Lucky you!

(OK- here we go. Some of the ladies in my family are playing this game. I m such a procrastinator that I was reluctant to join in. Then I decided that surely, I could manage to make and deliver five simple items over the course of 12 months.)

The first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.It may be a story. It may be poetry, shoes, bags, or a little invention of my own! I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. Believe me... it may blow your mind!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!
Sounds like fun, right?

So, let's play!

I confess, I am responding to offers from two people but only making this offer once. And keep an open mind when you get your item from me ;)

Where did the time go?

This evening we went to Grandma's House to visit with Shari and her family. There must have been at least a million people (give or take several hundred thousand) in their condo. But it all went well and it was nice to get to see everyone. People brought salads and deserts and someone sent me out to pick up 7 pizzas. So everyone seemed to be well fed and visited.

I grew up in a home with 6 children. Of course everyone is grown up now with children and in many cases grand children. Where does your life go? One minute you are the little guy in short pants, the next you are old, bald and your grandchildren are the little guys. Where does the time go? Do I want to go back - not really, this time in my life seems to be the most satisfying.

The pictures you've all been waiting for

We’re almost done. We’ll wait on the micro-kitchen for a while, but the rest is pretty much done. So here are some pictures. (Just add décor-eventually)




Oak trim down the stairs and around all the doors

This is how we cut back the stairs

Stained oak frames the windows



The ceiling and most of the walls are soft blue

This is where the micro-kitchen will be at some point

You missed one (or more)

When we went to Hawaii we had to change planes in Honolulu to get to the Big Island. Go! Airline charges for every checked bag so we decided to save $27 and check only one bag and carry-on the other two. We quickly felt around in our baggage to make sure there weren’t any unauthorized liquids lurking. Then we checked our biggest bag and sent the rest through the security screening. Sure enough, the screener felt something was amiss. He was sure there was a container of liquids- in my computer bag (which had already been through a screening in Salt Lake). The screener had the bag searched by another TSA agent. Was it my cheese stick? No, said the screener. Was it my solid-stick lotion? Again, no. Back through the machine went my computer bag. He insisted there were liquids. The other agent insisted the bag was clean. Finally my bag and I were reunited and we were on the way.

The whole point of this story? Once we got to our room that night, what did I find in the other, previously checked suitcase that became a carry-on? A carry-on that had sailed through the screening just ahead of my computer bag? What was right on top in an outside pocket of that bag? My quart-sized plastic bag crammed full of containers of liquids. A plastic bag that I should have been pulled from the suitcase for screening. A plastic bag that should have been caught by the screener and his machine.

Does this make sense?

Every time we leave Hawaii to come home, we go through a process that mystifies me. When you get to the airport, your checked baggage has to go through an inspection by the USDA. This is done by running the bags through a big machine. The goal is to prevent you from taking anything to the mainland that might be harmful to agriculture. I totally agree with this goal. We don’t want any more exotic fruit flies or fungal diseases getting loose. The part that I just don’t get about the process is that only checked baggage is inspected, not carry-on bags. If you want to keep all those little bad guys from getting out of Hawaii (and yes, we really should), shouldn’t you inspect EVERY bag? I had plenty of room in my carry-on bag for a few pieces of disease-ridden plants and fruit fly-infested bananas. I’m pretty sure lots of forbidden stuff leaves the islands in “small personal items.” It just mystifies me.