This week Im Grateful for : Snow Plows

  After The Ice Storm

Snow really does have a way of bring out the gratefulness in you .... and we sure have had some snow this week, plus a Ice storm ...

So this week I am totally grateful for

The neighbor who plows our drive way when the snow hits us hard .... we don't have a plow and it you mean shoveling the drive way, the thought makes me shudder, and with the hubby being away from home for long periods of time when the snow comes I am really grateful to the neighbor.

I'm grateful that when the Ice Storm hit after a day of snow that we didn't lose power, this is known to happen ...but it didn't and I really am grateful for that... two kids+ no power = not a good combination.

I'm grateful for my camera ..without it I wouldn't be able to capture the things around me and as much as I dislike snow It is really pretty ....

So this week what are you grateful for.... come link up with Maxabella Loves .....

* so the reason for my absents this week ...kids home all week because of the snow..and I have been working on two new looks for my blogs..go check out TatterBeans and let me know what you think... Select All + Delete should be done by the weekend

Team Spirit..... Pulling together to help

Click here

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I personally have not said much about the disaster in Australia .... Its hard to know what to say when your so far away from something and when personally it doesn't effect you in any shape or form...

Last night as I was reading through all your grateful posts it hit me...and it was a fairly hard hit..that in some way this does effect me... 90% of my followers are Australian... (how did I get mixed up with you crazy bunch)
90% of the blogs I read are Australian ... the people who travel over to my blog and leave me love and encouragement are yet again Australian.

I am truly blessed by you guys .... and I am totally grateful to have you all in my life...
So if I did nothing and all of a sudden I lost one of you ... how would I feel ... an especially if I had done nothing....

So I'm rallying the troupes ...and pulling the stops out ....

I'm my other world ..the one where I create stuff and try to sell it .... I belong to an awesome Team .... a team of Undiscovered Artists..yes we are all new to Etsy in one way or another....

One of our team members is Australian and is in the mist of all that is going on...

So today I put it to the team that we do something .... and I'm really hoping they feel the same way as me and will jump to the challenge ..... Team Spirit

Cause every little bit helps ..... right?

Pay It Forward... You know you want to

I am paying it forward on my other blog... I linked up with MultipleMum 


You are all welcome to come on over and join in.... TatterBeans Photography

I would love you to in fact

This week Im Grateful for : The Sun and the Snow

When a storm visits and you live in  New Hampshire the only thing you can do is run and hide....

Anyone who lives in my neck of the woods will tell you it can get fairly mean and nasty at times....

Waiting for the sun to come out is like waiting for the Queen of England to visit but she came today in all her glory and it was so pretty for a while.

So I'm so grateful this week for the sun ...... and blue skies

I'm also grateful that my husband made it home safety after plowing for nearly 30 hrs straight ...

And as much as it may not seem like I'm grateful for the snow I am ...it keeps my children busy as they build forts .... or Ice castles as I have just been informed.
It pays use a good wage, and puts food on our table, and that I'm totally grateful for

The two photos I have posted are for Maxabella ...

In her own words

 "I LOVE seeing the snowed-in photos. It's just so EXOTIC as I sit here in the sweltering humidity of a Sydney Summer. So beautiful your way and it makes me just want to come over right now. I think I would love to live in the snow... x "

You would be welcome anytime here my  friend... just make sure you bring your thermals 

What are you grateful for this week.
Hop on over to Maxabella Loves and link up with this weeks Grateful posts ......

Snow Snow and a Swollen Eye

 The mountains this morning

Let me here you say BLIZZARD .....

yes it sure was.... it went on all day and didn't stop to even snow ....

My husband left the house at 3am in the morning came home at 9.30pm and left again at 1am* ... if I didn't know better Id say he was avoiding me.


The kids sat on the floor in an pile of throws and pillows snuggled up and watched movies, read books, colored, and munched on what ever I supplied.

The dog drove us mad, mainly cause all he wants to do is go play in it.

I manged to get some editing done.

Bip and myself shoveled snow a few times

The aftermath looks a bit like this

 Now I mentioned a swollen eye.. well its more like a swollen eye lid.... Not sure what is going on here... a paramedic said it looked like I had been bite... as I have a very hard lump just above my eye around my eye brow.... its painful its unsightly ..and its itchy

I'm not really into posting pictures of myself... but you have to see this... I think I did a round with Mike Tyson in my sleep

 This is looking good to be honest .... my eye lid is open which it wasn't this morning

I am going to leave you with my eye to stare at..as I'm staring at you ... wish I could wink !

*(he was plowing)

Stop the Bus I Want to Get Off !

Image Credit

Do you ever feel like you have so much to do that you could really do with asking God for an extra hour or two in the day?

I have been feeling like this for days now....

There just isn't enough hours in my day to complete all that I want/need to do..

With all the best intentions in the world I still don't get it all done...

My list is just getting longer and longer

Today's to do list looks like this

Write a blog post or two
Write a short bio and product an editorial to send out
Produce a template for Tatter Beans News Letter (look to the right and you will see a sigh up box... feel free to sign up and keep up to date with all that I'm doing)
Research new marking ideas
Do some ironing ( the kids look like scruffs in creased up clothes)
Clean the bathroom
Get some inspiration for Ester,Mothers day and father days prints/cards
Find a company that will fulfill my production needs .... and delivery deadlines
Work on a new product for my shop
Look at blogs to send my editorial to

Ok I am going stop there ... there a few other to dos on the list but Ive done them ....

I have this overwhelming feeling that I'm not going to get it all done today ....  and tomorrow just may be a wash out ... as we wait for the  next snow storm and the anticipation of a snow day for school.

Are you feeling over whelmed with all that you need to do today?
Please let me know I'm not alone .......

Sharing is Caring

Today I needed to come up with something to keep the kids occupied... its snowing outside and its really cold... they where a bit bored with the toys that had for Christmas..

My kids move on fast...faster than I can keep up with them..

So I decided to go see what I could find on the world wide web ... always a good place to start ..

I nipped onto face book.. as you do ..and saw this ...

Valentina Ramos Your kids (or you!) like to paint?
Take those crayons and play a little ;)
download the “Little Tractorcito” coloring page here:

How blessed was I, this kept them out of my hair for a good 45 minutes

Thank you Valentina you saved my bacon this afternoon.

Click on Valentina's name and you to can have this to keep your child happy for a while

and then go check out her work... she is a very talented lady 

This week Im Grateful for : New Ideas

 

Image Credit 

New ideas keep you on your toes... and moving forward...
They keep you inspired and creative .... and they even get the children involved if your brave enough

So This week I am grateful for

New Ideas: Sometime ago I said I was going to recycle paper into paper... so for months now we have been collecting paper ... I think we collected that much that we may have put the recycling center out of business.
We have had so much fun over the last couple of days putting into color order and piles... and today the process began ... Ill update you on the out come of the first batch

A winter cold: well I'm not totally grateful for it... I'm just grateful that its stayed away as long as it has... I work up this morning feeling rather crabby and stuffed up... I'm just grateful it waited until after the holidays.

Laughter: I am grateful that we as a family can laugh, despite the problems we may have ... we still laugh with joy with each other and at each other...

I just put Bip to bed.. he's nine now and doesn't need nor want  me to put him to bed... but I begged so much tonight he allowed me to... but not before he rolled around on the floor laughing so hard at my begging act...

Hey if it means I get a goodnight cuddle Ill keep begging ... because before I know it he will be eighteen and then Ill have no chance

So what are you grateful for this week... pop on over to Maxabella Loves and link up your Grateful post ...

Back Breaking

This is going to be a very short post.

For days now I have spent much of my time crouched over my computer editing...
and my back is some what worse for wear 

Remember I said I lost a lot of stuff after a power surge 

Well the final product is done and I thought I might share it with you all..

So here is the Love Collection

 

Well part of it ....

there is a few more prints that make up this collection

I truly believe that Valentines day isn't just for loves....... its for anyone who you love ...

My mom always send me a card ...and I always send her one to ... Its my favorite day of the year

Marbles

  Imagine Credit

Did you play marbles as a child?

Personally speaking I didn't but my middle brother did, I never really saw the point of it to be honest .... and I can say that the rules ..I think each kids made up his/her own.... were always confusing.


There is also this expression which involves marbles which I never really understood until last night

"Ive lost my Marbles" or I'm losing my Marbles"

I sat yesterday for nearly 6 hours editing some photography.....

I have to say I do this most days and after a while it can become very frustrating.

I am also a very messy worker, yes I said messy ...

I have over layers and photos all over the screen and there is no real order to how I work ...

So back to my marbles.... I'm editing the phone rings its my mom.

The whole world stops when my mom calls .....Mom England ,Me States

To cut a long story very short by the time I get of the phone and go pick my children up of the bus and get them sorted with homework snacks and other things kids need when they get in from school... there was a power surge and both my computes had crashed and I had lost nearly everything I had been working on.


That is enough to make a girl lose her Marbles

Before you Know it

 Imagine Credit

Before you know it its all over with and your entering into something new...

A New Year...
A New Adventure
A change in direction, something for yourself, something for the family...

New Year means different things for different people....

I don't make resolutions ...

I make goals ...

Goals I want to reach and achieve, for myself, for my family and now for my business...

Everything is reachable I believe, it just takes some time and a bit of effort to reach it...

Its like a can that's on a shelve that you cant quiet get to...

What do you do leave it there

Or ...

Go and get a stepping stool and climb and get what it was your were reaching for......

Once your on top of the stool its surprising what else you can see at that height

So as we head into the New year I'm on top of my stool

And I'm reaching up

I wish you all a the best for this New Year ... I pray you find your stepping stool of life 

What will you reaching for this New Year?