Tuesday's Treasures!

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are all enjoying the nice Spring weather. It has been absolutely beautiful here! The yard sales and garage sales are starting up again, after a break because of the weather. We've had quite a bit of rain, which is good for nature, but bad for yard sales. Anyway, we went yard-saling this last weekend, and found a couple of things. First of all, I found the perfect size basket for a nest for Crackers. I put a little colored shredded paper in it to pad her bottom, and she is quite comfortable!

Then, I found a Tupperware Jello mold! Two of them, in fact. A small one and a large one. The small ones needed a lid, but other than that they are OK. And I just happened to have a lid that fit!

I fixed Jello that very night for dessert, using the large mold. It holds two small packages or one large package, with a little room for some fruit. It was yummy, as Jello always is, but this time it looked good, too.

At the last sale we hit, I found something else for Crackers. You know, her legs are so long that sometimes she's very uncomfortable when she sits. Well, there it was....the perfect chair. It is a bamboo, decorative doll high chair, and it is perfect! Her legs hang down so her knees aren't in her face, and her feet fit the rung just right.

It's just right! She loves it and sits in it all the time. Doesn't she look cute? Well, those were our Tuesday Treasures for this week. We are both very happy with our purchases. And it only cost us $4.25 total! Not bad, huh?

Well, I'm finishing Penelope, Crackers cousin, this week and completing the new coaster project. I also have a lot of journal pages and ATC's to make (Artist Trading Cards) and send out, so I will be very busy. But I'm not complaining! Busy is better than bored. So until next time, goodbye and love to all,

Tuesday Treasures

Today is Tuesday and we have a fun treasure for you. When you go outside and look around, you can see these all over the place. They are big and small and used for a lot of things. You can build fences and fireplaces out of them, you can carry them in your pocket for good luck, you can use them to hold down stacks of papers, or as a weapon! Have you guessed what they are? That's right! Rocks!

Rocks are everywhere we look. You find them in driveways and planter beds, on trails and in campgrounds, even in our gardens where we don't want them! They make good seats, like the rock Crackers is sitting on in the pictures of our walk last week. They make good door stops and you can use them for games. The American Indians played several different games with fruit pits or rocks, and you can make a tic-tac-toe game using rocks for the playing pieces. Of course, they're good in sling shots, as long as you are far away from anyone or anything that you could hurt. And you can use them to make an Eskimo yo-yo! Maybe we'll make one of those later.

Here are three rocks that are special to me and grandpa. The first is the family tree our 6-year old grandson, Cyric, made for poppa for Father's Day last year. It has his momma and him and his brother, and it's really cute. The one on the right is a piece of rock from the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota, by Mount Rushmore. We visited it about 10 years ago and got to pick a piece of stone to bring home with us. Cool, huh? The little stone in the middle is in memory of our granddaughter, Madison, who died from cancer when she was two. The Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer group held a lovely memorial celebration a few years after she died to commemorate all those who had lost their battle with the big C. It was a family celebration, with rocks to paint, and balloons to tie messages on to send heavenward, and food and music........it was just wonderful. This little rock is the one that got painted for grandpa. Mine has gotten lost somewhere, but I keep hoping I'll find it down in some box or drawer. I just keep looking.

I bet you're wondering about the mushroom pin cushion, and what it's doing in a group of rocks. Well, rocks make good weights, too. Inside the stem of the mushroom is some rocks to help hold it up! (Or down?) The rock on the right with all the holes in it is a rock that was given to my mother and she used it as a paperweight until she passed away. Now it's mine. The blue rock with all the eyes on it was a Father's Day gift our 4-year-old grandson, Rafferty, made for poppa.

The rock on the left in this picture is a worry stone. It's kind of hard to see, but it has an indention on one side (if you look close you can see it) and you're supposed to carry it in your pocket and when you're worried or have stress, you rub your thumb in the indention to relieve stress and tension. It really does work, too! I think it's a case of becoming so engrossed in the feel of the stone, that you forget your worries for a while. Anyway, I really like the smooth feel of it. The little pink stone is a Crackle Quartz and it goes in the little bag of the necklace. It's a memory stone for Madison, who loved pink. Quartz is also believed to have certain healing properties. It is believed to be a powerful tool for memory improvement and for bringing clarity to one's consciousness. It's also supposed to help fortify the nerves, stimulate glandular activity, reduce fevers, alleviate pain, swelling and nausea. All things which I can use, so I can kill two birds with one "stone" when I wear it, if any of it really is true.

My grandchildren know I like rocks, so these are some little tiny ones they found in the back yard and gave to me. You can see, by comparison with my thumb, just how tiny they really are. And they're very pretty and shiny, which I like, too.

This is a piece of shale from Yellowstone Park, brought to me by my oldest granddaughter. Her family goes to Yellowstone every summer for a couple of weeks. It's smooth and dark gray on the back side. Every time I see this one, I think of Cydney, so I guess it's kind of a memory stone, too.

Now, we get to the project for the day. Crackers has found a couple of rocks that she really likes, so we're going to make her some "pet rocks". Does anyone remember pet rocks? They were a fad in the year 1975, and they didn't last long, but they made their creator, Gary Dahl, over a million dollars! If you want to the read the story of the pet rock go to http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/petrock/petrock.htm . Back to business. The little rocks Crackers found are totally different, so we have to figure out their personalities. The one on the left is really round and a little rough, the one on the right is sort of flat-ish and smooth, and the one in the front, well, you can see that it's got cracks and divots in it. What kind of personalities do you see in them?

I see a monster/creature, a ladybug and an i-don't-know-what-to-call-it. But we'll see what Crackers sees. So let's get started. First, you have to find your rocks. Try not to make them too big, because they are heavy, and not too small, because they get lost too easily. About 1" to 2" around is good. Wash them really well, using a small brush like an old toothbrush or fingernail brush. Dry them off really well and then let them sit and dry for a few hours before you start. Rocks are very porous and they hold moisture for a long time. When your rocks are really good and dry, get out your markers or paints and get started. Do you want to paint your whole rock, like Maddy's rock? Or just put a face on it, like the family tree rocks? Or maybe you want to do both! There is no wrong way to make a pet rock. You can even glue them together using clear caulking if you want to have feet or heads, ect.

Crackers decided that she didn't much like the flat-ish rock, so we set it free in the back yard. The little round one she thought looked like an egg, so she decorated it up all nice and pretty. And the one with the cracks and divots got two big eyes, and if you turn it one way it's smiling and if you turn it the other way, it has a look of surprise. Funny, huh?

Well, there you go. Tuesday's Treasure. A whole lot of rocks. Crackers wants me to tell you she hopes you will find as much joy in rocks as she does, and try out some new ideas. We have a Mother's Day idea using some flat stones, but we'll wait until closer to the day to show it to you. Have fun with your rocks and enjoy your treasure. Goodbye and love to all,

Tuesday Treasures

Hello to all you out there! How is the weather where you are? It's overcast here, and I think we'll have rain later. I actually like this kind of weather. I like to curl up with a good book and an afghan and spend the day reading and drinking hot chocolate. But not today....too much to do.

Our family loves to yard/garage sale/thrift store shop and see what we can find. Last Saturday, my son found a really nice pasta maker with all the attachments for $15 at the thrift store! I can't wait to start using it! It didn't have the manual or the measurers, but I went online and found all the info we need, plus a recipe, so it's all good.

It is pratically unused. Isn't it pretty? You can also see my very expensive bottle of Asai Berry Juice
that my friend gave me. It's really good mixed with other juices and frozen into popsicles!

And sometimes I pick up things that I don't have a specific purpose for at the time, but I just can't resist. I know you know what I'm talking about. And very seldom am I sorry, because I usually use them sometime down the road. One example is wooden shoes. I love wooden shoes, and used to have a pair that actually fit me, but I no longer have them and I'm sad about that. Anyway, I have a little tiny pair that are tied together with baker's twine and hang on the Christmas tree, and I have another little pair that I have just hung onto because I love them. Well, it turns out, so does Crackers, and she picked them for ourTuesday Treasure this week. She likes to sit atop the entertainment center with those little shoes by her side. They won't anywhere near fit her feet, but she, like me, just likes them.

I put her and the shoes on the kitchen table because there's not enough light on the
entertainment center for you to be able to see the shoes.

See how small? Not much bigger than my thumb!

That's this weeks treasure. It just goes to show that one man's trash is another man's (or duck's) treasure. Treasure doesn't have to be expensive, it doesn't have to be shiny and new. It just has to speak to your heart. Do you have any little treasures that are special to you? Send us a picture and we'll post it for others to see. When you share your treasures, others can get to know you just a little better. Goodbye for now and love to all,

Tuesday Treasures

Hey everybody! Hope you're having a great day! Crackers and I have been playing games with grandpa all day. He gets on a kick every once in a while where he just wants to play games, and sometimes he plays by himself and sometimes we play with him. Today we played Farkle. If you don't know how to play Farkle, you should try it out. It's a game played with 6 dice and you have to build up points according to what you roll on the dice. It's a lot of fun, and it's good math practice for kids, too.

I told you Crackers had found a special Tuesday Treasure for you, and she really did. We were going through some boxes, looking for something ( Ican't remember what) and she saw a little bit of red paper peeking out from under an old calendar. Well, Crackers loves bright colors, so she pounced on that right away! And guess what it was? It was a valentine that my little grandson, Cyric, made last year in kindergarten for a little girl he really liked. Her name was Lily and she was really cute. The only problem was, he was either too shy to give it to her, or he forgot to take it. Anyway, I wound up with it and thought I would put it on a scrapbook page.

It says, "To Lily, You are My best friend in the world". The i in Lily has a little heart for the dot and there is a whole row of smiley faces at the bottom. It is so cute. Crackers chose this for her treasure today because she, like me, knows that children are only little once, and we should pay special attention to the things they make and do and say, before they get too old to share them with us voluntarily. Crackers may be just a baby, but she's a smart baby, isn't she? She is 3 (weeks) going on 30!

I like Crackers choice of treasure for today because I love my grandchildren with all my heart, and even though I don't get to see most of them very often, I try to let them know they are loved. It is so important for them to know that, especially when they get older and think that the whole world is against them. Then it's good for them to know they have someone on their side.

We have a few more ideas for you, to help you to keep that connection between grandparents and grandchildren. How many of you still watch cartoons? Probably not many of you, but your younger grands do. If you can find a cartoon that they like that you can stand to watch, you can enjoy time with them doing something they like. My two grands that live here are 10 and 11 and they love Phineas and Ferb. Well, grandpa and I started watching one day and we got hooked! It is the cutest show and there is always a lesson to be learned, or some knowledge to be gained, and it is extremely funny into the bargain!

Another thing you can do is arts and crafts. You probably already know this, but kids love to DO stuff and MAKE stuff. Just about anything you do can be taught to a child, even if you have to tone it down a little for them. And variety is always welcome, too. Don't just do watercolors, or knitting or scrapbooking. Change it up and do them all! (At different times, of course.)

Do you like to sing? Or dance? Even kids who say they don't like to sing or dance will enjoy doing it with you. I used to dance with my children when they were young, and we'd get going doing the jitterbug, or the twist, or whatever we had a notion for that day, and pretty soon the whole bunch would be dancing! The same with singing. We lived 60 miles from Las Vegas, which was where we shopped, and it could be a pretty boring ride. I would put the oldies on the radio in the car and sing along at the top of my voice. Pretty soon, one child would join in and then another and another. (I had 5 kids.) I chose the oldies because those were the ones I knew the words to, but you could choose any type of music you like. Later, I found a Wee Sing tape of campfire songs, and because all my children were scouts, that was very popular, too. Now I sing those same songs with the grandkids. And you know what, they don't care if you even know how to sing or dance, they just get a kick out of seeing you do it and having you do it with them!

That's all for today. Crackers is getting tired and needs a nap and I have to fix dinner, so we'll see you next time. "Til then, remember, family is what matters in life. Goodbye and love to all,

Tuesday Treasures

Happy Tuesday to all of you out there in bloggerland. I hope you are having a great week! Crackers and I are just as happy as 2 little birds with french fries. We are starting a new feature on this blog called Tuesday Treasures. We will feature things that we consider "treasures" that other people might just pass right by. Especially since Crackers treasures tend to be close to the ground (or ON the ground :) ). But today's treasure is mine, and it is.....ta duh! Crackers! She is a treasure all by herself, and I thought you might like to see her birth. She doesn't think you will be interested, but I think you might enjoy it.

She started out at Joanne's Fabric store, where I picked her out and brought her home. I then had to make a pattern for her, and re-make it several times until she looked just right! Here is her first prototype.

She was too square, or I guess I should say too triangle-ly, and she didn't look right. So I started over. After a few more tries, she looked like this.

Then I got to work on her feet and legs. Her big feet and very un-duckly legs were a bit unwieldy, but I managed to get them done.

Next I made her wings and her bill. Both the legs and the wings have wire in them so she can be posed.

Now it was time to put her all together. She originally had hair to match her tail, but it made her look like a rooster, so I got rid of that Quick!

This is what she looked like as she emerged. Her wings and bill had to come out first, so there was room to turn the rest of her. Doesn't is look like she's hatching? I had to sew her legs in after she was turned, because they are so long, there was no room for them inside as I stitched her.

And here she is, all ready for the finishing touches, like eyeballs and a tongue. I also gave her a little embroidery floss hair that looks more like duck hair (if there is such a thing) and stuffed her bill. She is so excited to get to know all of you and to show you the things she likes.

Well, that was the birth of Crackers. If you enjoyed seeing it, drop us a comment a let Crackers know.

That was my Tuesday Treasure for this week. Next week, you will get to see Crackers' first treasure. She is looking hard for something that will please both you and her, so come back and find out what it is. For now, we will say good-bye and love to all from....