change. it just was one of those days. the wait was long because they were gonna check out more things in my jeep. they took me in the courtesy vehicle to a nice coffee shop ~ and had some reading/paperwork to do. so thought a couple of hours i could do this... but was tooo long! while i was there, tho, i did see a couple of things i may have missed had i not been there that long. one was this kind gentle giant of a man. he noticed a gal who was working not feeling well, & gave her an adjustment when she stepped out from behind the counter, he just touched a few pressure points on her neck & side of her head ~ she asked him how did u know i did not feel well, he said i just knew. i smiled at him & we just exchanged a few words. the other was another gentleman who had torn jeans, hat, elderly sweet guy. he got some of the day old bakery items. he came over & started visiting with me. (everybody talks to me ~ i can walk thru grocery store & people come up & talk. my hubby will say, who was that? i say i dunno... another earth angel?) i asked him how much were the bakery items, he said here, my gift to you. i declined & offered then to pay... he said you know when you are offered a gift you should accept graciously... he said they have plenty more & i git them for free ~ i feed the birds. he not only fed the birds ~ he fed me. what a blessing. humble♥

a beautiful booth ~ now

today our son, kyle, and i did a project together. we have a booth at a mall, that used to be a old bus barn. nothing fancy about this place ~ cement floors, peeling ceilings, no air conditioning, & in the winter - be sure to wear warm clothes & gloves! the booths are very plain so we decided to dress ours up. the previous tenant moved out early, so it was perfect timing for us to work in the space. we talked of many ideas for the walls ~ and the kidz decided on using boards, so we can hammer into them & will be more stable. he staggered the boards since the floor is so uneven & gives it a more rustic effect. kyle did all the measuring & cutting & putting up the boards & shelves. shanna did the staining & distressing. & me ~ i git to enjoy our new warm welcoming space. it is sooo wonderful! i love the way it turned out! i so appreciate my kidz. i am so blessed. it was a great day to spend with my son ~ i love u! kyle does a beautiful job with woodworking ~ he has made cabinets & cupboards for their home & a gorgeous oak changing table/dresser for lil 'o'. i will post about them sometime, too. he does an amazing job ~ especially at being the best son i could ever ask for, husband & dad ~ soo proud of you! thank*u-thank*u again & again. humble♥

a wonderful outdoor antique show

these are pics from when we ( my lovely daughter*in*law, shanna, who i love calling my daughter!) & i went to an outdoor antique show. it was a gorgeous day. she loves so many things that i do ~ we have wonderful times together! tonite i had my lil 'o' therapy & remembered to ask her what she did with the spool cabinet she bought. one booth had a wonderful collection of spool cabinets. shanna spotted one she loved & it has a wonderful home ~ at their beautiful house. she loves making quilts, prim dolls, crows, & many other hand*did treasures. also loves doing scrapbooky things ~ cards ~ books & other fun projects. shanna loves to paint furniture & does a wonderful job at everything she does ~ especially being sucha lovely wife & mom... love u! i am sooo blessed! humble ♥

94 mph winds...

~ a line of severe thunderstorms moved thru the area early monday morning. leaving some without power even yet. the power poles were snapped off, lines down - damage worse than recent ice storms of this past winter. we were fortunate with only large limbs & small branches that fell ~ that i am still picking up. our andironak chairs were tossed across the street & my chairs that i have around the yard with plants on them - some survived the flight, some did not. our flag pole & fence post snapped off. many in the area had large trees uprooted, some landed on cars or homes. the wind hitting the house was scarey. it truly was seconds that i had to grab the cat (phoebe) & run to the basement where ruger resides on the couch & our other cat (vester). the wind was horrible. they clocked one of the gusts at 94 mph. it is a wonder how things withstand that force. i am soo thank*ful ~ it could always be worse! and by His grace the sun does come out agin... humble ♥

my walking buddy ~ ruger

this is my walking buddy. ruger. we named him after the 'german' pistol - a ruger, being a 'german' shepherd & he was an onery little pistol when a puppy. we have walked in our addition for 9 years. the road we walk is a half mile circle. so we walk 'round it 2 times, several times a day. usually 5 or 6 times in really nice weather. most times at least 4. we have walked in snowdrifts, ice storms, rain, sleet, snow. hot (we try to go early and not in hottest time of day) & we do have alot of nice weather days, too. we do not go in thunderstorms anymore since we had a lightning bolt hit toooo close to us. (it looked like storm was past - wrong) we figured one day that all these years of walking daily, there has not been mebbe but a week total of days, that we did not walk ~ that it would be how many miles? when we thought about it awhile ago and figured it ~ over 12,000 miles! actually it is more than that now.... are we ready for a trade - in yet? nope. but i think he is. he wants to trade me in for one who doesn't want to walk ~ he would rather stay on the couch. we still try & walk ~ but not as often & not 2x around. don't we all love our pets? four legged children? humble ♥

tugging at heart ♥ strings

i find it soo amazing how many stories you hear in this world of blog*land. i love visiting the sites & getting to know some of more familiar ones better. everyone has a story ~ and mebbe at the end of your storms/stories you too, will find a rainbow... humble ♥

sea of purple smiles =)

my sea of purple ~ this is my front flower bed with purple verbena. it is a slow starter, but shows its' true colors all summer into fall! i pull off the seed heads, spent blooms and throw into other flower beds and toss some into this same bed, to re*seed themselves. after a horrible winter of lotsa snow, cold temps ~ i am always amazed how they come back & survive. thank*u to God for the smiles, & to make me smile again. =) humble ♥

sucha beautiful day ♥ & topped off with lemonade

today in Iowa ~ it was gorgeous! a tad windy in afternoon, but the temps were low 80's, and low humidity. usually this time of year it is very hot and humid ~ good Iowa corn-growing weather. today hubby and i took off for a flea market in Maquoketa, north of where we live. it was perfect! found some great treasures ~ i do not think i come home empty handed very often. found some wonderful religious charms, bags of broken jewelry, some watch pieces, a small bisque doll with an arm missing, and some other lil' pieces. it was a good note to see some furniture getting loaded into trucks going to new homes. our neighbor went and sold his truck load with the exception of a few items, and so he went home early ~ only after he checked it out to see if there was something he had to take home! we drove further north to Maquoketa caves, where there is this restaurant ~ truly off the beaten path. very well known and good food. as my hubby handed back a menu, he hit my glass of lemonade and yep ~ all over my lap! had to run to bathroom after cleaned up most of mess... but it looked like i was too late for the bathroom the way my jeans looked! he felt soo bad, but i thought it was funnie. =) very much a thing that happens to me. and that is very much okay... the pics are from the yard around the Bluff Lake restaurant. humble♥

have a blessed Sunday! humble ♥

whadda beautiful blog*land we have!

thank*you for all your lovely comments ~ and warm welcoming hi's. from looking at the blogs ~ there are alot of wonderful, gracious people ~ very caring and sharing. it is very humbling to see all the talent out there, too. i have been reading a few blogs for months now, and it is great to see how we have become friends. i have seen the journaling comments from stories of pain/sorrow to the joy/happiness ones. i have cried and smiled with them. from a blog expressing the pain of a loved one who is hurt. to laughing at another blog because she heard a clunk and it was her husband, he fell out of bed. i still am giggling over that one! not laughing at them, with them. i feel i can laugh with her, because my husband fell out of bed years ago, and it still is funnie... sorry hunnie. =) it is a great world to join ~ this blog land. thank*you for encouraging and inspiring me. i look forward to your visits and comments. humble ♥

my therapist... =)

i am in love with my therapist ~ do not tell my hubby! he is only 2 years old, and is the best! ♥ he is our grandson ~ and this " maam'ma " loves him sooo much! ♥ i had ~owen~ therapy today and i cherish every moment with him! we are soo blessed. humble ♥

sweet repose

does that name just sound so peaceful? Sharon, another great encouraging friend that has wanted me to blog ~ has a site name just that http://thefabricofsweetrepose.blogspot.com/ i have known Sharon for years ~ we love alot of similiar things, too, especially flowers, plants, and antiques. her shop was one of my favorites ~friends~. she now has her hand*did soaps & yummy candles, and furniture in a wonderful shop by kalona ~sisters~. many pieces of furniture in my house are from the old store ~friends, sharons' pieces from her pink chateau and pipers', sisters', and manleys'. stop at her blog and see her wonderful photos of kalona ~ sisters, and manleys antique shop. i use her soap all the time! i used to have permanent dirt stains from working outside, painting furniture, etc... on my fingers ~ no more ~ she has the most wonderful scents. even just sitting by the sink it smells good, then when u use it, it just re-juvenates the scent again. i love it ♥ hugs m'friend humble♥

so thank*ful

this computer/technology stuff is wayyy complicated for this ol' gal... but with a kindred soul ~ my angel it is easier! Dawn,http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/ my sweet dear friend, helped me with this bloggy thing, and bless her ♥ she is soo lovely. she designed the blog header, it is so gorgeous! she did the colors for me ~ everything! i love it all, Dawn!! ♥ she walked me thru the the 'stuff' on here, she has patience~so appreciate you. i have been thru some trying times here of late, and she has been there for me, and thought this would be good for me. i had even put it off, made up a comment, and it got a response, from someone else in this great blog-land. so to me that is one of my signs. i believe that there are not coincidences, it is all from God. the people you meet, the things in nature u see, the trials in life are all from Him. thank*u to my dear sweet angel, Dawn.http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/ Bless u, m'friend. humble♥

vintage bottle label

this is the bottle label i did for the mind wide open contest.http://www.mind-wideopen.blogspot.com/ i could not git the image to come off the colors as shown, so went with the colors greyish/black as it decided to do its' own thing. i had this vintage bottle, vintage lace and it looked good with the image. i cut out the image and inked the edges. glued the lace all around the bottle, then the image. i put the rhinestone dots on her flowers by her face. i cut out a pinkish rose from a tag, glued that on, then used the sepia accents on stamped clock hands, which point to the word ~ remembrance. glued on a silver heart charm and key under the letters remembrance. each was individually cut out ~ very small ~ and glue bottle was not co-operating so the air from the glue bottle, huffed the letters around, so sent me searching for them... it is always an adventure! ♥ love the fun time i had making this. i so thank*u gail http://www.shabbycottagestudio.com/ for blessing us with this contest! we are all winners by being featured on her page! best wishes to all who entered. humble ♥

i am soo grateful ♥ humbled

today i am starting a new venture ~ this wonderful blogging world that i wanted to join. i have visited many sites, and have commented on a few ~ and have made many new friends. ♥ thank*u all for your encouragement ~ support ~ and love. humble♥