I was here a couple of times today too, but didn't have a chance to post. I am den leader for my DS's pack so had to do that today. I'm hoping to get painting again tomorrow. Went to the library yesterday and picked up a few Painting mags. If I'm not painting I'm thinking about painting. ha
Your birdhouse sounds cute. I don't blame you for picking GD over the table. I played with my 2yr old all morning. We blew bubbles until I thought I blew out a lung. She still wanted more! I worked in the yard and she matched me step for step pulling her little wagon behind her. I had to throw some squash that had gone bad into the compost heap and I turned around and she was throwing my good cucumbers in!! ha It's good to enjoy them while they are little. I'll see what I can get painted in the next few days. If I get out my fall stuff I may have some of my older things I can post pics of. I'm gonna do a picture tutorial for you tomorrow so we can get you posting. ;) Have a great day! ~Anj

Hi Anj, That would be great if you can explain it really simple. I am not very good at computers and computer language. We download our pics to our computer--can I just select one of them and then post it here? Or do I need to do the photobucket site and post them there first? It is all confusing to me--that's why I keep trying to get DH to sit down with me to do it--he is the computer guru. I have printed all the instructions from the forum and some that the GJers had posted, so we can read those when start to do it. I have so many things I want to share. I look at something and think "gosh, I wish I could show this to Anj and Kathi. That is too funny about the cucumbers! What a sweetie, wanting to do exactly what Grandma does! We have something else in common--my GD turned 2 in May. Aren't they just the greatest? Got to get to bed, Ill check in tmr. Take care. luvs

Actually that 2yr old is my daughter. Don't make me a grandma just yet. :) Not that there's anything wrong with it, but my oldest is only 11 and I'm not quite ready for her to be a mom yet. ha I'm just barely getting the parenting thing down. Do you worry less or more about your grandkids than you did your kids?? I don't know if I can take it if I worry more! ha I have 4 kids in all. 2girls & 2 boys. Whether they are kids or grandkids they are still a hoot. My 2 yr old is blowing bubbles again in the house this time, catching them on the stick and popping them with her nose. She just cackles every time she does it. It's infectious.
Posting pics is actually easier than you think if you already have them put on your computer so we'll walk you thru it. I think you can post them straight from the computer on the discussion side. I posted my first pics there cause I couldn't figure out the gallery side. It's easy for me now too after I did it a few times. I'll post the instructions on another message in case there are other people it will help.
I think my day is pretty freed up except laundry. Blah! Mine multiplies faster than my dust bunnies. ha So I should be able to start painting something. Happy Thursday. ~Anj

Sorry, Anj. Didn't mean to age you too fast! LOL I just misunderstood your post, or assumed it was a grandchild. Okay, girl, with four little ones, I don't know how you ever find time to paint! Your little one sounds adorable.

I don't worry more, just get to enjoy more! I devote my time completely to her when she is over. I do find that I am more cautious with her--try to curb her exploration a bit to keep her safe! DH and I talk all the time about her antics and things she has said or done! Love it!

I want to tell you that on a post for Newbies on the conversattion side at GJ, I noticed several mentioned liking to paint--so I invited them to come on over and join us here too. Let's hope a few come by.

When I get your instructions, I will go to the test page and try to post. Wouldn't that be something if I managed to do it before DH gets around to it! LOL

Gotta go, I work part time on Thurs. & Fri. at a little antique & collectibles shop ( high priced TS! LOL). It gets me out with people and I enjoy seeing all the new items the dealers bring in for their spaces.

Be back this evening. Luvs

Yea, I just turned 38 last month so I'm not a youngun, but not quite gma material yet. :) All my kids but the 2 yr old are in school now so I have a little time during the day while she naps to paint.

Good idea posting the message there. I see there were 2 visiters to the gallery already today so maybe it worked!!

That sounds like a fun job. I'd be in heaven. ha Do you get an employee discount?

well, I gotta get working on those instructions. I hope they aren't too complicated, but if you have questions just ask ok. I'm self taught on the computer too so We'll figure it out together and amaze DH! I'm sure he already thinks he married the best woman in the world. ;)

Hi Anj and LUV,i come by here at least twice a day,but never see anyone here.

Well we three make a good bunch,a young mom,a gramma(luv) and then there's me a great gramma.So we've got 3 generations covered.Anj i've got 30 years on you,but as itell everyone,age is just a number,it's like cheese and wine,we get better with it. LOL

Havn't done any painting this week,we're tearing out our backyard and cutting down some trees,so busy doing that.Then i pick up my GS every day after school and keep him til his mom gets off work.

My friend sent me the picture of the cow i painted for her last night,but it's in an email.I just have to figure out how to get it from there to my photobucket acct,so i can post it here.

By the way luvs,if i can learn how to send pictures,so can you.LOL My GD was here visiting from AZ 2 summers ago and she taught me .That's what you need,a teenager or some young person,they know all about computors.

Hope you both have a great weekend!! Don't know what i'm going to do yet.Take each day as it comes.
Kathi

Hey Kathi~ You're right we do make a good group. Hopefully we'll get some more painters in here to fill in the gaps, but if not we can still play nicely together. ha ~Anj

Hi Ang, I am working a split shift tonight so came home for a couple hours and had to check on here of course. Got to head back and work till 9 for Market night.

Girl, at 38, you are in the prime of your life so enjoy those younguns and do the things that make you happy. Nothing as important as building those happy memories with the kids.

I usually don't think of myself as "old", but I do get the 55+ senior discount now! LOL Hey, I'll take a discount anytime! ;o)

I retired from 35+ years in bank supervision in 2005, took a year off, then decided I wanted to be out with people more, so took this little job. I do get a discount--but still find better bargains at GS and TS.

I really enjoy chatting with the customers and helping them find a treasure. When there are no customers, I dust and windex things to keep it looking good. It is fun to tag new items, and I really enjoy arranging the shelves. Two of us paint a bit, so we can take our pieces in to sell for a 70/30 split with the owner. (So far--none sold!)

Got to go, I'll chat more when I get home. Luvs

Hey, Kathi, good to see you. I'll chat with you more when I get off work tonight okay? Till then. Luvs

Kathi, I am back. You are so right about having a young person help with posting pics--in this case Anj is giving me some guidance--not as good as if she were sitting beside me, but so far so good. I am usually pretty good at following directions. You know the saying about old dogs! LOL Your yard looked so good already--were the trees just overgrown so needed to come out Are you having to transplant plants too, or were they not in the way? Hope you get things all completed so you can get back to your painting! Looking forward to seeing your cow too. Got to go find my camera now so I can snap some pics of some of my items--I am so excited to finally get to share with you guys too! Oh, if we're not on here when you stop by, leave a note, and we'll get back to you, okay? Luvs

Had to run to Wally's so we'd have some food in the house. I don't know why these things have to cut into my painting time. ha I did get my scarecrow and another pumpkin pattern transfered onto my fan blades, but not a drop of paint on there yet. I've got a lot of things to get done tonight before we have a church BBQ to attend. Maybe the weekend will be nice and quiet and I'll be able to lay brush to palate.

Luvs~ I'm trying to enjoy my kids, but all the work it takes to take care of them gets in the way sometimes.

I was Communications Co-ordinator/Admin Assist for Data Processing for a major restaurant distribution company, but decided to be a SAHM when I had my kids. That was almost 11 years ago. I've enjoyed being at home with them even though it's at times lonely. Not a lot of adult conversations. ha I can tell you all about Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer though! ha During my last pregnancy I joined a mommy group and I've made some good online buddies so that's really helpful. Feels like I'm a human again. Never thought I'd feel that way about people I've never met in person, but we have a lot of fun.

I don't know about ya'll, but I don't ever plan on getting old. I think I'll always feel like a teenager on the inside. I really love my DH's grandmother. You can talk to her about anything because she's just such a character. You'd never know she was close to 90. I think it's all in the attitude.

Kathi~ Your yard work sounds like a big project. Hope it doesn't take too long. we are waiting for you to paint with us! ha At least you can chat with us anyway.

I better go check the rest of the messages so I can get busy here. Time sure flies when your having fun. Later ladies. ~Anj

OK guys here goes my story and i'm sticking to it!!!! LOL

Earlier this year we needed to redo our backyard lawn,and dh didn't want to spend a lot of money to do it.So he roto tilled it himself,put down roundup,and then later planted grass.Mind you he has never done anything like this b4 in all the years we've lived here.

Now you also need to know that DH has the patients of a flea,wait----- i think even fleas have more patients than him.He also doesn't like to ask advice when going to the store and just skims the label of things.

Well he bought grass seed,planted it ,watered it and all that,but it kept dying,and also getting weeds in it.So a couple weeks ago we asked the owner of the company that does our lawns every week,he came over and checked it and told us:
1. Dh planted the wrong kind of seed,he planted temporary grass,the kind the sun kills very fast and we've had a lot of sun and hot days.

2. He didn't put enough roundup on it b4 he planted it to kill all the weed seeds and such.I told him that ,but he didn't listen to me.MEN.Grrrrrrrrrrrr

So he said we would have to take it out all over again and start all over and he wrote down what kind of seed to get for our area.So far dh has put roundup once and started rototilling,still has to do more of both.

Now for the tree,i had a princess flower tree,beautiful flowers,but MESSY,so i decided this week that i wanted it cut down.It's on the side of my house by my bedroom,and the yard over there and the neighbors walkway looked like purple carpet and every plant on that side of the house was also covered in purple petals,not to mention that they blew around to the front of my house and got all over my car.Picture a pearl colored car with purple blossoms/petals
:(.So i've spent the last few days helping to cut it down and today i've been out there washing all the petals off the other plants and raking up all those on the ground.Should finish it up tomorrow.

So if any of you decide to plant this tree plant it far away from the house and other plants.

Kathi

Hi Anj & Kathi, Wow, it is so nice to sign on here and find other posts! Hey, were gettting to be just like a REAL forum! LOL Nice to see some of the other painters chiming in too--hope they keep coming by. Anj, I only had one son, but felt I HAD to work when he was little. Looking back now, I know I missed out on so much--and he was such a cute, sweet little guy (still is cute and sweet, but not so little!) I am so glad you were able to be home with yours and know it means you made a lot of sacrifices to do it--but you will be glad you did. Know what you mean about adult conversation--that's why I decided to work part time. DH still whines about not having my salary anymore, but we are doing just fine, and frankly, I was just burned out! Too many mergers and computer conversions and sales goals--you get the idea! Kathi, I had Crape Myrtle trees and they made a big mess too so I know what you mean. Hey, girl, at least your DH tried--mine wants nothing to do with the yard! He would rather not even have one if he has to work in it. LOL I like the grass and flowers, so it's my domain. ;o) Talk to you more later. Luvs

Kathi~ that sounds like a pretty big mess all around! And a lot of work. We had one of our trees fall last winter and we had hoped to get the roots out this summer and make that area into a firepit for us to gather around now when the weather is cooler, but alas, too many other projects claimed importance over that one. We'll have to do it next year. Yard work is fun in some ways, but those big projects sometimes not so fun. ha

Luvs~ I don't blame you for wanting out of the rat race. I will probably try to do something part time when my youngest gets in school just for the social aspect of it. Plus extra money coming in never hurts. We might actually get our addition put on before the kids are grown if I worked. ha But you are right, I have enjoyed being with them as they've been little. It's a great blessing. ~A

Anj,i have 4 kids,well they are all 40 something year old kids now.LOL and i also stayed home with mine until my dd the youngest was 4 years old.It was tough,as dh was a Marine and we all know they make peanuts for pay.But we made do or did without.I always sewed so i always made all our clothes,the curtains,bedspreads,quilts etc,you get the picture.

Then when i went to work when dd was 4,i worked the pm shift in a factory,so we only had to have a sitter for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs per day.I made dinner b4 i went to work ,so all dh had to do was make sure they ate,get the kitchen and dishes cleaned up,make sure the kids took their showers and did their homework.Then by 8 it was bedtime for all of them.
It worked out good for us for a lot of years,because one of us was always here with them.When he went overseas,then i would quit my job and take in babysitting,to supplement the income.

Now we're retired and do as we please when ever the mood strikes.
Kathi

Kathi, we are in the same age group, I am 69, but no grandchildren. One daughter and SIL ages 41. Had our 50th anniversary in August. We were Navy for a totol of 28 years. DD was born in Spain and started to school in Scotland. Bill has been retired since 1982, retired in out home town, Pensacola, and that's when we started being full-time crafters and traveling on the craft circuits.
Bought a cabin in Indiana in 1987 on a major craft site, and have been goin up there every year in October.
Bill has 2 kinds of cancer now and we are taking things one day at a time.

Also, everytime you rototil, you bring up weed seeds that have been buried, which will mean more weeds sprouting.
Sorry! You can try -I think it's Preen- I haven't used it but it is a weed preventer, it keeps the seed from germination. DON'T get the one with the fertilizer in it. I think it is Preen and Green or something like that. I only want to kill the weeds so I can plant flowers, not grass, so I use black plastic to cover and kill.

Http://members.cox.net/nonacook

Kathi, I totaly related to the "peanuts for pay" comment. DH spent about 11 years in military, so we moved quite a bit too, but never overseas.

I know you are still sewing, cause you showed us pics of your beautiful quilts--do you find the price of fabric really high now? I seldom buy fabric, only if doing a craft project, but seems to me it has really gone up. I try to find what I want on the sale tables.

You are to be commended for making the sacrifices to have one of you with the kids instead of having them in daycare, I am sure you can see the benefits now that they are grown. Know you have many memories of things that otherwise would have been missed.

I finally threw in the towel and retired--so glad I did. Love it! DH still has about 22 months to retirement. We are looking forward to it--bought a used motorhome and want to take a few trips now so we will be ready for longer ones then. It is nice to have the freedom to do whatever you want to, whenever you want, isn't it? Got to be some compensation for aging! LOL

Nonacook, so glad to see you over here too--please keep coming by--you are such an inspiration! You can give the rest of us the benefit of your experience. I want to hear more about your traveling the craft circuit too. Always thought I wanted to do that, but couldn't come up with a "hot seller" idea! LOL So sorry about your DH having to deal with cancer, that has to be so hard for both of you. Hope you will enjoy visiting with us, and that we can add enjoyment to your days too. Luvs

Hi Nona,
So good to see you over here,i always look at your stuff at GJ,but that stupid MSN never lets me reply,or maybe it's stupid me for not knowing more about computors.LOLI did sign up for msn quite awhile ago,but it always tells me my password or name is wrong,and i know it isn't because i always write all these things down,Can't rely on these old brains ya know!!!LOl

Sorry to hear about your dh,hope it's not an agressive kind of cancer.
My dh had a small stroke in 99,but he recovered quite well from it.That's when i started him gardening.He needed something to do as he was so depressed,so i turned over the lower part of the yard to him,and took him to buy some plants and the rest as they say is history!! One of the first things he did was build a pond,then a veggie garden,and fruit trees.He still has all those things except the veggies.

Yes i know about Preen,we have a big container in the shed that i use in the garden,but i never thought of putting it where the lawn will be.DUH!!!

Hang in there Nona,will keep you and dh in prayer,and hope to see you either here or at GJ.
Kathi

HI Luvs
Yes fabric is quite high today,but i don't really buy all that much.If you saw my stash you'd know why.I also worked for 10 years in a quilt/craft store,so you can imagine what i have.I never brought home a paycheck.LOL

When i do go buy now it's usually something for the GK"s or the backing for a quilt,so i go to the 1 and 2.00 tables at walmart.I'm trying to use up my stash and i've given a lot of it away,and will probably give away more in the next few months as i weed out my sewing/craft/computor room.

Yes i'm glad dh and i made the sacrifices we did when our kids were young,it paid off very well.They were never in trouble as young people for anything more serious than speeding tickets or popping wheelies on their motorcycles.
Our oldest DS has his own very well known dirt bike shop and even has a contract with the Marines for building their bikes and teaching those guys how to ride.

DS#2 has a repair business i Guam,everything from toasters to 18 wheelers.

DS#3 builds decks on all those multimillion dollar homes in Laguna beach,Hunington beach and all those ritzy towns in S.Calif.

DD is in criminal justice in Az,so they've all done well for themselves.DD will get her masters next month and she put herself through college,while raising her kids.
So i'm proud of them and what they have become.I don't think it would have happened if we hadn't been there for them ,and made them responsible and accountable for their actions.

Hope you and dh have lots of time on the roads(did you see Oprah today)?
Take care,
TTYL
Kathi