Guess what was lurking...

...in our garage today? A SNAKE!! He had wound himself into the wheel well of my Mick's rolling tackle box. So I got a curtain rod and hooked it through the telescoping handle of the tackle box. I then dragged the tackle box (complete with snake) to the end of our driveway (where our dog's invisible fence won't allow them to go) and "unwheeled" the snake out of the well, hooked him with the curtain rod, and placed him in a small red cooler in the middle of the driveway for Mick to find when he pulled in the driveway when he got home from work. No picture of the critter as Mick has already let him loose. However, this is what kind he was:

Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer

Coluber constrictor flaviventris

Local Name: Blue Racer

Color of this common snake is variable—from olive, tan, brown or blue to nearly black. The belly may be yellow, cream or light blue-gray. Young racers are clearly marked with brown blotches and spots (see inset), but these markings fade and eventually disappear as the young snakes grow. Length averages from 30 to 50 inches (76-127 cm). Racers prefer bushy fields, grasslands and open woods. This species is active by day and will take shelter under rocks, brush or in animal burrows if pursued. As the name implies, racers can move fast, especially through tall grass or brush. As with many of our harmless snakes, a racer sometimes will vibrate its tail when alarmed. Food includes frogs, lizards, snakes, small rodents and birds.

Missouri Distribution: Statewide, replaced by the southern black racer—a subspecies—in southeastern Missouri.

Source: Missouri Department of Conservation website

Weekend Calamities

sheesh! It started out by jamming my toe on the stairs Thursday. Thought I either broke or sprained it. Couldn't hardly walk on it. Friday I forgot to put up Bella's bone and let the big dog's play with her (as the weather was bad). She and Rudy got into it and I got into the middle of it and came out with a few dog bites. So my left knee is tore up and sore but is much better today. Thankfully. Saturday the hailstorm and high winds hit-knocked out basketball hoop over-right onto--you guessed it--the hood of Mick's work car. {Insert another big sigh here}. Went down to cabin to stain the deck and found out the water leak wasn't really fixed and that we were without water. Nothing like doing dishes by boiling water the old fashioned way.

Today...well, today I am hoping for... better.

Not much... Just BETTER! :)

That's not to much to ask for, is it?

Favs at the Moment

Diet Pepsi (yeah, you know that will always be on my list)

Words with Friends iPhone app

Biggest Loser

The Dog Whisperer

Sleeping with the windows open

Trees in bloom (minus the allergies)

My new Chillin' Space in my bedroom (perhaps I'll post a pic of this soon-it's divine!)

Yo-Yo making

Aveeno lotion

Vita-mix goodness

That's a good start...the list will grow I'm sure

Sneak Peak SAF

So, Jules and Paula came over the other day to get started prepping for SAF. Here's a sneak peak of this year's project:

Decisions, decisions! Each project is made for under $10. Kewl huh?

You may be wondering why there's a bed in the background. It's there because the room I scrapbooking in is our "everything room"-- guest bedroom, media room, craft room and classroom. (Plus, we figured it would be a convenient place to nap when we needed to!)

I also completed a two page spread last night and made enough duplicate materials for 24 albums. Definitely a time-consuming process but one which I very much enjoy. Looking forward to working on more pages later this weekend. Perhaps, I'll post more.

In the meantime, someone reached a hard-earned goal:

Congrats Mick! We are so very proud of you!! What those of you reading this don't realize is that the graph doesn't show you where he started at, which was well above the the 195 mark. He has actually lost about 25 pounds. I'm gonna have to brush up on my tae kwon do now to keep the ladies at bay at the RNR event today! ;)

Political Humor

I came upon this billboard pic today. Sad to say, he had that reputation but I think there were several other presidents who weren't good presidents either. One being, FDR.

Grand Poppa Bear came to visit

and we loved our time spent with him. Games of chess.

The baking of yummy "Nice Spice" cookies that were gobbled up in a day!
We kept our usual activities up while Poppa was here; Scouts, Tae kwon do, tennis, piano lessons. And yet, despite our busyness, we did find things slowed up a bit in the household too.

Take, for example, this pic:
I think Poppa forgot that it reclines! LOL Even Lily got in on the laziness finding her spot perched upon the retaining wall.
We watched the Final Four b-ball games, grabbed some yummy pizza at our favorite local pizza joint and even managed to get in to vote.

We hated to see him leave...

...especially in his 199,ooo mile+ Mazda 323! OH how I tried to get him to buy a new-er vehicle. The car he's driving was actually one bought for my grandparents when they were still living-way back in 2002 and 2004!

Poppa actually brought the topic of buying a new vehicle up and we did all kinds of research while he was here on hybrids and great mph cars (He wants one that gets the same mpg as his-50!) Needless to say, that really limited the choices, but I think I have him thinking about a Honda Civic Hybrid (He doesn't like look of the Prius). However, he left...

...in his trusty, rusty, old reliable 323! We'll miss you Poppa! Thanks for the help fixing up the door lock and window screen. We'll miss you. Drive safely!

A Few Crafted Cards

I made these Friday night at CS. It was late in the day when I took the pictures so the lighting is not the best.

Spring Cleaning

I never leave for the lake without my trusty anti-emetic sunflower seeds!

Bella's first trip to the cabin. She thinks she'd like to come back again soon! :)
Cleaned and tidied.
How the boys helped out. A viewing of What About Bob. Becoming a tradition.
Another tradition? "Sonic Sundays." (Except this time we stopped by on a Saturday-so I guess that would make it a "Sonic Saturday"-lol).

Had a very productive weekend. Got the lake cabin cleaned out of old junk and non-used items. Took a UHaul full of items down including our old queen mattress and a (new to us) used headboard, items to stock the pantry, linens and more. We brought home a load full of garbage and a full mattress box spring and pad with old metal bed frame. After a quick call to a friend, we quickly found a home for the bed and mattress.

Mick and Ian got the lawn spruced up while I worked on laundry and indoor cleaning. Still trying to make a huge chunk in the "everything room" in terms of decluttering. Came across this website today and plan to use it to help me declutter. Basic common sense stuff, but I need the not so gentle reminder sometimes of what I truly need and what is truly not "adding" harmony to my life.

So, heres to spring and happy decluttering!

Crop Night

I had a wonderful time as usual at CS last night. ~250 women filled the room with their laughter, their craft supplies and their memories. I managed to make a few cards and watch a wonderful demo on misting (led by the lovely and fabulously talented, Lexi) while fellowshipping with other kindred souls.

The tables before the crowd arrived:

And when the proceedings were just getting underway:

One of the cards I made (photo credit: Lexi Bridges as I left my camera at home)

I actually added three more read rhinestones after the "me" for "..."

The inside will read: "...that it's your birthday!"

I'lll try to post more pics from the evening over the weekend. But were off to the lake to open up the cabin/cottage and do some spring cleaning and repairs. Got a UHaul to bring mattress and headboard down (exchanging old standard bed with a queen) and a few other items. Hope to install an antenna for the TV too and spray for bugs, stain the deck and so much more. So excited that spring is here as it is just a precursor for the summer fun that awaits us! :)

The Ya-Ya's (Or perhaps maybe now we should rename ourselves, the Yo-Yos, since that's our latest crafting fun!-lol) Lexi, me, Jules, Barb and Sweet P (Paula). A sweet gal, Sarah took this pic. It's a bit out of focus, but considering she'd never used a prime/fixed lens before,we were happy with the results! Smiles and no wrinkles!

Check out My New Set of Hooters!

Scroll down....

Wait for it...

WAIT FOR IT...

Here ya go!

Yeah...that title captured your attention, didn't it?

I found my perfect set of Hooters in Cabela's recently. Aren't they just precious and perky? Ahem...I mean...alert? ;) SO fitting for me!

Lexi and I had a few good chuckles over these owls-especially when we sent the pic to Mick via my iPhone. He asked if I had actually purchased them and where was I going to place them? On the roof?

I said, "No honey. I didn't buy them. But the picture alone is worth a thousand words, or at least a couple hundred anyways!"

Actually, we stopped by Cabela's to pick up a new wheel for Lexi's DH, Rory. But of course, we had to make the trip there worth the effort, chick style!

When I saw this ginormous blue marlin on the wall, I knew Mick would want a pic of it! 954 pounds of dominance. Total manly man fish right there I tell ya!

Spontaneous Road Trip with Friends

...so I finally was able to import my iPhone pics to my mac recently. Here are a few pics of a recent spontaneous road trip (all the planets were in alignment for the three of us to get together; Lexi, Sweet P and myself.) to KC. We talked. We laughed. We cried. We ate Krispy Creme lemon filled bismarks and dined on pasta at Carraba's grill. We made yo-yos while chatting up a storm. We shopped. And...we scored...big...on our hotel! (Thanks to priceline and Lexi)

$79 for the night at the Intercontinental on the Plaza. Yeah buddy!

So much fun. So little time. But grateful for the time spent with dear, adorable, talented friends!