Jimmy and Cookie...

Our old girl Cookie still enjoying her walks and new places to sniff. She will be 15 on May 11.

Trying to pose with Jim.
She isn't feeling very well today, kind of quiet and hasn't had her usual spark.
I think it is just because it is still so cold here for her instead of the warmth that she is used to in Arizona.

Having Fun....

By now, those of you that read my blog know my love for journals and having fun!!! (Thank you by the way for stopping by and seeing what I am up 2).

This is an Easter card from my good pal Cindy, perfect for my journal.

Paint and stamps added color to these pages.

There is never a right or wrong way to do anything in your own journal, after all, it is yours!!

Hand drawn flowers (like little space ships) add a sense of humor and makes me smile when I see these pages as I write. To me, it is just good fun to write things down and make a page pop...So go ahead, find any empty book, write down your thoughts, have fun, be creative and above all, don't take your self too seriously!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.
Goethe

The new look in the craftroom...

These are some of the needlework treasures that I have found and done myself.

Nest of hand painted wooden or paper mache eggs in a McCoy Pottery Bowl.

Collection of things to use.
My idea is that I might as well make it ARTFUL!
Beautiful day here in the Okanogan, first time we have had coffee outside on our deck in the sun since we came home a week ago.
3 more sleeps until Cindy arrives!

Beofre and After...Organized!!

The newly organized craft room

It has always been sort of organized but since I came home and just put my stuff in it, it needed a new fresh approach...not that I did lots of throwing out, it is just that I organized it better.

Loving it, have a few more pictures to put up and then I am done...

Who wants to come and craft with me...anyone?

(just click on the photo and it will show the details.)

Cleaning up my craft room...

Time to re-organzine my craft room. I am one lucky gal to have such a great personal space to get away and create in.

I have taken some before photos where I dumped all the things I was working on and how it will look like organzied...stay tuned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn.

David Russell

Another Flea Market Find....

When I got home this week, I quickly went up to my little Thrift store to see what they had and to my delight I found this vintage tablecloth and this dresser scarf. I almost felt bad as I didn't wait until my Cindy comes down next week, but as I told her, I am sure some one would of scooped it up...

Off to walk in Peachland and have coffee @ Bliss Bakery.

To the Ya Ya's, hoping that you had a safe journey home!!!

To my Shannon, have a great day gardening. Cindy, I will see you next week.

I miss you Christa hoping you have a good weekend in Mayook. I will be staying with Jeremy and Julie as well as Shirley on her boat for a few days in 2 weeks..to say nothing of going back to Bull River for Matt and Shelly's wedding to see the rest of the family...there you have it!!!

A new Journal started...

In my craft room, these journal are lined up for gift giving and keeping!

These are some of the ones I made in AZ.

The one I am currently writing and playing in.

My postcard bird.

I loved this vintage looking chocolate bar wrapper and the chocolate tasted pretty good as well. To me, I love the look of odd things in my journal...a bit like me, don't you think?

This is the journal I made and the one I am currently using.

I write things down so that I can remember what my thought were when I just can't remember anymore!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies.

Emme Woodhull-Bäche

What I left behind in AZ.

Here is what I left behind in AZ. These are gazina's that I planted last spring and are blooming in the front yard...imagine how large they will be when we get back there in Oct.

Miss Emmy Lou...

Cindy's Emmy Lou. Can you believe the sand that will be in Cindy's house after this girl gets in the door?

The Mexican standoff with Emmy Lou and the Goose...It is a good thing that the water was freezing!!!
Cindy comes next week for the weekend and I can hardly wait. the thrift stores are already phoning me to let me know that they are holding treasures for us!!

Tales from the Journey..

I keep a record of all of our trips...mostly for the enjoyment of it all but in the long run, I win allot of bets with Jim because of the records that I keep....The IPOD and phone are never far away during the drive.

Cookie was either sleeping or checking out what Jim was eating and didn't he want to share with her???? Of course he did!!!

Getting back into the groove of our BC home but boy is it ever cool here compared to AZ..

Safe travels to my Ya Ya's as they leave AZ tomorrow to head back to BC
xox

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A passport, as I'm sure you know, is a document that one shows to government officials whenever one reaches a border between countries, so the officials can learn who you are, where you were born, and how you look when photographed unflatteringly.

~Lemony Snicket

We are home!!!

Made it home @4:30...safe and sound...Cookie already sleeping on our bed...

1838 miles in 4 days...covered and saw allot of new country...

This is the view from our kitchen window just taken 5 minutes ago....

It is nice to be back in BC!!

Leaving "The Dalles, Oregon

I hope you had a wonderful Easter.
We drove 521 miles yesterday to The Dalles, Oregon on the Columbia River. Jim did most of the driving, Cookie did all of the sleeping, and me, kept track to make sure everyone was happy and fed!!! We drove thru some really interesting country in the mid western part of Oregon. Today we drive back to our home and I am really looking forward to getting home.
Happy Easter Monday!!

Easter Wishes...

Heading out from Reno, Nevada to The Dalles, Oregon today.

Yesterday we travelled 486 miles and today it will be a bit longer, around 526 or so....

Happy Easter to all of our family and friends.

Rain...Leaving Las Vegas

We woke up to a sound we haven't heard for months, RAIN and it is pouring. When Jim took Cookie out this morning, she was quite stunned that she got wet and turned around really quickly to come back into the room....

On the road to Reno today, all roads that Jim and I haven't yet travelled on...a new adventure.

rain photo by: findstuff2

Packed up and Heading out.

We are all ready to head out towards Vegas for tonight. Everything we think we need has been packed. Cookie knows that something is going on and is quite stressed out but once in the Jeep, she will settle down.

I am hoping to take some photos along the way and have Internet when we get to our hotel.

Adios amigos!

Goodbye to the desert...

Cacti grow well in small containers such as this beautiful one from Shannon.

Finally a bloom. I must of transplanted this prickly hedgehog cactus 3 times and finally stuck him in an unattractive space at the end of the wall...and to my amazement, it blooms.
Next year I will make that area a cactus garden and beautify the surrounding wall.
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I never had any other desire so strong, and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master at last of a small house and a large Garden.
~Abraham Cowley, The Garden, 1666

The last of the AZ. journals..

Notice the heart, it came from a sock that was a gift from my cousin Gabby in Switzerland. I loved the edelweiss, so I just cut it out of the side of the sock and had stored it away for further use and here it is on my last handmade journal before we leave.

Birds seem to be a recurring theme of mine right now.

Words from my British Country Living magazine, and a chance to look at things from a different prospective.

I always try to think outside the box..who knew????

Embellished post card sewn to the from of the journal with all kinds of button, pearls and of course some glitter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?

Rose F. Kennedy

Laundry Line Dance....

The simplest pleasure such as hanging out your laundry in a secluded back garden can be a visual treat when viewed from the kitchen.

I put up the umbrella and use the spokes as a place to hold the hangers. Usually within 10-15 minutes the clothes are dry.....unless the wind picks up and tries to carry them over to the neighbours.....it has been so windy here in the past week, as you can see by my pj's doing their dance. 89 here yesterday...counting down...3 days left before we leave.
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Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.
~Author Unknown

Good Morning.....

This was tucked away into a corner of the desert garden.

Creative plantings with Succulents and Cacti.

Bower Vine

These cover walls in a relative short period of time, they are loved by hummingbirds that dart from flower to flower.

The interesting thing about gardening here in the desert is learning to find the flowers that are colorful during the 6 months of winter while we are here.

There is not joy in having a garden that is void of shape, color or texture. Lovely to be able to learn something new all the time.

Pheonix Home and Garden Tour..

Shannon staying cool in a shaded pavillion.

This house and garden was on 3 manicured acres in Scottsdale.


We had a wonderful day touring 6 gardens which wre all so different.
Some were lush and tropical and others water wise and more desert like..
The desert ones was the most beautiful.

Birds of a Feather...

We had a wonderful Greek dinner last night and I am sure that none of us needs to eat today. Pictures to follow.

Heading off this morning to Shannon's, leaving Jimmy with Cookie to enjoy the solitude...The Ya Ya's have already invited him over so he won't starve tonight...thank you.

Shannon and I will go to the Phoenix Home and Garden tour tomorrow and then back home for me in the evening...

Was a busy crafting day yesterday as Ya Ya Shannon came over and she made some lovely tray pendant necklaces..she has become a crafty gal!!. I finished making 3 journals and am very happy how they looked. I will take some photos when I have finished the 4th one and post them later this week...

Where ever you are reading this from, enjoy your day!

"The Cookster."

Cookie's roll over technique, I love the imperfection of this photo and that she rolls over at all is amazing.

You go Cookie!!!

Basking in the AZ. sunshine out side in the garden.

She wasn't sure which profile you might like best, so here is her other look!!!

Crazy people loving their sweet old dog!!!

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From the dog's point of view, his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog.

~Mabel Louise Robinson

Lady of Grace...

This is Bull Mountain where we grew up in Bull River, B.C. Caroline took this photo.

I wanted to add the poem below that my niece Kari (Caroline's daughter)

wrote when her paternal grandmother passed away a short time ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lady of Grace

If you listen quietly, you can hear the angels start to sing.

As she takes her last breathe and spreads her wings.

A mother of six, A lady of grace.

Etched in our hearts, her smiling face.

Standing with her husband of many years.

They smile down at us, without a single tear.

It's a new beginning, a new day.

We'll always have memories, they will never fade.

Winter is gone and spring is here.

However, I know she will always be near.

A simple prayer, to up above. Is all it takes, to feel her love.

Dedicated in honour to grandma,

Love Kari

It's in the details....

The new apron I made from the fabric panel, plus some lace on the front pockets.

The newest journal with lots of sewing. Below is the detail of the bird which I cut out of a gardening book.. It actually is a pocket for the front of the journal..
It will be a surprise for someone!

Detail of the bird/pocket...

Today the Ya Ya's are off shopping for our Greek Dinner @ Mary's on Friday...We always have such fun and as this is our last dinner before 3 of the 4 gals leave back for BC, it means Mary will be missing us for the next 6 months.