A Toast To The Season!

As you all know, Halloween is the official start to the holidays... even though the merchants like to jump straight to the big finish by displaying their Christmas goods mid-October. Why not just keep it out all year long? Are there really people out there who aren't aware of Christmas' coming without this visual reminder? I love Christmas. It's my favorite. Against the strong protest of my husband, I listen to Christmas music all year long. Not non-stop, mind you. But when one pops up on my iPod shuffle mode, I sing along with gusto. It makes me happy and wistful.

Carols aside... I also happen to love Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween gets it's due attention because kids love dressing up and getting the candy handout. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, tends to get the shun. Is it because children don't often dream of potatos and yams? Or, giant turkeys wearing pilgrim attire? Have we failed in our parental duties by not teaching them how important it is to be thankful? Maybe. I'm sure they see Thanksgiving as a day they have to get gussied up and spend the day with extended family they don't often see. All the while trying to live up to their parent's expectations of being polite and proper. No one wants to go sit in the car during dinner. And what child really wouldn't prefer a piece of chocolate cake vs. pumkin pie?

Thanksgiving is obviously something you just can't appreciate until you're an adult. All my family is in Utah so having the big family feast is not going to happen. I will, gratefully, have my youngest here and he's a big eater. I'm looking forward to that. But, as we sit down to gorge ourselves to the point of popping, we'll certainly feel the absence of the rest of the family. Our thoughts will be with them right up until the nap sets in.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pink Dragons, Shipwrecks and Freebie!

We've had a crisis in the family this week. Ashley, the Mother of my 4 year old granddaughter, Payton, called in a panic. She said there had been a sad mishap while driving on the freeway. The car window was down and Payton, who was in the back in her carseat, was playing with her pink dragon, Lonnie, when it suddenly dawned on her that Lonnie might want to be set free. Lonnie is one of those mystical dragons with the tiny, little wings on her back. Makes sense, I suppose, that if those giant bumblebees can carry the load, a mystical, pink dragon could as well? Payton gives Lonnie a good hoist. Out the window she goes with Payton squealing, "Fly free Lonnie!" It didn't take her more than two seconds to realize the consequence of that move and that's when the world fell apart. She was inconsolable. "Lonnie is my best friend." "I miss Lonnie." "I want Lonnie back."

Payton is by no means a spoiled, temperamental child. She's really very sweet and loving. A little bossy now and then but she's a good soul so we all try to accommodate her. Unfortunately, Lonnie is a 2008 Webkinz release meaning you won't find a replacement in the stores. Grandma to the rescue! I found one on Amazon and had it shipped pronto. To soothe the broken heart in the meantime, we told Payton that Lonnie had flown to my house all the way to Michigan and she was very tired. She would come home after a few days rest. All is well. For now anyway.

Moving on... The Captain and I took a little day trip earlier this week to the upper peninsula. We went to the Tahquemenon Falls and Whitefish Point. It wasn't raining when we left but as soon as we arrived at the T. Falls parking lot, the skies opened up and really let us have it. Don't you just love those little glove-box sized umbrellas? We were prepared with one a piece so our day was not to be spoiled by wet, sticky clothes.

After the Falls and a little lunch, we headed to the Point. This area has the sad misfortune of having the most shipwrecks of any other point. It's said to be haunted. We concluded our tour in the boathouse where a gentleman from the Arther M. Anderson was answering questions. The A.M.A. was 7 miles behind the Edmund Fitzgerald when it went down in the '60s. He said the waves were 30' high. We're talking Lake Superior here folks, not the ocean. Imagine! Anyway, the boats were in radio contact with each other because the E. Fitzgerald had reported some problems and they were taking on water. The last transmission from the E. Fitzgerald was the Captain saying, "We're holding our own." Two minutes later, it dropped off the A.M.A.s radar. Ten minutes later the storm broke and the waves settled. The A.M.A. never saw any signs of the E. Fitzgerald.

Just as the gentleman was wrapping up his story, the fog horn started to blow. I thought this must be for affect but the fog had actually rolled in and you could no longer see the water. Have you ever heard a fog horn in real life? It's a sad, eerie sound. If anything could pull ghosts from the water, that sound could for sure. It was an interesting day.

Now on to lighter fare... I have a wordart freebie for you (as seen in the photo)! Click on the title of this post to go to my 4shared account to download. Photo was taken at the Tahquemenon Falls Park when the rain had slowed down a bit. Enjoy!

Happy Sails!

Las Vegas, Raspberries and a Bittersweet Farewell

Friends & Mateys!
I have so much to tell you. Grab a drink and a little snack because we have some serious catchin' up to do. The rain finally quit and that's when the real fun began. Here's a summary...

First of all, I noticed a fantastic deal on the internet for The Bellagio in Las Vegas. $90.00 a night. If you're at all familiar with this 5 star luxury hotel/casino, then you know this deal is phenomenal. Too good to pass up. So me and my friend, Jenifer, promptly booked a two night stay. (Going with a friend, of course, means half price, right?! Woot!)

We flew out of Salt Lake City on the 28th of June. When we arrived at The Bellagio, the check-in lines seemed to be a bit long. So we decided to check our bags with the bellhop and run around for a bit and do some gambling. Six hours later we finally drag ourselves back to the registration desk. Well, this turned out to be a very good move because they had apparently filled all the rooms they had blocked for the $90 rate. Can you say "Free Upgrade"? We got a $500/night suite with a foyer, living room, 3 baths, 4 large flat screen TV's. It even had a doorbell and buttons on the wall to open/close the curtains. Fun! And you don't just get the typical soap/shampoos/conditioners. They also give you hairspray, bath gel, toothbrushes, razors, loofahs, slippers, box of chocolates, etc. It was "suite" indeed! I slept like a queen- the beds were "mmmm mm". Next day we had spa appointments. An hour massage and then four hours spent lounging in the saunas and pools. Fruits and drinks complimentary. It was delightful. So relaxing. We didn't win much as far as the gambling goes but felt we hit the jackpot regardless. Had such a great time.

I spent the entire month of July boating, swimming and golfing with family and friends. I had my granddaughter two different times for 5 days each (sans her parents). She was such a joy- kept the Captain pretty busy! He's her "favorite Grandpa" but he reminds me he works very hard to earn that title. LOL! They're so cute together.

I did a lot of baking too. Our neighbors knocked on our door as they were leaving town and told us to help ourselves to their raspberry bushes. They wouldn't be back for two weeks and the birds and deer would just eat them. We went over for five straight days and loaded up. These were gorgeous, large berries! I baked 3 raspberry coffee cakes and 2 pies. I also made raspberry vinegar, syrup and pancakes; sent a few quarts home with family; and had enough leftover to freeze about 3 quarts. I hope they invite us over again next year! :) Or did we make pigs of ourselves?

End of July and it was time to pack up and head for Michigan. Always bittersweet. We hate to leave our family and friends. Very hard to do. But, at the same time, our little MI cabin in the woods is in such a beautiful location. The hubs has been spending his summers here since he was 14 so it's a very sentimental spot to him. This is where we really unwind and relax. It's much cooler here though. The end of summer will come more quickly for sure. We've done a few fun things so far but I'll post those adventures in my next blog. I don't want to overwhelm you. ;)

Happy Sails!

(P.S. I tried to add more pictures but it's a very slow connection day. I'll make up for it next time.)

Friends, Runaways, and Retail Therapy

I had a little run-away last week. One of my best girlfriends, Cathy, invited me down to enjoy a few days with her and her four year old, Will. Her hubby was out of town on business and since I'd been sitting inside watching it rain for so long, I decided Why Not! I love it here in our cabin at Bear Lake but, I tell ya, the walls had started closing in. So heading off to the big city sounded like just the prescription I needed.

I left early Weds. morning, buckled behind the wheel of our big red truck, and set out on my nearly two hour drive. This is exciting for me in itself because since my hubby retired, I don't get to drive all that often. We always go everywhere together and he, being the man, just usually drives. Needless to say, cruising the curvey canyon and hitting the freeway at 80 mph all by my lonesome makes me feel sixteen again! The trip was off to a great start.

By the time I arrived, Cathy had gotten Will off to daycare and we had the world by the tail. Oh what to do?! The choices were endless. After a bit of breakfast, we decided to hit the matinee- since it's raining at her house too. We hit the fancy new theatre in downtown Ogden and saw The Hangover. Hilarious! And Bradley Cooper is pretty dang easy on the eyes. :) After the movie, we hit The Grist Mill for a slice of fresh High Five bread. We didn't need any lunch after the huge bucket of popcorn we consumed at the show.

Then it was time to hit the shopping mall. It's what girl's do. The day was turning out to be pretty fantastic. The sun had even decided to shine. Cathy took me in to one of her favorite stores and proceeded to take on the roll of fashion coordinator. She's throwing jeans at me left and right, along with funky tops to be layered (she has a great sense of style) and then, sitting patiently in a chair as I stroll out to model, she gives me her semi-professional advice. I haven't had that kind of attention since my Mom took me back-to-school shopping for 8th grade. I loved it! I found some jeans that I thought looked pretty good (Cath agreed) plus a few other things and $200+ later we left the store. Um, I don't usually plunk down that kind of scratch. Well, not since I retired anyway. But I was feeling all right about it. Empowered in a way! Yea, after twenty days of sitting in the rain, I deserved it. I owed it to myself! Am I right, ladies?! Woohoooo.

Well, to make a long story short and sum up the first day, we picked Will up from daycare, took a nice long stroll around the neighborhood, reunited a lost dog with it's owner, and had a lovely dinner at a new italian restaurant. It was a great day.

The next morning included coffee on the back patio overlooking Cathy's "Better Homes & Gardens" yard (yes, she even has a creek that runs through it) and homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies baked especially for me. I felt loved. The rain hit again about noon and we ended up bailing out her basement window wells. It was quite a storm.

I headed out of town about 2:00 pm feeling relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated. It was as if I had spent a fortune at a day spa- but they don't send you home with cookies! Bonus! Thank you, Cathy! And thank you, Will, for sharing your Mom with me. And to all of you out there, make time for your friends. You just don't know how much they might be needing to hear from you.

Happy Sails!

Shoe House, Golf and Wordart Freebie!

Hey Mates!

We had another beautiful day of sunshine. It's been glorious. I know you could probably care less what my weather is here but after 18 days of rain (one day the exception), it's hard for me to supress the news. If I had champagne on hand, I'd be poppin' the cork! We had a 50% chance of showers so we lucked out. And to make the best of it, we played a round of golf and took the dogs to the beach so they could run off some steam.

The golf game wasn't overly impressive although I did par one hole. That tickled me! I don't take my golf too seriously... I'm mostly out there for the scenery and to hear the birds singing. It is a pretty little course (only 9 holes). And just a half a block from our cabin here so it's easy access. I always feel bad that I didn't lug my camera along for some pretty picture-taking. I'll have to do that one of these times so you can get a feel for the beauty. The course is on the moutainside and overlooks the lake so- tres jolie!

The dogs had a blast on the beach. They run around like maniacs sniffing, chasing, tormenting whatever they can find in the weeds. The cutest thing? They are smiling the whole time. I did take my camera to the beach so I'll share those photos with you in the next few days.

We took a drive around the lake last week and I wanted to share a photo of a little house that's been tucked away in the trees for, well, for as long as I can remember. When the kids were young, it was about the only thing we could entice them with to go for a drive around the lake. "We'll show you the Shoe House!" Kids aren't much into scenery otherwise. I remember our road trip to California one summer passing through the Grand Canyon. We could not for the life of us get our two youngest out of the car to take a look because they were playing video games. It's the Grand Canyon for pete's sake! They did finally press pause, run to the edge of the lookout and take one quick peek but they weren't all that impressed. "Huh, nice." Kids! Anyway, here's the Shoe House....



Don't you just want to go in and have some milk and cookies?

So, of course, seeing the Shoe House made me think of my kids which, in turn, makes me think of home and, well, after a bit of reminiscing... waa la, the inspiration for today's wordart freebie.

Click on the title of this post to go to my 4shared file to download. PU and CU okay. No terms for use.

Happy Sails!

The Quest

Woohoo! The sun was out today after nearly a week and a half. It was a sight to see (although I never actually looked directly at it- and neither should you). A couple more days like this and I'm hopeful my Irises may actually bloom. What do you think? It's only mid-June!

I'm on a new quest. I noticed a few months ago that I seem to be having an issue with my arms. Seems to be a parachute-like growth hanging under my biceps. And it looks wrinkled. What is this. I'm only in my 40's. Isn't it a bit premature for Grandma arms? Even though I am technically a Grandma. This is big of me to admit. I don't mind growing old. The best is yet to be, right? But, I don't really want to look old. I'm struggling with this.

So, back to my quest. I've started doing push-ups. On the knee's, girl-type push-ups but push-ups just the same. I started out with 10 and figured I could increase my number by one every day. I'm up to thirteen today. And my arms are feeling it. They are on fire. And, if I may be so bold, my chest muscles (um, pectorals?) are feeling it too. Bonus! I'm envisioning a good outcome here in many ways. ;) When I hit fifty, I'll post a picture. Uh, of my arms.

You have to realize that I'm not a workout queen. Well, that's not entirely true. I used to be when I was in my twenties and sure as heck didn't need it. But I've since developed an allergy to sweating so I try to avoid it at all costs. So far, I'm not sweating with the push-ups but give it a week.

Whatever encouragement or advice you can give me to "stick with it" would be appreciated. Also, I've noticed it seems my nose is growing as well. Short of surgery, is there anything I can do about that? Please let me know.

Good Weekend to Everybody!!
Happy Sails!

Happy Life

Okay, I couldn't resist doing this one. Heehee. It pretty much sums it up. I don't know who the original author is but a wise soul indeed! To download, click the title of this post and go to my 4shared file.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Happy Sails!

A Happy Mess!

Wow! Did anybody call the WAAAAambulance after that last post?? Um, I kind of went off... how embarrassing. Let's forget that ever happened and just move on, shall we?!

To ensure your visit is a pleasant one, today I'll just be treating you to some visuals with minimal jabber. Doesn't that sound refreshing? Go ahead, take a minute and grab an iced tea or beverage of your choice. I'll wait...

Last year we had a couple of Orioles helping themselves to the hummingbird feeder. Well, they're baaaack! And I believe it's an entire family now. There's five that I can tell. Aren't they so pretty? I tell you what, they sure drink a lot. We fill the feeder about every three days.

Here are a couple of pictures that I took at the Bear Lake Marina yesterday. The boating season hasn't quite ramped up yet this year but in another few weeks, the place will be packed.

And here's some shots of the garden The Captain planted for me under the deck with some varieties I've never tried before.



And how about this little chunkmeister. Isn't he cute? I don't know if he's losing his baby down or if he's just wet and scruffy. I haven't seen him since so I assume he's morphed into the typically sleeker version and I just don't recognize him anymore.



Well now, wasn't that so much better than listening to me whine. I promise to try and behave myself from here on out. Life will be nothing but lollipops and roses. And, maybe cheesecake for good measure. ;) I'll be a happy mess!

Happy Sails!

State Signs, Golf and PMS!

CAUTION... I think I'm PMSing so if you're faint of heart, you might want to move on. And quickly. Because I'm mad and ornery and I just don't care! Frankly, I have to guess at my condition because 12+ years ago I underwent a partial hysterectomy (sorry guys, I know you don't want to hear it). The only symptons I have to go on are- eating everything "bad" I can get my hands on (i.e., a whole tube of Girl Scout Mint Cookies, approx. 25 tootsie rolls, nacho chips with melted cheese and salsa (serves 4), and, to counter act, a half bag of baby carrots. I skipped dinner after downing 2 banana daqauiries (sp?) and feeling like I was going to burst. Had a nap instead. :)

The other sympton is my feelings towards the hubby. OMGoodness! Generally speaking, he's the love of my life. We get along great! But you push one wrong button right now (which he did) and... LOOK OUT!

We headed out in the car yesterday to go to the marina and net a sucker fish (he wanted one for bait). Sounded like a great opportunity for me to tag along and get some photos since it was a decent day. Well, on our way we cross the border of Idaho and Utah. I've been saying for a few years now that we should take some time and get those corney touristee photos of the state signs. Sounds like something fun (and cheap) to collect, right? We travel by car a lot and I thought the kids might appreciate them when we're dead and gone. So, as we approach the Utah sign, I holler, "Pull over!" Thought it was the perfect opportunity to start our collection- after all, we met and raised our kids in Utah, so appropo! :)

He happily swings right and stops but refuses to get out of the car. Now, he's usually a very accommodating, reasonable man. I never heard him utter the word "NO" (to anyone) until well past our 10th anniversary. He must have had a burr in his pants this day because he absolutely refused. He graciously said he'd take my picture but I wanted a picture of the two of us. No way! He was not in a posing mood. Uh, who is this alien who has taken over my husband's body?

After a little back and forth conversation, I (huffily) get back in the car thinking he's all sorts of unreasonable (won't mention the actual word I was thinking but it starts with an "A"... Yes, I'm a bit off-color when I'm mad.) Well, in my female mind, it wasn't just simply that he didn't want his picture taken. It was more like he just didn't want to please me in general. Never considers my wants. Never considers my desires. Obviously, doesn't love me like he used to. Life is pretty much "all about him" and as long as he can fish and golf and boat and putter, he's a happy mess and doesn't comprehend how I couldn't be as well. Maybe I don't want to go fishing- maybe I don't want to golf everyday. Never mind that I got to retire at the ripe old age of 45. Never mind that he really doesn't expect anything of me with regards to household duties. Never mind that he doesn't usually question the amount of money I spend on clothes and make-up. Honestly, I ask so very little- how hard could it be... I just wanted him to get out of the car and smile for a minute. Poor me! How do I live with someone so selfish and unreasonable. Poor me! How can I go through life living someone else's dreams. Poor me! What does life have to offer if I can't get a picture of us in front of the state sign?

To make a long story short, he happily goes about his business of catching his bait and exclaiming "Jackpot! I got one!". He allows me to hog the TV and watch Ellen and Oprah while busying himself with mowing and trimming and doing little chores around the house when he'd prefer to be watching CNN and Kramer. He happily barbeques up some dinner and proudly announces, "It's soup!". Are you seeing a pattern here? He's clueless! Doesn't even realize that I'm steamed. Has no idea that his life hangs in the balance as I contemplate my next fiendish move for revenge. He's actually trying to make light-hearted conversation all evening. Whaaa? Helloooooo, I'm unhappy! I'm wasting all this energy thinking I'm proving some huge point and he doesn't even know he's in trouble! Sound typical ladies??

So my best option (the only option really) is to drown my sorrows in a huge bowl of ice cream with carmel sauce and forget about it. Two days from now I can look forward to a game of golf, a trip to the beach, and some barbeque dinner compliments of my happy (clueless) husband. God bless him.

I'll post the pic's of the marina shots in a few days when my mood allows me to go through them. Hopefully I have a winner or two that you'll enjoy.

Happy Sails!

Have a Little Fun

Well, it's an historic day in America. A couple of iconic events took place. The saddest being GM declaring bankruptcy. One woman interviewed on the news said it best when she emotionally declared, "The Heartbeat of America has stopped." Wow! Powerful words- and a lot of people are going to be affected by this turn of events. I wish them all the best.

The second event is definitely on a lighter note. Conan O'Brien takes over the Tonight Show. Seventeen years of Leno and we move on to our 4th host (or is it the 5th?). Big shoes to fill (even though I still miss Johnny). It should be a fun and interesting show. Conan is a big goofball (I have to laugh just looking at him) and I'm hoping it turns out fantastic. Hard to go wrong when your guest is Will Farrell. I'll be tuning in. :)

The weather today... yuck. It's been off and on rain most of the day- thunder right now- so I've not done much. Played on Facebook, had a nap, watched TV. I caught the Ellen Show today. I love Ellen but I try not to make a habit of sitting down to watch everyday. I thoroughly enjoy her but I don't want my schedule to revolve around her. She's good for a giggle though, isn't she? Her lighthearted spirit and sense of humor always makes me smile. So, of course, she was the inspiration for my freebie wordart today. This should fit appropriately on a number of your photos. Feel free to resize, recolor, throw splotches on, whatever. CU and PU okay. Click on the title of this post to go to my 4shared file and download.

Happy Sails!

Signs of Our Times

Hi guys!

I have to admit that I haven't been feeling very creative in the Wordart field lately. Too much playing on Facebook and reading other people's blogs. And the weather has been beautiful so the Captain and I have been golfing and boating. (BUT, considering the download numbers on my 4shared account, my Wordart isn't the big draw here. LOL!)

Instead I'll try to be entertaining by other means. :) So I decided to post some photos of signs that I've seen recently in my travels. They need no explanation really. But just in case you're dying for more info, I'll provide brief details.

Sign #1- This was taken in the rain forest on St. Croix in 2008. And, trust me, the road was in bad shape! The people who live there obviously were trying to make a point to get it fixed and I'm happy to report that when we went back this year, the road was in much better shape. So, it worked!

Sign #2- Obviously taken just outside Roswell, NM. Unfortunately, we didn't spend any time in Roswell nor did we drive out to the UFO Crash Site. We were tired of being in the car and just wanted to get to our destination- which happened to be Carlsbad, NM where we toured the cave. (Side note- the cave is amazingly huge! You have to see it to believe it. Very interesting- but there's not much else out there to see so take a minute and enjoy Roswell when you pass through.)

Sign #3- Yes, this is an actual event that takes place annually in the small town of Woodruff, UT. Every small town around here has some sort of festival. Brigham City has Peach Days. Garden City has Raspberry Days. Tremonton has Wheat and Beet Days. Pleasant View has Founder's Day... and so on and so on. But Woodruff's is by far the most interesting. They actually have a booth where you can buy Rocky Mountain Oysters to munch on. Um, I'm not brave enough to try these little delicacies but my hubby says they're quite tastey. Okay. I'll trust him on that one. Question- did they spell it right? I thought it was ...cal. Hmm.

Well, I'm off tomorrow to the big city to have dinner with my girlfriends which I haven't seen since I arrived here on 4 May. They've just been so busy. I'm embarrassed for them that they haven't found time for me! So I'm looking forward to sipping a 'grita and catching up on all the dirt. It will literally take hours. I'm so excited! Hehehe!

Until next time,

Happy Sails!

Hug A Hero Day!

Memorial Day! A time to reflect and give thanks to all those who have served and are serving. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a hero as follows- "any man noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose; especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life."

Some of you may be attending special ceremonies today while others are simply enjoying some time spent with family and friends. Either way, I hope you take a moment to pause and say a silent Thank You to these special men and women. What would our country be without these brave folks defending our rights and freedoms? If you know someone in the military, give them an extra big hug for all Americans when you get the chance. I, personally, don't know anyone serving at the moment, so I'd appreciate you giving someone a well deserved squeeze for me!

Happy Sails!

A Really Good Day

Summer doesn't "officially" kickoff until the latter part of June. But the season here is so short that this holiday weekend is official enough for us. We got the boat in the water today and I'm happy to report, she started up like a champ! We only saw maybe 5 other boats out there. The water was calm and smooth. No wind. The temperature wasn't that warm (only upper 60's) but it felt so much warmer. It was one of those near perfect days. My hubby tried to do a little fishing but nothing was biting. So we were content to float awhile, sipping sodas and eating crackers and beef jerky. ; )

It was so beautiful that we were a little tempted to put the wakeboard in and try to improve our skills. But the water temperature is only near 50 degrees right now so we'll wait on that. There were swimmers on the beach though. Are they crazy? Maybe they're out of state'rs and won't have another opportunity. Brave souls indeed! The water is such a beautiful blue that it kind of calls out to you to "come on in". It's easy to lose your senses. LOL!

So, with my declaration of the beginning of summer, I came up with two fun summery word art pic's that you can use for your 'fun in the sun' photos. Hope you can use them. And, remember, no terms of use. Change as you wish. Also, if you'd like the "Life's a Beach" minus the lobster, let me know. I can take him off real quick for you and send it via e-mail. Click on the title of this post to go to my 4shared folder to download the goods.

Also, I've been experimenting with my camera so check back. I hope to have some nice photos ready to post soon that you might enjoy! Thanks for hoppin' aboard today!

Happy Sails!

Big Dreams

Have you all been enjoying the beautiful weather the past several days? Wow! Lovin' it! It's cooler and breezy today but yesterday the hubs planted a bunch of posies for me in the garden. We got some new interesting plants that we haven't tried before. Can't remember the names of them but I hope they are happy in their new home and choose to flourish. :) We also got some fun favorites like hostas, rununculas and petunias. The colors are gorgeous! If they get established and do well, I'll post a picture.

After he finished up with that we decided to go golfing. This was only my second time this year and I have to say... I didn't do too bad. I'm not an avid golfer by any means. I don't go to the driving range. I only play 9 holes. I don't usually go more than twice a week and I don't seek out new and challenging courses. I've been "golfing" per se for the past 3+ years. But I still scored a 44. How about that? I was pretty pleased. I even parred a couple of holes. So maybe I have a natural knack? Nah, I'm back to the "luck" thing. But, amazingly enough, I got a hole in one last year. LOL! Totally a freak accident for sure. Here's the layout I did for that special, once in a lifetime event. (Word art by Bethany Harty.)

It was crazy. My ball hit the edge of the green and then just rolled about 12 feet straight to the hole. My eyes are so bad that it looked like it rolled off the other side to me but the Captain said, "Oh my gosh, you just got a hole in one." I didn't believe him until I saw my ball laying there in the cup. We bought rounds in the watering hole after we finished our game. Everyone was very happy for me (but probably happier about their free drink). Heehee.
I had time during American Idol last night to work on some wordart. But first, who are you voting for... Chris or Adam? I can't decide. They are both terrific and I'm sure will be big in the music industry no matter who wins. It was a fantastic season this year! Lots of winners in my book. Sorry to see it end.
Anywho- here's my freebie. Click on the title of this post to go to my account and download it. Leave me some love too, purdy please. :)

Well, thanks for climbin' aboard and catchin' the Wave today. Hope to see you again soon.

Happy Sails!

Give Me Sugar

I've just spent the past two and half days with Payton, best granddaughter ever, and we had the most terrific time. She wasn't feeling the best but she was a trooper and still wanted to swing, jump on the "jump-o-line", and go pretty much non-stop until nightfall. She ran the Captain ragged. :) Then, by dusk, she got snuggly and sat contentedly next to me (which I love) and watched TV. She even went to bed without a fight. What a sweetheart. She's the best girl.

After she left this afternoon (needed to bribe her with a present so she wouldn't cry (LOL), I saw her little hand prints on my sliding glass door and had to smile. They'll stay there for a few more days. Naturally, I had her on my mind when I turned on my computer. You might not have the perfect picture for today's word art freebie, but I did. If you can use it, click on the title of this post to download. And remember, I don't have any terms so recolor, resize, PU and CU okay. I'd love to see your layout if you do use it though. :) Here's the page I did for my digital scrapbook.

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Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Sails

I'm Blessed

Good Morning Mates!
I wanted to share my latest work with you. I took this picture in my Mother-in-law's yard a few years back and just finally got around to doing something with it. I believe it's a Dogwood? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I applied a dry brush filter to it to get a painted look. Then I added word art by Bethany Harty at Elegantwordart2.blogspot.com. (She does great work and her blogs are fun to read.) And, after being back home for a week and getting to see all my kids, I'm feeling pretty blessed. Everyone seems to be getting along fine even without Momma near by. Does that mean I did something right? I don't know. I'm a big believer in luck and, well, I've just got great kids. :)

On the flip side, our luck wasn't too great the other night. Our truck was pilfered and robbed. They took a Garmin GPS unit, a Road Atlas and 2 six-packs (which makes me think it was kids). Doesn't that just chap your behind? Aaargh! I guess it's our fault- didn't lock the truck. But this is Bear Lake. That doesn't happen up here! Um, well, it didn't used to happen up here. Our neighbor got his radar detector stolen too. He's lived up here for 20 years and leaves his keys in his truck. I guess you live and learn. I have to tell myself that maybe the thieves needed my stuff more than I did. But I'm really going to miss that Garmin! :[

Happy Sails!

Company and a Freebie

Well now, don't you just love it when you get unexpected company first thing in the morning? My honey went to let the dogs out this morning and our mighty protector, Tanner, who feels it's his responsibility to keep us and our property safe from any kind of intruders, took off running after something- barking up a storm. When Drew got out the door to see what was up, Tanner was about 3 feet from this guy who wasn't about to take any lip from some half pint lab. The moose (which was much larger than it appears to be in this photo) turned and charged the dog and chased him back a few yards. Drew got the dogs back inside and we spent the next hour on the deck watching this mangy giant stroll around the yard. The best part of this story is that some woman in a mini van came down the road and saw him standing in the field. She pulls over, gets out of her car and starts walking toward him, sweet talking him all the while, like she was going to befriend him and take him home for tea and crumpets. Has this woman not seen those videos of moose stomping the living daylights out of people? Luckily, he wasn't too interested in her and started walking the other direction across our yard. She continued her pursuit though by getting back in her van and following him- basically pushing him up the hill and out of our sight. I hope for her sake he never got aggravated. These things will go after locomotives if pushed to the edge. Anyway, it was an exciting morning. I always love to see moose but prefer to have my pups safely contained and keeping their distance. We'll be sure to check the yard from now on before cutting the dogs loose.

I'm doing this post during the commercials for The Biggest Loser. Holy Moly, don't the contestants look fantastic? I'm rooting for Tara but all three finalists look fantastic. Good for them!! So, I need to hurry and post the freebie and get back to the TV! Hope you like it! Click on the title of this post to download.

And, as always....
Happy Sails!

Bridging the Gap

I added this photo to my Gallery this morning and thought I'd give you a preview as well. This is the Mackinac Bridge. It connects Michigan's lower & upper peninsulas. It is also the dividing line between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It's awe inspiring to see and quite a thrill to drive over. If you haven't visited Northern Michigan, put it on your bucket list. It's really beautiful there. Lots of history, lots of lighthouses, lots of golf courses and a ferry ride to Mackinac Island is always a fun way to spend a few hours.

To see other photos from my Gallery, click on the link at the bottom of my page. Photos are available for purchase. If you're interested, please contact me for pricing.

I had a fantastic Mother's Day! I got to visit with my Mom and Dad and I saw three of my five kids (the other two I will be seeing today and tomorrow). Mom was nice enough to cook a huge feast for us (cheesecake for dessert, yum!) even though her and my Dad have been a little under the weather. She spoils us. It was great! Living out of state for the winter is hard because the family is all in N. Utah. So it's terrific when we come back to Idaho because they're all within a 2 hour drive.

It's a beautiful, warm day here today so I better get out and enjoy it.

Happy Sails!

Happy Mother's Day

May all you Mom's out there get the love and attention you so rightly deserve today! Here's a squeeeeeze from my granddaughter for you!

Happy Sails!

Wish on a Star

Happy Saturday everyone!


Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Do you have anything fun planned for yourself, your wife or your Mom? My Mom's cooking us dinner- does that seem backwards? She's so sweet. I haven't seen her since early January so I'm looking forward to it. And I do plan on taking some cake and ice cream. And, yes, I'll do the dishes too! :)



I had time today to play with some fonts and did a new freebie for you. I love anything Disney. Call me a romantic. The whole fairytale thing just makes me warm and tingly. Click on the title above to go to my 4shared account and download it.

And, since I was thinking about my Mom, I used this on an old photo of her and my Dad on their wedding day. She was 16 and he was 19 (what were my Grandparents thinking?). I can't imagine tying the knot at 16. She likes to defend herself by saying she was almost 17 and mature for her age. Okay.

They just passed their 52nd anniversary so it seems to have worked out fine. If that's not a fairytale dream come true, I don't know what is. Aren't they cute?!

The QP was done by thaliris.

On a different note- we've gone from temps in the 90's (in TX) to the 50's (ID). The sun is shining but I'm not drawn to spending too much time outside. The daffies haven't bloomed yet. Oh, and our cabin here doesn't have a furnace so we're stoking up the wood burning stove in the evenings and sleeping with an electric blanket. :) It makes for good snoozin'. The Captain got the boat out of storage today so as soon as we get it summer-ized, I think we'll brave a cruise. I'll have to post a picture of the lake for you. It's the most beautiful blue color. But it's cold. Official name- Bear Lake but we affectionately refer to it as Brrrrr Lake. Even so, I can't wait to get out there.

Happy Sails!

Road Leads Home

Well, after a 22 hour drive, we made it to Idaho. So glad to be here! I tend to do a lot of sleeping in the car. Funny how traveling wears you out. We spent one night in Liman, CO. The dogs find this very exciting. We have two large yellow labs and they don't normally get to sleep in the same room as Mom and Dad. Man, our oldest one, Jake (he's 7), that boy can snore! Holy cow! My husband woke up and thought it was me. LOL. I don't think so.

We usually see some pretty interesting things on the road as we travel. But not much this trip. We saw deer and antelope and one moose as we got close to home. But for the most part, all we saw was lots of truckers. So, this post will sort of be in honor of them. What would America be without our road warriors? I took this picture a few years ago on a highway in Texas. I was trying to get those big wind mills in the background but they didn't show up too well so I reworked it with a new background. If you like the word art you can grab that by clicking on the title of this post.

Happy Sails!

Ahoy!
We have a new shipmate. Welcome aboard Stephen! I'm so pleased to have you here. Stephen's passion is photography and after viewing his blog (Nikon Sniper) I was inspired to put my 'snap' cap back on and take/post some pictures.

Walking to the mailbox today I tried to get some photos of the prickly pear cactus that are blooming right now. They're beautiful. But, alas, none of those pictures turned out too well- too much light for the yellow blossoms. But while I was at it, I snapped a picture of this little purple mop top. Thought he'd make nice company with Linda's word art that I snagged yesterday. (Thank you Linda!) I just might use it for my mother's day card.




Check out Stephen's site. He's got some great pictures!

Much to do so this is a short post. Wishing you calm waters and...
Happy Sails!

Cats and Dogs

Well, I've been so busy the past few days packing, cleaning, marking off my checklist... but, guess what? I had some time today to do two new word arts. I love both of these because we have a cat and two dogs. And today as I watched the cat sitting on my husband's chest (obviously soaking up his warmth for no other reason but to satisfy her own comfort needs), this occurred to me. You've probably heard them both before. They're so true, aren't they? Click on the title of this post to get to my 4shared file.





Did you take a few minutes out of your day on Saturday to watch the Kentucky Derby? Wow! Mine The Bird was on fire! Incredible race. I was rooting for him because New Mexico was our previous home. But I'm kicking myself for not calling my bookie and putting some money down. Okay, just kidding- I don't have a bookie. Better than the actual race was the jockey's blatant show of emotion. You never see the jockeys act like that. He was so darn excited and pleased... well, it brought a tear to my eye. It was very sweet. Congratulations to him and the whole team. It will be fun to see them again at the Preakness.

It's a two day drive to Idaho from here so I might not be posting again until we get there. So, until then,

Happy Sails!

A Mother's Light

Happy May everybody! If you live up North you might think of today as the beginning of the end. End of winter, that is. I think we all normally think of the 1st of April as the end but this didn't seem to be the case this year. I'm wishing warmth and sunshine to y'all from here on out.

I promised you another word art today but I have to admit- I'm not entirely in love with this one. But the more I messed with it, well, I just got tired so if you can use it, by all means, grab it. I actually did use it for one of my Mother's Day projects and it looked nice printed out on the pattern that I used. Here's the preview and click on the title of the post to snag it.

So since being back from our vacation in April, I've been trying to drop a few pounds before heading up north to see everybody. These are the lbs. that I managed to find while on vacation. Sadly, I didn't think to leave them there in the room for the maid to deal with. Hehehe. I've been really good right up until yesterday. I had a Snicker's at 4:00 thinking this will be it. Just curb by sweet tooth and I'll be fine for the duration. Well, 9:00 rolled around and I got a hankerin' for some popcorn with melted mint patties on it. Have you ever tried this? It's quite delicious. Gooey, but delicious. When I devoured that it just seemed appropriate to top it off with a Three Musketeers. Luckily, hubby ate half of that but I was on a roll. I guess the lesson learned here is that you should ignore that Costco coupon for the deal on full size candy bars when there's only two of you living in the house (and only one of you loves chocolate). And now that I've talked about it, I'm feeling another craving. Geez. I better go get a piece of gum!

Happy Sails!

Aaargh! Gold Paint!

I have to tell you, my honey got the kitchen painted yesterday. He worked so hard. And I had such grand hopes that it would look so nice. But it's just not the right color. It's too yellow. This has been so frustrating for me. Our previous house was painted such a lovely, subtle, calming yet cheery gold(ish) color. And I can't for the life of me duplicate that. I thought I'd found it last January and anxiously bought a gallon. We started with the dining room. Well, we ended up having to paint it twice because it was just awful- we went with a sand/tan color. So we decided the best route would be to buy the little sample jars. I diligently painted squares of cardboard to hang on the wall and watch for a few days to get a feel for which color was right. Nada. None of them seemed to be working for me. We've tried about 5-7 different sample jars from 3 different stores. Finally gave up- thinking, we'll just wait till next year. But with all this grey weather, the hubs needed something to do. So, I made a snap decision. Maaaan- wrong,wrong,wrong! I guess we're only here for one more week so I'll deal with it. But, why don't they ever come out looking like they should. I feel I'm pretty good with color and decorating. (At least, my friends have said as much). I just can't get this one right. If anyone has suggestions for paint colors (or how to mute the color we've got), I'd LOVE to hear from you!

In honor, of this color dilemma, I've changed the color of my background page to gold. It seemed appropriate. Doesn't it look lovely? (snicker)

I should have another word art for you tomorrow so please check back. I've been busy working on Mother's Day canoodles (my gift buckets) and haven't been able to fit any designing in. I'll share another picture with you so you have some visual treats. This layout I did all by myself. Not bad for a newbie scrapper. We have two beautiful, wonderful pups- Jake and Tanner. Tanner wouldn't go near the pool. It freaked him out for some reason. He's always happy to take a dip in a lake, stream or mud puddle though. So I tucked him "safely" in his house.



Happy Sails!

The Treasure, My Prize

Check it out! I wanted to show everybody the cute pic of Captain Drew and my little munchkin, Payton. They are heading off to the pool for some fun in the sun. And, trust me, neither one of them cared if anyone else was going along. They never looked back. So cute! Except we were carrying all the gear. Hehehe. She says, and I quote, "Grandpa, you are my favorite boy." She's three years old in this photo but she's since had her 4th birthday. Big girl! I get to see her next month so I'm really excited about that!

I need to give credit for the QP and word art as I didn't do these. The QP is done by Kylie M Designs and the word art is from Bethany at Elegant Word Art. It all fits quite nicely, don't you think?

I also want to give out credit for my blog header. This was done by The Hobbit Club at Wrapperville. They do amazing designs for candy wrappers and scrapping. Check them out when you get a chance!

Another grey day so I've set the Captain up to paint the kitchen. He's happiest when he has a little job to do. :) We're going with a subtle gold. Hope it turns out pretty. I'll let you know.

Happy Sails!

Be Nice

Hi Everyone!
OMGoodness! I have to tell you about the storm we had last night. The lightening was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was constant flashing for approximately 45 minutes. Four or more flashes per second. Some real bright, some not. I layed in bed thinking this is what it feels like to be chased by paparazzi. It was crazy! Today isn't much better but we're not getting the light show.

I have another word art image to share with you today. Something all our Mother's probably taught us. Let's pass this lesson on! The world just needs to bring nice back, wouldn't you agree? Click the title of this post (above) to download it.



I also want to welcome aboard my newest follower Lady Linda! She does some beautiful word art and has a great blog you should all check out. I've downloaded several of her designs. She's at Linda-ohwhatfun.blogspot.com.

Well, I better sign off for now before the power bumps me off. Wooo- big thunder! Meanwhile,

Happy Sails!

Bigger in Texas

Alas, I have finished off the 56 oz. bag of M&M's. What a relief! We bought the monster bag at Costco just a week ago and I couldn't keep my grubby little hand out of it. So thank goodness that's not haunting me anymore. Now, I just need to work on that 4 lb. jug of jelly bellies. Then I can start my diet.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "Everything's bigger in Texas". Well, I've only been here 6 months but I'm finding this to be true. Especially when it comes to the flowers.I wanted to share a picture of my hibiscus growing in a pot in the backyard. The blooms are nearly 7" across. They are gorgeous! And my plant has another dozen buds on it so it will be fun to watch over the next several days while we're still here. (Sorry the first picture is blurry. I don't know how to work my hubby's camera very well so the second pic is with mine.)

The other great thing about Texas is we can plant things that wouldn't grow in Utah or New Mexico. The Captain is anxious to plant a palm tree in the backyard. He's always wanted to live somewhere that he could have a palm tree in his yard. Aah, it's the little things. He's so easy to please. :)

Well, I hope you're having a funtastic weekend. We're expecting thunder showers again today so we have nothing planned for outside. But, that's fine with me for now. Makes me feel less guilty for sitting at the computer. And we don't have high-speed internet at our summer place so I've got to enjoy it while I can.

I should have another Word Art freebie for you soon so check back in with me.

Happy Sails!

It's Thursday already!

Man, where does the time go? Sometimes I feel like my life is slipping by me at a pace I'm just not comfortable with. We have been in Texas for nearly 6 months now. We moved here after my husband retired to enjoy a warmer winter climate. It's beautiful and so far, we really love it. It supposedly gets real hot here in the summer but that doesn't affect us much because we plan to spend our summer's in Idaho and Michigan.

Time in Idaho allows us to be with our family (all in Northern Utah). We have a cabin on a lake there (Bear Lake, if you're familiar) and the kids come up as often as possible to go boating. They've all gotten quite good on the wakeboard but the Captain and I favor the sky ski. Have you ever tried this? It's incredibly hard to figure out at first but once you get it, it's a blast. And it's a lot less effort than the wakeboard. It's not nearly as tiring.

Our date of departure is around the 4th of May. So, the hubs has been spending the past few days trying to figure out what we need to accomplish here before we leave; turn off utilities, cancel car insurance, get the mail forwarded, make a pile of things we need to pack. He's very efficient! All I have to do usually is get in the car. Don't you love being taken care of?!

So, this is the joy our retirement allows us. Being able to pull up stakes and take off whenever we choose. We've only been retirees for a couple of years now so it still feels like a dream. So to toast our retirement, I created the next freebie for you. Click on the title of this post to download it. And leave me some cyber love if you like it.

And before I sign off, I want to give a shout out to my newest follower, Wench Melly Bean! She's not only one of my best friends but she's my daughter as well. Love you Mela Bella!

Until next time,

Happy Sails!

Dreamy

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day here in the Hill Country. Temps were in the 80's and there was very little wind. Just beautiful. The Captain took me to the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens. It was really pretty- especially the rose garden. I got some nice pictures of those.

I also got pictures of this beautiful gate. They didn't turn out so good because it was so shady but it made me think of Cinderella.
Some people are so incredibly talented. The detail on this thing was really beautiful. It just amazes me. Sadly, it was tucked away down a road leading to nowhere so I'm sure it's going unappreciated. After the garden tour we had lunch at Chuy's on the patio. The birds were chirping away and the waitress kept the Diet Cokes coming. God Bless her! :)

Alas, the gate was my inspiration for today's freebie, the famous quote from Cinderella herself. Now Cinderella is wonderful for sure but I personally believe the real stars of that movie were the mice. So cute!



Click on the title of this post to get the dowload. If you like it, leave me some love in my comments. Thanks!

Happy Sails,
Julie