SPRING Please!!

It snowed here yesterday and I keep thinking SPRING should be just around the corner!!

 I have been thinking SPRING for awhile now.

 After -degrees this week it should be in the 50's this weekend!

 At least I can think Spring with the OFG Team and the Spring Fling Celebration going on now on Etsy.

  Also thinking Corn Beef!!

 I am hoping to get this new favorite bunny listed on Etsy before I spend my day at Parent-Teacher Conferences.  It is a Susie King design and it has been fun to go through some of my older books and find these designs that I promised to paint years ago.  I guess it is never to late!!

Hope you all have a fabulous day.

Enjoy,

Barb

Spring Fling Celebration Starts Today

A Little History behind the OFG TEAM Story

Click on the photo above and follow the story of

Lillie Mae and Benny!!!

I happen to be the Blog Manager for the OFG Team blog.

Our Captain, Lucy of  The Farmers Attic, had a great idea for our team to write an Spring Time Story for our team blog.  

Not being any sort of writer--as you all know who read my blog--I thought it would be great to do the game were everyone contributes to the story.  

It has taken so many twists and turns that I never would have thought of!

FUN!!

I had to start the story so I had my teenage daughter help me write the first two paragraphs.

So thinking I was safe I got an e-mail from Lucy saying your up...you need to be featured too.

How sweet of Lucy, but I am no writer and the only books I read are about WWII or History books.

(DID I hear someone in blog land scream BORING!???!!)

She knows this and told me to incorporate it into the story.....

I asked my kids to help me...my daughter rolls her eyes and says "Just put them in a concentration camp". 

Then my son says, "They look off in the distance after hearing and feeling a large boom and see a huge mushroom cloud".  My poor husband just shakes his head because he knows he has to pay for their therapy!  They are such help!!

So next Thursday tune back in to see what I come up with because at this point I am unsure.

In the mean time wish me loads of luck.

Enjoy your day,

Barb--the non-writer!

Spring Fling Celebration!!

The Old Farmhouse Gathering team will be celebrating Spring with a Spring Fling!!

I was able to get a few things done for it so here is just a sneak peek...

More to come and bring on Spring!!

We will be getting snow later tonight.

Enjoy your day,

Barb

My Winnings and a Haircut

I was one of the lucky winners from Laura's giveaway on her blog Rhodes Creations.

She had a "You are Loved Surprise Giveaway" and this was the surprise!!

Cutest little hand bag.  It is so well made and has such fun embellishments. 

I had to take a photo of the tag on the inside...how fabulous is that!?!

Check out her fun shop HERE on Etsy.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful surprise Laura!

This is the back of my head...every time I go to get a hair cut the hair stylist always comments on all the natural curl in the back of my head.  

I started going gray when I was twelve.  My girlfriends use to pull it out for me until I thought I might go bald.

So I started coloring my hair in my late 20's but the gray was so resistant that I finally gave up.

"Gray the new blond."

As time has gone on the curl gets tighter and tighter.  I never had curl until I started going gray.

What I find so interesting is how much time the hair stylists' spend goofing and complementing me on how wonderful my hair looks from the back. 

Does this mean I should walk backwards so that the best side comes at you first?!?

It will be a busy week here as my husband is off work for a week to work on taxes and fix up some things around the house.  He had vacation time he had to use.  Not exactly how he wanted to spend it but.....

Enjoy your weekend,

Barb

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I want to wish all my blog friends a very Happy Valentine's Day!

May you find Love and be Loved!

Mine will be with my family and chocolate!

Enjoy your day,

Barb

Out came my old but favorite pens!

It had been along time since I had seen and or used my favorite pens.

I wasn't sure if I would know how to use them again.

When I first started painting I went to the Las Vegas Painting Convention and met a fabulous artist named Susie King. 

 Loved her art work.  She did most of her outlining with the Koh-i-noor Rapidograph pen.

I took the plunged and bought this pen (and more to follow soon there after). 

It was a tad frustrating at first due to my heavy handed painting style but if used gently these pens are a dream to use. 

Yesterday I decided to be brave and pull these pens out and try a Susie King pattern on a surface I have had for as long as I have not used the pens--forever. 

I must admit it was FABULOUS to try it again.  This little box is one of  four I painted.  

Two with yellow roses and two with pink roses. 

Then it dawned on me that the last time I used these pens and a Susie King pattern was in 2004.

My brother and sister-in-law had twins girl in 2004.  

They had Twin-to twin Transfusion Syndrome  and only lived for a little less then a month.  

It was a very difficult time for our family.   

At that time I belonged to a Las Vegas Chapter of Decorative Painters and we would paint Memory boxes for families who lost small children at or around the time of the birth.  

We would paint boxes and delivery them to the Neonatal Pediatric ICU so families could put mementos of their child in the box. 

I decided to paint a larger box for Betsy and Paige for their parents to put their mementos in after they passed on.  

They were born together and died with in minutes of each other. 

 I decided it was appropriate to make one box for the cute little loving sisters.

 I did not get to meet them. 

 I happen to be in Phoenix at the Society of Decorative Painters National Convention when I got the news they had passed on.

I had planned to fly to Utah to meet them but ended up coming for their funeral. 

It was a bittersweet day for me.  

Thinking of my nieces knowing they are in a loving place with other family members who have passed and are watching out for them. 

Then enjoying the learning curve again with these pens and revisiting patterns from one of my favorite artists.

I think I will be using these pens a bit more often!

Enjoy your day,

Barb

A Quick Thank You and Winner(s)

Just a quick note of THANK YOU to all who follow my blog and entered my little giveaway!

I had my kids pull out TWO names and the first one for the little snowman goes to Linda of "Warmth"!

 Perfect since she lives back east and they are being pounded by snow.

 In the spirit of the month of February and Love the second name is Jody of "Sweet Bear Creek Whims"!

I will be sending you a set of these little heart magnets!

I will contact you ladies to get your addresses.

Thank you so much for all the sweet comments and following my doings and occasional whinings.

I am now off to do HOMEWORK...Math, FCCLA project, and a power point.

Amazing the things I am learning at my age!

Enjoy your day,

Barb

Halloween, Snowmen and St. Patty's Day!!



Halloween, Snowmen and St. Patty's Day all in one blog post!!

I was the lucky winner of this cute little ghost (now named 'ghostie-ghost' compliments of my son).

He is a fabulous little night light!

Suz of Suz Davis Studio on Etsy contributed this for a giveaway from the

Eclectic Halloween Artist Guild 

When you plug him in he has an orange flicker light.

Needless to say I was able to have him in my possession for about one minute before the boy took off with him and declared him as his prisoner.

(We watch to much of the Military Channel). 

Click HERE to see more of Suz's fabulous creations on Etsy!

And HERE to see her fun blog!

Thanks Suz!  I will try to free him and bring him to my zone!!

Check out EHAG's blog.  Click on the photo to take you to there!

Still time to sign up for my giveaway.

Click HERE to take you to where you leave a comment.

Now for the MIRACLE!

It was warm enough for me to paint so I was able to paint this fun little Leprechaun before St. Patrick's Day was over!!

Now if blogger was cooperating click on him to see all about him!

Hope your day is going well!

Enjoy,

Barb

Strange Week==Giveaway!

Last week was a strange week…weather: first mountains of snow, then freezing rain again, fog then sunshine…whoa, wait 30 minutes and it all changes again. Weird!

Driving kids to school in weather…almost caused two accidents (oops and sorry), almost hit a group of birds on the way to the high school, then almost hit a kitty on the way back, and you got it, almost hit a dog after dropping off my son at the middle school. All in the same day?? Weird! 

Then we all have had a persistent cough.  We have gone thought bags of cough drops, bottles of hand sanitizer and bars of soap.  Thinking we are almost done with sickness I was next to immobile come Friday night due to a migraine. This led me to going to bed early and proceeded to have the strangest dreams. Forget about sleep with all the Weird dreams.

OK, finally Saturday with a pounding at the door at 6 AM and there stands a police officer....heart starts pounding. Apparently our truck and 14 others were broken into. They got the "Bandit’s" (thanks Vicky for the perfect word) who committed the crimes and were RETURNING the property!!

 We have such old vehicles and keep nothing of value in there but they had taken the $25 dollars of emergency gas money. We had heard there were vehicles being broken into to get the garage door openers and then they would use those to break in the houses. We have our garage door opener so all is well and thankfully only this and even got our $25.00 back. Weird!

Then all the little weird things—lost items, strange homework, computer acting up, and all the “nit-noy” stuff as my husband calls it.

I am trying to keep Christmas in my heart this whole year. 

So strange and weird not withstanding I will be having a giveaway!!

This little snowman ornament-in honor of the weather, holding a heart-in honor of the month of February, and a star to give a gold star to the Police who try their best to keep us all safe and protected!

Rules:
Be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post.

 New followers always welcome.

 Leave a way for me to contact you if you do not have a blog.

  That is it…The End. I cannot take any complications this week.

A winner will be picked on February 8th and announced on the 9th.
Open to all USA and Canadian friends. Good Luck to all!

WOW, long weird and strange post!!
Hope this week is not WEIRD or STRANGE. Normal is good!
Enjoy,

Barb