NEVER AGAIN SEARS!

Dear Sears (and Sears.com)
I will NEVER order from SEARS again! Purchasing online was completely difficult.

Then, a day or 2 after my order, two of my items are simply canceled because they are out of stock. I checked and could still have ordered them.. so they knowingly leave items available for order online when they are completely out of stock. And don't allow for back-ordering.

Additionally, I paid extra money to have my product shipped at a higher priority and the day it was supposed to arrive was the day I received notification that it actually shipped.

So now, my family member will be out a Christmas present because I relied upon this website and company!

I am clearly very disappointed. And I will be warning my friends and family not to trust your company either.

Sincerely,
Bobbi

Opening..

It's August. Around here, that means I'm SOL. It really just means I'm busy at work.. and can't anticipate having free time. It's only one month out of the year. We manage.

But it is also exciting. Party and open-house planning. Plus, I learn to enjoy the free time a little more. (Though, I'm kind of sad, I don't know if/when I'll get to see Eclipse!) And we're opening the door of the future for all the new and returning students to campus. All the new things they will learn and teach and experience. It even gets me excited.

Tomorrow, I'm hosting my first dinner party at my new house! It's amazing to think about opening my HOME up to family for the first time.. it's not a fancy meal or planned activities.. I'm not even 100% I'll have enough chairs! But I'm excited to show off the work M has done, and talk about the plans for the future projects.

And, I'm still so excited to go home every night, and see that as a good sign that I picked a really great place!

Off for a second round of grocery shopping, for a few items I missed on my initial list. And then house cleaning!

Transitions..

My life has been full of them..

Primarily, I bought a house! So my life as been full of cleaning, and moving, and rearranging. Plus, we've already begun the remodel/transformation phases of work on the house..

Plus, there was a vacation in there somewhere, and lots of changes at work.. and the end of a school year.. Infact, we're nearly at the start of a new school year!

With all that going on, I still grasp at dreams for a new blog space, one designed and maintained by hand and more "me".. I'm kind of sick of the template version of my story.

So.. as I get a home office up and running, and time on a computer to design and blog.. you'll see changes.. and will be in the midst of transition with me..

Easter..

Happy Easter.

Behind all the eggs, bunnies, lilies, and seasonal baked goods, it's time to pause to remember the greatest sacrifice in Christian belief.. In an ideal world, we'd always remember the sacrifice, the grace, the redemption, and the renewal that surrounds this gift of love. But in this world, we all forget, we all get selfish, and we all need to be reminded from time to time.

Yesterday, I came across a very interesting read that incorporates the elements of the Easter story and fascinating cultural elements from the Sawi.. It's best if you just read it: The Peace Child on (In)Courage.

Today, we'll celebrate Easter weekend with M's family - dying eggs, baking, fresh pineapple, play time with the new kitty, cream bread (a new experience for me), and a few gifts.. And tomorrow, we'll attend a very early morning service at church and eat what it promised to be a large breakfast.

What are your favorite Easter traditions?

Edit: Plans for tomorrow are on hold a bit due to a 3.5 visit to the hospital this evening. Pneumonia and age really isn't the best combination. Prayers for M's mom, specifically that her oxygen level would be restored quickly are much appreciated.

Inspired: Pin Princess..

After seeing this post yesterday: Alice Swap Sent from Sam at incy wincy stitches, I was inspired to create my own pins to give as gifts this weekend...

So here they are.. The first (purple) is for M's mother and the red one is for his sister. I don't have the same pin as what Sam used on her Alice pin. And I have two solutions.. The first is to find silver beads big enough to get around the curve of the pin (the small one you can see on the purple doesn't make it around the bend). But if that doesn't work, I thought about creating a spring/twist of wire that I can use to space out the charms and then it would also help to keep the whole lot in place. I'll have to play with it all a little more.

I did end up using some straight jeweler's pins to assemble some of the beads. I cheated with most of the colored beads (they were purchased as sets).. but the charms with the white square beads, the silver and graphite colored beads were all my creations.

It was a fairly easy project. Like I said, I cheated a little. But finding the right charms was fun. (Especially when it included a very coinicidental running into M at Hobby Lobby!) And making the pins took about 20 minutes a piece.. I like them because they're fun and interesting yet very simple. Some might even say they're charming! (hehe)

I'm excited to see how they go over once they're given as gifts..