Pointy Black Kitty

I have been a crafty one again. This time, I made something for myself. Isn't she darling? I got the pattern from WeeWonderful's Blog. I made one for my sister's birthday, except hers is in little-dots for every day. I got this idea from the October Home Companion Magazine. Same pattern but I used black fleece for her "fur." I added the orange spots and used felt for her little nose and I embroidered whiskers on her face as well. The buttons came from my Grandma Mac's button collection I inherited.

She has a little bow around her neck that coordinates with her spots. :) I have to be very careful because I have showed her to several people and I think she just might get abducted from my little house if I am not watching. There were plans today at work when I showed my co-workers to take her when I was working on a patient! Can you believe that? My sister also has plans to take her to work with her to show her employees. I am getting nervous just typing this! ;)

I'm With the Band!

This is my oldest daughter. She plays in the 7th grade band. As you can see...she has a LARGE instrument. I don't think I could tell you before she began playing, what a trombone even sounded like! Now I know. So does the dog, the cat, the neighbors....you get the picture. :)

She is very gifted with music. She can also sing like you can't believe. She auditioned and made it into the National Anthem Singers at her school. She sings at the girls basketball games, boys basketball games and volleyball games during the school year. The first time I heard them sing...my mouth fell open. Seriously. I am so thankful that God chose that gift for her. She loves it and is very passionate about music. I wonder where God will take her with her gift. Guess we will just have to wait and see.......

Where I spend some of my days....

This is the room where I spend some of my days. Hope none of you have a fear of the dentist! :) My chair is the little one on the left. I work for an awesome dentist. He does excellent quality dental work. I have been a dental assistant for 21 years. I am very happy with what I do. The pay is nothing to write home about, monetarily, but the fringe benefits are out of this world. For instance, I have meet over the last 21 years some people who I adore. I see their names on the schedule for the day and I am so excited to see them again and get caught up with things in their lives. I have attended funerals of patients because they have become friends of mine over the years. These patients we see become like family to us. Some we joke and kid with like there is no tomorrow! :)

Probably the biggest fringe benefit of working where I do is my co-workers. They are all soooo wonderful! Each one is different from the other. We have three ladies at the office who have successfully raised all their children. They are all wonderful adults now too! The three of us who still have children at home listen to every word they tell us about raising kids. They are so full of wisdom and knowledge about things we are and will be experiencing in our lives to come. One lady has taught us to "pick our battles." That is a good one! Another one has shown me a mothers unconditional and sacrificial love in a mighty way. Another one has taught me to hold on when times get tough and yet still have fun when the tough times come. And that they do get better. There is a lot of wisdom in this dental office. And it is not all about teeth! (Although there is a lot of dental knowledge there as well!)

So, I am very blessed to be a dental assistant. I get to work along side a man who is very gifted in what he does (he is also a Christian and treats his staff with respect and kindness and gentleness), I get to visit with some of the most amazing patients in the whole entire world, and I get to work with women that I can not only call co-workers but friends as well! Yup! I sure do look forward to my days at work in this little room.

My Space

This is my little space. I write on my little blog here. It used to be a lower base cabinet in my kitchen. I asked my hubby if he would take the cabinet out for me and lower the counter and make a little area for the computer and a desk for me. He said sure! I wanted it trimmed out with bead-board for a cottage-type look. That is the style I adore! This is what he came up with for me. It is just perfect! I can be in the kitchen cooking in the afternoon and still be able to watch my girls on the computer to see what they are looking up and doing. Something us mama's need to keep our eyes on. :) Of course there is a Mary Engelbreit desktop on the computer along with a Mary mouse pad along with a Mary coaster for my coffee, tea or diet coke. :) It is very unusual that neither three are in the picture! HA! It is a good thing I work for a dentist. I can polish off the dark stains left from my three favorite beverages any time I need to! HA! I also have a little creamer pitcher that has Cosmo's in it from my neighbors yard. She brought them over to me this afternoon "just because." Wasn't that sweet of her?

What about you? Where do you blog or read other's blogs?

The Shack

Have you seen this book? Have you read this book? If you haven't...you must!!! OH MY LAND is it good! I read it in two days because I could not put it down. My husband is not a reader but I encouraged him to read it and he really enjoyed it too. It involves a tragedy for a man and because of that, he becomes closer to Papa, or God. I don't want to say anymore in case you are going to read it. It makes me think and dwell on my own relationship with God. Am I close enough to Him to call Him such an intimate name.....Papa? After all, only I am the one who can change it. Papa is already there waiting on me. Sigh.....

You gotta read this book! (OK...that is my last plug!) :)

A Bunting We Will Go....

Well, I have been a crafty one these past few days! Bringing out those sewing genes! Yeah!!! :)

I have made a birthday present for my sister (but she reads my blog so I can not show you as of now.) I also made a Christmas present for my youngest daughter (but it is similar to my sisters birthday gift so I can not show you that either!) I made a curtain for my nephews "fort" that is under his loft bed. I already gave it to my sister to hang up for him to surprise him when he gets home from his weekend at his daddy's so I can't show you those either! So what the heck can I show you?!?!?!?! Baby buntings!! I made these too cute fall colored flag buntings for myself, my sister and a friend of mine. Mine is hanging on that piece of wood I showed you the other day above my kitchen sink. This one is just here for display to show you. :) It will be going to my sisters house to live shortly. My friend that I mentioned, her husband is battling prostate cancer. He had surgery a couple weeks ago, but the threat of the cancer spreading someplace else in his body is still there. If you believe in prayer, please pray for him that it does not spread. Not sure when the threat will be gone...but oh how I am praying that this sweet couple does not have to face any more of that awful "c word."

So, I have been sewing and sewing and sewing. Not big stuff...just little projects for people I love. What have you been making? :)

Olive, Pickle and Creamer Jars

This is my night-stand next to my bed. I have a little lamp, my clock, a picture of my kitty, a picture of my kids when they were very young and a little vase with daisy's (of course) that my husband gave me for our 18th wedding anniversary. Now, don't think he is cheap and just gave me this little bunch of flowers. NO! He gave me a HUGE bouquet of yellow and white daisy's (cause he knows what I like!) Instead of keeping them in one vase, I like to cut them down and scatter them around the house so I can enjoy them in every room. Don't have a lot of vases you say to do this? This little vase was a glass creamer jar I re-purposed from the store after I used all the cream in my coffee. Yum!

I had a very thrifty grandma. My fathers mother, Grandma Mac, was a "Martha" before there was The Martha! HA! She saved things like glass jars from pickles and olives and kept them for little projects. She would let me pick flowers from her yard and we would put the flowers in the little jars that she had kept in them. She would carefully take the labels off and wash them and then put them in her garage on a very large shelf that had a curtain covering her treasures hidden behind it. :) (She kept my dollhouse back there too she made me. That is another post someday.) I guess as I am getting older, I am getting more and more like her. Or so I am told. I miss her. She died when I was 25 years old. She was at my wedding but I am not sure if she knew where she was. Her mind slowly left her and she entered into a world where my father, her son, became a little boy again. What a sad disease....... I look at my hands and realize that I have her hands. I have her wedding ring that I use for my own. The diamond is small but the setting is lovely. Vintage looking....just like me. :) The apprasial value is not much but the sentimental value is priceless!! I also have my grandma's bible. There is several places where my name is written next to scriptures. She must of prayed for me when she read those. My grandma was a Christian and I know I will meet her again someday. I can not wait to catch up with her! I have a lot to tell her! What about you? Who are you looking forward to meeting again in heaven?

Little Jacks

Well, I have not been a very good blogger, have I? I have been keeping up with all my favorites...just not posting on my own. Guess I think the people who I know are reading this...mom and sissy, I have been keeping up with. This is the strange thing about blogging...you don't know who, if anyone, actually reads your blog. Is anyone out there???? :) If so, hello to you!

This is the view above my kitchen sink. There is some strange piece of wood up there, not sure what the purpose is except for something decorative. Well, I decorate it for the holidays. This year I strung some little jack-0-lanterns up there. A friend of ours who is extremely talented with building and construction and electrical stuff installed a light switch on top of the cabinets for me to plug little lights in up there. Wasn't that nice of him? He is a single guy and he probably saw no need what-so-ever in doing that....but he did it for me anyway. :) Anywho....when I woke up this morning I was greeted by these little smiling fellows, and I just smiled. Sometimes God gives us little things that bring happiness to our hearts....and today He used these little guys. Sometimes, I am afraid, that I miss the little gifts God gives me to make me smile. I am too busy going about what I need to do or what I THINK I need to do, that I miss His little gifts of happiness. Sigh....

Today though, I felt your love for me Lord....and it was in the form of little jacks! How fun is that! :)