What to do on Leap Day ....

Now mind you my husband does understand I am a crazy person. But yesterday morning while driving for coffee I had this fantastic plan for Leap Day. But first, do all the countries of the world celebrate Leap Year? I'm going to say yes, but why? Who decided this was a good idea? I just don't get it. However, since we are going to do this AND February 29 only exists every for years then whatever we do on Lead Day won't matter, it's a "non" day. Do we agree on this point??

So, today we can do what ever we want and it won't even exist tomorrow because February 29th 2013 isn't going to happen!! I plan to rob some banks, gold shops, pillage the local shops, drive VERY fast in the 25 mile zone, and so on. In general, I am going to be like that guy on the TV commercials and commit mayhem!  Are you in??

If you see me on the news don't worry about it, tomorrow it will never have happened!!

Interesting morning ....

I went out early Saturday morning to put mail in the box out front. On the way back to the door I realized someone had placed over sized money on my bare Birch tree.

 Ones, tens, twenty's etc., they were all hanging there ... on my new money tree. I looked up and down the block but no one else had any money hanging on there trees. I went up to the front door and found a note tucked into a tree on my porch. It read "Please save me some seeds, I want to plant a tree of my own. Enjoy a night on the town."

No signature was included. So, is this a new trend, instead of TPing a house we now add fake money? I'm confused, no one is owning up to my tree's decor and I just don't get it!

An Emotional Day

My son, Dustin had a very close and special relation with my mom. My kids called her Mimie for future reference. She passed away 9 years ago this coming Thursday so Dustin wanted to visit the cemetery on his last day here.  He loaded all the kids up in the truck and away they all went. I had a commitment and went in another direction. Later that night Dustin asked if I had read my emails,  "no, I've been a bit busy playing with the kids!" I should have left it alone, but no, I had to see what he sent.

  Here's mom and dad. They share the same marker at Arlington National Military Cemetery in Riverside. Dustin needed to go to the truck to get something and Austin said "don't worry daddy, I will stay here and protect Mimie." So he squatted down and stayed with them until he returned. Dustin said he cried all he way to the truck by Austin's loving response and I'm still crying. Austin is sensitive, just like his daddy and his far away grandma. I believe he has a very old soul in a very young body. 

To add more tears to my day the subject line on my son's email read "She would have loved him more then me." I do believe my mom would have adored Austin and spoiled him rotten like she did my kids. However, I don't think she could have loved anyone more then her grandson. They had a unique bond, I feel so blessed to have witnessed it.

Family Game Night!

OK, my daughter is 33 years old with the energy and spirit of a 10 year old. My grand babies are still here visiting with me and Tiff put herself in charge of last nights entertainment. We had family game night with the assistance of Mr. Disney. We played Headgear. To funny.

 Here is the event co originator. We wear these silly head pieces with Mickey Mouse ears on top. In the front we put a card ... Tiff has Winnie the Poo. Then we have a minute to ask questions to everyone else about who we might have on our forehead. This proved to be a riot. The adult women had the most fun, we all thought we could ace this "silly" game. Ah, no,  it's hard!

 Here is Lacey and Alexia, she is Snow White and had to finally pass and get a new character. It's hard .... did I mention that??

 Alexia

                                                                                   Austin

I have the famous Mickey Mouse! And I guesses who he was too. This is a great family fun game, get it if you do this sort of thing at your house.

Fun Food Tip!

My very good friend Amy was here last week for a visit from Wyoming. We were getting ready for our Longaberger branch meeting and Amy had this great idea to share. Sooo, we went to the store and got busy preparing Longaberger foods to share.

Here she is stirring the Longaberger White Cheddar Potato soup. So simple and so good. Especially on a cold winters evening.

 Don't these little bread bowls look wonderful! All you do is mix a bag of Longaberger Hearty Beer Bread with one can of beer. Using three Longaberger Soup and Salad bowls sprayed with oil you pour the batter in equally and pour 1/3 cube melted butter over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the bread from the pottery bowl, cut off the top and remove the bread from the center, and pour in the soup. Garnish with cheese, a dollop of sour cream and bacon. Add a salad and you have a yummy delicious meal!!

 Aren't they just so pretty! 

If you are interested in any of the products I have mentioned or other Longaberger treasures contact me at Baskets4anita@aol.com!!

A Few Good Men

Tomorrow we celebrate President's Day. I fear to think that if I should ask some random teens at the local mall why they had the day off they would probably have no clue. However, for me personally these two men are to soul of America, they are what has made us a great nation. If you only know George Washington from what you have learned in school I encourage you to read "Being George Washington" by Glenn Beck. It's current, accurate and gives you a true sense of this man. George was modest, devoted to his wife and country and fair and kind to his slaves - he was a patriot.

In a class I took in college we were asked to write a paper on who was our favorite person in history and what is one question we would like to ask.

For me this was so easy. My favorite person in history has always been Abraham Lincoln and what would I ask him? Where did you get the strength to get out of bed each morning during the Civil War and face the challenges put before you?

He was a man sent by God to do God's work and he did it with integrity.

I asked my husband what US President from his life time would leave a lasting impression in history like George and Abe. He felt it would be Franklin Roosevelt, probably true. In turn he asked me the same question. Since Roosevelt was gone before I was born I needed think hard. Sadly I was unable to think of any president that I felt fit in their league. The one man that I did feel had the ability to walk at their side in my life time would be Dr. Martin Luther King. He was also a man of integrity, unselfishness and peace. Let us pray that my life time will have another Abe Lincoln.

The Baby Bird woke up!

My Alexia finally woke up and was sooo excited to see her bird blanket. Meet Alexia ....

She's 3 and LOVES these crazy birds ....

 Many hours later she is still the canary, drinking her mom's blended coffee and has control of the I Phone ... playing what else? Yep, Angry Birds and the Leap Pad. This is one electronically excelled 3 year old!

 Here she is play the birds, do you think the blanket is big enough??

There is also a shot of the Angry Bird band aids I found at my favorite store .. Walmart!

And finally she got control of all the blankets, this was her goal all day.

As you can see these blankets provided a days worth of entertainment.

Quick Bird Update

Good early morning! My Far Away Grand Children arrived very early this morning and were up with the sun!! Yes, the sun has returned and boy is it cold outside. I wanted to post the pictures I took this morning when the older kids, Austin and Karlee found their birds.

 

My Irish Twins, Austin 7, and Karlee 6, they are 11 months apart, aren't they precious??

   They love their hooded blankets, especially on this cold, chilly morning.

 Austin has already nodded off, he was so excited to get up early and tell me all of his news. Now, he's pooped, restoring for pool time!

Karlee is cuddled up watching cartoons. The yellow dot you see is actually a bird comb that sticks up, it looks so cute from the back.

OK, gotta go fix a gourmet breakfast of Frosted Mini Wheat's and bacon.

Have you met these guys???

I'm about to show you a very interesting group of fellas and I want to know if you have met them yet. Now, if you have small children, or you are a grandparent I'm sure you will know who they are .... let me introduce to you the Angry Birds!

Here they are ... I don't know there names exactly but I will share with you what I do know. This information is being provided to you by my 7 year old grandson Austin. According to Austin the red bird is a Cardinal and he's BIG, the black bird in the center is a Crow and he's a "little big" and the yellow fella is a Canary and he is small. There is also a green pig, a blue bird and a white seagull.

These fellas are part of a game played on cell phones etc., and every child is capable of playing and winning every level. However, if you're a grandma this game can prove quite challenging!! If you don't believe me this is my challenge to all of you, get an I phone or Smart phone, get the app (it's free) and tell me how you do.

My three grand children, ages 3 to 7 are on there way to Far Away Grandma's house as I type and these birds are there early Easter Bunny or should I say Bird gifts.  Even though winter is finally here, YEAH!!

 See the RAIN!! No leaves on the trees it's cold, damp and cloudy!

WE will heat up grandmas swimming pool and the kids will spend most of Thursday in it! When they finally emerge they will have there new Angry bird towels to keep them warm!

Oh, why am I far away grandma?? Because they live so stinking far away!! Still in the state of California but it's a 12 hour drive and it's grueling!!!

I may be off the blog for a few days while they are all here so don't y'all miss me too much!

Has anyone seen Betty???

Whoo hoo here she is! Meet Betty as in Betty Lamp. Fooled you and it's not even April! I have been on the look out for a Betty Lamp ever since I heard of one. My Betty is a reproduction but I love her just the same. On my quilt shop hop this past Friday I found her all alone and waiting for me at the Country Loft. Over in the corner, hanging all alone she called out to me. I have had her hanging in different spots around the house and have settled on my pie safe/quilt cupboard in my living room.

This picture doesn't really show her off to her best. The lamp hangs from a hook and had the capacity to rotate. The little cup where the fake flame is resting is where the oil would go and it has a little spout for pouring it out. However, in modern times we don't need to light our way with oil lamps so we can use tea lites, fake lites or no lights!

I decided on this cupboard since Betty is very comfortable around quilts. After all she came from a quilt shop! After she gets used to the place I can move her around a bit more!

Hunter-Jones Shop Hop!

What an absolutely perfect day for a road trip to San Diego County! The weather was in the perfect mid-70's and the sky was sunny and clear as we loaded into the car at 9 am.

Rita and Penny are figuring out what to buy for our upcoming retreat project before we make our first stop at "Fat Quarters in Vista.

Our second stop brought us to a new shop in San Marco by the name of "Grand Country Quilter," very cute shop with a very nice owner. Stop by if you are ever in the area. Fat Quarters was AMAZING! Big shop with so many things that I just LOVE. I made a mental list of things I want to purchase, thank goodness they have an online store ... woo hoo!

This is her business card/coaster. Is it not just to cute and too clever?

Our third stop was Rosie's in La Mesa, oh my it was HUGE and there was so much fabric to choose from ... I couldn't do it, I sat in my car with the new Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine ..... drool ... Our fourth and final stop was at  ... yep, you're so smart! The Country Loft! I loved this shop too. Lots of primitives treasures and .... there was an artist at the shop who is also featured in the Primitive Quilts magazine. 

Meet Jo Ann Mullaly, she created and made the pillow "Scattered Hearts" on pages 52 - 56 in the current spring issue. I don't
 do wool, but this pillow might encourage me to give a go. Jo Ann very graciously signed my copy of the magazine ...

It says "Put your heart into it!" JO Ann. There's a little peek of the pillow, get the magazine for the pattern and and entire look!!

The Three Musketeers. We are just bout shopped out, it's close to 3:00 and we have a 90 mile drive in Friday traffic, oh joy.

A little peek at some of my treasures of the day. Fat eights, fat quarters, a new magazine, and a pattern. The rest you can't see since they are gifts!! 
Great day, great friends ....

Shhhh .... This is a March Longaberger sneak peek!

Ya know, the weather is over 80 degrees today and it's only February. Yikes, I know if I were in the east or mid-west I'd be one happy girl but it would be nice to have some winter while we are in winter! At this rate we are in for one really long hot summer.

Well, with it being so spring like out side I just couldn't resist the mood to start thinking of Longaberger's new March products. As with any home decor company we start thinking way ahead of the actual season, so bare with me as I gently ease you into Spring!

Meet Rhubarb ... this little bunny makes his Spring appearance every year with my Longaberger products. This year he is finding himself nestled in a bed of white rice surrounded by last years Longaberger wooden eggs. Now where did those cool flowers come from you ask??? Well, in March only Longaberger is offering these bright little Button Flowers made of maple wood splints and fastened together with a pretty button. These will be sold in a set of three for $10.00 or individually for $5.00. I LOVE them and can't wait to get more and plant them all over the house!! They don't need water or sun and they don't DIE!! Woo hoo what could be better then that.

Here is close up of Mr. Rhubarb and his basket back pack filled with one giant egg!

Another angle from the top, it really doesn't matter how you look at him, he's just plain cute!

While I was sitting outside enjoying the warm day I snapped a picture of this blooming little Tea Rose bush. Really, who has roses blooming in February .... I'm tellin you it's just plain weird ....

A few more new Longaberger goodies!

Good Morning! I need to apologize for yesterdays blog, Betsy has learned my password and she likes to post while I'm gone! It's really hard to have such a smart dog living in the house.

Anyway, I had told you a few weeks ago I would post some

more pictures of new Longaberger products so get ready to feast 

your eyes on a couple new beauties!!

Right smack dab in the middle is a pretty red basket, this is from the Dash of Spice Collection and it is designed to hold a new pottery piece (more on that soon) I have it sitting on a candle holder with a nesting bowl inside and a small topiary tree! Over to the right is our Pewter Candle Stick lamp, it's not new to the catalog but it is new to me and I LOVE it!! It really goes well with my other pewter pieces and I love the aged finish it's wearing. Now for one of my favorite pieces ... rolling the drums ....

Tada!! The new Two Tiered Server! This wrought Iron piece is amazing. It will save you counter space in your kitchen, I have it set up as a beverage bar ... four Longaberger mugs in the small entertaining basket on the bottom and the top has two cracker baskets filled with teas, sweeteners and and coffee pods! Put it in the bathroom to organize your kids (or yourself) your office and home office and ???? Well, you guys tell me some ideas on where you would place this piece!
Enjoy your day!!

She's at it again ...

Hey, it's me, Betsy, manager of the blog. I went outside this morning to check out the neighborhood (not much going on here) and while I was outside enjoying this warm winter morn "she" came out and started banging on the front door. Geeze, she scared the daylights outta me. Mind you, it's 7 am and in this neighborhood full of old folks people like to sleep in. Oh, but not "her" she's up with the chickens. Well check out the door and see what she's been up to now.

What do ya think? I think it's weird, just like she is. I'm sure she will have a lot to say about this new contraption.

Closer view. Oh, she's already re-done it a couple of times so if you come over to see it for yourself I'm sure it will look different. Personally, I think she needs to get  job, she makes a lot of noise around here during the day making it hard for dad and I to take our naps. She's either hammering something, spray painting, running the sewing machine or pounding away on the computer. She must be at Walmart right now, it's the only time I can use the computer to post my updates.  OOPs, gotta go, I hear her car pulling in the garage!

Its February! It's Sweetheart Time!!

Good evening and Happy February. I don't know about other countries but I love that the United States has given us reason to celebrate just about every single month! This provides me with a lot of good reasons to re-decorate my home, shop for my family and friends, make little quilts in lots of different colors and so on and so on! So, here we go with Valentine's Day Woo Hoo!

I love these blocks! I got them many years ago and they spell just about everything I want them to .... one way or another! I have a little heart shaped Longaberger baskets tucked in here that we sold many years ago, still have it, still love it. And that little red dish, yep, Longaberger from many moons ago as well. How about that happy heart up there keeping an eye on everything, he's new, came from the grocery store and I love him and his little buddies too!

I added a new sampler to my ever growing sampler collection, can you guess which one?

Still can't guess?

Here it is, the RED one hiding in the elm tree! I love red, did you know that? Well, now you do.

Have a terrific February!