Day 120

Today wasn't quite as busy as yesterday but the customers tended to buy more. About 75% of the Mother's Day cards and notepads are gone; 50% of the Father's Day cards and post-it notes. And sold 2 more of the flower vases. Yippee!!

This is my wonderful granddaughter, Emma, helping out with the painting at Michele's new house. And another wonderful granddaughter, Brittany, graduated from community college today. I missed it because I had the card show...bummer!

Day 119

Great day at the Card Shoppe!! Busy, busy, busy. Don't you love it when people gush over your creations? And love it even more when they open their wallets and buy something. I would say I sold about half the items...very good!

These are milk carton vases...you take a one quart carton, cut off the top, fill it with florist foam, water and flowers and...voila! I really think they're cute. Sold one today.

Day 118

No, this isn't a repeat of an earlier photo...I took this this morning!!! Total surprise...had no idea this was on the way...pretty much all gone by noon.

Done, done, done!!! The show is tomorrow and Saturday and I'm ready. Made a couple more things today but mostly just cleaned and set up. Would soooooooooooo love to have lots of customers...we'll see.

Day 116-117

Gee, I didn't post yesterday and didn't even remember that I forgot! It's getting worse!! Here's my picture for yesterday...these flowers are in my neighbor's yard.

These are all the post-it note holders I've made for the card show. I'm done!!! I could probably make more stuff but, no....what I've got is what I've got.

Day 115

I'm using the tiny morsel of strength remaining to write these few sentences. Worked long and hard today making "stuff" for the show. Procrastination has got to be one of life's most devastating habits...I really hate that I ALWAYS put myself in this position...too much to do and too little time to do it.

Emma and her American Girl doll in her backyard.

Day 114

Sore muscles...out of shape...painted, sanded, painted today at Michele's new house...it's going to be sooooooooooo cute (did I say that already?) Made a few more post-it's for the show. Three more days and quite a few things I'm hoping to get done...we'll see.

This is Zach with his trophy for winning the annual "rock, paper, scissors" competition at the Haines family Christmas party. I know...Christmas was awhile ago, but Michele took this picture and I just got it today. I made the trophy...and it actually looks kinda cute in person.

Day 112-113

Very, very busy...made a whole lot of post-it note holders for the show. I'll be painting rooms at Michele's new house tomorrow so had to make the most of today.

Here is yesterday's 365 picture...Emma and Abby on crazy hair day.

And this is today's picture...a "redo" of one I did several days ago. I like this one better. By the time I've taken 365 pictures, I'm expecting to be a better photographer...you think?

Day 111

I harbor illusions...maybe delusions?...that one day I'll be writing a most interesting blog...thousands of people will rush to my site each and every day to read my latest musings. Until then, I'll just post this picture for today...taken outside Michele's office...tell you that I enjoyed another fascinating day...washed walls at Michele's new house, got a haircut and made one, and only one, item for the card show.

Day 110

Our first thunderstorm this evening....I love, love, love them. We'll have them occasionally between now and July. Earlier in the day I took this colorful picture...a lone flower that popped up a couple of days ago.

Day 108-109

This blog will be a continuous blur of cards for the show next weekend. Not only do I not have any pictures of anything else, I'm not doing anything else. Cards, cards, cards! At least this one's not a Mother's Day or Father's Day card.

I really like this one and hope it generates some memories in someone of road trips with dad when they were a kid.

Love auctions...never know when you'll find something really terrific...like this treasure trove of vintage lace trims...ohhhhhhhhh, they are so nice. I'll be using some in cards and selling some in my Etsy store soon.

Day 107

More cards. Each one of these has something on it that came from my sister's stash of scrapbooking goodies...things she gives me when she's tired of looking at them...love it!

11 days til the next Card Shoppe!!! Time for the 10-hour days. And when it's over, I'm going to plant these lovely poppies...my absolute favorite flower.

Day 106

I am now two weeks from the next Card Shoppe and, as usual, I don't have as many cards made as I'd like. And I haven't made any of the notepads or post-it holders and they were great sellers last time. And I'm going to make some gift card holders for graduation and weddings and I'm not even sure what those are going to look like. Will I be getting up VERY early for the next two weeks....YES!!!

Here are four of the Mother's Day cards.

I loved the red paper soooooooooooo much, I used it twice.

Day 105

Busy day...browsing a couple of garage sales (nothing I wanted), go to the bank, pick up a couple of things at Michael's, lunch with Emma and Abby. Overcast and very cold. Here is my picture for today...you know all those pictures you see in coffee table books of old doors, windows, barns...this is my attempt...I think it's missing something.

Day 103-104

Continuing my quest to take a picture a day, here is another proof that spring is really here. I've lived in this house for 5 years and have never planted a flower...not bragging, that's just the sad truth. And yet, each year these hardy souls appear...small spots of beautiful color that brighten my day every time I walk past them.

Day 98-102

The sychronized skating was wonderful!! Wish I had pictures to show, but no. Great news today...I'll be working for the Census for 4-6 weeks in May and June. I've been trying to find a part-time job for several months with no success, so this will be good for my bank account.

I notice I've passed 100 days in my blogging. When a new president is elected, they always have a review of his First 100 Days. Well, in reviewing my First 100 Blogging Days, I think: (a) I made some neat cards for the 1st Card Shoppe show; (2) love some of the pictures I've taken; (3) there are some VERY boring posts; (4) I have a long way to go on several of my stated goals...better get busy!!

Day 97

Another small peak at spring! And all those brown branches in the background...yeah, that's just a SMALL part of the cleanup work I need to do. Packing tonight as I leave in the morning for Colorado Springs to see the World Synchronized Skating Championships. You've never heard of it? Well, that puts you in good company with the billions of other people who's reaction is, "Huh?"

It's a fabulous event with teams of 18 young ladies from all over the world, age 18-21, who skate like the wind while doing very intricate maneuvers and are judged on how well their performance is "sychronized". Really just awesome...I can't understand why it's not more popular. If I've peaked your interest, YouTube has lots of videos.

Day 96

Yup...snow this morning. Took this picture about 9:30 and it was all melted before noon. We're now expecting temperatures in the high 60's for the next 4 or 5 days. And you know what that means...I have to get out in the yard...get out in the yard and start weeding, weeding, weeding. When all the areas are free of weeds...probably somewhere in July...then maybe I can plant a flower or two.

Day 94 - 95

Recently I discovered that YouTube has videos of classical music. Since listening to the symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms, Bach's cantatas and fugues and the piano concertos of Rachmaninoff and Mendelsohn are my idea of heaven, I've been having a great time!! And, here's a little secret...it's always been a toss-up for me...classical musicians or cowboys...for whom would I give up my kingdom and wander off into the sunset?

Now back to reality! Here are some of my Mother's Day cards for the next show.

Day 93

Easter...lovely day here. Joined several others for brunch at my son and daughter-in-law's...Matt and Stefanie. Very nice. I made some what-should-have-been yummy sticky buns from a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Unfortunately, I missed the timer going off and they cooked a little too long. But they were still good and I'm going to make them again.

Emma and Abby enjoying the warm spring day and their new skirts dropped off by the Easter Bunny.

Michele and the girls...cute, huh?

Day 91-92

Okay, I'm not going to moan and groan about missing a posting day. I'm just going to accept that I won't blog every day...or take a picture every day...I'll just do the best I can.

Today was grandkid-busy. Started with Emma's first volleyball game...LOTS of teams and lots of girls. After two weekends of snow-cancelled track meets, Adri got to run today. If anyone in your family runs track, you know it's an ALL day event. She runs the medley relay, the 4 x 2, 4 x 1 and 200 meters.

Hopefully, pictures in a day or two.

Day 89-90

Damn! I just can't seem to get here every day...what's my problem? It's certainly not that I'm too busy, I guess it's just that I'm old and I forget at the end of the day to come in here and write. Notes...I need to put notes around the house reminding me...that's it.

Well, anyway, here's a picture for yesterday...another card for the show. And I REALLY like how this one turned out...the scoring, the lace and ribbon trim at the bottom...I really like it.

Today is April 1. Springtime in the Rockies is a wild and crazy time. Like today...we had sun, rain, hail, thunder and lightning, snow and back to sun. I love it. And as I'm looking around for pictures to take, I see scenes that appeal to me...unfortunately, the pictures seldom look as good. This was very pretty as the sun was setting with some trees in the shade and some in the sun.

Day 87-88

Despite my best intentions, I just can't seem to get this silly post done every day...and to add insult to injury (whatever that means) I didn't take a picture on Day 2 of my 365 pictures project. But I took these lovely harbingers of spring today...the first sign of color...whoopee!

Day 86

A watershed day in Colorado...I opened my windows and doors for the first time since....hmmm...sometime in October. Wonderful...breezes wandering aimlessly through the rooms, bringing freshness to every corner.

My pictures today are two of the cards I've made for the next Card Shoppe.

Day 83-85

Well, so much for posting daily!!! If you read this blog for very long, you'll see I'm always coming up with "new" ideas. Never mind that I started this blog with five or six goals and I'm just barely doing any of them...always on to something new. Now I've decided to try the 365 picture project...you know, one picture every day for a year.

So this is the first one and what a day today was. I bought $72.92 worth of stuff for $20.06. Such a deal!!! First I went to REI. As a member I get a rebate once a year. I bought a small nonstick frying pan for my camper and with my $20 rebate and a 20% discount it only cost $1.92.

Then off to Kohl's. This $45 purse was on sale for $27 and I had a coupon for $10 off so it was, with tax, $18.14. How I'd love to do that all the time. The purse is quite a bit bigger than I usually buy but I like it and the striped interior is bright and cheery.

Day 41-82

Yup...it's been awhile. After the card show it just didn't seem like I had much to say. Then I went to California for a couple of weeks. Spent a week with old friends and a week with my sister, Karen. Karen and I were really busy...sailing on a tall-masted ship, going to a kite festival, wandering around the Living Desert Museum in Palm Desert and taking a Segway tour at the San Diego Wild Animal Park...what a hoot! Do it if the opportunity every arises!!

Springtime in the Rockies!

Today there's a bright blue sky...gorgeous!!!...and the snow is melting off the trees and roofs almost as fast as it came down yesterday. Walking under trees you need your hood up or it's snow down your neck for sure. And if you happen to be under a tree when a squirrel is scampering overhead...no doubt about it...you're going to get very wet.

I've been working on Father's Day cards for the next show and fulfilling some card orders I got while in California. Now that I've broken the posting drought, I'm hoping to stick with it.