Ahhh, Punk, you were up late last night! I've got a busy day today, not sure I'll get to paint but want to try. I'm off to help my friend with her statement and checkbook, then back to take DH to the doctor and to pharmacy. Need to get a little house cleaning done too.

At least I got my Valentine's tray finished. Sprayed the last coat of sealer on it, and now need to find a place to display it! I think I need a bigger house--no not really, that would mean more to clean and I'm really not into that anymore! LOL

Hope Anj got to sleep in yesterday, and hope her DD won her first game of the season. Maybe she will get to stop by and give us a shout sometime today.

Belle will hopefully be by soon too, and maybe Paintingfool will get a minute to chat as well.

Don't work too hard, I'll be back to check on everyone this evening before I go to bed.

Luvs

Good Tuesday Morning!

Luvs...give DH lots of hugs from me and I hope everything is going to be OK. Took at look at your tray and I'm but DH...please pass the chocolates!

PhoneGirl, thank you for the kind words but wait until this summer and I will post a picture of the pond with all of the flower in and around it, then it is really beautiful - I guess I can say that cause I don't make the flowers beautiful! Maybe I can even catch a bird taking a bath in the stream. They are so fun to watch.

My SIL gave me this really cute little cupboard with a door with chicken wire on the face. It was kind of a sickly brown and I primed and basecoated it yesterday and will put on the finishing coat today. I refurbished an old storage cabinet of my MIL's that helps with my lack of cupboards in the kitchen and wanted to match the paint - but used all of the paint years back, so I am trying to go a shade or two lighter with this new one as it will sit on the top of the existing unit and house some of my antique bottles. Funny how the MIL's cupboard was a lot more fun to do! Maybe it's the fact that it belonged to her and I couldn't see it become part of a bond fire. It was so old it had been painted with Milk paint. Hated to paint over it but it really needed a face lift. It was one of two units that were made for her to hold her canning jars. Simple wood and a very simple design but so cool and so useful. I know she would have love the changes and that it is being used again.

Better start on that silly new project or I'll never get it off the table.

Take Care and Have a Good Day!

Belle

Hi....I have exactly 2 minutes left to be here before I have to go pick up DD from school and run her to the ortho. I'm so far behind I'll never catch up with everything. I'm glad ya'll are all here to keep each other company. Luvs~ give R. my best and hope for a full and quick recovery on his wrist. Bummer! No more golf for a while, huh? Your little friend hasn't moved to live with DD yet? Any bites on her house yet?

Belle~ I'd love to see your prim cabinets. I love anything old. I'm a freak in my family. ha They don't see the attraction that I feel for my g-pas old oil can (he was a mechanic at one point) or my g-gpas squeeky old rocking chair and canes. I have little things from my ancestors all over my house. I love it.

Ya'll are just knocking projects out left and right. I'm so jealous. May get back here to post my little leprechaun tonight??

Oh, sorry, I got pulled away for a sec and my 2 min are up. I'll try to catch up with ya'll again later. ~Anj

I'm so happy for SIL. Her tests came back with no more signs of cancer. Her doctor said if it's going to return it will generally be within 2 years and after that not very likely. So we will continue with our prayers.

Anj you are not the only one behind this week. My week is going to be horrendous. I had meeting early Monday morning. Didn't get home till late last night. Was back in to office by 7 this morning and didn't get out of there till after 6:30 tonight. It was so foggy that I could barely see in front of the car driving home tonight. Called DH and said he should shower and get ready to go out for dinner cuz I hadn't ate all day and I was starvin and not planning on cooking. This is not like me at all.

Found out today I have to be back to the office in the morning before 7 for more training. My DSIL told me to quit telling customers who ask how we were doing, that we are doing well. He's a great guy and said this for our best interest. It's just so hard for me to not tell the truth. But I guess if it's going to hurt us I better figure out what to say without fibbing.

What is your feelings on this subject. If you knew a business was doing well and most of the others were struggling what would your reaction be? We have always put in alot of hours and so it's not that we aren't going above and beyond our duty. We are known as Best Customer Service in Town and proud of it. Be honest cuz I want what's best for our customers and don't want to hurt any one.

DD said she needed a raise tonight and when I ask her how much she said $1 an hour. I thought she was going to throw a big dollar amount out there so I was ok with her wants. I think we need to plan a vacation (on the company)and get away if things ever slow down.

Luvs, how did DH's checkup go? Your tray should be posted with the others on the post for me I think so others who browse can see. Just a thought. I know I don't always have enough time to browse. Did you enjoy balancing your friends checkbook? It's always so rewarding to help others huh?

Belle I'm counting on you to keep us posted with pictures of the pond. What flowers do you have around it? I was going to ask if those were iris in the front part?

I just had a lady in who grows minature iris and she said they are so much prettier than the tall bearded iris. So I'll be making a date to visit her this summer to see them. She had acres of iris beds and had a 6 bypass surgery so she gave most of her iris away to 6 of her friends she said.

Your little cupboard sounds like it will be a unique project. Can hardly wait to see what it looks like. You can post a picture of MIL's cabinet also.

Gonna go look for Anj's leprechaun and hit the hay. Signing off with my new given name.

Speedy

Just a quick check in here this morning, then I've GOT TO get some housework done around here--it's now bugging me--too much clutter on countertops and specks on the bathroom mirror and dust on furniture and shelves and the usual dog hair on the family room floor! Makes me feel better when it is all clean and fresh again!(Just never stays that way long enough1)

Belle, your cupboard sounds neat. And you can never have too much storage spaces IMHO. It's great that you were able to save and use your MIL's cabinet, nice to keep it in the family too.

"Speedy", I gather that your SIL thinks it might make someone feel bad that your business is doing well in these trying times? Is that it? I'm not sure, but I think that hearing that you're doing good would make me feel a bit relieved that not all businesses are struggling with the economy. But maybe you could just reply that "things are fine right now, and we're praying that it stays that way." or "Luckily people still need our service even in this tough economy" Something like that would still empathize with them but not be bragging or lying either one. Just a thought.

DH is now sporting a cast on his right arm. Only has to have it for three weeks, then doctor will check it and maybe go to just a wrap. I think now his sore ribs are bothering him the most--not broken, but probably just pulled the muscles, takes awhile for the soreness to go away. The bad part is that I'm having to do all the driving, and he always drives when we go somewhere together. I've already told him to just relax and that while I may not drive like he would, we will still get there! LOL

No, Anj, my little friend hasn't moved yet. There was a couple there looking yesterday. Hope she gets an offer soon, will be a big help to her moneywise. She had made three errors in her checkbook and gotten overdrawn at the bank. I used to have contacts there who might have reversed it all for her, but don't know anyone there now so only got the supervisor to agree to reverse one charge. She is on a fixed income so doesn't need that kind of extra expenses. Had a checkorder charge not allowed for, a subtraction error and one check written in for wrong amount--that's all it takes to mess it up. I don't mind helping her, but it's hard when prices keep going up and it is so tight for her. And on top of that, she keeps going to Costco to buy paper towels and spends more than she should. Either she cleans allot with paper towels or she will soon be opening her own store! LOL

Okay, I'm outta here, gonna get the housework done and hopefully get to paint some more.

Have a good one.

Luvs

Good Morning,
I can just picture you and DH in the car and you saying just relax honey, even though I'm in the drivers seat, we'll still get there. If I had the time right now I would sketch you a cartoon that would be hilarious!!! Hope DH gets his case off in 3 weeks and you continue to be a good chauffeur for him.

DH is the bridge forman for the county and so he's driving every day and welcomes the times when I jump in the drivers seat. Your story made me think of one time I was driving the big van and this young employee I had just hired gets on and I start to pull out and he says "wait a minute, if your driving I want off or I'll drive." I looked at him and said it don't work that way. He is now married and a father and when I seen him in the mall before Christmas he brought up this story and he laughed and said you didn't let me drive or get off.

Luvs, I really like the "things are fine right now and we pray they stay that way." That is exactly what I wanted. I decided this week I'm putting in 12 hour days every day and if I can't stay caught up then I may be hiring another employee. I went in yesterday at 6:15a.m. and was unable to log in completely to the webinar training, so I'm waiting for a new link. I did get alot accomplished by not having customers for quite awhile. I can't seem to get out of there until 6-7p.m. and it has been so foggy and slick, that driving home 10 miles is a nightmare.

It's still foggy this morning so I'm out the door. I hope all of you have a great day and I'll check back ASAP. Speedy

Good morning all, Hard for me to believe it is Thursday already! Weeks sure seem to go by fast, don't they?

Speedy, I sure don't envy you driving on those foggy, slick roads. Fog scares me anyway, but the combination would be terrifying to me. Do be careful, okay?

Anj, hope you get a chance to come by and say hello. Are you still getting snow, or is it pretty much over now? Weather report said we might get rain, I'll take it, we always need it here.

Belle, how are you doing? Are you getting to work on any projects or just busy with other stuff. Hope your week is going well.

I pulled out one of my primed metal trays and guess I'll work on painting something on it. I also want to figure out what to paint that cute leprechaun on as well. And I started reading a book--when I do that, it is hard for me to put it down! Read until 2:00 last night! LOL That I shouldn't do, I'll probably need a nap this afternoon! ;o)

Got to go hop in the shower, I'm meeting a friend for lunch today. I'll check back in here later this afternoon.

Luvs

Hey you guys....sorry I've been MIA, just so busy, but the good news is I got everything done so I can paint today. I will get a pic of my leprechaun posted today as well.

Ya'll have been busy too it seems.
Speedy~ good news on your SIL recovery. Hope it stays gone!
I don't think you should be ashamed that your business is doing well. I think we all want to hear that right now with so many things going under it's really quite frightening. I like the way Luvs put it too.
You be careful on those slick roads now. We've had a lot of fog over the past few weeks here too. One afternoon it was so bad you couldn't see but maybe a foot in front of the car. A little girl in the neighborhood crossed the street right in front of me and I almost hit her!!! Maybe she couldn't see my lights and I for sure didn't see her. Good thing I was creeping along. Scared me.

Luvs~ hope you are doing ok as nurse to Mr. R. Has he been a good patient so far? How are his ribs feeling today?
Your friend is so lucky to have you watching out for her. Maybe the paper towels cut down on the laundry. ha Is she still able to drive herself around?
Any time to paint this week for you? Did you find something to paint on your trays? I am the same way with a book. I lost 4 days of my life reading the Twilight series back in November. ha Could not put it down.

Belle~ how's it goin?

Well, ladies, if I'm gonna get any painting done I'd better get off here and get to it. I'll go take a pic of the leprechaun right now before I get started and post it. Later~Anj

Been too long since I posted a pic. I forgot my password to photobucket and they locked me out so I'll wait a few hours and try to post my leprechaun. Sorry. =) ~A

Morning All,

WoW! I sure seem to be busy all the time and still don't get anything done!

As you can see (I hope you can!)I posted pictures of my cabinet and my MIL's cabinet. MIL's still shows signs of the flood, but will have to wait until summer for a repaint job. It's not much - just to good to throw away. As to the bottles...it was not my idea to collect them but DH was digging in the side yard and came up most of them. Evidently the former owner "dumped" them in the ground. So I now have about 100 bottles and people see them and drop off one or two. DH has lived here since 1947, so some of them are old - ouch! I resemble that remark!

The other picture is a very simple project that I am giving as Valentine's gifts, still need to add the pull strings to this one. We are visiting my DS today, she has Muscular Dystrophy and unable to get. Hope this brightens her day. The rest will go to neighbors, and I need to make one more for myself.

Luvs...sorry to hear about your DH broken arm - does he had a white or blue caste? Hope it heals fast and well. With his ribs I bet he just loves to laugh or cough!

I also like your answer to PhoneGirls curie. It is a solid answer without bragging.

PhoneGirl...Super great news about your SIL, cancer is scary! Hopes she stays clear forever.

To you questions about the yard/pond...the plants at the end of the pond are iris, water iris as they have their roots in soil under the water. Mini iris would be great for so many areas in any garden, hope you get lots! I have yellow lily's, Creeping Jenny, Primroses, Nasturtiums and Mountain Strawberries. I had CanteBerry (sp) Bells and some sedums which will be replanted this year. There also is cluster of Daffodils and Mountain Bells Alluims and lots of other things. Wow...just talking about them makes me want spring to arrive NOW!

Bet your DH know what a Bailey Bridge is...for us it is a much shorter way to the main highway and will be here for another year. To let you all know what it is, it is a temporary bridge that is put together in sections from one side of the river and each new section is pushed out towards the river until it is across and then they fasten it to the ground, plus a lot more stuff! It is one lane and at fist a little scary.

Anj......slow down girl! You need to go into the bathroom, close the door, look in the mirror and practice saying...NO!

Gotta run for now, long day ahead. Will crash tomorrow - ya right! Going into the bathroom, closing the .............

Everyone have a great weekend!

Belle
{{!gwi}}


{{!gwi}}


www.fliptop- candyshop. com

Belle, I love the blue/white on your cabinets. Wow! what a collection of bottles. My Dad always loved bottles and had them in all the windowsills on their sunporch. Hmmm, I wonder what happened to those after he died? I'll have to ask my brother. Did you happen to see any used for Halloween decor? There were a couple of blogs that had used a small grouping of them in their decor and they were just perfect. So did you paint all the roosters and chickens we see in the pictures? They all look so fun. Your little valentine hearts pull toy is darling too. The hearts would even make a good wall hanging too. TFS

Anj, no, my little friend doesn't drive anymore. You might remember my mentioning that she had backed out of her carport and into the neighbor across the streets foundation--for the 2nd time in less than a year! Messed her car up really bad this time and can't afford to have all the body work done on it. Just as well, don't think she should be driving anymore. Just hope her home will sell soon so she can get moved closer to her daughters while she can still enjoy them and her gkids.

So glad you were able to take some time to paint and enjoy yourself. You sure deserve it. Loved your little leprechaun guy.

DH is being a good patient. Has been able to use his fingers a bit which helps, and we just wrap his cast with a plastic bag so he can take a shower. Today he said the ribs are feeling better. Just takes time, doesn't it?

I need to get busy painting again. Haven't done any the last couple of days--but I've been "thinking" about it. LOL

I'll be back tomorrow morning. You all take care.

Luvs

Sending a Happy Morning to All,

So glad my work week is over except for getting the bad debts figured out for last year, I feel I'm on top of things for a change. I brought home a big stack of paperwork, notebooks and files so I think I can get it all figured out this weekend except for one company we deal with and those files are in the other office. It will be a huge relief to get everything to the accountant for tax returns.

Driving those roads with fog this past week was a bit nerve racking to say the least. Anj that would of been terrible to be that close to a little girl but I can see how you wouldn't see her. However, we'll hope she turned up her hearing aid after that one and pays more attention now. haha It's so hard to decide how fast to travel and I have to turn left on a major highway with no light. I pull up to the stop sign, turn heater, wipers and stereo off, roll down windows and listen for traffic as well as look for any signs of lights befor pulling out. It's scary knowing you could pull out and be hit from either side within seconds. Maybe all your caring seen me through.

I'm not sure what I'd like to do today so thought I'd jump on here to start my day out right! I started to post on here last night but was tired after dinner so watched a little TV with DH and hit the hay.

Luvs did you get started on your next project on one of your trays? I keep looking at mine and haven't even started to prime yet. I really like the way you leave some of your edges metal but not sure I have enough patience to mask off so maybe I should wait until I do? Do you always prime your trays before basecoating with spray or brush? Maybe you could give me steps to prepare and paint my trays if you get time. LOL I am serious, do you spray or paint what, when.

Belle your blue and white cabinets are a great set. Thanks for taking the time to post for us. The little pull toys are cute and could be changed to go with the seasons if you would use a screw to mount them on their little wagons, huh? I'm not sure what I'm giving for Valentine's but best figure it out and deliver this weekend too.

Tell us about all the chickens and roosters running around your kitchen all right? You are telling your DH's age when we talk the bottle collection alright. It's neat that you've taken the time to clean them up and save them. How does one know what to save and what to throw. I've got to figure it out cuz most of the time I just throw things to my sister and maybe I need to learn to store more for future use. LOL I have a metal can to paint on so maybe that's what I'll try to get started on.

Hope all of you are well and have time to paint and enjoy the weekend.

Hi Punk aka Speedy, I can tell work has been taking up allot of your time, and housework always gets in the way too! Know you will be glad you got the freezers all cleaned out and now you know what you have on hand. My all time favorite way to cook a roast is to seal it in foil after sprinkling a packet of Lipton onion soup mix over it, and then cook it in the oven at 200 or 250 for about four to six hours depending on the size of the roast. I just love love love the flavor and tenderness of it cooked that way.

I try to wipe my countertops, stove, refrigerator handles, etc. everyday, but this morning I realized that I probably need to spend some time washing down all the cabinet fronts and doing some good cleaning in there again. So funny how I used to clean the whole house every Saturday when I was working--but now that I am retired, I do it more on an "as needed" basis! Would have thought it would have been the other way around--go figure! LOL

I did start painting one of my trays. It will probably be finished sometime tomorrow. I just put some dots on it and needed to let them dry good so thought I'd sign on and check the forums while I sip a cup of coffee.

Because the paint could scratch off if painted on the metal, I like to go ahead and spray a coat of primer on first to help prevent that. Would hate to paint something I really like and then have it get messed up, so a can of spray primer is cheap and good insurance I think. ;o)

However, with that said, when I painted my galvanized trash can for my bird seed, I did not prime it first. The paint stuck to it so easily, and I did spray on three coats of sealer over the design. It has lived outside on the patio through all kinds of weather and being sprayed off with the hose and it's still holding up well.

I've also got a board that I want to paint up for Valentine's day. I have a shelf outside beneath my front window that I like to set things on for the holidays. I bought a really neat long sign last year for St. Patrick's and was hoping to find one for Valentine's this year, but so far no luck, so thought I'd just make one myself.

Well, I'd better finish checking some other posts. I'll chat more tomorrow.

Luvs

Luvs,
That is so funny that we like to cook roasts the same. I have even added the soup mix to the roasts cooked in the cockpot so they would have good flavor. I don't care for the cockpot flavor without adding something more to it.

I love a clean home and I know what your saying. I'm sure I would put off cleaning to paint if it wasn't for having clients here as often as I do. My kitchen is always the cleanest room in the house.

Can hardly wait to see your trays. I need to get mine primed and painted. Thanks for all the advise to prepare them before and after painting. Interesting story on your trash can. Isn't it amazing how something weather better than others? I painted a tray with purple roses and thought I might post it over on the holiday forum since your friend Karen loves purple.

I can't remember if your bench is covered or exposed to the elements. I'm sure you'll get your board done and it will be darling. Why don't you try to remember and post your St Paddy's sign also. I just love being able to come here and see projects.

I had two little guests here today to visit the cat. We had this cat stray in about 5 years ago and it belonged to these people who had moved here from ID. Kinda ironic that after several months their son started going to Day Care at the neighbors across the highway. He noticed right away that this was his cat who had come over there to visit so they took him home that night and locked him in their new home for 2 wks. As soon as they let him out he was back at my house in an hour. They live 2 miles from us. So they came and got him and tried it a couple more times and the last time his mom said if he comes back I'm bringing you a bag of cat food and he's yours. Well he came back and she delivered a bag of cat food and he's still here. Her son little Greg was 5 and I'll never forget this. He looked up at me and said "Lady, I don't know why he likes you, he's my cat." I said I don't either and I'm so sorry honey. Scrappy's previous owner little Greg is now 10 so him and his cousin had rode their bikes to town and rode on out and came to the door today and ask to see Scrappy. They were so fun and said they would be back tomorrow morning if it was nice. Oh yeah, it was 50 here today with sunshine. Pretty amazing how the weather changes so quickly.

I'm thinking I shouldn't have taken a nap today cuz I don't seem to be wanting to go to bed. Not Good. We'll talk tomorrow.

Speedy

Good Morning!

Gosh I can hardly believe it but the day's are getting bright and longer...so hurry up spring!

...the bottle collection like my bells and my pretty rocks and my tea pots and several other collections came about because I said I like them and haven't learned to say enough all ready! My grown kids still bring me agates and "pretty" rocks. I just add them to the pond, the rocks that is! Same with the rest. But....I'll get even, someday they will have to deal with them. But then I can just hear them...Why in the world did she have to keep all this junk? lol

As to the rooster and hens. We had chickens when I was growing up and I have always loved them, but not to eat, well except fried or in a salad. Yes, I did paint the chickens. The "weather forecast" hen on the left used to be outside my front door and landed 4 1/2 feet up in the yew wood tree. I almost cried when they found her and she was OK. Luvs, I believe you posted a picture of 5 chickens in a line that you made for your DD or DIL - I have one too. Did it years ago. It sits on my frig watching the hen house. Hubby never cooks anymore, DARN!

Luv ...I can relate to you dear friend and her driving. I worried about my GM, she raised me, and her driving as she got older. I worked back then and because she didn't drive at night, I asked my son (then 16) to ride with her as she went on her weekly excursion to the grocery. His report sounded like this...Mom, she drives better than you do. She only had one car honk at her! I could have rung his neck. And it was really hard when we had to take the keys away from my D, DFIL- with men it is a "macho" thing.

Speedy AKA Rose Lady....isn't the fog just wonderful! We have live here since 1972 and I have actually gotten lost coming home in the fog. When you are down to 10 miles and hour and blinking your eyes every two seconds because your eyes feel like they have left their sockets and are sticking out about 2 feet. And you just know that some darned fool will be traveling to fast and coming at you in the middle of the road or will catch up to you can rear-end you...Oh! What fun days!

Well, I need to make an early start today. Almost forgot that I had promised a good friend a project for her charity raffle on the 22nd. So I'm going project hunting, think I will curly up on the couch to do this one, at least that sounds good!

Anj.....where are you girl? Hope you are resting!!!!!

Belle

PS...we just "celebrated" our 46 anniversary and hubby took me out to a french restaurant......La'Taco Belle and gave me a dozen carnations, one of my favorites and staked me to the poker tourney....I came in second - beat him out! Belle

Belle,
That's cool that you collect all of them and your children are so generous that you'll be able to give them alot to remember you by in years to come. I'm sincere as I say this. My kids use to laugh about having a large dumpster brought in when I pass and so I ask my daughter the other day if she would seriously do this and she said heaven's no we'll use all of your STUFF. So that's a relief. I probably told them I'd give it all away if that was going to be the case.

I can tell that you almost cried when you found your hen in the tree. It still brings tears to your eyes right or are you just emotional when you write about it. It's not funny but it did make me snicker cuz it sounds like she's a part of the family alright! I was just looking at one of my books yesterday by Christine Schilling called Holiday Harvest and I thought of you. DD bought it for me so I would paint the little snowmen and I never did. OPPS

Your fog story has me cracking up again. Your stories are great today, I can totally relate about the eyes trying to leave the sockets. Maybe that's why I thought I needed a checkup. haha

Oh, I can't be the "Rose Lady" cuz that should be Luvs title since she's the one who inspired me. But maybe I can be RL2 and she can be RL1. What do you think, Luvs?LOL Now see what all of you have completed for me, my new screen name. I was just thinking we need to get you and Anj new screen names huh?

Well, it's been fun but GTG. My lasagna noodles are done.

Speedy RL2

Hi gals, So fun reading all of this. Belle, your description of driving in the fog is so true. I always just want to find a safe place to pull over and wait it out, but am always so afraid someone will run into me if I'm not moving with headlights and brake lights on. Out here, the scariest place is when two freeways merge, and you can't see whats coming. I try not to drive in it unless it just cannot be avoided.

So glad you found your hen after the flood. Imagine it was wonderful finding anything the water had not washed away. I do have the five hens in a row. I've used them as a centerpiece on the table before, and they sat on a counter in the kitchen back when I first made them. I have some patterns for hens and chicks and some roosters that I would like to try to paint someday. I think roosters especially are so "regal" and pretty.

Phonegirl, I'm sure not the "rose lady" unless you just mean that I love anything with roses on it. If you haven't seen Paintigfool's roses, you need to. Trust me, her's are so much better than mine! However, I am glad that you like the one's I've done. It took me allot of practice to be able to do decent ones.

Luvs

Luvs your roses are beautiful and yes BeBe's are also. I am still in the practicing stage and may never make it out but I will keep trying until I figure out what I like the best. LOL The only one who couldn't was the one who said I can't. This was what my parents instilled in all 6 of us growing up and it's so true.

None of us paint the same and that's what makes it great. It would be boring if everyone's projects looked the same. We wouldn't have the variety of books either and that would be sad.

Speedy RL2