some more photos!!

Finally.....the redecorating is done!!!

i am like the worst blogger ever!!! it takes me forever to get things done anymore.. We finally finished the redecorating of the second story of the house.....i really love the way our master bedroom turned out....totally cool and refreshing!!! Rex came up with the idea of painting the stripe around the coffer while we were laying in bed on a saturday night.....and well......we had to get up then and start taping it off!! the ceramic tile floor in the master bath is so dramatic.....and damn cold in the morning!! just the thing to wake you up....(not so fond of that!)
i have been working on secret santa stuff for my CE girl....having some fun with that! also making little miss mcgee some things for her home for the holidays.. she just told me last night that she is going to new england on christmas day with mike....his brother lives there and wants to meet her! mike's employer shuts down for the week between christmas and new year's and since erin is a real school teacher now...she has that time off.....sooo they will fly out around 6pm on christmas day! this will be our first holiday without her here....it sure seems quiet....then of course comet starts barking at a leaf....and there goes the quiet!

the ice and snow remain.....still haven't cleaned off the sidewalk....oh well....perhaps it will melt before spring! if not....there's always summer!

i will add a few more photos of the redo! Happy Holidays to All!

i love my life!

Hey Cindy......here's your frap bottle!!

cindy......worked like a dog today....and made this little bottle for you! certainly hope you like it! i'll mail it out on saturday!

made some cards today...and played with making a album for mr. butt for christmas....it's from the rusty pickle cku-album class....story of us! i just hope i can get it done in time! next wednesday is his birthday...and also the anniversary of my dad's death....it will be a quiet day...just the two of us.

yesterday on my way to work i noticed some of the wild turkeys that roam around my home! i have seen them a lot over the past few years....however i have never seen a Tom with his tail feathers all spread out! it was a beautiful sight....all the girl turkeys were just walking around him....like he was a king or something~ just spectacular!!!

i love my life!
kathy

pouting.....have to return to the "plant" on monday

well....it was bound to happen....run out of money....and have to return to work! actually i'm feeling much better and will go to work on monday...only going to work 4-5 hours per day to start...gotta ease back in slowly! my luck there will be some rather large man that has his shoulder repaired and won't be able to stand without me helping him.....then i'll end up hurting myself....oh....i love my life!!

holy smokes...i can't believe how bad i am about keeping up with this here blog! didn't realize it would take some of my valuable time....yeah right....like i'm doing anything constructive other than watching reruns of Law&Order....or sitting on my butt and watching mr. butt install a ceramic tile floor in our master bath! Wow....that boy can work...and it looks beautiful.....have to wait until tomorrow to grout? it!.....i'll sit back and watch that too!!! hopefully when that is done...i can start to decorate! i bought bed linens off ebay....for a mere $51....got the king size duvet cover, skirt, shams and 3 dec pillows!!! also bought some lime green throw pillows for the bed! now....i just need to wait for the wall words i ordered to come ...then i can hang the photos above the bed!....yep....bought the words on ebay too.....and they will go right above our bed...and say....ALWAYS KISS ME GOODNIGHT" can't wait to see them! i will post some photos when it's done...will probably take another week or so!

okay....cindy....where the heck are ya??? here's the photos of the frap bottles.. they still need the candy put in them...also the clock i made for my girlfriends! i made 3 of them...pretty much all the same....that way no-one can fuss that her's isn't as nice as the others!!

well....feel like i should take a little snooze.....well....really i should stay up and just go to bed like normal folks....course i'm anything but normal!
so....hopefully i will keep up with my little friend...my blog!

kathy
i love my life

post surgery.....looking at scrap stuff

yep....this is me.....2 weeks after surgery.....sitting in the dining room floor....looking at my stuff from Creative Escape....and wanting to play with it....however.....just no strength! and guess what.....i'm still looking at it!!

oh well.......

i love my life!!!

4 weeks and feeling better

hello to all!! wow....it's been 4 weeks since i posted.....

i returned home from arizona....creative escape and less than 18 hours later i had life altering surgery. yep.....total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salping-oopherectomy.....! say that after having a few cocktails!!......anyway.....my ob-gyn girlfriend and the oncologist thought that i had ovarian cancer.....the tumor was the size of a very large orange.....however the pathology report was negative!!!
thank god for that! rex was on the phone to all the family and friends...and then he posted online for all the girls from CE.....so they would know what was happening!! needless to say....he was a happy camper!!!

so....here it is 4 weeks later....and i'm still having trouble going all day! damn...i would have thought i would bounce back faster than i have.... after about 8 hours....i need a nap... i have gone shopping a few times in the last week with my best friend....and she can always tell when i'm tired or hurting.....and she rushes me home! what a sweetie she is!!! she is taking me on a scrapbook retreat next weekend....and i'm sure i'll be well cared for! i won't have to worry about lifting heavy things....or anything like that!

i haven't gotten much done in these few weeks....a few cards from the PolkaDot Chicks....still waiting on some paper to go with these...also waiting for my die hard kit from them.....and want to work on some photos from CE....perhaps next weekend i can do that!

mr. butt has been busy painting the second story of the house! we finished the study.....stadium red walls....black furniture....turned out totally cool!! we found this super contemporary chair for the room....it's black, tomato and orange!! looks so good!!! and he finished the guest bath! we just need a few accessories for the room.....then it's off to erin's old room.....it will now be the guest room.....we picked out a color called caramel orange.....looks really great...rusty.....hope to find some bed linens to work with it!

then......the big change.....we are going with chocolate brown and lime green for our bedroom! we went last night and bought new furniture......i bid on a spa bedroom comforter set on ebay....white with chocolate and won it! the whole king set for $51....can't beat that with a stick!!! once we are done...i'll post a few photos of the transformation!! then....have to wait until after the cruise to costa rica to get the hardwood floors upstairs.......a girl just can't have everything!!

it's getting late....almost 1130pm.....trying to stay awake....erin and mike are enroute to california.....taking a little weekend trip....going to Napa valley tomorrow.....she told me today that this will be her first trip to a winery....and she starts at the top.....will be hard to settle for augusta or herman after that! they are going to alcatraz... & san francisco with mike's friends.....i hope they have a fabulous time......when they return on sunday...they have a five hour layover in minneapolis....and will have dinner with dani....erin's best friend from college!

still receiving some cards in the mail from girls i meant while in arizona....can't believe how lucky i am! everyone is just wonderful!

i love my life!!!

cut off my hair......not so blonde anymore!

thought i'd give cricket, shari, kath and carol a quick peek.....so they will know who to look for......otherwise.....they may miss me......then i'd be just wandering around in the phoenix airport.....probably get hauled off by security.....frisked.........oh wait.....maybe i don't want the girls to recognize me!! nope.....gotta get started on the fun!!

still love my life,
kathy

i'm all done.....except for the dancing!

i have sweated all weekend about getting finished....and i just did!!! all the rolodex's are finished with photos....think my mojo was out on a date when i made them.....oh well......we all can't be as creative as you know who!!!......then i spent part of last night fishing around for photos for heidi's class.....and came up with 2 sets.....either the portrait one....or the 3-3x3's......all are b&w....i hope they'll turn out cool!
then.....my thoughts turned to cj's!!!!!!!!!!! yep.....had two of them staring me straight in the face! i knew that i had to put some cool mojo into ms. sher's cj ( will put the same in the other one) and that i had to put it in soon......so i actually stayed up til 10pm (can anyone say old woman??).....then got up at 630am (what the hell is up with that??...it's sunday am....course the sun was shining for the first time in 6 days....and it was just a sucker hole! lasted all of 15 minutes) and worked until 9am.....and it's done!!! yippeee!!!!!!!!!! and i think it looks kinda fun! i hope sher thinks so! she's already in az.....playing with her mom & dad.....getting some sun.....relaxing.....damn i wanna do that! SHER?????????? where are you??????????

i will post the photos of my cj layout.

this may be my last blog for awhile.....i arrive home on sunday 9.10 and have a lot of prep work to do for surgery on monday am......after that...i doubt i will have the energy to post for a while!
i remain positive about everything....i know that there is a plan for me....and this is just part of it! don't know yet who is to come into my life or who's life i will come into....however i do know that it will be important and i will do my very best!
i get to see my girls in just a few days.....and can't only say WOW!!!!!!!!!!! i can't wait to see each of their faces, their shining smiles....dancing eyes.....and the awesome talent that each possess. I also get to meet some new girls....that i can't wait to add to my list of friends....Carol K, Steph, Sarah, Trina, Catherine, Amy, Sher, Lisa, Mona, Reyna, Sharon (sans her potato), Chiara...and anyone i have failed to mention. it's not because you are forgotten....it's because i'm so forgetful!

please travel safely and have the best adventure getting there......then pull on your party shoes.....and let's ROCK THE WEST!!!

i love my life,
kathy

my baby girl's a high school teacher!

Wow.....i just can't believe this! my baby girl is teaching high school....and not just at any high school....MY high school!.....yep....the very one that i graduated from so very many years ago!!! the school has a very diverse population which is why she choose it....and seems to like it so far! teaching freshman english is not easy....anywhere you teach it! i can't stand Shakespeare....nor do i find reading the great gatsby fun! gimme a trashy novel anytime over the classics!

last weekend mcgee and i spent the day together....we hung out at RedLead here in st. louis....and took a class....made some funky stuff....and then went shopping! that always gets us into trouble....especially with mr. butt......never fails...he finds out....(course...i'm the one to spill my guts!....daddy was baptist...mom was catholic....feel guilty all the time...whether i've done something wrong or not!)

just spent the last two days working on the rolodex swaps for creative escape! can't believe there is only 2 weeks to get everything done and packed up! not quite sure i will make the deadline....however i will certainly try!
want to make some little gifts for all the sweet girls i've met....hopefully can pull myself away from QVC on tuesday....and work on them!

well....everyone take good care of themselves....have a little cocktail...relax....

i love my life,
kathy

Meet Comet

this is mr. comet......finicky....yappy, and skiddish! yep....he's also a Cairn Terrier......i truly believe he has some silky terrier in him.....however the kennel and breeder disagree! this was comet trying to bite the water coming out of the ground from the pool (mr. butt was backwashing).....

the puppies just went to the groomers....will try to post updated photos! i just love my puppies.........and i love my life.

kathy

 

Meet Apollo

This is the littlest man in my life! Meet Apollo......yep....mcgee named him after the character on the Rocky movie!!!

He is just 3 years old...is a Cairn Terrier....and has the best personality! He also has a skin condition that makes his skin peel constantly (like he has had a bad sunburn!)....he also has cushings.....note how chubby he is!!! we just give him extra love....and enjoy all our time with the puppies!! next up, Comet!

 

This is the coolest travel journal evah!!!

Not sure if my secret CE sister made this or not.....however it's the coolest journal ever!.....just look at the black ribbon binding! even the pages inside are lime green! could there be anything better than a lime green travel journal?? i think not!


i love my life,
kathy

 

my cool t-shirt

this is the t-shirt sent to me.....love the phrase.....you should meet my ALTERED ego!  

this is fun....using picasa! thanks cindy and jean!

This is the treat jar sent to me from my secret sister.....comet and apollo love them!!! 

another room he painted!

 

trying to add photos

This is the loft....rex just painted this room...and we are almost finished with it 

i thought i was on a roll!

well.....thought i was anyway! my girlfriend Cricket emails me....while prepping for her weekend getaway...with instructions for adding links! well......try as i might.....they look like they should be someplace.....however not where i intended them!

yesterday i spent the day with little miss mcgee (yep....that's the daughters nickname)....and we had a blast! we took a class at an art store....and i have the alcohol inked hands to prove it! not gonna elaborate on what we did.....may just be a surprise for some CE girls! ......anyone curious???? hope so!!! then off for some shopping! we hit the Central West End.....where all the "cool" people shop.....am looking for some "urban" furniture. mr. butt (yep.....that's rex the dh's nickname) painted some rooms upstairs....and then we decided it would be less expensive to just paint the furniture vs. buying new.....so.....everything is now BLACK!! it looks pretty cool! the study is now deep red.....with black furniture! looking for a funky chair to go in there.....would like to find one that has red, orange, brown and black fabric!....something really wild! **if you have seen one.....send me the info****
i took a few photos of the rooms....the loft is "peanut shell" and the study is "stadium red"....now to just finish them up!

also wanted to again thank my secret CE sister....she ROCKS!!! she sent this incredible travel journal.., t-shirt for me and a treat jar for my little puppies! i was just so happy to unwrap the whole thing....apollo is just waiting patiently for me to give him another treat! where's comet? no where to be found....happens all the time when i get out the camera!

guess i better get my self going....it's 1030am on sunday....and i haven't accomplished anything! still have a lot to finish before packing for Arizona! it's just 23 more days til "i'm leaving on a jet plane....don't know when i'll be back again" .....so .....now i can't figure out how to get it off italics! damn....this is like being a first grader!!! some many challenges! any one have a 7 yr old that could help me! they would know what to do!

yep....i love my life!
kathy

can't figure out how to add other's links to this blog.....wanna be able to share all the girls in my crazy life... most of them are the reason i'm doing this!

someone will just have to help this little girl out!

i love my life,
kathy

gonna try this photo thing!

k....this can't be this difficult.....i save lives everyday.....clearly i can post a photo....

okay....think i did it....hope i did it successfully.

now to hook up with my girlfriend Cricket to learn how to add music....banners.....ohhhhh i'm on a roll!

i love my life,
kathy

I love my life

well..welcome to my life. I love my life....craziness and all. Perhaps i should start with a little about my life. rex and i have been together for over 30 years....yep...i said 30 years. we met when we were just kids...fell in love and are still in love. he is my soul mate and best friend. together we have had triumphs and trials...and survived each of them.
we have a extraordinary 23 year old daughter, Erin. she just received her master's degree in English...and is teaching high school. What determination...teaching high school in this day and age.

i am going to need some help from all my friends with this....haven't even figured out how to post a photo....sooooo

I LOVE MY LIFE!!

kathy