Shabby Miss Jenn

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

EPatterns! Oh goodness I'm so excited!

Yup! Thats right....... I am about to launch EPatterns from Thru the Attic Door.
Its been in the plans for awhile now but just couldn't fit it in till now. Had to wrap my head around Adobe and figure PDF files out! LOL Took a bit longer then I thought it would.

I am going to have many of my fave dolls that I have created plus some wonderful primitive stitchery designs for folks as well.

Make sure to keep checking the blog for the BIGG ANNOUNCEMENT of when they arrive.
Think that would be a great time to play a CONTEST....... so get ready!

XOXO
Cedara

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CAMPING ~ by Sarah Perry


My youngest niece Sarah drew this picture for me the next day and I just LOVE IT!
She has Hannah, herself and I inside the tent in our sleeping bags(we are the tiny squares...trust me....she drew people on them if you look close!).
There is a peeper frog outside the tent door because she remembered hearing him so loud the night before. And that would be her mother with a flashlight leaving the tent early! LOL

Don't you like a child's drawing?!

Prim Blessings!
Cedara

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Shoot the Cans


Some pepsi cans were set up on stumps in the blueberry field and the good ol' pellet gun was brought out for some fun. The black flies were THICK and so we didn't stay out too much longer then a few shots each! LOL

The girls sure did have fun though.
I shot a can right off the stump too! :)

Cedara

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The Campers!



The girls got to use Eric and my sleeping bags so that left Tara and I having to use just the bedding from my bed upstairs. I should have placed more blankets on the air mattress cause it was like sleeping on a giant ice cube! LOL

The adults were going to be watching a movie so we let the gals go to sleep in grams bed first then woke them up to go out to the tent. We made sure to pee first and have all our pillows and toys.

It was sprinkling when we opened the door but out we went. No flashlights cause I can not stand JUNE BUGS and would have flipped out if one had flown up towards the light. Not a scene my nieces need to see! LOL

We all snuggle down in our beds and sorta chat for about 10 minutes. The girls are just so excited to be out in the tent! I loved it! We could hear the"peepers" out in the ditch and they were really loud. There is a lake a bit behind the woods and we could hear the cry of a loon coming off the water. A few times I think we heard the hoot of an owl too but the rain had started to pick up and we aren't sure.

The rains became heavy but they all fell asleep quickly. Sarah was the first out and what a cute little snore she has. Hannah was next with my sister just SO NOT LIKING TENTING! ROFL

She lasted a few hours and then woke me up to tell me that she was going inside to sleep! The kids never woke up and she popped into the house. The winds had picked up but the kids stayed asleep until 6am or so. Hannah was the first to wake up cause it was so bright in the tent. I told her we had to stay outside until at least 7am. She fell back alseep for about 20 minutes.

They were both up then and we talked about the night. They had a blast and already can't wait to come back and sleep in the tent again during the summer. Eric and I have bought them their own sleeping bags for next time!(Its an early Christmas present)

Wonder if my sister will make it thru the whole night next time? heehee

Love ya SIS!

Cedara
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ITS HUGE! LOL


This is my aunt Kim and Eric putting up our new tent for this summer. ITS HUGE! LOL We wanted to give it a test run before major camping happened. So the nieces had never been tenting before so we thought we'd spend the night out in the tent.
We had a queen air mattress for my sister and I to sleep on. We also have a king size that splits into two smaller air mattresses and that is what the girls were going to get.

This tent even has a dog area and smaller doorway! LOL
Fou Kitty is scared to pieces of the tent though so almost positive he won't be tenting with us!

Prim Blessings!
Cedara

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Best Kitchen Help EVER!


My oldest niece Hannah stayed with me for the afternoon while others went out. I told her that she would get to help make dinner for everyone. She was so excited! I showed her how to hold the knife and she cut the green pepper. She then cut mushrooms and some onions as well. She got to add the spices to the speghetti sauce as well.
She also went out to the herb garden with me and I showed her how to cut fresh chives. We made garlic and chive butter.
We also mixed up one of Mari's yummy dips to go with a veggie tray that Eric was bringing over.

Hannah just BEAMED from ear to ear when everyone was raving about how yummy the sauce and everything else was.

We had so much fun!

XOXO
Cedara
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Our "weed machine"



My sister working in one of the back gardens. She had herself sprayed with bug spray and had the special netted hat on but still got covered with bites. Wore gloves this day though so no more blisters.

Mom's gardens look AMAZING now! Thanks Tara! If you love gardening too..... make sure to check out my sisters blog!

XO

Cedara


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May long weekend and all the fun!

We just had the May long weekend for us here in Canada. It was the Victoria Day weekend and my sister and her family came down to visit!!!

They arrived on Saturday just after lunch and stayed until mid afternoon on Monday. Oh what a great visit we all had. So much happened! heehee

It was my BIL's birthday on Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!
We thought we would have baked ribs and salads. Had a birthday cake and a carrot cake(its his fave).
We were going to set the tent up but the black flies were so thick and just attacking us if outside for any length of time. My sister did spray herself with bug spray and go work in Mom's gardens though. We al love the look of a nice garden of flowers but have gotten so we can't take care of them that easy. ( Mom has MS and my gram has gotten too old. My excuse.... I tend to pull the flowers out instead of the weeds so I'm banned from helping in the gardens! LOL)
My sister has such a green thumb and just loves it...... she went right to work.
She pulled so many weeds out that she gave herself a huge blister on her finger! OUCH when that broke and got dirt inside.

My nieces has never had ribs before. Hannah opted not to try them....she ate mostly salad and a piece of a pork chop. Sarah thought she'd like to try one..... liked it so much that she ended up eating 4 ribs! heehee

It was a good day for all of us........ lots of food..... laughter and teling stories.

Cedara

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It's coming from YOU

The letter you write is going to be a part of YOU going to another.
What ways are you going to make this happen?

I sat on the bed and thought about this. How do I want folks to see an envelope and letter and just right away.... KNOW its from ME ?

Here are some things that I came up with and that you can use for writing to your friends and family.

PENS!
Who says we have to always write in a blue or black ink?
Go to a good stationary store and look around. Look at all the different colors of pens that are around you. Pick a few colors out. There are even different styles of pens to chose from.
Play around with a few until you find something that you fall in love with and want to use.
Use this to only write letters with. Keep it special!

PAPER!
I could so spend hours flipping thru the many different papers you can find nowadays. The colors and the textures. The feel of the papers. You can find writing pads of paper. You can buy sheets of paper at a time even. You can even take it a step further and MAKE your own paper.
Different paper for different folks you are writing to.
Think about who you are writing to and blend their personality and yours.

ENVELOPES!
Who needs to find another plain white envelope in their mailbox? NO ONE! heehee
You can get envelopes in every color of the rainbow. They can be fancy. They can be plain. You can get envelopes of every size and to fit every mood.
Make your own!
Cover them with drawings!
Add stickers!

Remember...... you are wanting your friend to reach into their mailbox ..... spot something amongst all the bills and flyers jammed in there too..... and just JUMP WITH HAPPINESS that they found a note inside from you!

So.... how are you going to make a letter special and unique from you?

XO
Cedara

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Faded on the edges from so much love

"Sharing handwritten letters is one of the best ways to cultivate and maintain a friendship. Through letters, we can always be there to cheer each other on during joyful times and to offer comfort when facing misfortune. A letter can be read, tucked away, and reread later to allow friends to visit, console, and make each other laugh again. When we correspond with friends regularly,even grey lonely days can be brightened by putting pen to paper to recount a shared memory or, if we are lucky, simply by checking the mail."
~ Diane Maurer-Mathison

I want to write to friends and family and have them skip with joy coming from the mailbox because they have gotten a letter from me. I want them to look inside that mailbox and have a huge smile spread across their face because they spotted an envelope and right away knew that it was from me.
I want to write something that will over time be worn on the edges and faded because it has been brought out time after time and read again and again.

How am I going to do this?
What am I going to do that will make this happen?
Where do I start?

XO
Cedara

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It can become a Legacy!

One of the main reasons I want to pick back up the habit of handwriting letters was something that my oldest niece said to me.
She asked me how to spell something and so I picked up a pen and wrote it out for her to look at while she copied it onto her own paper.
She looked at it and said.... "I like the way you write Auntie T, its so pretty. I haven't seen it before."

I couldn't believe it!
Besides the address on a birthday card or at Christmas time, my nieces had never seen my handwriting. I send notes and emails to them but it wasn't MY WRITING that they were seeing and getting to remember.

I thought about how I used to be able to see an envelope and just from the handwriting alone...could tell who the note was going to be from.
My cousin Jenn and how she used to dot her "i" with a small heart.
My Gram cause she used to always use a blue pen.
My Aunt Pam who's handwriting is so UNIQUE and slanted that we used to tease her and tell her to PRINT our next letter please!

I thought about how the few letters I have that we written by my great grandparents are such family heirooms and so treasured. I wanted to pass that joy down to my nieces.
I wanted them to have a box of letters written by me that they maybe saved in a box and brought out to read again once I was gone.

"A letter is more then just a means of communication: it is a gift - and sometimes a legacy!"
Diane Maurer- Mathison

XO
Cedara

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Think about this..........

" A Letter is more then just the words it carries. It is like sending a small part of yourself. "


That quote is taken from the book "The Handcrafted Letter" and it just struck such a cord with me when I read it. Its true! The letters in the past that I have gotten that really stand out in my mind are the ones where the person really took the time to show me a piece of themselves.
Think about the notes you have recieved and which ones stand out for you?

Lets start writing to folks we know and love and showing them just how much they mean to us.

XO
Cedara

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The Handcrafted Letter

The Handcrafted Letter : Get Inspired, Find your Voice & Create Unique Projects to keep in Touch BY Diane Maurer-Mathison


I think everyone should own this wonderful book!
Was lucky enough to have been given this book by a friend of mine (Thank you Donna!) and I really love it. So many wonderful ideas and tips on fun ways to stay in touch with folks.
A note to someone doesn't have to be 6 pages long.
Just a few good paragraphs of HELLO's and what you have been doing and why you wanted to write them. Send them something that will make them smile and laugh.
What a great way to start the day!

XO
Cedara

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Sometimes an Email just isn't what you want

Now don't get me wrong.... I love getting emails and reading what folks send my way. Not a huge fan of all the jokes that get sent over and over but I do love a good note catching me up on whats happening in the lives of my friends and family.
I try my best to write and stay in touch....some months I do better then others! LOL

I was sitting here the other night and thinking of ways I liked to express myself.
Writing was one of them and I thought..... ya know something..... hand writing to someone is really becoming a lost art. Folks are letting that connection slip away for the quick ease of sending off an email on the computer.

NO MORE!
I went searching thru some boxes I had stored under my bed and found just what I was looking for!

XO
Cedara

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Wednesday May 24

I am almost positive that I had to actually wipe cobwebs off my blog.
Can't believe how much time has slipped by since writing. Bunch of stuff happening here that I am going to blog about though and see if I can't get myself BACK into the habit of writing more often. I really missed writing and how good I felt after doing so.

SO......

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!

XO
Cedara

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Saturday, May 13, 2006

Had big plans......

But they went BUST!
Seems that the few times I was able to get online that Blogger was down.
Now that its back up and running.....Eric's computer is acting up on us:(

I can't win today! So worked up!ACK!

Cedara