Funerals

I had the unfortunate opportunity to attend an aunt's funeral last week. While we weren't extremely close, she held a distinct role in my childhood. I can remember going to her house and cabin, the neat and tidy way she kept her home, and the way she carried herself. She was a beautiful woman, with a striking porcelain complexion. She always looked as if she belonged to the "country club" set. She was given a very nice service by a pastor that new her well and a family that loved her dearly. The best part - if there can be a "best part" of a funeral - was that some of the members of her Red Hat Society club came in their notorious purple and red regalia. They looked spectacular! I made a point to tell them that I was glad to see them dressed as they were. Aunt Mary would have loved it and expected nothing less. The ladies had a reserved pew, which was 2 rows up from me. And even though I couldn't see past the red straw hat wrapped in a purple boa, I was still glad they were there. After all, there's not much to see at a funeral.

I always come away from a funeral thinking of the way I want my funeral to go. Actually, after attending several, I have decided that I don't want a funeral. I want to donate my body to the state university for research. If my family wants a memorial service, that will be up to them. Some people need that "closure". I do not. There are too many aspects of a funeral that I disagree with Now I just need to put this wish in writing..........

It was nice to see some family members that I don't see very often. Stories were exchanged as were hugs and promises to keep in touch. We never know when fate will bring us together again, but we hope it's for a happier occasion.

My Wedding Contributions

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This is a little "rough". I'm still learning. These pictures show a few of the things I created/arranged for a recent wedding. I just realized the favors and invitation pictures are missing, so I will post them later. Thanks for looking!

Smirnoff Never Looked So Good!

I've been wanting to "alter" a 6-pack for quite some time. My sweet friend Joni's birthday gave me the perfect excuse to do so. Pretty simple, but still pretty cute.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Just Call Me Axl Rose

I drive a 2008 Nissan Xterra. As far as I know, I'm the only one in Mt. P. who has a charcoal grey one. I work until 8:00 on Mondays. For the past 4 Mondays, there has been something left on my car or under my windshield. The first time it was a half sheet of paper. I didn't notice it until I was on my way home and it blew out when I flipped on my wipers. I figured it was a relious tract or some kind of "please join us for vbs" flyers. Then there was the book. It was old and ratty and extremely dirty. It was on my running board. I flipped it open with the toe of my shoe - that's how gross it was. It had a bunch of newspaper clippings and photos stuck inside. Not wanting to touch it, I kicked it to the curb. I figured someone thought we might need it at the library and left it for me. Didn't think too much about it - just that it was weird someone would put it on my running board. Last week, as I was driving home, a large yellow envelope flew off when I turned on my wipers. Again??? Someone stuck something under my wiper again? It was so far down I didn't even see it. (Yes, I can see over my steering wheel, thank you very much!) So tonight there was an envelope. It said "To My Loving Husband W.A.R." Okay, so now I'm thinking someone has mistaken my suv for someone elses. I was kind of afraid to touch it, but I put it on the floor of my car. To my knowledge, no one wants to kill me, but I wasn't about to open it. Four weeks, four "tokens". It kinda creeped me out so I drove to the police station and told the officer my story. He opened the envelope ----- and laughed. "I'll bet this is from Charlene. Do you know Charlene?" I do know Charlene. She's a few bricks short of a load - actually, I think her cart might be empty. She lives across the street from the library. As he looks over the letter he tells me that it is, indeed, from Charlene. He goes on to tell me that she thinks she's married to Axl Rose. "The Axl Rose from the band???" "Yep." She even signed her name on the letter using his last name. Oh, boy........ Anyway, he told me he'd try to convince her that my vehicle was not Axl's and she was to stop leaving notes and things. BTW - Axl Rose's birth name is William - hense the W.A.R. I've been mistaken for someone's cousin/sister/aunt before, but never Axl Rose!!!! Too funny - tooooooooooo weird!!

What I Learned Today

Weather forcasters don't know squat! Okay, that's not entirely true. But still, we were told 75 and sunshine for the afternoon. Cloudy and 64 is what we had. I have learned that when taking off for an afternoon on the motorcycle, one should pack for all weather types. I could have really used my chaps today and maybe a heavier jacket. It wasn't unbearable, but it was chilly. We made a quick trip to Cedar Rapids to run a couple errands, then ate at Eggy's on 965 in North Librerty on the way home. First time at the restaurant. The tequila lime spiked tortilla soup was kickin'!! The fajita wraps were good, but I thinkI'll try something else on the menu next time. So much to chose from! Garlic mashed potatoes AND wild rice as sides --- how will I choose??? I was going to post a pic and web address, but they don't seem to have one.

I'll Tile the Floor! What Fun!

This story takes place in the upstairs portion (1/3) of the garage where I have my scrapbooking/card making stuff. I refer to it as the Paper Studio.
Awhile back I decided that I was going to have to put something down on the floor. Small scraps, embellishments and what-nots refused to be swept up off of the plywood. It was impossible to clean. Not wanting to invest a lot of money in this project and wanting to do it myself, I decided that using the peel and stick tiles was the way to go.
As I pondered the color possibilities offered to me by Menards, I decided that, with white walls and a black wrought iron railing, that a black and white checkerboard design would be quite striking. A few red tiles dropped in now and then would make it extra fun. (Red tiles were not available, even as a special order item, I found out later.) While eating dinner at The Vine one evening, we enlisted the help of some bored waitstaff in calculating how many tiles would be needed for this project. By the end of dinner, my new floor was etched into the top of my styrofoam take-out box.
A trip to Menards followed, where a very knowledgable (or really good b.s.er) college student employee loaded my cart with 2 boxes of tiles and an additional 20 tiles of each color which he painstakingly chose from the lot. A gallon of sealer, verbal instructions, and I was good to go. A couple months passed.
Last Tuesday, having the day off, I decided to tackle the "floor project". After cleaning and sealing the floor, I was anxious to get started. I opened one box. Black tiles. All shiny and perfect. I opened the second box. Black tiles. All shiny and perfect. WHAT??? WAIT!!! THAT'S NOT RIGHT!! After a mini-meltdown, I decided I would just have to make it work. After all, I did have 20 white tiles. After drafting three or four alternate layouts, I decided on a strategicly random layout consisting of 5 blocks of 4 white tiles.
The process was not as easy as I thought it would be, nor was it as quick. I nearly finished the floor that Tuesday afternoon, but had to quit to get ready to babysit. I had two walls of tile to go, but they each needed to be cut and I didn't have the energy to tackle that project. One evening after work, I cut the remaining tiles and installed them. So now the room is complete. It's not perfect, but I can live with it. By the time I get everything moved back into place, the imperfections won't be noticed - I hope! However, now that I have decided to take our spare computer out to the Paper Studio, I've decided to tile the dormer space where it will sit. According to my calculations, another 40 tiles to lay and then I will be truly done.
I hope to post some pictures in a day or two.

Scrapbooking Supplies & Scrapbook Deals, - Peachy Cheap -

Scrapbooking Supplies & Scrapbook Deals, - Peachy Cheap -: ""