The end of another year....

How do the years go so fast? I mean, I just put the decorations away from last year and then I was getting them out again.

Resolution: To create, and publish, and share, and acquire new ideas of all things crafty. I used to make ornaments in mass quantities and give them to my friends and family members. Life catches up and things go away even though you truly want them to stay in your realm. I did one this year - for my mother (my biggest fan) for Christmas. This is the first time I did one like this - altered art, etc. Of course she loved it. I look at all the flaws. It's called "Some Occasions Just Call for Fancy"

Where do I go from here?....

Yeah, got lots of thoughts, got lots of stuff - I want to create big fat WOWs. Why am I stifled? How does one forget the "rest" and just go for the jugular? I wanna! Wah Wah Wah. I want to put stuff out there that's in my mind and in my house and just bleeding to get looked at, even if it is only by me. I'm timid. I'm shy. I'm not so certain.

But what I DO know is that I just gotta get it out there. And I'm gonna. Some day. When I get all these thoughts together - and just GO FOR IT!!!!!! Yeah. Then I will show THE WORLD (me) just how WOW I can get.

Been here since the 50's started my real life in the 70's - just waiting for my moment. It's coming. sigh.

MORE bedtime stories....

Another time when the boys were over - we were in our places on the bed - and they wanted me to tell them a bedtime story.

Not really being in the mood, and wanting them to fall asleep as soon as possible, I began the story as such:

Once upon a time, there were two little boys. One was named Evan and the other was named Lukey. And they came to spend the night with their grandma Emmy. They asked her to read them a story, and since she didn't have a story book, she made one up. ...and this is what she said:
Once upon a time, there were two little boys. One was named Evan and the other was named Lukey. And they came to spend the night with their grandma Emmy. They asked her to read them a story, and since she didn't have a story book, she made one up. ...and this is what she said:
Once upon a time, there were two little boys. One was named Evan and the other was named Lukey. And they came to spend the night with their grandma Emmy. They asked her to read them a story, and since she didn't have a story book, she made one up. ...and this is what she said:

Yeah, grandma's have the power. they were asleep before the second chapter.
:o)

Bed Time Stories

The past few times Evan and Lukey stayed overnight we've all slept in my king sized bed sideways....Lukey at the head, Evan in the middle and me at the foot (of course with Hannah squeezed somewhere, anywhere).

So, after we settle in for a long sleepy time night, they ask me to read them a story. Of course I don't have a story book on hand, so I tell them I'm going to make one up. They like that idea. The first story I told them was this:
Once upon a time there were two little boys....one was named Evan and the other one was named Lukey, and they lived in a cottage by a stream with their grandmother, Emmy.

One morning the boys woke early and came running down the stairs of the woodland cottage, saying, "Emmy, Emmy, we're hungry!" and Emmy told them to go play outside a little while and she would make them pancakes. "How many pancakes, Emmy?" Evan asked. "Well, I'll make you each 5 and if that's not enough I'll make you 5 more!" Emmy said with a smile.

The boys ran outside and down to the stream to see what they could see. As they approached the stream Lukey said, "Hey Evan, did you hear that?" and Evan said, "What?"
"That noise!" Lukey answered.
"What noise?" asked Evan.
Lukey stopped, listened, and said - "There it is again!"
"Let's go find out what it is" Evan said and he started to cross the stream stepping on the rocks so he wouldn't get his feet wet. Lukey followed right behind him.

Just then Evan heard something too. "I hear it!" he exclaimed.
"I told you!" Lukey replied.
"It's over that way!" Evan pointed into the woods on the other side of the stream.

The boys crossed the stream and entered the woods. It was darker in the woods than it was over near Emmy's cottage, or even at the stream, but the boys decided they wanted to find out what the noise was.

They made their way into the forest and picked their way through the branches and leaves. Every once in a while they would hear the noise again and hurry toward the sound. They looked up and it looked like it was going to rain. Lukey wanted to go back, but Evan said, "just a little longer."

Soon the noise became very loud and they looked up and realized that the noise they were hearing was thunder! They became scared as they thought of the long way home before the storm would start. They looked up into the sky between the leaves and saw a bird that looked like it was calling to them to follow them this way! "Let's follow that bird!" Evan said as he grabbed Lukey's hand to pull him along the way. "OKAY! FASTER!" Lukey cried.

They ran like they never ran before - looking up to find where the bird was going. Soon they could see the opening to the stream and felt relief as they came into the clearing.

When they reached the stream they could hear Emmy calling, "Evan....Lukey.....your pancakes are ready!"

"We're coming Emmy!" they both cried out, and scrambled across the stream towards Emmy's cottage.

The warmth of the kitchen embraced the boys as they ran to the sink to wash their hands. Emmy was piling pancakes on their plates and they sat down to pour warm syrup on them. She poured them each a mug of apple cider and said, "Let's say grace." Lukey said, "It's my turn!" and he began, "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food, God bless Emmy, God Bless Evan and God Bless Lukey, ah-men!"

Hodge Podge Cottage

Hodge Podge Cottage is a name I came up with maybe about 20 years ago for a business if I ever came up with one. So I came up with one, and it's certainly not what I envisioned....but it's mine. I thought, "I'm creative. I am inspired. I need to find an outlet. I like shabby chic. I've been an "artist" since (officially) 8th grade. I met a girl - Suzette Coates - who was an artist - a "gift-given-honest-to-goodness-born-with" artist. I liked to write - I wanted to draw. She was a natural artist who I loved from the moment I met her. I was (am) white - she was (is) black and she was my first experience with a black person. i so very loved her as a friend. I was in awe of her drawing capabilities. She was surprised with my interest. We struck up a friendship and it was one of my favorite friendships of my life - very short lived - but a favorite. I wonder where she is now. I did try to find her - later in life - - but couldn't. She told me, "if you want to draw a face you have to draw a thousand faces.....if you want to draw an eye you have to draw a thousand eyes. She was my inspiration to draw - and because of HER I can draw. I want to let her know that - I would love to meet her again. She was one of 8 kids in a very poor family - I don't know what ever became of her but I would love to know. Philadelphia. Coates family - Suzette. (born around 1953-1954). Let me know if you know.

September 29th

Yesterday was Lukey's birthday. He slept through the best part. Me, my mom (honey) and step dad (Daught) arrived around 1:00 pm. The party didn't start until 4:00 - but that was okay- we don't get to see everyone very much - so it was good that we got there early before the rest. However, Daught, was in a foul mood - he's getting like that these days - he'll be 85 or 86 this month and is not a happy camper. Honey, turned 80 this year - still drives an SUV, complains about Daught (her second husband) and is basically 25 in her mind - her body is 80-something. Daughty can't see, can't hear and although he is a sweet soul, he is not a nice person, and has issues with his step-family.

Once upon a time.....

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Evan Alexander Cahall....and he was born on 7/11 and came to live at 5 3 8 Little Egypt ROOOOAAAAAddddd. And he came to live with his mommy, his daddy, his emmy and E. But he didn't know it, there was a puppy dog and 4 kitty cats living there too. And the puppy dog's name was Winnie the Pooh.....and the kitty cats names were, boo-boo, tiggy piggy, feather and neeeemoooooh....And when they brought Evan into the house for the very first time, the puppy dog and the kitty cats said, "Yaaaayyyy, Evan's home." But that scared Evan so much that he started to cry, "wahh wahh wah," And so the puppy dog and the kitty cats came running right over and licked his feet....." - the end.
Evan's first story (from emmy).

In the beginning....

This is my journal - finally, hopefully - after zillions of times of trying to record things I think.

And, this is about the 4th time I've started "MY BLOG".... Hopefully I will continue and become rich and famous because of it. Hah! I have no desire to become famous.....rich would be nice, but not too rich, just enough that I could afford whatever I need/want. I believe that THAT is today's American Dream - being able to just afford whatever one needs/wants.

Okay, before I begin, I would like anyone to know that I am a believer in God/Christ/Holy Spirit. I am sort of a "fundamentalist" - people who take the Bible literally as coming from the mouth of GOD. However, I am a really big sinner - daily - and/but because of how God teaches me to believe, I am forgiven - because of what the Bible/God says. Not because I deserve it or work for it in any way, but because it is a GIFT from God (my real father) and I accept it. Email me if you want to discuss this any further. I could go on forever and ever. But one more thing before I leave this subject. I am who I am because God made me this way. I love who I am because God made me this way. I thank God daily that He saved me in spite of how terribly awful I am. Unconditional love - how awesome and how very unworthy I am.

.... in the beginning.....
The very first thing I remember of life is being in my crib, and trying to let down the side of my crib by sticking my foot outside the bars and trying to push on the release bar - and getting my leg stuck between the mattress and the crib bar. I remember not wanting to take a nap and tippy toeing to look over the side of my crib to peer down the stairs and my mother standing at the bottom of the stairs telling me to lay down. I would then throw myself back down on my mattress. Was I like 5 or something? How can I remember this crap?

I remember playing dolls with my mom. This was before I knew there were friends to be had. We played house and she was awesome at it. She taught me everything I knew about pretending. My childhood was awesome but I would not have realized this until I was older and heard about other people's childhoods.

The second person I remember realizing was my grandmother who lived right nextdoor. I remember her trying to get me to nap by holding me in her arms and walking back and forth from the dining room to the living room - and watching the patterns on the ceiling sway back and forth and making my eyelids heavy. Or her rocking me on the porch and singing, "I wonder what's become of Sally." in her off-tone singing voice. She also used to sing "k-k-k-katie"
Those were the two I remember her singing me to sleep by. She also used to sing, "I come to the garden alone" - I believe that was her favorite hymn - I believe it is one of my favorites as well. She used to draw this thing - it was the only thing she claimed to be able to draw. It was a little man with a hat blowing a horn - and she drew it all in one line. I was amazed and can see it in my mind, but for the life of me I cannot duplicate it.

I would wake earlier than the rest of my family and head over (next door) to my Nan's house. She would usually be sitting at the end of her couch reading the bible. What an example she was. So humble, so trusting in God, so loyal. There were times when I woke before her and would knock on her door to wake her up. She always would get up and let me in. And not be mad because I woke her. How dare I? If she didn't wake right away I would open her front door and ring her god-awful doorbell that was like an alarm that would wake the dead. She'd come down and gleefully let me in. Oh how unconditionally she loved me and I have absolutely no reason in my head why she would have.

However.

Now, I am a grandma and my two little grandsons wake me early when they stay over, and although it is hard for me to "get going" in the morning, I happily rejoice in the fact that these two little people have enriched my life four-fold. And, yes, I love them unconditionally - even though they trash my house, leave fingerprints all over, ask a million questions, get into a million things, break some of my favorite things - I will always love them no matter what, and let them know that I love them no matter what.