More Love for Webkinz!

I thought I'd share a few collar orders that I have recieved recently. I made a few extra and have listed them on Etsy (http://www.joybeadworks.etsy.com/). Wouldn't your child be so excited to recieve a new black cat Webkinz with "Pumpkin" on her collar? It may be just the perfect gift for this time of year.

For the Love of Webkinz

My kids just love Webkinz...some more than others. They like to look online for the latest Webkinz rumors, they like to figure out which store has the most selection, they like to play on the computer on the Webkinz site. They also like to watch Webkinz videos on YouTube.

I wasn't sure of the whole YouTube thing, there are lots of inapproprite things on there, and lord knows what would pop up if they accidently mis-spelled something. I had to monitor the Webkinz/YouTube closely. I recently found out about a new site:(hooray) that provides the same type of homemade videos on various topics, but the site is monitored and made specifically for kids. It's called: www.kidstube.com . A much safer, parent and kid friendly site.

I Come By It Honestly

This is my Dad's Truck. See picture #2.

It's a thing of beauty to only him. There's spray paint, and mismatched doors, welds in various places, I honestly don't think the windows go up...it's an all weather ride. He could take it apart and put together by himself. I have watched him do it may times. He know how it sounds, (" a Chevy doesn't run right until it ticks") he knows if something is wrong or broken just by ear. There's a partnership between this truck and my Dad. He takes care of it, and it takes care of him.

The best part is inside: See picture #1. Oh, how this part makes me smile. This looks like a tangled mess of junk, but in reality it is an endless resource. You see a can of oil, he needs that for when the truck runs low. (If you ask me, a Chevy dosn't run right till it drips..) You see a bucket....there's hydraulic fluid in that...needs that for the backhoe...it runs low, maybe blow a hose on occasion, easy fix if you have hydraulic fluid. Balls of aluminum foil look like left-overs from lunch, that's a replacement for a burned out fuse. Scraps of wood are blocks for the tires (these always come in handy.) Scraps of wire, black electrical tape, extra lights and bulbs, you've got yourself a regular fix-it kit for all of your electrical. An empty bottle is useful when you have to walk to the nearest stream to get more water for the radiator.

Most of all, when my Dad has to climb over the large amounts of "stuff" I keep in my car, he can't say a thing. See, I come by it honestly.

Old is New

I took these yesterday in the barn on the farm where I grew up. It's one of those things that seemed so daily and mundane that you never noticed it. The kids were playing in the hay loft and visiting the kittens and I snapped these off.

I like to imagine which of my forefathers used this wagon wheel, what kind of work they did with it, and all of the travels it's been on.
I spent many hot summer days breathing dust in this barn while putting up hay and straw. (Hay is what animals eat, straw is the shaft of wheat or oats and is used for bedding. Knowing this will make you sound like you know what you are talking about at the county fair.)
Here's a hard working farm dog, a border collie. They need lots of room to run, and are very helpful, herding comes so naturally to them.

Since all of this stuff isn't so daily anymore, it's easy to look at it with a new perspective. I love how the sunlight streams through the boards.

Almost September

And you know what that means, a chorus if "But we didn't get a chance to"'s and "You said we would____this summer". These crushing last weeks of august bring back memories for me. Although the "Big Trip" for me as a kid was a Sunday afternoon fishing.

Around here, Kennywood Park is always on the list of "Summertime Fun". We had the absolute best time there this year. Even my little one is tall enough to ride the infamous Jackrabbit, one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters that is still in use. It was the perfect summer day.

This week I'm fitting in last minute play dates and fielding the "Which teacher did you get" phone calls. My goal is to have their school clothes lined up like soldiers in their closets by mid-week. Then, we'll see if anyone has shoes that fit......

Attention All Boutiques!

I have come up with this cute little display for boutiques. A local shop had been asking for my interchangeable bead rings and handmade beads. I just added this box of treasure to their countertop! They were so excited!

I even had a sale while I was standing there!

I don't think people realize how fun these rings are until they've had a chance to see how they work. And, I'm sure that you can't see how amazing the beads are until you have seen them in person!

A-Berry Picking We Went

We went to a local place that my neighbor recommended. I have never seen such blackberries. We had a contest to see who could pick the biggest one! They were the size of (small) pinecones!
There were also blueberries, we picked a quart or so.

Here are the details:
Pazkorz's Berry Farm
36 Starr Road
Cheswick, PA 15024
724-265-3073

Get your GPS fired up....They are behind Deer Lakes High School.

I'm going back for fall raspberries!

A Sweet Treat

There's nothing like a morning at the dentist for 5 teeth cleanings/checks to send me straight to the Bakery! Ok, so the kids were all so well behaved, everyone there commented on them. No one even came close to having a cavity...in fact they were labeled "good brushers" . So, an awesome cupcake/brownie wasn't going to hurt anyone. A little coffee for Mom....

We went to Vanilla Pastry Studio, which just moved to the up-and-coming West End of Pittsburgh.
It was amazing as usual. To be fair, I also enjoy a much more local place called Sweet House in Mars. The owners of each establishment once worked together..I don't care to get into the politics of it, they are both good bakeries.

Oh, how I appreciate some excellent dessert!

Here's a Pre-School Goodie

So, it's 9am Sunday morning, and my kids have been up since the crack-O-dawn (there is some sort of well known Mom phenomenon that every Mom knows: No matter what time the kids go to bed, they always get up at the same time.)
Anyway, we've made brownies, did an "experiment" with a big bowl of soapy water and food coloring (mental note: add food coloring to the grocery list).
Then I remembered this pre-school goodie: Shaving cream on a cookie sheet. We started out making letters in the shaving cream (as every Mom knows, it's August and school is looming...as is the Mom guilt of not doing enough over the summer to prepare them for the year ahead). So, exasperatingly quickly, the letter making ceased at B, and the sheets became snowstorms for Matchbox Cars. Now, they are volcanoes, and my table is covered with shaving cream, and my kitchen smells of a mix of baking brownies and Barbasol (not good).
But, they are having fun, and that's what summer is about. I guess I'll try again next week with the school prep.

Alaskan Adventure

A grand Alaskan Adventure by Train!
We even panned for gold! I'm not sure how you could ever get addicted to this...I was annoyed when there wasn't a huge hunk in my second pan.
This is a grizzly bear....we saw 6 of these guys...gladly from a distance. Saw 2 more black bears.
Never discount traveling by train....This is the dome car. Very fun to ride on the second story with just a piece of glass between you and the sky.
This is Mt. McKinley in Danali National Park...I learned later that only 20% of the people who visit actually get to see the mountain because of the cloud cover and weather up there. This picture was taken in the very same place that Ansel Adams took his famous picture of the mountain on a still morning, reflecting into this lake.

Overall, an awe inspiring place. A great trip to a true wilderness.

Weary from Travel

Here are some things that I never need to hear again:

!.) Oh! Look at that Rock, and ALASKAN rock! (this statement applies to nearly all everyday things)...you know an ALASKAN candy bar, an ALASKAN Comfort Inn.....
2.) Your flight has been delayed....
3.) I don't know, what do you want to do?
4.) What are we doing, again?
5.) 7:30 am departure is considered LATE by your travel companions (who were up at 5am).
6.) Come read this brass highway marker....it says that someone I've never heard of was here once.
7.) Why don't you want to pick up every form of free literature that is available? (Because I've got enough to carry, and I know what we are doing next!)
8.) What time is again? I mean HERE? (Their watch is still set at HOME time, I'm being asked to do the math, again.)
9.) Where DO they grow the giant cabbage?

Enough...it's out of my system now......Till the next time!