Geeeezzzz, I am enjoying this new pc and high speed internet. Wohooooo!!! And so is Ana and Em by the way for they can play their online games now and won't have to wait for foreeevveerrr for it to download. I had to shooo them away from the pc and remind them to go to bed! Jodi, that project is lookin good girlfriend! So...when can you come by here in VA and let's do my garden...lol! Oh and please bring your hubby along so he can fix my pc or retrieve my stuff in there. I lost EVERYTHING! Booohoooo! I on the other hand stopped putting bark mulch on the beds sorrounding my house. Earwigs thrive on them and I had a very bad infestation of them these past years. With the little ones AND the new puppy (digging and chewing) going through mommy's flowers, I have been avoiding spraying fungicides/insecticide/miticides. So far, the weather here has been good to the ammies and I have had no need to spray...yet! The 90s temp. did made the ammies leaves turn a little bit pale/yellowish green. But hey, that's a lot better than seeing red spots. They would green up though after a good drench of rain. I have sprayed at least half lesser than I sprayed last season. Oh and one more thing I LEARNED this season. VIRUS ALERT!!! You will not believe how much virus infested bulbs are being sold to us here in US. And we have been paying $8-$15 (average per bulb) for GARBAGE!!! I really should start a new thread on this. Xuan...How are your seedlings doing? Did the old seeds germinate by the way? Inform me too if anybody is going home to Vietnam so I can send you some stuff too. I'm currently seperating seedlings and potting them up in their own cell packs. They have grown so fast and big after being continously grown under lights last winter. Their bulbs are almost as big as the 2 year olds that I put to rest last winter. Unfortunately, I won't have indoor space for all of them this winter. So they should grow as much as they can now and then they'll be put to rest this coming winter. I have some very interesting crosses this season too.

Jane, don't listen to him! If you have ever used a sewing machine, then cutting wood pieces will be easy for you. You just trace the outside line of your pattern onto the wood and then feed it into the saw and follow the line just like when you are sewing. And remember, it won't cut unless you push it against the blade, so you can pause anytime to want and don't have to feel rushed at all. I use a scroll saw and prefer either 3/4 inch soft pine or for thin things like this, I prefer the Baltic Birch plywood sheets. I say "prefer" because I will use any scrap of wood I can get my hands on! ;o) And now with all the scrapbooking pages, even if you don't paint, you can create a neat item for your decor. Just cut a shape, spread Mod Podge on it, then press on a pretty sheet of paper, trim the edges, and add a design or letters. I've seen some really neat word blocks recently on some of the blogs. Women CAN use POWER tools! ;o) Glad all of you liked it. OA, I can't take credit for the little tattoo. It was already part of the design from Juliette Martin. I have a few of her books and she does some darling designs. I often hesitate to do her designs because there are so many little details and I usually like quick & easy! Painting is like most other things, the more you do it, the easier it is. So yes, I was feeling a bit rusty-- struggling more with the small detail items especially and some of my outlines are thicker than I'd like. But overall, it's okay, and lots more fun and durable than just buying a paper decoration at Michael's. ;o) Luvs

Punk, I'll get some measurements posted for you later today, okay? He was a great way to use up an old 2x4. You know I don't mind if you use the idea--that's exactly what I did! ;o) You are all right--he probably does need a Mrs. I can picture her now--rounded corners for the hat brim, a red (or purple) hat maybe with some holly and berries glued on, and some red beads in place of the scarf. Oh, and cute little heart shaped lips! LOL Jeanne, I loved your play on words! You are so funny. Let me tell you, these piles of wood do get a bit heavy--I was surprised at the weight of him! Jane, don't you think the word for this little guys expression is "hopeful"? That's what I see when I look at his face--maybe he's hoping that he won't melt too quickly here in the California sunshine! LOL Luvs

Yes, PG, we seem to do that allot. Since I live in California and am in the Pacific time zone, some of you are an hour or in PF's case even three hours ahead of me, so I'm often the last one to see a post on here! Today we are in Laughlin, Nevada visiting friends. It is cool but the air is so clear and the full moon looked so huge last night out here with no city lights competing with it! We hadn't seen these friends for a few years, so we all talked and talked and talked over dinner last night! Tomorrow we will visit another couple in Lake Havasu, and then on to Phoenix, Ariz. to meet up with a new friend there. It is a nice break from the normal routine at home. So far, I've found some bargain christmas plates and a few new craft books. Will be going to a big antique mall in Phoenix, so hope to find some treasures there too. I have some items with me that I can paint on, but so far haven't really had time to break them out and work on them! I like to bring them along just in case I do have some free time. When I get home, I plan to follow Anj's example and sit aside at least one day a week to paint. I can probably do more than that if I just decide on some projects I want to do and get the wood piece or item ready to go. That's what always takes me the longest. I'm still amazed at how many projects you are getting painted and you are working too! I imagine the painting is your "relaxation". I used to use it that way to when I worked, it was good stress relief and I often thought through many problems and found solutions while painting. Keep these wonderful projects coming, I'm sure enjoying seeing them. Luvs