Babies X Two

Wow has it been a long time since I blogged or what?! My blog page had cobwebs and spiders lurking in it. That's what living on FarmTown will do to you. Such a waste of time, but so addicting!

Seriously alot has happened since last I blogged. First and foremost is the shower invitation that Amanda and Gayle (Emily's mother) made for Emily's baby shower in May. We had a blast making the shower invitations and visiting. It was awesome. So seldom do we get to see Gayle now that we have both moved onto different parts of town than the old homey East side!

And I am so envious....I have three wonderful grandsons who I adore as much as can be adored, but she's gonna be grandma to TWO baby girls. Wish there was a granddaughter in my future. Maybe better there isn't because the boys would probably suffer that she was so spoiled! But we wish the best for Mama Emily and for Grandma Gayle!! Stamps are from Stampin Up retired: Soft and Sweet.

I gave up my Stampin Up Coach part time job in January...stress was greatly relieved. I love the product, but don't feel that I am much of a salesperson. I just want to enjoy the hobby again. And I am getting there....Will be stamping up Erik's birthday card later today.

But the biggest news for me is that I have also decided to retire from my day job after 31 years.

I have so much I want to do and I don't want to be stressed out to the nth degree any longer....

so in about 6 weeks I will be able to sleep in, prioritize my health concerns, take a refresher knitting class and crochet class, write the book that begs to be written from within my being, and hopefully keep up with my housework! Oh for the day!!

Wish me luck folks. I'll never know if I sink or swim if I don't make the decision to do it and now I have made the decision, we'll see how it goes. It will definitely mean tightening our belts, but we can do this. Life has always been a challenge for us, what else is new? And if it wasn't we'd be totally bored. I feel better just knowing 6 weeks will pass quickly. But please don't ask me to assist in making your decisions....I have struggled with this for months. I am glad my mind is settled....finally. :)

There's a new game in town!

Ok, it is not new, but defintiely new to me and I have been totally sucked in. It is a time robber and I have corrupted my daughter and one of my grandsons with it! Woe is me! I should have known better when the title was comprised of four letter words! It's called FARM TOWN. I'm sure fond memories of growing up on a farm has nothing to do with this. It's free and it is a sickness...addiction if you will! There are thirty four levels and I am on level 19. My farm is starting to look pretty good although I have to sleep in the hay loft since I can not afford a house yet! The one I want is only $300,000. Yikes! I even dream about this game in my sleep. I think I better never gamble. I'm obviously not cut out for gaming of any kind! LOL!

It has been awhile since I blogged, not for playing Farm Town, mind you...just seemed that all of a sudden I went still. Roscoe passed away, my best buddy at work retired and I'm speechless.

And nothing profound has really occurred to me. Not that I ever blogged anything profound to begin with.

Tomorrow both of my kids and their families, Jim and John, Miff and I are all gathering at mom's to play cards, weed, move furniture, share BLT's and homemade ice cream.....I am sooo looking forward to this! And I am already worn out thinking about it! But what fun!

Even stamping has kind of taken a back seat for awhile. So today's card is Jeanne's retirement card which I failed to get to her the day of her party. It was made and ready to go, but I forgot to take it with me in all the hub-bub. The card was made with a multi colored stamp pad being brayered to the white cardstock. Then after the ink dried, we brushed gesso onto the inked cardstock. The stamped images are from where else? Stampin Up. It's the Asian Artistry stamp set which is a level two hostess set this year. I just love it.

Well enoy your Labor Day weekend to the fullest. I cherish these memories we make when we get together more now than I ever did! God Bless You!

Happy Birthday Mama

Today was my mom's 80th birthday. She will no doubt hate this picture being posted, but doesn't she look great for 80? She is the best.

Everyone says that about their mom, but she really is the best. Amanda and I went down after work and bless her heart she had prepared a feast of fried chicken legs (the absolute biggest legs I've ever seen), fresh tomato slices, little ears of sweet corn, sliced green peppers, bread and butter......what a feast. We should have cooked her a birthday feast, but it was all ready for our visit.

And may I add, she is still the best cook I know! I delighted in that fried chicken because it was every bit as good as what she prepared and served so many years ago when it was not only five growing kids and a hungry farmer, but also multiple farm hands who enjoyed her cooking as well!

It's an awesome thing too, because there is a really special relationship between mothers and daughters. Early on a mom is a role model for the daughter and for the most part, we always got along...none of that teenage hate you business went on at our house. Thank heaven for that. I didn't even experience that with my own daughter, thankfully, but we are all three really good friends. Tonight felt like a girl's night out, and we had a great time!

Happy Birthday Mom, I love you and you will always be my favorite! XOXOXOXOXOXO

Every Noble Life

This is the sympathy card I made for Roscoe's family. I used three Stampin Up sets, Lovely as A Tree, Le Jardin Botanique, and Nature's Silhouettes. I needed something manly, in touch with nature and not too religious and the verse on the inside is borrowed from the Stampin Up set Farm Life. Not religious or sappy, but quite appropriate for our friend Roscoe. The verse reads "Every noble life leaves its fiber interwoven forever in the work of the world."

I never realized how difficult it could be to design a card to meet such specifics. I wanted it to be just right and ended up that the third attempt satisfied myself. Tonight is visitation and I need to shower yet and then hit the road. Guess I am riding down there with Mike and Joyce and the boys? The boys want to go, so I think they are allowing them for the first time. I know they loved Roscoe as much as the rest of us did. And of course Roscoe got a lot of joy from the little kids, regardless of whose they were. That is another good thing about aging Cherie, age softens the heart of the old and makes it kindred to the heart of a child.

Treasue each day friends, for our days are fleeting. God is good!

August Newsletter

Stamp With Heart

August 2009


Greetings Ladies! I am typing this a week before August in an effort to be on top of things and as prepared for next month’s workshop as I felt last time. Woo Hoo! Time will always tell, won’t it?

We enjoyed a successful vendor fair at Alisa’s yesterday. Well, it wasn’t a busy day, but I booked a workshop with Jessica, placed an order for An Angel Company Angel, and have three possible attendees for future monthly workshops, so I am feeling encouraged and like it was a day well spent. These vendors were terrific business ladies and I truly enjoyed meeting them. And then my one recruit showed up and we visited for about an hour or so! That in itself was a great visit as we have been friends for years and so seldom get to visit like old pals!

Anyway, I have one of the cards we will do at the August workshop all packed and loaded, except for some ribbon I have yet to buy. Working on a second design and technique and on challenges to send out to you. It’s going to be a fun workshop so here are the details:

Workshop on Sunday, August 16th from 2-4 PM
Held at , my daughter’s: 2422 SE 19th in Des Moines
RSVP at 515-865-4625
Or email me at miffbeth@q.com

Club members attend for free, all others are charged $5.00 to help cover the cost of supplies. Thank you!

Speaking of August, it is time to celebrate my 4th anniversary with Stampin Up! How awesome is that? One attendee’s name will be drawn for a $25.00 shopping spree through the catalog, so you don’t want to miss this month!!

We need to discuss how we will handle our club meetings for the upcoming year. Be prepared to discuss the possibility of a stampers 10 group, which I know can be burdensome at times, but it is the easiest method for me to meet the quarterly sales requirements and requires only a $15.00 commitment each month from you, if we can get ten people committed to the idea. $150.00 is the minimum sales requirement for a qualifying workshop, so with this mechanism in place, we could rotate the hostess benefits between the ten members. On the eleventh month, we will draw names for the hostess gift and free merchandise amounts. On the month that you are the hostess, you may hold a workshop in your home to increase your sales and free rewards or we can just hold the monthly meeting/workshop. Please seriously think about this option.

Catalogs are still available at $6.00 each or can be purchased through Stampin Up for $9.95. I have three on hand, so first come, first serve. For those of you who enjoy scrap booking, this year’s Stampin Up Designer Paper is absolutely Yummy! There are six new in colors this year: Rich Razzelberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Dusty Dorango, Bermuda Bay, and Soft Suede!!! These colors are so awesome and are incorporated into the Designer Papers! You seriously need to check this out! I’m not a strong scrapper, but I love the papers and I love these new colors……available in ink pads, a set of six markers, 8 and a half X 11” and 12X12 cardstock!

Special offer from me for the month of August, buy all six new IN Color stamp pads, regularly priced at $35.70 for only $30.34 which is a savings of 15% for you. This is my special offer and is not available through Stampin up. This is a this coach only offer.

Now for our CHALLENGE cards. I will be sending each of you a separate email with a technique you and you alone will work on to bring to the August meeting. If you are a visitor to our meeting and not a club member and if you want to bring a show and tell card, feel free to bring a handmade card that you made to show. Club members will make their show and tell card from the individual recipes I send via separate email. Now I know that Rachel and Jennie will no doubt share their “recipes” as will Alisa and Jessica, but try not to share with anyone else so we will all be awed and inspired by the show and tell exchange!

Beth Cutwright
Stampin Up Coach
515-865-4625
miffbeth@q.com
http://www.bethartfromtheheart.blogspot.com/
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/stampwithheart/
where inky fingers are happy fingers

Sylvester is made from Stampin Up punches. Isn't he the cutest with those BIG muscles of his?

Some Sad News

Well, I got to work today to find the message light on my phone lit up. The message was from Mom; our dear friend Roscoe had passed away in the night. Gosh I guess I have known him about as long as almost anyone in my life. I was ten or eleven when dad began working in the elavator trade

and he began working with Roscoe. It wasn't long after meeting Roscoe that he and Maxine and my folks became fast friends, spending many evenings playing cards, dining out etc. Roscoe had been a farm boy from southern Iowa and of course, dad's first true love was the farm. Roscoe seemed to spend a lot of time at the farm, helping out when and where he could and there is a mind chuck full of memories of Dad and Roscoe and farm stuff, and then elevator stuff. My favorite memory of Roscoe was going out to fetch the mean angus bull who had escaped. We never had Angus until this big guy came on board and he was mighty big......who would have known he could run so fast, being that big and all. I can remember Roscoe saying he'd bring that bull back and show him who was boss and across the field he strolled with a big tall stick in one hand and determination in his step. I was tending to the horses at the time, but Roscoe had not been gone too awfully long when from the backside of the far hill came two long legs and a raised cane at a far faster pace than he'd set out. Those knees were flying up and down and hot on the good shepherd's heels was that mammoth black angus bull, snorting mad as he pursued!!

It was a sight to behold and thank God, that man could run and jump a fence! It was the funniest sight I ever saw and I suppose I will chuckle often when I think back on it.

Roscoe was a good friend to both my parents. After Dad passed away and after Maxine had passed, Mom and Roscoe became friends and travelled together, kept each other company, took care of each other when it came to doctoring. He was truly good to my mom and I loved him all the more for it. I don't know what we will ever do without him and I know Mom will miss him horribly. As with most cancer, he had to endure alot of pain before he finally crossed over to a new life. And now he shares the secret of what lies beyond with all those who have previously gone before. A secret the rest of us will one day be allowed to partake in as well for death comes to all. And I think, in my mind's eye, Roscoe and Dad are sitting on a bank fishing together and catching up on old times. Someday I will join them there, for a time. For today, I am grateful to have been blessed with both of them in my life. God is good.

It's Been a Year now.....

Aren't these two a pretty pair? This stamp is from the Rubber Cottage and when I saw a card with these two lovelies, I just had to have it. Doesn't hurt that the horse stickin' her head underneath to catch a peak looks alot like my first pony, Beauty. Gosh I do miss her. The card front is colored with colored pencils; I love to color with my pencils.

Hey guys, I've had my blog for a year now! Is that not awesome? Not that I blog every waking minute, but how time flies!

After our vendor fair I have decided I must get busy! I need to make up sellable items for the fair in September. I think I will make more Artist Trading Card aka business cards, some key chains if I can find the metal parts fairly inexpensively, cd scrapbooks which means I need to capture some pictures of girlfriends for my show and tell Friends scrapbook. Calling all friends! And of course, I think I will try and package some notecards and greeting cards as well. Hopefully these things will muster up some business, don't you think? I have to get my newsletter out this week too. And then it's on to the birthday greetings, the anniversary greetings etc......that should be enough to do to keep me in the house during August and the heat that comes with it. LOL. Can't believe I ever used to ride horses every day of the year. I could handle the heat and the cold and can't do any of that anymore. I'm such a WIMP! If anyone can think of ten good things about getting older, would you please email me and remind me what great things they be?

Til next time my buddies.....keep cool!