Happy Mother's Day to all the Idyll Mothers... (including those with furry babies! :-) I had a special message I wanted to give to you all...but I ran out of time and now I have to get to bed...it's been a long day. Just wanted to tell Drema how sorry I was to hear about the loss of your brother. From spending those few days with you at the Idyllunion, I could tell you are a warm, genuine and joyful person Drema...sounds like your brother was too. I'm glad for you and your whole family that things worked out the way they did and that your brother's last days were spent spending time with the people he loved and doing the things that made him happy. And congratulations on grandbaby Nina Marie! Look forward to pics! :-) Wow...such beautiful pics from everyone! Kathy...thanks....your W.S.2000 is gorgeous! I'd be embarrassed to show you mine...LOL! Sue...thanks for stirring up happy memories! It was so fun meeting and having you all here...I loved having you...even if my personal life was a little crazy at the time...you guys were a *wonderful* distraction! :-) Paul enjoyed all of you too! Thanks too for the G.S. pic....Your G.S. is so pretty and what a great combination of color and texture...love your fountain too! Deanne....gorgeous pics! I agree that tulip pic is intriguing (and *beautiful) can I get you here to photog my tulips? LOL! Beautiful pics Bug! I especially love the shots from the window and the one with the kitty is just *so* mesmerizing and soothing too! Cynthia...that Duranta *is* gorgeous! I'm going to have to look for that. I still remember all your beautiful pics of your garden and grassy paths that I so admired. And I've always loved the pics of your black wicker and your agaves too. Which reminded me, when I bought the wrong mag issue looking for Deanne and I saw the front cover it kind of reminded me of your lovely vignette, which I think they should consider for their next cover! :-) Well, there are so many first rate gardeners in this group that I think any one of you could be/should be featured on the cover of a garden magazine! Well, I need to get to bed now...got a busy day tomorrow. I have to meet up with an ex-boss. She is the owner of a garden design company I worked for many years ago and says she has "she has a good offer for me that she thinks I would be pleased about and to call her." She called me the first time a few weeks ago, but I didn't call her back. But, since she called again, I figured she must be serious and it can't hurt to see what she is offering. Looking for a job (at least for me) has been very disheartening, so I have to admit, it feels good to think someone wants me...LOL!

I can't remember if it were the USS General Mann or the Breckenridge. I've traveled on both of those and on the Maurice Rose in the Atlantic twice. It was high adventure for a young girl and it was there I found out I had guts of steel and shoulda been a sailor. I saw seasoned seamen puking overboard. The furniture in the lounges slid around so badly, the crew roped them down. It was a hoot!And I loved every minute of it. The decks were off limits to passengers sometimes for days on end. We lost our Engines on Christmas eve and floated for hours. It was when I met my first Chinese person, a tall beautiful woman with skin like fine porcelain, and also passed the time playing checkers with a group of Korean Officers who were returning home from a military study trip in America. Our mess steward had a very boring day because I was usually the only person at his table who even kept the food down past the first course, so I got to eat everyone's steaks. rofl. He then built ice cream sundaes for me shaped like an island with parsely for palm trees. We docked in Yokohama, dog, cat, and stationwagon in tow and it was a miracle we got offloaded before the holiday, as we were told a few hours later and we would not be able to disembark for two days. I saw my first Russian "fishing trawlers", and it was in the cold war era and they followed us for sevearal days. We were told we were on the Northern Route, and we did travel through/near the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.

luvs ... I won't make you wait to see the cloche...oh, I am so tickled that I spoiled myself w/this purchase. I had to LOL when DH came back in my computer/craft room tonight & saw it sitting on my work table...he rolled his eyes & I said, "kind of big, isn't it." ... "guess so!" & he shook his head. So I had to go get one of my GS Santa's from early Spring/Summer & show you. What do you think? The bottom pc is pottery & the total ht. is like 21" or so...will have fun decorating w/this. Thanks, luvs! Jeanne S.

I have a ton! I have used nautical Christmas ornaments to decorate a welcoming wreath for the door, welcome signs and to use as decorating accessories around the house....knobs on top of lamps, thrown in with potpourri, as refrig magnets, napkin rings and as the ends curtain rods. I have used oars to hang window toppers from.,,,,and another to hang a long,bed-cuddle pillowed(covered) along the wall for a padded rest for the bottom bunkbed. I wrapped a metal bunkbed with rope. I have cast the kids footprints in lakesand to hang on the walls. I used an old boat hull for the main part of a "bar"...and used a plastic maidenhead on it and drilled it and stuffed lights into it(it's cool). Found it on a website for Nautical stuff......there are TONS of sites if you do a search. I have painted old furniture and sanded off the edges to make them all go together......they are mismatched except for the color of paint and the rubbed off corners to show a white undercoat. I did use different nautical things for any knobs that I had to replace. One room I did rope knots, one I used some fishing bobbers, and another more ornaments.(watch for sales during the Christmas season....you can find them CHEAP!). I also used rope to circle around a mirror with a knot at the bottom....and used some to wrap around a lampshade. In one room, I hung fishnets over and off to one side on the curtains and hung fishing lures in the nets. I also bought calendars of boats and lake scenes to frame....also bllew up tons of pictures of us enjoying the cabin over the years on the computer and framed them....great to see how everyone has enjoyed the lake and grown over the years!! I bought old picture frames from resale shops and painted them......they look great all different, but the same color. I used old driftwood(after spraying and drying out in the sun for a long time...worried about bugs) to hang from the ceiling to hang pots from....with a smaller piece of net on one corner. I have bought remnants of carpet, painted it in squares and made fish bean bags to use for tic-tc-toe. Other remnants I have painted on for outside the doors......cheap and can be thrown away each year for a change. I have an old fishing basket for the odds and ends in my bathroom. I have tons of other things I have done, and tons of things I want to try still. My best advice is to go to "junk" stores around lake or waterfront. They have so many cool things that you can use and if you pick through them all, you will find some great bargains. SInce your cabin is more rustic than "lakey"....maybe more twig crafts......more natural stuff like log stump coffee tables or at least for the pedestal part. Use twigs to frame art and/or your furniture....to hang hooks from for coats..... I wish you luck......and tons of fun. It can be so exciting to take a theme and go with it.....let your imagination take you away!!!!! Julie