Happy Thanksgiving

Hey bloggers!

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Seems there's always something to complain about -- road construction that forces us to go miles out of our way (always in a hurry, aren't we?), 'fast food' places that are really not 'fast' and sometimes not even 'food', pharmacies that put our prescriptions back into inventory too soon (that just happened to me today). But...we have SO much to be thankful for, don't we? Like a job. I love mine. And I love the people that I work with. Family? Oh yeah! Tops my list. [Love you guys!]. A place to call 'home'. A wife that puts up with all my 'craftiness'. Yep. So much to be thankful for.

Be safe and have a great holiday.

The Grist Mill at Bonneyville Mill Park

Family Photo Op

Hey bloggers....Wow..three posts in the same week.  That might be a record for me!  LOL!!

We were at one of our county parks the other day for a little outing.  Unfortunately, we had so much rain the past few days the walking trails were so muddy it was impossible to use them.  Fortunately, the sun was shining and I had my camera (never leave home without it).

A little bit of editing via Picnik (I really like that program) and voila, we have a photo:

Crafty Dad, Crafty Mom, Riley,
Mr. Teenager and Little Guy

Here are a few more:

Hope you're enjoying the Autumn season.

Take care!

Not So Fast ...

Hey bloggers...it's the crafty guy again. You know--the one with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Just to keep you REALLY updated, I've decided to cool my jets on the Stampin' Up career (for now anyhow). My wife (bless her heart -- love you honey!) reminded me that I have about 1,452 things going right now and adding any more might put me (or her) over the edge. And...nobody likes the 'over-the-edge' thing. So. I'm going to behave and deal with what's currently on my overflowing plate.

A HUGE thank you goes out to Mike and Mary (SU! demonstrators) for their kindness in answering so many of my questions. If YOU are looking to get involved with Stampin' Up, I highly recommend you get in touch with them. They are THE BEST and although I've only known them for a very short time, I can tell that they are wonderful people and would do just about anything to help you along in your Stampin' Up adventure. And...even if you're not looking to become a SU! consultant, check out there websites for some of the most creative card-making you'll find on the web. Truly amazing. And...make sure you check out Mary's craft space (there's a link on her blog). OMG...it's so great. A beautiful place to create. I'm jealous. :-)

So where do I go from here? Well...I'm going into purge mode. I really MUST get rid of some stuff. I don't really want to give it all away...so I'm going to try to dedicate maybe one night a week where I can list some items on eBay and try to make a buck or two. Hey: let me know if you're in the market for a cover stitch machine. I just happen to have an almost brand new one from Janome. It's only been used about fifteen (15) minutes. I bought it thinking I just HAD to have one (wrong). So...my loss will be someone's gain. If I remember correctly, I paid almost $300.00 for it. Yikes! But it's just taking up space in my craft corner...so it's time for it to find a new home. Let me know if you're interested.

Enough of the ranting already. I'll leave you with some photos (click on them for a better view) I took a few weeks ago as we were closing up the park model. I've never seen Canada Geese on the lake...but they must have decided to take a break and wow...there were tons of them on the water.

Early Autumn at the lake

More geese...and beautiful Autumn colors.

An empty campground.

Have a great day!

Just Checking In ...

Yes, I'm up a tree and wondering where to go from here! (Kidding of course, I mean I'm kidding about the 'up a tree part'). I'm always wondering where to go from here.

Riley says "hello".

As always, it's been a hectic time. Work has been extra-full of challenges. But..I'm happy to have a job. Don't get me wrong, okay?

We're off to a soccer match (Little Guy's first one of the season). And, Mr. Teenager has a band contest 2-1/2 hours away. He has to be a the high school at 10:45 this morning and (get this) won't get home until almost 1:00 A.M. on Sunday. THAT's a long day. And he (we) get to do it all over again next week. Wow!

The marching band is looking good. I got a little choked up watching them perform at last night's football game. They are good, very good. It's not the marching band that my wife and I were in when we were in high school. No no no. It's very different. But they look good and they sound good. Hope they do well when they perform for the judges tonight under the lights in Lafayette, IN.

BTW: both my boys were elected to Student Council yesterday. This is Little Guy's first year (he's pretty psyched up about it).

Have a great (safe) weekend bloggers!

First glimpse of Fall. A leaf on the shore at the lake.

P.S. In case you haven't notice, Fall is right around the corner.

Wait...what's this? A Finished Project? Yeppers!

It feels like months have gone by since I've actually 'made' something. So I was so excited to be able to start AND finish something this weekend. Nothing big...but hey: these days anything is good.

Little Guy is in YMCA Soccer again this fall and for those of you in the soccer circuit, you know how nasty those soccer shoes can be after practice or a game, right? With all the mud and grass, and .... half the soccer field in between those cleats. Yeah...Thought so. Well...rather than have Little Guy take them off and toss them in a plastic bag from the grocery store when he climbs in the car, I created a draw-string shoe bag. And he likes it. A lot. He smiled BIG TIME when I showed it to him. Ahhh, the little things.

I found a valance (you know, the curtain type) at the Thrift Shop awhile back. Not knowing what it might become, but too nice to pass up. That pretty much sums up my Thrift Shop mentality: never knowing what it might become, but too nice to pass up. I like that! [My wife thinks I'm nuts....]

So...here's the finished project. A simple un-lined bag. But it will more than serve the purpose I think. Don't you?

Soccer Shoe Bag

PS: Do you know how I can tell that it's back-to-school time? Because I have about ten (10) pairs of jeans/khaki pants to shorten. Yeah...the CraftyDad family is a bit on the 'less than tall' side of things. [Note to self: so thankful to have the machines to make quick work out of all this.]

Buried in the Corn Box

Corn Box - Autumn 2008
Originally uploaded by crafty dad

A few weekends ago, we visited A-Mazing Acres to get our pumpkins.

And...to bury the Little Guy in corn kernels. Both seem to be traditions. And traditions can be very good.

Creative Yard Ornamentation

This is not a very good photo. But I wanted to share it with you so I took it with my camera phone the other day as I was driving back to the office from lunch.

This yard is decorated like this each year. And every year I promise myself I'll remember my camera and get a good shot before the wind and rain take its toll.

I hope your week is going well. There was snow on the ground here this morning. Bummer.

Happy Friday!

Woo Hoo! It's Friday. And I'm lovin' it.

Last weekend was the annual trip to the pumpkin patch. It's called A-Mazing Acres because.....it is amazing and it has a corn maze and....it is several acres in size. Makes sense, right?

More photos soon.

Have a great day.

Soccer Star

Ready for another match.

The team members received their medals after the game.
Excited? Happy? Proud? You betcha!

Saturday's To Do List

Crisp. Fall. Morning.

Let's see:

• Little Guy's soccer match
• Lunch perhaps?
• School projects (both for Son No. 1 and the Little Guy)
• Hem some pants (daytime high temps are NOT what they used to be)
• Start making the coaster sets I cut out several weeks ago
  
• Relax (if possible)
• Church at 5:30
• Finish up what doesn't get done during the day
• Get some photos uploaded to Flickr so I can share them with you
  
• Whew!

Update:

• My little guy's team won the soccer match (1-0) It was an awesome game. All the kids (from both teams) did a great job and had a good time, which is a very important part of the whole 'game' thing in my opinion.
  
• Lunch: Hacienda Mexican Restaurant (I ate way too many tortilla chips)
• Hemming pants: so far five pairs (with the help of my wife --thank you Honey!)
• Now...it's off to Barnes & Noble and church.

So Very Thankful --

For so many things. Even though I've been crabby and complaining about my stress level and work load (at work) I'm SO happy to have a job that I really like (most of the time LOL!). And a wonderful, supportive, gracious, (the list goes on) wife. And two of the best kids in the world. And last, but certainly not least, the fantastic blogosphere of crafty people. You are some of the most talented, creative and caring people on the planet.

You make my day. You really do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

More Blue Wednesday

Okay, I'm going overboard here, I know. But really. Have you ever seen such a B:L:U:E sky? I ask you: Well??? Have you?

Ok. That is all.

Blue Wednesday

Woo Hoo...three days in a row with the color theme started by JCasa. I'm so proud of myself. Ha!

A sea of blue. The combined Seventh Grade Band at this year's Fall Band Festival. This is the second year of band for my oldest son. He loves it! And has a ton of fun with the other kids. Their musical skills are vastly improved over last year. My wife and I were so impressed. Like 'goose bumpy impressed'. The kids really worked hard and the concert was a hit.

Blue sky. Green and amber trees. And a hint of russet. Against a beautiful blue sky.

Tuesday :: Grey

In keeping with JC Handmade's color of the day theme this week, I humbly offer this splash of grey.

Grey. With a touch of gemstones. The boys panned for gold and gemstones during their trip to pick out pumpkins this year. Amazing Acres is just that: amazing. As part of the tradition, my dad accompanied us on the trip. We had a great time. Feeding the goats, laughing at the goats, playing in the 'cornbox' (think sandbox, but instead of sand, it's filled with kernels of dried corn).

My oldest son is making a corn-angel in the cornbox. And my little guy is jumping in to join him (upper left-hand corner). They had a great time that day.

Yummy, Yummy Pumpkin Bread

Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven. My wife made four loaves of scrumptious pumpkin bread this weekend. Just add butter and you are in heaven. The plate is a thrift-store find from a few months ago.

Autumn Sights Around the House

In the foyer.

On the computer desk. A cute little Halloween tree we found at Michaels a couple weekends ago. We've seen Easter trees, but this is the first Halloween tree we've found. Cute, eh?

Two or three packages of ornaments later.

One of my favorites.

Closeup shot of the runner on the dining room table.

Summer is winding down

and it's really feeling like fall. The days are certainly getting shorter. I had so much fun this summer. I stayed up late and got up early. It was wonderful. Now the seasons are changing and I feel like I need to hibernate. It's depressing. I think I'm suffering from that ....what's it called? Not enough light. I don't even know what to Google to figure out what I'm thinking about. How lame is that?

Black eyed Susans at the mailbox. They seem to take forever to bloom, but once they start....they seem to stay forever. I'm sure the mailman really appreciates them sticking out in the road. Oh well.

Up close and personal.

See...the leaves on the trees are starting to turn color.
Summer, summer, where art thou?
I want you back!

Kid Krafts - Halloween Projects

A quick trip to Michael's Craft Store and $40.00 later, we had craft projects for everyone. Here's just a couple of them.


Here's my little guy working on his paper mache pumpkin. Folk Art paint was on sale. I think we paid 89 cents for the bottle. And the color? Oh...it's "pumpkin", of course. :-)


My middle-school guy bought this and had it whipped together in no time. Wow....he takes after his crafty dad. I gotta say.

:: Creepy Close Up ::

I even found some great W-O-O-L yarn. That's wool as in sheep. As in non-acrylic. Getting the picture? Knitter dudes take note: Crafty Dad found him some natural fiber and snatched it up at just $1.00/skein. Sorry...no pictures as proof, so you'll just have to believe me guys.

P.S. The 40% off coupon is a good thing.