Cha, cha, cha, changes. . .

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a month since I've updated this blog. This has been a really busy summer for me and a lot of things have changed since my last post.

When we last "spoke", hubby and I were comtemplating a move to North Carolina due to a job opportunity my hubby was persuing. Well, that didn't work out like we had hoped, so we decided to just stay put for a while. In the meantime, I discovered an open position in a company that sounded tailor made for me at an insurance company located just ten minutes from where we are currently living. My current job is located thirty-five minutes away. So I sent in my resume on Tuesday, they called me on Wednesday, I interveiwed over two hours on Thursday, went back for a second interview on Friday which lasted for over an hour, and was offered the job at the end of that interview! More pay and better benefits. Plus I'll be saving a fortune in gas costs! Win, win!!! Yesterday was my last day at my current job and my friends and co-workers sent me off in style with some gourmet cupcakes and a $100 gift card to Hobby Lobby!!

My son has decided that he wants to move to Arkansas where my Mom and brothers live. This is a bittersweet thing for me. I hate to see him go but I know that he is making the right decision because there are many more job opportunities out there for him than there are here in our small town. Plus, knowing that my Mom and brothers will be looking out for his well being makes this an easier transition for me. I will miss him terribly but I know that he has to grow up sometime. So my Mom and my youngest brother came in this week and will be moving him back with him when they leave at the end of next week. My new employer has graciously allowed me to take this week off to spend some time with them before they leave. I will start my new job on August 15th. How nice was that of them?

I have managed to accomplish a few crafts during this past month. Seems like a lot of my friends are having babies, grandbabies and even great-grandbabies coming into the world in the next few months so I've been busy crocheting baby afghans, making beaded baby name spoons and these really cute customized travel sized diaper wipe cases:





I covered the top with a small piece of batting, then hot glued a cute fabric over the top and bottom of the case. I covered the ends with a pretty grosgain ribbon to give it a finished look. I made flower petals out of some of the left over ribbon and glued a coordinating button on for the center of the flower. I made this one is for my niece. These are so quick and easy to make up. The entire thing took me maybe half an hour to put together. And they are inexpensive to make as well!

I also made a terra cotta fish bowl treat jar for a co-worker for her cat's treats. I used scrapbook letters to spell out her cat's name and the paw prints are also scrapbook stickers. She loved it! I gave it to her as a birthday present. She is the type of person who has everything and is so hard to buy for. This made the perfect gift for her!





I liked the way hers turned out so much, I decided to make one for my Sophie's treats, too!




I'm linking these crafts up to some of my favorite linky parties shown on my sidebar. Please be sure to visit these parties to check out all the creative ideas this week.

Well, that's about it for me for now. I will try to do better about updating this thing, I promise!

Until next time. . .

Happy 4th of July!!

I hope all my blogging friends are having a great 4th of July. Both hubby and I had today off, making it a three day weekend for us. And boy, have we been busy all three days!! We took a day trip on Saturday to Mt. Airy, NC where we spent a fun filled morning shopping, eating, and learning about all things related to Andy Griffith. For those who don't know, Mt. Airy is the town that the fictional town of Mayberry was fashioned after on The Andy Griffith Show. This is a quaint little town with lots of unique shops, including Floyd's Barber Shop, Opie's Candy Store, and Snappy's Lunch Counter, where we ate one of their world famous pork chop sandwiches. Otis, the town drunk, even made an appearance at Snappy's while we were there! We went with two of my sisters-in-law and one of my brothers-in-law. After lunch, hubby and I bid the rest of our small group good-bye and we traveled on down to the Greensboro area where we visited a nice farmer's market where hubby bought me the most beautiful clematis!




Then we drove on into High Point and Thomasville looking for homes. Yep, that's right!! I said homes. There is a very good possibility that we will be moving to NC in the near future. We are waiting to hear about a potential job opportunity for the hubby before we know for sure. I have lived in that area previously and am very excited about this new venture. I'll keep you posted.

Yesterday was filled with household chores and grocery shopping since I didn't get a chance to get that stuff done on Saturday. Then, last night was our town's annual 4th of July party. We enjoyed an outdoor concert by a marvelous Motown band, some good food and an awesome fireworks display.

Today, hubby treated me to a trip to Hobby Lobby. I say "treat" because the nearest store to us is about an hour away. So I don't get to go very often. He bought me this handsome guy:



Isn't he just gorgeous??? I have him just sitting on my kitchen counter for now, but I am going to put him in a wonderful vignette on top of my fridge soon. I also got some rub on vinyl quotes that I am going to do a little project with as well. I'll definitely share that with you when I get it completed.

So now we are home just relaxing and preparing to go back to work tomorrow. Oh well, I guess all good things must end sometime, right?? I hope everyone has enjoyed a safe and happy 4th of July! God bless America and more importantly, America, bless God!!!

Until next time. . .

Magazine Copy Cat Challenge

I recently started following this awesome blog, Debbiedoo's Blogging and Blabbing, and let me just tell ya, this gal is a hoot!!! She has a beautiful home and some awesome ideas! If you've never paid her a visit, you need to. She is hosting a party right now called Magazine Copy Cat Challenge. The challenge is to take a photo of a vignette or a project of some sort pictured in a magazine and then recreate it in your home. This idea really appealed to me so I decided to give it a shot. I have a habit of saving favorite magazines for forever, and my inspiration came from my July 2009 copy of Country Living. Here is my magazine inspiration photo:



I love the hydrangeas and the lemons add just the right punch of color. Here's my version:



I used a green pitcher with pink hydrangeas and I also added a little doily to my tray. I love how this turned out!

I had so much fun with this project, that I decided to do another one. This is a nod to the upcoming 4th of July holiday. I used a photo from the same July 2009 Country Living magazine. Here's my inspiration photo from the magazine:



And here's my version:



Yep, this is the same arrangement as you see in my header photo. Love the contrast of the colors in the flags with the colors in the sunflowers. So pretty!

Thank you, Debbie, for hosting this awesome party! Please click on her blog name above to check out all the wonderful "copy cats" in this challenge. This was fun!

Until next time. . .