THIS AND THAT

Warm Sunday greetings to you all!

Last weekend I saw this out by the barn:

It's a woodchuck (groundhog). Not too happy about it - thought winter was over!

But, then, yesterday I saw these:

Snowdrops. Finally!!

This past week I also received two packages in the mail. The first was from my brother in Tennessee. His wife works at a Payless Shoe outlet or factory. Every year they send up some shoes, usually sneakers or Skechers. This was a fun assortment:

A new pair of Minnetonka moccasins, a pair of Sporto wellies, and a very colorful pair of sneakers! I think that will keep me for the year!

The second package has a story to it. Do any of you (older) folks remember the western from the late 60's called The High Chaparral? This was my all-time favorite t.v. show! Last year I stumbled across reruns on the INSP channel - what a thrill! So I took to Google to see if any cast members were still alive and what they were up to.

I discovered a website and a facebook page. At the time, they had just finished having a High Chaparral Reunion in Tucson, AZ which included a few hundred fans, a couple of cast members and writers. It sounded like they had a wonderful time and were planning another one for March '14.

I decided right then and there that I was going to attend, come "he_ _ or high water". I started saving and came up with enough for the registration fee. During this past year I have made some fantastic H.C. friends on facebook and couldn't wait to meet some of them in person.

Well, during the year I lost my babysitting job (remember Jade?) and our finances were tight anyway. I kept hoping and praying but it wasn't to be. I knew I couldn't get my registration fee back, which was okay, but then the Reunion Coordinator said it would be used as a "sponsor donation". No problem. The reunion was last weekend and I so enjoyed seeing everyone's pics and hearing their stories. Ultimately, I was thrilled when a package arrived which had some Sponsor Gifts in it:

A tote bag from INSP channel, a sponsors badge, my favorite - the coffee mug!, a sample of Arbuckles' coffee which is made in Tucson, an H.C. pen, coaster, pin badge advertising Rudy Ramos' one-man show about Geronimo, and a pack of Hubba Bubba gum - which Don Collier portrayed the Hubba Bubba gunslinger (or gumchewer) in the commercials.

Even though I couldn't attend, I was still able to enjoy the experience with everyone's videos and pics!

REDNESDAY - PAPER BAG JOURNAL

Above artwork by Becky Schultea

Welcome to Rednesday! I hope you ladies enjoyed your Mothers Day.

Remember about a month ago I showed this photo on Rednesday, about a craft I was working on? Well, I finished it!

I made a Paper Bag Journal! Becky Schultea of Just Bee'n Me had posted one she made for Valentine's Day, using her own artwork (see it, and instructions, here). So I purchased her Valentine Variety Pack at the Aimee Asher Printable and Digital Crafting Mall.

I had decided to make a Spring journal instead of Valentine, and here it is! (Right-click on images to see larger size.)



It took me a long time to make this because I did it in bits and pieces, not all at once. I had used as many images from the pack as I wanted, then browsed her blog for a few others. That's when I noticed that she had made a new set called Sweet Spring Stitches (also at Aimee Asher), so I ordered that immediately! There were many pinks in this set and I darkened a lot of the pinks to reds as a personal preference.



I had so much fun making this that I want to try making another one, maybe during the summer when it's too hot to be out in the garden! Becky has also made a Mothers Day Journal using her Spring set, brown and white lunch bags, and put a beaded handle on it to make it look like a purse! It's so pretty, you can view it here.

Don't forget to check out my yesterday's post regarding the Initially Yours craft swap!

HAPPY SPRING!

from The Story of The Root Children by Sibylle von Olfers, 1906.

A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!

What a glorious Sunday it is today! The temperature is to be in the mid 50'sF/13C, a gaggle of geese flew overhead going North, and the Snowdrops Fairy has visited my front yard!

Spring is Here!

Well, it's finally here! I made this countdown calendar last year. It counts down from January first until Spring, with a different floral pic for each day. I keep it in a plastic page protector so I can cross off each day with a marker and still re-use it.

On Africam, at this very moment (5:30 p.m. SA time), the lodge chef has brought his cooking supplies down beside the watering hole and is cooking up a braai, which is the South African word for barbecue. He has his cast iron pots over a wood fire and is cooking up a storm! He mentioned that the weather is beautiful, and the view also - with zebras and wildebeests in the background. Looks yummy! They do this about once a year to show the viewers a little of the culture.
This photo shows the fire pit, a few of the rangers, and some local singers putting on a show for the viewers.

A note about my VTT post yesterday: from the comments I received, it's safe to say that the pink box is a q-tip container.