Indulge Your Shelf

I can't tell you how excited I am to have finally gotten a space on the Button Floozies site; here's a link to my first post over there !  Fun, fun. I have so many things I want to photograph and show you when I get a free moment.  Right now, Ben's home on his second week of Spring Break and the weather's been spectacular for the last couple of days, so I'm not at my computer as much.  He and I are leaving Dennis on his own for a few days to fly out to see our friends in Oklahoma later this week.  We'll be back on Easter and plan to eat at one of our favorite restaurants when Dennis picks us up in Denver, on the way home from the airport. Easter!  That is one holiday that has creeped up on me this year!  Would you believe I have not one single Easter decoration up in the house?! I did manage to get some photos of my Etsy Bloggers Street Team journal swap project before I send it off today: Here's the front of the journal Here's the page where w...

I have not had the greatest week.  It had its really nice moments, but overall I would have to say it was one I'll be happy to put behind me.  Here's how it went down: Sunday: Ben cuts a gash over his eye in a skiing accident Monday: Rock bullets beneath the wheel of a truck in front of me and cracks my car's windshield Tuesday: We can't leave Glenwood Springs until we get the windshield fixed, and we end up driving home just ahead of a massive snowstorm (you probably saw it on the news - every road we were traveling on ended up closing) Wednesday: Package arrives for Ben from his grandparents; inside is an electronic gadget (Ipod Touch) he's been wanting/saving for but that we weren't letting him buy, yet.  He and I spend the day monkeying with it.  Drama . Thursday: I discover our main computer is broken and not fixable.  Also, that the cat has a UTI. Friday: Well, Friday was okay if you don't count the second big snowstorm.  But still. So, it...

I'm participating in a journal swap through the Etsy Bloggers Street Team, where we fill a journal with 31 days of reflections on prescribed subjects, and then send it along to our partners.  My partner is Lady Artisan , and I'm to blog and journal about one of the items in her Etsy shop.  Lady Artisan has two Etsy shops, Lady Artisan Ltd. and Lady Artisan Pewter .  I chose an item out of her Ltd. shop, called Lady of the Leaves . Isn't it beautiful?  It's a life size bronze water fountain.  Here's how Lady Artisan describes it: "This is a Lady Artisan Ltd. limited edition cast into bronze. Water trickles through leaves entwined through the sculpture’s hair into a ceramic bowl where this Lady Artisan original rests. Bronze leaves "float" on the surface of the water. The artist Lady Artisan, who configured the leaves so that they appear to rest on the surface of the water, achieved the floating illusion in this work of art. The natural mix o...

I was pleased to receive this award from Deborah ; I'm always touched when someone thinks of me when the awards come around!  Thank you, Deborah! I also enjoy it when the award requests that you post a few facts about yourself, because there's always something new and fun for us to learn about each other.  For this one, I'm to list seven things: 1.  I am terribly afraid of spiders; I don't fear snakes or other bugs, not even stinging ones, but a small spider will send me heading for the hills. My mother once said that when I was a baby, she left me outside for a few minutes and came back to me crying because a spider had crawled on me.  I'm pretty sure that's when it began. 2.  I've wanted to be a writer since I was in first grade. 3.  I used to teach a class on how to declutter your house, but ever since I had to sell my parent's house and kept some of their stuff, my house has cluttered up again.  I worry I'm going to end up being featured ...

  My tag book arrived, and here are the photos I've been dying to show you: Here's how it was wrapped -- Karla wrapped the little "Drink Me" bottle separately so it wouldn't break, and both packages in the pages of a vintage Alice in  Wonderland book!

Our Spring Break trip to Glenwood Springs was lovely!  In case you're wondering how much I accomplished with all the projects I brought along , the answer is nothing: zero, zip, zilch.  I managed to finish the book I brought up with me, and that's about as energetic as I got during my down time! But, I relaxed, soaked in the springs, took lots of photos, rummaged through antique shops...and drove my husband and son back and forth to the ski mountain.  We had some amazing meals! We had gorgeous weather in the 50's and 60's the whole time we were there -- warm enough to sit out by the hot springs pool and feel like it was summer!  That is a good feeling. On their first day of skiing, my son went on his skis to look at a trail sign, slipped on a patch of solid ice in front of the sign, and hit his head on a metal shelf at the bottom of the sign.  His glasses broke, and so did his skin.  He was taken down the mountain on a sled by a first aid worker, an...

Today's the first day of Spring Break for us, unofficially -- it was to begin on Monday, March 22, but then a blizzard blew in so today's a snow day!  Tomorrow we're taking a short trip to Glenwood Springs.  I've never been there before, so I'm really looking forward to it! I'm guessing it will be a lot like the photo above, since they've surely gotten more snow than we have down here (we got about 4 inches today.)  I've heard it's lovely to sit in the hot springs pools while snow falls all around you!  I'm very much looking forward to the mineral baths having a positive effect on my plantar fascitis and tibial tendinitis.  It's getting so much better due to my twice a week physical therapy, but I still have a ways to go! My husband and son are looking forward to skiing, but I won't be doing that.  Instead, I'm planning to visit the antique and thrift stores in town and beyond that I'm bringing the camera, books, sewing projec...

The March Etsy Street Team Blogger of the Month is Vicki of Dizzy Dragonflies in Indiana! In her Etsy shop she sells her hand dyed, hand spun yarns, and they are gorgeous.  And she blogs about it all on her blog, Knitting Dragonflies . I especially loved this post where she shows us how she dyes a bunch of different, spring colors!  Feast your eyes: I think this is my favorite item in her shop : She calls the yarn "Tropical Waters".  I call it yummy!

Don't get pinched!

It is supposed to be 60 degrees here in Colorado today.  If it indeed gets up there, it will be the first hint of Spring we've had that wasn't smothered by wind and snow.  Everything has been brown and dead around my house, and the lawn is still yellow, but this morning I see my lilacs have buds, so there is hope of new life! Speaking of new life: friends of ours have a new litter of puppies that I have already visited once.  They are Cardigan Welsh Corgis, seven little girl puppies and one little boy.  My son and I have held and cuddled with every one of them.  They are SO SWEET!  We love them!  We want one! There's nothing on this earth like a puppy, is there?   My son is in love with the one in the 4th photo.  Her name is Violet. You need a puppy, don't you?  If you know anyone who's looking -- seven of them (all girls) are still for sale and will be available April 9th! If you're hungering for more evidence of Spring,...