Paper Cuts

Hi everybody. I’m back…for the most part. 

My son (seven) had neurosurgery last Friday. Considering what he’s been through, he is doing remarkably well. He’s still a little wobbly on his feet and still experiencing some pretty bad headaches, but those should subside within the next two weeks.

Coming home has been both good and bad. I think he had a level of security in the hospital with everyone checking on him so often and Mom and Dad at his side pretty much 24 hours a day for four days. He’s now afraid he’ll fall out of bed, and he wants one of us to sleep with him in his room. After three nights of sleeping on a bench about 20 inches wide, I was really hoping to enjoy the comfort of my own bed last night, but that was not to be. I couldn’t leave him by himself. Hopefully tonight will go a little more smoothly. 

I’ll be back into the swing of things soon!  Tomorrow I’ll have a couple sneak peeks for the new My Favorite Things mini set to be released September 1st.  Thanks for checking in!  Hugs!

m.

Hi everybody!! 

I’m just now back from Chicago.  What a FABULOUS time I had!!!  CHA was AWESOME!  I got to spend time with some great friends, met some new ones and got a peek at some incredible new products coming our way…many of which will soon be available through Jacksonbelle Embellishments!!!  I felt like an assistant buyer!   I don’t know if I was much help (”You need some of these….some of these….and you HAVE to have some of these…” lol), but it sure was fun!

After CHA I said goodbye to my friends (sniff-sniff) and reunited with my family to spend time in downtown Chicago for the first time ever.  I’ve been in the area many times but never actually “downtown.”  We did a LOT of walking (and my daughter did a LOT of whining) but it was great.  We took a combination architectural and coast boat tour, did a little shopping, oh, and I was introduced to the “lower” streets of the city.  I had no idea there were actually streets UNDER the streets in spots.  One minute I was standing there looking up at all the buildings, admiring the sites…the next minute my husband was leading us down some steps into a very dark place. lol.  I was wondering where in the WORLD he was taking us.  Seems there are not only streets under the streets, but there was a bar/restaurant as well…The Billy Goat.  My kids LOVED that the door said “BUTT in any time.”  They were covering their little mouths, giggling at the “butt.” lol.  Anyway, I thought the burgers were good.  My husband said I was just really hungry. lol.

We also spent time with my sister-in-law and her family which was great too.  The kids had a blast playing with their cousins.

 So now I’m back (after a sixteen-hour drive-ugh), trying to catch up on emails and lots of other things.  And I see I’ve been chosen THREE times as a “Rockin’ Girl Blogger” by Jody, Amy, and Jenny.  Thanks, you guys!!! WOW!! :)  I’m honored!! :)  **edited:  Make that FIVE times!!!  I was also chosen by Julia and Trudee.  You guys are the best!

 Ok…Sorry for the boring/no picture post, but I am drained and need to go veg on the couch for a bit before dragging myself up to bed.  I’ll be back in the swing of things tomorrow!! 

I haven’t had much time to stamp these last few days, but with this horrible heat, I’ve had to water the flowers on my deck a couple times each day.  Today I was tending to some hanging Petunias when I heard this little buzzing sound and turned around to see what I initially thought was a hummingbird.  It was zipping around from flower to flower like a hummingbird, but then I noticed its antennae.  Very strange.  So I got a little closer.  And closer still.   This little guy seemed totally oblivious to me.  I ran inside to grab my camera, followed him around a bit taking some pictures, then I hit the internet to find out exactly what this thing was. 

It’s a MOTH!!  A Hummingbird Clearwing.  Like a hummingbird, it hovers briefly, sipping for only a few seconds before darting off to a new flower. With its green body “fur” and burgundy wing scales, it is sometimes mistaken for a small ruby throated hummingbird. 

Adult Hummingbird Clearwings have a long, straw-like “tongue,” called the proboscis, which they keep curled under the head. They use it to suck nectar from the flower. The nectar is rich in sugar, which fuels the energy required for hovering. Hummingbirds also have a long tongue to lap up nectar.

This little guy was fun to watch.  I hope I see him again! (And hopefully I’ll have some stamping for you tomorrow. )  Thanks for stopping by!

Hello!  I’ve had some problems getting my subscriptions to work so I’m trying something new…if you’d like to subscribe to my blog (or think you already did), please click on the orange button to the left.  We’ll see if this one works!  Please let me know if it doesn’t.  Thanks!