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.]

Friday Wrap Up

Oh, yeah...I'm still here. I swear: I tell myself that I'm going to do better at keeping the blog posts coming...and I fail. It's crazy.

Here are a few things that happned since my last post:

• The boys started school (Little Guy is a 4th Grader this year; Mr. Teenager is a Freshman in High School).
• The new dishwasher was installed and is working like a charm. It's not as quiet as I thought it would be, but that's not a big deal. It does a great job of cleaning and drying. Love it.
• Riley Roo is growing into his long, lanky legs. The puppy stage is still at 100%: chewing, etc., is still full-force. He is not fond of water at this point. The boys took him into the lake last weekend and he did the dog-paddle stroke like a pro!
• I decided to re-teach myself how to knit. Wish me luck on that one. I've been crocheting for many years and I find it very difficult to use two pointy sticks after using one hook for so long.
• I downloaded lots of Cast-On podcasts to my iPod. [If you're a knitter, you will soon become a fan of Brenda Dayne. Check out www.cast-on.com for more info. Brenda is a hoot and her podcasts are full of hooty stuff. [Not sure if "hooty" is a word, but let's go with it, okay?]
• Joined Ravelry (feel free to become my freind. My username = craftydad) Go figure!
• Joined the forum at KnitPicks.com (my username = craftydad) Go figure, again!
• I crocheted two wash cloths using 100% cotton yarn (Peaches and Cream brand). Photos? [Insert hearty laugh here] Hmmm, perhaps later.
• A nasty storm came through the area the other night....we needed the rain..but tornados were not on our wish list. We lucked out: no damage at all. The town west of South Bend (where I work) didn't fare so well. Big-time damage there. Why is it that bad weather happens when it's pitch black outside. [That's a rhetorical question....I don't need any scientific answer. Unless you really want to...then that's okay too.
• I got my new sewing/embroidery machine from Ken's Sewing Center. I have only had a few minutes to play with it. From what I can tell, it's a great machine. Does a lot of nice stitches. Has needle up/down setting (a very big 'plus'); has auto thread cutting feature (never had that before...I like it!)
• Lots of medium- to large-scale projects have launched at work (yes...I have a day-job like many of you). I dream of doing this full-time; but I don't think the salary is high enough to support my family and craft lifestyle. [Donations welcome :-) ]
• I've taken a few pictures.
• I sent off the photos Mr. Teenager took during his trip to Washington D.C. back in June.

Here's the Brother sewing/emboridery machine that I got:

So...what have you been up to?

Tonight is the first home football game at Mr. Teenager's high school. Mr. Teenager plays alto saxophone in the marching band and will be performing at half-time. Crafty Mom, Little Guy and I will be there cheering him (and the rest of the band) on. I'm praying for a nice, cool, breezy, DRY evening. You know: sweater weather.*

Oh...almost forgot: next week I'll have a Freebie Friday giveaway going on. I'm giving away a really nice book I found at the thrift shop. Of course I can't remember the title...it's on the nightstand at home. But...it's a nice, hardback book with the words "Seasons" and "Farms" (i think) in it. It's a Country Living book and I think the winner will be happy to have it.

Next week peeps!

Stay tuned for the second Freebie Friday




That's it for now. Have a great weekend.

*Edited to add: Oh, it was sweater weather alright. And rain poncho weather too. Just as the band was taking the field for the pre-game show (National Anthem and School Fight Song), the rain came down. Not hard, but nice a steady, get-you-all-wet kind of rain. Crafty Mom was smart (as always) and brought along sweatshirts, weather-proof blankets and umbrellas. Let's hope Mr. Teenager's saxophone pads aren't all stuck when he goes to play it on Monday (his horn is spending the weekend in its band locker). Oy!

Things We Take for Granted - Dishwashers Included

[CUE UP Joni Mitchell song] "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone."




And that goes for kitchen appliances too. Seems the dishwasher is trying to nickel and dime us to death. Well...we ain't gonna put up with that. No sir. It ain't gonna happen. It's a Frigidaire brand (it came with the house when we moved in about seven years ago.) It's not antique or anything, but .... the darned thing is working against us.

First, the springs in the door decided to go. Called the local repair guy and they fixed it. To a tune over $100.00. Then...just last week, the door handle decided to stick: Can't open it; can't close it. Not good.

Rather than continue to pour money into this monster, the wife and I decided it was time to invest in a new one. So we made a trip to Sears last Sunday and bought a new one. It's scheduled for delivery/installation today. (Keeping my fingers crossed that the guy shows up on time and that the process is a smooth one.)

I read some real horror stories on some new dishwashers as I was researching online. Comments like: "leaked all over the floor first time we used it", "it's not getting the dishes clean", "the soap compartment door won't open", "it takes over 2 hours for a wash cycle to complete", "I can get more dishes in my OLD machine". Geesh! We don't need any of that.

Here's the scoop on the new dishwasher. It will match the stove, microwave and refrigerator. Yee haa! OH...and it was on sale, and we are getting a rebate on the delivery and installation fee. And.....they are taking the old dishwasher with them. How cool is that?

Have a great weekend, bloggers!

P.S. The dishwasher guy is installing the new machine as I type this. He told my wife that you should not put any money into a dishwasher that's over five years old. And...he says that Frigidaire, Maytag and GE are the worst machines you can get. They are not the high-quality machines of older days. He also told us we were smart to buy the extended maintenance agreement -- if the control panel goes bad it would be $350 plus labor. Ouch!

Tee for Two

I bought a new camcorder during the Day-After-Thanksgiving craziness last year.  I've shot several movies, but am just starting to figure out how to get them from the camera to the PC to ..... a DVD or wherever.

The boys got golf clubs a couple weeks ago (sort of an 'allowance' for the summer).  We've been visiting the driving range the past couple of Sundays so they could practice their skills.  I thought it would be a great way for me to grab some video and try to get it uploaded to YouTube. 

Without further adieu, here's Tee For Two:

Just Another Manic Monday

Hey bloggers! Welcome to another week of fun and excitement (well...I hope so anyway!)

We spent the weekend at the lake. Nice weather. Warm days, cool evenings. Perfect. I'm just having a really tough time dealing with the fact that it's August and the boys will be going back to school on the 18th. Bummer. They don't seem as bothered about it as I do. I guess that's what happens when you get older. Oh. Well.

The new sewing machine is really nice. I've not had a lot of time to test it out, but so far, so good. Very nice machine. Has a great needle-threading option (great for aging eyes), has a needle-down option (always a good thing) and also has a thread cutting function (very cool!). I'm working on a tote bag with a musical theme. It's a vintage-ish piece of fabric I got from a sweet, little old lady in Michigan. She's closing down her sewing business and is going thru the de-stash process. Bless her heart! She didn't have too much for me to choose from, but I found a few things. I'll share a photo of the bag once it's a little further along.

My wife found some wild raspberries at the lake and suggested I take the boys berry-picking. So...berry-picking we did. And the camera went along with us. Here are some shots from our little nature walk.

Until next time, have a great day!

Green Clean

I found a great little book the other day at the library and wanted to share a couple "recipes" with you.


From The Naturally Clean Home - 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas for Green Cleaning. [ISBN: 978-1-60342-085-3]

[Photo: stock.xchng]

Basic Sink Cleanser

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 3 drops lavender, rosemary, lemon, lime, or orange essential oil*

Combine all ingredients. Rinse sink well with hot water. Put the cleanser in the sink and wipe with a sponge or cloth. Rinse again with hot water.

*If you're looking for essential oils, you can usually find several varieties at health food stores. Or....Google it on your favorite browser and surf, surf, surf. You can also find lots of them on eBay.



Super-Easy Automatic Dishwasher Powder

• 2 cups washing soda*
• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup baking soda

Combine all ingredients and store in a plastic container. To use, add about two (2) tablespoons to the soap compartment of your dishwasher. If you find your glasses are getting a residue buildup, then reduce this amount to 1-1/2 tablespoons.


*Washing soda is NOT the same as baking soda. I had a really hard time finding washing soda at the grocery stores in my hometown. Some wonderful person on a blog or forum (sorry, can't remember) suggested Kroger's. Yep: they had it. Right next to the borax in the laundry detergent aisle.



Last tip of the day: if you're in the market for a book, please check out Better World Books. They are located in my area (Northern Indiana) and have oodles of titles to choose from (new and used). And...shipping is free. Yes: F - R - E - E! And...they use environmentally-friendly packaging materials. And...they support world literacy -- big time. Check them out when you want an alternative to the 'big box web-stores'.

Food, Flowers and Frivolty

Not much going on 'craft-wise', so I thought I'd share some more photos from this past weekend at the lake.

Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market and they were loaded with vendors and customers. Just the way I like it! We found lots of fresh veggies. Not too many tomatoes yet (we bought the best we could find), but plenty of summer squash, onions, zucchini, green peppers and cucumbers.

Farmer's Market Fare

We bought several and later that day Crafty Mama cooked them up on the grill. Excellent. The boys and I kept saying, "Oh my gosh..this is so good" all through mealtime. (What a great way to make Mama proud: compliment her cooking. Oh yeah!)

Chicken Kabobs, Onions and Green Peppers on the grill

Here's a big shout out to Linda (our neighbor at the lake) and her beautiful lily.

Linda's Lovely Lily

OH, and I'm am doing my part to stimulate the economy. It's been a while since I've added to my family of sewing/craft machines. So....I ordered a new combo sewing and embroidery machine from my favorite shop. Ken's Sewing Center is the best place to find great machines at great prices. Give them a call or look them up on the web. They are also on eBay. Their seller ID is "easyterms". They always have lots of great stuff for sale. Prices are low and many times they offer FREE shipping. And they have nice warranties too. Can't pass that up.

Here's the cool machine that I bought:

Brother Sewing/Embroidery Machine (Model HE-240)

Happy Hump Day. We've made it halfway through the week. Can we do it? Yes we can!

Take care!

Puppy Update

Crafty Mama with Riley [07.25.09]
Originally uploaded by crafty dad

Puppies sure do grow fast! Riley is now ten weeks old and has just about doubled in size since we got him three weeks ago. Un. Real.


Ready for a great photo? Okay. Here you go:

Happy Monday!

Busy, Busy, Weekend

Hey Bloggers!  Welcome to the middle of another week.  Summer is marching on, so be sure to take advantage of those daylight hours.  Soak up that sun (don't forget the sunscreen!) and enjoy the warm weather while you can.  It was an overcast, misty, rainy, kind of weekend for the Crafty Dad house, so we skipped the trip to the lake and, instead, worked in the basement.

In case you don't already know, I'm a pack rat.  In fact...I'm the King Pack Rat (any questions?  just ask my wife.  On second thought.....don't.)  I spend many of my lunch hours visiting Goodwill Stores and the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift shop.  It's amazing what I find there.  I'm a sucker for 'something for nothing' and can't seem to pass up a good deal.  Problem is, where do you put all this stuff?  Answer:  the basement.

Our basement is 50% finished so I can't stash my stuff there.  However...the other half is unfinished and you'd be surprised how much crap stuff you can store in there.  The shelves were overflowing, the counter-tops of my crafty corner were buried, there was stuff under the counter and all over the floor.  No.  I did not take any 'before' pictures.  That would be embarrassing.  I will get some 'after' shots taken so I can at least prove to you that I did clean up my mess.

A few months ago, I got a hairbrained idea that I needed a more permanent work space for all my projects.  When we remodeled the kitchen, I talked my wife into keeping the old counter-tops for a good reason:  me!  With my dad's help, we created a pegboard wall (I love pegboard) and a nice L-shaped work space.  It's nothing you'd find in a magazine or on the Ikea website, but it works for me and I enjoy working in my space (when I can actually find my space).

[Note to self:   STOP bringing sh!t home.  You have enough of everything.  You need to sit down and start making stuff so you can list it on Etsy or eBay or start making gifts for the upcoming Holiday season.]

I told my wife I would be happy to de-clutter, de-stash, whatever you want to call it, so long as she'd help me build ANOTHER pegboard wall.  She agreed.  [Love you honey!]  So, a couple weeks ago the boys and I went to Menards and bought some more 2 x 4's, two more 4 x 8' sheets of white pegboard (white makes the area brighter; the natural pegboards and way to dark for me), a box of long screws, a box of shorter screws (both in the square-head version, which I did not realize until this weekend.  [Thanks Dad for leaving the square driver bit with me!]

The wall is complete.  I even found a nice pair of cafe' curtains to cover the one and only window in the basement.  Touche'

Now...the de-cluttering continues.  I'm trying to have a critical eye towards all the crap stuff I have.  Some of my 'treasures' have been sitting around for quite some time....and I think it's time we parted company.  It sounds really strange, but some of the stuff I bought at St. Vinnie's is going back to, well, it's going back to St. Vinnie's.  [I can hear you laughing.....and I'll bet some of you have done the same thing.  Admit it.  We have a problem.  Perhaps there's a 12-Step Program for us.  "Hello, my name is Crafty Dad and I buy too much sh!t at all the Thrift shops within a 50 mile radius of my home."]  Please tell me there's hope for us.  Ah, but I digress -- big time.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, the wall is up, the 1957 Singer 401(a) sewing machine has a home, the coverstitch machine (oh yeah, I had to have one those...) has a semi-permanent place to sit, the blindhemmer is still where he was (and that's okay for now).  The blindhemmer was a smart purchase (I can justify anything, okay?).  But really, we are short-ish people and most of the slacks we purchase need to be shortened.  The blind hemming machine is a godsend.

Now it's time to go thru the collection fabric and 'other stuff'.  I will be so excited to have some 'space' when I'm all done.  It will so cool to be able to escape to my crafty corner of the world and be able to do all those projects that I've had floating around in my head for so long.

And the Freebie Friday Award Goes To ...

Lisa !

The random number generator cranked out No. 9 and ... you were No. 9 on my list.

(Click on the image so you can actually read it.)

Congratulations Lisa! You are the first Freebie Friday winner. You'll be receiving an all-expense-paid trip to .... Whoops, wrong prize. Sorry Lisa.

You'll be receiving some of my new lemongrass-scented bath and body products:

• Glycerin soap bar
• Hand and body lotion (4.0 oz.)
• Shower/Bath Gel (4.0 oz.)

I will get your items all packed up and sent off to you as soon as I receive your mailing address. An email will be sent to you soon....please reply with your shipping address and we'll be all set!

Thanks to all of you for playing along. I had a lot of fun with this. My next giveaway includes a beautiful Country Living hardback book and who-knows-what-else.

And Lisa...I expect a product review from you. I really want to know what you think of the soap, gel and lotion.

Until next time, take care bloggers!



P.S. If you're interested in the lemongrass products (in all seriousness they are really, really nice), please visit my Etsy shop later this week and grab some before they're gone.

Freebie Friday!

Hey bloggers! Happy Friday....and welcome to the first Freebie Friday. I appreciate you guys so much that each month I'm going to pick one Friday to be Freebie Friday. I'll give away something to the lucky winner.




How do you play? It's easy. You need to sign up for my mailing list to be eligible. It's just that simple. Then...on the designated Friday I'll draw a random name out the 'hat' and that's the winner. There will also be a blog post explaining the Friday Freebie. I told you it was easy!

I'm a bit behind (so what else is new, right?) but I do have one picture of my lemongrass glycerin soap that is part of this week's giveaway. The winner will get one super-lathery bar of soap PLUS... 4 oz. of lemongrass hand/body lotion and 4 oz. of lemongrass shower gel. These are not store-bought: all three items are custom-made and packaged by me. You are gonna smell REALLY good...I promise.

Here's what the soap looks like:

Lemongrass Glycerin Soap with Real Lemongrass

The lotion and shower gel come in a 4 oz. squeeze bottle (technical term: 'tottle'). This is the type of bottle that stands on its cap so the lotion/gel is always ready for dispensing. I've been using the lotion and gel for a few weeks and have tested it out on some co-workers too. They LOVE it. And I think you will too.

So...this is your FINAL CHANCE to get in the drawing. If you haven't already, please use the mailing list sign-up form in the right hand column [ over there ----> ] and get registered. I'll be drawing a name over the weekend and will post the winner's name on Monday. Then...I'll contact the winner to get his/her mailing address.

Lemongrass is an uplifting, energizing scent. It's great all year 'round, but I especially like it as a summertime scent.

Okay...get busy. And Good Luck!

New Floor in the Park Model

I'll bet you didn't know that Crafty Mama and I were so talented, did you? Well...when we put our minds to it, we can do just about anything. [Note to self: hire someone to strip the ugly-ass wallpaper off the bedroom walls.]

During the cold, cold winter months the park model remains unheated. And we've never had any trouble with anything. We have it professional winterized each fall and we put little containers of moth balls around (to ward off any pesky mice). But we got an really unpleasant surprise when we opened up our unit this year.

The vinyl flooring in the kitchen and entryway was split in several places. It was like someone came in and took a utility knife to it. It was sliced in pie-shaped triangles from wall to wall. Ugg!

We got an estimate on having it replaced. After picking each other off the floor (the estimate was a tad bit too much to appreciate and we both about fainted!) we decided we could/would do it ourselves. So...Crafty Mama made a few trips to Lowe's and Menard's to pick out some nice square vinyl tiles. The kind that you peel and stick. I was a bit hesitant at first...not sure if the "stick-em" kind was going to be a good idea (as opposed to vinyl that comes off a roll). But, thankfully, the project moved along faster and better that I imagined. In fact, it would have been a huge PITA* to deal with a sheet of vinyl as there's not a great deal of space to work in, and there were TONS of places that had to be notched out.

IN case you didn't know, I carry my camera with me everywhere, but do you think I had it when we opened the park model? Nope. So...I don't have any good photos to show you of the 'before' shot. However, here are a few pics to show you how it ended up. Bottom line: it's nicer than the original floor. We love it.

Thanks Honey for all your hard work! Crafty Mama makes a great partner in these handy-man/woman projects.

Before

During

More "During"



"DONE!!!"


Smooth as a baby's butt!

*Pain in the a$$

Have a good one!





P.S. Oh, yeah...almost forgot. Please make sure you sign up for the Crafty Dad mailing list. Later this week I'll be drawing a name for some great giveaway items. It's going to be FREEBIE FRIDAY in honor of my Christmas in July celebration. The sign-up form is over on the right-hand column. Go there now and then watch for a special e-mail invitation. ;-)

You Say Tomato, I'll Say Tomaaaaahto

Have I told you how much I LOVE home-grown tomatoes? I think I have. There is no substitution for them. Period. Don't even begin to contest that statement, okay?

I suppose my love for those juicy, red globes of wonder stems (lol, no pun intended) back to my childhood days. Spending quality time with my grandpa working in his garden. He was the best. And tomatoes were his pride and joy. Sure...he had lots of other things in the garden:

• green peppers
• cucumbers
• green beans
• beets
• radishes
• carrots
• sweet corn
• potatoes

But...tomatoes was the No. 1 plant in the patch.

I can remember many summer afternoons at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I would walk in the kitchen, open the pantry door, get out the cardboard salt shaker and head outside to the garden. I'd find a medium-sized tomato, wipe it off (using my t-shirt), take a small bite...being careful to leave enough skin on the tomato so the piece stayed attached. Then...I'd sprinkle it with salt and bite it off. O.M.G. That was like heaven.

Earlier this summer I bought a patio tomato plant and it is doing WONDERFULLY. We've had almost ten nice-sized fruits off the vine.

My Tomato Plant - Summer 2009

Ohhhhh, I loves me a good home-grown tomato.

How 'bout you?

Happy Independence Day !

Wishing everyone a very safe and happy weekend.

And....let's hope the weather cooperates. It's been VERY cool the past few days. The weatherman says it's been some of the coolest July days in history. Yeah. That's not good.

PUPPY UPDATE: His official name is Riley. We had a very tough time coming up with a good name for him. But I like the name Riley...and it seems to fit. (Whatever that means!)

Oh, and have you seen the latest issue of Country Living magazine? It's good. You should get it.

Take care,

Puppy Update

Mama and the boys have returned from Wisconsin with the cutest puppy I've ever seen.

And the winner is:

BURLEIGH!

Congrats to Carolyn and "Anonymous" for guessing the correct answer.

Christopher: Thank you for playing along.

More pictures will be posted soon. We're having too much fun playing with him. No time for uploading photos.

Puppy Power

Exciting times at Casa de Crafty Dad these days. For the past several weeks, there's been lots (and I mean LOTS) of conversations where the subject is dogs, puppies, and all things Canine-related. We certainly miss our Hershey Girl and she will never be replaced. She holds a very special place in our hearts.

Hershey Girl

Rather than get another Lab, we've been looking for Weimaraner puppies and found a reputable breeder in Wisconsin. Crafty Mom has been corresponding with the "Puppy Lady" and has made arrangements to go pick one out. Woo Hoo! So...it's road trip time for Crafty Mom and the boys.


Here's a Weimaraner puppy video I found on You Tube:



Which pup will the boys (and Mama) pick out?

Will it be Blizzard, Spot, Frosty or Burleigh?

Here are some photos the breeder sent us. They are all good looking pups aren't they?

Burleigh (in purple collar)

Blizzard (in blue collar)

Frosty

Spot

Chow Time for all the puppies!

Vote for your favorite puppy by leaving a comment.

I will let you know what puppy we pick.

Take care,

New Banner and New Watkins Store

So....what do you think of the new summertime banner?

I snapped this photo at one of our resting spots in NC. This beautiful creature stopped just long enough for me to capture it (digitally). After just a tiny bit of "photo-doctoring-up" (using Picnik), I'm happy with it.

You may have noticed the Summit Group 'link' on my sidebar (over there....in the right-hand column). Yes, I am an official Independent Watkins Consultant. Watkins has been around since 1868 and has some fantastic products. My great-grandfather was a "Watkins Man" back in the day. I have a black and white photograph of him standing by his car/truck with the Watkins logo on the door panel. It's a classic.

100% Organic Spices

Please visit my online store and take a look at all the good stuff Watkins offers. They are probably most famous for their cinnamon and vanilla. But they have LOTS of other products too. If you're looking for some environmentally-friendly cleaning products, Watkins has them. We've been using the All-Purpose Cleaner, the Window Cleaner, the Tub and Tile Cleaner and the Toilet Bowl Cleaner for the past few weeks. They are fantastic! Seriously...no nasty smells. And they WORK! I really like the Aloe and Green Tea formula. It has a nice, fresh smell to it.

I would sure appreciate your support. Please let me know if you'd like a free catalog. I'd be happy to put one in the mail to you!

Thanks!

Trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Hi Bloggers! Here's a quick collage I put together of our nature walk during our recent trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I highly recommend the audio (headset) tour. Otherwise, you'll see a WHOLE bunch of stuff...but you won't know what you're looking at!

[Click on the photo for a larger (much better) version.]

More photos later.  Photos were not allowed inside the house.  But...I got several of the outside.  You'll see them soon.  Photos above are from the beautiful gardens and walking paths.  It was perfect weather for a long, long (longer-than-we-thought) walk.

Hope you're having a great weekend.

P.S. It's Father's Day....so make it a good one!

Summertime...and the livin' is easy ...

especially if you're a dragonfly.

Hope you're having a good weekend.

I'll tell you more about this photo later.