POKEY PEAS REFUGEES CHALLENGE for September 2017

grammadee, I LOVE your face paint page. Looks like you're getting a lot of crafty time again, so hurray for that. I hate it when my appliances act up, glad it's just a water line. I always feel I can do without ice and water in the refrigerator as long as it's functioning otherwise. Is your blind scraplift for here or another site? We totally have fall in the air here as well. We picked some of the tomatoes, including green and started harvesting everything we could last weekend from the garden. Today through this weekend, I'll be putting up tomato sauce and green salsa. We had to dig up our potatoes as well, so how do you store them?

nylene, I hope your finger is better and that your computer gets fixed soon. I am sorry about the school position. If you don't enjoy doing it, my vote is not to. You can find other opportunities to volunteer that you would enjoy. Have fun at your reunion.

scrapincin, how are you doing?

justjac, it's good to see you around this month even with no crafty things going on. Good for you with all of your exercise. I'm trying to gear up to just walk on the treadmill again. I was going to start on the 1st of the month....hohum....it's now the 13th... Preserving and school is taking over my life right now and the other moments I just don't have it in me. Have fun at your card class.

I finally made some time to clean off my craft desk, which has been buried under piles of crafty stuff that was being organized, paperwork for school, from the mayo, my Bible study things, and other things that get placed there when no one knows what to do with something. I don't know if that is going to get me any closer to actually creating a traditional page. We shall see.

Did I already tell you? We started getting eggs!!! It's very exciting. They started laying the weekend we returned from the Mayo. This morning, there were 3 and 1 didn't have the hard shell around it. We've heard this can happen, especially as they start laying, but it's a bit weird and kind of cool at the same time.

OK, I need to make my way into the kitchen. I've been postponing the start of the tomato preserving frenzy that will now take over the kitchen, but can postpone no longer. I feel like I should have a super-hero cape or something for these preserving endeavors. I'm sure it's all easy peasy for grammadee who's been doing it for years, but for a newbie, the thought of it is many times more daunting the the task itself. I feel the same way about rolling pasta out. It's really easy once you do it, but it takes me FOR.EV.ER. to finally get around to doing it. I'll be doing that this week as well. DS wants my homemade canneloni and chocolate cheesecake for his meal of choice for his birthday which he celebrated in Minnesota. But he still gets his home meal, probably this Saturday night.

OK, grabbing my cape or apron and getting off.

Hello everyone! Hope all is well with all of you! Sorry I have not made it here sooner but trying to get a few things done. First of all I have to tell you grammadee that I will have to leave comments on your last 2 layouts tomorrow as it kept telling me there was an error. I loved all of them You are doing great with the paint! I also never knew you could ripen green tomatoes like that. Also I never heard of corn chowder in the oven. I had to google the chowder part and read a few recipes. I am just learning so much from you ladies!

nylene So glad to hear you had a great time at your reunion and now getting to go to another. Sorry to hear about your volunteering job at the school. It is so evident that you are trained and got pleasure helping these children to learn reading. I can not fathom what might be more important then that. How is you finger doing-I assume better or you would not be planning on going to the reunion.

LisaDV -thanks for asking me how I was doing. I think this rehab is helping not sure if it is helping my breathing but you feel better after doing that workout. So excited to hear your hens are laying! How fun is that. I bet your DD is enjoying them also.

kellyr21 I actually did not get to watch our first Browns game but did listen to it on the radio. I think our new QB is going to be able to do the job. He is a hard worker and we were only down by 3. But today our Cleveland Indians won their 21st game in a row and are number in the Central division. They are having so much fun playing the game that I do not know anyone that could beat them. They tied with the National league Chicago Cubs from consecutive games from 2002.

I am going to close for now. Waving hi to everyone!

Your fall table is GORGEOUS, @elaynef ! And your pages look great. Love all the clusters and banners.

nylene , I think you made the right decision. And you still have your options open if they decide to make some changes. Have fun at your reunion.

How did your salsa tourn out, LisaDV ?  I ended up making lazy cabbage rolls yesterday. Still have way too much cabbage to do something with. 

That's really Wierd about your rogue Flickr comment, scrapincin . Can you go back now and delete it? I tried, but although I could click on the little garbage can, I was not given full access to delete the comment. Guess there are worse things to be hacked than your Flickr account, but still... Glad you are feeling a little more fit after your therapy sessions. Hoping your breathing will improve with time as well.

Sounds like Christmas is coming early to your house, kellyr21 . Good sign that you already have orders for your cards. I am looking forward to our card class on Saturday. I will TRY not to buy out the LSS of christmas pp. I have tons here at home, but I really love all things Christmas!

This morning the temp was just above freezing. We picked off the last of the beans and I dug some carrots. I am really ready for this garden to just be DONE. Craft wise, I finished the 2 pager I started yesterday. Not quite what I had in mind when I started out, but I'm pretty happy with the results.

bubblicious by Gramma Dee, on Flickrbubblicious 2 by Gramma Dee, on Flickr 

Sounds like you have had a productive week, LisaDV. I'll bet your dd is looking forward to the sewing class with you. Will she be sewing her own lounge pants? Picking out material together sounds like fun.

Carrots are on my agenda today. Dug a bucket of them yesterday. Cleaned a bunch for storing in the fridge, and am in the process of getting the "culls" ready to put through the food processor and eventually transmorgrify into carrot cake.

Before I started on the carrots, I put together a couple of quick pages. In my sorting/reorganizing this past week I came upon a dragonfly piece I had done for a Make-n-Take a year or two ago. And I remembered that my dil had sent me a pic of our 3 1/2 year old dgs with a dragonfly in his hand. So this morning I was able to unite the two on a page. Yay me!

gentle magic by Gramma Dee, on Flickrgentle magic2 by Gramma Dee, on Flickr

Okay, back to my kitchen where I will need to get back to work WITHOUT a super cape or apron!

Thanks, @elaynef. I really do appreciate my garden--MOST of the time! Just means that there are days during the year that the garden or the weather makes the decision for us as to what our activities will be.

Hoping all the Pokeys are having a wonderful Sunday.

I spent the morning putting finishing touches on cards from yesterday. justjac and I participated in a LSS Christmas card class where we put together 9 cards from a manufacturer's kit (Photo Play Mad for Plaid). We had a bunch of extra pieces from the kit left over, so at the end of the class I cut them all apart and used some of the cs she provided to put together 13 card fronts just gluing pieces together.

This morning I attached those card fronts to ready made card bases, and glitzed up the fronts of some of the my cards with glitter and glue. I then used yet more of the extra pieces to finish the insides of almost all of the cards (including those we made in class).

Still have some bits and pieces left over--prob enough to add sentiments and a bit of accent to at least another half dozen cards--but I am done for the day. I added all 22 cards to my yearly total in my profile. Guess I owe myself 4 card insides...

Happy Monday! I hope you are all having a nice day. I went to M's to get a few more supplies and was surprised to see the shortage of red satin ribbon. The last few years this happened and I forgot about it. But I was reminded that folks start buying up things this early. So maybe this week they will have gotten more. Also, looking for more embellishments ideas. I usually go with ribbon or flowers but I would like to add another option. I made flowers last year and that was fun so maybe I will do that.

Lisadv- I usually like shopping for craft supplies but sometimes it gets frustrating when I can't find what I need. That is so fun you and your dd are taking the sewing class. Making pj pants sounds like a nice start.

Grammadee- Oh that class you and justjac took sounds like fun.

Waving hi to you all and have a nice evening!

Hi Pokeys, sorry I've been absent. It seems like I've only been able to Pea for a minute at a time over the last couple of weeks. DD14 has been having a rough time getting her homework done on time, so I'm up late with her every night and napping anytime I get a chance.

I did get to do some scrapping though. I went to a day crop a little over a week ago on Saturday and I had a great time. I met some really nice ladies including the Pea that told me about the crop, and I signed up for another one in November. Can't wait! And I finally bought some Gelatos, though I haven't had a chance to try them out. My birthday is in late November, so I decided they'll be a birthday gift to myself. All my yardwork and winterizing will be done by then, so I'll have a little time to play. Other than that, I've just been pulling weeds in the gardens, gathering whatever I can for the donation pile, and making a lot of soup for some reason. 


scrapincin , How's the sunburn today? I've only been fishing once in my life, and only caught one fish, but that's enough for me, thank you. Glad you got some pictures to scrap! And, you asked about DD? I'll be going to pick her up tomorrow to bring her home for Rosh Hashana. She's only been gone for a few weeks, but I can't wait to see her!

kellyr21 , I can't wait to see your Christmas cards. If you're taking requests, I'd love to see what you would do with snowflakes! 

grammadee , love all your layouts, especially the Happy Place pages with the sand you made and the wood planks PP. They're the perfect complements to the photos and the story. I'm glad you and justjac had such a great weekend!

LisaDV , the sewing class sounds like a great idea! Years ago, DD and I picked up a pattern for pajama pants with the intention of learning how to sew, but we never did anything with it. It's sitting somewhere in a box of good intentions. I like the idea of taking a class, and it's a fun girls night out too!

@elaynef , your table looks beautiful, but I really wanted to comment on your Lovely Day page - It came out really nice! The colors are great, and I love the paper airplane. Nice touch!

Waving hi to nylene and maribeth !

nylene, I don't suppose you took any photos to scrap? That was quite the adventure! Glad you made it home safely

@elaynef, your dgd looks gorgeous in that dress, and she obviously loves it and will feel extra beautiful on her wedding day.

nylene, I am glad you got home safe and sound! Thank heaven for those "tender mercies", but that must have been a very long and very tiring day!

Good to hear from you msliz. What a wonderful adventure it must have been to meet up with a Pea at a crop! Glad you are planning to attend another one.

Too bad you didn't catch much more than a sunburn, scrapincin. But it sounds like a beautiful day. I don't really enjoy actual fishing, but I do like to sit in a boat on still water and breathe in the fresh air. And I like to eat fresh fish, even if I am not a fan of getting them ready for the pan!

Hope you can find your card making supplies, kellyr21, or find a design you can use with the supplies you have.

This morning it was very dark and dreary and raining. The plan was to clear off some of what remains on the garden, but I didn't end up going outside at all. So... I scrapbooked! I finished two pages I had started yesterday, and then went on to start and finish two more. Used some mixed media: some mists and paints and a stencil with embossing paste on the last set of pages, so I am happy about that. Too dark to get decent shots of my pages though. Will try to post them tomorrow.

I spent the afternoon proofreading a paper dd plans to submit tonight as part of her Masters' program. I have read it so many times already I am not sure I am the right person for the job anymore: not sure if I am reading what is actually there or what I think is there. Tonight we are meeting a friend for supper in town.

Have a great evening, Ladies!

Hope you get that pesky LO finished, scrapincin. Glad your sunburn is feeling better.

I finished another couple of pages this morning. I have to check, but I think I can declare my Summer 2017 album complete!!! I still have some photos, but I think I have all the distinct stories told and the album will be ready to take to Calgary at the end of next week.

I uploaded six pages to the Gallery this morning, but rather than fill up half a page here, I will link only these two birthday pages. I was not at this bd party, but my ddil posted these photos. He is such a little rascal, and I am glad she caught that on "film".

2! page 1 by Gramma Dee, on Flickr2! by Gramma Dee, on Flickr

After I finish this cup of coffee I am heading off to the garden to dig some more carrots. I think these will become soup...

Hi all. I have a lot to catch up on. I had some computer difficulties over the weekend and the week gets busy.

nylene, I love that you call it "tender mercies". You definitely have a very positive outlook. I'm glad you had a good time at the reunion and sorry it didn't end perfectly, but glad you're safe.

scrapincin, I hate getting sunburned, which with my fair skin happens rather quickly. Glad your sunburn is feeling better. Those fish need to eat too and it just lets the kids catch bigger ones later. You were doing the kids a favor! (That's the spin you need to tell everyone!) I hope you share your digi layout.

@elaynef, your dgd looks gorgeous! When's the wedding? Also, please share those spy glasses when they're finished! We're pretty excited about the sewing class too. She's been wanting to do it for about a year. It just hasn't work out with our schedule and theirs. Then I saw the create a class sign and the lightbulb went off. She's chosen 2 fabrics. I thought we'd make one in class and then have her make the second here at home to reinforce what she's learned. Oh, and I almost bought a blue apron box with a coupon thing but let it expire.

grammadee, I will try to make it to the gallery to leave love soon. I knew I was missing a few pages, but I see you have actually been much more prolific. They're wonderful. I hope the garden is getting preserved and cleaned up. I haven't touched anything since the weekend, and need to get back to it today. I looked up the lazy cabbage roll recipes which were all for the cabbage rolls with red sauce and I do a brown. I'm thinking of just freezing the meatball combination and making the brown sauce at the time of cooking. It's definitely quicker than making cabbage rolls, so thanks for the idea. A tip that might work for you, it does for me. When I've proofread something a zillion times, I try to carefully read it out-loud. I pick things up better that way if I've already seen the document many times.

kellyr21, I'll second msliz's suggestion of snowflakes for your card options. I hope your ribbon is back in stock too.

msliz, I'm so glad you made it to the crop. This is the one that was canceled before and rescheduled, right? You'll love your gelatos! It's a great gift for yourself. Sounds like you are productive in the yard, good for you!

I finally started a traditional layout this week. It's a minute here, 5 minutes there. So very slow going.

Our 17 yo cat has decided not to use the litter box anymore. She went on the outside chair cover that was on the floor inside the door so it didn't blow away, some laundry from everyone's shower as I hadn't put a basket back into the bathroom yet (they were full of clean to be folded laundry at the time) and now her favorite spot is a corner of the dining room. We bought those puppy training pads to put down there. So my laundry this week is getting washed twice - once with vinegar and then once regular. So far it has worked like a charm to get the smell out. I need to make a vet appointment.

Otherwise everything here is the same. School and cleaning took the majority of this week, so I'm hoping more garden preserving will happen today and tomorrow. Saturday/Sunday is reserved for outside work. Since they just dropped off a bear at the forest preserve next to our place, we think the bee fencing needs to go up this weekend for sure.

Off to do some more of the same around here.

Good morning, Ladies!

Today is a house cleaning day for me. I really need to get some of the clutter out of the kitchen that has been collecting while I do my veggie prep (and sneak in here to scrapbook). This weekend I plan to make a couple of huge pans of lasagne from our garden tomatoes, and if I am going to invite people over to eat it, they should probably have a neat clean house to come in to...

Before I get to that, I was able to complete the two bd cards I wanted to do yesterday but had no ideas for. This morning I started with a pad of cs I picked up at M's last time I was there. I like it b/c the patterns are pretty generic, it has foiling on some of the pages, and it is one sided, so then it can really be CARD stock (used directly as a card base). And the whole pad is coordinated, so I was able to use scraps from each card base on the other card. Just mixed and matched a bunch of small stickers and elements to finish them.

your day by Gramma Dee, on Flickreat cake by Gramma Dee, on Flickr

Have a fantastic Friday!

8 spyglasses. The older kids will be making these, but they wanted some for the toddlers to take home, too, so they wouldn't be wanting big sister/brother's. It seems I may be the all things crafty lady for bible study in the future. 
dgd is getting married in May on the beach in Florida. It's a destination wedding! I was surprised that she chose a formal dress for a beach wedding. I need to ask what I should wear. I was thinking just a nice pants and top, but maybe need a dress.

That page with the big LOVE is from the  lazy scrapbooker pad. I am still using it on everything! Most of them I have modified a lot to fit another size page or another size picture. That one is a 6x6 page. I think I've actually learned some, especially about clusters from using them.
 Enjoying everyone's pages and reports and I love hearing about the weather in Canada. Still 100 here in Texas. I've put away Big Bend until I get some more pics and am starting on some beach pics from South Carolina back in the spring. I got to open 2 new beach kits this morning!
Putting the pressure on dh to tell me where he wants to go for our fall trip. He mentioned Seminole Canyon State park...sounds good. It is near Del Rio and Amistad lake...have been looking at some cabins with a lake view.