life is full of four leaf clovers

Garden goodness continues

2010-09-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

These are plums from my father in law's plum tree. With my Mom's help, I made big jars of tasty, sweet plum preserves. Its great on toast and as a marinade over pork tenderloin...yum!

With only 2 zucchini plants, we still ended up with over 20 HUGE zucchini....eating them sauteed, grilled, and raw in salads got pretty old, so I made double batches of zucchini muffins and froze them to snack on this winter.

Leftover shredded zucchini....Oscar the dog dined on it for dinner....and begged for more!

Tomatoes & cucumbers galore. I made tomato sauce, canned up for the winter too.

Claudine Hellmuth & beeswax collage

2010-09-26T16:21:00.001-07:00

I had an unbelievable weekend taking a beeswax collage class from artist, Claudine Hellmuth. That's me with friends Karen & Catherine, new friend, Danene, Karen's dog Rosie, and Claudine.

One of the canvases I made & actually completed...I have 5-6 others that are at least halfway done. Already gave this away as a birthday gift to someone & she loved it!

Karen's Bingo canvas.....LOVE the white dots!

Catherine's 1st canvas.....love her blue/white background with etched circles in the wax.

The starter project......Halloween houses with glowing windows....all the students put their houses together to create a spooky village :-)

latest fish!

2010-09-26T16:15:00.001-07:00

an unexpected call today from Patrick.....another Bluefin Tuna landed! What a season for him....so happy all of his hard work is paying off for him.

latest projects....

2010-08-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

I am working on 2 quilting projects at once right now. The square above is for a lap-sized quilt I'm making from the fabric leftovers of Annie's Turning Twenty Quilt that I made for my neice last April....hate adding MORE scraps to my scrap bin!

the colors are a bit on the funky side in this pic....but the block above is from a top-secret quilt I've been working on for awhile. It is the biggest one I've done so far....queen! I am just finishing the last couple of blocks (56 of them), then ready to make backing, etc. I'll post more when its finished and appily in the hands of it's recipient!

puppy alert!!!

2010-08-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

We had 2 foster puppy siblings over the weekend....the big brother is in the process of being adopted. So, we have the sweet little girl above.....she arrived with the name Brie (yep, spelled like the cheese) but I'm just not feeling it. I'm thinking she's a Pippi....her ears stick out like Pippi Longstocking :-)

on the move....its tough to get puppy pics!

the 2 siblings...he is TWICE her size & weight!

Wordless Wednesday...flowers in bloom

2010-08-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday....Clam Fest parade 2010

2010-07-28T05:21:00.001-07:00

day with my Crafty girls

2010-07-25T18:41:00.001-07:00

I had a fantastic afternoon with my 2 bestest Crafty Gals, Catherine & Karen. Catherine made us this delicious Blueberry Gelato.....yum!

Ok, I know it is July, but I started this family of snowmen last winter & I hate having piles of unfinished projects....I'll post more pics when their hats, faces, etc. I got them all soaked & stitched together today.

Catherine worked on ATC's for her Swap group....by the time she'd finished painting, those gorgeous dragonflies were shimmery green! Can't wait to see the finished product.

Karen worked on lessons from a Claudine Hallmuth class we are both taking online....she's almost caught up with the weekly lessons....I won't even attempt to describe how far behind I am. :-)

Always refreshing & inspiring getting together with them!!!

New England Modern Quilt Guild quilt swap

2010-07-24T10:52:00.001-07:00

This is the Doll Quilt I made for Shelly in the New England Modern Quilt Guild swap. Doll quilts are basically small quilts you can use as wallhanging, dresser, etc. It was fun to make something smaller than the usual quilt that takes forever (for me anyway :-) It is safely on its way to her in NH...hope you like it, Shelly!

I loved the red print so much that I went back and bought more for the backing too!

NEMQG doll quilt swap-received!

2010-07-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

I participated in my 1st Doll Quilt swap with the New England Modern Quilt guild recently. Laurie made this amazing quilt for me. She'd taken the time to read my blog to discover we are waiting to adopt from Ethiopia & included fabrics that she had from her trip to Uganda!!! Incredibly thoughful & kind of her. I love the funky design & the bright, cheery fabrics. You can tell how much time & care she took with this project.

I love the fabric on the back too!

This heart is probably my favorite part of the quilt. So, this quilt will hang on the wall just outside the bedroom of our future child.

Thanks Laurie for such a wonderful quilt!!!!

Sea Dogs & 2 weeks with Naj

2010-07-19T04:57:00.000-07:00

Caught a Sea Dogs game with my hubby, Katie, Najee & my mother-in-law on a hot humid day last week.....great game, even with the showers and humidity.The kids got new baseball hats from Uncle Pat.

We had a busy 2 weeks with Naj....Aquaboggin, 3 movies, multiple "Sorry" and "Monopoly" games, library, fishing, Silly bands and baseball cards, gardening, and so much more.

Clam Fest Begins today!!!!

2010-07-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

The Yarmouth Clam Festival is a BIG deal for us Simmons.....family comes to visit from far & wide to enjoy the parade, the food, rides, & fireworks. Its a great time.....make sure to take a afternoon or evening to enjoy it all too.....proceeds go directly to non-profit organizations as well which makes those $6 fried clams a bit easier to shell out for!

Mini Quilts

2010-07-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a ton of time to be crafty lately.....with new job, nephew here with us, and taking advantage of everything Summer.....but I did manage to get a couple of mini quilts completed for my good friends', Catherine & Karen's, birthdays. And, of course, no birthday is complete without a lunch at Little Tokyo!

Karen's colors are designed to fit with her newly-designed and decorated craft room.....its gorgeous!!! We both love the egg fabric the best....my last piece just for her.

Catherine is in the design phase of her craft room re-model. She'd originally picked turquoise as a wall color so I made sure this would suit...but she changed it to pink & it still works...YEAH!!!

I also finished up a Doll Quilt swap for the New England Modern Quilt Guild......a post about that soon.

Wordless Wednesday.....garden glory

2010-07-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday....Simmons Family Disney trip 2010

2010-06-02T05:21:00.001-07:00

CF Walk 2010

2010-05-17T08:05:00.001-07:00

The Cystic Fibrosis Walk has always been a big event in our family.....Patrick's cousin, Trevor, was diagnosed with CF soon after he was born and the fight, medically/emotionally/financially, has been on since then. Trev's Mom, Christie is one of my many heroes, as she is unrelenting in her germ precautions, therapies, and immense fund raising to help find a cure for CF.

Above is part of the HUGE group of people who comprise Team Trevor...and Christie & hubby Durval are our pack leaders :-)

I'll be hosting another Crop for CF this Fall to contribute to the CF Foundation....stay tuned for dates and details.

The Simmons Clan at CF Walk

Christie & her spunky daughter, Gracie

Trevor....can't believe how he has grown & triumphed

Brimfield baby...vol #3

2010-05-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here's all of the cool stuff I bought....

Hannah's car full of treasures.....our luggage was on the top of the car to make room for all of our cool stuff!

Brimfield Baby...vol #2

2010-05-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

cool pin display....I bought a bunch of sewing/fabric from this lady

Karen's 1st purchase of the day...a triple shuttle...and her most prized find!

Loved the displays in this woman's booth.

She re-purposed old knives into plant markers...so cool. I bought one that said "Faith" for an inside houseplant.

We loved these birds, but figured we coud make them since we are all crafters!

Brimfield Baby...vol #1

2010-05-14T08:18:00.001-07:00

I am back from a Fantastic Road-trip with my friends to Brimfield.....probably the largest antique fair ever. We had a blast last year & this trip was more of the same....with the fabulous Hannah now joining us :-) Here are a few pics with more to come....

Catherine, me & Karen heading out in the rain to search for deals and cool junk.

I loved these chocolate molds.....did I need them, no, but appreciate to the cool factor.

Here we are walking in the drizzle, scoping out where to start...so many choices...

Loved this booth, esp. the mermaid.

piles of handcrafted, re-purposed bird houses....more clever treasures from re-purposed goods tommorrow.

Wordless Wednesday...scenes from my garden

2010-05-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Crop for Cancer

2010-05-10T14:55:00.001-07:00

I had a blast at the Crop for Cancer last Saturday. I took my Mom for a Mother's Day gift & my friend, Karen, also came along. A truly fun day of fundraising for a great cause while cropping the day away.

Almost Home Rescue

2010-05-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

I recently volunteered for the weekend transport for Almost Home Rescue. Rescue dogs from high kill shelters are brought to New England via P.E.T.S transport each week to their foster or adoptive homes. We volunteers meet the transport in NH and then bring foster dogs up to Maine. I love doing transports, seeing dogs from deplorable conditions & circumstances get a second chance at a life being loved. (by the way P.E.T.S is going to be featured on a new series on Animal Planet ...June 5th I think...called "Last Chance Highway")

This is Logan. He is an owner-surrender from here in Maine. AHR also helps out fostering/adopting local dogs too. He was such a sweetie & seemed pretty confused about the whole adventure. But, he's happily in his new foster home now.

for more info on volunteering, donating, adopting/fostering a dog, visit www.almosthomerescue.net

Wordless Wednesday...Annie's quilt

2010-05-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

New England Modern Quilt Guild

2010-05-04T10:58:00.001-07:00

I was able to attend my first meeting for the New England Modern Quilt Guild on Saturday....there had been a couple of meetings before, but with Guild members all over NE meetings are scattered & I can't travel to all of them. My friend, Rhea of Alewives fame, and I drove to Portsmouth to meet, greet, and show & tell (my favorite part!).

Laurie made the gorgeous quilt above & a boy-themed one as well when she learned she was pregnant!

I love the bright colors of this quilt by Lisa....she was lucky enough to take a Kaffe Fasset class & this was her creation.

Rachel is still in the process of making this Improv quilt...no pattern just doing things she likes...loved it!

That's Rhea (with me helping to hold) with her so-soft La La Log Cabin quilt she made for her sister. The blues and greens of this quilt were breathtaking & other shots of color really made them sing.

Here's Megan's "ticker tape" quilt...loved the design & seeing it in person with all the texture does it WAY more justice.

Shelly also brought a complex creation in black & whites with shots of primary colors....bummer my pic came out so cruddy beacuse it was really cool.

resident turkey

2010-04-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

ok, maybe I'm the only one who thinks this is cool, but this turkey has apparently added our birdfeeder as a stop on her feeding territory. She comes through by herself every other day or so, spends an hour pecking at the seed the sloppy chickadees have dropped on the ground, then silently moves on. Brings a smile to my face each time I see her.

Happy 2nd b-day Annie!!!

2010-04-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to one of my wonderful nieces!!!! So blessed to be there for her birth & here for her 2nd b-day.

Turning Twenty quilt

2010-04-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

I started an online quliting class a couple of weekes ago....from my favorite quilt shop, Alewives, in Nobleboro Maine. It is just far enough away to make weekly classes tough, but doable. Anyway, Rhea decided to go online for this Turning Twenty class...and it has worked out perfectly. I'm using mostly pinks and lime greens, with some white and orange thrown in.

I'll update as I get further along in the quilt but its REALLY easy so far....which means I've probably screwed up already! Ha!

fabric flowers

2010-04-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

took a quick sewing class & learned to make these cute fabric flowers....fun and easy. I see them in bright clors on tote bags or as ponytail holders..hmm...

birthday lunch with good friends

2010-04-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

I had a FANTASTIC birthday lunch with my good friends, Karen & Catherine, last week. Little Tokyo was unbelievable...they even served us a birthday dessert dumpling (strawberry ice cream inside dumpling..yum!) with a huge firecracker :-)yum....sushi was SO yummy!

Finally tried edamame ....delicious!

Catherine & I...we missed Karen's pic because she was taking all of the photos!

Then, next door to Gelato Fiasco....I had lemon, strawberry, orange....heavenly.

They also gave me a beautiful piece of art that they collaborated on....I'll post pic soon. Thanks for a great day girls!!!!

Wordless Wednesday...Florida trip

2010-04-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Card day for me

2010-04-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've gotten behind on my card-sending...thank you's, birthdays, and a welcome to a new neighbor. FINALLY finished them...and thinking of my Gram who taught us to always send a thank you card :-)

b-day cards

2010-04-20T12:46:00.001-07:00

An ATC and a birthday from Catherine..thanks!!!

Wordless Wednesday....scenes from my nephew's visit

2010-03-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

the quilt continues....

2010-03-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

i still haven't finished the La La Log Cabin quilt.....between busy schedule, work commitments, and my sewing machine having a fit this poor quilt is still awaiting well, quilting. Here are a few squares to make me happy anyway.....

Happy St Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

St Pats cards & layout

2010-03-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few cards I've been working on in my fav color...GREEN! They are made with materials from Scrapbooks & Beyond's Origins Card kit. Made a ton of cards, a 12x12 layout and still had lots left over. My favorite.....the shamrock card above and the layout below.

Love the canvas tags on the middle card...

love using scraps on the brown card...no scrap goes un-used!

My favorite holiday...st Patrick's Day (no, not just because my husband's name is Patrick either :-) Now I have a layout ready for fun photos.

HOPE

2010-03-01T05:12:00.001-08:00

My word of the year is "Hope". Above is a reminder from Ali Edwards to revisit my "hope" and make it a priority in my life. dully noted :-)

serious scrapping skills at an early age...

2010-02-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

I've been helping my Mom do some serious cleaning out at her house, as she will soon be selling her house & finding new digs closer to us. We found a box of artwork and school papers that my brother and I had done in elementary school, including cards we'd given to my Mom & Dad. I un-earthed these cards that I'd made for my brother & Dad for Valentin'es Day one year.
Showing off some serious cropping skills, I placed my brother's head on basketball players pictures I'd cut from Sports illustrated. Notice the superb placement....

This is mt Dad's card....I laugh each time I see it.

A few other cards I'd made for Valentine's/birthday (yep, my Dad is a Valentine's baby). I packed them up and sent them down to him in Florida..he got quite the laugh.

YEAH! news finally

2010-02-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

after lots of bad news phone calls and medical reports, we were finally blessed with a good news phone call.....our homestudy is complete! Patrick & I went to sign it today & I'll be bringing it up to Augusta for state certification this week! Another HUGE checkmark on the journey into adoption. To keep you up to speed, here's roughly the process works from here...

~MAPS (our homestudy Maine agency) sent in our I600A form & check today....its an application for a visa to bring an orphan into the country.

~I'm continuing to gather/write/notarize all of our dossier paperwork that will go to Ethiopia with our homestudy.

~once we receive approval of I600A form & our appointment for fingerprinting(can take 1 to 3 months), we will officially be welcomed into WACAP's (our International agency out of Seattle) Ethiopia program and go onto the waitlist!!!!

~all of our paperwork is sent to Ethiopia & WACAP's staff there to help in referral of a child from one of their many orphanages..... wait time for referral once family is on waitlsit is officially 1-12 months but has been 7-10 months for last year or so.

~If we accept referral, roughly 2 months until court date then 1 month until travel to Ethiopia.....these are all loose dates as things happen earlier and later than that

I am so excited to continue moving forward in our dream of a family & this step forward makes us so happy!

big score at Mardens

2010-02-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't been to Mardens for a long time & heard they had some cool fabric come in. I hit the road & headed to Lewiston (the best Mardens location, in my opinion). I scored a TONS of great fabrics that typically sell for $9-10 a yard for $2-3 a yard! AND.....they had aisles and aisles of books that had just come in for $2 each. Seriously, a shoopers high that still lingers.....

lucky girl

2010-02-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

my wonderful husband pulled out all of the stops this Valentine's.....card, chocolates & gorgeous flowers.....and called me his Valentine all day. so thankful to have a wonderful husband who appreciates me :-)

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T06:49:00.001-08:00

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day with someone you love. We're having dinner at Joe's Boathouse in South Portland....same spot every year since we met :-)

Wordless Wednesday~scenes from my craft room

2010-02-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

La La Log Cabin Quilt

2010-02-09T09:48:00.000-08:00

took an AMAZING quilting class at Alewives for the past few weeks. Love the store, Rhea the manager & the unbelievable bright fun fabrics. Anyway, I loved this improv quilt technique and am stockpiling fabric for my next project...or 2! The quilt is twin-size and specially made for our future baby room. Going with a fish/ocean theme in orange/turquoise. I am still machine quilting & will be sure to post a picture once I have completed the binding.

Word for 2010

2010-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Following in Ali Edwards footprints, I again wanted to choose a word for focus on this year. Last year, I chose "believe" and devoted a lot of time and energy exploring "believe", what it meant to me, and staying positive. We had a difficult year, with more IVF attempts failing and the crummy economy, but I think we stayed pretty grounded...believeing that there are always bumps in the road on your way to happiness and fulfillment. My crafty friend, Pamela, even made me the most amazing felt heart with "believe" on it as a helpful reminder.

This year, I have chosen to focus on "hope" in all of its facets. May we all have a bit more hope in our lives.

Wordless Wednesday-finished quilt for living room

2010-02-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Peanut, the foster pup

2010-02-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

most of you know that I volunteer with Almost Home Rescue ( www.almosthomerescue.net ) in transporting dogs, doing home visits, and being a foster home for dogs looking for a forever home. Our latest foster, Peanut, joined us before Christmas & found his forever home a week or so ago. Can't say that Oscar or Murphy are sad he's gone but we do miss the pup and hope he is loving his family. We'll wait until after an upcoming vacation to take in another foster.....

the boys

2010-02-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

for those of you who did not see our Christmas card this year, it featured a not-so cheerful photo of our dogs, Oscar & Murphy, otherwise known as "the boys". Yes, they look particularly miserable this year & I can only wonder what must be going on those little brains of theirs. For your information, it took a bag full of treats, 30 minutes, and 1 frustrated photgrapher to snap this piece of art :-)

bad blogger, bad blogger!

2010-01-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Yikes! I haven't blogged since Dec 16th....yep, I'm officially a bad blogger. I need to do a catch up post with some pics...let me load some of the hundreds of photos I took over holidays and beyond 7 I promise to have some updated posts soon :-)

Wordless Wednesday...making applesauce

2009-12-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

weaving the day away

2009-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

the colors are a bit wonky here, but this is my latest rug weaving project. I took a "refresher" course at one of my favorite places, Alewives in Damriscotta Mills. In between orders for custom holiday cards, working on handmade Christmas presents, and making our own Christmas cards I am weaving a row or two of this rug....very relaxing! Was thinking about making 1 or 2 for gifts but I'm out of time on that so I'll start them as gifts for birthdays and such.

Wordless Wednesday....my latest fabric project

2009-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

for all you scrapbookers...this is Basic Grey's fabric line "Eva"

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T10:32:00.001-08:00

(ok, I'm a bad scrapper...didn't even bring my camera for Thanksgiving, so no photos. I made the apple pie above after being inspired by one on "Martha Stewart"...)

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving...here's a quick re-cap of my holiday weekend.....

*my sister in law, Cami arrived early from Oklahoma, and we all went to see "New Moon". LOVED IT!!! I know I'm the minority (at least in my family) but I am so Team Jacob...hello, did you not see him shirtless through the entire movie?! Of course, I haven't read "Breaking Dawn" yet (holding out b/c then once I read it it will be over for awhile..I know I'm weird), and I hear that I will not love Jacob any longer. Bummer.

*Thanksgiving was held at my mother in law's. I was responsible for appetizer (made yummy cheese ball from Stonewall Kitchen recipe) & mashed potatoes (of which I made a ton...we are now eating Shepherd's Pie with leftovers). A fun day of playing with kids, hanging out with family, tasty wine, and lots of food.

*went shopping with sis in law, Sunithi, on Black Friday. Wasn't totally crazy & we left at 8am. I was impressed with how organized the stores were with lines & check out. We scored some crazy good deals and were home by 11am.

hope you all had a great weekend too!

last group of Disney layouts

2009-11-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

top layout from trip Patrick & I took in 2007....so empty then that we/I could go on any rides we wanted multiple times without waiting. I LOVED this one...Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom.

This really simple (but BRIGHT!) layout is from a trip I took with just my Mom back in 1994.

more Disney layouts

2009-11-15T09:52:00.000-08:00

Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom layouts from our trip to Disney in Jan of 2007....dying for another trip soon as I am having Disney withdrawl ;-)

more of Crafty Gals gathering

2009-11-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

I didn't have the space to show you more of what the Crafty Gals were working on or had brought me as gifts.....so kind & creative!

gathering of the Crafty Gals...Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

got some scrapping done...finally

2009-11-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

It has been months since I have had time to scrap any of my own pictures...and was SO HAPPY to go to a fundraising crop (for Special Olympics ME) with my friend, Karen, a couple of weekends ago. Continuing to work on getting my Disney photos in scrapbooks....simple, clean design that I love. Here are a few layouts...I'll post more in a bit.

they make me smile...

2009-11-05T08:16:00.001-08:00

Murphy & Oscar traditionally dress up for Halloween...and this year was no exception. It was a tough holiday for us as we received a negative test a few days before. But, these boys sure know how to put a smile on our faces. And, these costumes suit them quite well.

Hearing news of more & more swine flu cases in Maine. Wash those hands & stay home if you are sick everyone! my heart goes out to Christie & her house full of sickies!!!

the waiting game

2009-10-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger. I admit it.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with doctors appointments, bloodwork, ultrasounds, trips to IVF clinic in Boston and some bed rest. Now, the waiting begins. I go in for serum pregnancy test on Oct 27th and the waiting is killing me. Its amazing the little head games you can play on yourself when you are waiting for such important news. I have been doing yoga, acupuncture & massage to stay as relaxed and calm as possible, but those panicky moments still seem to slip in.

The good news....I test 4 days from now & will get the news late that afternoon or the next morning. I can do it. I have a busy, fun weekend planned to keep my body and mind occupied. Scrapbooking with friends, Harvest Supper, pumpkin patch and carving & an evening with my niece. . . I'm even going to remember to take lots of pictures!

Have a great weekend everyone!

a few random musings...again

2009-10-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

more random musings from me....

*watching Oprah today. . .an amazing family I have been keeping tabs on through various blogs will be on sharing their story of a their recovery from a near fatal plane crash. Check out her blog at www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com She is an inspiration.

*had ultrasound & bloodwork done today....day 6 of shots for IVF. Back for another ultrasound & bloodwork on Friday. Crossing my fingers for egg retreival (ER) on Monday.

*received an amazing compliment today that made me feel REALLY good. Its sometimes hard to be nice when you feel crummy but this person noticed & complimented me. Smiles.

*LOVING my new laptop.....sitiing on the couch with my kitty curled up beside me, listening to it pour outside. . .sigh.

*cooked a turkey last night & we'll now be eating turkey-based concoctions for 2 weeks. Patrick is thrilled...he'll eat turkey soup for a week if I let him

*my Mom is leaving for Ireland tommorrow...SO Proud & excited for her! I loved my travels in Ireland...esp Killarney.

Wordless Wednesda~Common Ground Fair

2009-09-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

Unity, ME Sept 27th 2009

random musings...

2009-09-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

* started & finished "Cemetary Dance" yesterday...love their books!

*start IVF shots this week.....lots of anxiety in this house. God, give me the strenghth to stick myself in the stomach each night...its all worth it :-)

*been doing some "experimental" baking this week...making hand-held apple pies for Patrick & his boat buddies....less messy than an actual pie. Still playing around with recipe though.

*have a "to do" list seriously pages long...today, make a new list that has immediate & future to do's...WAY too daunting to do any of it now. By the way, I live by lists...they are they only way I remember to do have of the things I need to do. So, if you ever want me to do something, write it down for me and you are well on your way.

*beat my husband in our Simmons Family Fantasy Football league this past weekend....he is less than thrilled but I earned date-night of my choice this week! AND....I am 3-0 so far!!!!!

time for a little catch-up

2009-09-23T05:55:00.000-07:00

Yikes! It has been quite awhile since I've posted....here's a random post to get me all caught up.

*I've been chugging away at all of the fall gardening to be done....ripped out the veggie garden (NOT a banner year for us), weeding stone walkways, and pruning shrubs ruthlessly.

*spending a lot of time in my craft room.....finishing up invitation orders, working on new venture for Scrapbooks & Beyond to come next month, and doing some scrap quilting. I love playing in that room.....but , boy, time flies quickly & before you know it the day is done.

*continuing on my cleaning/organizing projects that started this summer with the big clean out & yard sale......Yard Sale brought in $350 for dog rescue & Clean water campaign for Ethiopia. My Mom says its "nesting"...I say its "we have way too much stuff in this house".

*we're embarking on another round of IVF in attempts to have a family. I'm in the "pill" stage now & feel like Frankenstein...seriously, my mind & body are not my own. Can't wait to stop them on the 27th & start injections...I can't believe I actually said that.

* we have also (finally!!) turned in ALL of our paperwork for adoption homestudy. For those of you who may not know, we have also decided to adopt a child....something we've planned on since we met. A lot of research ensued, as we aren't good candidates for Domestic adoption due to my husband's spinal cord injury. That led us to International adoption.....and Ethiopia. The more I read about & meet families who have adopted or traveled to Ethiopia, the more steadfast and excited I become. We've been given a rough timeline of finalizing in courts roughly 1 year after our homestudy is complete.

*Patrick has been fishing like a mad man.....he can see the end of tuna season coming (mid-Oct) and is furiously taking advantage of every nice day there is out on the water.

thank you card

2009-09-08T05:22:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to send this card to my friend, Catherine, for WEEKS now...even forgot to give it to her when we road-tripped to IKEA last week.....I am nothing but forgetfl sometimes. Anyway, I wanted to tell her....Thank you so much for your generosity & kindness!

*card made with Making Memories foam letter stamps, MM paints & Bazzill cardstock

such a fun week!

2009-08-29T05:14:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun week with our nephew, Najee, and our niece, Katie, last week! Here's a brief lowdown....marathon board game playing (Sorry, Operation, Connect Four), journal writing, Barbies, playing outside, jump rope competitions....A day at Pine Point with sandcastles, boogie boarding, picnic, and dinner/Arcade at OOB pier.

Man, those kids love a cooking project. We made M&M cookies and Rice Krispie treats. They also hosted a restaurant night dinner at out house for our family....complete with menus, aprons, tips and more.

Art projects galore...my favorite were their picture frames.

Spent an afternoon on the boat fishing, swimming and holding on while Uncle Patrick kicked up the speed.

So thankful to have these kids in our lives. Our home was full of activity while they were here. People say, oh you must be so tired & glad to have your peaceful house back. Well, to be honest...no. We'd give anything to have our home full of kids and treasured every fight, mess, and yawn. Sorry to go all soap-box on you all :-)

So excited!!!

2009-08-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

We're headed to Six Flags in Mass!!! Meeting my sis in law there with her kids & we're all going to ride until they kick us out ....I'm a roller coaster/thrill ride gal. Then, my nephew, Najee, is coming to stay with us for a week.....and my neice Katie is going to stay with us too! Looking forward to beach days, craft projects & hanging out with the kiddos!!!!

fun concert night....

2009-08-14T06:02:00.000-07:00

Wendy, Katie & I are heading to the Wallflowers concert on Saturday night. I haven't listened to them for awhile, but love their music...and Jakob Dylan. The concert listing says opening with "Special Guest"...think it'll be his Dad or a local artist? either way, I'm psyched for a fun night

on the boat

2009-08-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

The Sat of Clam Fest, we took the whole family out for lunch and fishing on Patrick's new boat. We had such a great time. The kids all got to fish for mackerel...and caught a lot.

When Patrick kicked the engines up the water flew...and the kids LOVED it! That's Trevor getting us all wet.

Kavi & I....he loved being on the boat & loved the water.

Shannon, Maitre, Kavi, Sunithi, Gracie, and Christie inside the wheelhouse.

tons of Clam Fest activities

2009-08-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Kids playing with sparklers :-) Sat night

Celebrating Sunithi's (sis in law)birthday....nephew Kavi is helping her out....and no, she isn't turning 40, that's all we had for candles at the house

Yum! Lobster and salad & corn on the cob....summertime in Maine.

Katie & Cooper hitting the rides at Clam Fest. It was really hot but those kids burned through the ride tickets & got to play a bunch of carnival games...Uncle Patrick is SUCH a sucker :-)

Najee testing out the new Slip n'Slide we got for the afternoon....a bit hit.

we take time out....

2009-08-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

We take time out from this otherwise happy-go-lucky blog to have a bit of a rant (am I dating myself here? Dennis Miller, anyone?). Anyway, it takes a LOT to make me angry. I'm the gal who sits back, thinks about things, considers how to approach it differently so everyone is happy, etc. Well.....I am ANGRY & FRUSTRATED!!!!

Patrick came home from 2 days of fishing a tournament (his 1st overnight on the new boat) to find the specially-made ramp that he uses to get off the boat was missing from the dock. Lots of wondering & suggestions on where it might be & frustration levels high for everyone involved. Yesterday, the marina had their diver check under the docks to se if if somehow "fell" over (it is metal & weighs a ton so it couldn't fall by itself). They found it 50 yards away from the end of the dock....there is no way it could have gotten that far without someone throwing it.

I am surprised everyday at the levels of stupidity, ignorance, and hate in the world. Who does something like this? Even if its kids being stupid, doesn't it cross their mind, for just a blip, that this obviously expensive piece of equipment is necessary for someone? As Patrick's friend, Keith, said,"Do we have to paint a ------- handicapped symbol on the damn thing so people won't touch it?!"
This marina is supposedly secure & safe and they are going to check their security cameras. I hope to heck they figure out who did this. UGH!

We love a PARADE

2009-08-03T05:51:00.001-07:00

The Clam Festival really kicks of on Friday with a fantastic parade. Again, our tradition is to hit the Adams house (who live right along the parade route) for a party. Everyone brings a different kind of salad...nd we have hot dogs & ice cream sandwiches too! Then, we get a front row seat to all of the parade action.
Lots of bands, but I especially loved this military band.

Seriously?! This guy was so talented...juggling and riding unicycle the entire parade route.

My 1 year old niece, Annie, who LOVED the parade! She had a blast & we loved watching her reactions to everything coming down the street.

Clam Fest...the beginning

2009-08-03T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Yarmouth Clam Festival is a HUGE deal in our family....everyone comes up for the weekend & our houses are usually packed with family. I'll divide this up in a few posts because there is SO much!
Friday, we had lunch at the festival...good time to go without the big crowds. We checked out the craft show too...always find cool things there & end up going back a couple of times throughout the weekend with different family members. I was pretty well behaved this year...I bought myself a Clam Fest tshirt, Patrick bought BBQ sauce (HOT!) and a cool shirt for me :-)

My nephew, Kavi, asking the clam "who are you?". I love that kid.

more about parade, boat trip, fireworks & rides in a few days.

Have a gorgeous summer day...can't believe its already August!

ahh...bad blogger!

2009-08-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't posted in a REALLY long time! The summer-crazies have caught up with me. I'll do my best to play catch-up....
Went to Meredith, NH for my Gram's 90th birthday party weekend July 13th. So fun to see family we usually only see once a year, meet newly-born cousins, and watch my Gram grin from ear to ear. We had a pig roast....don't worry, I didn't add any of those pictures :-) and it was fantastic! I think everyone ate a little too much that afternoon.

My Gram opening gifts with my cousin, Jenny's, kiddos Jordan & Marisa.

My brother, Corey, and my Mom. Nice to have an excuse for us all to get together.

Patrick hit it off with the guys who run the pig roasting business...they were characters! Anyway, we'll be having a pig roast here next summer in exchange for a day of tuna fishing. Not a bad trade.

Disney layouts...part 3

2009-07-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

here's the next installment of Disney layouts..this group has a couple of my favorites. More to come next week :-)

scrap cards

2009-07-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

I've actually created a lot of scrapbook pages lately....and that always brings scraps. I save a lot of them, but its tough to remember to use them. So, I try to save the big pieces and make as many cards as I can with the smaller scraps. They then go in my card box, all ready for birthdays, thank yous, etc. Sometimes I add sentiments but I usually leave them blank so I can personalize them later.

Above are some cards I made in an hour or so after scrapping. . .love putting those scraps to good use.

Disney layouts...part 2

2009-07-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 more of my Disney layouts....so excited to be geting these into an album-finally! I'll post more next week; I told you I was on a roll :-)

Disney layouts...part 1

2009-07-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to actually get some scrapbooking of my own done in between work projects. I wanted to tackle all of the Disney photos from our last 5 (yep, I said 5) trips. Can't believe I haven't scrapped ANY of them! So, in the past couple of weeks I've gotten a good start on our Disney scrapbook. Here's a peek at some layouts.....

photos of the day....

2009-07-06T07:47:00.001-07:00

the "boys" out gardening with me

everything blooming is yellow right now :-)

LOVE these Sundrops

Murphy chasing a chipmunk while I finish hanging out the laundry.....have a sunny day!

early Fourth celebration

2009-07-06T07:39:00.001-07:00

Our 4th celebration weekend didn't go down exactly as planned, due to the crazy weather we've had. . but we had fun nonetheless. We drove up to Rangely for the day & hung out at camp. We ended up getting lucky, without rain until we were BBQ-ing, so we just moved it all inside. On the drive back, the rain turned into a full-fledged storm...I took a couple of lightning pictures from the saftey of the van :-)

We saw 2 young moose on the way home....this was a male with his antlers just starting.

A sign of the Fourth...Priscilla always adds the flags around camp.

Out for a canoe...we watched 2 loons for quite awhile....then headed back at the 1st rumble of thunder!

Hope you all had a happy, safe Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day!!

2009-07-04T07:25:00.001-07:00

I hope you all have a fantatsic Fourth with friends & family...and if you are in New England, that today is a dry one!

time for a Crafty Gals gathering

2009-07-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to host some of my Crafty Gals last Sunday...we had a relaxing, rainy afternoon getting caught up on craft projects and eating tasty snacks. Pamela & Karen brought me a couple of handmade gifts...so talented...thanks girls!

a quote for the day

2009-07-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

its been a bit since I've posted....with the constant rain over the past couple of weeks, I've been bogged down with indoor work and chores. Was hoping for a sunny weekend to celebrate the 4th in Rangely, but it looks like that is falling by the wayside. Bummer.

Since the rain has a way of dragging people's day down, I thought I'd post a quote that I like to bring a little perspective to us all.....

"Live in each season as it passes . . .breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit." ~Henry David Thoreau

I'm going to put all of this rain & gloom into perspective & be thankful for the rain keeping my lawn, veggies, & flowers happy. We are lucky to be free from drought as so many must endure.

my husband, the tuna fisherman

2009-06-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I've been talking about Patrick's boat a lot recently, but it is a pretty big deal here in our house. Yes, I have more fishing adventures to tell......

When Patrick took ownership of the boat & they went out for sea trials, a reporter from the news drove up and asked to do a short story about Patrick & his wheelchair-accessible boat. We kind of forgot about it...until yesterday! The story ran on WCSH 6 news at 6pm. I DVR-ed it for Patrick because he was out fishing. Here is the link to the story: www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=106087&catid=2

(it gets better)....then I get a call in the afternoon....Patrick caught a tuna! This is the 1st fish of this season & the earliest fish he or any of his friends have ever caught. He was beyond excited. I met them at the dock, along with a big crowd, to snap a ton of pictures. His friends Anthony, Maury, and Brian were out with him. Its of to the tuna auction & he'll find out next week what it sold for. So happy & proud of my husband.

great day for a party

2009-06-16T05:53:00.000-07:00

I was SO THANKFUL for a break in the rainy weather for Patrick's boat christening party on Sat. We had lots of family & Patrick's fishing friends around to celebrate. I loved seeing him smile from ear to ear all day!
So surreal seeing my name on the back of the boat :-)

I made caramel corn in paint cans for party favors....people seemed to like it.

Me, breaking the bottle of champagne over the bow afterPatrick said blessing of boat.....SO HAPPY the bottle broke on 1st try...I slammed that bottle!

So, come July, I'll be a "fishing widow' but I'm happy knowing how much joy this boat will bring Patrick & that he'll be safe, comfortable, and secure out at sea.

flower frenzy

2009-06-11T04:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make sure to take some photos of flowers before the days of rain came this week..so glad I did! The iris above blooms outside my husband's bathroom....I love seeing that burst of bright purple in the morning.

the 1st rose bloom....this rose bush has been so hardy, as its been ripped up, had ice chunks fall on it, you name it. It just keeps blooming.

A tree peony started from bare root 7 years ago. Man, they take a long time to get going but the payoff is amazing.

Crafting with K & C

2009-06-10T05:03:00.000-07:00

I had a blast onMonday hanging out, crafting (and eating!) with my friends, Karen & Catherine. It was my "cheat day" from WW and Karen made this unbelieveable molten chocolate cake...yes, that's Catherine licking the splash of pudding...let no drop of yummy food go wasted!

Karen was VERY patient as she walked Catherine & I through bookbinding & creating our our art journals. Though we stumbled through the beginning...ok, I did...we were stitching pros by the end.

Here's the inside of my book, ready to glue the signatures in.

All of us with our 75% done books!!!! hmm...I was planning on giving mine away, but now I'm kind of attached to it :-)I always have such a great time with these gals.

my Dad, the wildlife savior

2009-06-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

I am definitely my Father's daughter......in many ways, but we especially share our love of animals. I remember him bringing home all sorts of creatures....the blue heron that recouperated in our horse stall, the chickens from a barn fire he helped fight, dogs in crummy conditions that he'd pay the owners $50 for. Anyway, he found an injured loon last week, brought it to a rehab then was asked to release it after its wing was healed. Of course, I was there to see it all ....and release a sea gull that they gave him too :-) I was amazed how big the loon was, having never seen one so close. You'll notice the gloves he's wearing....those loons have SHARP beaks!

After release, the loon did well, flew a bit, swam & dove for a snack. A happy day for all.

the Kelley Anne is here!

2009-06-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

I've been hard at work on invitations for 4 separate occasions lately....boat invites (more below), invites for my Gram's 90th b-day, and 2 sets of invites for customers...phew!

Patrick's new boat, the Kelley Anne, is finally here! She's resting at her new marina by Joe's Boathouse in South Portland ( my fav restaurant!). Patrick is just beside himself to have a boat that is completely accessible to him & his every need. As much as I may gripe about waking up at 3am so he can fish for tuna, my heart is full seeing how happy he is.

This week, amid getting projects done for the store site, I'm working on favors and final details for Patrick's boat christening. We're keeping it small...just family and Patricks' fishing buddies, because you can only fit so many people on those skinny docks! I'm a little nervous about whacking the champagne bottle on the boat though....

Paper Trey box of fun

2009-06-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

After receiving a particularly large order from the store's site last week, I rewarded myself with a little shopping therapy and ordered some stamps and buttons from Paper Trey Ink. The box arrived today...now if I can just find the time to sit and play....

Brimfield goodies

2009-05-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine gently reminded me that I hadn't shared any of my goodies from Brimfield....here you go Heather. My favorite find of the day and 1st purchase...a big wooden letter S. Here it sits in its new home on our mantle. Not everyone gets it, a couple of people have told me they think it is weird.I love it...S for the Simmons family!

these are just some of the pretty beads I scooped up. They were dirt cheap & I have big plans for them...necklace with multi strand and bracelt/earrings with teal strands.

I also bought a long recipe box of dove-tailed wood (love it), more beads, ribbon, trims, an embroidered pillowcase and an embroidered tablecloth. I'll try to remeber to take pictures of those soon.

flowering goodness

2009-05-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

I had a few minutes in between rain showers yesterday to snap some photos in the gardens....this is a beautiful white lilac planted next to our house...

Purple petunias I planted in pots all around the house....love the deep purple centers...

the last tulip of its kind (poor baby) that I planted the year we built the house. I love tulips but hate that they don't last very many years. I'm a lazy gardener; if I plant something I want it to last forever :-)

happy Anniversary!!!

2009-05-27T10:17:00.001-07:00

Patrick & I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last week...well, it fell on Memorial Day this year so we haven't actually celebrated yet :-) Our parents all gave us cards and we received a Royal River Grillhouse gift certificate....the spot of our 1st date back in Jan of 2000. I love you babe!

sad puppy

2009-05-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

After spending ALL day outside yesterday, swimming in the river, chasing tennis balls & lounging in the grass, poor Murphy is feeling a bit cooped up. I'm cleaning up in my scraproom and getting work done....this is Murph in the doorway of that room looking sad.

t-ball glory

2009-05-27T09:44:00.001-07:00

this is my wonderful niece, Katie (I'm pretty lucky...I have a great bunch of neices and nephews!). We braved the cold windy yesterday & had our own Simmons cheering section at her t-ball game last night. Honestly, watching 6 yr olds play baseball has its own entertainment value. We were so impressed with Katie, as she was one of the few girls actually paying attention during the game.....one of the outfielders amused me by twirling in circles than sitting on the ground :-)

painting .otherwise known as the project that keeps on giving

2009-05-20T03:53:00.000-07:00

So, the painting project is 99% done. Just need to touch up a few spot where I went a bit wild with the paint. I ended up doing 2 coats of grren on the walls (think Kermit the Frog) and 2 coats of white on the trim....and now realize I should do the ceiling too...later this summer if I still feel the urge. Still putting the room back together and need to add our blue headboad we received for Christmas. I'll post pics when it is complete. So happy to love our bedroom....used to be the ugliest room in the house and now I wake up each morning and smile at out cheery room.

quilt progress

2009-05-18T03:49:00.000-07:00

I am happy to be making steady progress on my latest quilt. I machine-quilted for the 1st time....and was really happy with the results. Now, I need to do the binding...the part I'm looking forward to the least! But, I am dying to get that quilt on the back of my couch so I'd better get crackin'! I also have about 8 sewing projects planned so I have to keep moving on.

Brimfield madness

2009-05-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

We had a blast on our roadtrip to Brimfield. A leisurley drive down with stops at a couple of scrap/stamp stores was just what the doctor ordered. After a gut-stretching dinner at Olive Garden (seriously on a WW points vacation too!) we settled in for early bedtime b/c we wanted to hit the show early....well, I was deterred by the "Biggest Loser" finale until 11pm. The next day, we were walking the show by 7am! To say there were a ton of vendors is an understatement. We shopped for a steady 7-8 hrs and didn't even hit half of the show. Man, I was glad i brought my Crocs for the drive home...my dogs were seriously barking.

A very cool booth of buttons, beads, trims, etc....we all loved it but the prices were outrageous....no one bought from this one.

Catherine & Karen posing at the beginning of the mile stretch of road full of fields and vendors...they're smiling b/c it is just the beginning!

All of the cool stuff we bought in the back of my car...

Visiting a scrap/stamp store in Mass...sorry your head is cut in half, Karen...hopefully you got a better shot.

I'll post pics of the cool goodies I brought home..need to clean them all up today.

thank you's

2009-05-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

a few thank you notes I whipped up out of scraps I had on my desk from my last card project (I actually finished the Easter cards I started 2 months ago....I'll be saving them now for next year :-) I had a wonderful b-day a few weeks ago & my Mother's voice reminding me to send thank you notes was ringing in my ears.....

flowers are blooming

2009-05-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

my tulips are blooming, undeterred by the torrential rains we had last week.....love 'em!