Short Update

My last post was in the beginning of July and I have so lost touch with everyone.  Hopefully everyone hasn’t given up on me ever posting again.  It has been a crazy summer  with our new roof going up, our new furnace being installed and new windows going in.  We also got two new kids in foster care almost 4 weeks ago.  The boys are brothers and are ages 8 and 9.  The kids play well together and we are really enjoying the boys.  The case worker informed us last week that we need to get the boys enrolled in school since their mom’s next court date isn’t until the end of Aug.  The boys are accepting the fact that they are not going home for awhile and they like it here.  Brad and Nick have been generous with their toys and they have all been enjoying the pool, scooters and playing football and badminton.   Three weeks until school starts and then I plan on getting busy in my studio creating all the new ideas that have been forming in my head over the summer.  I am hoping I can get back to posting every day on my blog too.  :o)

So Behind on Posts

I do apologize for not keeping my blog up to date.  Life has been so crazy, but it really doesn’t take that long to post….so….no promises, but I will try and do better.  :o)

My hubby is showing our camper this morning which we are hoping will sell soon.  We also got new flooring in our laundry room a couple of weeks ago.  The new flooring is linoleum rather than the carpet that was out there.  It seems so nice to be able to just mop up any accidents or dirty spots.

Our twin granddaughters were 7 months old yesterday.  I thought I would share this newest photo of them sent to us via text messaging from their mom.  Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.  :o)

Rough Week

The contractor did stop over on Sunday and take care of the leak.  He also steamed the carpet and is either going to repair or replace the damaged ceiling tiles in Brad’s  room.  Yesterday morning we discovered that the water had worked it way down and wrecked some of our livingroom ceiling tiles which are only a few years old.  The contractor is going to buy a box of those and fix that ceiling up also.

Yesterday was a very difficult day for our family.  Our family dog, Chloe, who we got as a puppy almost 12 years ago, was diagnosed last summer with cancer.  Yesterday we had to have her put to sleep. My husband and our daughter, Rachel took Chloe and stayed with her until she was gone.  It just isn’t the same without her, but she isn’t suffering any longer and that is what counts.  She was well loved and had a great life.  Here is a picture of Chloe before she got sick.  :o)

NO SALE

We thought our camper was sold until last night when the buyer called to say she had changed her mind.  We have to go up there today and put the sale signs back up and get the keys back from the women.  The hard part is that Memorial Weekend was a busy time at the camp and now camp won’t be opening until the end of June.  We know that the Lord has someone in mind and we do accept this, but we were really hoping to have the sale completed and not have to deal with it this summer.

The last of our old roof was removed from the house yesterday.  The new wood was put down.  We woke up to a big problem this morning…..the roof had leaked right through the attic into Brad’s bedroom.  About a dozen ceiling tiles are ruined and the top bunk bed got quite wet.  We are waiting to hear back from our contractor.  Hoping this weekend gets better…LOL

Memorial Weekend

The weather has been just beautiful here this last week.  Yesterday, my hubby and our 12 year old son, planted our first garden in years.  Bradly loves to garden, and this one is his responsibility and he is very excited.  The garden is small as we don’t have a lot of room since we live in town.  Our garden consists of green beans, cucumbers and zucchini…oh and a mystery plant that was growing in our flower box…we think it might be a pumpkin plant.  We have two “Topsy Turvey” things…one with grape tomatoes and one with beef tomatoes also hanging on our back porch also. 

Normally we try and make sure our yard and flower beds look nice for Memorial Day weekend, but this year we are in the middle of getting a new roof on our great big, three story house.  We have a huge green dumpster in the front yard as well as lumber and a driveway full of roofing shingles and other supplies.  The roof is partially finished, but the carpenters couldn’t work on it last week because it was too hot and the shingles would have been damaged when they walked on them.  I am hoping they can work all this week and get it finished.

I completed a custom order for a customer this week.  This set includes a doggie travel bag with a matching agility pouch and bandanna.  The set is a gift for a 13 year old girl and is made from a cute lime green skull fabric and a black and white skull fabric.  Here is a pic oft he finished set.  :o)

Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Our two adopted sons are participating in another 6 week “Therapeutic Horseback Riding” class.  The first class was last night.  Nick chose to ride his horse friend “Sassy” who was his horse last time they had lessons.  Brads chose one of the new horses.  It is a wonderful course and the boys love it.

My dad is having surgery this morning to replace part of his knee.  I will be so glad when my mom calls to tell me he did ok.  He gets to come home tomorrow and then go out for rehab.

Our yard is a mess as we are having a new roof put on our house.  The roof is being completely removed and all new wood and shingles are going up.  Our attic is a mess from all the debris caused during the removal of the roof.  We have a lovely new yard ornament too…a large green dumpster in our front yard..LOL

Steve, Rachel and I are still losing weight…Steve has lost 38 pounds, I have lost 35 pounds and Rachel has lost almost 20 pounds since the middle of January.   Steve and I have a long way to go, but at least we are on our way to a healthier us!!  :o)

Mother’s Day Weekend

Our oldest daughter, Megan is coming for the weekend.  Her hubby Scott isn’t coming with her, but her new little black puppy will be traveling down with her from Hamilton, Ontario.  It will be so nice to see Megan.  Rachel will be here for dinner, but then she has to work.  Reid has to work also, and Steven is too far away to come for dinner since he lives in Houston, TX.  Chris and the grandbabies are stopping in the afternoon.  My hubby is making dinner tomorrow which will consist of calzones and tossed salad….my request.  My Mom and Dad will be here for dinner also.  Rachel is making a sugar free dessert that we all love.  I am looking forward to a nice day with my loved ones that can be here.  :o)

I hope all of my readers that are moms, have an extra special day also.  :o)

Surgery Day

Well, we have decided to adopt the little Dachshund we have been fostering and we changed his name to “Oscar” which just seemed fitting for a wiener dog.  LOL  He responds well to his new name.  Steve had to have Oscar in to the animal hospital by 7:30 this morning as Oscar is getting neutered today.  Rachel will pick him up after he last class today.  It seems strange that they send him home the same day.  Female dogs do stay over night when they have their surgery. 

Our daughter Megan, has purchased an electronic book.  She asked me to make her a sleeve to keep it in so it is protected from scratches ect.   I finished it yesterday and thought I would share a couple of pics.  I have a new beach bag half finished that I hope to complete today.  :o)

Good News

My doctor visit this morning went very well.  The Dr. was thrilled with my weight loss of almost 25 pounds and my B/P was better than it has been in years.  When my blood work comes back, she said she thinks she may be able to lower my diabetic medication….yipee!!  I even consented to getting an pneumonia vaccine.  After my appointment, Steve and I went out to breakfast and boy was I in need of coffee since I had to fast for my blood work.

I found another awesome Etsy shop and wanted to share it with you.  I think the personalized bridesmaids plates are great….sometimes it is so hard to know what to get the bridesmaids.  The baby plates are great too.  Take a peek and see what you think.  This shop is called “Say Your Piece” and this artist specializes in custom ceramics. :o)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SayYourPiece?view_type=gallery&page=2

baby plate            garden marker

 

                                 bridesmaid plate

Fostering a Dog

We are participating as foster parents for an adorable miniature Dachshund named J.D.  through an animal rescue in East Aurora, N.Y.   J.D. was a rescue from the state of Georgia where his family was facing serious financial problems and were forced to give him up. He was headed for the pound when the rescue acquired him.  It is not often that the rescue gets a pure breed dog, but J.D. is a pure breed miniature Dachshund.  Our Karli is 3/4 miniature Dachshund and 1/4 Jack Russel, and although they weigh the same, JD. is a bit shorter and longer than Karli.  These two are having a blast together.  I think it is a new experience for them to have another dog their own size to play with.  They race and chase through the house and both seem so happy.  I think our older dog Chloe, who is 12, is wondering why there is another pesky little dog to annoy her…LOL  She is good natured though, and just goes off by herself when she tires of the rough housing.  J.D. needs to be neutered very soon.  Karli is fixed but he is effected by her so we should be getting his appointment today.  Both dogs are a little over a year old.  We do have first chance to adopt if we decide to keep him.   I thought I would share a few pics.  :o)

J.D.

  J.D., Karli and Chloe

Vacation Begins

Our school system did something strange this year.  Usually the kids get a break from school during the week following Easter, but this year their break is this coming week.  The worst part about the dates of this break is that the day the kids return to school the state testing begins.  This means the teachers won’t be able to spend time reviewing with the kids.  I have a feeling the school system won’t schedule vacation like this again.  I am hoping the kids behave and we can have a nice time together this next week.  :o)

I am so glad my daughters set up an account for me on Facebook.  I have enjoyed re-connecting with friends and family I haven’t seen or heard from in years.  It is just nice to see what everyone doing…how many kids or grandchildren they have.  It is nice to look at the pics  that these people have posted…..I do love that the kids I  graduated with have all aged just like I have.  In my mind they all looked like they did the day we graduated from high school…LOL

Here are a couple of projects I finished and listed in my Etsy shop yesterday.  :o)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44909514/6-piece-girls-dolly-diaper-bag-set

 

 

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44932853/orange-galaxy-purse

From Sunshine to Rain

We started out with some beautiful sunshine this morning which has now changed to a cloudy, rainy day.  I did much prefer the sunshine, but as they say “April showers bring May flowers”. 

I finally completed a project I have been working on for a friend of mine which is a nice feeling.  I also whipped up a medium sized adjustable dog collar and leash set last night.  My hubby found this beautiful orange cosmic fabric at Joann Fabrics on Tues.  He immediately thought it would make into a really cute collar and leash set…I think he was right.  Here is a pic and you can decide for yourself.  I like it so well, I am thinking of making a purse out of this fabric also. :o)

It is Actually snowing

Ugh…I just went outside to take some pics of dog collars.  I stepped out the door and was hit by a freezing cold wind.  I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that it was snowing outside.  That is majorly depressing considering it was 80 degrees here in Western N.Y. only a week ago.  :o(  Brrrr.

I had been anxiously awaiting the episode of BONES that aired last night.  It was really good, but the ending was disappointing…Booth lays his heart out there and Bones was too scared to trust herself in a relationship.  What a let down.  I would like to put in a request for an alternate ending..LOL

Here are a leash and dog collar set I had an order for this week and am shipping to Australia.  I also made a tie dyed dog collar someone in California ordered.  :o)

Easter weekend

What glorious weather we have been enjoying.  It seems fitting that the weekend we are celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior should be unusually beautiful.  I have been reflecting on the many blessings God has allowed our family…too numerous to ever list.  I would just like to share a couple of the ways that the Lord has protected our family in the last couple of weeks.

First, our oldest son Steven lives in Houston, TX.  He rarely does much city driving but drives the expressways.  We all know that you need to drive quite fast to keep up on these highways.  A couple of weeks ago, Steven drove out to Humble for an oil change at my brother’s garage.  Steven mentioned that he had been hearing a funny noise in the front of his van.  After taking the wheels off, the mechanic discovered that his wheel bearing for the front left wheel was completely gone.  At any time, that wheel could have flown right off and considering the high rate of speed that he travels,  he would have undoubtedly flipped his van.  The likelihood that  he would have been seriously injured or killed is great.  Unfortunately, considering the number of people driving these highways, Steven wouldn’t have been the only person hurt or killed.  God was certainly protected Steven and we are so grateful.

Amazingly, our youngest daughter, Rachel just had a similar experience.  Rachel went to Canada for a week to visit our oldest daughter and son-in-law, which meant she had to drive the same type of fast moving highways.  Rachel went to Hamilton, Ontario and back, but kept hearing a grating sound when she turned her wheel.  She was home a couple days when the sound got worse.  My husband was following her to the garage to have it checked.  As they sat at a major intersection in Yorkshire, there was a really loud “BOOM”.  Rachel’s tire had exploded.  The problem was a wheel bearing also.  I don’t understand all the ins and outs of the problem, but I know that once again God had miraculously protected one of our children from serious injury or death.  To say we are grateful is an understatement.  :o)

Bronchitis…UGH

I have been sick for over a week and finally went to see the Dr. yesterday.  Just as I suspected I had asthmatic bronchitis again.  This happens at least once a year and starts with a simple cold.  I have an antibiotic and a steroid so I am already feeling somewhat better.

We have been sticking to the South Beach Diet like we should.  It has become fairly normal to us now and wow do we feel better (except for the bronchitis).  :o)  Prayerfully we will be smart enough to continue eating this way and get the weight off and keep it off.  As of today my hubby has lost 20 pounds and I have lost 19 pounds.  It has taken 6 weeks to lose this weight, which is slower than we have lost in the past.  We are older and probably move way less than we used to…LOL  Either way, we are pleased and psyched.

I am off to Joann Fabrics tomorrow to buy a pattern and some cute fabric.  I plan to make our little granddaughters matching sun suits for summer.  I love it when Joann’s runs their patterns for 99 cents each since they are normally between $10 and $15, which is just crazy..I would never pay that for a pattern but evidently some people do.  :o)

Found an Amazing Etsy Shop

The other day I was checking out some of the great shops on Etsy and I discovered this incredible fabric florist shop.  The owners of this shop make the most amazing fabric plants and leaves.  I have never seen anything like this before, so I thought I would share this great find with my blog readers.  Please check out this shop and I would love to hear your thoughts on these cool plants.  :o)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/janejoss

Wheat Pasta

We have been doing great following the “South Beach Diet”.  I have lost 14 pounds and Steve has lost a bit more.  We are feeling so much better and have more energy.  The first two weeks we didn’t eat any flour foods (breads, pasta, ect), starchy vegetables or fruit.  We have introduced fruits back into our diet and things like sweet potatoes, rutabaga ect.  We do eat a slice of whole wheat or rye bread once in a while.  I love wheat bread and it is so much better for us.  The problem I have is with the wheat pasta products.  It doesn’t seem to matter what I make with wheat pasta, whether it is spaghetti, wheat bow tie pasta made into a Greek salad, or most recently I made a tuna macaroni salad…..usually my macaroni salads are well received in our house…most of this particular salad went down the garbage disposal.  I managed to eat two of the little shell macaronis and all I could taste was wheat.  I seasoned it well and used two cans of tuna….but the wheat taste was so strong.  I told Steve that I think every once in a while, when we are hungry for some pasta, we should just make a small amount of the white pasta.  The other foods we have been eating are great.  I love fresh spinach and we eat a lot of that.

We had a C.S.E. meeting for Bradly at his school on Monday.  The meeting went so well.  He created and presented his own power point presentation explaining his disability which is “E.D. or “Emotional Disturbance”.  He has learned how his disability relates to some of the problems he has in school, in his relationships and his everyday life.  One of the new services he will have for 7th grade is a program on the computer which will read  back whatever he has written, aloud to him.  This allows him to be able to pick up on his choppy or run-on sentences and make corrections.  The teacher did bring a sample of his writing from Sept. and a current sample…what a huge difference.  This new technology should help him to improve even more.  We are so proud of Bradly for the hard work he has done trying to improve his problems and for trying to understand his problems.  :o)

Announcing the Winner

I am pleased to announce that “StunningAnnaK” is the winner of the “Spring Break” purse I was giving away on my blog.  Congratulations Anna.  I will ship out her new purse as soon as I get her shipping address.  :o)  I thought it would be nice to also share her Etsy shop with my readers.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/stunningannak

Thank you to everyone who participated in my give-away and I hope everyone has a great week.  Spring has actually arrived!  :o)

Tooth Fairy Pillows

I got 5 new tooth fairy pillows finished yesterday and even got the pics taken.  It felt great to have 5 new items to list on my Arelel Designs 2 shop.  I have another 5 I am working on.  Walmart did not have any white embroidery floss, so I had to borrow from my mom.  I like to do the hand appliqué while watching t.v. and then I go to my studio to finish them up on my sewing machine.

One of our past foster daughters who went home over a year ago is coming for a visit this weekend.  We had her sister here last week as she had gotten suspended from school and her dad works so there was no one to watch her at home.  It was so nice having her here and I know we will have fun with her sister this weekend…..they really need some mom attention and loving.  The boys love when the girls come to visit.  Nick still has a hard time understanding why they don’t live at “home” anymore (meaning our home).  Considering the girls lived with us over a year and a half and Nick is only 8 now, I can see how that would be confusing.

Our daughter Rachel is off to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada for the weekend.  She is going to visit our daughter Megan and her hubby Scott. They always have a great time together and I am so glad our kids are close.  Rachel is also planning a trip to Houston, TX to visit our son Steve in June.  Her and Steve had a wonderful time when she went down to see him last year.

Here are some of the pics of the new tooth fairy pillows.  This is the link to my shop if you would like to see the rest of them.                http://www.etsy.com/shop/areleldesigns2 

  http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43001962

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43001544

Corned Beef and Cabbage.

We had our traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day (and just because we love it), on Saturday rather than yesterday.  We cooked our corned beef with cabbage, carrots and rutabaga.  Normally we  cook potatoes also, but since we are eating low carb, we omitted the potatoes.  We had just enough corned beef left to slice thin and make open faced Rubén's on a slice of dark rye bread for lunch on Sunday.   Rachel and I skipped the sauerkraut, but Steve had it on his.  They were fantastic.

I have been feeling the effects of my exercise on the “Gazelle”.  I am assuming since I am feeling the pain, that I must be doing it right.  :o)  Now, I just want my efforts to start showing.  I must admit that I do feel better and have way more energy thanks to eating low carb and exercising……I really do hate the exercising part though…LOL

I did complete the two drawstring bags I was working on on Tuesday and I got the pics taken and the purses listed in my Etsy shop.  I am now working on 10 new Tooth Fairy pillows for my Arelel Designs 2 shop.  Tooth Fairy pillows sell fairly consistently, so I thought it was time to add some new ones with different fabrics.  I have to buy more white embroidery floss because I can get all of them made.  Here are a couple of pics of my new drawstring purses.  :o)

   http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42865708

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42864630