31 Days With ME: War Eagle And Beaver Lake

 Oh. My. Word. Whose idea was it to go to War Eagle Craft Festival right after 5 days of chemo??? Oh, mine? What was I thinking. First, let's delve into the 5 days prior. Chemo. New drug...a lot easier than my last regimen AND only 3 three hours a day! Noticeable difference? FATIGUE! Lord help me. I was/am so tired. I would run down my daily schedule, but it's so pathetic. Basically, doing whatever the kids need....food, homework, etc...and I slept for the rest of the time. I was tired during the last regimen, but this is twice as bad. Good news? I only took one nausea pill the whole week, pretty heavy nausea meds went in with chemo, and it did a good job. I didn't get sick (vomiting) even once. Thank the Lord.

So I get done with my 5 days and I rest on Saturday and despite the chemo, we headed to War Eagle on Sunday. It's a massively huge craft fair that was even bigger than I remember. It's held at the War Eagle Grist Mill in Rogers, Arkansas. 

 There were soooooo many vendors, I barely took any pictures at all, it was just all so overwhelming. I definitely didn't bring my A game....or even my B game. I think I brought my F game, we didn't make it through the whole festival because of how I was feeling.

 I think these spoon flowers are neat.

I wore 'my hair' as Logan likes to call it.... "You're wearing your hair Mom!"...you know, like it's a choice that I've made or something! He's so cute. I also wore a hat, just in case my hair needed to come off (which it did).

Keegan and his girlfriend on the bridge. Am I the only mother that grimaces at the thought of her son dating??? When the time comes, I'm not going to make a good mother-in-law at all.

The festival ended around 4 and we head back down the winding road and stop off at War Eagle Caverns, which I did not have the energy to hike. So I rocked in a rocking chair while the kids went through the 'Lost in the Woods' maze, which they loved. 

Is the color on this tree not fantastic? God is so amazing.

After the caverns, we stopped off at Beaver Lake. To just walk around and explore and enjoy the view. There was hardly any people there at all and I actually liked it better here than around the crowds at the festival. Everybody skipping stones, except for me, I'm really bad at that. It comes really close to the being athletic realm and that, I am not.

  

We did get one pouter in the group...:) I forgot what he was mad about, but he sat on that stone til he got over it!

Me and my boys, and without my hair. :)

It was a beautiful ending to a great day and we all fell into our beds upon arriving home...especially me. I was beyond tired.

 

Have you ever been to War Eagle Craft Festival? Did you have a good time?

31 Days With ME:Halloween Tablescape and HI!

 HI!! How have all of you been? I've been doing OK. I'll catch you up to speed on how I'm doing probably tomorrow, but THANK YOU for all the sweet emails and comments I've been reading them all and my heart feels so good because of you all!

Somehow, Halloween snuck up on me, well it didn't sneak, I just wasn't paying attention. I have been planning this tablescape for weeks and I wasn't going to let a little chemotherapy get in my way . :) I thought maybe I'd save it for next year, but nah, I got it done. Planning it out certainly helped. 

First though, I wanted to show you the chalkboard door in the kitchen. Logan and I did some chalkboard art for Halloween. I did a similar spider on the bi-fold doors at the booth, you might remember. Logan did some free form art from his height and below ;) He wrote the word Fall a few times and "I love Fall" towards the bottom (I didn't quite get it in the photo). A kid after my own heart.

 We have had so much fun with this chalkboard door, I highly recommend doing it if you can. This is the door leading to the garage, so it's perfect.

What better way to catch up on my 31 days series than with a tablescape??? I should have done it before chemo, but of course just didn't get around to it...but I had stuff gathered and a plan in my head and knew exactly what I wanted to do. So the weather was cooperating, the sun was shining, it wasn't too windy (it is often VERY windy here), I had some strength...so outside I went.

You know, I think what I like best about doing tablescapes are the centerpieces. I mean there are only so many ways to do a place setting, but you can get really creative with the centerpiece.

I started with two vases. You might remember them from a mantlescape I did a couple of fall seasons ago...I had spray painted them white, but I sprayed them black for a change. You guys know I'm a spray painting fool. Take a look at the vases before HERE.

 While I was at it, I spray painted this little compote too. Tis true, nothing is safe from me and a can of spray paint.

 A dollar store crow perched upon a painted pumpkin, see the painted pumpkin project HERE, did those last year.

 Place settings very simple, vine chargers (Mary Carol Home Collection), White Gibson dinnerware, black napkins, vintage silverware and topped it all off with a splash of orange with a pumpkin I glittered.

 Here is the other vase. This is very simple to recreate. I literally got those branches from a downed tree, and picked up so fallen leaves and put them in the vase, that's it. Spooky looking right? And a side note, that tree in the background just refuses to turn, he's got a brother in the front yard that is completely red but this guy is still green.

A little concrete birdbath made a fun pedestal for the painted pumpkin, and natural excelsior softens around the pumpkin.

 Pumpkin wands and vintage jars, you've probably seen those labels from Martha Stewart a bazillion times, I printed those off a couple of years ago, coffee dyed them and stuck them on a few bottles. Still love them. See how to make the wands HERE.

 Jack-o-lantern luminaries I found at a yard sale...juuuuuust didn't quite make it to the booth this year. :) I actually saw them for sale at Target from Smith and Hawken.

 A two-tiered serving piece that will be going to the booth for Christmas. I found that skeleton hand at Michael's this year.

 Isn't this 3-D glitter candelabra cute? That is from Walmart, but they didn't have anything nearly that cute this year.

 I know it's awfully close to Halloween, but I hope you are inspired! I will talk to you tomorrow and show you pictures from War Eagle Craft Festival. It was a lot of fun but then it was not a lot of fun. I was really crazy to go two days after chemo...but I'll show you tomorrow. See you then.

Thankful

I felt inspired to write this post before chemo tomorrow. I started thinking about the upcoming season, Thanksgiving in particular...yes, I know it's not even Halloween yet, I'm nutty. I have such a thankful heart, and I don't say that in a boastful way, I just mean that I feel so thankful that my heart is overflowing, and it's spilling out here. I am thankful for my family here, here in Missouri that have never made me feel like an 'in-law', they took me in and made me feel like one of their own, for many many years now. My husband and my boys, I know it is difficult right now. I see that look in my husbands eyes from time to time, sort of a sad, sorrowful look and he doesn't have to say anything for me to know what he's thinking. My boys who just go on as if everything is fine, Logan rubs my fuzzy head and Keegan makes jokes...which is all ok, I wouldn't want it any other way. My friends and family in North Carolina especially my sister that is so far away from me, I'm so thankful for her. Our many, many phone conversations and texts help keep us connected.

 All of you. I am thankful for your support, the encouragement. I know I am not in this alone!

I think about my boys particularly going through this. We do not have a perfect life. I am not a perfect mother nor are they perfect children, I most often cling to the good and forget the bad. I am so thankful for them. 

My baby Keegan circa 1997 who somehow turned into this:

...then grew facial hair??? When did all that happen? He will be turning 16 next month and driving? I know exactly why parents make their children earn their first car, it's one of those parenting secrets no one tells you about. It's to keep them close to home, to make their dependance on you last a little longer, to slow the time down just a little...I know this because it's exactly how I feel.  I know once the car comes he'll be gone all the time...I remember running the roads constantly at that age....of course back then it only cost 20 bucks to fill my tank. ;)

And don't even get me started on this one. There must be something in the water making my boys grow so fast, and yet I haven't aged a bit!

 

This is the man that has been by my side for many, many years. So many years now, I hardly have any memories that don't include him. He's my rock and I depend on him so much.

I appreciate you coming by each day for the past 14 days, for your comments and emails, I hope I don't sound like a broken record.

I'm so thankful.

31 Days With ME: Hair!

Can you see it? No, no, not the light through my ears...the fuzz on my head! Watch out people, hair is going to happen! You are looking at about a months growth. The new chemo that I start on Monday will not effect my hair, which is a relief. Why is it a relief you might ask, I'm not really sure...maybe it's being a women, that hair is an important thing, but until you don't have any, it's hard to explain. There are a lot of other things that happen living with cancer and going through chemo, a lot of things that no doctor, nurse, or pamphlet could prepare me for...even though they try. There really is no preparation, just taking one day at a time and learning to deal with a disease that could and probably will take my life at some point. Reality.

I start this next round of chemo and it's 5 days straight so I don't know how present I will be during it or even after it. If I had been smart, I would have pre-written (is that a word?) some post...but I'm just not that organized. 
I'm a little scared, but hopefully I will be ok. 

 (my little shadow in the background)

Today though, I want to thank you. You don't even 'know' me and you are so willing to offer up prayers. So many of you have shared your stories with me, either through the comments here or by email. That is so encouraging to me to know that I'm not alone...the support is helping me be stronger and to keep fighting. I can't thank you enough.

31 Days With ME: Fall At The Booth

 Thank you for your show of support and love yesterday...I don't know what to say, you guys are the best! Thank you for being here.

I can't believe that it has been over a year that I've had my little 10X10 booth space. I did some foo-fooing recently, let me show you around. It won't take very long.:)

I, of course, try to make it look seasonal, but sometimes it's difficult to do when everything is vintage...it's not easy pulling a look together. I ended up making several things to help. That poor sheet music wreath is never going to sell! I found that killer sunflower embroidered piece recently, it's nice and big. I should have gotten a close up so you could see the detail...

I made some vintage napkin garlands, some flower pomanders (tutorial HERE), and hand painted signs (tutorial HERE)

 Doily garland too.

 I think this would be so cute hanging in a little girls room.

 My sidekick Logan, helping me create chalkboard art...he was in charge of making spider egg sacks and baby spiders, which he thought of himself...which is too cute. Gross, but cute. :) These are bi-fold doors (yard sale) that I painted in chalkboard paint for a back drop...in case you missed that info yesterday.

 A close up of the creepy black widow in chalk.

 I painted a bunch of silver trays with chalk board paint and hung them on the doors, for a nice layering effect. I also draped some of the black Halloween gauzy stuff to soften the straight edges of the doors a little (I don't know if you can see that very well). I made some more pumpkin wands too (tutorial HERE).

 Well, the tour has ended, told you it would take long ;) Talk to you tomorrow.