My Nose Job

Tomorrow is the day for my "nose job". Actually, I'm having sinus surgery but I like to pretend that I am one of those Real -HA! Housewives.  Come to think of it, I am a real housewife (I just don't play one on t.v.).
So with that said, I'm going to be back out of the blogging loop for a while. And just when I found my blogging mojo again.

I had a little visitor this afternoon. As you can see, she is chewing on Crafty Clark's feet, and then she bit his head. Poor Clark.

My Hometown (tag swap)

I grew up in a town called Fairmount, Indiana--population 3000.  We lived at 710 South Main Street, just a few blocks from uptown (as we called it).  Fairmount is a very close-knit, clean and safe community.  When I read that Tammy of  Tammy's in Love was hosting a hometown tag swap, I jumped right on board.  I haven't lived in Fairmount for many years but it will always be my "hometown".

My tag inspiration came from my childhood (as does most of my inspiration).  Growing up in Fairmount was easy and fun. We had a Dairy Queen that was open only during the summer months.  Mr. Misty was one of my favorite DQ treats. The "dime store" was a Ben Franklin and I L-O-V-E-D going in there!  It had creaky, wooden floors and lots of penny candy and ten cent toys. In 1968, it burned to the ground which was quite a big deal for the citizens of Fairmount. It was rebuilt.  On the walk to the dime store, my sister and I would pass by The Palace Bar.  On the front of the building, was a small window and as we quickly passed by, both of us would hope for a glimpse inside.  Honest-to-goodness, the Palace image on my tag, is exactly how it looked in Fairmount--I nearly flipped when I found it. The Palace Bar at one time had been a movie theater, hence the marquee-type awning.

my childhood

my happiness

(I borrowed this photo from Tammy's blog)

On the flip-side of my tag, are a couple of Fairmount's famous citizens. James Dean grew up in Fairmount and graduated high school there in 1949. My dad was his friend and classmate. After Dean made his movies, he came back home for a visit, which included some bar-hopping with my Dad. After his return to California, he was killed. Dean's funeral was in Fairmount and my Dad was one of his pallbearers. Every September, Fairmount hosts a James Dean Festival which is attended by 1000's of people from all over the world. They even have a James Dean look-alike contest.

Garfield's creator, Jim Davis, is also a native of Fairmount.  When I was a college student, I did some baby-sitting for the Davis'. Garfield was still young and fairly unknown. Another Fairmount notable is Phil Jones who was a journalist with CBS, on 48 Hours.

In the lyrical words of Aunt Bee and Clara Edwards:

My home town is the greatest place I know,
Where the neighbors I find are gentle and kind,
And the living is easy and slow,
My hometown is the only place to be,
Here the worries are small, and 
And the kids grow tall and healthy & free,
It's my hometown, my hometown,
Fairmount, Indiana  


Thank you Tammy, for hosting this fun tag swap!!!

Welcome, August

July served up a big plate of busyness and stress for me. I'm full! I'm hoping that August will be kinder and gentler. July started out with a great bang as we traveled to Atlanta over the 4th to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Such a great time!!! But since arriving home, my life has been full.  I feel pulled in several directions--needing to do some things that make me happy (blog posting, blog reading, crafting) but knowing that I won't be able to relax and enjoy my happy place until I've tied up loose ends.

In the last 3 weeks, I've worked a 60 hour week, had 4 doctor appointments, 3 dentist visits (had to have the same filling redone THREE times!--thank goodness for laughing gas!), a mammogram, PAP test, and a colonoscopy.  Oh, and I'm scheduled for sinus surgery in September.  YAY, ME!!!

I'm not really complaining. I'm very lucky to have a supportive and caring husband and daughter. And of course I have my little Livi--shiner of the brightest sunshine EVER.

July, I bid you farewell....good-bye, adios, au revoir, auf wiedersehen 

Grandma *hearts* Olivia

She fills my heart with love, joy, laughter, hope & happiness.
My sweet, sweet Livi. Grandma loves you so much! 

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing you all a safe and happy 4th of July! 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".

Moms and Daughters Craft Day

While my sister and niece from Georgia were visiting a few weeks ago, I hosted a moms and daughters craft day.   The ladies were met at the front door with the suggestion to "leave your troubles behind and let your creative mind take you away". 

The activities started at 11AM and the last crafter left at midnight.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. In between projects, we had lunch, snacks, dinner, dessert and more snacks. My kind of day!

I posted this sign as one of our mantras for the day. 

My sister Leasa brought this guy along to serve as our mascot. Some mascot he was! All he did was lay around, with a dopey grin on his face. He didn't move a muscle!  Leasa left Indiana without him. He suspects that he was dumped for "Magic Mike". Unbeknownst to her, I have named him Crafty Clark. He's about to embark on some interesting adventures. Stay tuned.  

Leasa spray painted this Ball jar and finished the top with nylon clothes line. She plans to use it as a vase. 

 So cute! (the jar too) 

This is my Mom and my daughter Mallory . They are awaiting instructions for our next project. My niece Lindsay, who has a degree in art education, taught us some painting techniques, using acrylic paint on canvas.  Lindsay was very patient with us.  Very. 

This is Lindsay, decorating her chipboard [initial] letter.  

Sweet Olivia was present for part of the day but she slept through much of it. 

Lindsay and Leasa working on their chipboard letters. 

(Do you see Crafty Clark on the window sill?)

This is Christy, my other sister. She is digging around in the lawn bag for sticks for her pom pom bouquet.  Christy was the official photographer for the day and unfortunately, this was the only picture taken of her (sorry Christy). Take my word for it, she is as cute as a bug's ear.  

Okay, here's a picture of Christy that I snagged from her facebook. 

I taught the ladies to make pom poms using my super-duper pom pom maker. It is so easy to use. We cranked out a lot of pom poms. 

Mom and Mallory made darling paper wreaths. 

Here is a line-up of many of our projects. Our canvas projects were still a work in progress. In fact, mine still is. 

This was one of THE BEST and most special days I've had in a long time.  

Thank you Mom, Mallory, Olivia, Leasa, Lindsay and Christy. Can't wait to do it all again.

Cartoon Tag Swap

Hey there, it's Yogi Bear! 

I was so excited to take part in a tag swap hosted by Tammy at Tammy's in Love. The theme was Saturday morning cartoons. As a kid, one of my very favorite cartoon characters was Yogi Bear, so he was my choice for my tags. On the back of the tag are the words to Yogi's theme song. I had so much fun working on this project. This is my first tag swap and I felt a little overwhelmed because all of the ladies participating excel in the art of paper tag making.  Soon, you will see their tags and understand what I'm talking about. 

 Tammy is a fun, witty and talented lady. Her stories make me giggle and her clever crafting and home decorating inspires me. 

Thanks to her for hosting this fun swap!  Can't wait to show you all of the swap tags. 

Memorial Day

Face-to-face with the truth

I admit that when I look in the mirror, I see only what I want to see.

I admit to cropping pictures so that I can see only what I have to see. 

I admit to pretending that I don't look as fat as I am.

I admit that I have become comfortably settled into my denial.
I admit that I am powerless over food.

I admit that I must take a personal inventory of myself. 

I admit that I am fat. 

I admit that I need to take action.  

Yesterday I learned the results of some medical tests I recently had done. There was some good...

Cholesterol: 198 --HDL and LDL numbers need improvement,  triglycerides were low which kept me below the desired, 200.   

EKG: good/normal. 

Kidney function: good/normal.

Glucose: borderline diabetes - OH CRAP!

Weight: humiliating

BMI: humiliating

Body fat %: humiliating

The numbers don't lie.  It's time for me to face my reality.  

What goes up, must come down. 

ooh & ahh

Things that make me go "ooh... & ahh..."

Olivia learning to walk

This beautiful butterfly dress. 

Lunching in the ocean. 

Cinque Terre, on the Italian Riviera. (I am going there someday)

Olivia holding her new dolly.

Opening Day

Today marked opening day for swing season at the Bozell's.  There was no pageantry or fans but there was delightful weather (blue skies, slight breeze, perfect temp, low humidity), Diet Sunkist and a new book. Let the swinging season begin! 

I *heart* my swing. 

 I am very grateful for the peace and quiet of country living. 

 "Land spreadin' out so far and wide, keep Manhattan just give me that country side". 

 A beautiful sunset to close opening day. 

 Happy sigh....

Lamp Makeover with an oops!

I bought this lamp at Goodwill a few years ago and have been using it in my office at work. I finally got around to making it over (with a small "oops, I sure didn't see that coming" conclusion).

I decided to makeover the lampshade using road map pieces and Mod Podge. I've been a Mod Podger since the 70's when I first used it to makeover a table for a 4-H project. 

I cut the map pieces into 3" squares and then placed them will-nilly on the shade, coating each piece with Mod Podge. After it dried, I applied another coat of MP and then added some trim.  

The lamp base is glass so I primed it with a plastic spray paint primer ('cause that's what I had on hand) and then sprayed on a coat of Valspar paint, tropical oasis. 

This is the finished lamp with the light off.  

Here is the finished lamp with the light on.  OOPS!  Willy-nilly, as it turned out, was a silly way to apply the paper.  DOH! 

 Live & learn. 

What is true by lamplight is not always true by sunlight. ~ Joseph Joubert

 (aint it the truth?)

Joyfulness

Recently I purchased a bag of Uncle Ray's Nacho Tortilla Chips. The chips were cheap and tasted a little cheap (sorry Unc) but I ate 'em anyway (of course). On the back of the chip bag, "Uncle Ray" shared a story about his family and "joyfulness" which I found to be interesting and uplifting. He also included the following:

Joyfulness

"Maintaining a good attitude, even when faced with unpleasant situations"

Here are simple things to remember to help you demonstrate Joyfulness in every day life.

I Will:

Look for good in all things

Smile at adversity

Not give in to discouragement

Not allow my emotions to rule my mind

Take time out of every day to laugh and sing

I sincerely hope you find some joyfulness in today and every day!

Sweet Dreams

When I was a pre-teen and into my teenage years, I was in love with the Osmond Brothers, especially Donny. My sister and I had many records and posters of the Osmonds, Jackson-5, Bobby Sherman, and David Cassidy. We were even "into" the Beatles because my mom was a fan. We were probably the youngest kids in town to receive the Beatles Revolver album  for Christmas in 1966.  The Osmonds were always my main focus though and for years, I dreamed of seeing them "live" in concert (with the dream of a make-out session afterwards--just being honest) . In 2010 my dream came true, minus the make-out session . But first, I must tell you about my Mom. She was a huge Pat Boone fan as a teen. She saw him in concert in 1957, at the Indiana State Fair. She was 18 years old. This past weekend, she saw him live (yes, he's still living--ha!) and in concert AND she got to meet him.  Here she is (on the left) with Pat Boone and her sister, Kay. I think he looks great! He's 76 years old. She said he was very nice and gracious. Mama had a dream come true.

My dream of seeing the Osmonds in concert came true in 2010. I also got to meet most of them (no Donny) and have my picture taken.  Happy Sigh....one of the top thrills of my life. 

Here is Jay Osmond, holding my hand and singing to me. I giggled like a teenager and I felt like one too.

The Osmond Brother's Show was incredible. They have amazing talent and they seem to genuinely enjoy and appreciate their fans. They were all so nice!

Here is a picture of my twin sister Leasa with Jay Osmond. She got to see the Osmond's for the first time a few months before me.  Another dream come true.

My younger sister Christy was a teenager in the 80's so her boy band was Duran Duran. Here she is, living her dream come true.  She is posing with Roger, one of the members. She met all of the other band members as well.  This is a dreamy, dream-come-true.

My daughter, who is now 26, was obsessed with the Backstreet Boys as a teenager and attended several of their concerts.   Last summer, Mallory got to meet them. Here she is, pictured with the BSB.  And yet another dream come true.

Three generations of teen idols and three generations living a dream. 

Olivia's Love Bug (Cozy Coupe Makeover)

Last week while I was rummaging through the magazines in the recycling center, I found a recent issue of  Family Fun.  In the issue was a picture of a [used] Little Tikes Cozy Coupe car that had been made-over to look like a Mini Cooper.  Since Olivia's birthday was approaching, the wheels in my wee brain started to turn.  Thanks to my little friend Emerson, whose Cozy Coupe days were long-gone, I had a well-loved and used Cozy Coupe in my possession within a day. With a couple cans of spray paint and some vinyl, I transformed the Coupe into a Love Bug for granddaughter, Olivia.

well-loved Cozy Coupe before.....

Olivia's Love Bug

I first primed the car with Valspar plastic spray paint primer and let it dry for 24 hours.

I then applied two coats of Valspar spray paint (frosty berry)

The vinyl decals were cut using my Cricut machine. 

I can hardly believe that my vision for this car turned out as I had hoped and dreamed.

Today, we (Grandma and Grandpa Bozell) attended Olivia's 1st birthday party and presented her with her Love Bug. She seemed to love it. We put her inside and she immediately took to the steering wheel. We pushed her around the house...she was all smiles and so were we.

Birthday party pics to follow soon......

I linked up this project to: