Sorry I've been MIA

Hello Friends,
I've been MIA for a few reasons.......

First, we've had a crisis with my adopted son, Zachery.  He's been getting into alot of trouble and we've been having a couselor come here 2 to 3 times a week for about 2 hours each time.  That really cuts into the days.  Plus, I was packing for a camping trip for my vacation that was last week. 

We left last Saturday to a local campground and we weren't there 20 minutes when Zachery started in on his defiance.  He's 13 but continually tells us that he wants to be a man, doesn't want rules or consequences, wants to come and go as he pleases and if he doesn't get his way, we'll be sorry.   Camping wasn't a total loss, but we did come home a day early due to the threat of severe thunderstorms.  Tenting and thunderstorms don't mix well.  So, we came home on Monday instead of Tuesday.   Zachery was to be grounded for two weeks due to some hidden illegal items found in his room by my husband.  That afternoon Zachery took off i.e. ran away.   When he was finally found---at a place where he wasn't allowed to be and with people he was forbidden to be with (really bad news kids),  my husband brought him home.  Zachery then threatened that he would kill himself.  My husband then brought him up to the ER where after 4 hours of waiting, a social worker came in to speak with Zachery and my husband.  I wasn't there--I was at home sitting by the phone.  Zachery did not want me there.  Now, you have to understand---we are not super strict parents, but we're not permissive either.  We're just ordinary parents doing our best at our age, raising a difficult 13 year old.  At 1:30 a.m. last Tuesday, Zachery was placed in a Crisis Unit.  As of today, he's still here but might be coming home on Tuesday.  He doesn't want to come back here.  He's stated that quite clearly.  He also wants to visit his father but can't until he reaches the age of 18.  We've been going through so much in the last six months and it has now come to a head and it's quite emotional. 

Anyway, I am so sorry to go on and on about our personal problems, but I just wanted to vent a little.  We're not sure what happens next with Zachery.   So, with doing different things on my vacation and dealing with Zachery's crisis, I really didn't have time, nor the motivation to blog.  

On a happier note, I do have two swaps to share with you which I'll post in a day or two.  I'm off to work in one hour, so it'll have to wait.  If you're looking for the "Where Bloggers Create" blog post, just scroll down to the next post.  Or click here---http://www.scrapmomsmusings.blogspot.com/2012/07/welcome-to-my-happy-place.html#links">

Thanks for reading and I'll be posting soon.  Please do come back.

How does your my garden grow?  Well, right now, not much.  Living in southern Maine means having to wait until the end of May to plant because there's always the chance of frost even that late in the year.  So most New Englanders plan on working in their gardens the weekend of Memorial Day, afterall, in this neck of the woods, Memorial Day is the "official" start of summer and gardening.

My husband and I have a tradition to go to Springvale Nurseries to choose a bunch of flowers (usually annuals) along with tomatoe and cucumber plants.   I always choose cascading petunias because they bloom until October (which is a long season for us) and they're just so easy care for.  I also love Gerber daisies and try to get a couple of those as well.  This year, we bought several tomatoe plants and planted them in a container.  Our fingers are crossed that they'll do all right.  I wanted them planted directly in the ground, but my husband had other ideas.  My husband and I have never agreed on what to plant or where to plant.  So, when he's off to work, I plant.  It's too late at that point when he gets home.    

I do miss having my perennial garden.  My garden several years ago was just gorgeous, but because our budget is so tight this year and we only moved in last November, we'll have to wait and start slow next year.  We're just getting an idea of how we want to layout a garden, where to put the shed, where to put a patio, etc.   And, of course, there's the money issue.  You can't buy anything if there isn't any money....right?

This was our garden two weeks ago.  Because we have yellow shutters on the house, I bought a yellow cascading petunia to match.  I've never seen a yellow petunia before and they're quite pretty.  The hostas in the front was there when we moved in and it's HUGE! 

Here are the potted tomatoe plants.

And here are my 'not so happy' cucumber plants:

And here are my purple petunias in a window box on the side of the garage:

And my yellow petunias:

The corner of the walkway heading to the backyard and back entrance.  I brought home some green hostas from my mother's last weekend and planted them here as well.

Behind the hostas's are my morning glories.  They're just starting to grow shoots but I don't think they'll bloom until next month.   I just LOVE the set whimsical mushrooms.  These were bought last week at a local florist for $30.  I had a gift certificate from a friend when we bought this house and I just used it to buy some items for my garden.   I plan on buying a fairy statue to sit beneath the mushrooms.

I had a big hole in this tree so I decided to plant a morning glory here.  I can't wait to see what it'll look like once the flowers bloom and it's entwined around the tree.

This is my daughter's rock garden.  We planted succulents but need to add more.  We also need to add more rock  around the perimeter because when it rains or when I water the plants, the dirt is pouring out between the rocks.  This little garden is still a work in progress.

And this tree is a memorial tree for my dad.  A friend of my daughter's gave this to me a few days after my father passed away.  So far, it's doing fantastic!  I set a flag as well as an angel holding a bird.  My father loved his birds.  And my husband just added the Gerber daisy in a pot.  This daisy hasn't been doing too well.  Not too long ago, we had about 6 inches of rain in about 3 days. 

Well, that's about it.  I'll share more pictures of the garden as it blooms and grows.  Thanks for stopping by and checking out my garden.

Just a Word.....(or two)

It seems like it's been awhile since I've posted anything.  I'm sorry about that.  I've been busy with a variety of things.  Have you ever had a day (or two......or more) where you're just constantly running around, doing this, doing that and before you know it, you wonder where the time has gone?  Only to find out that you really didn't accomplish much?  

Well, that's the kind of day I had today and well.....pretty much the entire week.   I've just been out straight!   Today, my daughter and I drove to a campground to make a payment for our stay in July.  We then did some grocery shopping, banking, picking up balloons and frosting the cake for my oldest daughter's birthday.   Made lasagna, salad, and garlic bread for supper.  I also did the usual house cleaning, laundry and picking up.  Whew!  Before I knew it, it was 8:30 p.m.!  Where did the day go?  

I've also been finishing up some swaps over at Mini Album Scraps that I want to share with you, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow.  I need to take some pictures and do some videos.  Tomorrow, my daughter and I are checking out another campground about a 1/2 hour drive from home which is better than the one I just paid for today!   .  I think that if I cancel in the next few days, I get my entire payment back.  Fingers crossed.  The worst is they'll take $25 out for a processing fee.  .     I love to go camping but the hardest part is deciding where to go. We've decided that this year, we're going to stay closer to home----about 30 minutes.   Normally, we drive 1 1/2 hours into New Hampshire and camp somewhere near the White Moutains, but we can't do that this year. 

Anyway.....I'll post tomorrow.  For now, it's time to check some emails, read my book and finally call it a night.

Good night my fellow bloggers!

Guess Who I Saw?......Part 2:

Yesterday I posted s 'sneak peek" about my trip to the store "Absolutely Everything" in Topsfield, Mass. to take a class by the very talented Tim Holtz.   It was a great class, full of fun, laughter, and wonderful techniques.  

Absolutely Everything is an average sized store owned by Kate in the little village of Topsfield in Massachusetts.   And, the store lives by its name.  They carry-----EVERYTHING!   Kate is a huge fan of Tim and has had him at her store for 3 or 4 years now (I could be wrong on this number--it could be more!).  Anyway, he usually comes for the entire weekend at this time of year.  I couldn't make it last year, but was determined to go this year.  And it was so worth it! 

As mentioned in yesterday's post, my daughter and I got up early to head down to Mass.  When we arrived, there were about 5 ladies in line.  This was about 7:45 a.m.   As I was shutting off my car, this other car pulls up right next to me and who is in it?   Kate, along with Tim and Mario.  We got out of the car at the same time as them and they were just so down to earth.  They said good morning and walked along with us to the entrance.   My daughter was speechless.  Me, well, I got kind of tongue-tied and said some mundane thing like:  "So, how do you like (almost said Maine which is where I live) Massachusetts"?  (what?!)  I felt---stupid!  It was about 60 degrees at that time of day and dry (so we thought), but Mario thought it was humid.   Well, living in Arizona where it's very dry, it probably did feel humid to him. 

Anyhoo---they went inside while we waited in line.   They left the door open for air flow and we noticed that they were stalking up on everything that is "Tim Holtz".   Here's one picture:  (sorry for the quality).

Wouldn't you know it, but on such an occasion when I need my camera to work, it doesn't!  Aarrgghh!  Just about every picture came out blurry.  I was sooooo mad!!

We were about 6 or 7 in line. 

Of course, within a half hour, there were many more--nearly 90 to be exact!  Because we were so close to the front of the line, we were able to find a good seat---I grabbed one right up front! 

That's my seat with the green jacket and my daughter sitting across from it.  This was while the ladies were still streaming in to find seats.

Tim was gracious enough to autograph our copy of his book "A Compendium of Curiosities (Book 2)" before the class started.  Of course, my photo is blurry, but I think it had to do with the gal who was trying to take the pic.  I think she was a bit nervous.

  
                Signing the book  

Finally, class started and it was great!  I learned some great new techniques including one that uses a very INVENTIVE tool by Tim.  You'll never guess what it is!  And it's not very expensive---another plus!  Ready?.....................

A Pen!

Honest!  A real pen, but it has to be a clickable one.  All you  do is press the tip gently into the foil and twist to create a faux rivet!  Cool, huh? 

And this is what we made:

The photo above is Tim's, not mine. 

 Below is my version:

Do you see all the circles with a tiny pin point one in the center?  Those are the faux rivets created by the pen.  Ingenious!   

The name of the class was "Heart and Soul".   The class incorporated a paper mache' heart, a square configurations box,  Ranger's Metal Foil Tape Sheet, sprocket gears, word keys, a lightbulb, chain tassel,  and other embellies.   This class wasn't as difficult as it looked.  I loved the new techniques so much that I'm now inspired to use the foil on wood shapes, frames and anything else I can find and see how I can transform them. 

I so wish that I could've taken the other classes offered over the weekend but I had to drive back up to Maine to go to work for 6:00 plus there weren't any cancellations.  These classes fill up fast!  Matter of fact, there were ladies from Colorado, Canada, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee, to name a few.    I can't believe that so many would come from so far away to Kate's little store in Topsfield, Mass.

Here are more pictures of the day:

Tim acting like a goofball while our picture was being taken. 

Of course, we had to have a pic with Mario!

Jackie working on her foil heart.

Me adding Ranger Alcohol Inks to my foiled heart.

Ahh, the hands of a true artist!

Tim teaching

Tim had to fix a wheel on the box.  These wheels

were not easy to put on!

And one last picture because I thought the first one had come out awful.  Well, this one is worse!  oh well.  The young woman taking it, admitted afterward that she takes horrible pictures.  (g-r-o-a-n)

Thank you, bloggers, for stopping by.  As Tim would say:  "Always stay curious!"

Guess Who I Saw Today?!

Yup, the man himself---Tim Holtz!!!   My daughter and I woke up at 5:30 this morning to make the trip down to Mass. to get there early enough to get a good seat.  The event was held down at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, Mass. and it was fantastic!   But, I'll share more tomorrow and I'll share pictures too!  Both Tim and Mario are so down to earth and really nice guys.  Love 'em!! 

So Many Things To Share---Good and Bad

I am so sorry that I haven't posted in almost a month, but so much has been going on.   I'm not sure where to start, so I'll start with the most important and go  from there.  This is a long post, so I hope you'll bear with me and read to the end. 

The most tragic thing to happen was that my dad passed away quite suddenly on April 17th.  It's a day I will never forget.  I got a call at 9:37 a.m. from my sister who could barely get the words out.  At first, I didn't know who was calling me.  I nearly hung up thinking it was a crank phone call.  My sister was so upset that she didn't even talk for almost 15 seconds and when she did the first words she said was "Dad just died".  I was totally stunned and shocked and then I cried.  And cried.  And cried.  It was the most heart-wrenching phone call I have ever received. 

Dad had been passing out almost daily in the last month and had already been diagnosed since last October with pulmonary fibrosis.  We thought he still had at least a year or more left, according to some doctors.  Two weeks previously, Dad was told to use a wheelchair or electric scooter to get around the house and yard as just walking a few steps would cause him to fall and pass out.  That morning, April 17th, Dad got out of bed and collapsed, never to wake again.   I called my daughter and along with my youngest daughter we headed to Mass. where my parents live to help out my mother and to see my dad one last time before his body was to be picked up.  It was so surreal to me.  I walked through the doors and expected to see Dad sitting by the tv, but he wasn't there.  Mom was doing well until the men from the funeral home had to take his body out.  She just broke down and sobbed over and over "This is the last time he'll be in the house".  I just lost it right then and there. 

The next few days were tough, but as I made 8 memory boards --yes EIGHT---showing his life from boyhood to his last days and,  I found myself smiling, sometimes laughing and remembering some great times.  It was therapy for me as well.   

Dad was buried on April 21st--another day that will forever be etched in my memory.  Why?  Not because of the obvious, but because it was my birthday.   My brothers and sisters said happy birthday and wanted to do something, but I told them that it was Dad's day and not mine.  Later that evening, once I was home, my husband had gone out and bought me a 3 1/2 pound lobster!  I had never seen one so big.  And it was delicious!  I hadn't eaten in 2 days and at that point, I was hungry.  

And something else that really brought a smile was a Memorial Tree.  My daughter's friend bought us a cherry tree to plant in memory of my father.  She originally wanted to get us a magnolia tree as that was what was given to her when her baby daughter had passed way last year.  She kept telling me that it wouldn't offend her if I returned it for something else, but I told her that I was going to keep the cherry tree because it was perfect.  You see, my father had a cherry tree in the corner of the yard and he loved it, so it was meant to be.  I wonder if Dad whispered the idea in her ear?   We planted the tree about a week after he was buried.   I can't wait until next spring to see it's first blossoms.

 It's been 3 weeks now and I'm doing better.   Dad is resting in peace and isn't suffering anymore.  I will miss him....always.

On another note, I've been swamped with swaps that needed to be out by the 28th.  One of them was the Altered Cigar Box swap over at Mini Album Scraps.  This is what I sent to Alina:

She wanted a Steampunk theme and this is what I came up with.  I made a video for YouTube which can be seen here:
http://youtu.be/uaVCSpoJ5yU

We also had to make a handmade item and fill the box with at least $20 worth of goodies.  Here are the goodies I sent:

And here is the handmade item:   An explosion box using Tim Holtz Lost and Found papers---

And here are more pictures of the outside:

And this is what I received from Alina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TjTmIztiW38

She totally spoiled me rotten!  I just LOVE all my goodies!

And, on April 27th and 28th, my daughter, Jackie, and I attended the Creating Keepsakes Convention (CKC) in Manchester, NH.  We went down on a Thursday and came home on Sunday.  Of course, we spent lots of money and had alot of fun. 

The pool was supposed to be heated but it was cold!

Proof that we were first in line for the vendor fair.  We got up at 6 a.m. and
arrived at the hotel to be in line for 7:15.  The doors to the vendor didn't open until 9.


A demo at the Kiwi Lane Designs booth.  They're fairly new but their simple
designs create some fantastic pages!

Jackie won one of the door prizes at the Button Farm class!  She was so excited because she almost bought this same mini kit at the booth.

Angela (in the middle)--owner of The Button Farm in my home state of Maine. 
 I just  LOVE her classes and minis. 

Attending one of the Quick Quotes classes---this one was "Gimme Dat Bling"

 Jackie and me doing a make n take at the Quick Quotes booth

Just a FEW of the bags that hold all the goodies I bought at CKC!

 Here's Jackie with a few of her bags of goodies.

Well, that's it.  That's all I have to share.  It's been a busy April--with good and bad, but my faith is keeping me strong.  I hope you'll stop by again as I'll have more things to share again--probably next week.

Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend.