I found a little RZR so that Bigfoot can have some play time too! 😅
Pave your own path and be fearless.
Adam Draper
Do whatever you do intensely.
Robert Henri
Two weeks ago, we made a trek to purchase a new Side by Side; a RZR with LOTS of power. Ted was thrilled at how quickly it accelerated when we took it out last weekend. Romeo had fun hanging his head out the window. With this new more powerful machine, we plan to get him some goggles to protect his eyes. 😉
On the long drive to the Polaris dealership, I crafted a new teddy bear with a honeypot. I left him with my sister. She was kind enough to let us stay overnight at her home in Sioux Falls. 💗
With the new toy and recently planted flower and vegetable gardens, my felting time will be more limited. Hopefully, though, I’ll have one or two creations to share before too long. 😉
There’s been a little break in my Friday felting posts because my hubby and I traveled to AZ to visit and then drive back with my Dad who winters down there. We were lucky enough to meet up with his Dad and stepmom and enjoy some great times! We took a bus tour to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, a beautiful place to visit. While we were exploring tours, we saw that this one offered (for an extra fee, of course), a chance to walk on the Skywalk. The description given on the Grand Canyon West website is as follows,
“One of the world’s most thrilling cantilever glass bridges is at Grand Canyon West. You can step out on the 10-foot wide, horseshoe-shaped glass bridge extending 70 feet out over the rim of the Grand Canyon. If you dare to look down, you’ll see breathtaking views 4,000 feet to the Canyon floor below.
There’s simply nothing compared to the feeling of walking on air, yet there’s no need to be nervous — Skywalk is strong enough to hold seventy fully loaded 747 passenger jets.”
As a person who is not fond of heights, my first instinct was “NO WAY”. The thought of the possible vertigo I would encounter made me very reluctant to add this on to the package, at least for me. When Ted’s stepmom said that she had done it already, so it was crossed off her bucket list, I reconsidered. Would I ever make it back there again? Would I regret not seeing the views from such an iconic location? I researched a little more and once I saw there were guardrails and that the glass was opaque on the sides, I decided to give it a try. I’m very glad I did! Facing my fear of heights gave me a healthy dose of self confidence and it truly was an amazing view! Personal phones and cameras are not allowed, unfortunately, but we were able to purchase a photo package. Since this is a way for the Hualapai tribe to raise money in a way other than gambling, we were happy to buy this great souvenir. They also included their own photos of the Skywalk which were great!
We had a wonderful time! Here are some more photos from our trip:
Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.
Ernest Hemingway
A photo from the inside of the front of Hoover Dam. A very cool tour and opportunity to see a different view!Ted, his Dad and Stepmom by the window of the Hoover Dam
Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.
Michael J. Fox
During the long car ride home from Arizona to South Dakota, I created a few new felt buddies, including the silly hybrid lizard/frog/ballerina at the beginning of the post. 😄 It’s silly and it makes me smile 😉
A few more of my new creations added to my collection at work.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my new creations and sharing our trip! Let me know what you think!
I created a little hedgehog who is wearing a cowboy hat, but he resembles a detective to me, so I’m going with that vibe for today’s quotes! 😉
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
George A. Moore
I also made an upgrade to my little felted Jesus. He seemed to be missing something, and I thought the sash was perfect! I may still make a staff for him to hold, but I think the sash really improved the look!
With “Search” as the theme, I can’t resist sharing one of my favorite Bible verses!
So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Jesus Christ
Jesus with the lost lamb
Easter is only a bit over 3 weeks away, so my social media fast will come to an end then, but I think I may still limit my time on it. It’s amazing how much more I can accomplish when I’m not going down rabbit holes of funny pet videos 😜 I wish you all a wonderful week! For those, like me, under a snow watch, stay warm! ❄❄❄
15 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them. So He spoke this parable to them, saying: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:1-7, New King James Version
Jesus rejoicing that the lost sheep has been found!
Thanks to USFAM at https://onstageformyselfnow.blog/ for suggesting posting statements to go with my little creations! I decided to set a goal, starting today, of posting a “Felting Friday” quote to go along with one of my little creations.
Since it is the third week of Lent, my thoughts have been on trying to be a better person. I am Catholic, so am used to giving up something for Lent in addition to abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent. This year I took the suggestion of my Parish to give up social media. It’s been a bit of a challenge, but honestly, I haven’t missed it as much as I thought I would. I have always loved the Parable of the Lost Sheep, maybe because I can relate to being a repentant sinner. Although I try, I certainly fail more than I would like to in being more like Jesus.
Redemption just means you just make a change in your life and you try to do right, versus what you were doing, which was wrong.
Ice T
I have my share of resentments and frustrations and often find it difficult to let grievances go. I have been participating in the Lent Pray40 Challenge on the Hallow app. http://www.hallow.com While I admit I have missed a couple sessions, the ones I have listened to have been very insightful. Yesterday I listened to a Faith Story from Gwen Stefani. On Fridays Mark Wahlberg and Chris Pratt are featured. If you have any interest, I highly recommend the app. I believe there is a 90 day free trial during Lent.
Certainly, I won’t be a “perfect” person at the end of Lent this year, but hopefully I will be at least a little bit closer to deserving the love and grace that I have been given by Jesus. If you observe Lent, I would love to hear what ideas or suggestions you have.
Winter is here! Bundled up to face the cold on the way to work!
All of us every single year, we’re a different person. I don’t think we’re the same person all our lives.
Steven Spielberg
Pretzel and Romeo decked out in their festive garb. They’re so cute, I just have to share a photo even if it’s not on topic. 😉
Winter is officially here! We had a pretty mild October, November and December. I believe there were only two early morning wake up calls for my hubby to go make the roads safer by plowing. Once January hit, especially last week, Old Man Winter made a grand entrance!
We did manage to get our winter wonderland of Christmas decorations put away before the arctic cold thundered in.
We went a little crazy this year, but hey, everyone’s a child at Christmas!!
One good thing about the chilly temps is that it allows me to work on my crafty stuff without feeling guilty about being indoors. I received a crochet kit for Christmas that I decided to attempt and was surprisingly happy with the result!
The finished result from the crochet kit I received from my insightful hubby! He knew I had tried 3D crochet patterns in the past with no luck and was hopeful that this time it would work. I am super proud of my little creation and grateful that my hubby has more confidence in me than I often do in myself. 😉
An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.
Edwin Land
Buoyed by the success of that kit, I proceeded to try a couple more projects.
My little crochet grilled cheese. 😄🧀😄I’m really happy with my jellyfish!
I haven’t abandoned my new needle felting hobby, though. Here are a couple of my new creations:
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my blog despite my long stints between posts. 😅
I hope 2025 is off to a beautiful start for you and yours!
I have been having so much fun with my new needle felting hobby. There just isn’t enough time in the day to devote to it, but I’ve been working on projects while I watch shows or listen to music in the evening.
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Pablo Picasso
Creativity is a combination of discipline and a childlike spirit.
Robert Greene
I love the fact that I can create just about anything using the wool, needles and a helpful image from Pinterest or helpful instructional YouTube video. I designed the little sheep below by myself, crafted the giraffe from a photo and freehanded the little white duck swimming on the water. I am open to any and all new ideas. The elephant above was created for a special little girl’s second birthday. I am still surprised and delighted that a simple lump of wool can turn into a cute little critter that bring me so much happiness.
Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world.
Brene Brown
While I still have some pieces of the kits I have purchased and love having detailed instructions, I’m also having fun creating my own little itty bittys. I even made some felt donuts for a friend to use in her card making endeavors and was rewarded with some lovely cards in return. I am experimenting with different ideas and my hope is to craft Christmas gifts this year instead of purchasing them. Wish me luck! 😉☘🙂
Everyone starts at the beginning; getting good at something starts with trying.
Elise Cripe
Have you started anything new lately? Do you think it’s true that you need to have 10,000 hours in order to perfect a skill as Malcom Gladwell states in his book Outliers or are you more of the thoughts of author Josh Kaufman who says that 20 hours of practice is a great way to see results. He writes in his book The First Twenty Hours: How to Learn Anything Fast, that “…the idea of “mastering” a skill when you’re just getting started is counterproductive: it can be a significant barrier to exploring a new skill in the first place.” I side with Mr. Kaufman. While 10,000 hours of felting would surely help me to perfect my new skill of needle crafting, I believe I am off to a good start with the amount of practice I have had so far. I know it is a lot closer to 20 hours than to 10,000! 😄
If you’ve found a fun new pasttime, let me know in the comments. I surely don’t need another hobby, but I still think any day that I learn something new is a good day!!
💕 Saturday, June 22nd, 2024 – Our Fairytale Wedding Day 💕
If I’ve been a bit silent lately, it’s for a good reason. Saturday the 22nd of June, I said “I do” and joined my family with that of my sweetheart, Ted. It was a gorgeous day and we had the perfect setting in the backyard of my sister’s VRBO. My daughter was my maid of honor and Ted’s son was the best man. Having friends and family there to celebrate with us made it a memorable, magical day.
The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
Audrey Hepburn
One of my favorite photos of the two of us.
Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.
George Eliot
“Extended Bride’s side”
You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.
Desmond Tutu
“Groom’s Side”
The memories we make with our family is everything.
Candace Cameron Bure
“Extended Groom’s Side”
Many memories were made on this special day and in the days leading up to it. We are blessed with wonderful family and friends and are grateful for each and every one of them.
A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.
Andre Maurois
Here are a few of the special moments. We got a photo with all of our kids after we assembled a “unity puzzle” with all our names on it. The matchbox references how we met on Match.com. The photo booth was a fun addition to the festivities. It printed three copies of each photo strip, so there were two for the ones taking the photo and one for us. We loved looking through all the fun photos that were taken! Our wedding cake was from “Nothing Bundt Cakes” and worked perfectly with the cute figurine we used for a cake topper!
Now that our wedding day is behind us, we can settle in and begin our married life together. I am looking forward to what the future brings.
One of the wise sayings on my water bottle from naturallife.com, one of my favorite online shopping sites!
I hadn’t heard of needle felting before I saw a ton of adorable creations popping up on my Facebook feed. At first it never crossed my mind that I might be able to create similar items. I have zero skills at sewing, and it looked like the little pieces might be sewn together. Hard pass for me. 😀
As the weeks went by and I saw more and more, I did a little more research and finally broke down and bought two kits on Amazon. They weren’t super expensive, so I figured if I didn’t like it or my projects turned out horribly I wouldn’t be out that much. The kits arrived, a cute little teddy bear and an adorable hedgehog. Still, I didn’t open them up until a few weeks later. My friend, Candace, who was over to help me out with my wedding centerpieces, spotted one of my kits and commented that she and her daughter had done some of them. She said it was a pretty easy process of poking wool. It definitely boosted my confidence, but my schedule was a bit hectic, so it took several weeks more until I finally opened up the little teddy bear kit. I thought that it would be the best to start with since the bear was made up of just one color.
Still round the corner there may wait, A new road or a secret gate.
J. R. R. Tolkien
I sat down at the table with my supplies spread around me, folded the wool over itself as the instructions said to do and then started poking it with the felting needle. This needle has little notches on it that when pushed through the wool work to pull and bond it together. It took a while, but eventually the circular shape of the bear’s head began to materialize. After crafting the head and the body, I discovered just how easy it was to assemble them by once again poking them together. When I finished making the rest of his body parts and assembling them together, I thought he needed something more. I started out trying to make him his own mini teddy bear, but struggled with the smaller pieces. Eventually, the tiny teddy turned into a tiny sheep. 😄🐑😉
The good part about getting older is you stop trying to prove anything to anyone, including yourself. All you are in the pursuit of is collecting experiences – beautiful, fragile little soap bubbles that you store in your heart, and every once in a while you pull one out and gaze at the delicate pictures it shows you.
Twinkle Khanna
My little guy looked quite a bit different than the model bear on the kit package, but I still like him a lot. After my success with him, I purchased a kit with four gnomes. I made one of them, but struggled a lot with the little flowers and the wings on his hat. I decided not to be too hard on myself since I am just starting out. I’m sure with time and practice, I will improve a little bit with every project.
I am excited to try other projects! I still have three little gnomes to craft and a surprising amount of wool left over from the two other kits I purchased. I believe I’ll be searching for online tutorials of other simple needle felting projects. If there is something you’ve been thinking of trying, I encourage you to give it a go! At worst, you discover what you do not want to do and at best, you find a fun new hobby or pasttime!
I have so much to be thankful for, and this last weekend I had some prayers answered. A few of the joys in my life include drawing and crafting, feeding the birds and critters and caring for my plants, both indoors and out. In the past few days, I have been blessed to be able to do all of these.
Finally, a finch at my birdfeeder!!Ted is incredibly talented and thoughtful. I LOVE my new bird feeding station! 💕
I have been waiting patiently to see the first bird at the bird feeding station Ted made for me. While I had seen robins, blackbirds and mourning doves, I had yet to see any visit the feeders. Last Friday, I got a picture from Ted of a little finch at the feeder. My heart leapt and during the course of the weekend, I was able to see a variety of birds enjoying the station.
While walking around the yard, I noticed that the peonies the former owners had are really popping out of the ground. The iris I transplanted last fall are coming up nicely, and to my surprise, a little hyacinth was transplanted with some of the iris.
I’ve been enjoying the Hallow app lately, currently listening to the “Easter Challenge”. Today’s message resonated with me. Sometimes when I look at the things going on in the world, I get discouraged and think that it will never get better. Thinking of today’s message about how God didn’t withhold his own Son, and so will not withhold everything else we need, gives me hope. As Saint Paul says, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 38-39)
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.
Jesus Christ
If you’d like to check out the Hallow app, there is info at: https://hallow.com/ I am attempting to share this QR code, but have never done it before, so if that doesn’t work, just click the link above 😉
I was able to get a free trial and I know our church recently paid for subscriptions for the parishoners, but I am finding it valuable, so may just subscribe when my trial is up.
Saturday I finally opened up a needle felting project I purchased about two months ago. I think I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to make it look anything like the photo on the front of the box. I really didn’t get it to look exactly like that photo, but I’m quite pleased with how my little bear turned out. I even had a bit of wool left over, so crafted a little sheep to keep him company. 🐑 I am looking forward to making more of these little cuties!
I hope your week is filled with answered prayers and wonderful surprises.
Dad jumped into my selfie and it turned out pretty cute. 🥰Dad invites visitors to belly up to the bar in the old mining town of Chloride, AZ.Stopping along the way for a “Route66” photo!
At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day.
Simone Biles
We had many good days during our recent visit to Arizona! We were able to catch up with friends and family alike and enjoyed fun times and funny moments. My Dad generously hosted Ted and I along with his dad and stepmom. At the end of the trip, Ted and I rode back to South Dakota with Dad. It was a wonderful trip! I think we all vote for a “do-over” soon!
The two day road trip home allowed me time to practice my drawing. I like this little guy. 🐵
I will never pass up the opportunity to get up close and personal with local wildlife!
Luckily traffic was at a minimum going through Sidewinder, so I was able to get this awesome photo of the actual Route 66!
The little shop offered some great souvenirs and this awesome photo op! Dad survived Route 66!
We left our mark in Oatman, AZ with a dollar bill stapled to the wall.
We entertained ourselves in the evenings with the card game Five Crowns. If the object of the game had been to have the highest score, I’d be a champion! 😅 As it was, though, Maxcine smoked us all!! 🌪😜🌪 There was one game, though, that my dad, Leo, was the big winner. He reminded us all a few times the morning after. 😄
Getting to share meals and catch up with great friends and relatives made the trip that much more fun!
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
Robert Frost
We all made some marvelous memories! 💖 It was a short, but incredibly fun trip! Thanks for sharing our adventure!
During Lent this year, I have been listening to the Hallow App and participating in the 40 day Lenten challenge. Each day brings a new reflection with an inspirational story, lesson or sermon and often a bible verse to reflect on.
Last week, this verse was presented in a talk by Mark Wahlburg. This verse resonated with me and I have reflected on it several times since then. The general theme of the challenge is to learn to surrender to God and to trust in Him. I struggle with this and am one that always feels there must be SOMETHING I can do to improve any given situation.
I am doing my very best to remember that God sees the entire picture and I only see a small part of it. Sometimes when challenges occur, it’s easy to lose hope and feel like God isn’t listening. My current challenge is trying to sell my childhood home. I want so much for a family to purchase it and to love it and to make memories like my family and I have. When I start to hear the voice in my head telling me that I should have waited until spring to list it, that no families are interested in it or that I should have left furniture in it to stage it, I try to let go and let God handle it. I do trust Him and I know that all is working for my good. Perhaps I definitely need to learn a lesson in patience!
God has always provided for me and sent the right people to me at the right time. Four years ago, I was despairing about the end of my marriage and I had no idea the happiness that was in store for me. I thank God every day for bringing Ted into my life and for being the loving, caring, generous person that he is. I also am grateful for his honesty. We have many things in common, but just as many that we do not. We are both willing to try new experiences, though, which bodes well for our future together.
I thought these made very clever wedding favors since Ted and I met on Match.com 😅
We were lucky enough to take a trip to Punta Cana a few weeks ago and we had a wonderful time. We went on two excursions, one a “jungle buggy” adventure and the other to “Monkeyland”. (You can probably guess which was my favorite!)🐒
Many times when I am in the woods or at a beach, I’ll ask my Mom to send me a heart shaped rock or twig. I did on this trip as well, and I think she came through with heart shaped coral as well as a cross and a letter “L”. (Her name was Linda). I might be stretching a bit, but I also found what I think looks like a little angel standing on a cloud. She loved angels as well as travelling and seeing new things. Finding these little symbols makes me feel like she still sees what’s going on in my life.
Taking time together to relax and to enjoy the moment was wonderful! Even though the vacation is over, I hope to carry forward the ability to relax, to trust in God and to enjoy the wonderful moments I’ve been given and to trust that He will take care of everything!
I heard that Puxatony Phil did NOT see his shadow this morning, which means we will see an early spring. Oh how happy I will be if this comes to pass! It hasn’t even been too bad a winter, but I am ready to see some new life in the ground and the trees!
For those curious, as I am, this marks the 21st time in the 138 year tradition of Groundhog Day that Phil has not seen his shadow. It is a rare and beautiful thing and is enough to give a little hope that brighter days will soon be here!
The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.
Bernard Williams
Along the same theme of hope for the future, please send all of your positive thoughts and prayers that the right buyer will come along for my family home.Ted and I have put a lot of time into spiffing it up to make it a beautiful home for the next family. 💗🏡💗
In other news, I have a wedding date and am starting to get planning underway with the help of my beautiful neice Katelyn who is a wedding planner. I am looking forward to being able to do more of that (which can happen once the house is sold😉) The photo above is the centerpiece that I created as a model for what I want our guest table centerpieces to look like. I have decided that I enjoy flower arranging much more than I do scrubbing floors and painting!😄😄😄
I promise to try to be a little more disciplined in getting blog posts done. My tangle Tuesday got off track because I haven’t had time in the evenings to do my drawings. C’mon Spring & longer days!!
picturingpositive 