Empty Nest?

Our youngest has just moved to Kalamazoo to attend college there. She left early to find a job and get settled for the summer/fall season. It wasn't like she was home much, whether it was out at a friends, work, or at school. I won't miss telling her "constantly" to pick up her things, or clean her pet rabbits cage, but I guess we were not entirely ready for her to go so far from home. I wanted her to be more prepared, save more, get the job first, and then move, but that's a cautious parent talking. Not her, she wanted to go now. I know it sounded exciting and seeing her friends go off to college has made the last two years going to college from home seem rather dull. I hope it goes as well as she "plans" it will. As for Steven and I, it 's hard. Silly really, since it wasn't like we were that involved in her daily life. I guess it was passing by her room, sort of empty, and well "clean" for once. We plan to paint it this weekend. I will be moving her things to the slightly smaller room across the hall. I had always planned to make that room she had my craft/sewing room when she left. We had been talking about it for some time, but it feels bittersweet now. She wanted me to switch the rooms before but I wanted to wait, again maybe because a part of me associated this with her leaving home. It has been over 30 years since Steve and I have lived "alone" and the house seems way too large, and a bit too empty right now. This year has been so busy everything changing, some good, some not-so-good, but it seems it is all happening too fast sometimes. I barely recuperate from Steph's wedding, losing my uncle, finding out my youngest brother and his family is moving to Indiana in June, to this. I know life is all about change, but lately it feels like I cannot catch my breath it has been happening so much, so fast.... For now I just want it to slow for a bit, and the only change I want to deal with for a while is what color to paint her old bedroom, but that may take me a little time.

Where is the time going?

I have been away, busy. Not always with things I enjoy but the tedious stuff of life. Spring cleaning, work, and some commitments I made and am trying to wrap up. I don't know about you but time seems to slip away so fast and the weekends fly by. I feel as though I am not accomplishing much these days, I am moving slower? I don't know. I have been making these paper flowers. It is relaxing and fun, and even decided to enter a paper flower swap. I had to package them up and get them off this week. So here is a picture of them ready to go: I even decorated the card stock holder so that they can reuse them for a tag. I only needed to make 18, but got a little carried away so I have a few extra. Perhaps I will use them for a RAK? Perhaps offer them in my shop? I have to finish the smaller ones I have started. Looking at these should make me feel productive, yet there is so much more I want to get done. Summer is almost here and my spring cleaning isn't done:( Heck most of it hasn't started as I need it to warm up here in Michigan so I can power wash the house and the get to the windows. It has been quiet on the blog front. I expect it has to do with the nice weather (elsewhere), or perhaps the bad weather but I wanted to check in and share.

It's Open!

Yes I have finally set it up and am ready to run.... Well, not that far, I am still "in process" of listing items. I will have kits for mini's (like the picture above), as well as some vintage items, and objects for your altered art projects, etc. So take a peek by clicking on the upper right hand icon. It will take you to my "shop". Check back often as many of these items are one of a kind!

Bottle Swap Mini

I participated in a "Bottle Swap". Where your assigned a partner and fill a 2 liter bottle with goodies to mail out to them. I was very lucky to get a very gernerous partner (Bona @ livelovescrap on Youtube) and she gave me a "mini album" kit in the bottle she sent me. I finished putting it together and wanted to share it with you. These "mini" scrapbooks are so much fun!

Really?

Okay this is not a photo of "our" garage roof, but close enough to help give you an idea of what I came home to Tuesday. You see as I mentioned in the previous post, the church next door is expanding their parking lot. They hired a company to demolish the old house they had used for their youth classes.

This house sat right behind our garage, oh, about 4 feet away. Although they were careful it seems while they were pulling down the one wall it "snapped" in two and the wall fell on our garage.

My daughter heard it from inside our house (the garage is not attached, and a good 10 feet from the back porch). She called me at work, while I was trying to install and learn our new payroll program. I had her send me a photo on her camera, showing me how it had crushed the right corner of the garage roof.

Since nothing was "exposed" I did not rush home. I had to get the new program in and done so that the employees could get paid, and really what could I do. I called our insurance and waited for them to send someone out to access the damage. When I finally arrived home the workers came to me and explained what had happened.

They apologized and the owner of the company called and assured us they would make good on the repairs. So they had their builder over stripping the shingles and repairing the roof. Just one more thing going on here.

Can You Believe?

I have been away so long. I am afraid I have been so busy that I have neglected you you my blog. There has been so much I waned to say. Things that have made the last few weeks tense, exciting, sad, and frustrating. I have not written because by the end of day I am so tired that writing about the events seems too daunting a task.

My daughter came back from her honeymoon and has settled in with her husband Pat. They came over two weekends ago with news about their wedding photos. It seems the photographer "lost" them all! Yes the story is that she had not bothered to download them from her camera. She attended an art show and left her bag in the office where someone had "stolen" the disc with their pictures on it. Yeah, right. Like any photographer would carry some one's photos for over two weeks and then the only thing that was stolen was the disc? Steph cried, I was so upset. We have been calling anyone that attended and asking them to share photos they took. My employer in the meantime had announced two days before the wedding that he was changing payroll software programs and that he was ending our 401(k).

I have been sick with a cold since two weeks before the wedding, and just when I thought I was getting better, It made a return appearance. I still have the cough, but am much better.

Our youngest daughter has decided to move out. She wants to go to Kalamazoo College and plans on moving down there this summer. She has been looking for work and has an interview this week. Of course I am worried, I don't know how much we will be able to help. Its a good two hour ride from our house.

The church next door has decided to expand their parking by tearing down the house that backs up to ours, so they have been banging and making a mess all weekend. Work has been slow for Steven and myself so we plan to use this time to do some projects around the house. I want to do all my spring cleaning, so we are tackling a room or two each weekend. I want to paint a couple of the too.

I have been keeping myself busy. I made two mini albums, and I don't scrapbook. I am fascinated with them because they are more like altered art books than the typical scrapbooks and I love that. I also make these pretty paper flowers and have been having fun with sizzix dies, and all the possibilities!

I am going to be better about posting, I do miss my blog friends and although I have not posted I am here, lurking and checking out other blogs. I want to share with you soon some of the fun things I have been up to.

My Mariposa Mini Album

So it's been a while since I last posted. Recuperating from the wedding, dog sitting while they went on their honeymoon, and being sick with a cold, not once but twice, back to back.

I thought I would share a "mini" scrapbook album I did a month or so ago. I swore I wouldn't scrapbook, I don't even like to have my picture taken, a trait shared by my children, yet I love these little altered albums.

I am feeling much better and should be back to posting now that things have settled down. I hope you enjoy seeing this video. I bought the mini kit from a YouTube video I saw by RoseS915. For those who want to try making one of these type scrapbooks and do not want to have to invest in all the supplies this is the economical way to go.

I will be putting together a couple of my own. I think it will be a great way to share and use up the many "extras" I have collected.