When Someone Crushes Your Dream

http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/articles/2008/10/28/news/doc4907215e39fab572558509.txt

The above link and article might give you all an inside look to what is going on here on the homefront. My husband and I attended our first City Council meeting on Monday night. We went in regards to a letter that we received Friday afternoon at out home. It was sent anonymously from someone in our subdivision. Our contractor never informed any of us. It just so happened that a neighbor was walking in the neighborhood and saw a very small sign posted on the empty lots where the large construction equipment was parked. Very well hidden. The sign was to announce the hearing for the rezoning of our subdivision for low-income rental duplexes.

We have lived in our new home for only 13 months. It is our VERY FIRST real home. We have lived with family, rented low income housing and bought and lived in a double wide trailer for years while I attended nursing school. To say that this house is our dream come true is SUCH an understatement! It is not JUST our dream, it is our investment, my daughters future and where we chose to live and raise our family.

I know that our builder/contractor is having financial trouble due to the economics of our country, but who isn't? All of the homeowners in this development had a dream, just like our builder did. I am very sorry that he is having $$$ problems, but you do not give up on your dream of a great, beautiful, special and really different development when times get tough. He should not give up on his dream that he had for this area.

It is like making us homeowners choose the lesser of two evils. Either 700 square foot low-income rented duplexes, in a housing development that the LOWEST square footage built here now is 1750, OR he builds stripped down, 1400 sq foot, no garage, gravel driveway houses, that if he does not sell he will rent anyway.

I don't know. I can't cry any more tears that are just useless anyway. I am too exhausted.

From the feelings that I got at the council meeting, it may not pass. But, this is just one battle. I can not see him giving up, or letting his business go bankrupt. I think this is going to be a messy fight.

There is much more to the story than this too. I forgot to tell you that 3 of the larger houses out here are owned by his subcontractors that could use some work too, so not everyone out here is against this new development. But most are and a good majority spoke at the meeting.

Thanks for listening to my woes of the day. Sorry to bore you all and bum you out too! Keep us in your thoughts please! Have a great week and Happy Halloween! I hope to pop back in and post some pictures of our Halloween! Take care!

Warmly,
Leslie

Fabulous Fun Finds.......Thank you!

After a LONG day at work giving hundreds of flu shots all morning, it was such a great surprise the find my Family Jewelry featured on this blog. Fabulous Fun Finds blog is such a beautiful site! I do not know about you, but I can always use some help perusing the Internet for some great goodies! Thank you Heather for a very nice write up!

It is going to be a LONG week, plus with Friday (Halloween) coming up, I am already feeling the pressure of "everyday life". I will pop in a tell you about it soon. Let me catch my breath first!

I wish you all a great day!

Warmly,

Leslie

Mom Tested And Approved Reviews

Hello all! How about this to wake up to this morning!

Sherri is the WONDERFUL originator of this fantastic blog! I can not tell you how SUPER nice Sherri is, and has been, to me and my family! I love her blog, she has wonderful communication with me (she lifts my spirits and always says the nicest things) and is a sweet and caring SAHM and WAHM!! She has a beautiful family and children to attend to and she also finds time to run this GREAT blog! Go and read ALL of the great reviews she has done! There are some wonderful items there.......makes me want to go do some holiday shopping!!!

I really appreciate all that she did on this review! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! What a wonderful morning it is! THANK YOU Sherri!!!!

Take care!

Warmly,

Leslie

What Have I Done???????

Annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Extravaganza - Cape Girardeau Art

Hello! Just wanted to drop in and let you all in on a little information. I am not sure how it happened, but a friend of mine wanted to participate in a juried arts and craft show, so she asked me if I wanted to share a booth and I said yes......just like that. Next thing I know I am filling out papers, typing artist statements, taking pictures, sending money, interviewing on the phone.......and just like that, I am accepted and in booth number 15 at the Show Me Center.

I guess I should have found out more about this event before accepting.....ya think? Because this is apparently one of the nations LARGEST shows. I was working on a Saturday at a health fair when my friend asked me to share a booth and I just said "yes"....without thinking. And now, I have a 10 x 10 booth all to myself.......and I am a little FREAKED....yeah that is the word.

I have been frantically buying supplies, display items, tablecloths, boxes, bags, etc....

Now, I have to somehow figure out how much jewelry to make. What kind to make....more earrings, more bracelets........ahhhh, the stress!!

Anyway, if there are any of you near or in the area, please come and support this crazy and nervous artist........did I mention that I have NEVER done anything like this. Not even a craft show.....

So, here is the information for those who are interested. If you need more information, just let me know! Wish me luck, send love, verbal flowers......Thanks!!!!

Event Date
Saturday, November 22, 2008

End Date
Sunday, November 23, 2008

Name
Annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Extravaganza

Brief Description
Annual Event with local arts and crafts

Type
Event

Category
Cape Girardeau Missouri Art Events

Description
November 22-23. This event features high quality artisans and crafters. Two locations: the Osage Community Centre and the Show Me Center simultaneously. Your ticket admits you to both locations on the same day.

http://www.capearts.org/

Address
1625 North Kingshighway (Osage Center)

CSZ
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

While I Am Sick.....

I am learning to use Twitter...see the right side of my blog.

Now......on to Facebook, Myspace, Craigslist.

Maybe I am not feeling THAT well.

Me Is.....

Me is sick.

Me has Strep.

Me has fever.

Me went to work.

Me is tired.

Me is achy.

Me have headache.

Me throats hurts.

Me neck hurts.

Me ears hurt.

Me wants me mommy.

Me REALLY hopes me daughter does not get it.

Me could think of a better way to spend weekend.

Me wishes you all have a great weekend and me hopes to be back soon!

Halloween Decor.....Take 2

Hello again all! Yes! Here I am again....I know, twice in 2 days.......can you believe it? I should be concentrating on the art show coming up November 22 & 23 that I am participating in, but instead I am having too much fun trying out all of the Halloween projects from The Craft Crow blog.

Yesterday evening Tim, Maddy and I made these ghosts. I had left over ribbon from the Halloween banner and instead of using monofilament and hanging them horizontal as shown in the instructions, I came up with the design above.......again, we make do!

Tim made his own design too, and I gave Maddy a print-out for her to color, but she was more interested in the play-doh after coloring the first ghost.
Here is my husband Tim's design. Actually, I messed up the first set of ghosts, this set, and he made these instead of throwing them away. Those eyes are tricky to cut out without a craft knife and I did not like how they turned out, so I started over. He outlined the eyes in black and then just started drawing on them after Maddy got her hands on the marker (see ghost "B"). Oh well, when all else fails make lemonade!

My next project is to finish the book sculptures I have been working on.....strangely enough also listed on The Crafty Crow. I saw them on Etsy long ago, and since I am an avid reader fell in love with them at once and I new I could make some for myself.........sorry Etsy sellers, I want to do this one myself instead of buying them.......I apologize for not supporting you all on this one!!!

I hope you all enjoy more of the decor here on the home front. It has been so much, SUPER FUN this year with Maddy! I tell ya, they just get better every day..........remind me I said this when I come on here and vent about her on one of her bad days!!!

Enjoy, and again, send some of your holiday pics to me of your own decor, and if you want I will do a post on my readers holiday crafts and link your blog too, if you have one!

Go forth and create!

Warmly,
Leslie

Halloween Decor.....Take 1

Hello all! It is not my day to work in the store and I did not have any senior centers scheduled today, so I kept my girl home today for a "little mommy and me" time. One of the items on our agenda was to make this Halloween banner you see here! I found it online HERE yesterday at work and we quickly whipped it up this morning. I could NOT find ANY ric-rac at the store yesterday, but the cute thin black and white checked ribbon looks nice (I know you can't see it, but it is rather cute). I would have rather had the ric-rac for the texture and design, but we make do huh? I also did not print it out on card stock as suggested, that is up to you.

I think for Thanksgiving we will do one as well, and let Maddy color them with traditional fall/seasonal colors. I will post that here when the time comes. Also, if you browse a little more on her site you will find OTHER free tutorials and patterns. I am kinda excited to print and hang the holiday dangles come Christmas.

Well, enjoy! Let me see some pictures of your great banners you make with this wonderful freebie. And post some comments on more ideas of what we all can use these banner letters for....holidays, birthdays, baby showers, etc.....and of course comment on what we all could do to "color the up" a little!

Thanks! Have a great day. GO FORTH AND CREATE!!!! All of you......that means you too!

Warmly,

Leslie

What I Am Loving Today......

I am loving my new piece of furniture that my mom brought to me all the way from Iowa, where she was visiting her friend recently.....we put it together this weekend. I think that it is BEAUTIFUL, it finishes and completes my little entryway. It is just the perfect size and I am completely in love with it. Is it possible to love a piece of furniture? I think so.And these lovelies! My wonderful mother, the estate sale queen, also came to visit and had these fantastic handmade, lined drapes. 4 "Long" and 4 "Short", as we call them. All for $35.00. Yup, you saw it correctly! $35! What a steal! The Long set is hung on the dining room windows.....and that is only 2 of them. There are 2 more!!! One of the Short ones is hung on the kitchen window and we had to fold it 3 times to get it to look similar to a valance.....so really it is three times as long as in the picture.....and there are 3 more of them also! I think I need more black clips and hang more to make both windows look fuller, but it is a start. Oh, and like I said they are lined in the little black check you see at the top....they are HEAVY and oh so cool! Plus, I can not believe that the Long set are the perfect length! How lucky was that? Thank you Mom! You are awesome as always!I painted the frames on these pictures. They had this old 80's gold frame on them. I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but was meeting resistance from the man in the house.....who will go nameless to protect the innocent. I wish I had a before picture to show the difference. The closest I have is this post here. You can barely see the frame in the picture with all of the cards on the mantel. I have to admit that they look so much better painted. Well, of course they do you say? I was right you say? I thought so, but let's not tell the man OK? You WANT to tell the man? Well then PLEASE leave a comment on your opinion on the new black frames and how much better they look painted. Not to rub it in or anything. Yes......I met with A WHOLE LOT of resistance here, can you tell?

And here we have a picnic that my baby made with all of her best friends. I KNOW she is not a baby....geesh........I don't want to talk about it OK? I just love how Nala has a piece of meat in front of her.....cute little carnivore. And the "girls" all have tea in front of them. All of the food groups are represented here and so is the food chain! I don't' know, maybe this is only something a mommy could love. Madelyn will be 3 and a half this month.....*sigh*.....she is so big. She is shooting up in height. She got out of the tub last night and there she was warming up in front of the fireplace in all of her rudy-tudy-nudiness and all I could see was these LONG legs...she is no longer a toddler....she is a real little girl now.......I really don't want to talk about it.......

And last, the beautiful, long-lashed princess in the tub making sudsy hair-dos. She had so much fun. She kept looking at herself in the shiny tub-drain and laughing that great belly laugh. The laugh that makes her have the hiccups afterwards, just like when she was an infant. Here is one thing that I am loving everyday and not just today!

Enjoy!

Warmly,
Leslie

What The...???????

STOP FOR ONE SECOND AND LISTEN TO THIS VIDEO!

Thank you Kerry and Margot for helping to put the word out. Now for those of you who have a blog.....PLEASE, if you think this is just as nuts as I do, post this on your blog too!
Help support artists!
Thank you!
Warmly,
Leslie