Memories of growing up...

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about my grandparents . They have both since passed on and I still miss them so much. Every spring time I am reminded of my grandparents and the pink blossom trees that lined the several courtyards of the condominium complex that they lived at and managed for 30 years.

I have such fond memories of going to

visit my grandparents . We would play hours and hours running through these trees , gathering the crap apples and blossoms , to make some kind of stew . I remember staring up at them and marveling at their beauty and my mind would be swept away to some magical place .....

We were blessed to to see my grandparents often and got to spend weeks at a time during the summer . We especially looked forward to my cousins coming from Arizona to stay. My oldest cousin was only a year younger , she was the sister I always longed to have. My mom would sew us matching outfits and we would play, play , PLAY for hours. I would want her to go swimming with me constantly , and coming from Pheonix , Az, she often got bored with swimming ( just had to be in the pool all the time back home ) or if it was cooler , like 80 degree's she would often say it was too cold :) . One of our favorite toys was a doll named Mary . We would set her hair in rollers, over and over again. My girls now on occasion play with Mary.... it is amazing she has some hair left. ( Mary is pictured to the left and is sporting some stylish ponies from my girls ) :)

Grandma would give us some pocket change so that we could walk down to the quick stop store and buy some penny candy. We would get to eat it all if we wanted . :) Her swedish style crepe pancakes , yum yum, they always tasted just a bit different than my mom's version. Grandpa was a man of few words, but he was always smiling and kind, bustling around tinkering on this and fixing that. Every now and then he would through on a pair of swim trunks and come swimming with us.

I miss those days, my cousins ( it has been far too long ) and most of all , my grandparents.

Dancing at a friend's 40th B-day party & my JEWELRY GIVEAWAY details......

So last night I was invited to a friend's 40th B-day bash . Her hubby went all out , a kind of "make up" party for years of lame parties . ( she loves B-day parties) The party was wonderfully done and so much fun . Some of the festivities included a costume contest of your favorite decade 70's, 80's, 90's , a fantastic band ( hired from their church) which played many fun songs from the past decades, delicious food , great photos of the Birthday girl .... she was so thrilled and truly surprised.

Our kids were invited as well , and to watch them dancing and laughing was priceless! We have never had the opportunity to take them to something like this . The kids LOVED the party and dancing , and my oldest, who is entering Junior High next fall, is now looking forward to the dances ,there are 4.

I WILL be chaperoning those dances ..... :)

I thought I would also share pictures of the pieces of jewelry I made for the B-day girl's special night , she loved them and she said that she got many compliments, oh~ yeah!

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Don't forget to enter my jewelry giveaway .... just sign up to follow me , and your name gets entered to WIN a piece of my jewelry! ( tell me your favorite color, your favorite piece from my Etsy shop, etc. ;)

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Two BEAUTIFUL ducks , right on my front boulevard......

Thought I would share these photos of the two young Mallard Ducks that arrived on my boulevard today.

I have never had ducks in my yard or near my house before. One has to wonder why they chose to stop by my busy street today , but my neighbor gave me a call to tell me they were outside so , of course I had to go investigate....

As you can see they are dangerously close to the road . The drivers on this road are definitely NOT watching for ducks. My neighbor had called the Animal Shelter and then the county police to have someone come and try to remove them . I could not help but wonder .... all that effort and they will probably fly away as soon as someone tries to touch them .

I managed to chase them away from the road , although my neighbor was sure fussing , worried that they would "run" off before the authorities came to save them :). I stopped shooting and they were lounging in safety from the road when I last saw them .

I have noticed more and more often , the wildlife entering into our city limits. Why, just the other day my oldest daughter and I saw a deer in a busy 4-way stop area . The deer was on the property of a home which has enticing lush foliage on probably an acre of land ( a rare piece of older property in the heart of the city) , We were so worried for this wonderful little creature. I have many more little stories of wildlife here in our city ... I bet, you all do too.

Since we continue to creep into their spaces , the lines inevitably get blurred. Yet we must all do our part to watch out for them , as they are all part of creation!

Blessings to all today!

Enter to WIN a piece of my jewelry....

Announcement at the bottom... read on :)



SPRING has arrived!!!!!!

I had a delightful Sunday planting my veggie garden and flower pots... just heavenly.

I still have quite a bit of yard work to get done but it will have to wait until next Sunday , as the week is pretty full.

It is our last week of soccer practices and games , ( whew) and then just 2 weeks of school left. Summer fever has now officially replaced spring fever ... as my youngest daughter was moaning , " I do NOT want to go to school." My oldest went on a tour of the junior high today :( , I just cannot believe my tenderheart will be there in just a few short months ....

I have decided to get creative with this blog as I must admit, it feels a bit like I am speaking into an empty stadium ... ANNOUNCING ~

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If you sign up to follow me , leave a comment as to your favorite color, any favorite " catch phrase" or inspirational words , and tell me your favorite piece of my jewelry from my Etsy store ~ Zasra , I will enter your name into a drawing for a piece of my jewelry , and I will specially make it for you! :) DEADLINE : JUNE 7th

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P.S. Tell a friend , and let me know ... if they sign up , I will enter your name again !

kids , dogs , crafting, blogging , Etsy, .. how to get it all done??

I have spent the better part of this day feeling totally overwhelmed with the " list of things to get done" floating around inside my head".

Anyone out there struggle with this????

My list today has consisted of a whole range of things, such as....

soccer games ( loving the action ) , finding out my girls are completely out of socks ( does anyone else in the house know how to run the washer & dryer, I ponder) :) dog walks, lunch ( as I look in the fridge I realize a trip to the grocery store is looming :( , running kids to b-day parties, hubby finally getting over to pick up our newly purchased used lawn mower ~ the yard is officially 4 " tall, bought a book , Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey, and started reading, now I just need the time to apply, jewelry projects waiting to be finished , a painting too, yard work other than mowing, an engaging book called Gods & Kings by Lynn Austin, keeps tugging at me to throw it all aside and just go lounge on my deck in the sunshine.....

Just a small preview of my list . On any given day , I am dreaming up new ideas of art and jewelry, many requiring skills that I am unfamiliar with so it would require me to take time to learn them . All the while my children need me, my husband, dogs... and it is Mother's Day tomorrow, so I have to make a dessert for the dinner my mother is so graciously going to prepare for our family.

One day at a time , just breathe , pray , have patience & joy ... I know these things help tremendously , but some days ..... whoa!

It is a packed crazy ride , that is for sure .

Peace to you all~

Longing for spring & summer to fully arrive!

Ok , so all the ladies in the house who are sick of the wind and chilly weather ,

will you please say , "Amen sista ! " :)

I know that I am sooo ready for the warm weather to arrive. Usually I would have some pots planted by now , as well as a few indoor vegetables started. I did not get around to that this year, ( thanks to Etsyland & all 3 of my kids in soccer...) so it needs to get warm so I can get some veggies going in the garden .

I find a lot of my inspiration for my art in my gardens so I thought I would share some of my favorite pics from past summer gardening triumphs .....

Awe, just looking back reminds me that it truly is such a joy to play in the dirt!

May all you fellow gardeners out there have a beautiful , abundant garden this coming season!

meaning behind my bangles.....

So , I thought I should share a bit about my inspiration on my message bangles.

I started painting the wood bangles with the intent to just beautify them.

I also enjoy using my wood burning tool to add depth to the detail . I love all the dreamy patterns of scrap booking paper , although I have long since abandoned using them to make scrap books for my girls. ( just could not keep up after my third babe arrived!)

I usually listen to tunes from my Ipod when I am working on my art. I love music that touches my soul , makes me look deeper into life . I am more into the words than the music, although of course a good beat is important. :)

Some of my favorite music styles are Christian worship, jazz, blues, world, alternative .....

There are some songs that just lodge into your soul , where you find yourself singing the words often.

Chris Rice's song , " Life Means So Much " is one of those songs ... it makes me cry , smile , like my heart is going to burst with the love for my family, friends ~ both current and past , those that are hurting.....

~Everyday is a gift that you've been given .... make the most of the time every minute your living~

Trying out "bloggersville"...

Ok, so I have "ran " around Etsy picking from my favorites list and looking for those that also have blogs, then linking them on my blog whew, .... it is all about making connections , right?

Probably need to go run some more around bloggersville and comment on their blogs... ah, but maybe it is "all good" for now ...

All I really wanna do is go mess around in my creative cat corner.....:)