Cindy Lietz of Polymer Clay Tutor

This has to be my new "BFF".
Her slogan is "I learned by making mistakes... Now you don't have to."
I first ran across her blog from The Crafty Bag Lady (a *very* funny story teller). I fell head over heals for her blog. She has so many tips and lessons, I just do not have enough time in a day. Well, I make the time. That means hubby can wait, lost items can be found by someone other than me, if it is broke, someone else can fix it....you get the point. "Mom's busy, please wait!" I just cannot stop. I have learned so much in such little time that it gave me new inspiration to create items that , until recently, could not figure out.
My first lesson was about 3 Common Mistakes that Cause Frustrations for Polymer Clay Beginners. And I was making them all. Trust me on this!
Cindy has Weekly Video Newsletters and Weekly Color Recipes that are packed full of useful information. Not just for the beginner. I bet even the "seasoned clayers" can learn a thing or two.
Bottom line is you have to visit Cindy. You will be glad you did. I know I am.
Of course I have joined every thing I could that Cindy has. Since then, it has been like Christmas every time I open my computer to see what Cindy has sent me today!
I have to go. Inspiration calls!!

Paul Harvey Writes:

Something to think about! I love Paul Harvey and the words he writes and they way he thinks. It always makes me sit awhile and really think. Just to let is absorb and then say, "Wow, how right he is."

Make sure you answer the riddle at the end of this post. All correct answers will receive 20% off coupon for anything on my site. (the site is currently being updated) The coupon will be good for 1 year.

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meatloaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he/she wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's/she's scared, I hope you let him/her.
When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you’ll let him/her. I hope you have to walk up hill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as un-cool as your Mom.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy/girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flag pole.
I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don‘t like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.
May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hanukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you-tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.
To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.
We secure our friends, not by accepting favors, but by doing them.

PaulHarvey

RIDDLE:

When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.

What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?

The curse of the Daylilies!

Saturday is here! I wanted to work in the gardens today but the rain decided to beat me outside. I will have to wait. I love spring. Every thing starts to come back to life. It is like a fresh start for everything.

Year one: When we moved into our home, there was a very long garden in front of the house. Is is approx. 60 feet long by about 10-15 feet wide. It was filled with daylilies and pickers. I decided that I was going to "re-do" this patch and get rid of the day lilies to make room for a lot of different flowers. Has any one ever tried to get rid of day lilies? Don't get me wrong, the are pretty and I do like them but I did not want a whole garden full of them. They never die. You can never get rid of them. Ever! We have tried everything.

I tried cutting them down so I could at least see the ground. Then I thought, with all the time I have (ha ha), I will just dig them up and throw them in the waste pile in the back (soon to be a compost pile). My husband watched me spend entire weekends working so very hard digging these tubes up and taking the wheel barrow for the trek into the back yard to dump them. (We have 12 acres and this pile is in the far corner on the other side of the property). Pile after pile. I was going to get rid of these if it was the last thing I ever did. It almost was. Then my husband, being the very helpful loving husband that he is, made the biggest mistake of his life. He asked if I needed help. In tears, I said "yes, please." He is a strong man with a heart of gold. He dug this entire patch down 2 feet to try and eradicate all of these tubes for me. We piled the dirt on a trailer and made ATV jumps (another story for another day) with all the dirt. Then we went to the yard and garden center to get bags of dirt to fill the area back in. One trailer full of 60 bags of dirt outta do it. He filled in the patch, bag by bag, but it was not enough. I felt bad having him work so hard on this project of mine (really, I did) so I said I would take the truck and go get more dirt. I did not think I would need that much. Maybe another 50 bags or so.

I unhooked the trailer and left with the truck (Expedition). Do you know you can not put that much dirt in the back of a truck like this? I do now. I got back home and my hubby took one look at the truck which was almost to the ground in back, and said in his most loving voice, "hunny, what have you done?" I said, "what do you mean? I just got more dirt. Is something wrong?" Umm, dah! "Have you looked at the truck?" he asked. It was at that very moment I realized how very smart I actually am not. This also explains why the guy at the garden center looked at me funny as he brought the pallet full of dirt to my truck. I just thought he was a little strange or something. I have never left in the truck, from that day on, without talking to my husband about what I was taking the truck for and making sure that what I was going to get would be ok to put in the back of the truck.

Year two: With that over and done with, I continued to make this garden my dream garden. I received a lot of plants from my Aunt and Uncle. I planted each one in a carefully chosen spot in my new garden. They were so beautiful. I was out there all the time pulling weeds and tending to this garden that my husband and I poured our heart and souls into. You will never guess what happened next. All of those daylilies began to grow again. Each one, rising above the dirt, to meet the sun. I dug them out and with anger, threw them into the wheel barrow and off they went. My husband came out to check on my progress and made the second mistake of his life. "What is the matter hunny? Lots of weeds?" With tears in my eyes again I said, "they are still here. They will never be gone." He could not believe that with all the work we did the year before they were still there. He asked me what I wanted him to do. He knew how bad I wanted this garden. I said that I thought if we got some weed barrier they would not come through it. Silly, silly women! He did as I requested and picked up the weed barrier and left me to the task of carefully cutting it and placing it on top of the dirt and around my flowers, to once and for all, get rid of these things. We got mulch to place on top of that, (with the trailer this time and my hubby by my side) from the city garage. I did mention to him that I could handle this task alone but he would not think of it. Wonder why? He removed it from the trailer and shoveled it into the garden for me.

Year three: My beautiful garden is now a dream come true. You will never, ever guess the next sentence. Yes, the day lillies are much stronger than I anticipated and still grew though the weed barrier. I give up, they win. They are only here and there and I learned to just live with them in peace. I cannot battle them any longer. My husband is so happy with me that I learned to come to terms and live happily together, FOREVER, with the lilies. Oh, did I leave out some little point I should not have? Did I fail to mention my husband absolutely dislikes gardening? Hates it, hates, hates it! He never comes to check on me when I am in the garden anymore. Weird. From across the yard, he tells me how nice my garden looks. What a guy!

The garden is still a work in progress. I plan on adding more flowers this year as soon as the rain stops! More pictures to come.

Items from around the house...

Did you know you could use:

White Bread and Ketchup

Use white bread to: Dust an oil painting. Gently dab a slice of white bread over the surface to pick up dirt and grime.

Use ketchup to: Remove tarnish from copper and brass cookware. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.

I did not know these two things could be used for anything other than PB&J and Hot Dogs!

This came from Real Simple Solutions.

Another great blog...

Today I am highlighting Colleen Maloney's Blog. Once you check it out, you will understand why I picked this one. I love the way she writes.

Free to Be
The makings of a disciple in Christ and the everyday adventures thereof...through poems, thoughts and memoirs on life

Thank you Colleen for allowing me to highlight your blog!

http://colleenmaloney.blogspot.com/

Let Go, Let God

The Spirit of God sustains and upholds me at all times.If difficulties are mounting at home or at work, I may feel as if I'm struggling to keep my head above water. I then ask myself, Why am I trying to go it alone? I know what to do as I read words of Scripture: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord." It's time to let go and let God. It's time to stop struggling and let any burden be lifted from me.

This is a sweet and gentle reminder that I am never alone and that there is no need to struggle. God loves me and calls for me to turn within. The Spirit of God sustains and upholds me at all times. I release all to God--all worry, all pain. Both physically and spiritually, I feel peace wash over me. I am comforted. The Spirit of God is here--within me and everywhere around me. I accept, I release, and I am free.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts."--Zechariah 4:6

Did you know....

Handy, dandy tip of the day!

Did you know you could spend only $4.00-$5.00 on 32 "AA" batteries? How you ask?
The average "AA" batteries cost around $5.00 for a pack of 4.

Check this out!

Puchase a Heavy Duty 6v Lattern Battery for around $4-$5. Take the lable off the battery. Pry open the top with a screw driver. You will need alot of muscle to do this. Once the top is open, you will need a wire cutter to cut the wire attached to the lid. Go ahead, peak inside....

There are 32 standard "AA" batteries inside!

Now you will have enough batteries to power all your "AA" battery eating electronics! That is like paying only .15 cents per "AA". Imagine how much you could save! If you have teenagers, you will truly appreciate this post!

World Peace

With faith and compassion, we shine the peace of Christ into the world. This is a time for a new world. Nothing is stagnant, for change is the norm. This is a time for renewed belief in peace for the world. With the Christ of our beings as our ever-present partner, we follow divine guidance, cocreating a world of peace. The peace of Christ saturates our thoughts and actions. Inventive approaches make room for new solutions. We do not see or expect to see our circumstances remain the same. Our faith and compassion are expressed, creating healing and influencing change. Relationships are renewed and situations are transformed. Understanding and peace prevail. One heart at a time, we establish peace in the world.

"For their sake he remembered his covenant, and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love."--Psalm 106:45

Thought of the day...

ASPIRE TO 'INSPIRE' BEFORE YOU 'EXPIRE'

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. 'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.' The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?' 'That's because I have a lways known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.' 'For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.' Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Just Wanted To Share

I am sure most of you may have read this or heard this before. But, for those that have not... think about this...

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak, at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning....

He noted that first came the date of her birth

and spoke of the following with tears,

but he said that what mattered most of all

was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

that she spent alive on earth

and now only those who loved her

know what that little line is worth.

For it matters nott, how much we own,

the cars... the house... the cash...

What matters most is how we live and love...

and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard,

are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

to consider what's true and real...

and always try to understand

the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

and show appreciation more

and love the people in our lives...

like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

and more often wear a smile...

remembering that this special dash

might only last awhile.

So when your eulogy is being read...

with your life's actions to rehash...

Would you be proud of the things they say...

about how you spent your dash?