A Country Life

Camp in Autumn

2010-10-13T07:57:00.004-04:00

Believe it or not, I actually had the *ENTIRE* day off on Monday! No babies, no pizzas and wings, just me and the Code-Man! We took a trip down to Mooers, where we helped Pa get his garage in a box set up. We had a wonderful lunch thanks to the McDonald's Drive-Thru, then we went on to camp to close up for the season. Unfortunately due to the summer's circumstances, we did not have much of a chance to stay at our camp this summer. Hopefully, things will be different next year.
The campgrounds this time of year is gorgeous! There is a beautiful blanket of freshly fallen leaves in all different colors, and it is so quiet and peaceful down there that it just draws me like a magnet. We took Brodie with us-along with her lifetime companion, her tennis ball. We got everything packed up and then we took a nice walk in the sunny peaceful afternoon air. And I, of course, took some pictures!
My favorite thing to do is to take pics of people/pets walking away from me..and this one really hit me cause Cody is so BIG and I love how Brodie is looking up at him!

Brodie has to be THE most photogenic dog on the planet..and she actually lives up to her name here, Brodie Blue!
Of course, the only reason she sits still for photos at all is because we hold her tennis ball next to the camera!
This one melted my heart! I *LOVE* my camera!
Another one of Miss Blue...notice she is sporting her new yellow/green John Deere collar...she finally demolished her green/yellow one!
That concludes our pictorial of our day at camp! I feel like I missed out on so much this year not being down there... Have a lovely Wednesday everyone!

October 6

2010-10-06T14:57:00.004-04:00

I thought today was a fitting day to fire up the blog again. There have been many huge changes in my life in this past year, and so many things are different now. I thank you for being patient with me during these past few months, the support means the world to me.
In honor of getting my blog moving once again, todays post is dedicated to my grandparents, Russell and Naomi. They shared a marriage, a life together, a boatload of children, as well as good and bad times. They also shared a birthday. Although a couple years apart, they were both born on October 6th. They are no longer with us in person, but live on every day in the lives of their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. They live on in all of us in our hearts, our personalities, and they way we live our lives.
Love you Papa and Grandma, with all my heart.

Chick Update...

2010-05-31T11:19:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the funny farm! We are currently in the chick raising business! Two weeks ago, we got our first 27 chicks from a hatchery out in Iowa...this is what they looked like that day:

Here they are today, at 17 days old. They are WILD little critters!!

We also took some of Russell and Bernice's eggs (pure Dominique) and Pete's Mom has been hatching them for us in her incubator! We had 7 hatch last week. Today, Pete brought home 5 more! There are 13 more eggs incubating, due in a couple weeks..I can honestly say it has been fun, but we are not setting ANY MORE eggs! LOL...We are gonna have TOO MANY chickens!! We will probably have some extra Dominique roosters to get rid of in a couple months! Here are the Dominique babies:

They will be black and white checked like Russell and Bernice when they get big!

Happy Memorial Day!
**Keri**

NACS FFA Fair 2010

2010-05-24T06:05:00.002-04:00

Good Monday Morning! Thought I would share a few pics from last Friday, from the FFA fair. It was a gorgeous day, and very busy. They had a great turnout of visitors, and a huge number of animals..Pigs, goats, rabbits, fowl, cattle, even a miniature horse!
Cody brough Humphrey and Hawkeye for exhibition purposes, and he also brought Buttercup and Skittles, two of my chickens. He got a blue ribbon for his oxen, and the chickens! He was pretty excited. Here is Cody and his friend Dylan with their ribbons.

Humphrey and Hawkeye did not disappoint-they followed every command and did very well showing off at the fair!

They even pulled their tire with a little added weight behind it! LOL

Cody got interviewed for HomeTown Cable-should be on TV shortly..

It was a great day! Thanks to all those special people in our life that made a point to come up to the 'burg and support Cody...it really meant a lot!
Have a great day!
**Keri**

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T20:51:00.002-04:00

Guess what??
Turkeys apparently like the snow...Pete finally got one today..

Mom and Cody were less than cooperative with their giggles and blinks today while I was trying to get a cute photo of them...

Fortunately, Cody did a better job with a pic of me and Mom! This one is a scrapbook page, for sure!! Stay tuned!

Back to reality tomorrow!
**Keri**

Spring on the English River...

2010-04-25T08:14:00.004-04:00

Well, I have had my new camera for over a week now, and I gotta tell ya, I love it as much as I thought I would! The weather was gorgeous yesterday, and we were all crazy with getting stuff done. Here are a few pics from the last few days:
Our resident Canadian Geese couple that lives on our river bank. We just love to watch them raise their babies! Thank you, Kodak 26x zoom!!

And speaking of babies, what do you think of these two little pieces of heaven? Just look at those eyes!!

Here are a couple shots of my daffodils..they are going *crazy* these last few days..they are just so gorgeous-so many different colors and sizes. I take dozens of pictures of my daffodils every spring-this year is no different..I will spare you the pain of looking at them all-these are a few of my favorites! LOL

Humphrey and Hawkeye were *more* than excited to get outside for a snack yesterday...I swear, they have gotten SO BIG just in the last couple weeks! Their yoke barely fits any more, and we have to get a new one now! We do our best to make sure they are not bothered *at all* by our touch. Cody sits on them, we man handle their heads and horns, play with their legs, etc. Peter thought he would bug them yesterday while they ate..they weren't phased by him in the least!

Hoping for another nice day full of photo taking! Honey the dog has been here with us for a week-she is Kent's dog. But she won't sit still long enough to get her picture taken. SO...we are gonna try again today, as she goes home tomorrow afternoon. We will miss her!!

Have a blessed Sunday!

**Keri**

New cards...

2010-04-21T07:38:00.002-04:00

Since I have started doing daycare full time, I have very little time for creating...I have had a couple opportunities lately, though, and this is what I came up with...
Unfortunately, circumstances called for a sympathy card...Roses in Winter is my favorite stamp set to use for cards of this type...here is what I came up with. Very peaceful, I think:

My friend's son turned 12 yesterday, and this is what I came up with for his birthday card:

This is using a stamp set from Stampin' Up!

Have a great day!
**Keri**

Gotta sweet tooth?

2010-04-18T19:04:00.002-04:00

Thought I would put together a post about some recent goodies that have been floating around the LaClair house...like I need ANY treats??
Being a wife and mom, I once again this year made my *own* birthday treats. I opted for cupcakes this year-easier to share with people..less for me to eat! My sweet friend Brenna made cupcakes like this on St. Pats, and I thought they looked SO COOL that I decided to try some of my own for my birthday..they were SO GOOD and everyone loved them! All you do is make a white cake mix, and color the batter with food coloring!

I also got SO MANY treats for my birthday this year...A whole gift bag full of berries..yes, a GIFT BAG full of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries...a platter of chocolate heart shaped brownies, and a fruit pizza. Thanks Jenn! It all was wonderful!
Lisa made me brownie bites..they were so good!
Tiny brownie cups with white filling, and a strawberry slice on each one. They were divine, too! Judy brought me a whole plate full of Puddles of Yum...needless to say, I was not starving that week, and I walked a WHOLE lot to make up for the sweets!

A couple weeks later, for Easter, I made some easter egg cupcakes...obviously, this was my first attempt at frosting grass, and these tinies had been to Mooers and back before I took the pic. They were mini cupcakes, so three of these = one regular one...munch away!!

For Easter dessert at Mom's, she made they cool little pies in canning jars. She did chocolate, strawberry, and blueberry. They were so good! We found the idea for them online, and they say you can make them up and freeze them before baking, then pull them out of the deep freeze and bake! These are a great gift idea!!

Back to work tomorrow! Where did the weekend go? Furthermore, I had a few days off last week...where did they go? Here's hoping the weather is better this week! I have never taken the phrase April showers so literal until this year!
**Keri**

The newest innovation in oxen headgear...

2010-04-11T08:48:00.002-04:00

You are not gonna *believe* your eyes, this is such an awesome idea! LOL...it all started a few weeks ago, after one of the big boys scraped up the other one with his horn one night. He had huge scratches all over his side, some of them even bloody. It happens from time to time, along with other horn related mishaps..Several people have been on the receiving end of a nasty blow to the melon while trying to get these big guys their fresh water. I have not, thank goodness, but I hear it will knock you to your knees. They don't do it on purpose, mind you, they are just SO BIG and there isn't a huge amount of room to maneuver inside the barn. Brock said something one day about putting metal tips on their horns, I am sure there is a name for them, that I don't know, but I said, well, in the meantime, just stick some rubber bouncy balls on the tips of their horns...then that turned into tennis balls...and we said--man, wouldn't it be funny if Pete came home from work some night, and went into the barn, only to find Jacob and Red with tennis balls on their horns?? We could act like we thought it was *THE* coolest idea, and were serious, and see if we could get him going. So being just before April 1st, we decided that would be a good day to try it. WELL, those darned buzzards looked SO FUNNY with those flippin' tennis balls on their heads, that we could hardly stop laughing long enough for Peter to notice them...well, once he did, he actually LAUGHED!! Most people who know Pete, know that it has to be REALLY FUNNY for him to laugh...so although our trick didn't go off like we hoped, it was funny, and I got a couple cute photos!!

3 Generations of Farmers

2010-04-06T08:03:00.001-04:00

So, I had this *GREAT* idea about a month back...of course, I thought it was great, but try getting 4 human beings of the MALE persuasion to pose for a photograph..HA!! Well, I thought, they can't get away at Easter...and Peter and Cody have to do what I say...Daddy? Mom can handle him...he has to do what she says...Kent? I just bugged him to death til he did what I wanted just to shut me up! Since Cody started taking Ag in school and joined FFA, he has had some very pleased relatives in his father, uncle, and pa. Daddy was in FFA back when NACS was Ellenburg Central School, so his coat is 50+ years old. Peter and Kent were in FFA back in the 80's. And of course, your FFA coat is something you NEVER part with...right up there with a wedding gown, prom dress, and scout uniforms! I thought it would be such a great idea to get a pic of the 4 of them together, all with their jackets! Of course, 3 of them had to hold their jackets as they are a bit bigger now than they were in the past, but they all cooperated very nicely and look at the cute photo I got! Daddy had bragging rights cause he had so many medals on his coat, then Kent pointed out the fact that you are only supposed to have a small amount of them displayed on the outside of your jacket-the rest have to be hidden on the inside...They were like 4 kids! I have some FFA scrapbooking goodies on the way to me from Ebay, so look for a scrapbook page soon!

Easter Weekend Re-cap...

2010-04-05T10:27:00.003-04:00

What a quick weekend it was! The weather was gorgeous, and that just added to the great holiday weekend! It was busy, as usual-errands to run, chores to get caught up on..I found myself cleaning the chicken coop at 6:00 pm last night, Easter night! Duty calls, right?
Friday was a great day, I actually had a bit of time to myself, and I spent is outside reading a great book! After a trip to Plattsburgh for groceries on Saturday morning, the "boys" got the "boys" out...Pete, Cody, and Brock, got out their respective oxen teams out of the barn for some fresh air. Red and Jacob were happy to be out with Brock, as were Hawkeye and Humphrey with Cody. It was *very* warm that day, so they weren't pushed too hard..
Here is Cody with his team:

Both teams together for size comparison:

Humphrey gettin' a little lovin'!

I gotta say, this whole oxen training/commands thing is SO hard to get my mind around...I just stand there and take pictures..it really drives me NUTS when I don't know how to do something, and this situation fits the bill for sure!

Apparently, Easter is not what it used to be at the LaClair house. I had to DRAG my 14 year old out of bed at 9 am yesterday, and MAKE him look at his Easter basket...you would think the candy would be a BIT tempting!

Here's to a great week-thanks for dropping in!

**Keri**

9 Hazels and Buttercup...

2010-03-23T08:30:00.001-04:00

Say hello to our newest additions: 10 Red Star laying hens. They are all pretty much identical, so instead of giving them all names, I named them all Hazel. BUT one of them stands out (at least to Cody) and he can tell her apart from the rest, so she is Buttercup.

I get an egg a day from each of them, most days. Started painting up a sign for selling eggs...already have quite a few customers interested!

They are really gentle birds, you can pet them pick them up, and they are VERY curious. Just one problem. they are bullying Bernice...so we are working on that problem now...Rusty protects her, but he is rough with her too..if you get my drift....um. hummm....

Have a great day!
**Keri**

Baby Flapper Hat

2010-03-19T12:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday!! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I had this post half done on Friday, and that is where it stayed..half done in draft form. So here we go again! Maybe I will get it done this time!
A dear friend of mine just had a new grand daughter! Grace Morgin was born on March 16th. And this hat was about 2/3 finished! So that put my bee-hind in gear! As usual, I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like, in my head! Luckily, I pulled it off! Take a look at this newborn flapper hat, pure white crocheted, with double layer crocheted flowers as an accent! All hand made by yours truly! Not too bad for teaching myself how to crochet a little over a year ago!

Here is an awesome close-up of the flowers....they are made out of embroidery floss...

I hope they like it!
Have a great day.
**Keri**

Snow Angels

2010-03-16T10:33:00.002-04:00

Would you believe that I have had this page half posted for about 3 days now? Walked away to deal with something else, and never came back!
This is the last page I have been able to complete. Have some paper and photos pulled for the next one, but it is anyone's guess what THAT will be completed!
Pete took this photo of Judy and I, the day we went ice fishing...we are barely recognizable! It was SO COLD out there that day, I shudder to remember. I thought these cute little snowmen were the perfect background for these two raving beauties in all their glory....
The paper is MME, SU, letters are MME, and Grungeboard..this one was actually alot of peel and stick..not too involved!

Here is a close up of how some of the elements "pop" off the page...

Here is to a fast flying Thursday. So much to do, and never enough hours in the day. Still trying to get these chickens settled, and have a few projects to finish up for gifts...And as always, people in this house like to eat and be clothed!!
Have a great day!
**Keri**

Our latest oxen excursion...

2010-03-12T11:55:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday and a TGIF to everyone! Boy, will this week ever end? Thought I would share a few photos from our latest outing with the oxen. Humphrey and Hawkeye have been suffering from cabin fever, and boy, were they wild when they got outside last weekend! Running, jumping, kicking and romping-it was quite a sight! They have grown so much over the winter, we were unsure if their yoke would even fit. It ended up still fitting, but with no extra room to spare. It is gonna be time to upgrade very soon!

Considering they have been in the barn all winter, they did calm down pretty fast, and they did pretty good with their commands and just walking along together in their yoke. They took a walk up the road, and came back to the house. They were exhausted by the time they made it back to the yard. They immediately started eating the snowbank!

Have a great day!

**Keri**

Puppy Love...

2010-03-09T05:49:00.002-05:00

Remember when I said on Facebook that I was gonna scrapbook on Sunday? I did get it done, just not until Monday! I was kind of "stuck" as to what to do with the title...I wanted it in a circle, but I couldn't get the letters stamped evenly. Then I found these "Thickers" letter stickers at Michael's and knew they were perfect! Much easier to position, too! This is a photo that I took the first day we brought Brodie home. She was so tiny back then! And yes, this was in Cody's "long hair" stage, 3 years ago. I had the photo printed at www.scrapbookpictures.com where you can add all kinds of borders and enhancements. I get a LOT of my photos printed there...they have a ton of sizes to choose from, 3 different finishes, and a million different combinations of borders...I just love this picture!! I do believe this was the one and only day Brodie was remotely calm....

Here is a close up of the letters..yep, they *are* glittery! And the sticker in the center had such a cute saying on it...They are from a whole sheet of doggie stickers from the lovely Lisa Renea ! See? I am using them! Love em, LR! I framed the white cardstock circle with a round chipboard ring from Stampin' Up!. Patterned cardstock is My Mind's Eye, solid cardstock is from SU! Letters are Thickers and other stickers are from 7 Gypsies.

The last shot just shows another close up of some of the other stickers from the sheet that I used. I added little "bullets" by each saying, using the extra stickers from the letter sticker package. I think they were periods or colons or some such.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest creation! I have a whole stack of photos and ideas brewing in my brain, so hopefully, more to come!!

**Keri**

3 Pack

2010-03-02T07:19:00.003-05:00

Look at this! I finished another scrapbook layout!! Two in a week, miracles happen!
I took this pic of the boys when we took them bowling after Christmas. It was perfect! All smiling, no goofy faces or tongues sticking out, just perfect! The boys have been in school together since Kindergarten, and are quite the threesome. They all have very similar hobbies and have always gotten along very well. They are all very good kids-polite, and always willing to help out.

The paper I used for this layout is from Basic Grey. I loved the colors and had been saving it for something special.

I made the giant "3" and the word "pack" out of chipboard that I had covered with matching paper. I got to try out my new Martha Stewart craft knife on the word "pack"..it worked great!

I used an assortment of cardstock on this page-Stampin Up!, Doodlebug Bazzill, and DCWV. Journaling was simple snippits of cardstock labeled, and stapled...Didn't want to dress it up too much, as it is showcasing three boys! So ribbon was out of the question...I did use some tiny blue fasteners on the corners of one of the cardstock layers, and they look cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

**Keri**

another reason I will be happy when winter is over...

2010-02-26T07:11:00.003-05:00

But then again--it will just switch from rabbits back to turkeys... this never ends! Here is Cody with his latest rabbit. There are very few things i am unwilling to cook--I have cooked partridge (Shake n Bake), turkeys, deer, goose, heck, I might even consider bear..keep in mind I am saying COOK..not EAT...but I don't think I can cook a rabbit...seriously!!

But I can't help but be proud at the young man he is growing up to be. So responsible and kind. To people, anyway....
Have a Blessed Friday!
**Keri**

Winter has arrived!!

2010-02-25T09:06:00.002-05:00

Yup! We finally got some snow! It was so perfectly quiet outside this morning, that I had to go out and take a few photos of the trees. It was gorgeous, even though I LOATHE the snow! You can see the chicken coop on the front end of the barn in this first shot...

Up the road...

Down the road...

Won't be doing any plowing anytime soon...

Spring can come *anytime*!!
Have a great day!
**Keri**

Dear Brother...

2010-02-23T08:17:00.002-05:00

Would you believe, that after weeks of these pieces sitting around in my craft room, that I finally finished this page??

Cody took these pics of Neil and I on Christmas day at Mom and Daddy's. They turned out pretty good, and it was something different to be able to scrapbook, rather than the usual dead animal photos!!

This one is really 3 dimensional--lots of thick layers...and I had been hoarding away this paper for something special, I love the color combinations..

All of the embellishments were raw chipboard pieces, that I either covered with patterned paper, or painted.

Here is the finished project- it is a 12x12 page. I used so many different supplies from so many different places, that I am not even going to attempt to list them all. If you want to know something specific as far as products, shoot me an email and I will go confirm the source..

Have a great day!

**Keri**

Valentine Cards

2010-02-09T09:11:00.003-05:00

Good morning! I thought I would share some recent creations with you. I made up these Valentines a week ago- I had such fun with them! They are made with a variety of die cuts, and embossing folders, as well as stamps and ribbons.

These first two were made with SU! stamps, as well as Nestabilities dies and the Top Note die from SU! I just LOVE the scalloped square shaped card!! Patterned paper on these cards is from SU! and Basic Grey.

Here are the other two cards I made. I used the SU! Top Note die, SU! stamps, and a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The card on the left actually has a circular window in it, with the stamped image peeking through. Patterned paper on these two cards was from my "unknown" stash.
Here is the stamped image. After I colored it, I coated it with Crystal Effects for some dimension. Hope you like em'! Happy Valentine's Day!

**Keri**

First Rabbit....

2010-02-08T08:36:00.003-05:00

Cody had another big first yesterday--his first rabbit! If you want to know the truth, I can't believe he shot it...After having Rocky, the pet rabbit for several years, I never thought he would be able to do it, but he is growing up, and he got it! Thankfully, the rabbit was quite "patient" and sat their until Cody got him with the third shot! Dylan was here this weekend and took the photos so I didn't have to see the creature first hand. I have my limits, and this is one of them. Cody was a gentleman and asked me permission to hunt rabbits ahead of time yesterday, cause he knows how I feel about bunnies, and then he resisted the urge to talk about it for the rest of the afternoon after the deed was done. He did tell me that if there ever was a rabbit to shoot, this one was it--it was UGLY looking and DUMB cause it didn't know enough to run away after the first shot was fired. Gave Cody some good practice!!

Isn't he adorable? (Code-man, of course!)

Regardless of my feelings on the matter, I am so proud of my young man for being so responsible, and considerate, and above all else SO COOL!!

**Keri**

Easy Valentine's Day Treat...

2010-02-07T13:26:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Thanks for being faithful "checkers" of my blog--things have been crazy these past few weeks, but I did want to thank you ALL for your kind words and sentiments at the loss of my Grandmother. You all were such faithful supporters of hers, and I appreciate you all so much!
My two daycare babies are keeping me VERY busy...I have not had much time at all for craftiness-but things are getting better and moving along much smoother, so I hope to make more time in the evenings to get things back on track!
One thing that is an added benefit of having babies in the house again, is the baby food jars! I don't have a lot of them yet, but enough for me to think up something cool to do with them! I cleaned them up really good, and spray painted the lids, some pink, some red. I decorated them with strips of Valentine paper, and embellished them with cute little stamped pieces. Last but not least, I filled them with Valentine red, pink, and white M&M's! These are gonna be the perfect little treat for the sweethearts in my life! Bring on the baby food jars!!

These guys are really cute, and really easy to make...anyone can spray a lid with a bit of spraypaint--and if you don't have babies, but applesauce or bananas and stir it in with your yogurt so it doesn't go to waste! Patterned paper is available by the sheet, or the pack, in the craft section at WalMart, Joann's, or Michaels. And I got regular and PEANUT BUTTER holiday M&M's at Walmart!!

Have a blessed day!
**Keri**

Remembering Omi...

2010-01-14T09:07:00.006-05:00

Good morning...I am sure many of you have already read or heard the news, that Omi has gone to be with the Lord!! It is a sad time for all of us, but a time to rejoice and celebrate Grandma's life, and the fact that she is now in Heaven with our Lord and her loved ones who went on before her!! She passed away on Tuesday afternoon, and it has been my task to sort, scan, and burn photos for a DVD presentation at the services. I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you all.

In this first one, Grandma is the little girl. It is the youngest photo of her that I could find. It seems funny to see her as a little girl!

In this next photo, Grandma is standing on a porch with a dog. The back of the photo says that she is 16, and the dog's name is Rollie!
Here is Naomi with her snowshoes...She looks pretty cute with that sassy hat!!

Here is Papa and Grandma. No name of this dog on the photo, but I believe this one is early on, also. Aren't they adorable??

I just want to take this time to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and condolences. They are all appreciated so very much. Please continue to pray for my family over these next few days!

**Keri**

Country Boys..

2010-01-12T09:23:00.003-05:00

Here is my latest creation..It had been sitting around half done since last week- I finished it last night-my new printer came in handy!
The title is a line from a song--I *very often* use lines from songs, or even song titles, in my scrapbook layouts..when I heard this line from a song- I knew it described Pete and Cody perfectly...as well as this photo!

Unsure of the brand of paper-I know it came from Michael's. The chipboard "&" is SU! and the red letters are Grungeboard. Ribbon is SU!

Thanks for stopping in!

**Keri**

Handcrafted Christmas...

2010-01-05T09:24:00.003-05:00

We got the greatest surprise on Christmas morning! My younger brother made everyone some beautiful handcrafted gifts this year!
The first gift was this great towel/cloth drying rack to go by my kitchen sink. It is made out of hardwood, and protected with Tung oil against wetness! It is perfectly made, and I just love it! It is very simple and has beautiful lines. And above all else, useful!

Our second gift was this gorgeous handcrafted trinket box. It is made of reclaimed redwood, and reclaimed pallet wood. There are no nails or screws, and it was done completely with a table saw. Every single line, and angle matches up perfectly! The lid slides open and closed, and even has a feature on the end of the lid where it "locks" it into place. It is coated with protectant, and is so perfectly smooth and shiny! I just love it. I love both gifts, not only because they are beautiful, but because they came from the heart!

I think I may have my brother talked into making some stuff for me to put in my shop! I think the towel racks would be a good seller, as he can produce them quickly and they are very versatile-something everyone can use, and they would be a great gift for the hard to buy for person! I may also make up some dish cloths to include in a package deal.
SO--he is quite the talent, right? I am impressed, but I am also very biased! Totally cool!
Have a great day, and thanks for checking in!
**Keri**

Snow Buddy

2010-01-04T12:25:00.002-05:00

Hello and Happy Monday!! I am so glad to be back to my normal (although chaotic) schedule! I do not do well on my own, with nothing to do. I function best on a schedule. Lord knows I have that with babies in the house!

I did manage to get another scrapbook page done yesterday amongst the bill paying and catching up on chores around the house. This will probably be the last Christmas/Snow related layout for a while, as I am so sick of winter right now!!

Most of the goodies in this layout are from Stampin Up. I think the green chipboard letters are from Walmart. Most of my supplies are quite a few years old, as I was a crazy buyer but not a crazy crafter for some time. Now I have quit buying for the most part, and want to start actually USING those supplies!?

This was a photo from last winter, one of the ones that didn't make the Christmas card cut for last year's card. It was really cute, though-and the black and white went well with this retired DSP Wintergreen from Stampin Up. The chipboard ring is covered with patternened paper, and lifted off the page a bit, with 3-d foam dots.

We are in the process today of getting *someone* to realize he doesn't have to be held while he sleeps...not a fun deal, but necessary in my case, with more than one baby.

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

**Keri**

Peace...Harley's Last Christmas...

2010-01-02T10:51:00.002-05:00

A layout I completed yesterday of a pic of Harley from last Christmas. HER last Christmas, little did we know. She *loved* to lay out in Peter's trophy room under the tree, or just sit next to it and look out the door. She also hated to have her picture taken so every photo I have of her, was either taken while she was distracted by something else, or not paying attention to me! I tried to keep it simple-let the photo speak for itself.
Paper is K & Co., snowflakes are felt cut outs from SU! Letters are chipboard Buzz and Bloom, painted green.

Well, here we are, vacation is almost over! I have a few more decorations to take down, but I am really not feeling it today!! The chicken coop needs to be cleaned, too, but I am not feeling that, either. I am only feeling COLD right now!

Have a great day!

**Keri**

Frosty Friends...

2009-12-30T16:03:00.003-05:00

Here is a scrapbook page I did today, while I watched my soaps. I had this 8x8 inch photo printed at the same time I had the Christmas card photos printed. Patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye, cardstock is SU! Snowflakes are My Mind's Eye and letters are Basic Grey and QK.

Thanks for looking!

**Keri**

The Sweetest Gift....

2009-12-28T20:14:00.002-05:00

I got such a surprise in the mail today! The Lord gave me a very special friend several years ago-and we are truly two of a kind in most ways! She surprised me with a Christmas gift that has to be the SWEETEST gift ever! You know, one of those presents where you don't know what to expect, and you start choking back the tears, then you realize there isn't any way they are gonna stay choked back?? Yep, I balled my ever lovin' eyes out in the middle of my kitchen floor!
Judy sent me this lovely wall hanging from clear across the state. She lives out in Central NY, and she is also my Stampin' Up! demo. She told me she had loved this photo ever since I posted it back last summer. Unfortunately, shortly after this photo was taken, we lost our old girl. We were and still are heartbroken. The holidays had us feeling a bit lost-Harley loved her presents and wrapping paper! Judy said she was a bit apprehensive about making and sending this gift, but in the end decided she would. Am I ever glad she did! What a heartwarming and special gift...it is something I will cherish forever!! The frame is just as beautiful!

Here is a pic of the card that accompanied my gift--and let me say that I would not want to make more than a few of these!!

Just beautiful, and so tedious and complicated! WOW!! I love the colors, too!!

So, even though I have already spoken to the creator and expressed my thanks, I thank you again, JUDY, for the wonderful, and thoughtful gift!! They were happy tears!!

Have a great night, and stay warm!

**Keri**

Play...

2009-12-27T12:37:00.002-05:00

You are not gonna believe your eyes, my friends! I completed a scrapbook page last night! This page was originally started at camp, yes, CAMP back the first week of August!! I had about half of it done, but just couldn't figure out exactly what to do next, so I kept coming back to it, then it would get shoved aside for something else (STARS). I finally got that pit I call a craft room cleaned last night, so I thought this would be my opportunity...I got this really cute pic of Cody and Bea last summer, and I knew it would be a perfect match for this paper I had laying around...I mean there is only so much you can do with bicycle paper...and it is so hard to keep the pages -not so- feminine sometimes!...so here it is!!

The flowers are layered die cuts, with large brads in the centers. The letters are that funky Tim Holtz grungeboard. Kind of feels like really thick suede. I painted them, and added rub ons over the paint. The photo was printed at scrapbookpictures.com.
Let me know what you think!!
Have a happy Sunday!
**Keri**

Christmas Trees AGAIN!

2009-12-25T22:01:00.004-05:00

Here are the last two trees..I ran out of time yesterday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas today! We are very tired tonight, after opening presents here this morning, we spent the first part of our day at Mom and Daddy's. Then the second part of our day was spent in Churubusco at Peter's Mom's house! I am glad to be home..
Tree number 5 is our family tree in the livingroom. It is 7.5 feet tall. It holds all of my handmade ornaments, Cody's ornaments, etc. I call it the mish mash tree. I put colored lights on this tree, and the topper is a Boyd's Bear santa-hugging the tree top.

This is tree number 6! This tree is in Peter's trophy room. It is 9 feet tall and I have white lights on it. This tree has all sorts of rusty ornaments on it. Snowflakes, stars, jingle bells...as long as it is rusty, it will fit in! It also has a LOT of pinecones, berries, and of course, my german stars! It fits in very well with the rest of the room! I always hate to take this one down!!
Have a great night!! Merry Christmas!

**Keri**

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:49:00.002-05:00

Trees 2, 3, and 4!

2009-12-23T06:50:00.005-05:00

Good morning! Would you believe I had this window open all day yesterday, and never got the post up? Things are slowly coming together at the LaClair house-my elves started wrapping gifts last night...that was a great relief-plus, it kept the elves out of my hair while I was baking!
I was very productive yesterday, got a LOT of baking done, as well as many other loose ends...including getting photos taken of my other trees!
Here is tree number 2--this one is up in our bedroom, in the dormer. I have always liked these white trees, they seem kind of retro to me, and it goes in our bedroom perfectly with all the blue and white...it is blindingly bright at night, with white lights ON the white tree...I have strictly blue and white decorations on it--I found some great snowflakes at Michaels this year to add.
Here is tree number 3. This is a new addition this year--I got it for Cody to put in his room. He barely has any decorations on it--if you look closely you can see Homer Simpson hanging on for dear life as the topper!! He has M&M lights of different colors on his tree.
This is tree number 4. This is also a new addition this year. I have accumulated MANY John Deere ornaments over the years. Mom let me use this extra smaller tree she had, and I added solid green, and solid yellow strands of lights. I also made some green and yellow star ornaments, and some baling twine wreaths. Topped it off with the hat! It looks really cool in the dark!!

So that is it! I will try to get trees 5 and 6 posted later today, or tomorrow! Have a great day!
**Keri**

Tree Number ONE!

2009-12-17T19:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a pic of tree number one. It is the "Grandma" Tree. I put it up in our kitchen. It is a 4 foot tree, and I decorate it using vintage ornaments that belonged to my Grandmothers, as well as Peter's Grandmother. They are very old, very breakable, and above all else, very beautiful! I finish it off with old fashioned lights, and tinsel like Omi used to use...adding one strand at a time!

Here are a couple of ornamnets I added to the tree, that are my favorites from childhood that Mom gave to me. The cheesy retro santa and elf from the 60's!

Thanks for stopping by, I will be adding more of our trees in the coming days!!
Have a good night!
**Keri**

A look into Rusty's Place...

2009-11-22T07:42:00.003-05:00

Okay, here is the evidence!! I was so excited yesterday when the boys came in and said Bernice had laid 2 eggs!! I finished up what I was doing in the house, headed out with my egg carton, and by the time I got out there, there was a THIRD egg!! SO--here is the deal..if you want a dozen fresh eggs from Rusty's place, give me two weeks notice, and keep in mind that some of the eggs will be fresher than others!!!

So, we spent a lot of time in the barn yesterday, I cleaned the coop and the boys cleaned the barn. I decided I would take a few pics of what the barn looks like "fully loaded" so to speak. With Jacob and Red inside, it sure is fully loaded!! We have Jacob and Red, the oxen, along with 3 heifers, and the three calves. Humphrey and Hawkeye are the little oxen, and Hamburg is, well, Hamburg...you can only see Hamburg's butt by Pete's legs!!

The barn is nice and cozy warm. They have classic rock from Montreal playing in the background, and we are almost set for winter!

Here is a photo from last weekend, of Cody with both sets of oxen. I posted this one of Facebook last week. Quite a size difference, huh?
On a side note, I have been *SUPER* busy getting orders made, and shipped out, for my shop. I have been making about 4 dozen German stars a day!! I am sure things will slow down once people get their Christmas trees up and decorated!
I got all my Thanksgiving and fall decorations down yesterday, so I can begin getting my trees up and decorated. All in all, things are very busy here!!
Have a good Sunday!
**Keri**

Re-cap!

2009-11-11T19:14:00.004-05:00

I know, I know...this poor neglected blog!!
Here is a bit of a catch up...I promise I will try to do better! The good news is, I have been so busy with etsy orders that I haven't had time to devote to the blog!!
Here are a couple of pics from Halloween:
My trick or treats--most of which Cody ate:

My scariest trick or treater EVER!!

And my Peanuts, along with all of our carved pumpkins!!

Peter's 4 pointer::

Sprinkles the Moose, who has moved in next door to our house::

And the latest picture of Cody with Humphrey and Hawkeye...They are growing fast, all three of them!!

Thanks for stopping by!
**Keri**

Happy 14th Birthday, Cody!!

2009-10-28T06:12:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to my baby boy! He is 14 today! What a difference from 14 years ago, huh? And a few people have told me that he may resemble his father....(HA!) The only thing he got from me is my gift of gab....Happy Birthday, I love you!!

2009-10-27T07:59:00.002-04:00

Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale Sale!!

Free shipping in my shop on all greeting cards, and German Star ornaments, from today, until Sunday!! Go visit now for best selection!!

**Keri**

Our newest guests!!

2009-10-22T18:49:00.003-04:00

Hi there! I know, the silence was deafening!! I have been so busy folding star ornaments these past few weeks, and painting slates, that I have not been on my blog at ALL!!
I thought I would catch you all up on the status of the new farm!!
The bigger cows are still outside, but the 3 calves have been in the barn all week! The barn is almost done, just a few finishing touches! The chicken coop has been inhabited by these lovlies for a few weeks now--meet Rusty and Bernice!!

Rusty is crowing every morning, at sunrise--and let's just say it is a good thing our neighbors aren't any closer than they are!! Bernice is too young for eggs yet, but I am holding out hope that she will start laying soon!!

Have a great night, and weekend!!
**Keri**

Happy 89th Birthday, Omi!

2009-10-06T09:27:00.002-04:00

Happy 89th Birthday to our dearest Grandma Omi-I can't believe she is 89 today! She isn't much aware of anything anymore-she won't know it is her birthday until we actually go, and tell her, then she will forget in a couple of hours. And she can never believe how old she is when we tell her! She always looks so shocked! Her late husband, my Papa, would have been 92 today. They shared their birthday..isn't that romantic? Talk about meant to be, huh?
Happy Birthday to Omi-I love you!
xoxoxo
Keri

Cody's Pumpkin Patch

2009-09-29T16:25:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Cody's Pumpkin Patch! We had a WONDERFUL harvest this year...Pumpkin seeds planted in PURE POO...apparently the early onslaught of rain this summer, coupled with the better weather in late August, did the trick! We planted two different kinds of pumpkins this year. One type was a typical jack-o-lantern with green pumpkins that turned orange. The second type was BIG MAX, and they grew VERY fast, and turned from a pale yellow to orange. This type of pumpkin is often used by growers looking to grow HUGE pumpkins weighing hundreds of pounds...We basically plant and leave...and we had over a dozen pumpkins, most of a *very* substantial weight..the largest one weighed 42 pounds!! We finally had to pick the pumpkins the other night as it was VERY cold and we got a heavy frost.
Here is the sign I painted for the patch--

Here is Cody with the first pumpkin he cut from the vine--

Cody and Brodie in the back of the truck with the entire harvest...Brodie loves to be in the middle of the action! She actually weighs the same amount as the largest pumpkin!

And here is my girl again-she doesn't mind getting her picture taken at all..I think I am gonna scrapbook this one!

So now, we just have to make a point to not let all these pumpkins go to waste, and actually carve them!! I usually plug in one of those foam pumpkins that has a nightlight bulb inside, on Halloween night...Lame, I know...It is hard to get help carving pumpkins when your husband and son are out in a treestand somewhere in the middle of Churubusco!
Have a good night!!
**Keri**

Lake Alice Hike

2009-09-21T09:52:00.003-04:00

We had the great priviledge of going on a hike yesterday, to Lake Alice in Chazy. The weather was *picture* perfect. It was a flat hike, lots of wooded trails...
We took our picnic lunch, and headed out with a group from church. We were out for a little over 2 hours, then rounded out the afternoon with a bit of fishing...
Here is a group shot:

Just striking out:

Picture of the lake--see the dragonfly I got??

Cody-*forced* to stand still for 5 seconds...

Right before the boys got away from us and lost us ON PURPOSE...not cool...we were almost lost, we thought THEY were lost...that is what happens when the Moms are looking down and chit chatting instead of paying attention to things ahead of us!

The boys pretending to fall off the foot bridge....so dramatic..

It was a really nice time! We are going to try to get in a few more hikes before winter. Hope everyone has a good week!
New items added to my etsy shop!
**Keri**

Re-cap of a busy week!

2009-09-12T11:57:00.003-04:00

Good Saturday morning!
It has been a heck of a week-and I thought I would catch up and save myself a bit of time by giving you all a pictoral recap!!
This is the final result of an order I have been working on for a couple of weeks:
Baby shower favors-tiny boxes with candies inside...

Baby girl shower invitations--all pertinent info is already printed on the inside:

And a matching bedroom sign for the baby's room!

A custom "brain in a book" a friend asked me to make...These things are so great to keep in your bag, so you can right all your lists and to-do's inside and keep them in one spot! I go through at least one a year!

This is a great gift I rec'd from a friend this week. We participated in a Halloween mingle, where we send a halloween crafting supply, and a hand made item, to the person below us on the sign up list...I got this tinnie--an altered tin can..So it is recycled, and repurposed! It will look cute hanging in my farmhouse kitchen this fall! Thanks to Michele for sending me some of her awesome Purple Onion Designs rubber stamps, and some Halloween patterned paper, too!

Code-man also went back to school this week. Freshman at NACS! Hard to believe!

We also said goodbye to a dear friend this week...Our hearts are breaking, but we know she is no longer suffering...Harley would have been 11 in December!

So that is it for now! I can hardly keep up with everything-work, family, and orders that keep rolling in-I will have a new fall slate to share with you very soon!
Have a blessed weekend!
**Keri**

Oxen "Preview"

2009-09-09T10:42:00.004-04:00

Good morning! Thought I would share with y'all exactly what Humphrey and Hawkeye are gonna look like, when they are big boys! This pair of oxen belongs to Peter's cousin. We went and visited them on Sunday afternoon. Meet Jacob and Red!
They are HUGE!!

When these guys are hitched up, they can pull a lot of weight, i.e. logs, etc.
I can't wait to see them in action!!
Have a great day!
**Keri**

Baby Shower Invites...

2009-09-07T06:30:00.003-04:00

These are the 4 examples of baby shower invitations that I worked up for an order recently...
This first one is a pocket card with a pull tab...Information would be printed on the white panel. Can be decorated for any occasion...I made 100 of this type of invitation for a Sweet 16 last summer!

This one is more traditional, it opens on the side, and the information would be printed on the inside!

This style is a single panel, with information to be printed on the front..

This is the one the customer chose: a circular scalloped card, and the information will be printed on the inside.

Today is the last day of summer vacation! It has gone by too fast!
Have a blessed Monday!
**Keri**

Baby Shower Favors..

2009-08-31T20:01:00.003-04:00

I was recently contacted by an acquaintance to do some baby shower favors and invite for her sister's shower...The theme is Hello Kitty--and the baby is a girl-so these are the options I came up with for her to choose from. These are the favors...I will post the invite options next time...
First up is the 4 pack of peppermint patty sandwiches...they are individually wrapped peppermint patties in between scalloped circle Hello Kitty cut outs..placed in a cello bag, with a decoratively embellished topper!

Next up is something similar...Baby feet labels chocolate nuggets in a cello bag, with a topper embellished with Hello Kitty!

This option is one I did for Halloween a couple of years ago...really easy, and well loved...The chocolate bar sleeve...can be done for ANY occasion! The chocolate bar even has a pull tab!

This cute little tin can be embellished with writing, or in this case, graphic, and filled with those great custom colored M&M's!

This is the final one, and the one that was chosen for the shower..it is kind of like a sliding matchbox. It holds three baby feet labeled chocolate nuggets, and is embellished with the Hello Kitty tag...The only change we made was instead of the twine, she liked the black sheer ribbon with the white polka dots...Very cute!
So, you know what I will be doing for the next week or so!!

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what i have been up to--not as interesting as the farm animals, I KNOW!
Have a great night!
**keri**

Introducing Hawkeye!

2009-08-24T21:50:00.002-04:00

So, last week I introduced you to Humphrey-the pet, and Hamburg, the bull with a purpose. Well, let me introduce Humprey's work mate, or future work mate, Hawkeye. Apparently, Humphrey is destined to be a work animal, (ox) and of course, I was recently instructed that oxen come in pairs! So after many hours of batting eyelashed of BIG BROWN EYES, the boys got the go ahead from the boss (me..) and went and found a matching bull that fit the bill. So, Humphrey and Hawkeye are a team! To see more of what I am talking about, visit this site. It has a wealth of information. Hawkeye is just a few days younger than Humphrey, and even though he was still being bottle fed when we brought him home, he is already drinking out of a bucket, and doing well!

Here are Humphrey and Hawkeye together-quite a pair! They are a nice set-similar size and markings...Cody will start very soon getting them used to standing next to each other, always on the same side, and he is already getting them used to the harness on their head. Then they will start learning basic commands for walking, stopping, and left and right. This should be interesting! You can be sure I will keep you updated on the progress!

I also thought I would share my view with you...being without a job this summer, I have been able to spend a lot of time doing not much of anything...Many times in the afternoon I will sit out in Peter's trophy room with the door open, and Harley will join me. She loves to sit or lay in front of the screen door and watch for chipmunks. It is so peaceful to spend time with her out here, with the sounds of nature, and the cool breeze! Doesn't she look sweet?

Have a Blessed Week!
**Keri**

Warms a girl's heart...

2009-08-20T14:51:00.004-04:00

These pics would warm any gal's heart-My father, and my son-checking out the "herd". Cody even called Daddy the other night, wondering if there was something he could do to get Humprey to stop is 24/7 hollering...It was so cute, and I think Pa was pretty tickled, too!

Cody's birdhouse finally has a resident! Timmy Smith made this birdhouse for Cody several years ago, and it has been empty the whole time! It hangs on the post of Cody's treehouse, and something caught my eye the other day. I thought it was a paper wasp nest slowly forming, but it was in fact, a tree frog! He hung out all afternoon in the little entrance hole! He was pretty big, too! He didn't seem to happy to have the paparazzi capturing his every move!

Here's a shot of one of the last cards to come out of the crazy place in my brain. I made up a bunch of cards at camp, and sent them to a bunch of my online buddies. The stamps I used are from Michele's Purple Onion Designs newest collection. I also made some with ice cream cones, but neglected to photograph them before I mailed them. So just make up a really cute and colorful ice cream cone card in your mind..Thanks! Most supplies are Stampin' Up! and the stamps are Purple Onion Designs!

Have a great afternoon!
**Keri**

Paint Job...

2009-08-12T09:27:00.003-04:00

Good Wednesday morning! Here are the promised photos of the buildings I painted back in July! We belong to an interdenominational church camp, in Mooers, NY. The organization is over 100 years old, and I have been attending camp every year since I was born! The camp was in need of someone to paint some of the buildings that they own, and rent out. Many of the buildings are owned by the camp, but many are privately owned. So, for several weeks in July, I scraped, primed, and painted 3 buildings. This first one was tough, cause one side is up on risers, and the inside of the porch also had to be done. The second pic shows the side up on risers, the lowest boards came up to my chest!

This one was directly behind the one above. I had to do the inside of the porch of this one, too. The back side of this one was tough, cause there was a lot of brush and it was really damp and critter-ish...ugh...I was glad to get done that side!

This building was actually the first one I completed. It has three different rooms for people to stay in. Needless to say, I am well versed on extension ladders after this experience!

This is the back of the same building. You should have seen me dangling from that cross piece up in the peak. The extension ladder was completely extended and I was hanging on tight! I did in all myself, though! We did run into a lot of rainy weather during these weeks, but thankfully the Lord provided nice chunks of sunny weather for me to paint during the day, and in the event of rain, I could work inside on the enclosed porches!

Now, allow me to introduce HAMBURG. Self explanatory, right? He is a Jersey bull calf, born the same day as Humphrey. He is a bit smaller, though, being a Jersey. He is really sweet! He will be steered, and raised for beef.

We are off to the Franklin County Fair today. Not my favorite thing, but the food is good, and I love to look at all the birds in the bird barn!
Have a great day!
**Keri**

I know, I know...better late than never, right??

2009-08-11T13:16:00.002-04:00

Okay, well everyone knows about my recent job loss. So I picked up a side job painting at the camp grounds--did I share that? I have some photos to share, of the camps that I was hired to paint. Maybe I will post them tomorrow? Anyway, after almost 3 weeks straight of painting these camps, I got done, just in time to move down to camp and stay for a week and a half. We had wonderful church services and I worked each and every night at the snack bar. It was a great time! The painting job was an answer to prayer for me, being currently unemployed!
We arrived home yesterday around noon time, and I immediately got a call from an interested party concerning daycare (pray!) and shortly after that, our newest family member arrived..Say hello to Humphrey..

Humphrey was born on Saturday night, and his new home is in our backyard, for the time being. He is a bull calf that Peter's cousin so generously gave Cody. He is pretty sweet. Unfortunately, he is an escape artist, and he got out first thing this morning. When Peter got me up to help him get Humphrey back in, I stepped on a bumblebee getting out of bed! So I limped out to corral Humphrey...I have been on the phone catching up most of the day, and have not even got dressed yet!! Sometimes that's okay, right?
So, we are home, and I am going to focus on enjoying these last few weeks of summer, and getting my Etsy shop back into shape...Thanks for stopping by!
**Keri**

Church Pew Signs...

2009-07-14T10:00:00.003-04:00

Hello out there! Considering the weather up here has been so terrible, you would think that I would still have plenty of computer time, but alas, I have been very busy despite the unusually cool temps and MAJOR rain!
Camp starts two weeks from tomorrow, and the grounds needs a bit of sprucing up, so I am painting cottages! Weather permitting, of course. We decided to take the day off today, it is kind of rainy this morning, and the housework has severely suffered in our absence. So this is giving me the chance to catch up on not only chores, but computer time and other odds and ends.
Last week, I did complete two new church pew signs. I posted about these recently, and have a couple up in my Etsy store. These were custom pieces-specially requested with these specific verses. The photos aren't great, but I was in a tear, and the lighting wasn't great..but you get the idea...

So that is what we have been up to! I am still struggling with lack of employment--like so many others right now. Cody is healing well from his recent oral surgery, and Peter is back to work, so we are very fortunate right now.
Thanks for visiting!
**Keri**

Ahh, the dog days of summer.....

2009-07-01T08:06:00.003-04:00

You all know how goofy Brodie is...this is one thing we never get sick of--her ridiculous sleeping positions. She is like a pretzel. Needless to say, Harley NEVER sleeps on anything other than her tummy, or her side...so this was a real shocker to us when she came home with us two years ago!If you remember, when we brought her home, she was only 5 weeks old, cause her mother had kicked her and her siblings off. Brodie was already sleeping silly like this, at 5 weeks old! Hard to believe we just passed our 2 year anniversary with her!
Remember this??

Also wanted to add that Cody had his oral surgery on Monday, to expose teeth #6, and #11. (Eye teeth) They were coming in crooked, one in front of this front teeth, one behind his front teeth. The Dr. exposed them--that is a very kind term, huh? And attached chains to them. The chains will be incorporated into his braces, and the teeth will be pulled straight. One of those things that had to be done! He is taking it pretty well--the pain meds are helping!! We are officially on summer break, as Cody is out of school, and I am out of work! I lost all three of my daycare jobs in a week's span. My new position fell through, and the other kid's parents have decided to send their kids to preschool.. It was very unexpected, and left me feeling more than a little bit stressed and heartbroken, but I have had wonderful support from family and friends, and I hope that new opportunities are coming my way! Please keep me in your prayers, as I don't like not working!! Thanks to all my friends (you know who you are) who came to my rescue last week!

**keri**

Have a great day!!

June in Northern New York...

2009-06-30T21:00:00.003-04:00

I thought I would share with you all, a view through my eyes, at the past month. Things really move along in June--animals everywhere--butterflies, bugs, birds, frogs, turtles--everything is on the move.
The first pic is of a Luna moth, or as Cody calls them, a Lunesta Moth!! It was just gorgeous!!

This one is one of our many snapping turtles. This time of year they are traveling and you see them EVERYWHERE you go. You have to be careful not to hit them on the roads, and we found ourselves moving them to safety and out of harm's way this spring! This little guy's shell was about a foot long. Not too big, but pretty old, nonetheless!

June is also a big month for my flowers. The daffodils are dying down, but the iris and peony plants are blooming like crazy in June! I got some really gorgeous iris rhizomes from Brecks/Springhill many years ago, and they are really pretty, unusual colors. I thought I would share a few of those pics with you, also!
The very pale pink:: *my fave!*

Very unusual apricot tangerine color:

burgundy:

sky blue::

blue and white::

Aren't they just divine?? God's Creations!!
Have a blessed night!
**Keri**

Father's Day Re-cap

2009-06-23T07:12:00.002-04:00

Good morning! I thought I would share a few photos from Sunday morning, of Peter and Cody. Cody got Peter these really cool placemats made out of photographs. If you are interested, visit www.TreasureMats.com to check them out. The gal lives a couple towns over and runs a small copy store. She perfected how to make these durable, and they retain their color beautifully! Check em out! Anyway, as you can see, we now have hunting photos on our kitchen table...(eyes wide in slight terror!!)

Here is a close up on my boys--Cody is looking more and more like his father (if that is possible) every day. He is getting so tall, and his face is changing so much! He is now on summer vacation officially--so he is a happy camper up in his bed right now!!

I have been keeping a few cards in a cute enamel dish, at my dear friend's beauty shop, for sale. I have sold quite a few cards so far, and these are a few of the graduation ones I made. The traffic that goes through her shop is amazing! These fit into a business envelope!

I have also been adding more cards to my etsy shop. www.KeriLouNewYork.etsy.com I had my 7th sale last week, and currently have over 40 items in my shop. I got some exciting new last night-one of my items was included in a treasury, and made the front page on etsy!! I am tweaking the store constantly, so be sure to check back for new items often!
Have a great day!
**Keri**

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

2009-06-21T09:11:00.003-04:00

Good Sunday morning, everyone, and Happy Father's Day to my father, and all the others out there...I thought I would first, share some photos that show the fathers that came before me, the reason I am here today!!
This is my Great Great Grandfather's family, on the family farm, circa 1870's.
John Brooks was his name, and believed to be from Nova Scotia. He is sitting in the chair, sporting the beard. This is the house I grew up in!

This is the next generation, my Great Grandfather, who you see on the far left. His name was Wallace Brooks. My grandfather is the one standing in the back-the middle man.

Next, we have my Grandfather, Lyle Brooks. My dad and his brother and all his sisters, and his Mom. Pa is in the back, Daddy is the younger boy.

This one is Daddy, with me and my brothers, a few years ago. 4, I think. Time for a new pic!

This is another one of Pa, my father's father--just cause I think it is cool!

This is my Mom's Dad and Mom-Papa has been gone for nearly 30 years, and Mom is gonna kill me for putting this in, but I came from him, too! This is the lovely Omi, who you all know and love!!

My Great Grandfather, Leonard Drown, my Grandma Brooks' father:

And last but certainly not least, Daddy and Pa, back before Pa passed, and we spent all of our holidays and celebrations in the nursing home. This one always makes me smile!

I come from a very long, very strong line of men, as you can see! My brothers are no exception. I just want to take this time to thank the strongest one, Daddy- for your kindness, your generosity, and your strength. You have always set a wonderful example, not just for me, growing up, but for Peter and Cody as well. You always do the right thing, (at least in my eyes) and you will never know how much I respect and love you. Thanks for being the best Daddy *EVER*!! I LOVE YOU!
Happy Father's Day!
**Keri**

My Latest Creation...

2009-06-17T20:06:00.003-04:00

So, I mentioned last week on my Etsy post, that I had some new creations in this crazy maze I call my brain...Geri from Saddlepotatoes had given me a suggestion for some barn signs, and I decided to run with it, and see what I could come up with...and anyone that knows me, knows that once I get a picture of something in my head, I am not satisfied until I get it created!!
So, I just happened to have some old boards laying around--okay, so Daddy just sent them home with Peter and I a couple weeks ago, and as soon as Geri suggested barn signs, these boards had a purpose! The board for the initial one I made, came from a 100+ year old church pew. Re-purposed? Re-cycled? YUP! And what has more character than an old piece of wood--who knows what kind of stories it could tell..It even has remnants of an old square nail in it! The back is covered in brown paint, but the front is the original wood (underside of the seat) and it was barely touched before I painted it. Just a VERY light sanding...I painted, sanded lightly again, and sprayed it with matte sealer. The wire hanger I added is old rusty wire, to add a bit more character! Everything in my house is pretty much mismatched, antique, or just plain old, so this would fit in well! I think I will make one for myself, and make some for the Etsy store, with several different sayings on them...What do YOU think??

Have a great night!

**Keri**

Friday Greetings!!

2009-06-12T10:54:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it has been more than a week? I tried to update all day yesterday, but blogger was not cooperating with me! Things around here have been pretty crazy these past couple of weeks. School is wrapping up for Cody, and he will be a freshman in the fall! Hard to believe! My daycare kids will be with their teacher/moms all summer, but I picked up a new daycare job that will start next week, so I will be as busy as ever! It is such a huge blessing, and relief to have employment through the summer, though!

I added a new header to my etsy store. It is not the permanent one, but better than the one I have, so let's just call it the "interim" header. I have added some of my paper star ornaments to my store, as you can see below. I will be added three dozen more, hopefully, today! Depends on the kids..You know how that goes. I also have another idea floating around in my head, thanks to Geri from the SaddlePotatoes blog (linked on right). I have some reclaimed church pew wood, and grainery wood, that I am going to put to good use, and paint up to put in my shop. Stay tuned to see the first creation! And thanks, G, for the inspiration!

Peter and Cody have been fishing every available minute they have...Now I need to figure out how to cook the stuff..not that I will eat it, but they will! Here they are with one of their most recent catches:

Cody's cousin miss Bea came for a visit last week, and she LOVES to smile for the camera, just about as much as she loves cousin Cody! Aren't they cute?

And last but not least, I bet *YOU * have never seen a killer cucumber before! Cody grew this cuke plant in tech class at school. The tech part was how they actually grew it-is some kind of water bottle apparatus with vermiculite and miracle grow. Pretty cool, actually. We transplanted it, and it was in the kitchen window, waiting for the last threatening frost to pass, when Peter came in one day and said---someone is choking your President...I was like..."WHAT??" He said it three times, when I finally came over to see what the heck he was talking about....apparently the cucumber doesn't feel very patriotic, cause he wrapped his killer tendril right around Uncle Sam's neck!! When Code came home that day and I pointed it out, he couldn't stop laughing...I asked him what kind of seeds they raise at that school of his! Uncle Sam was rescued, and will live to see another Independence Day!

That is it from here, have a great weekend everyone!!

**Keri**

Etsy!!

2009-06-02T08:43:00.003-04:00

I don't know how many of you are familiar with ETSY, but it is a great place to visit! It is an online website, that hosts thousands of crafters, and their stores! To be sold in an etsy shop, it has to be handmade, or vintage. I started a store up in January, and have had 5 sales already! I have been very busy adding new items to my shop lately, so I thought i would share a collage I recently made with some of my work on it! Not all of these items are currently in the shop, a couple of them are custom pieces that I have done in the past, but it shows my style, and what I can paint! I am hoping too add greeting cards to the mix very soon, just waiting for the copyright stamp for the backs. If you would like to visit my shop, you can click on the link in the sidebar, or {{CLICK HERE}}

I made up this collage for a flyer I recently made, to hang in my friend Judy's beauty shop, along with some business cards. I am trying really hard to get the word out, and promote this store, so if anyone has any tips, hints, or advice, I would appreciate it! Please feel free to add me to your blog's sidebar, if that is something that you want to do. For those of you that already have, thank you so much! (You know who you are!!)

I have added a few Americana pieces in the past week, and am now working on some other goodies that will be up soon! Check back weekly, for new items!

Thanks for all the support-

**Keri**

Butterfly Birthday!

2009-05-27T08:30:00.003-04:00

Good Wednesday morning! I trust everyone has recovered from your long holiday weekend by now? I would like to thank everyone who visited my blog during the Cards For Heroes Bloghop. It was a HUGE success! Thanks for all the wonderful comments on my post. It is appreciated! On Sunday, Cody and I went to a birthday party for Emma, who turned one! (Hers is the room I painted and posted last week.) I decided to make her card, a gift, to match her room! Here is the card I made:

This is what i used:

Cardstock:Pink Pirouette, YoYo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, and GP White

Ink: Lavender Lace, Pink Pirouette, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, YoYo Yellow

Stamps: SU! Flight of the Butterfly, Happy Everything

Other: Pink sheer dot from Michaels (Dots, Dashes and Checks) Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, 3-D Glue Dots

For Emma's gift, I made a sign to hang on her bedroom door! I took the pattern from the butterflies I painted on her walls, so it would all match. Instead of putting a sawtooth hanger or a wire on the piece, we bought a wreath hanger and cut the curved end off it, and screwed the butterfly to the end. That way, they don't have to put a whole in the door for a nail, and it won't bang when the door is opened and closed! I highlighted the flowers with glitter, and then sealed it with a clearcoat that had more glitter in it. We also added pipe cleaners for cute little curly anntenae!!

Here is the view from the back!

That is it for now, we are expecting rain for the next three days, so I don't expect to get much done outside!

Have a great day!

**Keri**

Memorial Day Cards for Heroes BLOGHOP!!

2009-05-22T23:43:00.003-04:00

Hello and Happy Memorial Day weekend! Thank you for visiting my blog, and participating in the blog hop! To celebrate Memorial Day, and to honor our troops, I am taking part in the Cards For Heroes Memorial Day BlogHop! If you happened by my post, and would like to read more information about the bloghop, visit http://cardsforheroes.org/bloghop/ . If you would like to learn more about the Cards for Heroes organization, visit http://www.cardsforheroes.org/ . Cards for Heroes is a not for profit organization that collects and sends blank handmade cards to troops all over the world for them to send back home to their family and friends. They take donations of both cards, and money for postage, to help keep their organization going.

You will see below the card I made in honor of the Cards for Heroes Bloghop.
This will be sent to Fabre, as an ANYHERO card, for a troop that needs a lift!

************************************************************************************

Here is what I used to make my card:
SU! Cardstock::Riding Hood Red, Blue Bayou, GP White
Patterned Cardstock::My Mind's Eye
Stamps:: SU! The Free and the Brave
Ink: SU! Craft Black, Riding Hood Red, Blue Bayou, Always Artichoke, Blush Blossom, Night of Navy
Other: Black Detail Embossing Powder, SU! Blender Pens, ribbon from unknown source
**Note** The image was colored in, using the blender pens with a bit of ink from the cover of the inkpad. It was really fun to color, because the image was embossed, so those embossed lines kept the color from flowing where it wasn't supposed to be!
Adhesive: Duck red dispenser--(the new and improved ones, which I am loving!)

I have been aware of the Cards for Heroes program for quite some time, as my best cyber buddy, Lisa Renea, provides many cards for our troops. After recently seeing the Cards For Heroes Youtube video that Lisa Renea linked, it convinced me that I had been sitting on my backside not doing anything for TOO LONG! Since I have a great group of ladies that I scrap and stamp with at my church and in my community, I got everyone I could together for a Card Making Event! We had a great turn out, and I sent in 275 cards to Fabre, for her to send on to the troops!! It was a great feeling to know how we helped out! If you would like to see my blog post about our Card Fest, {{CLICK HERE}}.

Now, on to the next participant in the blog hop! Click Here to hop to the next blog! Paula has The Paper Spa--some wonderful creations from a very talented paper artist--she knows her stuff-and she loves challenges. Oh, to be that disciplined! Hey Paula!!

**Added NOTE: Due to overwhelming inquiry, I just want to add that the Patriotic Figurines were a recent Anniversary gift from my Mom! She purchased them from Collections, ETC. (the 14.99 catalog) Their product name is the Yankee Doodle Family! **

On behalf of my family, I would like to thank our troops and their families, both at home and abroad, for their bravery and unselfishness. You are in our prayers!
Thank you so much for visiting, and have a blessed weekend!

**Keri**

My Latest Work...

2009-05-19T06:37:00.003-04:00

Well, everyone knows I have been MIA lately. I have been fighting allergies, and a bit under the weather, but I have also been working on the *biggest* project I have ever done!
A couple weeks back, I got a call from Kim-(her hubby and my hubby are cousins) asking me if I thought I could paint a design on her daughter Emma's bedroom walls, to match some furniture they had recently gotten for her. They re-decoratied Emma's room, cause yesterday, she turned ONE! They thought it was high time Emma had a girlie girl's bedroom! They had the cutest toy chest, and table and chairs set, with butterflies and daisy faces on it. I took patterns off the furniture, and got to work! It took me a week off and on, but I finished last night, and it is SO adorable!
They painted the walls pink ahead of time, so I had a wonderful blank canvas to work with. Here are several photos from different views of the room, along with a close up of one of the butterflies:

We also put her name up on the wall, in between the two windows..

It took about 15 hours to complete, from beginning to end. I added some brush on glitter here and there, on the name, and on the butterflies and daisies, for a little sparkle. It comes in a 2 oz. bottle and is in liquid form, so once it is brushed on, and dries, it won't flake off.

She was very happy with the results! It was a great experience, and something that I have always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity. So thanks, Kim, for believing that I could do it!! I appreciate the opportunity!

Happy Birthday, Emma!

**Keri**

A Monday Morning Chuckle...

2009-05-18T07:34:00.002-04:00

Good morning everyone!! I have not been here for a WEEK! I am so sorry..I have had several painting jobs that I have been working on, as well as a mini demo project upstairs that I have been helping Peter with, on top of regular household responsibilities, and OH YEAH, my DAYCARE KIDS!!
We decided over the winter that we were going to cut a hole in the wall, between Cody's room and the spare bedroom (aka junk catcher) so no only did everything need to be moved out, a HUGE mess had to be cleaned up afterwards! We started a week ago today, and the project is done! I still have a mess of junk to sort out, and think I see a garage sale in our future!
I also got hit with a bad allergy attack that has been dragging me down, but I will keep on going!!
Peter and Cody took a break and went fishing on Friday night, and had some success!

This was their third trip this season...Of course, leave it to Cody to be silly!

Have a Blessed Monday!

**Keri**

A Day to Remember!

2009-05-10T08:30:00.003-04:00

Good morning, and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! Especially to my Mom, Happy Mother's Day!! I was thinking about this day a few days back, while I was out on a walk, and this layout I did a couple of years ago came to mind. I thought it would be the perfect tribute to all the strong women that came before me. This layout chronicles 5 generations of women, beginning with my Great Great Grandmother, then my Great Grandmother, then the ever famous Omi that you read about, she's MY Grandmother, then my Mama--Diane, then ME!! So this is my Mother's Day salute to all the strong women who made me what I am today.
I love you, Mom, and I wouldn't be who I am without you. You are always there for me whenever I need you, we also have so much fun together-I can be my silliest when I am with you. I can talk to you about anything, and you are the stable Christian voice of reason that knocks sense into me on a weekly basis! XOXOXOX!!

Today is also a day of remembrance for another reason. Two years ago today, we lost our beloved cousin, Darcy. He was a victim of a violent and senseless crime, and even though justice has been served, it doesn't make our hearts hurt any less for losing him. Please remember his family and friends in your prayers today!

Have a Blessed Sunday with your families, and

Happy Mother's Day!

**Keri**

Back to Paper!!

2009-05-08T09:19:00.002-04:00

Back to what I love best! Paper and glue. This first card is an ANYHERO card that I sent, along with the Cards for Heroes Cards. Just a little note of support from our family, to a soldier that needs a little lift! I used the SU! set The Free and the Brave, for this card. SU! cardstock in Night of Navy, Very Vanilla, and Riding Hood Red. I embossed the image, and colored it in with blender pens and ink. Patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye!

Here is another Fishy Friends (SU!) card! I love this set so much! It is very fun to color in. I used Tangerine Tango, Kiwi kiss, and Summer Sun cardstock. I also used Tangerine Tango Ink, and Basic Gray Ink. I don't remember where the patterned paper came from, but the stars were perfect! I used the new Swiss Cheese edge punch from EK Success, and a square scalloped Nestabilities Die. After I stamped the cute little guy, I colored him in, using prismacolor pencils and odorless spirits. When he was all colored, I covered him with SU! Crystal Effects. I took a second photo, so you can see the shine and dimension! The Happy Birthday Sentiment is from Purple Onion Designs!

Happy Friday!!
**Keri**

Sunshine on a rainy day...

2009-05-07T07:59:00.002-04:00

Well, it seems the April showers have decided to put up a fight, and drag their heels as long as they can! We are now a full week into May, and we have seen several days of rain already! I did manage to take a few pictures of my daffodils on one sunny day, they have been blooming for more than a week already! I know, I have been really lacking in the crafty department lately...I have some more cards to post, I just need some good daylight to photograph them! These dark, dreary days do nothing for taking a good pic in the natural light!
Many of these daffodils, I dug up and brought with me from town when me moved out here, 9 years ago. There are also some tulips and grape hyacinths in white and purple mixed in. THEN I had a really good offer from a catalog about 3 years ago, and got another bunch-a hybridizers mix..and planted them around my other flower beds in the yard. I *LOVE* the white ones with the pink centers the best! I have a really great assortment, I just wished they bloomed longer! I get all my bulbs from Brecks--a bit pricey, but in my opinion dutch bulbs are one of those "you get what you pay for" things. And the company is really great about replacing for FREE anything that gets eaten, killed, etc. NO QUESTIONS ASKED! You can't go wrong! I just placed a huge order for my Dad a couple of days ago-we will have about 200 bulbs to plant for him in the fall!! They are SO WORTH IT!!

So, I hope you enjoyed my little walk through the daffodils. Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow (aka hunting photos)!
Have a Blessed Day!
**Keri**

Daddy Catches Up!

2009-05-02T07:59:00.002-04:00

So regular season opened yesterday--with not much luck. This morning Peter and Cody were up at the crack of dawn and behind his Mom's house in Churubusco waiting for the birds to come off their roosts. They were home by 7 am with ONE bird in hand. Peter got his, Cody did not. I don't think Cody's eyes were even open to see where he was shooting!? Peter got this nice very mature Jake-almost Tom. They were both very pleased, and Cody is currently sacked out on the couch back asleep!! Teenagers!!
Here is my man and his trophy!

I would also like to add that they always follow safe hunting practices and Cody has taken all required courses by the state, to be out hunting!

NOW!! I am pleased to state that I had two sales in my Etsy shop this week! I painted two custom house number slates for Etsy customers this week! I am very pleased, and it has done a lot for my confidence! I have added a few new slate styles to the store, and there will be MUCH MORE added in the next month or so!
Have a Blessed Saturday!
**Keri**

More Cards for Heroes

2009-05-01T06:42:00.002-04:00

Here are a few more of the Cards for Heroes. These three, I created as kits for other participants.
This one uses Birthday Best, from SU! A set I keep going back to!! I used the oval nesties dies and raised it up with some 3-D glue dots.

This card uses Reason to Smile, and rectangle nesties.

This one uses Cool Cat, and the scalloped rectangle nesties, once again.

All the paper I used was from the multiple stacks I used to purchase. I gave a lot of it away, but still had some, and decided to use it up! I love how they came out! Simple, easy for beginners, but really nice.

Today is the first day of Turkey Season. For adults, anyway! Cody got a head start last Saturday by taking advantage of youth weekend. So Peter is out in the brush somewhere, soaking up the rain...
I did find out two days ago, that we will be losing our health insurance next month. Which is what I have been dreading!! So, if anyone knows any rich benefactors who love to fund kid's oral health--send them my way!! All kidding aside-if anyone knows any places that I can go that offer assistance or funding for such things, please let me know! We make too much for any public assistance and Child Health Plus is not an option, cause we are insured SOME of the time and they don't cover orthodontics, anyway. I really feel like we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, here. If it wasnt' absolutely necessary that we get moving on this, I would just put it off, but his teeth need to be exposed, and the braces need to be put on. Please keep us in your prayers!
Have a Blessed Friday!
**Keri**

Cards for Heroes Creations

2009-04-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the cards I made for the Cards For Heroes event I hosted recently! I made 6 of each card, kept one as an example, and sent five off for our troops. I really had to hold myself back from adding anything glittery or sparkley, but I did. (Troops cannot have glitter on their cards, cause it is visible through night vision appliances if it brushed off, on their uniforms. )
I also made up card kits for some of the ladies who participated, that were new to card making, or just didn't have enough supplies of their own. I will post some of the card kit cards tomorrow!

For this card, I used some My Mind's Eye patterned paper, a Cuttlebug embossing folder, and SU! Fishy Friends stamp set.

For this card, I used BG patterned paper, a CB embossing folder, and a MAMBI stick kid stamp!
Sentiment is SU! I did some boyish and some girlish ones. I love them!

All images were colored in using Primacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits.

Have a Blessed Day!
**Keri**

Cards for Heroes

2009-04-28T08:35:00.003-04:00

You may remember, a while ago, I posted a segment with a link to a youtube video-regarding Cards for Heroes. It was so inspiring to me, that I planned a Cards for Heroes Card Making Party, at my church. I have quite a wide circle of stamping and crafting friends and family, and I knew it would be a good idea for us to hold a party.
The party was a week ago, and did we ever have fun! We had almost a dozen women in and out through out the 6 hours that we gathered, and we have a grand total of 275 cards to send to the heroes! It was a very fun, and fulfilling day for us all.
Here are a few photos from the day--

An arial view from the stairs of everyone's big mess!

Diane and Peggy in the background, and my Mama sitting in the foreground, at the table she and I shared!!

Val, Maddie, and Stephanie!

Diane, Peggy, and Lisa--

Here is SOME of the finished product!

We all made such a huge mess, and had so much fun! We all chipped in and brought different things for lunch-we had subs, chips, drinks, and desserts--it was such a nice day! I highly recommend that anyone who has a group that they stamp with--PLEASE get together and hold one of these events...You will not be sorry. I also have it on good authority that donations have kind of slacked off this spring, and there are still troops all over the world that would love to have cards to send home to their loved ones!

Please support our troops and remember what they sacrifice to keep us all safe and sound.

I will be posting some of the cards I created to send to the troops, in the days and probably, weeks to come, so come again!

Have a Blessed Day!

**Keri**

The Only GOOD Reason for a 13 Year Old To Be Up At 4:00 AM!

2009-04-25T09:37:00.004-04:00

YOUTH TURKEY HUNTING WEEKEND!
It is AMAZING how fast he popped up and out of bed this morning, at 4 am! At 6:30 on school days I have to coax him out for 10 minutes, but this morning, he was up and at em'!
Our state offers a Youth weekend, the weekend prior to the regular turkey season. Peter and Cody have been working feverishly on a new turkey blind, and target practice. Which shells work the best in the gun, etc. etc.
Well, when Harley barks, you know a gun has gone off. She is my gunshot alert dog. It was so nice and quiet at 6:30 and I had the whole bed to myself, then the bark alarm went off. I could see them a couple hundred yards off, out of the back window of our bedroom and through the brush-and soon after they were walking back towards the house with a bird! Cody took it down with one shot from his .20 gauge. He was one excited boy!
I met them in the yard in my pajamas-it is a gorgeous day already! Photo op was done by 7 am and then they had to go visit all the neighborhood boys and show off Cody's bird.

The tom's beard was 8 inches, and the spurs were 1 1/4 inches long. As you can see from the photos I was instructed to take. He weighed 22 pounds. And to top it all off, Cody's best bud Jordon got an identical turkey this morning, too!

Congrats to the mighty hunters!

Have a Blessed Saturday

**Keri**

Happy 14th!

2009-04-22T08:02:00.002-04:00

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary! Boy, have we changed! We were just babies!

Have a Blessed Day!

**Keri**

I have resurfaced!!

2009-04-21T11:33:00.002-04:00

Boy, do things pick up around here when spring arrives and a husband is laid off! He is a slave driver. He arrived home right before Easter from being away for work, and he has been working us like crazy ever since! We have been doing some serious yardwork. I am sure his reasoning is, that it needs to be done before turky season starts on the first of May. Then I will be a hunter's widow once again. This photo was taken by Cody on Easter Sunday at my Mom's house. He did pretty good!! Photos of us together are few and far between! Our 14th anniversary is tomorrow!!

This is a quick birthday card I put together for a party we went to last night. The recipient turned 11, and I got him a subscription to Wild West magazine for his gift, so this card seemed fitting! I used some of my squandered Cosmo Cricket "Wanted" paper, SU! Cardstock, SU! Top Note Die, and oval nesties. Stamp is SU! Bronc Buster. Brads are from Joann's Essentials!

Have a blessed Tuesday!
**Keri**

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T07:29:00.003-04:00

Let's remember the true meaning of the Holiday. Even though we have fun with the kids and the candies and the bunnies, take time to remember why we are so blessed to be in this world, with all the blessings we have. Jesus gave his life for us, and He Is Risen!

I would like to share my favorite bible verse with you all this morning:

From the New Living Translation: Isaiah 40:28-31

28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.

31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

This verse came to me at a very dark time in my life, and it is the one I always go back to.

Have a Blessed Easter!

**Keri**

Easter Eggs...

2009-04-07T08:27:00.003-04:00

Easter is fast approaching! Are you ready? I am almost there. The cards are almost complete, the candy for the basket is purchased, and the bread dough is waiting in the freezer to be made into rolls for 2 dinners. I recently saw these great eggs on Tanya's blog (Sunday Baker in the right margin) and decided to make some myself! My friend Judy has a tree that she decorates for all the holidays, and I thought these would look cute! They are about the size of a pheasant egg-and I used embroidery floss with Elmer's Gel Glue. The starch I had was old, I think. She loved her eggs, and they are hanging on her tree for the holiday! They are messy to make, but so much fun!! I plan on making some round ones as Christmas tree ornaments in the fall.

After two weeks of rain, and gray skies, I gotta say, I am really wanting some sunshine! This is getting really depressing!

A couple more days of school/work, and we will have a week off. Well deserved in this house right now, too!

Have a great day!
**Keri**

Birthday, Part II

2009-04-05T18:35:00.002-04:00

Part two of my birthday cards, after a EVER SO BRIEF (hmmm,mmm, MOM!!) PAUSE!!
This card is from the DARLING Lisa Renea!!

This one is from Lovely Laurie!!

This one is from my sweetie Judy Lynn!

This piece of artwork is from my very own Mama!!

And this one my wonderful son ever so carefully slaved over, choosing it from MY cardrack?!!

I loved and enjoyed them all! Thanks everyone!!
Have a blessed evening!
**Keri**

Signs of Spring in Northern NY

2009-04-02T12:13:00.002-04:00

MUD AND CROCUSES!!

No green grass yet, as you can see in the background of the top photo, it is very brown around here! The lack of snow is very welcoming, at any rate! Not to be outdone by my teenage son, I nearly buried Peter's truck two nights ago, and it is now adorned with GOBS of mud all over! Windows, windshield, hood, etc. Fun!! My father in law would not agree!

Have a great day!

**Keri**

A Few Birthday Cards...

2009-03-30T08:08:00.002-04:00

I rec'd so many birthday cards, that I will have to split this post up into two sections! One today, one *hopefully* tomorrow! This is the wreath that I rec'd from JudyB. She made it! It is so gorgeous, and the flowers look SO REAL! It is hanging in my kitchen!

And this is the card she made for me, and sent along with the wreath. I see some SU! Big Shot dies in my future, after seeing this card!

This is the card that Peter made for me! I came home from church, and there it was! I had a momentary lapse of a heartbeat, thinking of him digging through my "stuff" but it went away rather quickly when I realized how sweet and out of character this was for him!!

This is the card my friend Peggy made for me. She says she feels intimidated when she has to make me a card...I think she is nuts...I love the card, and the colors..so much work!!

So that is part one of my birthday goodies..tune in for more very soon!
Have a blessed Monday!
**Keri**

Go Ahead...Make My Day...

2009-03-27T08:55:00.003-04:00

Can't you just tell that is what she is thinking? My poor baby got spayed on Monday, and needless to say, she is NOT happy about the E Collar..I take it off so she can eat, but she has proven that she cannot be trusted otherwise, so back on it goes, after eating time is over with. Trying to keep this one quiet and calm so she doesn't open the incision is an impossible task!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I have a bunch of pictures to share with you, of cards and gifts I received over the weekend. Hopefully, I will have them up this weekend!
Happy Friday!!
**Keri**

34!!

2009-03-22T08:25:00.002-04:00

I am 34 today!! Check out this picture...some things never change, huh? Have a blessed Sunday!
**Keri**

Cards For Heroes

2009-03-20T08:34:00.003-04:00

My friend, Lisa Renea, has been making cards for Cards For Heroes, for years now...I am ashamed to say, I have never made ANY!! She regularly posts on her blog about the organization, and recently posted info about a video regarding CFH. To visit LR's blog, {{click here}}. To visit the Cards for Heroes website, {{click here}}, and to see the 3 minute video about Cards for Heroes, {{click here.}}
After watching the video, and seeing the photos, I immediately started to plan a get together of all of my stamping friends, a card bee, to see how many cards we could make and send off to CFH. I haven't pinpointed an exact date yet, but the informational flyer is already being made, and I hope to hold the bee in the next month or so! I am so excited!!
Have a Blessed Friday!
**Keri**

Birthday Card

2009-03-19T08:44:00.003-04:00

Good Thursday morning! I cannot *BELIEVE* it is Thursday already! It has been a very busy week, and it has just flown by! Sick daycare kids, running around for appointments and groceries, and helping out in the neighbor's sugarbush has tired me out!! I am still upright and going, though, so I guess all the walking I have been doing has conditioned me a little bit!
A dear friend of mine had a birthday last Friday, and I made this card for her. I hope she liked it!

Here is what I used:
Serene Spring retired hostess set from SU! (colored in with chalks)
SU! Bashful Blue, SU! Buckaroo Blue, and GP White Cardstock
Patterned blue hydrangea paper-unknown
Cuttlebug embossing folder-swiss dots
White sheer offray ribbon
SU! Basic Gray Inkpad
Nesties scalloped and regular circles

**Just a note to let you all know that I stocked the Country Life Store with a couple of new items, and I now am accepting Paypal Payments!**
** I also want to apologize as my blog visits have been NONE as of late. I plan on getting caught up and stopping by your blogs very soon!**
Have a Blessed Thursday!
**Keri**

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2009-03-17T20:58:00.004-04:00

Okay, so it is LATE but it technically still IS St. Patrick's Day, so here is what I wanted to share with you today! Better almost late than never, right?
Here is my St. Patrick's Day card for 2009. I made about 10 of them. I always like to keep St. Pats cards simple for some reason. The color is garden green from SU!. I stamped the base with a linen background stamp, although it is hard to see in the pic. I punched a window hole through the bottom corner of the card front, and embellished it with other punch outs to kind of "frame" the window. I stamped the clover from Purple Onion Designs on a smaller punch on the inside, and colored it with prismacolors and sansodor. I used crystal effects to give it a raised up, shiny look.
Now here is my latest entry on the "how stupid could one person possibly be" list....I made 9 dozen shamrock sugar cookies on Saturday...Yeah...I did....I have to feed the whole neighborhood, half the church and my family, ya know...I do have to say, they were SO GOOD! You can find the recipes back in the Feb. 2009 entries. I even used tiny clover sprinkles on some of them!!

So there you have it. My contribution to St. Patty's, '09. I do have to add that I had my first ever corned beef tonight, and it was pretty good!! I ate it while in a steamy sugar house, covered in mud, sitting on a school bus seat, with a can of root beer between my knees, but the green mac and cheese and the green beans that went along with it, made it the perfect meal, no matter where I would have eaten it! Cody and I helped collect sap tonight, the old fashioned way, and I think my body is gonna be rebelling very soon if I don't get to bed!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
**Keri**

Early Birthday Gift...

2009-03-12T08:33:00.003-04:00

I got such a nice surprise in the mail last week! I will be 34 on the 22nd, and some online friends of mine got together and sent me a care package full of goodies to learn needle felting! The craft has kind of taken over our online group, and the little animals that are being made are just adorable! I was responsibly trying to NOT start this new craft, as my room is already busting at the seams, as is my brain--from learning beginners crochet last fall, and the upcoming knitting lessons from my Mom..(HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN, MA!) Not to mention the added expense when Cody is going through all this oral surgery/orthodontia mess. Leave it to TINA and ANNIE to enable me to in the quest. They thought I would be great at it, I HAD to try it, and they HAD to be the ones to get me the supplies. Well, the box was a welcome sight on a less than stellar day, and I so appreciate their generosity!! ENABLERS!! You can click on their names to visit their blogs. Tina has a HUGE love for bunnies, like me--in fact, that is how I first met her years ago, before we even belonged to the same online group. I saw a bunny stamp she had used an hunted her down and made her tell me where she got it! LOL! She has some cute felted items on her blog, and in her Etsy store. Annie just learned how to knit a sweater in a weekend, and she also does some gorgeous freehand drawing on her cards...Check em out!!
I am putting the finishing touches on my first felted project, and I will post it soon.. I also have a second project in the works. So THANK YOU very very much, Annie and Tina, for you generostiy, it is so very appreciated!!

Have a blessed Thursday!
**Keri**

Brodie Blue

2009-03-09T08:02:00.004-04:00

I have a new layout to share with you today! I finished it one evening last week. When I got this set of papers from my Secret Sister, I knew that this photo would work well with them! The photo of Brodie was taken the same time I took the Christmas Card picture of her and Cody. If I hold a tennis ball in my hand along with the camera, I can get her to sit still and get some great shots! The photo was printed at www.scrapbookpictures.com, where I was able to apply a couple of cute borders.

Here is what I used:
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye "Be Merry"
Cardstock: SU! Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze
Felt Snowflakes: SU! from the Holiday Mini (they came in blue, red, and white, and I am SO HAPPY I sprung for them. Tons came in a package, and they are gorgeous!
Chipboard: My Minds Eye Blue Sparkle Letters
Tab: My Minds Eye "Be Merry"
Well, the weekend is gone--somewhere--and another week is beginning. It is snowing here, we are supposed to get 1-3 inches, so no biggie. Errands to run in town today, daycare most of the week, and Brodie has a vet appointment tomorrow to set her up for her spaying. It will be a busy week!
I did get some work done outside on Saturday, and my hubby took me on a date Saturday night. It was so nice! It was a nice weekend, and I hope the nice weather continues very soon!
Have a blessed week!
**Keri**

Winner!!

2009-03-08T12:55:00.003-04:00

The winner of the Cuttlekids set is Judy! You can check out her blog HERE. Congrats Judy! Judy is a close friend of mine, and also my SU! Demonstrator! I will get it out to you directly, Judy!
Yes, my Grandmother is Omi. Her name is Naomi but Cody shortened it, and it stuck!!

Now, in honor of this beautiful day, and also because I just got home from church and passing out these things of beauty--say hello to our church's new directory!! We were long overdue for one, and my friend Peggy and I took on the challenge. After many, many months of work and distraction, we finally completed them Friday night! We gathered everyone's contact information, compiled it into book form, along with birthdays and anniversaries, and a prayer chain. We printed the text of the covers on white cardstock, and then a group ladies-Peggy, my Mom, Diane (Pastor's wife), Lynne, and I all stamped all of the 100 covers with SU! Roses in Winter stamp set. It was time consuming, but oh, so worth it! Peggy then cut them, and bound them with a static cover for protection from marks and water! Everyone this morning at church loved them!
The top photo is of the roses in pink-the one I chose for myself. You can see how we stamped the sheet of cardstock up the middle, and across the bottom. All of the covers were stamped BEFORE they were cut.

Here is a pic of the 100 directories, in the 8 different colors we used. Which color do you like the best??

A big thanks to all my ladies, who helped us out, so much!! We are DONE, Peg!!
Have a blessed Sunday,
**Keri**

FRIDAY!! Some new cards...

2009-03-06T08:17:00.003-05:00

IT'S FRIDAY!!! IT'S FRIDAY!!! IT'S FRIDAY!!! IT'S FRIDAY!!! IT'S FRIDAY!!! IT'S FRIDAY!!!

It has been a long time since I was THIS excited for a Friday. And I don't even have any plans for the weekend! It has been a LONG week here, for Peter and for me. Peter has been stripping old shingles and putting a new shingled roof on his boss's house--bless his boss for trying to keep his men working as long as possible-his house is on Lake Champlain, and Peter is on his 5th day on the roof. The first few days were wicked cold-like nearing zero, highs in the teens. So between the cold, and the stress he is putting on his body walking and standing on a roof for 10 hours a day, he has about had it! His hands are cracked and really painful. His hands are always terrible, but worse than usual. He expects to be done the roof today!!

I have had an unusually busy week with my daycare. I usually have all of my kids part time, but circumstances allowed for me to have them all full time this week--I am SO not used to it!! I usually have a day off here or there to regroup!! I would love full time much better--I thrive on a strict schedule! I have even managed to get up and walk on the treadmill before the kids come each morning!

I did manage to get my craft room cleaned up this week, and have had a very productive week, I got some personal crafting done, as well as new items for my Etsy shop.

Here are three cards that I made this week:
This first one is a twist on one I did last fall-this time I used popsicles (Purple Onion Designs) in place of the balloons from the last one. Each popsicle was colored in using Prismacolors and Sansodor, they were then outlined with a clear Stardust Pen, and I topped them off with Crystal Effects. I also embossed the white background piece with a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder.
Colors used:
SU! Black, Orchid Opulence, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, YoYo Yellow, Only Orange, Pixie Pink, GP White.

This next one I made for my manly man card stash. I used SU! Retired stamp set Wildfowl. Premade brown card base. Patterned Paper is BG and I punched the circles out and ran them through my Xyron X. I refrained from ribbon--although the thought did cross my mind, I thought less was more on this masculine card!

Colors Used:
Bashful Blue
Buckaroo Blue
GP White
Creamy Caramel
Chocolate Chip and Vintage Photo inkpads
SU! Circle Punches

The last card I made, uses some new patterned paper I just rec'd. It is called raspberry tart from SU! The stamp set was a SU hostess set called Serene Spring. I embossed the background with Swiss Dots embossing folder in my Cuttlebug, and punched a scalloped border on the edge.
Colors Used:
Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, GP White
The image was stamped in Basic Gray and colored in using Prismacolors and Sansodor.
Scalloped squares are Cuttlebug Dies, and Happy Spring Sentiment is Purple Onion Designs

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed weekend!

**Keri**

My Favorite Things, Part 2!

2009-03-04T08:05:00.003-05:00

In honor of a couple of new items in my ETSY STORE, I thought I would share another one of my favorite things, and give something away!! I added two sets of scrapbook embellishments to my shop this morning, and I hope you go check them out! I do want to add that I hope to have paypal up and running by the weekend! Here is a sneak peek:

Today's favorite thing is what I used to make my latest Etsy Item. Cuttlekids dies! Although made to work in the Cuttlekids Machine, they also work in the Cuttlebug machine, and the animal ones are SO CUTE!! They are so cute to use on cards, scrapbook pages, bookmarks, etc. The one I have to give away today, in honor of Favorite Things Day, is Xavier the Monkey. If you are interested in taking Xavier in, to your home, check out the give away instructions below the pic!

If you want to be entered in a drawing for this set of Cuttlekids dies, which will work in the Cuttlebug-leave a post, and tell me in that post, the name that my family uses for my dear Grandmother, who is now in the nursing home. She is doing well, by the way--readers inquire about her often-despite 3 quarantines at the nursing home this winter, she has evaded sickness so far!!
I will take comments until Saturday night, and post the winner on Sunday, March 8th.
Have a great day!
**Keri**

My Latest Work...

2009-03-03T08:10:00.002-05:00

Good Morning! I hope everyone's Monday went well! I have a couple of pics of my latest commissioned work to share with you. The top one is a single slate SHINGLE, probably approx. 11x14 inches. I took the photo BEFORE I added the protective spray and rawhide hanger. I was asked to paint this specific slate, for a wedding present. The bride and groom are from Canada, and the United States! I have done primitive variations of the American Flag, but this is the closest I have ever gotten to the ACTUAL American Flag, and this is my first attempt of any kind of Canadian Flag! Everyone was pleased with it!

This second one is a simple house number slate shingle. I can do them in any number, or color! It measures approx. 5x10".

That is it from here, today! I am full up with daycare kids for today, and hope to get some more stuff ready to put up in my Etsy shop. I should be accepting Paypal payments in another week!
Thanks for all the support,
**Keri**

Thanks, Mom!!

2009-03-02T10:01:00.004-05:00

Hello! Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!! We made a trip to the city to get some groceries and order a new rifle. It was a nice, stress free, weekend!
I though this morning, that I would showcase a couple of crafters in my family, my hubby, and my Mom!
My Mom knits. For as long as I can remember she has been knitting. Now, however, it is difficult for her to do bigger projects, because she has arthritis in her hands really bad. She makes little Christmas tree ornaments, and baby booties, for the majority of her projects. But she has made hats, mittens, blankets, scarves, etc. All through my childhood, she made our slippers. Just a glorified bigger size of the baby booties. They were the BEST slippers ever! Well, my last pair, that was probably at least 5 years old, had a giant hole in one foot, and an almost hole in the other foot. I finally got the courage to ask Mom for a new pair-the old " If I buy the yarn, will you make me a new pair, pleasie?" line--all the while batting my eyelashes and being on my best behavior--which is still a trial at 33!! I got the yarn back at Christmas time, and left it and told her to take her time, I was in no hurry. Well, I dropped her off at her house on Friday night after a night out, and what was sitting on her kitchen counter waiting for me??? Yay!!

I was like a kid at Christmas!! It has been so long since I had a new pair! Do you like the colors I chose? THANKS, MOM!! They are beautious!! I have a problem, though...They are SO pretty and SO perfect that I don't want to mess them up!! Ten minutes in this house and they will never be the same! I told Mom that she either had to make me a lifetime supply of slippers or teach me how to make them myself. Peter suggested a giving her a cartful of yarn and a couple bottles of Aleve and letting her go at it, but she didn't think that would work. The LOVE of a son in law, huh? So, Mom has very nicely said that she will teach me how to knit!! She has tried in the past, with little success, but I was younger and not very ambitious. I am quite excited, and very focused on doing this. That way, I can make everyone slippers for Christmas!! Wish me luck!!
Now, believe it or not, my macho, wilderness loving, mountain man looking hubby, is actually a bit creative and crafty!! Of course, all roads lead to hunting and outside in his world, so his craftiness does have to do with dead animals, as does everything else, but check these out!!

The top pic is of horns that were too small to mount the entire head. He cut the plaques out, mounted the horns on a scrap off wood, shaped the drywall mud into a perfect mound, covered with fabric, and mounted it on the plaque! I did paint the black edging-so I had a tiny part in it. He is the wall painter, I am the fine painter!! The arrow shaped one he killed WITH his bow.
Now, there is also another stage in deer head display. Too big for just horns on a plaque, but still too small to get the entire head mounted. The top skull was done by the taxidermist. But it still costs a LOT of money, just to get the skull. So Peter did the second one, himself! I won't get into the gorry details, lets just say, it is done OUTSIDE and not in the house. They both look pretty much identical! Peter then got a pattern for the slate, and cut the slate out, and mounted the skull on the slate backing!! He is pretty proud of his craftsmanship, as he should be! He did a great job!
So that is it from here!! I hope everyone has a blessed Monday, and entire week!
**Keri**

New Items in THE COUNTRY LIFE Shop

2009-02-25T08:45:00.003-05:00

I have added some new items in my Etsy Shop. Click HERE to check them out! Any feedback would be appreciated. I did have my first sale! Hooray!
I will be adding more in the weeks to come. Keep checking back!
**Keri**

ICE FISHING!!

2009-02-23T08:19:00.004-05:00

Prepare to be amazed, you are going on an ice fishing trip, to the great Lake Champlain!! Make sure you dress warm, that wind really whips, and we don't have a shanty!
The Pastor from town took Cody, and a bunch of neighbor kids that go to Clubhouse at church, to Lake Champlain Saturday afternoon, to do a bit of ice fishing. Some of the parents decided to tag along, too--I know, I KNOW!! I went outside! I came out of hibernation just long enough to soak in some of that not so warm but delightful sunshine!
This is a picture of the bait. Giant maggots! NICE!! One of the boys actually ate one on the way down, but it wasn't Cody!! YUCK!! The perch love them, though!

Here is Peter with the ice auger. A much quicker way to drill a hole than a hand cranked auger! I caught this photo just as he hit water. The ice was over 2 feet thick!

Here it is, in all it's glory. Everyone grabs a bucket or chair, and sits over their hole. And waits....Not my kind of fun. Unless someone is sitting down below constantly hooking fish on my line, this takes too long!!

Here's Pete and Cody grubbing their hooks. Look how tall Cody is getting! Peter and I are both 5'11" so Cody is catching up quick! He is taller than both of his Grandmothers now!

This is my best friend Judy. We live down the road from each other. She also is my hairdresser. Our boys have grown up together, and go to school together. Cody and her oldest are in the same class at school! She is such a blessing, and a picture taking freak just like me! She, unlike me, loves to be outside! I think she is ready for spring, though. Even SHE has had enough of winter!!

Here is Richard, our neighbor. He caught the most perch on this trip. This hole was magic!

Here, you can see the breakwater in the foreground, and WAAYYY back in the distance is Mount Mansfield in Vermont. The mountains were just beautiful with all the snow. Some of them, like this large one, have snow all year round sometimes!

This is the village of Rouses Point, with ice shanties in the foreground. You can see the roads out on the ice where people drive out and drop of their shanties, or park and fish. There weren't many out today, sometimes it looks like a small village out on the ice!

Here you can see the bridge that joins Rouses Point, NY and Alburg, VT. There is one more bridge down toward the South, and there are ferries that go across the Lake. We usually take the bridge across.

Cody trying to stay warm on his makeshift seat! He does have a seat heater to help!!

A very rare pic of Peter and I!! That is me under there!! Judy is always good about getting photos of everyone!!

Judy and I took MANY walks around the area to stay warm and get some exercise. We were carrying around an extra 20 pounds in clothes and boots, so we really had to work! We walked around the ice roads, and out to the end of the breakwater. This is a pic of all the boys in one spot on the end of the breakwater!

Peter and Judy's hubby Timmy (my cousin!) thinking that it was time to go. They had had enough!

This is the gorgeous sunset that I caught, just before we packed up to go home. It is perfect!

Cody did catch one fish. And NO he didn't eat it. Contrary to what he would like you all to believe!!

Me and the Codester!

Walking back across the ice to land!!

As you can see, if you don't like the cold, this is not for you. It probably hit 20 degrees out there. But it was windy, so I put it around 15 degrees. Staying active it the key! You can't sit still! I didn't actually fish, but I am glad I went, it was a fun experience! I hope you enjoyed your ice fishing trip!
Today I am back to work and Cody is back to school after a week off. I gotta say, it was a 95% terrible week. We were both sick most of the time, and we missed out on so much! We also got some really bad news regarding Cody and his orthodonics. I ask you all to please keep our family in prayer while we wade through this mess and make some pretty heavy decisions. I will be getting on the phone this morning to start making calls to oral surgeons.
Have a great Monday, and thanks for visiting!!
**Keri**

Cody and Bea

2009-02-19T08:19:00.002-05:00

Good morning, everyone! Here we are, still in the midst of winter break, and can you believe, it is snowing? Ugh...I am so sick of winter. I am sick of tiny puddles of water on the kitchen floor when someone "forgets" and I use that term VERY loosely, to take their boots off, when they, frankly, are just too lazy and refuse to do it! There is nothing like putting a fresh pair of socks on and then stepping in a puddle. I am sick of the constant mess of the wood stove and the pile of wood next to it. I am sick of wearing socks and shoes. I am sick of drying clothes by the stove cause I can't use my clothesline. I am sick of the HUGE pile of winter clothes and boots that takes up residence in my kitchen all winter. Get my drift? Cody seems to have recovered nearly 100 % from his cold last week. I, on the other hand, cannot seem to shake it! It had not gotten any worse, but not any better, either. Sore throat, a rattle in my chest, tired, aches and pains, just all around yuck. What a nice vacation!! We did manage to get to the movies on Tuesday afternoon, and went out to lunch at Friendly's. We rarely do that, as it is so far away, and we are trying not to be too spendy, but I had a bit of extra money, so I took Cody and his friend to lunch and to see Paul Blart Mall Cop, which was SO FUNNY! The whole theater laughed through most of the film. If you are feeling down in the dumps, it will lift your spirits!
I went and visited Global Sugar Arts, {{click here}} while I was in Plattsburgh. It is amazing! I have always liked to look at the site, and have been trying to get to the store for quite a while. It is amazing, and VERY overwhelming! I walked in and they asked me what they could help me with. I said--"All I need is some shamrock sprinkles, please??!!" and they showed me the way. A person could spend HOURS looking at all the stuff in that store!! It was quite an experience! Since then I have been laying low, Cody is bored out of his mind, of course, and I can't even walk on the treadmill cause it is so hard to breathe! What a bummer. I hope things start to look up soon. I recently finished this layout, it had been half done for a while, but I finally finished it! The photo is one I took of Cody and Bea on Thanksgiving Day, at my Mom's house. When I had such good luck with www.scrapbookpictures.com and Cody's christmas photos for my cards, I sent another order in. I applied a couple of borders to it, knowing it would look nice for a layout.

Here is what I used:
Cardstock-SU! Cranberry Crisp, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Basic Black, Soft Sky
Patterned Paper-My Mind's Eye
Chipboard--SU! and Scenic Route
Ribbon-SU! Certainly Celery Grosgrain
Rub Ons-Luxe Designs
Sticker-Cloud 9 Designs
Ink-Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Old Paper
Paint-acrylic craft paint
Some of the chipboard was painted and sanded, other pieces were covered in paper, then cut out and sanded. Everything was distressed lightly with the Old Paper ink pad. The Oval is a rub on, and the sentiment inside is a clear sticker.
I hope you are having a good week, and thanks for stopping by!
**Keri**

Valentine's Day Wrap-Up!!

2009-02-15T18:51:00.003-05:00

Here is a huge mishmash of photographs from my Valentine's Day! I have to say, I was a very spoiled gal this year. I got MANY actual Valentine's, from all the special people in my life!! I grouped them in sets for the photographs, as I would like to keep my sanity with this lovely dial up!
These first two are from my friend Judy and my Mama! They are just gorgeous! Judy also sent me some treats that you will see below, and my Mom used the coolest mulberry cardstock with tiny hearts embedded in it!

These next two are the ones I made for Cody (top) and Peter (bottom). I actually made them a while ago, for Buzz and Bloom, and tucked them away until the Holiday arrived!

Here is the next grouping. Top left is from my buddy Brenna! This is her first card ever-she is a scrapbooker, and finally decided to take the leap! I love that is has my name on it, cause I NEVER find anything with my name spelled correctly!! Top right is a little card that my dear baby boy lifted off my card rack! In his defense, after he took it and hid it, he did come to me and ask me if it was okay that he did it. Bottom right is the card my lovely hubby gave me. He did buy it, but pointed out the fact that is WAS homemade looking, and I reassured him that it was indeed homemade paper. It had a lovely verse inside!! Bottom right is my Valentine from my daycare girls and their parents. Morgan, Reanna, Emily and Randy! It came with some Kissables, too!

These next two are from my best buddy Peg (I drew her to the dark side a few years ago, Buwahahahahah!!), hers is on the top, with my favorite set that I like to borrow, Loads of Love, and the cuttlebug embossed background, and the bottom on is from an online friend of many years now, Linda! Hers has some intricate handiwork, and a felted heart ornament that is detachable!!

Last but certainly not least, as you can see from the empty chocolate wrappers, is the cute "candy wallet" that Judy sent me. You can visit her blog at www.stampinmyheartout.blogspot.com . This lovely was made with die cuts from the SU! Bigshot collection, and filled with lovely candies! Hit they spot, they did!!

This is the little gal that came to live at my house yesterday. I have collected Boyd's Bears for about 10 years now. The longer time goes by, they fewer I have collected. I love them all, decorated with them-not CRAZY all over the place bears, but just one here or there. They are each very meaningful and special to me! ANYWAY, my hubby got this little lady with a knit sweater for Valentine's Day! She is very sweet. She brought me a pretty pair of earrings, too!

This is what else she brought me. A diamond heart pendant! I have been eyeing the heart shaped and circle shaped pendants like this for quite a while, and am not a HUGE jewelry person, but this fits me perfectly. Simple, understated! I am a very blessed wife!!

So that ties up our Valentine's Day! It was a wonderful day. I wrapped it up, half sick, with a pizza supper, and hot fudge pudding cake. Peter's Fave! I didn't get a photo, unfortunately! I will post the recipe below, though. We also watched The Dark Knight. I was quite apprehensive, but I am glad I watched it. I am a very tender person, and knowing that Heath Ledger is no longer with us is heartbreaking. BUT WHAT A PERFORMANCE!! I see now why is was nominated for an Oscar. I am not a big follower of the Academy Awards, but MAN I hope he wins!!

Here is the recipe::
(It is a Hershey's recipe)
Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
1 1 / 4 cups sugar, divided
1 cup flour
7 tablespoon cocoa, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 / 4 teaspoon salt
1 / 2 cup milk
1 / 3 cup margarine, melted
1 1 / 2 teaspoons vanilla
1 / 2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/ 4 cups hot water
Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl. Stir together 3 / 4 cup sugar, flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Pour batter into 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Stir together remaining 1 /2 cup sugar, brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons cocoa; sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Pour water over top. DO NOT STIR. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool 15 minutes; spoon into dessert dishes. Spoon sauce from bottom of pan over top of cake. Serve warm with whipped topping, or VANILLA ICE CREAM!! if desired.

We are on vaca this week. Winter break!! Thank you Lord! Have a blessed week-I have a fresh layout to share very soon!!
**Keri**

And the Winner Is....

2009-02-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

Michelle!! I will get it right out to you, girlie!
And to answer Andi's question on foundation, my favorite one is from Cover Girl. It comes in a tube, and it is moisturizer and foundation in one. Is has a great texture. You can see it if you click here.
I will be back later today to post my lovely Valentine's Day re-cap!
Thanks for all the well wishes. Cody is back to his possessed self, and I am slowly improving. The good news is, it never settled into my sinuses, only my chest. I made it through the night without coughing, which was great!
Congrats to Michelle, and you HAVE to let us know what you think when you get it! (only if it is good, though!)
Look forward to more favorites coming soon!
**Keri**

Happy Valentine's Day 2009!

2009-02-13T10:04:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday Morning, everyone! Just in case I am more sick tomorrow than I am today, I thought I would get this up and posted NOW instead of waiting! These are pics of the Valentines I made for my lovees, and the towels I made for my dear friend Judy. She drives Cody to school most days and I like to do something special for her on Holidays. I USUALLY make her chocolate covered potato chips, but since she is doing Weight Watchers, I was warned to not make her any sweets!
I made a dozen cards this year, three different designs, and several different patterns of paper. I printed the vintage photos off the internet, and cut them, and the whole card out, using Nestabilities dies in my Cuttlebug.
The postage cancellation stamp is from Purple Onion Designs, as are all the sentiment stamps that I stamped on the photos. Ink pad is Red Staz On. The rhinestones are Martha Stewart adhesive backed.
The finished size is about 4.25 x4.25"

Now, this is the grand idea I had for my friend Judy. I wanted to crochet edging on towels for Valentine's Day, for her kitchen. I got a pack of 4 towels at Walmart. 2 red and 2 white. Lisa Renea found me this fairly simple pattern for edging, and after some guidance from the gals at 2peas Leisure board, I figured out how to crochet the edging directly ON the towel's edge. I did a blanket stitch on the inside edges of the towels, then crocheted onto that. It turned out pretty good for my first time! She *LOVED* them, so that was the main thing! I also made her a pink and white dishcloth, and a red pot scrubber, to complete the set. I have been making the scrubbers for a while, but recently changed my "formula" and now they are even better. More sturdy, prettier, etc. I crochet them with one strip of nylon mesh, and one strand of plastic canvas yarn, which is VERY rough yarn. I also stuck in a box of 10 calorie Oreo Cakesters for her to munch on. They are SO GOOD!

So, there you have it! My daycare kids all leave at noon today, and Cody is gone to Vermont on a field trip til 4, so I am headed to town to find him a Valentine's Day present. I am also going to get some stuff for a Valentine's Day pizza supper tomorrow, and probably something sweet for dessert! Thanks for all the well wishes, Cody is doing much better, and only missed that one day of school. I am under the weather, but not enough to keep me down. Mamas can't be sick!!
Have a great day!!
**Keri**

Keri's Favorite Things

2009-02-11T08:16:00.004-05:00

I have decided to start a new feature on my blog! This is not going to have a definite schedule, b/c I don't do well with those! I want to share little tidbits of my life that make it easier, or better. You know, the ONE thing you have to buy name brand at the grocery store, or the one thing that ALWAYS gets the dirt stain off the knees of your son's jeans. Things I love, things I depend on, things I could never do without. Sometimes there will be a give away of the item, sometimes it will just be a showcase.
Today, I am starting off with a give away! After the showcase, follow my instructions at the bottom, to try to win your very own!

MASCARA!!

I have a HUGE LOVE for mascara. I don't know when it happened, probably a year or two ago, but I think once I found the right mascara, that is all it took. I am a huge proponent of "the more the better" although I am sure not everyone agrees when the see me? I have tried SO MANY mascaras-let me tell you first off that price is definitely a consideration with me, as I tend to be a bit of a tightwad when it comes to cosmetics! I have had a favorite mascara for about a year now. And have recently discovered a second one that is a VERY CLOSE second.
My all time favorite mascara is SUPER SHOCK from AVON!

This is THE BEST mascara I have ever used. Bar NONE! It has one of the new rubber brushes, which is way better than the old bristle brush variety. And, it comes is brown! Many times it is hard to find brown. There isn't a huge difference in brown and black, but I prefer brown. My Avon gal works at the mom and pop store in town, so it makes it really easy to get my favorite! It retails for 8.50, but you can often get a special deal on it, if you watch the sales. I have not paid full price for one yet! It makes your eyelashes so long and beautiful, without clumps!

Now, here is the close second:
Cover Girl Exact Eyelights for Blue Eyes

I was a bit skeptical about this mascara, but it had the rubber brush, so I decided to give it a try. I got it back before Christmas, and wore it off and on, keeping in mind that I do daycare, and don't put on makeup unless I leave the house. Which a lot of times doesn't happen for 3 or 4 days at a time! I wasn't sure it would work, I couldn't see a HUGE difference, although I could see the slight blue tint in the mascara depending on the lighting. Then one day about 3 weeks ago, I got ready to leave the house while my daycare kids were still here, so I could leave as soon as they did. My little boy's Mom came and I was standing there talking to her, and I could tell she was looking at me funny. Like EXAMINING me. Finally she said "YOUR EYES LOOK SO BLUE!! What did you DO!??" BINGO!! Two thumbs up! I think I paid $5.99 at Wal-Mart for this mascara, and I *LOVE* it! It works!! Try it and if you do, let me know your experience!

SO, now to the give away. I have a brand new, unopened BROWN in color AVON SUPER SHOCK MASCARA waiting to go to a new home!

If you are interested in this mascara, post a comment to this post, answering the following question. Posting will close Saturday. Drawing will occur Sunday.

"What special event did I plan for Cody's last birthday?"

A winner will be chosen randomly from the commenters with the correct answer.

Good luck!

**As side note, sickness is slowly overtaking the house! My daycare kids are sick, my Mom and Daddy have been sick, and now Cody is sick. It seems to be a really cruddy cold. Everyone seems to have the same thing. I can feel it slowly creeping up on me, but I hope I can make it til the weekend before it hits me! Off to drink some OJ!**

Have a great day

**Keri**

Long Lost Christmas Gifts...

2009-02-10T09:06:00.003-05:00

I recently realized that I neglected to post two of the gifts I made for people, for Christmas! I always like to wait, so I don't spoil the surprise if the recipient reads my blog, then I sometimes forget. So, this is a REALLY late Christmas post.
The first item is an artist's portfolio I made for my Secret Sister, Annie. She likes to sketch and draw, and I thought this would be nice for her to tuck into her bag and take to work, vacation or lunch breaks! It is made out of a single fabric placemat. I folded the bottom edge up and ironed it to get a good crease. I sewed the edges closed to make 2 pockets. I also sewed up the center, and at intervals along the left pocket to make spaces for different sketch pencils. I finished it off with a wide grosgrain ribbon sewed to the outside, to function as a tie to keep everything closed. I tucked a small sketch pad in the right side pocket!

The second item I made was an altered notebook (aka brain in a book) for my buddy Brenna. (See profile pic)..She is in her last semester of college in the great and ice encrusted state of Kentucky! I thought she could use something like this to keep everything straight. I have one that I use all the time. I put dividers in it and use each section for something different. To-do lists, party or get together plans, wish lists, passwords, etc. It is never far away from me! I used Martha Stewart paper from Walmart-I love the green, blue, and yellow combo. The large chipboard letter is Buzz and Bloom, I covered it with paper and sanded the edges. I then added her name in rub on letter on the chipboard letter. Embellished with some cute ribbons, tabs, and brads, and there we have it! I used the scalloped edge punch from SU!, and the spiral notebook punch from SU!. Both are must haves!

So, there are my last two Christmas creations. They are great gifts that are versatile. The notebook could be made in any color scheme and theme, and the portfolio is good for kiddos and grown ups!
Have a great Tuesday!
**Keri**

The Grand Reveal!

2009-02-08T08:35:00.004-05:00

Neil finally came to get his hat! He lives 30 minutes away, so a week wasn't too bad! He was very pleased and excited with how it came out, and I even got a hug and an I Love You when he left. Made my day! Here he is with Cody, who is always ready for a photo, as you have learned if you are a regular visitor! You can't see if from here, but there is a pom pom hanging for a string down the back. I told him that when people start asking him where he got that brilliant hat to send them my way. So far, no one is knocking down doors. Oh, well. Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday! Spring teased us yesterday and went back into hiding this morning. Bummer..
**Keri**

How Many Dozen??

2009-02-06T07:10:00.003-05:00

Good Friday Morning, everyone! Boy, am I beat. I am so glad it is almost the weekend! Cody recently decided to be in Spanish Club. Even though he does not even like Spanish. Typical kid, typical boy, and you will see where I am going with this in a minute. Apparently, there is a field trip next Friday. Over to Vermont to see the Flamenco (sp?) dancers at the Flynn Theatre. Well, that is reason enough to be in Spanish Club, right? Miss a whole day of school?! ALRIGHT! So if you wanted to go on the trip, you had to pay for your ticket, and make something for a bake sale (today) to help pay for the bus. She also requested that it had a Valentine feel to it, as the holiday is so close at hand. So when Mom and I went to town the other day, I picked up sprinkles, cello bags with hearts, and all kinds of baking supplies. I have been trying not to bake, so I hadn't bought any flour/sugar, etc. since the Holidays! I did a double batch of spritz cookies, in pink, and white, and I did a triple batch of sugar cookies, complete with royal icing and sprinkles. Cody did the sprinkles!
I think I made about 10 dozen cookies last night, at LEAST! I was so tired I was drooling. I finally got done, got them all packaged, and went to bed after 10 pm. I made 20 packages for the bake sale, and a special one for Cody's best school buddy, the nurse. Here is my recipe for sugar cookies. I have been using it for years, and it never fails! Always remember not to roll them out too thin!
Keri's Sugar Cookies:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour
Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift in flour, b. powder and salt. Let chill until easy to work with. Roll out to a 1/4" thickness and bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes.
*I don't let them get brown at ALL. Not even a litte bit.*

Royal Icing (from Martha Stewart dot com)
2 cups conf. sugar
2 1/2 tblsp. meringue powder
1/4 cup water.
Blend well and add coloring if desired!

I used a zipper bag with the tip cut off, for the icing. I use an offset spatula to fill in the middle..Here is what the bake sale packaging looks like:
I used a cute punch with a Purple Onion Designs sentiment for the middle, and tied it with a pink ribbon. Purple Onion Link is in the sidebar!!

Here is the special treat for our friend, the nurse. I got this cute box at Michael's and loved it!! They have all kinds of prints for the holidays. I filled it with goodies and tied it with a huge grosgrain ribbon, and a sentiment tag.

Now all I have to do is make up a tray for tomorrow's SU! workshop!
Have a great Friday!
**Keri**