I am here!

Where do I start...

Work started to pick up after Labor Day. Picture of me removing old liner.

Someone had asked how the spiders where put together, so I thought I would show a picture of all pieces that are made before it becomes a spider. Put the wires through the beads, cut of extra wire and curl the ends. Then shape the spider legs.

I made 10 Christmas spiders, enough for Dara, Dylan, Kayden, my Mom, my MIL, my four sisters and one for myself. I also made 5 Halloween spiders one for myself and one for each of my sisters. Then I been working on beaded Christmas ornaments and I even made my own pattern. I call it Diamonds. Kayden's SpiderDara's SpiderDylan's Spider

Soon after Labor Day, Bob stopped by our landlords house to pay our rent and when she answered the door she told him that she was selling the house and that she would be showing the house tomorrow. To call her when it was a good time.

That was a Sunday, we were fixing dinner when someone was at the door. It was her with a family to look at the house. Good thing I keep the house pretty clean. Anyway the next day there was a message on the phone that she sold the house and we had until the end of the month (Sept) to move and wanted to know about the damages done to the house. There are no damages done by us, we had told her several different times about the leaks in the roof, leaky basement, windows and other things. But she chose to do nothing. That gave us 9 days for pack, find a place and move.

We started packing things that we don't use everyday and putting it in storage. Picked up the paper daily and got a list of all the landlords to call for houses that would be available. Started looking at houses...Oh my I can't believe the bad shape that most of the houses we looked at are in!!!

Thought we have found something 2 different times, one something else got the place and the other one when we went to sign the agreement they asked us about pets.

Two days after her message on the phone that the house was sold we received a letter that said if we weren't moved out of the house by the 1st of Oct. we would be arrested for trust passing. What she was trying to do is illegal in Indiana. But I am not a fighter, just don't have the energy it takes to put up a fight. So, we kept looking and looking trying to find somewhere to go.

We had three different people tell us we would stay in their basement. LOL!
Oct. 1st no one showed up to arrest us.

Oct. 2nd my Mom called to tell me my Aunt Jeannie had died last night.
Oct. 5th Was Aunt Jeannie funeral. She looked good, as my Aunt Linda she looked like she did a few years ago, before all the pain and worries of life had set in. That eve we got a call that a house was going to be available the following Saturday. We had already filled out the paper work and we have been approved.

Oct. 7th Bob and I were on our way to Granger for a hot tub service call when my cell phone rang. It was a guy that owned the first house that we called about when all this mess started. He had called us back before and told us that the house was taken. The deal fell through and wanted to know if we were still interested. We were able to go look at it that day. It is a smaller house, but in much better shape. We filled out the paper work and he said he would call us the next day.

Oct. 8th it was late afternoon and we were on our way to South Bend for a pool closing. When Bob's cell phone rang. I was the guy about the house we looked at the night before, he said we had been approved and wanted to know when we wanted to meet to sign papers, etc. We met that eve and started moving things that night.
Front of house.

Back of house.

This was a very stressful time for me, there was days that I found myself just crying. Glad it didn't happen when anyone was around. I would hate to have added to anyone else that was stressing over this.

Bob called our old landlord and told her were would have everything out by Sunday night (Oct. 11th). We almost had everything out. But a few things left to get Monday. Bob called her again to let her know and she said "Well the new locks are going on at 3".

Working, moving, unpacking, trying to get things out of storage, taking care of the family and ...I started a new job Oct. 10th. It is a part time Saturday and Sunday nights. I am a corn sorter. LMBO!!! Sounds like an easy job, right! NOT! The first night was rough, the corn comes on a large belt and you are suppose to get the corn that is not shucked and put it on the belt that is above your head. But I made it through the night and returned the next weekend. I told myself that I could do this job part time, but I don't think I could ever do it full time. I can't believe how many people like that job.

Oct. 13th was Brandon's birthday and by the weekend I realized that no one had made him a cake, so I made him one and we sing Happy Birthday to him.

Very Cherry Cake & Cream Cheese-Cherry Frosting

Oh this is a good one! Kayden had to have a piece every night. LOL!

1 C butter-soften, 1 3/4 C sugar, 2 TBS maraschino cherry juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3 C cake flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 C whole buttermilk, 5 egg whites-beaten until stiff, 1 C finely chopped maraschino cherries. Garnish with cherries.

Oven 350. Spray 3-9" cake pans & flour.

Large bowl-beat butter & sugar with mixer until fluffy. Add cherry juice & vanilla beating until combined.

Sift cake flour, baking powder & salt in med bowl.

Gradually add to butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning & ending with flour. Beat until combine after each addition.

Gently fold in beaten egg whites until mixture is smooth. Stir in maraschino cherries.

Spoon batter evenly into pans. Bake 20 to 25 min. Let cool 10 min. Remove from pans & cool completely on wire racks.

Cream Cheese-Cherry Frosting

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese-softened, 3/4 C butter-softened, 1/4 C maraschino cherry juice, 6 C powder sugar.

Large bowl, beat cream cheese & butter at med speed with mixer, until creamy.

Slowly beat in cherry juice until smooth.

Gradually add powder sugar beating until smooth.

Spread Cheese-Cherry Frosting between layers & on top & sides of cake. Garnish with cherries.

Oct. 18th Comcast was suppose to hook us up at the new place and no one showed up.

Oct. 21st Comcast arrived!

Hope that life gets back to a normal grove soon. Still have over a quarter of a storage unit full of stuff to move to the new house. It is getting harder and harder to find a place for everything. I have lost my office-craft room. The dinning room is the office now.

So much more to talk about but running out of energy.

I haven't stitched, beaded or sewn since the move.

Signs of Summer Ending

Progress picture-Chrystal Tree-All the x's are in and I started on the back stitching, but ran out of thread, Thursday night.

Friday night I started a new piece. Eek a freebie from San-Man Originals 2003.I was going to take the turtles out to their outside pen, when I found them like this...aren't they cute.
Meggie & MyrtleMade a new cookie this week it is called Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cookies.
Have you came across a recipe that you thought would be really good, then try them and they weren't what you thought they would be? The Chocolate Cherry Surprise Cookies were like that, they were good, but not good enough to make again.

Then I made the Peanut Butter Fingers. Yummy!!!

Peanut Butter Fingers-1 C flour, 1 C oats, 1/2 C sugar, 1/2 C brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 C butter (softened), 1/3 C peanut butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 egg. Mix all ingredients, until moisture forms a soft dough. Grease a 12x8 baking dish. Press mixture in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 mins. Let cool completely. Melt 1 C of chocolate chips in microwave spread over bars. For glaze mix 1/3 C powder sugar, 2 TBS peanut butter, 3-5 teaspoons milk. Add enough milk to make the glaze drizzle. Drizzle over chocolate frosting. Cut into bars.

Kayden just after he ate a peanut butter finger. Doesn't he make them look good. So good he had chocolate on his eyelid.

The neighbors are moving and had a yard sale, I saw that they had a few toys out so I thought I would go over and see if I could find something for Kayden. I bought Kayden an Elmo toy. It is the one that was for sale a few years ago and everyone went crazy for. Elmo laughs and then rolls over on his back and belly. I thought Kayden would get a kick out of it so I brought it home. OH MY WAS I WRONG!!! It scares him. As soon as Elmo goes to his back, Kayden starts crying. The only thing we can think of is that he thinks Elmo is in pain. Kayden has started watching Sesame Street. It is the only show that he watches.
My other find was for me, a little chopper. It works great. I had the chop slappy, Brandon used it a lot, the first time I used it I broke it. LOL! So, this was a good find for only $2.00.

Kayden, if you say "thumbs up" to him, this is what he does. But he forgets to put his thumbs up.

The signs of summer ending...school starting, pool closings and labor day weekend.
Two out of three.
School started a week ago Wednesday. Dara (17-senior) went to the tan the day before school started and they must of changed the bulbs, because she was burnt and sore the next day. She is in the program at school where you work, then go to school. Her choice was the hospital, she will get to job shadow. The first week they learned CPR and other things like that. Dylan (15-sophomore) said this year was going to be his best year.
One day last week a girl walked home with Dylan, I had made some fruit salad and offered her some, she was still here when I started supper so, I invited her to stay and eat with us. She liked everything and told me I was very creative. She normally just eats things that come out of boxes, like Hamburger Help. Good to have someone that is welling to eat what I make. Most of the time the kids will not eat what I make and make there own food (out of boxes or cans).
We closed our first pool for the season. This always put a little sadness in my heart.

Well, supper is in the over and dessert is made.

Delicious Devil's Food Cake.