A Random Post..Planters, Peonies & Boys

Vintage buttons displayed in a planter that arrived in my mailbox yesterday!

(Thanks Deb...I love it!)

Peonies from our garden...white and Sarah Bernhardt pink. Every year the rain beats them down before I get a chance to cut and enjoy them. Now, could someone please tell me how to get rid of the ants so I can actually bring them into the house? (Love the Laura Ashley table cover? It's vinyl...oh yes it is, and I found it at Marshalls for $5.99-WOOHOO!)

The ever smiling Miles (age 6.5 months) and always busy Charlie (3.5 years) came for a visit. Miles was charming and made us all laugh a lot and Charlie helped Papa and Daddy plant some tomatoes and herbs for Bam. Digging in the dirt...what could be more fun?

Of course we made time for ice cream but we had to eat fast with temps in the 90's!!
What's that on Charlie's head you ask? His head had a meeting with a wall and he ended up with 11 stitches. Pretty traumatic, although as soon as he got home from the hospital (I stayed behind with Miles) he told me that his stitches looked like train tracks. (Brought back memories of Michelle and Michael as kids. I do need to add that there were more emergency trips with Michelle than with Michael...even with numerous skateboard accidents.....there were special Guardian Angels watching over him I'm sure!)
I hope your weekend was fun!

xoxo

Joyce

PS-I just saw a chance to win this beautiful pillow at Rebecca's blog,  A Gathering Place. While you are there...take some time to browse her blog and also look at the lovlies in her shop here. I would love to win this!



Favorite Etsy Things...

Being away from the computer for a long time, I had not visited my favorite handmade place to shop... Etsy. Now that I'm catching up on my blog reading I take a little time each day to see what's happening over there and check out my favorite sellers. Here are some for today...

(from worthygoods) (Heidi-this has your name all over it!)

(from mgvintageromance)

(from OneQuarterKen)

(from mimis....not my friend Mimi)

(from Mimi...yes, my friend Mimi)

(from my friend Sandy at BlogBannerQueen...such cute things!)

(another friend Michelle at woodandfabric...you've seen her work on my blog many times)

from the amazing HouseofWhimsy2..Mary Lou)

(My colorful pal Laurie of trinketsnh)

Last but by no means least, is this adorable owl completely made by hand

from my talented and sweet niece, Wendi, of

WendiMulvey-Enchanted Forest Crafts

I have not purchased from all of these sellers but they are on my favorites list. Enjoy browing through their shops and seeing the amazing things they make.

Apparently, Blogger is having some issues with the Google sign-in feature and I, and many other people are unable to leave comments for others. I have been trying and trying to say hi but the system is not cooperating. They say they're working on it...I hope they fix it soon!

Be back soon!

xoxo

Joyce

Crumbcake!

Last week, on someones (I can't for the life of me remember who) blog, I saw a link to a New York-Style Crumbcake recipe. New York Style means that the crumb layer is almost as thick as the cake layer. New York Style means that you don't even want to know the calorie count or fat grams in this recipe....you just want to eat it. I have had similar crumbcake at Starbucks and have always wanted to make one. Because my sweet friends Mimi and Joni were coming for coffee on Tuesday and another dear friend, Nancy, was coming later that day for a sleepover, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try this recipe. I made it Monday night while watching Dancing With The Stars (of course I'm watching and voting for Hines Ward and Kym Johnson!!!)
I'm sorry that I don't remember the blog that the link came from but here is the link to the recipe.
Because David was still in Israel with my camera (he's home safe and sound now) I asked Mimi to take some pictures.

Truth be told....if given a choice between something chocolaty and something with crumbs and cinnamon...I'd go for the crumbs every time! Here is the link to the recipe.  It is taken from the book "Baked Explorations" by Matt Lewis & Renalto Poliafito. You will love this one!

xoxo

Joyce

It's Been a Long Month!

I have been home from the hospital since the Wednesday before Easter and I can finally say that I am starting to feel pretty normal. (Well, whatever that means!)
I won't scare you with all of the gruesome details but I can tell you that 12 inches of my colon is gone...along with some other body parts. The surgery was much more serious than we or the Doctor realized until he got in there. I was in the hospital for 16 days and it amazes me how you lose all muscle tone after laying in a bed for a few weeks. I have been working hard to just be able to walk up a flight of stairs without holding on to two railings. (I'm almost there!) When I first came home, I was filled with so much fluid that I could hardly drag my body around. It took 8 days (and 20mg of Lasix each day) to take 17 pounds of fluid away. (I have lost a total of about 24 pounds)
The day after I came home from the hospital, my daughter Michelle flew in from New Jersey for 6 days to care for me. I have always been amazed by her energy and determination but I can honestly say that I couldn't have gotten through that first week without her! She was a wonderful cheerleader and did alot to motivate me. Thank you Michelle. You gave me the greatest gift...the gift of your presence, and your loving care!

Our youngest son and daughter-in-love, Michael and Jackie, came for Mother's Day weekend. We hadn't seen them since before Thanksgiving and we were so happy to have them here. On Monday, Michael flew home to Long Island but Jackie stayed with me until this past Friday morning. It was the first time Jackie and I had spent "alone" time together and we really had fun....talking, watching movies...going to Target! I liked having her all to myself. Thanks Jackie...I loved your company!

The reason that Jackie stayed with me this past week is because David left on Tuesday for a 10 day trip to The Holy Land.....a trip of a lifetime for him. Of course, he was selected to go and the arrangements made months and months ago. I'm glad that I was healing respectably so that he didn't back out. He's having a wonderful time and is overwhelmed with the things he is seeing and learning about. I want to thank all of you who took the time to pray for me over the last 6 weeks....and those who left supportive comments and sent cards and gifts. Your thoughts and prayers saw me through a very difficult time and I appreciate it more than I can ever tell you. I was comforted to know that I was never alone...God was always by my side. The prayers of my family, my church family and my friends all helped me through the darkness back into the light. Thank you so very much.
I may not be posting very much until David comes home...he has our one and only camera so I can't take photos of anything. I just wanted you to know that I've come a long way and I'm glad to be back!!

xoxo

Joyce

The Time Has Come....

Well, we hoped that we could hold off on this surgery until May but the time has come to do it now. I will stay in the hospital and have the surgery on Monday afternoon and then be here an additional week to ten days.
I am confident in my surgeon. I told him today that many people are praying for me and they're praying for him, too. He appreciated that.
I will not be posting for a while but Mimi will give updates on her blog, Dandelion Wishes. (You need to go there and see the cute stuff she makes!)
I can't begin to tell you how much your comments, best wishes and prayers have meant to me. I am in the loving hands of God and I know he'll see me through this.
Nancy-I love your new Happy Homemaker tag for April!! I will catch up, I promise!
Suz-You and Jud are in my prayers daily.
PJ-My heart is hurting for you...I will be in touch as soon as I am able. Just know that you have been in my prayers
Marie-Slow and steady wins the race...you're getting there even though it seems endless.Prayers are said for you daily.
Thank you all for your outpouring of love and care!

xoxo

joyce

This will be very short....

I can't tell you how much I hate to be writing this but I am once again in the hospital....diverticulatis again....another round of antibiotics. I have appreciated your prayers and if you are inclined will appreciate them again.
I will return when I can but I don't know how long that will be. I am fighting as hard as I can to get over this. With Gods help I will!
Dear David brought the laptop in to the hospital for me tonight so I could write this post but I don't know when I'll post again.
Thank you dear friends. I love and miss you all!

xoxo

Joyce

Working to catch up....

It is a very dark and gloomy in Pittsburgh today and the rain is pouring down. There have been warnings of high winds (there were tornadoes not too far from here several week ago) so everyone is on high alert. In spite of the lack of sun and warmth, I must say that I feel better than I have felt since the beginning of the year!
I was grateful to Mimi for updating everyone about the fact that I was in the hospital for almost a week. I have been dealing with recurrent bouts of diverticulitis for months and will be facing surgery, probably in May, to remove the diseased parts. Right now my area of focus is to get healthier and remain that way so the surgery can be done as an elective and not an emergency.
I can't thank you enough for your prayers, kind emails, notes, cards and gifts during my illness. I am constantly amazed by the graciousness of the women in my blogging circle. You have made me feel buoyed by your spirit and encouraged by your words of faith. You are all a treasure and if not for the wonderful love and care of David, our children and family in addition to my friends, I would not have been able to heal and improve the way I have. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
When you are ill or recovering from an illness or surgery, it is hard to be motivated to create. Many times I walked in to my craft studio (which, by the way, looks like a tornado went through it!!), looked around and walked out again. I did have some assignments to complete which forced me to think creatively and once I started last week....I have been able to accomplish some things....
My sister celebrated her birthday last week....it was a big birthday...a really, really, really big birthday. I had purchased some things for her but wanted to make something, too. Some time ago I had purchased art pieces from Michelle Palmer that were bird-related. I've spoken many times about her art and how much I love her pen & ink sketches on fabric. I gathered a wren, nest and egg and arranged them (along with some pretty feathers Michelle had included with my package) in a shadowbox frame I purchased at Michael's. (Isn't Michelle's attention to detail amazing?)

I added  hemp twine and some coordinating buttons to finish it off.

I also sent her a sequinned crown....because when you have a really, really, really big birthday...you get to be Queen for the day.

Other scrapbook related supplies were wrapped up and the package was sent last week.

 I  received my purchase last week,  from my dear friend Elizabeth of Creative Breathing, who was down-sizing her craft room. I was lucky to put in a request for these lovely gals...

Do you recognize them? Well, here is a clue....

Right! The Lennon Sisters! Those of us of a certain age will remember watching Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights for 13 years. Elizabeth created these pegdolls in honor of the Lennons. They are adorable! In addition to the pegdolls, Elizabeth also treated me to some vintage cards from her collection......these have wonderful graphics and I know I'll get a lot of use from the images!



I also received an unexpected but delightful gift from my friend Mary K. of Thyme To Spare. Mary remembered that I collect carrots (I know, it's crazy but there are sooooo many different ones to be found around Easter time!) She made me a fabric carrot bouquet....are you jealous? They are just the cutest and be sure to notice the adorable card that came with the gift....a bunny driving a carrot card. Wonderful!

I am so blessed and grateful to all of you for caring for me. Thank you!

xoxo

joyce





Hello to all of you-- friends and followers of Scrap for Joy.

My name is Mimi and I will be writing this post on behalf of our friend Joyce today. 

As some of you may know, Joyce has been battling some health issues over the past year.  These past few weeks have been especially difficult for her as she deals with this ongoing gastric problem.  It seems that the doctors have decided that she needs to have a little "vacation" at the local hospital so they can help her get the situation under control.  I spoke with her this morning and she is in good spirits.  She asked that I write this post to explain  why she has not been able to respond to messages or catch up on all of her favorite blogs.  She is anxious to return home to be able to communicate with you all once again.  

I know that she would appreciate all of your prayers at this time. 

Thank you all so much

Sending lots of love from Joyce



A Swap For All Seasons....my amazing fabric collage from Michelle

Many times I've written on this blog about the  wonderful women I've met through blogging.

Generous, talented, caring women.

I've written about my (blogging) friend Michelle Rondeau in several posts here, here,

and here. I first "met" Michelle through her Etsy store Wood and Fabric . (please take some time to go and visit her store and blog)

For a long time I nagged  encouraged her about starting a blog and she finally did.

Now you can see all of the inspiring things she creates right here.

We have both participated in several of Linda Smith's, A Swap For All Seasons

 seasonal swaps (gee, that's kind of a tongue twister isn't it?) and for the most recent swap...A Fabric Collage...we were paired! I wasn't sure I was up for the challenge of this swap because I've

not done any sewing for many, many years and I didn't know where to start but Michelle

encouraged me to jump in and give it a try. Last week I received my 5X7-inch fabric collage

from Michelle. As of this post she has not received mine (she lives in Quebec) so I won't

show the pictures of the one I made but I couldn't wait any longer to show you

the one I received from Michelle. Please prepare to be overwhelmed!!

I really laughed when I pulled the package and card out of the envelope (an envelope made by the way, from a cereal box...very sturdy!) The carefully wrapped tissue was sealed with 2 postage stamps which is a trademark of Michelle's...she uses stamps on almost all of her art. And look at the baby on this card....I'm sure it's someone Michelle knows...what a cherub!

On to the collage....

A stamped and sewn fabric collage of extraordinary beauty!

My photographs could never do justice to the details of this piece.

Every little detail is perfectly perfect. Can you see the word kindred spirits right above the pin?

The tiny little chatelaine scissors sweetly tied with a button and attached to a small

cloth bag with a token inside that says joy.

A thin glass vial with the tiniest of pearls inside and a coin attached.

A cloth tape measure sewn around the printed image of a little girl.

The famous postage stamp.

And the back of the collage....

It's a pocket! Edged in lace and fastened with 3 vintage buttons, it opened to reveal...

a cloth wrapped packet of vintage ephemera!!!

It took me a very long time to open and carefully examine every little

detail of all that Michelle sent.....I love this collage and it will

hang in my craft studio as a reminder of a treasured friendship.

Thank you Michelle, for another piece of your amazing art!

xoxo

Joyce