Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Hi everyone,

How are you this fine Friday?  Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of August?  This summer has gone by so quickly I can't believe it.  Soon fall will be upon us. 

I'm sure that most of you have lots of plans for over this weekend.  Whatever you're doing or where ever you're going, have lots of fun and be safe.  And be very careful driving because there will be loads of automobiles on the roads also. 

I wasn't too happy to hear that starting tomorrow afternoon, the humidity is going to creep back up.  I was sincerely hoping that we'd have another low humidity holiday weekend.  But, unfortunately  there is not anything I can do about the weather.  We have been truly blessed this summer, weather wise and for that, I am thankful.

I'm still working on my poems.  I now have eighteen finished but I want to complete about twenty-five before I publish them in a book.  I've been feeling like I'd like to start another pencil drawing or perhaps one using chalks.  I haven't done any for a year or two and I kind of have the itch to get back into it once again.

I am hand sewing elf bags to hold Christmas gifts.  I will have eight when I'm finished them.  I love working on my hand embroidery in the evenings while watching television.  You see I have a bad habit of picking at my nails and when I keep busy, I let my nails alone.  But, mostly I just enjoy creating things. 

Have you noticed how well your flowers have done this summer.  Ours are blooming so beautifully and they look so healthy.  Unlike some summers when the flowers always are drooping down from a lack of water.  I almost hate to see them in another month when they will start drying up and turning brown.  Oh well, we need to enjoy their beauty while we still can see them.

Whatever you are going to do this holiday weekend, please enjoy yourself and spend time with your families.   I can attest just how fast children grow up and leave the nest.  After that, you won't see them quite so often.  I can promise you that you will miss spending time with them.  So, enjoy it while you can.  Be safe and God bless each of you.
Susan

Same old things on Monday!

Hi all,

I hope your Monday has been going well.  Mine has been pretty much like any other Monday.  I've always done laundry on Mondays and today was no different, except I had an extra load today.  Other than that, I did write another poem, read a bit and spoke with my best friend, Donna, on the telephone.  I made so many trips up and down the stair steps with my laundry, that I was quite tired when I completed it.  So, tonight I'm just chillin' out. 

I suppose the heat is back this week and actually I'd rather have the cooler temperatures we had over the weekend.  I actually enjoyed having to put on a sweatshirt.  This weekend we will celebrate Labor Day.  So, Monday will be a holiday which will make next week a short week for everyone.  I'm sure that pleases most of you, just as it does me.

I did go upstairs to my craft room for a while today.  I had to get some things together for my next hand embroidery project.  I am still working on creating Christmas bags and gift holders.  I usually just buy them but this year I've truly enjoyed hand sewing them.  I am very proud of them and they'll make great re-gifting bags for my family.

I now have seventeen poems completed, but I don't want to put them into a book until I have approximately twenty to twenty-five.  I'd like to take a course on poetry, but the one that I saw wasn't during a convenient time period for me.  Perhaps they'll run another one in the fall or winter that I can sign up to take.  I do know that there are many different forms of poetry, but that's about all I know.  I like to educate myself when there's a subject that I don't know much about.   I think the winter months are a good time for me to take a course.

I'm glad my family is all doing well once again.  Well, my husband is having some medical problems again, but hopefully we'll get some answers tomorrow after a test.  I hope it's nothing serious.  How is your health?  I know, first hand, just how hard it is to live with chronic illness, but I do try to make the best of it, because I have no choice.  I do have an appointment with my cardiologist this Wednesday.  I hope I get a good report after he checks things out with me.  Say a prayer for me, please.

I've been thinking ahead about my Christmas card styles for this year.  I've decided on one type that I plan on creating and that is from Iris folding.  You take small pieces of paper, cut into strips, and then you layer them onto the wrong side of a cut-out shape.  You use different color combinations when you do Iris folding.  I think they look great when they're finished, but they are very time consuming.  That's why I am going to start them in a week or two.

What have you been up to lately?  I hope whatever you've been doing has some creativeness to it.  I think it's very important to use the abilities and blessings that God has given to all of us.  So, please think about what you can do and then just do it!

Have a good week and stay safe.
Susan

Happy Tuesday to everyone!

Hi all,

How's everyone doing today?  I hope you are all well and enjoying some nice weather.  Here in South Central Pennsylvania it's been quite nice this month.  Actually, this whole summer has been a very comfortable one.  I've enjoyed sitting on my porch, which doesn't usually happen a whole lot during the summer.

Well now, you all know what tomorrow is, don't you?  Of course, it's Hump Day!  Where's that old lumpy camel at anyways?  I suppose he'll show his face at some point tomorrow.  So smile, because tomorrow is the middle of the week and when the day is done, you'll be on the down side of the slope.  Hurrah!

What have you all been up to lately?  Well, besides working, that is.  I'm back to working on hand embroidery work.  This time I'm doing Elf bags.  I think they're turning out so cute.  I saw a photograph of them in a catalog and figured that I could make them myself, instead of purchasing them.  Here's a picture of one:

 I am not sure how many of them I will make as of yet, but I now have six cut out and ready to sew together.  We'll see how tired I am of making them when I complete these six.

I have finished my autobiography, White to Black - With Many Shades in Between.  I now have it for sale at www.amazon.com.  You can purchase it for electronic reading by inserting my full name in the search block on amazon and clicking search.  All fourteen of my novels and booklets will come up.  Just scroll down until you find the one you'd like to read. 

I am going to have a few copies printed up but I haven't done that as of yet.  I've been spending quite a bit of my time on writing poetry.  I've always enjoyed reading an easy to read poem, but I never really thought of writing them before.  I've joined a web site called, fanstory com. It's mainly just for writers who create any type of writings.  I've been a member for almost two years now and I truly enjoy the site.  Writers post their work, be it stories or poems and then other writers read and review their work.  I received some very nice reviews regarding my poems.  Of course, I don't really know about all the different types of poetry, I just knew what I like.  Some of the writers poems, in my opinion, are a bit confusing.  At least they are to me.  I suppose they're very deep!  I prefer easy to read poems that are written with emotions.  That's the type I write.

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be starting my hand created Christmas cards.  I create a type that requires a lot of layering of small pieces of paper.  I will create those pieces first and then later one I will incorporate them into a card. 

God has blessed me over the years and I am so thankful to Him for all the blessings He's given me.  Being creative is just one of those blessings.  But, one that I love doing.  God gives all of us His blessings.  It's just that so many don't use those blessings at all.  My husband and I are  "giving back" by doing something especially nice for a young married couple we know.  The husband is suffering from cancer and we just want to do something nice for them while he's still alive.  My Red Hat group is also going to "pay it forward" by gifting them something that is important to them.

Please figure out how you too, can "pay it forward" for all your blessings.  There are so many good people out there who could use a helping hand in on way or another.  You will not regret it, I promise you!

Enjoy the rest of your week and what's left of the summer.  Take some time just for yourself, because we all need to rejuvenate ourselves so that we can be there completely for our families.

Be safe and God bless each of you.
Susan

It's getting shorter!

Hi all,

My title is referring to this week.  Just one more work day after today, which is over half way done.  Then you will be able to kick back, sleep in a bit, and do some relaxing.  Perhaps you'll be heading to the pool with the family or having a cook-out with friends.  Whatever you choose to do, relax and enjoy yourself. 

Nothing special planned for me this weekend.  My husband is going to have to work both tomorrow and Saturday.  Bummers.....but I understand!  I think people seem to forget that he is seventy two years old and that agreeing to about sixteen hours a week should be honored.  I'm glad he's still working a part time job, but all this stress is not good for him.

I have finished proof reading my autobiography, White to Black...With Many Shades in Between.  Now I put it into the appropriate font for amazon.  Then when I finish that, I'll be able to make it available for electronic reading on Amazon.  Then I'll have fourteen books and booklets available.  If you haven't checked them out, as of yet, please do so by going to:  www.amazon.com and filling in my full name in the search block provided.  All my books and booklets will come up then. 

The next book I'm going to do is a book of poetry.  But, I only have thirteen poems finished, at this time.  So, I need to get working on another seventeen of them.  I only started writing poetry recently, but I am finding that I enjoy it very much.  I am always looking for something new to do in the creative line. 

I've been thinking alot lately about starting another pencil drawing.  It's been at least a year or two since I've done any and I love creating with a pencil.  It's a lot more tedious than using paints, chalks or charcoal, but the rewards are great.  Being able to create something, with just using different shades of white to black, is so rewarding.  It's always amazed me how that can be done.  But first, I have to come up with something that I'd like to draw.  But what???

My youngest grandson is extremely good with a camera.  He has taken some photographs for his friends and they are marvelous.  He has a "shoot" coming up this Saturday.  He was hired to take photographs of two girls by their parents.  I'm glad to see that he is now getting some paying jobs as a result of his hard work and of course, this will help pay for some of his expensive camera accessories.  If you are in need of a photographer who won't charge you an arm and a leg, let me know.  He doesn't print the photos out for you, but rather he will give them to you on a USB drive.  Then you can either print them out yourself of take them to Walmart or Staples. 

I'm still working on my embroidery work.  And, yest, I'm still making felt Christmas bags.  I usually end up buying them from one place or another.  So, by doing them myself, I'm giving myself something to do that I enjoy doing and I'm saving myself some money.  Here's a picture of my resent projects.

They are approximately 12" long by 4 1/2" wide.  When I'm finished I will have ten of them.

Well, I hope the remainder of your week goes well for you and that tomorrow goes fast.  Stay safe and may God bless each and every one of you.
Susan

Happy Sunday!

Hi all,

Well, this weekend is almost over.  They do go so swiftly, don't they?  I am sure that you all wish our weekdays would go faster.  I trust you had a nice weekend and I hope you got a few minutes just for yourself.

I had a very enjoyable weekend.  On Saturday, I helped a young boy to create two snowmen out of bricks.  They turned out very well and he was thrilled with the finished projects.  It's been a very long time since I did crafts with my Grandsons.  I have to say that I truly miss that experience.  Two of his little friends watched while we painted our bricks.  I would have let them do one, also, but I didn't have anymore bricks.  I really don't have the energy to do this on a regular basis, but I did enjoy those few minutes with him.

Well, I have to say that the humidity is certainly coming up today.  I'm not liking that, not one little bit.  But, at least Friday and Saturday were beautiful days to be out of doors.  I hope you got a chance to spend some of your weekend outside in the beautiful weather. 

Today is my youngest daughter's birthday.  My baby turned 42 today.  I guess she's not my baby anymore, but that's how I feel about it.  My other two daughters will be turning 44 and 46, in a couple of months.  I can remember the day that each of them were born.  I don't know just where the time has gone.  It just flew on by.  I am so very proud of the three of them.  They have turned out to be wonderful mothers, strong women and very intuned with their children, as well as great wives.  So, I want to say, "Happy Birthday, Candy!"

My husband and I have become close friends with a younger couple during the last few months.  They have a nine year old son.  The husband is suffering from many cancerous tumors and this has affected the entire family.  They are truly wonderful people.  We feel empathy toward them, but not pity.  They are trying to make the most of the time that they have left as a family.  I am proud of them for doing this.  No matter what happens, God will carry them through any hardship they may have.  When things turn for the worse for this man, they will both handle it with dignity.  This I know for sure.  Please stay a prayer for them.  I believe, firmly, in the power of prayer!

Well, enjoy the remainder of your Sunday.  Be safe and thank God for all the blessings you have in your life.
Sue

Happy Hump Day! Just where is that camel?

Hi all,

How's everyone doing this fine Wednesday evening?  I hope you all are doing well, especially now that you're on the downward slide of the work week.  One of my daughters called me earlier today venting about her job.  I can't tell you how happy I am not to have to put up with that aggravation any longer.  I know that there's no place you can be employed where there's not some friction going on, but I am so happy not to have to do that anymore.  How about you?  Are you still employed and how are things where you work?  If you're retired, then you know what I mean.

Well, I've been busy working on proofreading my current manuscript, for the second time.  It's going well.  I've also been absorbed with writing poetry.  I only started creating poems a few months ago, but I can't tell you how much I truly enjoy it.  It seems that it's easier for me to write a poem when it comes from a true experience.  You know, what I mean?  I like writing from the heart.  I now have thirteen poems completed.  When I have about twenty five or thirty, I'm going to publish them in an ebook for amazon.com.  I am a member of a web site called FanStory.com and I truly am enjoying it.  It's a web site for writers of all mediums, where you read and rate other writers work.  It pleases me so much that I have received so many good responses on my poetry so far.  And, I've been given a Six Star rating three times.  That's quite an accomplishment to me.

Right now I'm just chilling out and listening to the oldies but goodies music on cable television.  This channel plays the music from the late 50's through the 60's.  That was my era of music and dance. I was an American Bandstand brat.  Don't know why that's what they called the preteens and teens who watched AB every weekday for two hours.  Both my sister, Carol and I turned in faithfully every day we were able.  I guess it helped that both my Mom and Dad liked the music from that time and would also watch sometimes with us.  I loved watching my Parents dance the jitterbug and other dances.  I suppose that apple didn't roll far from either tree!  My Daughters also grew up with the music from those decades.  That's basically all I used to listen to and once again, that's all I listen to anymore.  It takes me back to such simplistic times.  They just don't make music like that anymore.  Does anyone out there remember the song, "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips and the Twilights, from 1959?  You could either dance slow or do the Stroll to it.  Or, how about "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" by Johnny Tilletson, from 1962.  And, did you know that he began performing at the age of seven years?

Well, I could go on and on, but I won't.  I do hope that you all are finding something creative do accomplish in whatever free time you have.  I really don't do my in the line of crafts anymore, but I promised a little boy that I'd help him to turn a brick into a snowman this Saturday.  So, I will be doing a bit of crafting with him.  I'll try to remember to take a picture to show you all next week.

How's the weather been where you are living?  It was hot and humid for the beginning of the week, but it was nice today and it's supposed to be lower humidity through the weekend.  I love that fact and hope it pans out. 

Well, have a wonderful evening and try to enjoy something in each work day, even if it's the "going home" part.  Remember that you always have the weekend to look forward to.  Stay safe and God bless.
Sue

 Here's a picture of that beautiful sky I was referring to earlier.  Just take two minutes and look up.  You just may see something amazing!

Happy Monday to everyone!

Hi all,

Just the start of another week, but this too, shall pass.  That's one thing you can be sure of, each twenty four hour period will come and go, staring another twenty four hour period.  I hope your first of the week day back to work, is going well for you.  As for me, it was two loads of wash and a start to cleaning my upstairs.  Not much else since then! 

I've been having some problems with pulled muscles for the last three weeks or so.  I went to the doctors a week ago and he took xrays.  I thought perhaps I might have splintered my hip or something.  I'm glad it's just the muscles, but will be glad when they get well again.  Ive been  icing them four times a day up until today.  I decided to drop to three times a day this week.  I've also taken myself off the Ibuprofen and switched to Tylenol instead.  I'm not to stay on the Ibuprofen for more than about 10 days, and it's now been over two weeks.  So, I think it's time.

This past weekend was another very nice one, both weather wise and pleasant for my husband and myself.  I am so pleased that the weather hasn't been really hot and humid on the weekends.  That means that I am able to sit on our porch and enjoy being out of doors.  I love it.  I will say that this past July has not been our normal month of July weather and for that, I give thanks.

I need to get back to proof reading my novel, White to Black.  Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to, at least, spend an hour on it.  I do need to get back to my cleaning tomorrow, so I'll just have to see how tired I am when I'm finished the cleaning.  I also have some other writing projects that I'd like to complete one of these days.  It basically depends on how tired I am and how much energy I have when I sit down. 

What have all of you been up to lately?  I suppose a lot of you have been, or are looking forward to, a vacation.  Vacations are so great, even if they aren't like they used to be.  For me, my vacations are very sedentary, which is my every day life style.  But, it's nice to get away for a few days, even if you do pretty much the same thing you do at home.  If you haven't yet gone away on vacation, please have a wonderful time and stay safe.  Be careful in your travels. 

I'm still working on my hand embroidery projects and loving every minute of it.  Everything I've made is for Christmas, but that's good in my estimation.  It will save me from having to purchase felt, decorated bags and gift card holders.  I love being creative and it makes me feel good about myself.

Have a wonderful week and stay safe.  Enjoy the good weather!
Susan