Snow day

Friday was an icy, bone-chilling day. Woke up to the sound of sleet hitting my window but still had to go to the office for a few hours. We were sent home at 10:30 so it wasn't terrible since the worst of the weather hit my house around noon. Fortunately, I was able to hitch a ride in to work and back home again so I didn't have to show my non-existent winter driving skills. (thank you Rick and Chad!) I was glad to have a few extra hours to do some things I've been procrastinating on including getting some cards ready to mail. I even got a few new ones made in my extra hours.

The neighbors were out playing, so I couldn't be left out. I got to ride on the 4 wheeler with the boy next door and watched Ms. Lynn entertain some of the neighbors' kids. She pulled out a sled from the garage (who knew we had one?) and a plastic wading pool for them to slid down our driveway. Then she gave rides in the street to a couple of the girls. Looked like fun! I rode with my neighbors to rent movies and we all had dinner Friday night.

Thank you, Kristina, for sharing your pictures!! To see more of Kristina's pictures, check out her blog post about the snow at Mouthy Kid, Moody Mom.

Saturday was a lazy day watching the rest of the movies but today I've been productive cleaning and baking cookies I owe my friend Kenny for his birthday - in December! Better late than never. :)

It was a very good long weekend

I had a busy but fun long weekend when we were off for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. I worked a few hours on Saturday morning to finish a really important project for the office. That wasn’t particularly fun but it was rewarding in getting it off my plate. Then I got to spend some time with a few of my favorite friends and neighbors as we wished Matt and Kerri farewell. They are moving to another city for his job and will be missed dearly. But it is an exciting opportunity for them, so that is the silver lining in their departure. It was a great party; Tara has a beautiful home and was a lovely hostess.

Sunday I went to church with my neighbors and got to visit Stacey at her Sunday school class. Stacey teaches a stretch and tone class (or stretch and groan depending on whom you ask) for First Assembly North. I was happy to see her smile at some of her regulars showing up in her other class as well. Love ya, Stacey! After church, I got to visit one of my favorite “Aunts.” Really she belongs to Kimberly and Debbie, but I want to be adopted. : ) Aunt Toots kept us laughing with her stories while Kimberly and Debbie were busy crafting. Debbie looked fabulous when she breezed in wearing her stylish, handmade hat and it warmed my heart to see her smiling and feeling like playing. It was good to visit with Anne, too. She stays so busy; it was nice to hear about some of her sewing projects firsthand – and to see her sewing efforts in person. Sunday she was wearing the resplendently redesigned sweater she made.

After I came home from another fun day at Kimberly’s, I packed up my beads and headed out to see the Chartreuse Butterfly, Charlisa. We had a great time talking and beading until about 3 in the morning. The next day, we went to Hughes to a big warehouse sale, where she bought some gorgeous fabric to reupholster her loveseat. Hughes is a tiny town; it’s hard to believe this warehouse was so busy on a Monday in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. But if you have a great sale, they will come! Cotton Country is the place to go if you need upholstery fabric at reasonable prices. Charlisa showed me some of the sites in her new town – and some unusual local residents.

Like so many main streets in small town America, lots of buildings are now empty. I can only imagine that the walls of this building are full of honey. Talk about a cleanup job from hell! Charlisa and I have been friends for many years now but I am constantly amazed at her talent. She walked me through some of the things giving me problems in my own jewelry making and made it seem quite simple.
Here’s some of the pieces we completed over the weekend.

I really love her sense of style. And here are some of the pieces she’s given me (including a couple of new ones for my birthday).

If I had lots of money, her Etsy shop, Chartreuse Butterfly, would be empty.

And in between all these things that kept me busy and happy over the weekend, I was able to dash across the street to see the boy next door and get a few hugs and kisses. It was a very good long weekend, indeed. : )

The boy next door

It's been a long time since I freely admitted I really liked a boy. It has been my experience that admitting to such was to invite disappointment. But the boy next door asked me out. He's good looking, smart, funny, and genuine. To say I was surprised by his interest is an understatement. I was pleased but nervous about this change in our intentions toward each other. He's been a good friend and I'd really hate to mess that up. We've had some funny, awkward moments working through what we've been to each other in the past and trying to decide where we are going from here. I am still reeling by how happy I feel, though. Giddy, even. This week I found a single, chocolate kiss outside my door. Who wouldn't be happy to find chocolate outside her door? I was really moved by this simple gesture more than if I'd found a lavish gift. My friends know I'm likely to cry at the littlest things so I'm sure it's no surprise this gesture brought tears to my eyes. He really is the sweetest thing and I feel like the luckiest girl in the whole world.