Just an Update

ately my posts have been about my crafting and although I'm still on a roll here I thought I'd bring you all up to speed....

Raquel has been home for Spring break and it was just too darn short of time. We talked till 2:am the night she came in trying to catch up...although we text and fb message each other...it's not the same. She was baking up a storm, visiting friends, dating and enjoying her girls night out...


Here is a resent pic of her visiting a Santa Barbara pasture...




We celebrated my father in law Tony's 84th birthday...





We celebrate my youngest grandsons DJ's 6th birthday...




and like I said...I'm still crafting.....today I made these....tags...



Remember when we finished the staircase?...read about it here. Well, our intent was to paint those walls but then we thought we needed to take off all that disgusting cottage cheese. We figured the new paint would make it look more disgusting....So guess what Eric is doing as I type away.... YUP! Scrapin' the cottage cheese...and not only the stairway, but the upstairs hallway too.



What a man!




So basically, I've been busy....and I thought I wouldn't have a purpose....pshhh! What was I thinkin'? I'm Just Sayin'

My Normal

Well, as normal as my life can be after a whirlwind 3 weeks of making merry. It was fun while it lasted and it's a lot of work but well worth it. Thank God (literally) Christmas comes only once a year.

All 3 of my little squirrels are back at school much to their mother's delight

The stairs are almost finished....almost!






and Raquel is safety back in her dorm





















And when the dust settled and everything was put away till next time, my dining room looked half way decent...














Now? It's back to my











normal....whatever that is

I'm up to my eyeballs in Spring and Wonderland,
stay tuned....I'm Just Sayin'

Ahead of Myself

Yeah Yeah I know. It's not even Thanksgiving and I've got the Christmas blog up. Well, I've been super busy and I thought I'd get ahead of myself...guess it's better than being besides myself...lol

Anywho, I've sold some of my creations at a local Flea Market and I did quite good. I sold about 1/2 of what I made and met a bunch of good people. But more importantly, someone likes my stuff which is a huge ego booster. Thinking about doing it again...we'll see.

Raquel is coming down for a few days and I hope to actually see her. She's got hefty plans when she's here so let's hope we can actually visit, which brings me to Thanksgiving. I want to wish you all a very happy and stuffed free day. Enjoy your family and think about what you are thankful for.

Me? I'm thankful for a wonderful husband, two kind and intelligent daughters, three wacky squirrely grandsons, a plethora of great family members and friends who will always be there for me...

OH! and I'm thankful for another B~day on Friday...don't ask how old I am....I lost track in the 70's.

I'm Just Sayin'

The Blog Doesn't Fall Far....

Well, I'm a little surprised. Raquel was given an assignment in her Ag. Communications class and it was to create a blog. Out of my two daughters, I'd say that Meredith was more like me, but now I'm seeing a little more of me in the younger one. I asked her permission if I could put this on MY blog and she said "Go for It"...so I am.

If your interested in Agriculture, Horticulture, Animals, Nutrition or just plain nosy like I am most of the time OR....If you care about me and my well being and state of mind...go check it out....HERE

And if you really really want to...you can follow her. She's kinda easy to know...I'm just sayin'

Life Update

Been busy around here and haven't had much time to blog, well, it's not a priority right now but it will be come September. Got back from Palm Springs and had a wonderful time. I have one pic....this one...

Either we forgot our camera or the pictures we took we didn't like and I wouldn't be caught dead putting them on here, but needless to say...a good time was had by the both of us.


Trying to finish up my Christmas stuff but again...been kinda busy around here and seems I'm unmotivated...hopefully that'll pass...

little burlap rosettes wrapped around buttons make a very primitive and rustic Christmas Tree

I used vintage sheet music to make these....Candle holder and wall hanger. Added glitter and burlap and we're good to go

We celebrated my first born Birthday. Can you believe Meredith is 33?...she'd kill me if she knew I put her age out there...she doesn't read this blog so I think I'm safe

meredith and franklin

The staircase is coming along slowly but nicely. Eric can only work on it on weekends which leaves plenty of time for us to write all over them

Next Tuesday I will be here with my partner in crime Brenda...enough said...lol

and when I get back....It's that time again.....

Nothing says Summer like deep fried butter...

That it folks...till next time!

13 years of hard work

Raquel Olivia Missbrenner

is Graduating on June 16th, 2011

with Honors

Update Rhyme

Button ornaments made with ease

Pink yarn Christmas Tree if you please

Burlap rounds to create rosettes













make a wonderful Christmas Vignette

















A new staircase made of wood

and a photo shoot......with a daughter that could~

Life List

There's so much going on lately that I could write several posts and take up about 5 or 6 weeks worth...but I won't cuz I'm to lazy, instead, I'll just write a list...here goes....


Raquel got a car and not just any car, a car that my mother in law bought 5 days before Raquel was born...yup, it's a 1993 Mercury Topaz, top of the line (for that year) with 32,000 miles on it and in mint condition. It even has a little statue of Jesus on the dashboard, that I so fashionably attached a FFA flag to his hand. So now, my car isn't used for a mobile office anymore, nor does it reek of livestock and have a continuously layer of farm dust on it...It's just MY car again!

I'm officially buying College stuff, like, extra long bed sheets and comforters and mace.

Raquel, my very anti dress daughter picked out the very first prom dress she saw and we both like it....who knew?

We found a possum living up in our tree and Eric is beside himself trying to catch it. Even though he's slower (the possum) he seems to be a little more adaptable.

Easter was uneventful and I made a little mini ham for just us but I still had to endure all those scary pictures of Jesus.

Although we and when I say we, I mean Eric, has finished the little staircase it made the rest of the carpeted staircase look ugly, so, we are beginning to rip out ALL the carpet and finish it in wood. Now when my squirrelly grandsons tap dance on the staircase, it'll be music to our ears....NOT!!!!

Our house is starting to resemble a dairy, a goat dairy to be exact. We are feverishly pasteurizing goat milk and making the most delicious garlic and dill goat cheese on the planet. Thinking about renaming the house to Maison de fromage de chèvre...House of Goat Cheese!

Signed up for water aerobics again and although I haven't gone yet due to cold evening weather, I'm sooooo looking forward to putting on the slenderizing bathing suit that cost me an arm and a leg...hopefully, thinner arms and legs.

....And I'm crafting my arse off, making whatever comes to mind...and that is what I'll be posting about soon.

What have you all been up to?

It Happened

Well People, it's happened, the inevitable, the thing we've been waiting for, for 13 years. The event that has set me aback and forcing me to grow up. Time waits for no one and this one is beginning to come to some harsh realization....


Raquel had applied to three colleges, accepted to all three and today, casually, almost nonchalantly she just happened to mention that she's made up her mind and "oh yeah mom, I accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, school begins Sept 19th".

I knew this was coming, she said she had to think about it for a while. One school was 30 minutes away, another, an 8 hour drive up north, way up north and the 3rd, on the coast of California, about a 4 hour drive. We didn't push her, we listened to her pros and cons on all of them and I figured it would take her a while to make up her mind, being that deciding on what kind of sandwich she should make is a major decision.

I was thrown, caught off balance and now, my head is spinning. It's happening and now that it's real, this summer is gonna go by like lightning and I'm thinkin'...should I be doing something? I am totally depending on friends and family....and that includes you all.
I know some of you have gone through this and I could use a few pointers....so...enlighten me, scold me, tell me, encourage me...do what you want...I'm pretty sure I'll survive, but it doesn't feel like it right now.....I'm Just Sayin'

Peck of Red

I visited a goat farm the other day...more of that later~

...and on this farm there was some chickens...

here some red

there some red

everywhere some red red

The Latest and Greatest

Letin' you in on the latest stuff around here....

These two are no longer

Don't feel sad...she's not. We're on to greater things and when I say "we're", I mean her...kinda. The best statement coming from a 16 year old girl..."Ya know mom, being in a relationship teaches me more about myself than anything else". It brought tears to my eyes...seriously!!

What? Don't see the "I'm too lazy to put the Christmas Tree away" tree sittin' in the corner of my dining room? Yeah, after 9 months I got bored with it. I have bigger plans for my tree friend.

Went to an Estate Sale and although this wine rack wasn't for sale...I actually spied it out in the backyard through a window, they sold it to me .....for $5. Yippeee!!!! Gonna clean it up and put it on my front porch.

Celebrated my mother in law Elizabeth's Birthday

and her never aging son...my husband. A good time was had by all...by 9 pm~

My Purpose

What is my purpose? I've been half joking with Eric and some friends lately about how I don't have a purpose anymore. It seems that the past almost 17 years my life and schedule has been dictated around Raquel's life and schedule and now, it seems it's coming to an slow grinding halt. Not once did I complain about taking her or her friends here or there, running around at the last minute because she needed something, making sure she was on time or where she was suppose to go, fulfilling every need pertaining to some sort or event or activity...in fact, I enjoyed it...I had a purpose.

Don't get me wrong, I know I have another daughter and 3 grandchildren, but they don't live with me and Meredith is busy fulfilling her purpose with 3 squirrely boys and the truth be told...I can only handle them in small doses. I truly love them but if my purpose was to go insane...then I'd spend more time with them. My husband half jokingly says that now my purpose is to tend to him. I know he trying to be funny, but he spent 31 years on this planet before he met me and he did quite well for himself. He doesn't need or want me to cater to him...except when he's sick and you know ladies, when that happens we need to alert the press.

But I digress...

So now that Meredith has her own family and although Raquel is not gone yet, she's pretty much doing for herself as far as tasks go and Eric is on auto pilot , I have to start thinking about where I fit in and how my relationships have shifted and change to accommodate this evolution. I now understand when people talk about the "empty nest" syndrome but it doesn't make it any easier. I have my hobbies, my 2 hours of work a day, my friends and my smarts and creativity...somehow, I'll figure it out...if menopause doesn't make my head explode first...

I'm just sayin'

Back in the Saddle again...

When Raquel was 3 years old she wanted to ride horses...always. She nagged me to no end and just wouldn't let up on the subject. She nagged me so much, that I off offhandedly told her when she turns 11, she could take lessons, thinking that a little toddler wasn't gonna remember and that the "horsie" phase would take a huge flying leap outta her brain.....WRONG!

For 8 years she continued to remind me that the day was coming AND the fact that Auntie Brenda would have her come down to the stables and help out with her various horse chores didn't help. She would feed and groom the horses and schlep hay and manure all with such enthusiasm, that I had a feeling this was no phase. So when she turned 11 with the help of Auntie Brenda and this guy...

...she started her horse riding training. This is Tom...Tom is hot and yes, Tom was her very first riding instructor and a very good one to boot. I will never forget her first lesson...it was in October and the lesson started out in the sunshine and by the time she really got into it...it was raining. When Tom asked her if she wanted to stop she replied.."No Way". As the years continued, Raquel had moved to various stables and instructor due to what and where she wanted to learn. One or two lesson per week for 2 and a half years...but that's not the surprising part. I hardly saw any of them. You see, I was extremely nervous watching her. My anxiety levels would sky rocket and I would have to leave. I would go for walks or shopping or run errands because I just couldn't deal with it. And as she got better and better which included jumping, cantor and even a little gallop here and there, I was outta my mind to the point the Dr. gave me something to take at every lesson if I choose to stay and watch, but not once did I tell her that she couldn't ride. I would explain my feelings of stress, reinforce her love of riding and that's just how it was. We understood each other.

After over 2 years of riding English, Raquel decided to try Western and ended up loving that too and took lessons for about 3 more years. Unfortunately, school became to stressful and she had
her hands full of other obligations, she had to to take a break and I exhaled, all the time knowing that she would eventually go back.....and she has.

She has missed riding English and is now picking up where she left off and actually learning a few Dressage moves too. My anxiety level has gone down due to the fact that I don't have to take her to her lessons...she can take herself...plus I've been doing a lot reading and it's helped me tremendously.

So my little 3 year old is growing up right before my eyes and it's harder that I thought it would be but I'm so darn proud of her and the young lady she has become that just knowing that, helps me to grow up too.

What happend

to my little girl that ran around the house taking off all her clothes? The one that climbed trees like a monkey and would sing the clean up song when it was time to put things away. The little girl who told me that she would live with me forever and told Eric she would marry him. Who sat in my lap till age 11 and was determined to use chop stick at the age of 4...and did. This same little one who slept in her crib till age 3 because as she put it "it's safer mommy so I won't fall out" and the little girl who told me that boys have coodies.

WELL! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?

My Meredith

From the beginning

till forever and ever

you are my heart. Happy Birthday to my 1st baby girl.