Happy Independence Day

Eagle of Freedom

http://animals.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/690709/ 

Almost the 4th of July and hopefully that is when our summer will start. I wanted to put a graphic on that depicted the 4th of July for me. It isn't just a day off from work, hot dogs and fireworks. It is the holiday that represents our freedom and the fight for freedom. I hope my friends from the USA have a happy and safe 4th.

I just discovered something that most people already know! Sometimes I get very depressed and have no reason to be so, but it happens and I think it happens more with age. Anyway it has for me. A couple weeks ago I was downloading a song from Amazon and it had been a downer day. But after playing the new song several times I really got to feeling better. So, I have been trying to play "my music" while I work and find at times I am singing at the top of my lungs. And let me tell you that is not a pretty sound! I can not sing! I can't carry a tune and half the time I can't remember all the words, but I feel better. But something I discovered and it wasn't a happy discovery, is if you update your computer you lose a lot of the licenses for your music. Luckily I copy most of my music onto CD's, so I can get it back and that is what I have been doing, trying to find some songs I had lost.

I received the nicest email from a fan in Germany and enjoyed reading it, plus she sent me a photo to use as a design so have been working on it. It sounds like she lives in a beautiful place and if the photo she sent me represents what she sees out her window, it is. She looks out on the Lothlorien Forest, so I will be submitting the design soon. It was kind of hard to work on, though and get as much of the beautiful photo into such a small space. There really isn't a lot of space to use to get a design into and sometimes I work for hours on one. 

I should mention the new header graphic I put on also. I called it Peaceful and is on Desktop Nexus as a wallpaper and I have a Persona to match. It makes me feel very peaceful when I look at it, so hope you all like it. the Persona doesn't show a lot of it because of space, though.

Last week was really nice. An old friend gave us her car because she is moving to Mexico and since my husband had maintained it for her and her husband ever since they bought it she wanted us to have it. What a generous gesture from an old friend. And our daughter needed a new car very badly. She works two jobs to be able to keep her house so can't afford to buy a different car. She has been driving a Jeep Wrangler with a rag top and this Subaru is like a Cadillac for her. So, she got it on Saturday and was shaking she was so excited. Thank you, Gloria. You are a very special person.

We also got to visit with some old friends we hadn't seen for a long time. And that was great, so thanks for popping in.

I better get back to work, but wanted to wish everyone a happy 4th and if you don't live in the USA, have a great week.

Till next time!

Updated my Blog!!!

We the People

https://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/411872

Well, I think I updated my blog so it has a different look. Hopefully it will! I had a difficult time changing from the old...but perseverance  usually wins out.

I am posting this design called "We the People" and thought I would use it on todays blog because tomorrow is Flag Day. We have our flag on a big flag pole and it waves in the winds of the Pacific Northwest almost every day. We do take it down in the winter because of the high winds we have here and it destroys a flag very quickly.

I have put a few patriotic Personas and wallpapers on line in the last week for the 4th of July celebration coming up. If you are an American, I hope you will look them up. This one means a lot to me since the first graphic on the far right is of an American soldier or Marine with his head down in front of the flag. I can't imagine what he is thinking about. Probably buddies that have been killed or maimed while they protect our rights and liberties. I wish the world was different so these young boys and men didn't have to leave their families to protect our freedoms. But it seems like people can't get along. Even in the US people disagree and always think the other side is wrong. I know I do most of the time!

Flag Day has another meaning to me, too. Our last and favorite pet was born on Flag Day many years ago. Isn't it silly to remember something like that, but I dearly loved him and losing him hurt me very badly. I can not, nor will not have another pet because I can't take the loss. 

I don't like losing things and people I love. They can't be replaced. I often wonder how a woman that loses her husband could ever love another man and re-marry. I don't think I could or would. My gosh, if I can't replace a dog, how on earth could I replace a husband? To be honest, I don't think I would want to live if I lost my husband. I get very sad even thinking of the possibility. Luckily he is very healthy and hopefully stays that way.

I can not believe what happens when I start writing in this blog! I end up and instead of writing about what I think I will when I begin, I end up being too personal. I didn't want my blog to be that way, but I guess since it is my blog, I can blog what I want. That is one of our freedoms! Right?

I got a message from an artist the other day, Sue Miller. I had used a graphic of hers that I had had for years so had no idea where it came from. We ended up emailing back and forth several times. I added her name and website to the specific design because I didn't want to take the credit for something she had done. She has granted me permission to use any of her art work and so I have used a couple. Her web site is www.suemillerart.com, so check it out some time. The two designs of hers I have worked on to make them into Personas are called, Snow Queen and Flo Sparkles. 

Putting a design on is so funny. Sometimes I make one that I am so pleased with and just know it will become popular, doesn't. And another one that I wouldn't personally use is well received. It is hard to know what people like, actually.

Butterfly Lights

https://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/408096

Butterfly Lights is absolutely gorgeous and I am using it. I made a wallpaper to match it and it is on line also. The link to the wallpaper can be found under details at the Persona site. But the Persona isn't catching on! So I do wonder if I really know people. Not so much, I guess. But maybe Butterfly Lights will catch on in the future. I submitted an iGoogle theme to match but it isn't on line yet, but they take awhile so think it will be added at some point.

I am going to close for now. I hope you like the new design for the blog. And hopefully I won't have such a hard time re-doing it next time.

Have a great week and enjoy summer.

Hummingbirds and Deer

Well, I have been trying to update my blog and remove the "fancy" design but so far haven't been able to figure it out so you will have to excuse me until I get an answer from the place I got it.

The wild life has been rampant in our yard lately. I got a great shot of one of our many hummingbirds at the feeder the other evening. The sun was shining through the kitchen window Sunday evening, so I grabbed my camera and took the picture through the window.   And yesterday morning this young buck was eating leaves off the cherry tree so took this picture through the dining room window. Guess it was good I got the windows cleaned a couple weeks ago. With all the rain we have had, the windows really get dirty.

I have been really working away at wallpapers and Personas lately. Making too many, as usual. I have wallpapers and Personas on line that match the hummingbird and deer. I won't leave links for them as I am sure you can find them. If not, let me know.

Please excuse my messy blog until I get it figured out.

Am looking forward to some sunshine this week end, unless the weather people change their mind.

Have a good one!

Still Busy

Spring Barn

http://architecture.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/663965/

 

We got out to take a few pictures and visit my brother and his wife a week or so ago. I found this old barn with a flowering plum tree in front of it and made my poor hubby stop along the road so I could take a picture. It turned out pretty well. I also made a Persona to match and the link to that is with the wallpaper.

 

We actually got some days of sunshine and it was great. We sold our whole rhubarb crop to a local winery and am excited to taste it. It isn't actually wine, it is mead and from what I have read about it, it is becoming very popular. It is a drink from the olden days and not made with grapes. I took the quote below from the winery's website, Honeymoon Mead.

"Wine made from fermented honey, rather than grapes, mead was the nectar of the gods on Mt. Olympus, the celebrated drink of poets, lovers and kings.  It has long been touted as an elixir of health, fertility and longevity.  But despite its rich history, mead is not well known in modern times." 

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? They don't bottle the rhubarb wine because they probably don't get enough rhubarb, but when it is ready he has invited us down to taste it as they sell it in their tasting room. He wants our whole August crop so hope it does well. It isn't as good as the spring crop, but still tasty. My hubby is going to split it and get some new starts going for next spring. For some reason rhubarb does very well in our ground. It was even featured in Country magazine in the early 2000's. The corporation that purchased the 500 acre farm next to us is trying to develop it into thousands of houses so they keep saying it isn't good farm land! Everything we have ever planted does very well but I guess you will use any excuse/lie to get your good farm land developed into housing. Houses sell for a lot more money than corn, peas, cattle, etc.!!!

We got to have our oldest great grandson for a whole day and it was sunny so we got to be outside. He and his great grandpa love it outside where they can spread their wings.

I was trying to cut back on designing as I said, but darn, if I didn't get some new graphics and worked through the pain!

I didn't like the font I had on my blog so when I checked it yesterday decided todays job would be to change it, so I did. I love the fancy fonts but it is kind of hard to read. 

Must get busy working and since I got the blog updated I have no excuse not to get to work. First a cup of coffee and then will get to it.

Have a great weekend and if the sun is shining where you live, enjoy it and think of me in the house with rain outside. 

Till next time!!!! 

After Mothers Day

Blues on Blue

https://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/404647

I was working on my blog yesterday and all of a sudden everything I had done was gone and apparently they were working on blogger so I lost everything I had put on. So will re-work it. 

I found this cool place by accident where you can really put in nice backgrounds. The link is: http://www.scrappinblogs.blogspot.com/. If you have a blog it would be worth checking out and donating to their work. I am going to since I love some of the designs and I don't have time to work on that end of a blog! I don't have a lot of money to toss around but I am sure every little bit will help.That is where I got the background for the one I am currently using.

Now to Mothers Day! I got to see or hear from all of my kids and some of the grand kids so was a nice day. I am so blessed that all 3 of our kids live within a few miles of us. Hope you all had a good Mothers Day if you are a Mother or got to visit or at least call your Mother if she is still with you. I told my Mom Happy Mothers Day and I know she can hear me, even if I can't see her.

The Persona I posted today is one of the best ones I have made lately and hope it becomes popular. I have a wallpaper to match it and the link is with the Persona, so I won't post it here.

I think I am going to have to slow down a bit on designing as my right arm and shoulder are really hurting. My Fibromyalgia gets so much worse if I over use certain muscles and holding a mouse all day and moving it around working in Photoshop is beginning to take it's toll. BUT my problem is that I can't seem to slow down. I made up my mind last night that I wouldn't do any designing for a few days and give it a rest, well...guess what...I had this idea and just HAD to see if it would turn out and it did! 

I have so many designs already made I could probably quit for a month and just get some of the extras submitted but I know me and unless it gets so I can't hold the mouse I will work. I will try to cut back though.

The US Postal Service is holding a food drive tomorrow so I am getting some bags filled to put out for them to pick up. I over buy on groceries so have more than we can use. This way I can clean out my cupboard and help someone whose cupboard is like Mother Hubbards, bare. I hope you will do the same. The thought of people going hungry is not a thought we should have to have, but there are many out there that are, so if you have an extra can of corn, put it out for your mail person to pick up. And have a great week end. We get to see the grand kids that live farther away and we are having a yogurt parfait breakfast and visit for awhile.

Till next time.

Violets and Pink

Happy after Easter Tuesday...I am breaking a record here posting two days in a row. I wanted to update my main picture, though and have worked all day trying to figure out what to put on. I like this one, called Violets and Pink. It is a wallpaper I added today and it is: 

Violets and Pink

http://nature.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/651352/

  

The Persona isn't on line yet, as they are a bit slow reviewing this week so I will add the link when it is available.

I hope you all have a good week and will pop in again soon. So, until then....

Thursday...April 28th...Well, the Violets and Pink Persona is on line at: 

https://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/400138

Checking in from the chilly Pacific Northwest!

Fall Autumn

https://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/398260

I know, it isn't autumn (yet) but it feels like it. We got spoiled on Saturday with a beautiful spring day. We also got a chance to visit and play with our three beautiful great grandsons for awhile, so it was a very precious day. The babies are growing up too fast, though. I would love to post some pictures but I don't feel I should. I do have a Persona on line of our oldest great grandson and it is called The Littlest Cowboy. It is several years old and only shows his back, so I will post it. 

https://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/268112

 I have written about him before and his love of bull riding. He gets to go to a PBR event this week end and is very excited about that. 

I hope you all had a great Easter. Our weather was not kind to us but we had a good dinner here with part of the family members and we had a really great time.

My parents used to have the family Easter dinner, and after my Dad passed away in 1999 Mom carried on the tradition by herself. I remember the last Easter she had dinner for everyone in 2002. She was 86 years old and fixed so much food you wouldn't believe! But you could tell she was tired and told us, that it would be the last Easter dinner she could fix. And sad to tell, it was. She found out a few weeks later that she had ovarian cancer and it was terminal. My brother and his wife, my sister, myself and my wonderful husband put our lives on hold that summer. Mom got to be in her own home and we took turns taking care of her with the support of Hospice. Without Hospice we wouldn't have been able to do it, but Mom got to spend her last days at home with her family. I am sitting here, a 72 year old lady crying on the keyboard as I remember those last  days with her. I miss my Mom. I have some other stories I will tell about those last months next time, but just can't right not.

This started out to be a small note about our weather and ends up being a sob story. But since Mother's Day is coming up in a few weeks Mom is on my mind a lot. So, if anyone out there is reading this, think about your Mom, give her a call if you can't be with her. You never know when she won't be there and then it is too late. If you have questions you want answers to, ask as you may not get another chance.

Till next time....have a good week.