Neptune Festival~Virginia Beach

Whenever they show anything on TV or in ads for Virginia Beach you see this guy:

It's a truly magnificent bronze statue (standing 34 feet high) that is sitting right on the boardwalk of the beach. It wasn't there a dozen years ago when I lived here, but WOW it's here now. It was put in place in 2005 during the Neptune Festival. This festival has been going on for 35 years. It's certainly a fun time. The draw for us this year was the sand castles. We had a touch of rain over the weekend, so they aren't as smooth as they might have been, but we were still in awe. My daughter said she'd never have the patience to build one, I feel the same, but to see what others have put together is breathtaking. (You can click on the picture to have it open-enlarge to see the detail)

I think this first one is supposed to be either God or Adam holding the serpent back, but you see the apple is still being given by a hand at the bottom.

I liked this one: The Wise Man's House

I'm a cat lover, and this lion head was really something.

I also liked this one with Neptune....

Then you have Neptune's Pet...

And this tree was really something...

My daughter really loved this whale, just jumping straight out of the depths of the sea.

And the saying below this mermaid said "You Complete Me"

Everyone has their crafts/hobbies..a way to destress and unwind...sometimes you just have to take some to look for it. I know I've been away from my paper crafts lately, I'm really hoping to find time this week to dive back in.

Did someone say pumpkin??

I love fall, it's my favorite time of the year. I love to see the colors changing on the trees and to smell the crispness in the air. It also means the start of all those fun comfort foods. I've been craving pumpkin lately, so I bought a big ol' can of Libby's and started baking.

Today I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and then checked out Libby's for the Pumpkin Chocolate Brownies there are so many great recipes to choose from. Makes this pregnant woman's mouth water!

Then I finally got around to finishing up some more journals and beaded pens. I love making these. They are a great hit with the teens and beyond ;) For closer looks check out my Etsy store.

As far as my previous post about my furbaby, she is doing so much better. She is becoming my little piglet again! The internal medicine doc (Wed) said that he couldn't do the u/s-biopsy anyway because of the shot she had on Saturday, but he said she was the picture of a healthy cat. I'm so thankful that God watched over her and took care of her and brought her back to health. She's still on antibiotics, they were for 2 weeks, but her appetite is certainly back and she's just as happy as can be.

Even the furbabies are my babies :)

Seems like there is never a dull moment around here lately. I thought I was going to have all kinds of free stamping time after school started, but last Monday my cat started getting sick. She'd been showing signs of stress for about a month now but Monday she stopped eating all together. I never thought a baby coming into a home could create stress for a cat. But, apparently (online) there is information that creating the nursery etc can stress a cat. That and we've had a wanderer around the house lately, so that unwelcomed cat can also be stressing her.

So, Tuesday we had her at the vets. They did a CBC and a couple other things and sent us home with just appetite pills for her. Then by Thursday she was getting worse, fading in front of me. I took her back in, they did an X-ray and even an enema, my poor girl. They couldn't find anything wrong with her. She would vomit anything that went in. Finally they suggested a urine check, which I brought in Friday and they said she had a UTI. Finally something concrete!

We started her on meds and by Saturday morning we had her at the ER. She was so sick. Now she was down 4 pounds!!! Yes, Maine Coons are big, but when they start losing weight, you certainly can see it. She's so thin right now, you can feel all her bones. The ER vet said she has IBD, but that can't be certain without a biopsy. He gave her fluids and two shots....by Sunday she was my baby again! Still not eating, but all the rest of her was showing signs of being back to normal.

Monday (yesterday) she even started to drink on her own! This pregnant mamma cried, danced and thanked God!!! Today she is even starting to eat!! I'm so thrilled. Did you know cats can have anorexia?? Yup, she basically has to teach her tummy to accept food all over again. We are thinking it's the UTI clearing up and that she really doesn't have the IBD...so we might cancel the U/S-biopsy for tomorrow. She's becoming my million $$ baby! I told my husband that we should get her a diamond collar!

Anyway, that's what's been going on in my life. I'm hoping she starts putting on weight so that she can have some defense over her brother. She's tiny next to him right now. He's been so good and so worried. Now that she's feeling better he thinks he can tackle her again, lol.

This is my Callie. Her eyes aren't clouded...that's the pic. She's hard to photograph, once she sees the camera, she comes toward me....her brother on the other hand loves to pose, lol.

September 11, 2001...Never Forgotten

Thinking of all those lost that day &

all those fighting to keep us safe & free today.

I'm so proud of my sailor!

Never Forget!

I wasn't lost....really

Hello everyone. I think I missed the whole month of August...I can't believe that my last post was the end of July. I guess I was busier then I realized.

My daughter was off visiting for the start of the month...calling me every 10 minutes, you can't get too much done under those conditions, lol. And now she's started back to school. 8th grade, I can't even believe it! Where does the time go?

We also marked the one year anniversary of my Dad's passing (Aug 29th). He is very missed and thought of each day. Mom's done very well over the year, she's really amazing!! She's outside every day getting yard work done. I didn't know she had it in her. The outdoors was always Dad's area, and she's been doing a great job. She's stronger then she knows. We love her so much.

I made a card for her just to let her know that I was thinking of her. The sentiment inside read: "Remembering with you....a life so important to so many" ~author unknown

This is one of the new level 2 hostess sets from Stampin' UP! called Serene Spring. It's so delicate and sweet. I used new cardstock colors too! The butterfly and bird are placed on top with dimensional and Crystal Effects.

Set: Serene Spring
Accessories: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette card stocks. Prints Pack Pretty in Pink DP, Pure Color Pencils, Vellum paper, Pink Organdy ribbon & Soft Subtles Brads...I also put the new Scallop Punch to use!!

In September we have a couple birthdays in our family....both of my brother's kiddos. So, here are the cards that I've made for them. The first one was for my niece who just turned 6 on the 1st of September.

This one also uses the Serene Spring stamp set. It's very versatile and bunnies aren't only for Easter! The bird, bunny and purple flower are placed on top with dimensionals and Crystal Effects. I also used the textured paper for the bottom half and the Berry Bliss DP for the top.

Set: Serene Spring
Accessories: Purely Pomegranate, Perfect Plum, Pretty In Pink (textured) cardstocks. CuddleBug, Pure Color Pencils, Purely Pomegranate stitched ribbon, Prima flowers with stickles in the center, Colluzzle and Oval Punches.

This next one is for my nephew who will be 2 at the end of the month. They are doing a Sponge Bob party for him, so I had to pull out my fishes....and I even used some Shinky Dinks!

It was a fun card to make. I tore the sand by hand to give it dimension...and the sea grass was free cut. I used Iridescent Ice on the large fish and seahorse to give them that underwater sparkle. And the bubbles are Rain Dots.

Set: Fishy Friends
Accessories: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Kraft, Sahara Sand cardstocks. Soft Sky Designer Papers, Shrinky Dinks, Iridescent Ice, Rain Dots, Marvelous Markers.

I was also blessed with a baby sprinkle! That's a new term for me...but it's used for second babies when not as much are needed, however after 13 years I'm pretty much back at square one. I got so many great things! And my two sister-in-laws have provided me with great items passed on. One gave me her carriage, car seat, swing, pack 'n play etc....and the other had a bag of the most adorable boy clothes! We have lots of preparing to do over the next 79 days...yup that's what my ticker (see the bottom of the blog) says today! I can't believe how quickly time is going. I feel my bundle kicking me all the time. I certainly can't forget he's there ;)

Well, I think I've caught up for now. I should be more visible for a while...I have lots to do!