blog fix, please...

i've been home for5 days from my fabulous trip to shannon's and then watertown,ny and balmat,ny. and i need a blog update from any one of you! i will write about our trip, a life highlight which included a wonderful 3 hours in a neat thrift store (WHAT?????), white water rafting experience- (yes, i did it!), a visit to the balmat ancestor cemetary, and 1 1/2 days and 2 meals with our newest cousins . that was probably the best part of the trip along with just doing what we wanted when we wanted. i love these yearly trips and hope some of the other girls can go next year. shannon has all the pictures so she will have to document our trip. (ahem) .
i'm getting ready to go to fredonia for my 45th class reunion- another life highlight and i will promise to take pictures, but are you really interested in a bunch of strangers who graduated in 1964? stay tuned for that one...

it's over

that's about all i can say at this moment about the horse trader days in zelienople. a friend and i had a booth (tent) set up and worked it thurs. , fri., and sat. i didn't take my camera- sorry- there WERE some interesting people there. it cost each of us $40 and i made $260- so you can do the math...... my shop is looking better by the minute!
one of the best parts of the 3 day deal was the few minutes i was able to spend with josie and katie. the monkey tree will live on- now i have to think of some stories .

wedding blues (greens, purples etc.)

today was the big day for a friend's daughter...her wedding day and also the day i had been dreading along with the photographer (daughter- katie) . this had "blossomed" into something more than we had planned, but it actually turned out to be a success. i am pretty tired right about now , but satisfied with the results... some interesting shots of the flower- making process:

this first one was taken after holly and i returned from the strip district in pittsburgh. we went to a wholesale flower place, thanks to a local flower shop. lots of money was saved by going through them. we spent $550 on all the flowers, ferns, and branches.




that was actually the cleanest my floor looked during that project! it took on a lovely green tint.



this was our work area. holly began by making the pew bunches- she had to do 10 of them- we decorated every other pew. they were really pretty, but i would have attached them differently to the pews- cascading down instead of sticking up. oh well, that was her area of responsibility.
( she also made 9 boutonnieres' and 3 little corsages)


this is hard to see- you may have to make it larger.


i put together the 2 large arrangements for the front of the church. i waited for holly to leave as i needed to have some creative time . the pale green roses made the arrangements pop.




a third smaller vase was made to put on the gift table. lana had told me to just throw some flowers into that one!! :o( thanks, lana! )

3 round bowls were filled with water and flowers and ferns. these were placed in front on the bride's table. i used ivy to wind around the bowl on inside.

these are the bouquets- 3 bridesmaids, one throwaway,2 mother's bouquets. katie made the fresh white rose bouquet. it looked like silk flowers- really beautiful.

many positive comments were made and i felt both relief and satisfaction. the flower shop is now CLOSED!!!

jammin'

ahhh... it's that time again. first things first, though- delilah is tuned in on the radio and it has to be later in the evening (don't know why that one is a must, but it is!). and now the jammin' begins.

i got a good deal on strawberries at nate's store yesterday- the local ones are close to $5.00/ qt.

i made 2 batches. the 2nd one is called "strawberry with a touch of blue" (i used a

few blueberries to fill in) - pretty tasty! guess all of you girls will be the judge of that !

this is what awaits me when i finish this post- oh yay!

red squirrel update

the squirrel had our open house last sat. and it was considered a success. i didn't have time to take pictures, but took some afterwards that might be interesting to you girls.

this is our newest line- thanks to some of you for input on the name. "ode de squirrel" lost out --- (yuck) to "le squirrel". it's a wonderful lavender linen/room spray that i had a woman make for me. i had bought some years ago and saved the bottle. her name and address were on it so i called her and she agreed to make more just for the squirrel! i'm addicted. katie designed the label and tied each bottle with a ribbon.






i displayed the spray on a glass pedestal cake dish- it looks nicer in person! (notice the pass along cards under the display. i'm always trying)

the next few pictures are of a few areas in the shop... this one is what you see when you first walk in . the green dishes are copyrighted "1936". feel like i've had them that long! it's time to sell them.

this is the yellow area... next to the front window- the little orange sugar and creamer set was my mom's when she was a girl.

the purple area is behind the door and features some rabbit" stuff"....

these next 2 photos have nothing to do with the shop, but thought you'd like to see the flowers i took to church this am. there were lots of georgous flowers blooming in the yard- after an early am walk i decided to arrange some. there are sure some beautiful creations on this earth.

sorry for the duplicate--- i'm hopeless- don't know how to delete yet- this got doubled by mistake! :o)

this last photo is for shannon- she wanted to see the glass front cupboard of gram's .

didn't realize the plastic bowl was in there... :o(

nighty night, girls.

jojo- the birthday girl...

today is jojo's 26th birthday. it seems like yesterday that i was in the grocery store in kittanning, pa. and realized that i was beginning labor. i stayed to get all the things on my list- probably too long, but i knew it would be awhile before i would be back there. by the time we went home, picked up my personal stuff, and drove to the hospital, i was nearing the end of my labor! the delivery room was "occupied" and i had bearing down pains. the nurse told me not to! i panted and puffed (lamaz) until they quickly wheeled me in. 3 pushes and out she came- just like a pumpkin seed-- no time for any medications for me -- yow! but little jojo was beautiful!!
she just filled her little carrier like a pea in a pod and was always smiling. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOJO - (aka) math craft, jojo solerio, president of mexico and many others!

my newest little friend...

this morning as i was weeding, i came across a little guy who had become independent before it was time. after talking to him for a few minutes, i was able to put him on my finger and then place him on a branch away from the outdoor cats.

we had a moment together! ( this was me in the early am before breakfast and a shower- and after an hour of weeding...)

everyone needs a friend...

hopefully he will survive- saw him later today on the ground again. his parents were flying around and he was flying "ground level". i shooed jack (neighbor's cat) away and am still hoping for the best.