Good Morning Also....Luvs...isn't it funny what we do for and with our aminal family? DH is tending to the new puppy's outdoor manners while I am in charge of the inside training. DH gets to run and play with Sam while I get to say No, Sam so much I sound like a record...OOOOPPPPSSSS! I should say a CD.

My hummers have left the feeders, so I think I will replace them with more seed feeders. All of my little birds are busy at the ones already up and they are so fun to watch. Just wish I could limit the Jays!

I too am painting pilgrims. I found a cute pattern by Karen Wisner with a boy and girl and am also making a turkey with a pumpkin. It's taken 3 days just to base painting three of each. Now comes the fun part!

Went over to the Home Deco site and FM's room is beautiful. Would love to have her help with my decor! Maybe if I knew what I really wanted I could find it.

Wonder where and what everyone else is doing? Hope Anj and DH are all well and they have found a new van. PF is probably really busy getting the new store ready and well....everyone else is busy painting!

Ya'All Take Care!

Belle

Hi All, pets are just part of the family and we tend to treat them like it too. Fun to read about all of your pets and birds. All our birds get is the sunflowers here.

Our new building is coming along but we still don't have a move in date. The crane came and got our new heating/air in yesterday. The concrete guys have the new doors and windows installed. Now the painters, flooring and plumbers need to finish and then we should be ready for the move. I'm hoping they don't wait until the snow flies and it's freezing here.

I'd like to hear how Anj and DH are doing by now. Love how she likes the Americana and different type paintings. I really like Wendy The Witch for a change.

Luvs and Belle, hope you are finding time to paint. Your pilgrims sound like fun projects. I tend to skip past them but should go see what I came come up with for Thanksgiving.

I was impressed with FM's new redo and love seeing this sort of thing. I'm getting to the point our home is the last thing I have time for. Maybe next spring will get me motivated for some new things here.

Take Care and we'll talk later.

Punk

Hello my lil painting buddies!! =D Thanks so much for asking about me and hubbs. Today is my second day to be headache free since the wreck! Still have a pinched place in my right shoulder, but hey....it's an improvement and I'll take it!!
Thanks for starting us off on the new week Luvs! You are doing well as my second in command. hehe JK Your pups sound like lots of fun. My lil gal is just a mess. More like a baby and needs constant attention. She follows me around and sleeps as close to me and sometimes on me as she can get. She's so cute I could pinch her head off. ha I just love her!
It's snowed here a few times this week. Just a little bit, but I'm not liking it or the cold weather. Been in the 30's this week. =P
My dishwasher quit washing the top rack so I took it upon myself to get in there and fix it tonight. Had to take the whole entire thing apart. Had a clog with a bunch of toothpicks, sunflower seeds, a wad of tape??? and a few other odds and ends. This is what happens when you let your kids load the dishwasher! But I fixed it all by myself!! Woot!
We still haven't found a van yet. We are looking for a gently used one. ha DH has a salesperson at the dealership looking for one for us. She is going down to Arizona to buy some and she said there are a lot of pristine vans that the older people there buy to haul their golf clubs and friends around in that have very low mileage and the interiors are great. Ours was a 2003, but it looked like brand new on the inside. We never allow our kids to eat in it. The ones we've looked at so far have been gross on the inside. It's gonna take a little searching to find what we want, but hopefully not too long. I'm going nuts without a vehicle!
Belle~ I think you and I are looking at the same pilgrims! ha I was thinking about painting Karen Wisners too, but after that last one I'm a little leery of starting another one of hers too quickly. ha I am working on another glass block, but it is a Barb Jones Christmas one. Y'all know how much I love her snowmen! I have a box that I've been trying to find the perfect design for. It has a snowman cutout on it. I am going to do some painting tomorrow after I run to the grocery store so hopefully I can get something finished to post.
Punk, lots of hard work going on over your way! I'd love to see you find something to speed paint for Thanksgiving!
Luvs~ I don't think I ever got to compliment your blocks that you made! I really love them. Hope you find something fun to paint for Thanksgiving as well! I will try to find something too!
Ok, sorry for writing a book. Will check in tomorrow! Going to go try to find FM's room! I'm sure it's beautiful. ~Anj

Well, this was a nice surprise this morning! Glad you three were able to come by for a quick update. ;o)

I am working on getting some pilgrims painted, Anj. I pulled out an old book with some I've always liked and decided to work on them. Hoping they won't be too complicated since I've not learned to "speed paint" like Miss Punk! LOL

Belle, those blue jays are pretty, but they can be mean to the other birds can't they? I've not seen any around here, but we do get some big black birds. The other day, two small birds were chasing a big bird--must have gotten too close to a nest of something. Sure looked funny.

Punk, it sounds like you had to do a complete remodel of the building--guess it's good to make it the way you want it so it won't cause problems later. Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Good luck on finding just the right van, Anj. Good that you are taking your time to find the right one, but I can't even imagine how hard it is for you to be without a car! Thank goodness your Mom is close by so you can use her's sometimes.

Well, I'd better go paint a bit, sure hoping to get my project done before Thanksgiving. Then I need to go shopping a bit. DH has a birthday tomorrow and while I have his main present, I want to pick up a couple other things too. And I need to get the cake and ice cream too--guess I'd better get some of those number candles so we won't set the smoke detector off by filling the whole top of the cake with candles! Not that he's "old" or anything! LOL

TTYL,
Luvs

Hey again! Took me longer than I wanted it to at the grocery store, but I haven't been in almost a month so I could hardly push the cart toward the end.ha I'll have to go again when it gets closer to Thanksgiving. We have an inlaw that causes nothing but problems in our family and nobody wants to even do family holidays together any more because of her. So my parents are doing a family dinner on the 20th and then we will all do our own Thanksgiving dinners with our families. Should be interesting.
I had planned to paint, but as soon as I got home and got the groceries put away DH called to give me a job to do for him so I'm gonna have to hurry and do some research for him and then I can get to painting.
Luvs~ we may have found a van! We are going to look at it this weekend. It was a 3rd vehicle in a family and they hardly used it. 2008 with like 20,000 miles on it. A little above our price range, but the payment would be low with what we are putting down on it. Same color and everything that ours had, but it's one step up so leather interior and some other extras. Fingers crossed!!
Ok, I'm gonna get to work so I can get some painting in. Later!! Can't wait to see everyone's Thanksgiving goodies. ~Anj

Hi All,

Anj, DIL and DS just got a new Ford van. She had kept her car for sooo long and it was starting to fall apart, seat would no longer move up, armrest falling off, mechanical problems. She was so thrilled when they were over the other day. They looked at new ones, but were able to find a two year old used one with 20,000 miles at a really great price--inside is like brand new and only a couple tiny dings on the body.

I was impressed at you fixing your own dishwasher! So many times I think things just get replaced when it's really just a simple repair needed! Good for you, gal. ;o)

We've been busy with DH's birthday month and I put away the Halloween decs and put out more Fall/Thanksgiving things. Got to use all these things I've made and painted you know! ;o) I finished a pilgrim tray that I need to get posted on here. Not that good, but okay I guess. I really struggle with faces, feathers, etc. Sure wish I'd taken more classes when they were so available--just didn't think I had time while working 40+ hours a week and trying to keep up at home.

Belle, I'm glad you were able to help the gal looking for the book. A week or so ago, I ran across a bunch of painting books at the TS and got all excited. Big disappointment, mostly really really old ones of not so cute cutouts and such. ;o(

Need to go run some errands, then will try to take pics and post my tray. You all have a great day.

Later,

Luvs

Morning All,

Luvs...like your DS and DIL we found on '08 Dodge van last Nov,. (my has it been a year?)after spending months looking for what we wanted. We moved from a 4x4 truck to our van and wouldn't go back! Hope Anj found what they want. Vans are so popular.

I finally finished the pilgrims and turkey, but am not happy with them at all! What should have been so easy was not!!!!! Oh! Well! Who is going to take a close up look to see all of the crooked lines and boo boo's! I still have to paint the candle box that just has pumpkins and vines, did I mention I love painting pumpkins! Well...most of the time!

Today is shopping day, going to try and make it to a couple of TS. Never find any books but usually several puzzles and sometimes dishes or decorations, as if I need anymore. But I did send some T'day stuff to them so maybe I find something new. I also want to pick up several glass blocks, smaller than the ones I now have. Anyway, I would like to paint one or two of KW's patterns on them and them try the base light. Hope it works.

Hope all are well and just busy! Punk...any slowing down in your future? Take care everyone!

Belle

Belle, at the latest craft show I attended, they had plastic blocks. I didn't know there were plastic ones. Much lighter weight for sure. Be sure to share your's when you get them painted okay? I haven't painted any, but I know Anj did a craft class with them last year--or was it the year before?

I know what you mean about not being happy with something you paint--felt the same about the tray I just painted. The instructions were so detailed and long that I just gave up on reading them and tried to just do it by looking at the picture. And my outlining wasn't as thin as I wanted it to be, and the little critter was so hard to try to get right because it really wasn't very clear even on the pattern. But most of all, I wasn't happy with the background, so I did some shading to make it more beige and that did help some. Just hate it when I put all that work and time into something and then don't just love it!

I often stop by the TS just for the fun of it. Yesterday, I found a couple of books and a little wooden train. I'm going to post a picture of the train here so maybe some of you can tell me how to make it look better. It was only $2.25 so I figured it was worth working on and DH is retired engineer so we should have some train decorations around here. ;o)

Well, my little dog is telling me I need to get off here and do something fun with her, so I'd better go.

TTYL

Luvs

Hey y'all. Quick update on me. Went to my chiropractor/kinesiologist today. Here is the what he tells me...I have 3 vertebra going in different directions in my neck, several jacked up in my back, a rib out, sternum jacked forward, torn tissue, partially torn rotator cuff. A lot of soft tissue damage in my neck so really no stability in my neck and tendons spazzing out trying to take up the slack. Said they should have given me a neck brace at the hospital for the first two weeks so my muscles had time to heal. Had to get the shock treatment and then he and the physical therapist worked on me for about 2 hours today. My neck had popped Sunday and it intensified my headaches so much it was making me sick to my stomach. So the headache gone for now. ...2 appts next week and at least 5 weeks worth of p/t to look forward to. The joy.

My friend brought us supper tonight. She is so sweet. I managed with the help of my kids to get my house in good shape for the holidays so am going to paint a little tomorrow and get caught up on laundry and try to take it easy a bit. Gonna go look for luvs tray and see if anything else was posted. Glad you are all doing ok. Meant to get back here to tell R Happy Birthday on Saturday, but just too sick. Hope he had a good one! Did not get to go look at the van. I think it's a little out of our price range and we need to wait to find the perfect fit. I know they are out there if we can hold out long enough to find one. ha We loved our Honda Odyssey so that's what we are trying to find. Talk to you maybe tomorrow. ~Anj

I thought I'd get in on this post. I have been madly cleaning as my son and family are coming for Thanksgiving.
Been puttin' away the painting stuff, but do need to finish a piece for a gift exchange and did pull out the painted stuff to decorate for the week.
I sympathize with the aches and pains of the auto accident, I have pain still in my upper arm from one a year ago- doesn't bother me when I paint!!!

It's nice to chat with you all, and hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

PJ

Hi All, it's Thursday already and we have had a busy week so that's great. We aren't ready to move just yet so will put off a little longer with Thanksgiving coming.

PJ, so great to have you here posting with us. We have such a great forum and need more to help us keep motivated.

I have been doing a little extra cleaning here so it doesn't all hit me next week. Plan to go food shopping on Sat. and will get my rolls made. I am going to roast my turkey this year so we can enjoy mashed pot. and gravy. I don't need the extra calories from the fried turkey any way.

Anj, I thnik you are wise to hold off until you feel better on buying a new van. Sounds like you will be hurting for some time yet. Take it as easy as you can so you heal sooner. Too bad you didn't get the neck brace you needed after the accident. May we all continue the prayers and all will work out for you.

So glad some of you are getting some painting done. I'm still working on a tray and will post when it's complete. I wanted to paint some pilgrims but just couldn't get in the mood. I'm terrible any more. If it doesn't appeal I don't even attempt it.

Take care and I'll be back soon.

Punk

Goodness, Anj, all that sounds terrible! So glad you finally got some relief from the headaches at least. Are you wearing a neck brace now? Sounds like it might be a good idea at least during the daytime. You are right to not rush into replacing your van, just take your time and look for the best deal so you won't have any regrets. Does your insurance or the other party's insurance provide for a rental car? That would sure help so you wouldn't be without a car. Hope the therapy and medication will have you good as new real soon. Hugs to you. ;o)

DH had a nice birthday. Son and family were over for dinner and cake and ice cream. I'll have to share a pic of the subway art another forum friend created for me to give him. I can't figure out how to take a picture of it without the glare and reflections in it.

Punk, I'm glad you are waiting until after Thanksgiving to move. Better to be relaxed and enjoy the holiday. I know what you mean about needing to be in the right mood to paint something anymore. I think it's the figuring out what surface to use and getting that ready that causes me to procrastinate so darn much!

Peggy, it's nice to have you joining in here with us. Hope you will take time to tell us a little more about yourself and your family. We're a very small but friendly, supportive group on here. I'd love to see this forum just buzzing again. Lots of good older posts to see on here if you have time to browse. Just look for the page numbers at the bottom of the discussions page.

Hugs,
Luvs

Hi everyone! So sweet of you to say those nice things about my decorating! I'm still working on so many small projects around the house, but it's starting to feel like our own!

Anj-my goodness! I'm sorry you're still hurting from the crash, and I hope you find the perfect van soon.

Everyone is busy with painting projects and the holidays! I've been doing a little cleaning each day, just so it doesn't wear me out so much. It's all coming together, and the house looks so nice, but I'm getting tired of cleaning! One of these days, I'll be able to hire a maid service! Hahahaha!!

If I don't post back, I hope everyone has a great holiday!!

Is it Saturday already? What an interesting week, first record rain fall, and for us that is a lot of rain! Then came the earthquake, only a 3.9, then the wind or that really was before and after the quake and now we are gearing up for an artic blast. The forcast is for several inches of snow between now and Monday, depending on how fast the storms come together. Our DGS flies to Forida tomorrow so I hope it holds off that long as it is about a hundred mile drive, one way.

Posted the pix of the pilgrims, silly me did or didn't do something right the first time,, sorry!

Anj.....sorry about your back and neck pain!Get well soon! Thank Goodness you can still paint :) :) :) We have an Osteopathe instead of an MD., same training only an OD can also do more of the soft tissue, muscles and bones stuff. Really nice thing is, they are covered by all insurances just like an MD. Saves you money and gets you back adjusted, but alas no PT.

PJ....so very nice to have you with us! I recently spent some down time and went back and looked at A LOT of posts, clear back to '06 or '07. Some of the pictures are gone, (PS if you remove them from the site you used to post here, you also remove them here,) anyway several of the group have been here a long time and contributed so much! Now I am back to feeling like a newbee..newbie...newsomething! Anyway...glad you are here!

Punk...I know what you mean about painting, the motivation isn't there, think that is why I had such a hard time with the pilgrims + they weren't really what I was looking for, which should have given me a clue as to how unhappy I am with them. I do have a couple of Christmas project I really want to jump right in and do, but first comes the order for the annual ornaments. DH is busy cutting them out, so it won't be long.

Luvs....I did find two trays I want to paint along with a really nice vine and berry, cone shaped, tree at the TS. It still had the price tag on it and the best part I got it for nothing, well almost.

I am also on the look out for a small Christmas tree, ours didn't float very well! I have so many special ornies I just want them out where I can enjoy them and it takes to much brain power to figure out cleaver ways to display the them, so I need a tree. Silly me lives in a forest of trees and can't have a live one in the house. Did bring in some cedar boughs last year without any problems, maybe I will try some yew boughs this year.

FM...still want you to come up and do my house! I was looking through a puzzle catalog and found some PBN kits, Wow! the are not cheap and a lot more detailed than when I was a kid and got them as gifts. I can see why you like them.

Kitty is drinking my dirty paint water yet again, better change it! Ya' All Take Care!

Belle

Belle, what unusual weather. Glad the earthquake was a small one, and hope the winds didn't do any damage. We are getting some nice rains here, kinda earler than usual but much appreciated. ;o)

Too funny that kitty wants to drink your painting water! Guess that's better than if he/she wanted to walk through your paint puddles! LOL

Anj, how's it going? Are you feeling better after the treatments? Did the headache stay gone? We will love it if you have more time and feel like painting. Always enjoy seeing your projects. ;o) Have you thought about neighbor/friend Christmas gifts yet? I don't really have any new ideas. Think I'll do my peanut brittle again and maybe a painted or Cricut craft of some kind. Need to hurry up and decide so I can get started!

Well, I need to get busy here. I'll check back later.

Luvs

OMG- I am so behind!
Anj - ((Hugs))You are going through so much right now.
FM loved your redo!
Glad Peggy joined in and hope she keeps up better than I have!
Belle and Luvs painting pilgrims. Thanksgiving is in the air and fall decor. We lost our GW and the only other thrift shop we have has mostly donated clothes. With no family coming it is hard to get in the mood.
Luvs, your DH must have had a great BD with your planning and that subway art. I saw that and it was terrific.

cali

Cali, I'm glad you saw the subway art--that was such a nice thing my forum friend Old Algebra did for me. She lives close by and we have met up for craft shows and lunch several times now.

Sorry your family isn't able to come for Thanksgiving-maybe you can at least talk to them on the phone. We moved to Ca. and all our family other than my son are back in Mo. I finally got used to just us for TG, and would sometimes be able to invite other friends to join us as well. You know the saying "friends are adopted family".

Gosh, that's a bummer that you lost your GW. I know what you mean about the clothes--I don't have the patience to wade though all that looking sor something in my size--but let me find some wood or metal items I can paint or some pretty dishes or decorations and I'm a happy camper! LOL

Have a nice Thanksgiving. And come back here often, we enjoy having you join us. ;o)

Luvs