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Message To My Readers

Happy Thursday everyone!

p.s....lots of new cards have arrived.  See them in the shops and here.

Hold On

One of the things I struggle with most in life is accepting the fact that I can't fix other people's problems for them or take away their pain.  I hate to see others suffer mentally or physically...yet it is inevitable. 

I  suffered intensely myself for 10 years  while dealing with infertility and finally losing the battle for good.  I am very happy with my life right now and I am so grateful for all that I have, but I know what it feels like to think that things just won't get better.  For me they did...and I always found solace in the next two quotes ( I love quotes in general). 

I am sending these two quotes out to a couple of different people who have been on my mind lately. 

 When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn't hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that's just the place and time that the tide'll turn....Harriet Beecher Stowe

Just for today I will be happy.  Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life's problems at once.  I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.  Just for today I will be happy....  Sybyl Partridge

And finally in the words of R. E. M........Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone. 

I have never ever... not even once been able to listen to that song without having a little break down.  For years I felt as if it were written just for me.   I can be kind of selfish like that :)

Spotted Tomatoes & an Upside Down Tree

So as I was pulling out of my driveway this morning I was shocked to see that a very big branch was almost but not completely broken off of one of our old beautiful trees.  It had cracked in such a way as to flip upside down but not break off. 

I returned home 12 hours later and it is still hanging on by a thread.  My upside down tree reminds me of my childhood when I would spend hours outside laying under our huge old willow tree dreaming up  new ways to entertain myself and my six siblings.  There was always something peaceful about looking up into the branches of a swaying willow.  Then when I was a young adult someone told me that willow trees attract snakes and I freaked out a bit about how close I possibly came to death by gardner snake.  I don't even know if the snake thing is true...but I've never been able to sit under a willow tree again.  Overly dramatic scaredy pants that I am.

In other outdoor news....Bob and I planted tomatoes for the first time ever.  We have not had much success in the outdoor/gardening arena so far in our adult lives.   So this was a big deal to us.  We've watered and put those cages around them and faithfully look at them everyday to see if tomatoes have magically appeared overnight.  Well, recently the green ones started popping out and then today I noticed that they seem sickly.  They look like this..............

Can somebody tell me if this is normal or do they have worms or some other dreaded disease.  I'm so bummed.  Any advice is welcomed.  But if your advice  is to just buy some tomatoes at the grocery store then you are just mean :)

And lastly, I promised a few pictures of our landscaping projects begun this spring.  Here is a photo of one of our newly built columns and some of the urns I planted.  We've still got a ton of work to do in our yard and no matter how many hours we put in we can't seem to keep up with the weeds.  And when I say we I definitely mean Bob.

Lisa's Sister Got Married !!

A while back I posted a blog about the wonderfully talented photographer Katie Beverley.  Well long story short....my friend and co-worker Lisa's sister Sarah was planning a wedding and they met with Katie and loved her and on July 5th the happy event took place and Katie was there to capture so many of the beautiful moments. 

I am going to post a few of the photos here...but because of the format of my blog I had to reduce them in size significantly to fit.  So I definitely suggest you hop on over to Katie's blog here to see the photos as they should be seen...plus she has other great photos to see as well. 

I love this photo ....Sarah sees her husband to be Stephen for the first time.  Sarah you were a beautiful bride!!  The good looking gene obviously runs in your family.  You lucky ducks.

Here we have Lisa helping her daughter Evie to finish getting ready for the big event.  They are soooo cute!

A happy photo of the bridal party.

Lisa told me that the wedding was wonderful and I'd like to wish Sarah and Stephen a lifetime of great health and happiness!  Congratulations!

Should I Really Admit That I Am Totally Looking Forward To The Release of This Movie?

I haven't been into a theater to see a movie in over two years. We Netflix all of our movies now. But I just can't help myself when it comes to Will Ferrell. He completely cracks me up. Ever since the cowbell sketch on Saturday Night Live with Christopher Walken I've been a big fan. Granted, sometimes his comedies miss the mark, but when he is on....he's fantastically funny. So come July 25th...I might just leave the comfort of my own home and venture out to see Step Brothers.  Please don't judge me for my love of low humor.  I'm fond of some highbrow stuff too....I like to mix it up.  Keeps it interesting.

What is one movie you loved that you think we might make fun of you for?  Post your favorite embarassing movie in the comment box.  Keep it clean....and we promise not to make fun of you for your bad/awesome taste in movies. 

Here Kitty kitty

This post goes out to all of my cat lovin friends.  I love them too.  When I was about 8 years old a tiny little stray grey kitty with white paws followed me home from the park.  I begged my parents to let me keep him.  They said yes.  I named him Bootsie (for his little white boots of course)  He lived until  my high school years. 

Unfortunately my dear husband Bob is extremely allergic to cats so we can't have one.  Instead, I get to have lots of fun finding all sorts of funny cat products. 

You crossed my mind today greeting card.

One size fits most sleepshirt

Fun beverage napkins.

Magnetic notepad

Why, Because I like you...greeting card.

You can find all of these kooky cat products in the shops or here.

Bob Thinks I'm Doing Laundry Right Now

But instead while he was outside mowing the lawn I was doing this.

Now I feel pretty (well a tiny bit) guilty because I got out of yard work by pledging my efforts to inside chores and I did mean well and knew I shouldn't start surfing the web (just for a "few minutes"....yeah right) but I did it anyway.  I don't know how I managed to find a site where you can create a fake magazine cover but since I found it.....I couldn't resist doing it and then I just had to share it and the site with you.  Now I've wasted an hour and dear husband Bob is outside sweating his arse off and he doesn't even have one to lose.  Rut Roh..the mower just turned off.  Play time is over.

Visit Lindsey at the Art Fair

Hey y'all. The Ellwood House Art Fair  is this Sunday July 6th in DeKalb from 9-4.  My friend Lindsey will once again be bringing her gorgeous hand-made purses, totes and cards to the show.  If you've never seen them in person....you are missing out.  Super cute and functional too!  She has a great eye for color and pattern and offers a wide variety of styles and price points. 

She's way to shy to toot her own horn...so I'll tell you that last year her booth was wiped clean by the end of the day.  Go Lindsey !!!!

So head for Lindsey's booth first.  You'll know her by her incredibly gorgeous head of red curls....I have been with her in many places and people stop her in the street to tell her how gorgeous her hair is.  Of course the rest of her is fabulous too!

Here are some pictures taken at one of her past shows.

Free Gifts! Check Out The July Blog Buddy Coupon

I'm on my game this month and got the Blog Buddy Coupon for July done on the first not the second day of the month.  Pretty good for me...the girl with severe organizational and time management problems. 

Please check it out.  This month we are giving away gifts with ten dollar purchases.  You can get all of the details by clicking on the blog buddy icon over in the top right hand column.  Simply print it off and bring it with you when you go shopping.  You can even use it for online purchases at shopatmoxie.

We have been so happy with the positive feedback you've given us about this feature.  If you haven't yet used a Blog Buddy Coupon.....give it a try!

Happy July 1st everyone, and have a super fun and safe 4th of July!

p.s....guess who's leaving for the gift shows soon and will be going wild buying up super fabulous fun stuff for the shops???  

p.s.s.  if you don't know the answer to that question...you should read this blog more often!!!

Adventures of a Silly Lady...The Hippo Made Me Do It.

Have you ever seen a hippo wearing an apron while smelling a daisy?

Or a bear stealing the honey while wearing a cute purple shirt.

How about two bunnies doing a happy dance.

Or a turquoise giraffe hanging out with his overalls loving friend Mr. Red Hippo.

Have you ever seen a shy fox with a purple tongue?

Or a majestic lion lounging on a treetop.

How about a trio of chatty birds sharing stories with their friend the butterfly?

Well....I hadn't either and that's why the following traumatic event took place Friday June 27, 2008 at approximately 9:01 am central time.

It started out like any other usual estate sale Friday.  Leave the house at 4:30 am to make the hour and a half drive into Chicago to arrive at 6 am to get on the list to receive your entrance number at 8 thirty to then finally be allowed into the sale at 9 am.  I'd already been to the neighboring Dominicks 3 times that morning to use their restroom and purchase more diet coke.  I was feeling particularly jittery and anxious because the ad for the sale sounded so fabulous.(oh and the 3 diet cokes might have helped as well ).  " 3 floors filled with retro delights."  " A sale not to miss." "Bring a truck"....you get the point. 

Some of the usual suspects were also waiting in line for the sale.  In this business whatever genre you specialize in there are always others who like the exact same things as you do.  And while they might be super nice people...you cringe on the inside just a little when you see them mosey on up the driveway to the same sale.  It just means you've got to get your game face on. 

 The inner mantras start going thru my head...."you will be speedy, agile and  clever, you will pick the right room on the right floor to go into first, you will not stoop to the levels of your competitors and shove people out of your way to get material possessions,  you will have the mental capabilities of making hundred dollar decisions in the blink of an eye, you will find the cutest stuff possible and bring it back to DeKalb for your devoted and well deserving customers.

So after 3 hours of mantras, and pent up energy mixed with caffeine....it's finally 9 am and time for the sale to begin.  I'm number 7 and they announce that they are only letting in the first 10 people.   Sweet!  I'll have a few less competitors to deal with for about 5 minutes.  There is a gal in the first group who I know loves the same things as I do so I'm ready for the estate sale sprint. 

I'm in the door and make the decision to go upstairs first.  I'm taking the stairs two at a time and competiton lady is right on my tush.  I make it to the top and there is a landing and a bedroom to the left and one to the right.  I go right hoping she'll go left.  She went right...gah!  I enter the room ....I'm scanning it faster than the speed of light...I see over in the corner next to the bed a bunch of rolls of fabric and amongst those rolls was a bolt of the most magical vintage fabric I had ever seen.  A hippo wearing an apron and smelling a daisy was staring right at me saying "take me home!"   I had to have it. 

I can think of nothing other than moving my body forward and reaching over the bed to grab the bolt of fabric.  I begin to do just that and am not aware that there is a vintage suitcase sitting on the floor next to the bed.  I step  forward and trip on the suitcase and go flying forward on top of the bed (at least I was moving in the right direction)  I do some sort of Jackie Chan somersault roll off the bed and right into the bolts of fabric in the corner of the room.  One of the estate sale attendants asks if she can "help me" (if only she had any idea of how much "help" I might really need) and I look up from my position on the floor and say while clutching my magical hippo fabric....."no thanks I got what I needed."  I then picked myself up and pretended that my shoulder wasn't killing me from banging into the wall and that I really meant to somersault over the bed to get to the corner.  I mean why walk around when you can take a shortcut. 

Of course I checked out the rest of the house and it truly wasn't all they cracked it up to be.  But the magic hippo fabric was more than plenty for me.  I drove around for the rest of the day with my bolt of fabric in the passenger seat.  Had to look at it.  Actually probably talked to it too. 

I don't know what I will do with it yet.  I think it is worthy of creating things with it so that more people can enjoy a little piece of it.  I want to share the hippo love.  The end.