Thanksgiving cards

Tis the season for Thanksgiving cards. (Not very good scans. Had to usea different program. Yuk.) Nothing fancy, but they were fun to make. I don't use the "coordinating" stuff very often, but I did use some products by Reminisce to speed up the process. I can't make a card without some embellishments. But look!! No ribbon!! It may be a first for me. I hope everyone enjoys the day with the ones they love.

Meeting the Paper Dolls

In October, I was finally able to attend my first "Marathon Crop" hosted at The Salvation Army in Cedar Rapids and sponsored by the Paper Dolls. My neice is a member of this fun group of women and her bff is the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer at the Salvation Army. This crafty group of "dolls" meets once a week, Jan. through Oct. The marathon started at 3:00 Friday afternoon and went until 10:00 Sat. night. Everyone brought whatever they wanted to work on and a snack to share. When I got there Sat. morning, some were still sleeping while others were already working.

I'm not very good at packing up my stuff to take somewhere. I hate the thought of leaving something behind, so my suv was pretty loaded with supplies. (I had to use a cart to get in the building! lol) My goal was to use whatever I brought with me to make cards for my nephew who is stationed in Afghanistan. I wish I had gotten more done, but I'm a stickler for detail and I slowed myself down fussing with trying to get just the right look. (I may have taken several breaks for conversation and snacks, too!!) Anyway, these are going in his care package box. The cards are blank or say "miss you" or "thank you". My intent is that he can use them to send letters back to the states. If he doesn't want to use them all himself, he is to share them with the other soldiers in his unit.

Did I mention how FABULOUS the food was??? Oh. My. Goodness. I'm going back again next year just for the food!!! And the gals were so welcoming, too! I didn't meet all of them, but most of them came up and talked to me or showed me what they were working on when I made a (nosy) lap around the room. The other gatherings are usually just held one Saturday a month. I will put these events on my calendar for next year.

Why didn't I go up on Friday, you might be wondering??? Well, it's because I had tickets to see country music star and American Idol contestant BUCKY COVINGTON!! That's right!! He was playing at The Stockyard in little ol' Wayland, IA, just 5 blocks from my house.

Yep! It was a good weekend!

No Mo' Mogo!

I must say that my first experience buying in to an organic garden was interesting and exciting. Sometimes the veggies spoiled before I had a chance to use them, so that was a bummer. But what it taught me is that this produce is so fresh, it must be used right away. Will I do it again?? Probably. Here are some photos from the last few baskets we got.

Bummed

I have sooooo much to post, but everytime I log in, I get discouraged and bummed out because my background is GONE!!! Now I have to find something new! Humf! I'm going to plug in something generic for the time being, just to get me through the slump. Stay tuned!

Deal of the Day!

Yesterday I got to go to visit a few "flea market" tents. I am a huge fan of freezer baskets so when I spotted one on the grass, all alone, I set out to find the owner. What I found was the rear end and legs of a man putting things into a pick up bed. I didn't want him to hit his head on the topper, so I waited until he crawled out and sat on his tailgate, He had to be about 80+ years old! Here was our conversation.

Me: Does this freezer basket belong to you?
Man: Yep.
Me: How much do you want for it?
Man: $3.
Me: Perfect!
Man: You can have me for $2.
Me: Really? Wow! That sounds like quite a deal! If I give you this $5, you wouldn't even have to give me change.
Man: Course, I don't know what you'd do with me.
Me: I'm sure I could come up with something (chuckle, chuckle).
Man from neighboring booth: Don't be doin' that now! You know you gotta go home to the missus!
Man: Dad-gum-it, he's right. Forgot about goin' home to the missus.
Me: Okay, well, if you're sure..........................Have a good day!

Day Trippin' (revised)

There's something about Iowa's landscape that always keeps me in awe. Rich greens, silver silos, red barns, white fences, golden hay.............The rolling hills provide visual interest. A creek here, a glorious house there, frisky colts, content cows, and the architecture of small towns. Small, rural towns maintain (or try to) the original structures of their communities. So much brick detail, tall windows framed by intricately set stone. There's so much to say.......................

So why am I gettin' all drippy and nostalgic? My husband and I took an amazing motorcycle day trip today. The weather was perfect! 186 miles, 4 watering holes, interesting people, two states, and numerous small towns.

In order to get to our first stop, we had to drive through Salem, Bonaparte and Bentonsport. Our first stop was A.J.'s Bar and Grill in Mt. Sterling, Iowa. If I stood on their outdoor deck and threw a frisbee, it'd land in Missouri! Now this place has character! It's got that "hunter lodge" look. Sort of. If you don't mind dining under the watchful eye of a giant taxidermied turkey or deer head, then you should definitely check this place out. But don't ask for a margarita or any of them other fancy drinks! No sir! Beer, beer, or beer. I had a can of pop. I also had a tenderloin the size of a dinner plate. I'm not kidding. The Christmas garland is still hanging above the faux pine log bar and racing flags and beer ad posters cover the walls. "Does" and "Bucks" identify the restrooms, so you may want to brush up on your deer gender names. Yes, my friends, this is a date night destination. (The food was excellent!)

From there we headed to Missouri. We were so close - why not? Kahoka (home of the Clark County Mule Festival), Wayland and Alexandria gave us more interesting buildings and we shared stories of when we used to stop once in awhile, many years ago, just for something to do. On this trip, however, those stores were either closed or gone or no longer an interest. F.Y.I. Alexandria has a fireworks store that is still OPEN!!

Back in Iowa, we followed the Mighty Mississippi through Keokuk (the City of Stoplights) and into Montrose. We like to take this little two lane rode because there are grand homes (old "river money", I've been told) overlooking the river. There is also a section of road that is nearly dark, even when it's sunny! There's a canopy of green that's created by trees on either side. It's like driving through a tunnel. Crazy. Cool. This summer's onslaught of rain caused a couple of issues on this road, however. One of the great stone retaining walls gave way to trees and dirt and closed one lane. The water (I think) proved too much for another section, simply washing the road completely down a steep embankment. In Montrose, we stopped at Kinnick on the River. Interesting name. One would expect a serious football theme inside, right? (Kinnick Stadium is where the Univ. of Iowa Hawkeye football games are held.) Maybe painted all black and gold? Nope. Just a bar/restaurant. Ho hum. Montrose has, like, maybe 150 people, and they have a Casey's!! (Not fair! My town needs a Casey's!)

Montrose is known for their Watermelon Days and The No Wake Cafe. Unfortunately, the No Wake is No More. But that's another post...................



From Montrose we headed to West Point. There are some cool houses on the way to West Point! This lilttle community has 4 bars! Must be thirsty people there! Inside The 4th Street Bar and Grill we talked to 3 other bikers about their rides today. Everyone was just out to enjoy the view and the weather. West Point is known for their Sweet Corn Festival. (All the free sweetcorn you can eat! It's fabulous!!!) They were gearing up for a BBQ Cookoff or something the next day. It was part of their pre-rodeo countdown. (The rodeo is in Ft. Madison on Sept. 8!!)

People talk about going to the mountains and being captivated by the view. I've been to the mountains a couple times and to me, they all look the same. (Sorry, mountain lovers.) While we saw fields and fields of corn and soybeans and newly harvested round bales, they were all the same, yet different. The corn stalks were different heights and at different stages of development - you could tell that by the color. Some of the round bales were lined up in neat rows near the barns while others dotted the fields, not yet taken to their final resting place for the season.

A Couple of Cards

I haven't been very good about posting my cards lately. Here are a couple I made last week. Super simple. The dotted one needs ..........."something".............but I don't know what. The file folder is cute. I just glued it on to a piece of green cardstock. The front of the file folder drops down for the message.

MogoOrganic Veggie Wonderland

Okay! Who wouldn't love getting this basket of yumminess! The skinny little bundle to the left is celery. Yep. Smells like celery, tastes like celery, so it must be celery! Just skinny. More cabbage, green beans and fresh basil. And what goes well with fresh basil? Fresh tomatoes, of course! The heirlooms finally made their debut. They have all been delish, but I think my favorites are the sweet peas! See how little they are? Barely bigger than a pea! What they lack in size they more than make up in taste! They snap when you bite them and fill your mouth with some serious tomato taste. Yummers! Sweet corn, potatoes, a "candy" (yep, that's the name!) onion and a spaghetti squash. Many thanks to Morgan and her crew for all their hard work!!!!

Finally!

My postings need to be more random. I need to get over the idea that every post needs a photo.

For example, I think one of my favorite questions someone (a mother) asked me this summer was, "Do you have any books that aren't like this one?" I resisted the urge to say, "Well, um, since I only have one copy of that book, any other book would fill that request. (She was disgusted by the "adjectives" used to describe some of the characters.) Made me laugh and still makes me smile. (Library humor.)

Moving along. I have Mogo pictures to post from last Tuesday, but they are on the other computer. Maybe later..........

I would like to show off my new card, as of about an hour ago. It's for an anniversary. I found these great vintage playing cards at the What Cheer flea market last weekend. They are adorable and in excellent shape! Perfect for cards. These little numbers are in "party mode"! Cosmo Cricket made the perfect background paper. I rarely get a card made before an event, so today is a special day! lol

So Much To Share!

First of all, let me share my goodies from my last MoGoOrganic basket. A cucumber, tomatoes, blackberries, peppers, green beans, new potatoes and sweet corn! Everything has been delicious!!

The other thing I want to talk about is my day at the Papa Clutch open house. I met the couple (Tim and Dana) who own this business as a result of going to Leroy Brown's in Ainsworth and then later, because they were a sponsor of Bike Night in the same town. Dana and I hit it off that first time we met. As I got to know her, I learned that they were going to move their business "down the road" and have an open house to celebrate. I offered my assistance and they took me up on the offer. Sooooooooooooooooo, that's what I did this past Friday and Saturday. On Friday I went to the new location (awesome redecotrating job!!) and helped get a few things organized, namely their apparel line. Lots of people were in and out, so I had an opportunity to meet some new people.

One of the guys I met on Friday was Jeff Cochran. He was talking about his last photo shoot. When I got home that evening, I found the issue he was refering to and read the article. What an interesting man! If you'd like to know more about Jeff, bike builder and photographer, check out his website. http://www.roadkingracing.com/. On Saturday, when I saw Jeff again, I told him that I'd checked out the magazine article and visited his website. I think he was quite surprised that I would do something like that. Quite frankly, it was very interesting and it gave me something to chat with him about!

I met two other guys, one was Justin and I didn't ask the other man's name, but he was a bike builder from Muscatine, Iowa. Justin was up from Phoenix. He kept me laughing. He showed me his bike that had been recently used for an ad for Sucker Punch Sally.

The rest of the open house was filled with meeting people from all over Iowa and Illinois. It's an interesting network these bikers and bike builders have. They seem to have a tremendous respect for one another. The event seemed well attended, the food was outstanding and the bands were great. I hope my new friends were pleased with the success.

Working at an event like that is something that I really like to do. It's so different from what I do at my "regular" job. It's like working at the Gift Mart in Atlanta or on the vendor floor at a scrapbooking convention. If anyone is looking for help at a similar event, please let me know!!

What A Day!

Whew! I'm glad Monday is coming to a close! Long story short, nearly every kid who came in to the library today needed a NAP! My tolerance for whining maxed out at about 1:30 today! Geez! And sometimes, you just gotta wonder where some of these parents come from! For example, I had 2 (yes, two) parents ask me where do they put a cd game into the computer. Really? You don't know? You've never in your entire life seen this done before? But alas, I work for the public so I, very politely, showed them how to put a game into the computer. What I really wanted to tell them was that maybe they should just read a book to their child instead.

On to happier material! I got to come home and have a fabulous salad topped with some of my delicious MogoOrganic veggies. In particular, I loved the cucumber. It took me back to when I was a little girl and we had a garden. Mom always canned pickles so we had lots of cucumbers. I can remember

picking them when they were about 6 to 8 inches long and about as big around as a banana. A simple rub of the hand across the skin to remove the little prickles and dust, and then I would bite into one. Warm and crisp and a little bitter. Yummmmmm.........Somehow, this was the best way to enjoy a cucumber. I did the same thing tonight. My little cuc was far too yummy to be sliced up into a salad. Instead, I savored every crisp, mildly bitter bite. Just look at the yummy

stuff we got last Tuesday. More green beans, red potatoes, blackberries, red onions and carrots rounded out the basket. Can't wait to eat the taters and carrots!

New Cards

After spending two days shopping at scrapbooking stores, I'm pumped to create! Only problem is that I also have to go to work. I took two classes at the CK convention in Des Moines. I was disappointed, as I figured I would be. Oh, well - I still had a good time and spent a little money. I went on Friday with a friend who also took a couple classes. I went with my friend, Mary, on Saturday. On Saturday, we shopped the convention (they were out of some of the things I wanted seconds of --drat!), made a trip to Archivers and then to Ankeny to Memory Bound. All I can say is that it's a good thing I don't live in Ankeny. I would be at that store ALL THE TIME. Such a great "idea place", too!

So here are a couple of the cards I created recently. The "County Fair" card is for my friend, Ali. I made a reference to her in the last post. I dropped the card off at her office on the way to work. She wasn't there - probably at the fair - so it was a surprise when she returned. The other card is for my friend, Tami, who has gotten me involved in a "card of the week" challenge. she is a collector of Author card games so when I saw the paper with the Author's cutout, I had to have it! I really love the way this card came out. The blue cardstock background was already perfectly distressed.

Mogo Goodness

I know that some of you are quite tired of reading about my baskets of produce, but here's another post. I'm doing it mostly so my sister in Georgia can see what I'm getting. And I hope my blog gets a few hits from people looking for MogoOrganic on the internet.

This week I had to have my basket delivered because I was working on Tuesday night. (Thanks, Paula!) I kept peeking in it all evening and smelling all of the wonderful earthy smells. This basket contained a strong, sturdy cucumber, 2 firm tomatoes, a bag of green beans, a bag of edemone (soy beans), parsley, an interesting stalk of broccoli, boiler onions, a hearty, perfectly formed and brilliant green head of cabbage, KOLARABI (love it!!) and garlic.

Yesterday I made the Cucumber and Tomato Salsa recipe that was in my newsletter. We ate it tonight for supper with the homemade pita chips, also a recipe from the newsletter. The kolarabi was enjoyed by me and only me. I will share that with no one. I've been munching my way through the cabbage, one raw wedge at a time. The green beans and soybeans may be eaten tomorrow. I'm afraid of the garlic and the broccoli didn't make it. (A moment of silence, please.)

In other news, I've been making cards again. Made some cute ones to send to my nieces and my nephew (who is going overseas) in California. I wish I could spend more time with them.

Work is going well. I've reformated our library programs and the attendance has improved. Yippee! Today we had 60 come in and out for our Craft Day!! That's AWESOME! That many people in 90 min. is a huge improvement over years past. I'm totally impressed that so many parents/grandparents/babysitters are staying and interacting with their kids. It's just what I wanted to see. It's amazing how much fun can be had without being in front of a screen of some kind!

My friend, Ali, is working her tail off getting ready for the Henry Co. Fair next week. This is her first year as coordinator. If you're local, be sure to stop by and check out all of the projects, livestock and entertainment the fair has to offer. It's FREE! And you can't beat FAIR FOOD! Yum!!! Lemon Shake-Up, here I come!!!

Totally Random.....

This coming Tuesday I get another basket of goodness from MogoOrganic. I know that you are not as excited as I am, but I wonder if you are just a teensy bit curious. Or jealous.

I took a class today. It was held at From the Heart in Fairfield, IA. Such a sweet little scrapbooking store! So much paper goodness and always a sale! We learned a bunch of ways to make flowers from paper. Some turned out well, some, well, let's just say the I need to practice the technique. Who knew you could make a flower from 3 paper coin wrappers? Gosh, I really hope that bag of wrappers I found in the basement hasn't already been taken to Goodwill! What was I thinking? The class was taught by the fabulous, talented, published, amazing Lynn Warner. She ROCKS the paper world! And now she's designing for Sizzix!! Right up there with the Big Dogs! Wowza! She's on design teams, teaches classes all over the northern hemisphere (okay, maybe it's just the U.S.A.), designs stamps and I think she may even have a photography business.

Now I want to take more classes. I went through this phase a few months ago, but gave up because I couldn't find anything in the area to take. I want to take a class on how to use my camera. I don't want to read the manual. I just want someone to walk me through the steps. That's how I learn. I want to learn how to use PhotoShop, too. I also would like to take some bartending classes. Not that I have any desire to be a bartender. Let's face it, I'm waaaayyyyy to short to reach the glasses that hang from overhead! (You'd like a martini? Excellent! If you'd just step around to my side of the bar and get your glass down for me, I'll have that fixed up in just a jiffy!)

I went to a wedding last night. Everything was beautiful. The bride looked amazing. The candles were EVERYWHERE --- soooo cool! But the best part? They played the theme song from the Andy Griffith show to walk out of the church after the "I present you Mr. and Mrs........" Unexpected and TOTALLY COOL!!!!

I scraplifted a card from the PaperCrafts July/Aug. issue. I have a tendency to make my cards too detailed, too fussy. This is simple and I like it. The glittery flowered paper is from Target's Dollar Spot, the word "cherish" is a rub-on" and the glittery card stock (DWV) flower was cut with my Sizzix machine. Matching ribbon was also from Target.

Okay, so I warned you at the beginning that this post would be filled with randomness! Thanks for stopping by and leave a random comment, if you wish.

More Mogo!

It's like Christmas every other week! After dining several times on our last basket of fresh produce from MogoOrganic, we couldn't wait to see what was in our basket this week! Morgan was a little unhappy that the weather (okay, the RAIN) hadn't cooperated. She'd hoped to have more, but what we received was wonderful. Here are a few pictures again. One tomato is already gone, as are a few of the green beans. (I have to admit that I ate them raw! Trust me, they are tasty that way!)

The contents of our basket this week included 3 stalks of rhubarb, 3 firm, greenhouse tomatoes, an onion, garlic, aromatic dill, a bag of tender, baby lettuce and a bag of green beans. A MogoOrganic Newsletter was included as well, along with tasty ways to use our basket of goodies.

More Cosmo Cricket cards

Here are a couple more cards from my sheet of "elements". The lobster card says "I like you" (inside) just be'claws". Gotta have a little play on words just for laughs. Besides, it's tough to be serious about a lobster. Besides, nothing rhymes with lobster (except mobster). lol