Simply Saturday -

Another little doll that I am working on. She has been done - but I haven't taken the time to dress her. I cut up an old Raggedy Ann dress to dress her with. Tomorrow I will finish up her dress and put some hair on her.
I would have liked to be sitting on this window sill in the sun myself today. It was a beautiful day! I watched Lily for a few hours - so I took her for a walk and then sat out on the patio and read for awhile. I probably wasn't as relaxed and content as Boo is here - but it felt so good to feel the warmth of the sun.
I have always liked hemp jewelry - so every so often have to make something. My mom gave me these buttons last summer. I especially like the blue one. I have had this flying around for awhile and just never finished it. Why I do that I don't know. Not much of a bracelet really - but I do really like the buttons.
Chewy is such a character - I can't help but smile when I look at him. I swear he poses whenever he see one of us with a camera.

. . . Chew in a Box

I have been working on a few things this past week - when I am not reading or working out. I made this journal out of my birthday cards and envelopes (not a very good picture - it will be fun to fill up and write in) - and I am nearly done with one of my little dolls. I simply need more hours in every day - something I say over and over. I tend to make the most of my time - I always have to be doing something. I just have too many things things I want to do. I used to just stay up late and get by on 4 hours sleep - (probably 4 days a week). I can't seem to do that anymore. I try every so often - I love staying up to the wee hours of the morning working on a project - but I feel much better these days when I stay a bit more rested. I guess - one of the ways that I face the fact that I am not as young as I used to me.

So hopefully I will find the time to finish my doll tonight, read a few chapters of "Eclipse", go to the gym, make dinner, and do some laundry . . . like I said - we could use a few more hours in every day!
I love this picture of Chewy - he cannot walk past an empty box and leave it empty.

Ladybug Girl

Richard found this book at Target this afternoon - of course we had to get it for "Lilybug" - especially since Ladybug Girl has a basset hound. How could we pass up such a cute book?

I am already thinking about a costume for lily.
This little girl thing is way too much fun!
Flower petal headband - $1.00
Ladybug beanbag - $25.00
Spending the evening with Lily - priceless

With a butterfly kiss
and a lady bug hug
Sleep tight little one
Like a bug in a rug

Sadie Loves Weekends

We laugh at Sadie during the week when we get up early and get ready for work. She is usually sleeping at the foot of our bed - and she completely ignores us. I guess she remembers one of the few times she had to go outside and is afraid that unthinkable situation will happen again - or maybe she just doesn't want to get up so early herself. Whatever the reason she will not even acknowledge a scratch behind her ears. If she could make herself invisible - she would.

Weekends are completely different. Richard usually gets up first - and after awhile she will follow him out to the kitchen. She doesn't seem to mind getting up if it is her choice. Then . . . she decides I need to be up too and she comes back into to wake me up. After that she usually follows one of us around the house or yard - with an occasional nap somewhere nearby.
Today she has settled herself on the bed near me as I am cleaning the bedroom and working on taxes. I really do enjoy her company.

Reading Every Chance I Get

I need to post something - just so I stay in the habit. I have had my nose stuck in a book every chance I get this last week or so. I am always reading something - but I am in one of those moods where that is all I want to do. - My crochet hook sits untouched, I have a doll that I made that needs to be dressed, and a bracelet that I simply need to find a bead to finish it off.
I am just starting "Eclipse" by Stephanie Meyers. I am enjoying this series much more than I thought I would.
This is a picture of my new Scentsy wax warmer. These are wonderful!!! Jennifer just started selling them. There are small cubes of scented wax that you melt in them. They smell so good and I think there are 80 or more scents, and . . . they are so much safer than a candle -(there is a small 25 watt bulb inside.) They sell a huge variety of burners. Then as if that isn't enough - this particular one when turned on gives you these hearts on the wall - how happy is that!!! (I get excited over small things.) Check out Jennifer's website to see what they are all about.
https://www.scentsy.com/21124
It is my lunch break - so I better take advantage of the time and read.

Up and Ready to Go!

Saturday morning and I have been up since 6:00 - I have already been to the gym to work out, done two loads of laundry, and finished a page in my journal. What is wrong with this picture? - I don't usually sleep in much later than 8:00 on the weekends - but up at 6:00 and I worked out??? I was supposed to have watched this little pixie this morning . . . (She reminds me of a little flower bud in this picture.) . . . as it turned out - Jennifer did not have to go into work. So I am up and ready to go and no baby to watch. It does feel good though - to have a head start on everything this morning. Although - I just sat down with a cup of coffee - and if I pick up a book - that may just be what I do all day.

Where did this week go? I have been reading every chance I get - and I tend to lose track of time when I do that. I finished "Edgar Sawtelle". It was OK. It took sort of an unexpected twist that kept me interested enough - but there were times I felt like it just went on and on. After that I was in the mood for some easy reading. A friend had recommended "The Shack" - which is an easy read. I have talked to people that did not like it - but I did. And now I have to see what all the talk is about. I started and am just about finished with "Twilight".

The weather turned damp and cold again - just like February to tease you a little bit with some sunshine and warmth - then let you know that it is still winter. I can't seem to get warm this morning - so a hot cup of coffee and a book sounds much better than doing laundry. Although . . . it would be very good for me to get some things in order in my house that have been frustrating me. So what to do with a full weekend ahead of me . . . ?
Make a list - (I am one of those people). And actually by making a list - I will probably try to get everything done on the list (including the reading)- which will probably leave me feeling very satisfied with my weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!
This is such a fun holiday - but then I think every holiday is fun. I do believe in romance - I am a hopeless romantic. But Valentine's Day isn't really about romance to me. (Oh - he has to remember - it isn't like I would let him off the hook on such a holiday). I have been married for 27 years - through ups and downs, good times and bad - I don't really need a holiday to know that I am loved and don't really like to make too big of a deal out of it in that aspect. I probably did more when I was younger, but not so much these days. I get much more excited when I get some silly little surprise from him on a random day - just because he feels like it. Valentine's Day for me is a great day to make heart shaped pancakes, watch silly romantic movies that make me cry, give my kids a little something to remind them that I love them, and if romance finds it way into the picture - I'll take that too. ~ It is a holiday made for "Ooola"

I mentioned something that was inside my Ooola coffee mug the other day - this bracelet. I love it!
"Love is what you've been through with somebody." ~James Thurber, quoted in Life magazine, 1960

All You Need is Love!

Saturday night Richard and I went to see the "Classical Mystery Tour." This band plays music by the Beatles - if that isn't obvious - and they are backed up by a symphony orchestra.

Ever since Saturday I can't get this out of my head . . .

All you need is love,

All you need is love,

All you need is love -love

Love is all you need.

2-8-1959

Dec. 1960

It feels like I have been celebrating my birthday for a week - ever since I opened the package that Amy and Sue sent me - but today I am officially 50. I have been excited about this milestone birthday - I look at pictures like this and think of everything between then and now, and I realize that life is truly a blessing - no matter what it throws you. (I am loving the little coat I have on in this picture - I am thinking that my mom probably made it.) . . . and I am holding an ear of corn? - this picture was taken at my Aunt Hess' farm. I think there are other pictures of me through the years standing by a tractor - what better way in Iowa to show how much one has grown. : )

"The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." ~Muhammad Ali

Ooola

This was on my desk when I got to work this morning - a birthday gift from the wonderful girls I work with. There was also something special inside - but I haven't taken a picture of that yet.
"Ooola" started as sort of joke with some friends at work. Marcia had a cold and I made a comment that I hoped I didn't catch it - she sort of waved her hands around me and made a joke that I was protected. I thought it was funny and we repeated the gesture for a couple of days with others for whatever reason. A few days later I started calling it "Ooola" - but it has since come to mean a lot of different things. If someone is upset or sad - we comment they need some ooola.. If someone is in a great mood and being silly - they are full of ooola. A fun flashy ring or rhinestone t-shirt for example would be considered to have ooola. - Just a fun word I made up to cover all the kind . . . caring . . . happy . . . fun . . . silly . . . thoughtful things we all share. It even caught on with the my boss. He has a beautiful salt water aquarium in his office - the day he added some purple fish - he referred to them as ooola fish. We have a lot of fun with it. Just a silly word - but it has a lot of meaning to me. So this wonderful mug from my dear friends means the world to me.

"Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things." ~Author Unknown

This and That

I forgot to include a picture of these button flowers with my 50 fun gifts post - I thought they were so cute that I found a place to stick them right away. My Aunt Sue made them. They are so FUN!!! I am definitely going to have to make some of these.
I watched Lily for an hour or so Friday night. She was not herself at all - she wore herself out crying - poor little thing. My friend Michelle was visiting and we took turns holding her. I loved the way their hands looked together.

What could be better when ordering Chinese food - than having it come in PINK boxes? I get excited over little things - always have.

"So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter." ~ Gordon W. Allport

Iowa Hearts

I received a surprise birthday package in the mail yesterday. I was completely caught off guard. It was from my cousin Amy and my Aunt Sue. With some help from my Mom and my Aunt Hess - They put together a wonderful birthday surprise for me. Even when I saw the return address - I did not even think that it was something for my birthday - I just wondered what it could be. These wonderful women that have had such an influence on my life - truly touched my heart - as they always do. I doesn't matter if I am with them - or two thousand miles away - they are always a part of me. After ripping off the outside packaging - this was on the outside of the box. This is a picture that we took last summer when I was in Iowa. We had made bracelets out of pop tops and all had them on this day that we went shopping and stopped at a coffee shop in Mason City - where we took this picture. What was taken as just a quick snapshot of our bracelets - has turned out to be one of my favorite pictures.

Taking the lid off the box - I found these. This has to be my favorite thing in the package. These will not be put away. I will find a place where I can see them every day. Simple candy boxes with the candy removed and their photos placed inside. They make me smile and cry at the same time.
Each little present was individually wrapped and numbered. I guess maybe I should have waited to open them I still have a few days until I am officially 50 - but once I got started, it was just too much fun to wait. Wizard of Oz . . . Halloween . . . Burt's Bees (I love Burt's Bee stuff) . . .buttons and wands. All the things that I like.
This mushroom is to remind me of my dad. He used to hunt morel mushrooms. (Do you actually hunt a mushroom? - anyway, he used to be quite good at finding them in the woods.) I can't say I ever tasted one myself - although I remember him bringing quite a few home. This one was hand carved by a friend of my cousins.
Amy does know me and what I like - so there was PINK stuff. Pink ornaments . . . pink ribbon . . . a pink and green lint roller!! - how cute is that! The large heart is made out of felt squares - way cute! There is a hankie sort of blending in with everything that belonged to my Grandma - she always used cloth hankies. I used to iron them for her when I was little. I was just talking to my friend Gwen about this last week. She and my mom would sprinkle their clothes with water (using a pop bottle with a metal sprinkler stuck in top) - then roll them up and put them in the drawer of the refrigerator before they ironed them. I know I am sort of going off in my memories here - but that is why when I opened up the hankie I got tears in my eyes - memories of my Grandma.
I believe I have some fabric that would make up into a cute bag - that this button would look great on.

SMILE!

There is a bag of candy in this picture from my Aunt Hess. When I was little and I would go stay with her, we would go to this little general store in Mitchell, Iowa and I would get to pick out penny candy. It seems like I used to pick out 10 pieces. Just 10 cents . . . but the memories again are priceless. I think I used to like the little brown paper bag back then - just as much as the candy.
Kubicek is my maiden name. (My dad cut these out.)
From Kubicek - to Smith. I haven't been asked how to spell my name too often the last 27 years - compared to the first 23. (I guess that would make me 50!)

And there is more . . . because 50 is not really what you would call a small number. (I am not letting that bother me though - I swear.) Although it is sort of a milestone birthday - and it has been on my mind probably more than any other birthday.

I am loving this magnet. How cute is he! I will think of Amy and her lattes every time I see it.

I know this post is sort of long. But if you can see the little hanger on the top of this photo - I guess I can justify rambling on about my fun package. It reads - "it's all about me!" - Something Amy and I always laugh about. Actually I am just really feeling sentimental. The small doily was made by my Grandma and the hand buttons (she used to collect hands) - were sewn on one of her jackets. The carved heart box contains a paper heart that reads - "Hugs from Aunt Hess" and under that are tiny slips of paper with the word "hugs" on each one. All these simple little things are so special.

I realized that one of the gifts is not in these picures. My Aunt Sue made the cutest buttons flowers - and I had stuck them in a vase before getting out my camera. I will post a picture of them tomorrow.

I have lived away from Iowa and my family longer than I lived there with them - but my heart will always be there - with these wonderful ladies.

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." ~Desmond Tutu

What's in a Name?

I have been told by some much younger friends of mine that I should come up with a different name for my blog. I had originally titled it "Twisted Sister" - something my brothers called me - then decided just to put my name on the thing when that didn't really seem to fit. So do I dare change the title again? - of course - it is my blog and I can do whatever I want - right?
When I first met my husband - he and his friends started calling me Planet - after a song by the B52's - "Planet Claire". It stuck and I have been called Planet ever since then. My favorite is "Aunt Planet" - and someday hopefully I will be "Grandma Planet" - So Planet Clare seemed like the obvious choice - but that never really seemed like what I wanted either. I finally came up with "Life on this Planet." Let me try that out for awhile and see if I like it.
This is very typical of me to jump into something - then mess around with it and make changes until it is exactly the way I want.

"Nicknames stick to people, and the most ridiculous are the most adhesive." ~Thomas C. Haliburton

"Pickles" Again ~

I don't know if I like that Richard and I relate to this comic strip so often these days - I can't say I feel like we are a little old couple quite yet - Wait . . . maybe we are and I am simply in denial.

Anyway - we both got a laugh out of this one - since it is the way things would go with us.

"It is so comic to hear oneself called old, even at ninety I suppose!" ~ Alice James

A Day with Lily

My bad mood didn't last. I did put up a few things for Valentine's day - and started sewing some hearts. Nothing too exciting - but I could feel the bad mood slipping away.
I ended up going over to see Jennifer and Lily. It turned out to be a fun Lily-filled day. I thought I would try once again to get a picture of her in this hat. I had to take about 12 just to get one that wasn't blurring - do babies really wiggle this much all the time? She doesn't look too excited about the hat does she?
Then I got in on some fun - Bath Time . . .

. . . well, maybe not so fun.

This just made me laugh. She really did not seem to mind - although from the looks of her face here - she truly believes her mother is way out of line.

So we made it up to her by making her this to wear.

Lily's photo shoot.

She was a little more cooperative than when I tried to get pictures of her in the hat. I guess it is all about having your picture taken in a purple tutu.

We are going to have to make these in every color and we want to make headbands to match. I am also thinking some wings. This little girl thing is way fun.

One final picture to share - Lily and Uncle Jake