Before September Ends

 

Before September comes to a close, I want to talk about the importance of cancer detection and research.

This month is Ovarian Caner Awareness month, and towns across the US tie teal ribbons everywhere to raise awareness.

We were visiting the town of Dexter this weekend and saw the ribbons tied to lamp posts.

And it just so happened that we had a family picnic at the park where my brother-in-law had a park bench dedicated in my sister, Tina's memory.

Tina was Luke's godmother, and it was sweet that he took his wife to see the bench.

Cancer has really impacted my family in recent years. My sister died of ovarian cancer. My nephew died of lung cancer just this year. My Mom died from a blood cancer. And sadly, I just learned that one of my brothers is being treated for prostate cancer this week. 

Is it just me, or does it seem like cancers are becoming more and more prevalent?

It's a sad topic for a Monday, I know. But it makes me wonder what are the root causes, and how can we change this trend? 

I'm reminded of the words of that great hymn: Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

I will hold on to hope.

Autumn Wedding

 

I love an autumn wedding. Maybe that's because my wedding day was in October, many years ago. Nature makes such a pretty backdrop for the day, with all the shades of gold and yellow, rich reds and burgundies, warm browns and earthy tones.

I was inspired by this color palette for today's card. A sweet couple from our church is getting married this weekend. They both lost spouses in recent years, and found comfort and connection in each other. A second chance at love.

I used these pretty papers and accents from Stampin' Up and paired it with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink.

Shimmery and golden. I pray their years together are golden, too.

Autumn Book Haul

 

This week is Autumn Book Sale at the the fairgrounds. Yippee! I found some real treasures and scored great deals, too.

The Day One finds are above...

...and the smaller stack of Day Two finds are here.

Here are some cool vintage books:

And this one was too pretty to pass up!

I found some Agatha Christie novels to add to my collection, along with other mystery writers. I should have plenty of material to keep me busy during the 'Ber months and beyond.

Speaking of 'Ber months...the first day of autumn came, and we had to turn on our furnace. Yep, it's already sweater weather! I'm ready for it. We're going to enjoy some fall activities like apple orchards, cider mills, and potluck picnics this weekend.

Ghostly Good Coffee

 

Happy Monday!

Did you do any crafting this weekend? We had a LOT of rain, and it was a good time to hunker down in the craft room and play.

I made this fun card for a coffee card swap. I'm having fun with that CP free ghost die!

And my one and only Halloween stamp set from Hello Bluebird has served me well once again!

I'm going to work on some Autumn-inspired cards this week, and may even pull out an autumnal stitching project.

Cleaning Out My Christmas Sale!

 Hello, friends! I'm cleaning up my craft stash before the big holiday crafting season. I just want to give these neglected stamps and dies new homes. If you purchase multiples, I will give a big discount! US only, Shipping extra, Paypal. (Please consider an order over $10 for shipping purposes)

Woodware sets, $3 each. Get all 5 for $12!

Hello Bluebird, $10

Stampin' Up, $5

The Greetery: $10

Reverse Confetti: $3

Papertrey Ink: Get all three below for $5

Penny Black Hedgies $5

Saltbox Studio: Get all three for $8

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend!

The Kitty Caper

 

My neighbor rang the doorbell the other afternoon to tell me that there was a cat stuck in the tree in our front yard. And as you can imagine, Jemma was standing at the base of that tree, fixated on that furry kitty.

Did Jemma chase that cat up the tree? Chances are good!

I had to drag Jemma into the house and then fetch a ladder.

The poor kitty was talking to me the whole time, in the most pathetic way that said "Lady, get me down from here!"

She knew exactly what I was attempting to do. After un-wedging her from the crook of these tree limbs, I managed to help her out, trying to calm her down and hold her near my neck. She quickly scurried over my shoulder, down my back, and leapt to the ground.

She ran to the woods and then paused. I told her that we were friends now, and she couldn't leave without saying goodbye.

So she came back, let me pet her briefly, and then went about her merry way. Funny.

She was such a beautiful cat. Clean, too. I've never seen her before, but she must be someone's pet.

It's always a wildlife adventure here at the cottage.

Peanuts and Starbucks

 

Did you hear about the big Peanuts collaboration at Starbucks? All the fun fall products dropped today...and sold out almost instantly.

I went to my local Starbucks around 10 a.m. They told me that people began lining up at 4:30 a.m. to get the merch. What?! That's crazy!

I didn't get any Peanuts merch, but I did get two Snoopy gift cards.

I put together a Peanuts themed birthday gift for Sam, who turned 23 last weekend. 

I found this fun cake mix at Walmart!

And I found some Peanuts socks and matching boxers. He'll be getting a Starbucks gift card, too. And it's going in this card that I made...because you know me. I love to carry a theme to its completion!

The trip to Starbucks was also momentous, as this was the first PSL of the season!

Yum, indeed!