Glad to see you back here Luvs. I know this is a hard time for you, especially with each special occasion that arises. I know you miss him terribly. ((âÂÂ¥)) We should surely not take each other for granted. My thoughts and prayers continue for you.

Happy New Year to you all. I'm trying to get my house recovered from everyone being home for the holidays. Got all the Christmas boxed up and cleaning now. Got the Christmas tree torn down before I realized that we never took our yearly family picture in front of it. oops. I've got the moving bug to get rooms moved around as I clean. =/ I have the baby today and I'm also coughing my head off. Not sure what I've got. I feel ok, but this coughing is starting to wear me out. Just thought I'd stop by here and procrastinate for a minute. Guess I'll get back to it. Talk to you soon. Take care and come back often! I miss you girls! ~AnjâÂÂ¥

Back again. Anj, you are such a hard working gal. Know what you mean about the "moving" bug, I put away the tree and the few decorations I had put out, then started trying to come up with a different arrangement for the mantel and coffee table. Just not very creative anymore.

I did survive the holidays, actually enjoyed them with my family and friends--it was after each day ended that was the hard part. Hard to believe the weeks have gone so quickly. Love my home but it feels "empty" without DH and his wonderful smile. So thankful for my two fur babies-they make me smile with their antics and are willing to get outside for a walk with me anytime I want.

I had amassed quite a collection of Christmas decorating books from my yard sale and thrift store jaunts. Started going through some of them yesterday and weeding out many of them to donate. Such pretty pictures, but I know I won't be "doing" anything more than looking at them, so time to let someone else enjoy them I think.

My motto is "use it or lose it" and that applies to more than exercising. Really trying to determine what is really important to keep and part with the rest to simplify storage and minimize housework. Have to be careful not to pare down too much though, there's a fine line between "homey" and "stark". LOL

Feel like I'm starting a whole new year and a whole new life. Don't like being without DH one bit, but know I have to keep moving forward. So will try to find projects to keep me busy and hopefully get involved with my painting and Cricut again.

I hope the New Year will be good to each of you.

Luvs

Luvs, I know it's not easy, but I'm glad you are doing ok, my friend! I try to go thru my books, but then I get "lost" in looking thru them. I have got to do the same and start getting rid of some stuff that I've collected up. Too much to clean around. I'm trying to paint paint paint away some of this hoard of supplies too! Do you think you'll do any traveling this year to your family back home?

The cough has taken over my life. Been pretty sick since Wed. Started having a sore throat last night. Not sure where this is going, but I'm ready to be over it. My 8 yr old got baptized yesterday and I coughed thru the whole thing. =/ Then my brother took the whole family out to eat and I could hardly enjoy it. My big plans for cleaning and moving stuff around came to a halt. No energy to get anything done. I'll hopefully get back to it this week if I'm feeling better.

Just stopped by to check on everyone. Made a resolution to get here more often. My friend dropped by with some wood cutouts she found at the TS yesterday and she wants me to paint them up for another boutique. ha Those things are a lot of work, but I am enjoying them. Need to not stress so much over them. I saw on the gallery where Punk is painting again so I hope we'll see some pics from her soon. I hope we can get our little group revived here. I miss all the projects and chatting! Love to you, my painting sisters! =) ~Anj

Thought I take a quick peek in here tonight. Don't know what I did before the computer, it sure helps kill some of my evening hours! LOL

I saw the items Punk had painted, she's such a good painter and so fast! I really miss our little group here too. Maybe we can get up and running soon. Glad to hear you will be painting for another boutique, sure enjoyed seeing the items you made for the last one.

So where's Belle? I get back here and now she's missing again. Hope she is doing okay.

Lots of people have those colds and bad coughs. Haven't seen one of my friends since before Christmas as she's gotten sick twice. Hope you feel better soon. Congrats on little DD's baptism.

Gotta go, dogs are wanting outside. I'll be back soon. Guess we need to start a new post titled 2013 huh?

Luvs

Hey! So far I'm doing good about getting here more. ha But now it's just Luvs and me! ha Not like we haven't done that before. ha Do miss Belle and Punk and Bebe too. I'm finally feeling a bit better today. Still have the cough, but it's not so bad today.
Looking thru my stash trying to come up with something to paint. I painted a box, but I don't like it much at all. I'll still post it but it's probably gonna get sanded down and a do over. Was trying to come up with something for spring/summer, but the more I look at it the more it doesn't work for me. ha I'll put it up in the gallery in a sec.
So what are you doing with yourself today Luvs? It is only 2 degrees here today! 2!! Can't stand it! There is about a foot of snow out. I've got the house straightened and put the baby down for a nap and sitting here eating a salted nut roll and going thru books to start something. And the emergency signal on the tv just came on super loud and the baby is awake again. Sigh. No painting for me again I guess. Grrr. Talk to ya soon. ~Anj

Back again. Gosh, used to be the word conversations would be blue if anyone had posted since I last viewed it. Not doing that now it seems, good thing I clicked on this subject again or I would have missed your latest post Anj.

So glad you are starting to feel better. Everyone says the cough seems to linger even after they feel better. Know your time is always full Anj. Have always admired how you handle so much so well. ;o)

Today I'm doing laundry. Needed to change my sheets. It's a little after 9 and I'm still in my robe. Looks beautiful outside but still pretty chilly. Nothing like your two degrees and snow though Anj! At least these cooler days make us want to stay in and do things at home.

You know I've been on a clean out and organize kick. Well, today I realized I did something rather stupid. I had two plain Christmas wreaths, couldn't think what I'd bought them for and didn't think I NEEDED them so donated them. Well, guess what? I COULD have used them for neighbor gifts by painting something for the center opening or small items to attach to them! Duh!

I have been doing a bit of a "crafty" project. Attempting to fill a shadowbox frame for DGD with items of her grandpa. Have a cute blue beany bear with the RR logo on it, a pair of his glasses and a RR watch he wore. Those along with a cute picture of the two of them will make a nice keepsake for her I hope.

I looked at a few of the Valentines and St. Pat's items at Hobby Lobby and Walmart this past week. Will make myself pull my bins out and put up a few decorations--something I've always enjoyed in the past and just need to go ahead and do now. Anything that might add a little fun for me and others, right? I know I have patterns for both holidays that I've wanted to paint for years. Better think about getting them done while I still can!

Better go throw the clothes in the dryer. Sure wish Belle and Bebe would come join us again. I feel like I've been away so much. Really would like to hear how everyone is doing and what's going on in their lives. They are two of my "invisible" friends. LOL

Luvs

Yay! Morning Luvs! Glad you made it here. I've been checking to see if anybody has been by. What a cool idea with the shadowbox! I know she will treasure that.

You need to stop all that cleaning and start doing more fun things. I'm so glad you are thinking of doing some painting. You always came up with the best Valentine and St. Patty's day projects. I can never seem to come up with anything good, although I know I have a St Patty's day sign that I wanted for myself marked in one of my books. Dare I start going thru them again? ha I really need to put them in some kind of order to find things quicker.

I drew out a little design on one of the bear jumping jacks that my friend brought by (4 in all) and started painting one of them last night to see if I could do it without a pattern. Eeek! ha It's arms and legs have strings connected to them and when you pull the strings the arms and legs move. Makes it a little tougher to paint, but she told me Sunday she is excited to see what I do with them. Pressure! ha I hope they turn out cute. I'll post one when I get it done. Not sure if I should do them all the same or different for a boutique. What do you think?? It would be simpler to do them all the same.

I just put baby down for her nap and hopefully today she'll take a longer one so I can get something done. She is crawling and walking holding on to things so she is of course into everything!! Have to watch her every minute. Makes it hard to get anything done. Have to keep her later tonight since both of her parents have other commitments and my mom usually watches her for these kinds of things, but she's sick this week. Oh well. Another year and she'll be easier to handle hopefully. She's turning a year in Feb!
Guess I better get off of here and use my free time wisely! Back again soon! ~Anj

Just in case you haven't been over there, there are a few new people posting over on the Discussion side if you want to go give em a boost to help get things going again. =) Have a great day!

Luvs I need help! Do you remember the big bucket you painted for your neighbor with the bear on it? I think you painted it black first and I think it was a Renee Mullins design? I have looked and looked for it, but couldn't find the post. If you still have the pic would you re-post it for me? I found a big bucket at the TS yesterday and really loved yours so wanted to maybe paint it like yours if I can find it in my patterns. I have a sign that I think was like it that I painted, but just wanted to gander at your pic again if possible. Hope you are doing good this week! ~Anj

Let me look at my Photobucket, I'm sure the pic is still there. Yes, it was Renee Mullins and you did paint that design I remember. Let's hope I can still figure out how to post from Photobucket---it's been so long! LOL

Ah-ha! Guess I should have looked in my own photobucket! ha Thank you! Never even crossed my mind. That's what happens when you are sleep deprived! ha This is the one isn't it?? Now to find the book it was in. =/ I'd still like to see yours again if you can find it though. =D

They have made photobucket really easy now with the changes. Just open up the pic you want and the links for the pics are to the right and you just click on them and it copies them and then paste here. Super easy!

Took me awhile but finally found it. I sure have allot of pictures on Photobucket--mostly Thrift store finds, decorating, and painting! Luvs

Okay...that's what I needed to see. I had my 'welcome' on another board that the bear was hanging from. Still have to find my pattern. I really love how this turned out on the bucket. It's a spring boutique, but maybe it won't matter. ha Thanks for finding it for me! I am totally visual and need that help. I still love this!

Baby is a crawling/walking menace right now. ha She is into everything. Hard to find time to paint, but I'm just doing a little here and there and have a few projects coming together.

Hubbs got a job and starts on Monday. Thank goodness! Phew!

What have you been up to this week?
~Anj

Glad it helped Anj. Woohoo! So glad to hear your DH found another job. That's one less worry right?

I went out with a friend for some ts shopping this morning. I had seen two new ones so we checked those out. One was really junky, unorganized, etc., but the other one is run by two women and was almost as nice as most antique and collectibles stores. They said they get allot from storage units so some is high end some not.

A toddler in the house will be a bit of a challenge for sure. So cute, but you really have to keep things out of reach don't you?

Not sure when I will start a painting project. Son paid for us to have 100 pictures scanned and put on disk, so I'm sorting like crazy to choose ones we want to preserve. Have lots of just scenery from trips that I'm not going to bother with, but the ones with people in them we will have scanned. Do you think he did this just to give me a project and keep me busy???? LOL

Getting dark here better go close the blinds and find a bite to eat.

Next post, let's start a new one, January is almost over already!

Take care. Luvs