Making the Most of Time Together

 

The boys came home this weekend to attend a family memorial service for a loved one who passed away, suddenly and way too young. A very fast and aggressive cancer. We are still in shock.

It is at moments like this that we are reminded of the words from Psalm 90: Lord, teach us to number our days.

Our days are precious. I find myself telling my family members that I love them whenever I see them. I don't turn down a chance to spend time with them. And I try to create happy memories, even in the midst of sad times.

So yesterday, the day after the memorial, I told the guys "It's a nice day. Let's go do something fun."

I've been living here for nine years now, and I have passed The Creature Conservancy just down the road hundreds of times, always telling myself "I should go there one day."

That day finally came. And it was lovely. The boys all said "You've had this zoo right in your backyard the whole time!"

They may all be adults now, but they did not pass up a chance to see the animals and get ice cream afterward. Some things are ageless.

It felt strange to say "What a nice weekend!" And still, it was.

 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

New (and old) Furniture

 

Our new furniture arrived last month, just in time for Easter. All the family members really like it, too.

We had to wait a bit longer, as this was a special order from Macy's. I wanted this color and fabric, but in a rolled arm style and not a squared off arm.

The fabric is really nice and soft, with a pretty weave pattern that does a good job of hiding Jemma fur. It doesn't seem to be a fur magnet, which is a good thing. But it is spring, which in Michigan is the equivalent of mud season. I decided to throw this small lap quilt onto the couch, just as a little added protection against muddy paws.

The couch and chair are a bit taller, longer and deeper than our IKEA Ektorps, and they fit nicely. I've already taken plenty of naps on that couch, with room for Jemma at my feet.

It came with two pillows for the couch and one for the chair. I decided to move that pillow to this 25 year old plaid chair instead. It matches the buffalo check curtains perfectly.

Is it just me, or is it really hard to find classic, timeless furniture at an affordable price? These were a great deal, and I'm so happy with how they look. Not too modern, in a style and color that will work in all seasons.

Easter Cards

Here's a stack of Easter cards I made recently. I used the stencils from Papertrey Ink's Flourished in Faith, and paired it with an old sentiment from Hello Bluebird. I had the papers from Simple Stories Tea Garden laying about, so I used them as an accent.

I think the arched die really tied it all together.

And just in time for Easter, the daffodils have made their showy appearance. So happy to see their cheery little faces.

Book Haul, Day Two

 

Two dollar day at the book sale was productive. I was able to take my time and really peruse thru all the sections. I found a few more hard covers to add to my collection.

And these sweet devotional books are in brand new, never used condition!

I've been collecting Marcia Adams cook books for several years. She was a popular author that had several programs on PBS, including a series about the Amish. She was primarily a Midwest region author. This one was new to me, and I'm glad I picked it up. It's not in the best condition (a little warping of the pages), but still read-able.

I was so happy to see this recipe for Tony Packo's cabbage rolls! Tony Packo's is a famous Toledo, Ohio Hungarian restaurant made famous by the character Klinger on the TV series MASH. (Interesting side note: Jamie Farr, who played Klinger, went to high school with my Mom!).

At checkout, the man that runs the sale gave me another $5 off coupon, bring my total to $9. Awesome!

My To Be Read pile got a little bigger this week. Hopefully, I can add some more outdoor porch reading when the weather improves.

Book Haul

 

Yesterday was day one of the quarterly used book sale held at our county fairgrounds. This sale is so much fun, for so many reasons.

1.) Day One starts at $4 per book, and every day after the price is reduced to $2.

2.) So many tables of books, all sorted by genres!

3.) Puzzles, games and DVDs, too!

4.) They play a funky soundtrack of alternative music from the 80s, which reminds my husband and I of the days of our youth!

5.) I find treasures every time!

I try to be a little more conservative with my first day choices, as they cost more. I focus on the hard-to-find, rare books. And I really scored yesterday!

In the hardcovers, I found two Gladys Taber books (probably worth over $50, going by Thriftbooks), two Christopher Morley books ($25-50), and a book of poetry that was being sold on Thriftbooks for $149!

A stack of Barbara Pym paperbacks, vintage!

And a few other paperbacks that looked interesting. My husband grabbed a few, too.

I paid just over $80. A steal! We only stayed for about an hour, hitting my favorite sections. It can be overwhelming. That's why I like to go over the course of several days.

I'll be going back for day two today, taking my time and checking out all the tables.

We did see what appeared to be several Amazon booksellers. They're usually scanning all the titles with their smartphones. One gentleman at the checkout before my had a total of over $600. I thanked him for his big purchase, as it made me feel a lot better about mine! ha ha I was even happier that my husband was there to witness it!

Studies are showing a real decline in people who read for pleasure. I'm hoping this changes one day soon. I think a lot of us are tired of the digital age and are longing for a return to an analog age. Real things we hold in our hands. Things we can create. Things we can use. Things that connect us to others.

I'm meeting my brother and sister-in-law at the sale today. Two more booklovers looking for deals.

Happy reading!

Make Your Own Card Kit

 

Sometimes, I need to do some simple marathon crafting to replenish my card stash. Kits are great for simplifying this process. It was easy to make my own "kit" with just a few items and some shopping in my own stash.

I started with this Simple Stories paper pad. Tea Garden has lots of cute spring images and colors.

I grabbed these coordinating "bits". I dumped each one into a tray so that I could see what I was looking for. I also grabbed some sweet paper doilies, made some card fronts, and die cut some frames with patterned paper. Then I got to work.

The first batch uses Concord and 9th card front dies, doilies, and enamel dots.

This batch uses patterned papers and die cuts. I also added some fun sentiments from Concord and 9th.

Some of the images from Simple Stories were larger, so I decided to make some 5 by 7 cards with them.

Happy cards. And I really needed some happy this week.

It also makes me happy to use the pretty things in my stash.

I think I'll be repeating this process very soon with some more of my favorite Simple Stories products. Maybe a set of nature-inspired cards suitable for men?

St. Patrick's Day

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I needed a card for my monthly coffee swap, and wanted to give it an Irish theme. I thought it'd be fun to make green hills, so I used this stamp and die set from Concord and 9th and added some CP coffee cups and this hysterical sentiment.

I went to visit Mom yesterday, and brought her a little present to celebrate the day. I found some yummy Irish soda bread and a potted shamrock at my local grocery store.

I also made her a new stitched pillow cover and this card:

I love that this mug die from Papertrey Ink looks exactly like the kind of mug you'd serve an Irish coffee in. 

And here's the stitched pillow.

I'm lucky to be loved by such a sweet Mom.

Don't forget to wear green today!