SEPTEMBER TAG - The 12 Tags of 2015

I was checking into my blog just to make sure I'd posted up my September Tag, and nearly had a heart attack that I'd completely forgotten to make my post even though I'd had all the photos up! Arrrrgh!! Taking off for vacation will do that to ya, I guess. *shrug* It was well worth the trip; getting time in with far-away, dear-to-our-hearts family, as well as time to rest our minds on the beaches of the Emerald Coast along the Florida Panhandle. There was one particular day that took our breath away; the ChiefHubby & I had to honestly agree that it was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY we'd seen in all our years of ANY BEACH at ANY TIME we've ever visited. It was THAT pristine with the warmth of the sun, only a whisp of clouds, a perfect breeze, THE perfectly huge but smooth waves with the water at such perfect temperature that we simply floated in it and relaxed just wanting to stay there and nap! Now, THAT right there says a LOT, because the Chief is really picky about water temp. I'll go in -with or without my board- and catch up with the surf no matter how chilly (or downright freezing) the water is. Will the REAL Ocean Lover please surf past?? *grinning widely*

     So here I was, with all the photos ready to post up on our drive down. We'd checked in at a hotel in Nashville after driving all evening from the time he'd gotten home from work. Taking off the evening before actually gives us more time away, but gives us both a chance to start winding down on the 7 hr drive down into southern Tennessee- the sunset is nothing short of AMAZING! And that right there probably made me totally forget EVERYTHING. Whoopsie!

            I'll tell you right now- Tim's September Tag is AWESOME!!!! Not just because it's another use for the Frosted Film, but also because it actually 'pops' and 'shines' so amazingly! He geniously incorporated Spring into Fall with this tag. So I decided this was my chance to try out that FFilm in a flower I'd seen someone else do in the CC3 Challenges. I got to thinking that the Fall here in Indiana is a mixture of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, with a little purplish tossed in. The TH Alterations Tattered Flowers Die is just right for making what is the most popular fall flower here: Mums! Sunflowers are another usual scene here and I was EXTREMELY EXCITED to have been able to get a full afternoon all alone in a full field of them; twice !! (I'll be sharing all hose shots in a post for October.)

I chose to make my 'own' stamp out of the TH Tattered Florals Die - ambossing the foam also before temporarily-adhering it to my wood plate I like to use. The wood doesn't let me see through it, but it keeps my hands from slipping off since the RA in my hands often makes me lose my grip.



You can see the resulting stamp I was able to get. CUTE!




I played around with colors I had on hand. I ended up going with Distress Paints along with a bit of the Metallic Gold and Silver Mixative to achieve the color set I had in mind. A little bit of mixing the DPaint colors here- including some Antique Linen DP for a bit of brightness-  gave me just the right shades of Indiana Fall !



I went with the Wild Honey TH Distress Stain for my background tag. More of this shade shows up than any other here.

Here, you can see I took off the smaller of the 3 stamps, choosing to use the largest only, for the background. I wanted just ONE perfect, large bloom- the opposite of the hundreds of tiny blooms you will see on any one Mum plant.



Just discovered: this little drawer sits on my Studio table holding lots of odds and ends of my week.... and also my small Canon cam. It's a go-to for what I grab before heading out the door.  I used it to hold the Frosted Film blooms I'd cut so I wouldn't lose them and ended up using them to hold while heating....when I figured out how EASILY the FFilm heated MORE while inside that little 'box' ! The idea hit me why; it's holding all the heat inside and makes the FFilm heat faster than if the heat flew right past it into the air ! Plus- it didn't fly out of my tweezers! :)



    



I wanted to use these for the middle of my Mum bloom, but the hole in the middle was too tiny. I often have that same trouble with the Mini Gears, too. The solution is one I've been using ever since I got hold of my first Tonic Scissors: use the serated edge of the blade pair to stick inside and just twist back and forth all around inside the hole. You will soon have a hole large enough for your chosen metal peice (Long Fastener, Pin, or Jump Ring, etc.). The 3 on the left are now large enough for my Long Fastener, while the last one on the right is still originally too small.




Here, is shown my choice of the Bricking Stencil for my coating of texture. I just LOVE that stencil !!!  It was my intention to make it look like the flower was blooming out of the brick wall- due to school starting in the Fall here WAY TOO EARLY in August now when Indiana barely had any Summer because of the June monsoons ruining it all! Pink Floyd's "The Wall" kept running through my mind here.....



On the backs of each, I chose to add a Happy Birthday notation along with a Months Shadow Embossed "September" and a stamp of  hand pointing to the note.....for 2 of  my Besties; Wendy Cotner and Susan Phillips, and the 3rd tag for my ChiefHubby- whom all celebrated September birthdays.

 



     I made each front to match the description of my 2 Besties- how I see they are from my own eyes. And the tag I was keeping for the ChiefHubby, I chose the Word Band SALVAGED- to describe how we'd 'salvage' what was left of summer with our trip to Florida.

I was pleasantly impressed with my own Mum! :)







      Thanks SO MUCH for not only the sweet comments, but for HANGING IN THERE WITH ME & I noticed ppl still checking in TODAY !! (You are actually the ones that made me wonder "Hmmmm....? " and then get in here !!!  I am back off here to await the coming OCTOBER TAG... and get my little butt busy with the coming "Leaf War 2015" that will come with all the leaves needing to be mown up as they fall. If you check in on my "WLYLA FRIDAY HITS" on FB or Twitter, you will be treated to "LEAF BREAK" every week. These are photos of the same area out here with we live in a private lake where the leaves change the landscape into a beautiful portrait throughout the coming weeks. It is such a lift on Fridays after a long week of work- or for anyone who needs a lift to get through the weekend, too ! Our GOD is such a colorful Creator !!!

                Please Stay Safe, &- as always- Happy Blogging!

AUGUST TAG; The 12 Tags of 2015

       Tim's gone and done it again; made a fantastically COOL tag that I just LOVE! So, my first thought was "I really wanna do one like THAT!" and of course - as is my usual- I also had to go and get another idea for a different kind of tag also. Aaaaand made a copy of it for a gift. Backsides done, too. Like I had that kind of time lately with the backup of blogs I still have yet to get out. ( I know everyone is wondering at this point if it will ever happen...YES, it will. In my usual lateness.) August is almost out, and I am unwilling to let go of Summer 2015.

As I type this, we are packed and ready to head up to Minnesota for a weekend with the younger PURDUE couple kids. They just moved into a new house- getting out of the tiny apartment they were in to start with. They've only been in Red Wing since October (Holli joined  Brett at Christmas after her graduation from Purdue) and they have made themselves quite at home. Holli took a nice offer of a job in the school system, only to be offered another job as well the next day. She finally chose the second and is really excited to start her first High School English Teaching job! Brett has been working alot at the Nuke Facility, so this will keep Holli busy during his long shifts. He gets a week off every 6 weeks, so they do get time to go off to see new places. They took their first camping trip for their 2nd Anniversary and posted some AWESOME photos of Minnesota!

And I would be totally remiss if I didn't shoutout the BEST NEWS so far: back in July, the older couple kids took a trip south to the Smokey Mountains, and we kept it mum till they announced it formally the first week of August.....Brian popped the BIG Q and Ashley said "YES"!! He presented her with a beautiful diamond engagement ring, and we are a VERY HAPPY set of 4 'Rents (hers and his both)!!! Brian also began his new job on August 17th as a Permanent Associate at Subaru of Indiana Automotive (the same SIA he's been working at for a year now as a Temp). The funniest thing about it is that he will be in training for some time in this job. He's officially registered at PURDUE UNIVERSITY and we now have our 4th BOILERMAKER in the house !!!  He actually is a few classes short of a Fire Science degree from Ivy Tech. But he is switching gears now for this new job. So that will all remain as is- unless he changes his mind when it comes to another Fire Dept.

 What's so funny about this is Brian NEVER wanted to be a Boilermaker at PURDUE. And Brett never wanted to be a Firefighter. And yet- here they both are; Brian is a student at PURDUE and Brett's job description at the Prairie Island Nuclear Facility is that he maintains training on their Fire Brigade. So we still have a Firefighter in the family....and we still sing "GO PURDUE" !!!! lol

Ok, lemme get back on track now....hahahahaaa.....



Here's a closeup of the saying I chose. It reminds me that we raised our Sons to go out there and get 'em! So wherever they must go to do that, and to take care of their wives....GOD will watch over them all for me. :)




Here's the closeup of the embellies...I shrunk the stamps on the computer then printed them out. That way you can fill in the blanks if you want. I filled in others for our cruise we took last summer- and they look really COOL on the stuff I used them on. The little sailboat used to be shiney silver. A little Alcohol ink took care of that for me.




The plane (and the compass) were printed out on printable velum. Once you scan your stamps to use them on the computer, you can save them and use them over and over on different programs. Being a photographer, I know alot of tricks like this to use that come in handy when I am crafting ! 




This is the full backside of my entry tag- I used a date stamper for my choice of stamps. It looks cool to ME. This gave me a chance to cut into that new stack of TH Correspondence papers!



This is the background of the other 2 tags- I call them Summer tags. I wanted to make something different that was colorful to share with a Bestie who has been such a wonderful help to me with my kittykats ! She and her Husband said goodbye at the first of August, to their puppy, Hershey (The Great American Chocolate Dog) after he spent a very GOOD , long life with them. It came at the end of the stay of their kids and Grandkids- so they all got to say goodbye. I'm gonna miss him, too !! I used my M&S Sand & Sea Mini dies to cut some seahorses, sand dollars, and starfish out of CoOrdinations paper, lightly sanded and shaded them a bit for some depth. I kept it kind of plain for these tags- so the COLORS would pop.







These are the fronts- Mine is at the top and Susan's is on the bottom. Each shows what kept us busy this August....their entire family coming to stay.....and the ChiefHubby and I finishing up the front and back porches and the new pool and damage from the old pool break......





And the Backsides of each.....ours shows how the porches only come alive when they're filled with those we LOVE! And their backside shows a previous year of their family staying and a photo of Hershey just before he went to be an angel pup for JESUS!! (Yes; that's what I believe and I am gonna STICK with that!!)



THANK YOU, EVERYONE, for all the NICE comments for my last CC3 Challenge entry!!

The winners HAD to be HARD to choose because, in moho, they were ALL so FANTASTIC!

I hope to keep in touch with, and follow as many as I can. I have yet to keep up on here, so we'll see how it all pans out as the fall weather gets here. (Shhhhhhh!!! Let's not help it get here!)

Be Safe and Happy Blogging !

Compendium of Curiosities Vol.3 Challenge #34....And That's A Wrap, Folks!

Well, here we are; at the very last Challenge for the Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 3, and while I only began at #19, it still seems like a loooong time ago. I am really happy to have joined in on all the fun, learned a lot of new techniques, and made some new friends I hope to keep in touch with and craft with in the future! So, here I am at the last minute again, and burning the 11:00 pm oil to make the deadline once again. Forgive me the times I've nearly missed it, but life keeps me on my toes. And that, my readers, is a VERY GOOD thing! With this last Challenge, there will be prizes again... and I feel like I've come full circle with this since I am using prize $ won from my JUNE TAG from Tim and Mario, to make this last Challenge project with !!

I must add a huge THANKS to everyone who has been checking in for all my posts and esp these Challenges! I still have one I missed that will feature a Bucket List happening of mine. Plus a few more that our busy life has not allowed me time to post yet. *sigh* Then, I must thank Tim Holtz for making these awesome CoC books that have me trying out new things all the time in my studio. And to Mario Rossi- for keeping us all in the know with his BTS photos, and doing all the sending of prizes!! A HUGE THANKS to all the ppl I've gotten to know in these Challenges on Linda Ledbetter's site- truly AWESOMELY TALENTED CRAFTERS!!! And their encouraging ideas and inspiration has kept me going.

And lastly, THANKS SO MUCH for all the prizes sponsored: The Funkie Junkie Boutique ,The Inspiration Emporium , and of course- Tim and Mario !

All that said; here it goes.....



It all began with my winning JUNE TAG. Mario sent out a $25 Gift Certificate for my prize and I chose to use it for adding another rack to my Blending Tools Spinner. But, like I've complained before- each rack comes with a base. I already have a neat looking base and wanted to just add another rack for 8 more Mini Blending Tools. So the base was leftover. What to do with that?? I came up with a neat idea and dug up a paper mache star and a tough paper tube.



The first thing I did was add a little bit of texture to my star with some Guesso. I wanted to use Tim's stencils to give it a texture you could SEE as well as FEEL...



I had to think ahead because I knew the star was going to be at the top. So I cut the tube to fit the star and pinched it tight with a SPINNER to hold the star onto the top! :)




I didn't want to get any Guesso onto the base, so I taped it up nicely - it doubled as a place to put the tube for drying.




Yep- I wanted to add texture to the tube also...it wasn't easy !!




Then I used Black Soot Distress Paint to coat the tube and it actually matched the base PERFECTLY!




This is the Guesso'ed star- with stars at the top and all bricking at the bottom 3 points.



I then used Tarnished Brass on one side only.



\



For the actual Challenge- I can't show you that, but I LOVE stars and stripes and those stencils would go really WELL with this star!!! Full circle...see what I mean?? (Hint: My JUNE TAG 2015)





Here's the finished Side 2 after the technique.





Side 1 also has the technique done on it- with a white background/ I used a pattern to decide how to embellish it.




For those of you who wanted to see HOW IN THE WORLD I DRILLED THOSE MIRROR STARS:
veeeeery carefully !!




Some pearls onto red wire and a few IdeaOlogy items....



I chose to do some "rusting" of the Brass side... then some IdeaOlogy embellies...



And some ribbon in Distress Fired Brick....



I used my new TH Heart Punch (which I also got from prize $$) to add our wedding photo to the charm...



And there is Side 1 finished: it has all the colors of our wedding in 1984. Sitting up on my dresser next to all our family photos is a really COOL touch!

And in the summer, when it's Americana Flag time- I can just turn the star around for some antique look.

            Thanks for checking in this last Challenge and I sure hope to get the rest of some really COOL projects I've done in the past two months....POSTED SOON!!!
                                        Have a great weekend, and Happy Blogging!

Special "2-4-1" Crossover Post: JULY TAG- The 12 Tags of 2015 Meets Compendium of Curiosities Vol.3 Challenge #33: Altered Surfaces !

July....WOW. What a month this has been! Guess it's a good thing I decided to put together two events into one Tag (The 12 Tags, and CC3#33) because I'd have not had the time to get one of the two finished in time with so much else going on in my share of the radar!  It finally stopped raining here in Indiana...our part anyway...& summer finally REkicked in. A bit late for most kids going back to school, though.

With help setting up from several Besties, we've got a new larger pool almost ready once again- YAY!!

 I don't know about you, but I am just CRAZY for Tim's JULY TAG! This is truly one for me and my home decor! I'm not sure why I never thought of doing something like this before, but you can bet your Big Shot that I am going to be using these techniques in other projects in the future- that tearing is my kinda thing I just LOVE doing to tags!! So, of course, I stuck pretty closely to all of his instructions....EXCEPT for the trinket items. I get a bit carried away using those IdeaOlogy Mirrored Stars. ;)

      So, here is where I parted ways with Tim's Tag just a bit. I chose to use my drill and choosing one of the tiniest drill bits I have, I carefully made holes in the star for hanging onto a Trinket Pin. And after that, I took a 'wavy road off the main highway' so to speak, and added a neat backside Tag to the frontside. And added photos from our July Fourth gathering here at our house with the new front porch as the background. You won't find the ChiefHubby in the photo as he was off to the far left of me and I kept telling everyone to move over, but alas....he and another Hubby got cut off. The usual that happens when you have alot of folks in one photo, the weather is very hot, and everyone just wants to sit back down asap. Oh well. ;)  I try.

    From there, I took the opportunity to use the CC3 Challenge #33 for the number on the frontside of my Tag. And since I was also making another copy of this same Tag (front and back also) for Wendy Cotner (One-half of a caring and truly talented team of "Mr&Mrs DoItAll"), I chose to make hers into the July 4th with "brave" for their Military SonInLaw serving in Germany and mine into July 14th with "love"- for the ChiefHubby and I celebrating our 31st Wedding Anniversary. I think BOTH Tags turned out PERFECTLY, and are probably one of my VERY FAVES!! (I think I always say that about the July Tags, but who's keeping track??) So, for the numbers, I can't share the details on how I did them, but you can check it out for yourself if you get your hands on your own copy of Tim Holtz's "Compendium of Curiosites Vol. 3". There's only ONE MORE CHALLENGE LEFT, and that makes me kinda sad. Here's hoping Tim has Volume FOUR coming out soon!! Or the fun will have to come out of doing the same three Volumes all over again...???

In both cases; there are PRIZES!!!

For Tim's "12 Tags": I just won for my JUNE TAG and used the gift certificate Mario (Tim's right-hand BTS helper) sent to me to purchase another Ranger Spinner, so I can have a second rack for storing Mini Ink-Blending Tools and have the bottom rack only for the regular sized Blending Tools. I had enough leftover to also restock a few IdeaOlogy items- including the new Mini Rosettes which are TOTALLY COOL!!! I also recieved a Badge for my Blog, that I still need to get up... which I tried several times but Blogger was acting up...Grrrrr!!

And MORE PRIZES: there are a few different ones awarded from the CC3 Challenges- one is sponsored by the oh-my-gosh-so-talented! Linda Ledbetter's The Funkie Junkie Boutique - another PRIZE is sponsored from Inspiration Emporium (the same store from which The 12 Tags get awarded from, too), and...best of all- CC3 PRIZES for every odd Challenge from Tim Holtz himself, sent by the wonderfully helpful Mario Rossi, Master of the Postal Sendings !! 

I'm all geared up for the rest of summer as best I can after fighting off 2 bouts of Upper Respiratory Infections, a rotated hip, and a pool that went "KA-BANG!" louder than a July Fourth Fireworks show. The ChiefHubby has summer-end plans for us as usual; a trip to Minnesota to see the Younger Purdue couple kids getting into a new place (moving from a small apartment to a full, 3 bedroom house), and check out Holli's new Teaching position (she still has yet to choose at this point having gotten not ONE great job offer for teaching, but TWO great OFFERS!); a trip to Florida to see family there, & hopefully regroup with a couple of restful beach trips, and spending time with 'our' four beautiful girls we proudly claim as Nieces by choice!  Coming up this week- a camping trip with the group of Besties will be fun while we get eaten by tons of Indiana mosquitoes left over from all the June rains. Earlier, we helped the Older couple kids move into a brand newly built, 3 bedroom house, and celebrated Brian getting permanently hired to SIA (beginning Aug 17th) with Ashley continuing her straight A college status. We are VERY BLESSED with these four kids, and so many Loved Ones!! After that, it will be all downhill with Fall coming. I really wish it was July Fourth all year long. Summer is just way too short for this gurl ! *sigh* I could totally do without winter at all.

But, we still have THREE MORE TAGS to look forward to after AUGUST TAG- YAY!!!

THANKS SO VERY MUCH, EVERYONE for all the SWEET, SWEET comments on my projects, and for all the "Congrats!" sent for my Winner JUNE Tag !!!

    It's so FUN to share with so many TALENTED people doing these!! I am so awed each time I check out any other Tags or CC3 Challenge entries... I am so humbled to be crafting among all these SWEET folks !! Just think; if we all banded together and managed to create enough to pass out to the rest of the world full of people and put a smile on every face. WOW!

Cause, that's what happens when I come into contact with any of YOU!

THANKS for making me SMILE!!!

....as always....

Be Safe & Happy Blogging!

Life in Indiana during the year of "The Summer of Monsoons" - Larimore Fashion, as usual.

   Just when ya think the work is done...

The ChiefHubby & I were kept busy all through this summer, not just with the usual summer happenings (gatherings, concerts, July 4th, mowing home for me & at church for him), but with a ton of leadership in & our help to two of our Besties, Mark & Wendy Cotner, we managed to get not only a back deck porch built, but also a BEAUTIFULLY crafted front porch deck! Mark, and Wendy too, is as talented in his craftmanship- being as durable perfectionists as our late Grandpa Raymer. That says it all! So when our mission trip time arrived (Team Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia) for the week of July 10-16, we'd busted our heinies to get all our obligations done and the house & yard picked up and re-seeded the day before we left Indiana. I'll still be doing a blogpost on our end of the Team's work for the measley 3 days we were there (with only ONE stinkin' day of work completed on our part). While taking Sunday afternoon time away from the actual work to have a chance to show Wendy the views of Breaks Inter-State Park that the rest of us got to view on last year's trip (this was her first trip there), I recieved an urgent cell text from our neighbor who was not at home either (they were visiting her parents in Minnesota- yup, same area our Ygr Purdue couple settled in by GOD's design; not anyone else's!). Her sister was staying at their house next door to us to puppysit their kids' 2 dogs. Her sister's boyfriend happened to be there after lunch when they heard a loud crash and ran out to see the pool had.....exploded....is the only description I have. They texted me the words "your pool broke", but later in the evening when we finally got net service to work, and we got hold of another friend/nearby neighbor (who is the former GVFD Assistant Chief...Dave Armick & his wife, Jody... all those years working alongside David) ran over to get & send photos. But, "exploded" is what it more resembles!

From the description Dave & Jody told David over the phone, a decision had to be made: the mission trip would have to finish without us. I was NOT happy about that. I felt like we'd failed it. We'd failed THE KIDS there at Mountain Mission School. We'd just barely gotten time to get to talk to any of the kids. We DID get in a full day's work that I felt was a REALLY GOOD DAY on Saturday, even tho I was still feeling sick from a URI and coughing my head off day&night through an antibiotic and the usual megaload of meds I have to take. But from prior experience with the school last year; over the week-long stay, the kids warm up and start talking to visitors & trusting us more. We committed to making that place, that school, those kids; our MISSION to give our time, talents, treasure, teaching, testimony, and LOVE for the coming years..as GOD so wills. And I look forward to going back again next year also. But not knowing if the damage was only on our OWN property, or not, David was right; we needed to get home & take care of it all. It was NOT as bad as I feared from initial looks. But finding how it went into the house itself was a bit of a shock. (BLESS DAVE & JODY for cleaning it up and even moving the bar chairs & all else that the Larimore Tsunami hit in its way, to get them dried out!!!!) Not the least to mention that we'd had TONS of ppl in that pool, and sitting around all the decking, over three weeks of three gatherings/pool parties. And had we not been away on a trip; I would have been in that pool myself at that very time after church & lunch. Seeing how I mostly 'lead the way' of seeing who can obtain the biggest splash into the pool...over & over, of course....we'd have had alot of hurt people whom we love dearly. I do NOT believe in 'coincidence'. I know GOD is omniscient.

         I've gotten a cpl hundred msgs over the past 48 hrs, so blogging it seemed the best way to explain- and show- it all. We are OK- both kitties were at home & BudderCup came running & her usual bawling her head off when we drove up. After an evening of me worrying & calling for Shax...he ended up rolling around at the backdoor in ecstasy before we were ready to drop dead in bed. Another set of friends ,Scott, Terri, & just their younger of their two daughters, happened by while David started pulling up the mess. They stayed to not just help David cut up all the metal, but load it all up into the back of the truck. As it dries out, we can rake up all the (just newly spread soil, grass seed, mulch, and all new POOL ROCK!!) mass amount of items from the yard and we are, just as I get this typed, seeing about a new pool. It is a couple years earlier than planned but since July 14th is our 31st Wedding Anniversary...I get a new pool for it...and the Anniversaries to come. And for Labor Day, my 50th birthday in October, and probably CHRISTmas and Easter....for the next 20 years! lol!!

          While he began cleanup, (left MMSchool abt 8am & arrived home abt 5pm) I was unpacking and gathering up all the soggy stuff that got hit. The Chief & I kept finding large rocks... hunks of mud...and my always-floating pair of duckies high-water-surfed waaaay out to the front of the house. (Omagosh!!! I am just now reminded that only our 'Johnny Gage FF/PM duckie is MISSING!! Better send out an ambu & Squad to search for 'im!! Somebody dispatch USAR!!!) David laughingly said "Looks like we had our own Tsunami...Larimore Fashion!"...um, yeah... mmm-hmmm. And during the unpacking from what was to have been a 7-day-w-5-workday stay; I wouldda been the one with nothing left but the VERY-minimalistic packing I'd had. Whereas, The always-ready, retired-FFChief, former Boy Scout (pack 14 prs underwear....just in case, ya never know) ChiefHubby had enough clothing and shoes to restock a full wardrobe after said Tsunami!!! I was still snickering over watching our group of fellow mission-attenders unpack: they each cleaned off the matresses...spread out a fitted sheet....spread out (matching, mind you) top sheets....then nice home-away-from-home comforter bedspreads...topped that with pillows- after slipping on matching pillowcases. (I won't pick on any Bears or Stuffies placed on top as I seem to be the leader in that...but sadly forgot mine... wah!) And will the REAL OUTDOOR GURL please stand up: (w CH's help & suggestion) I pushed my bunks over to the nearest outlet corner, set out my outlet bar, attached all my techie toys w their plugins, unroll my sleeping bag, drop my extra blanket at the foot, and my pillow at the top, plunk down & open my iGear, & look over watching all of them making up their 'cushy beds', & call out: "Man! U guys are such....GIRLS!!!" HaHa!! Then I end up being the first one to pack it all in & head for home with my tail hung low. Left Indiana with a pool at home & a smile on my face. Head back home as a PoolGurl...with no pool. :`(

        That pool lasted EXACTLY 20 years this very week!!! We try hard to take care of what we haveAnd we are very BLESSED in how many memories we have of the people who came to share good times with us in it....of our own private times...and how that pool was my only companion while I was sick those 5 yrs of the last 10 having trauma-induced RA after a life-saving surgery turned my world upside-down. The boys were either at school or pretty much had a life of their own by then. David's job always took at least 10 hrs out of the day, plus his other obligations on the Fire Dept, & not to mention church work...left me time at home alone a lot. Sleeping while floating on air mattress was about the ONLY comfortable position. At that point, walking in the pool, not only was a way for me to spend my recovery time, but it also led to me deciding life was worth staying alive for. And only GOD understands what HE & I talked over during that time. So yeah...it was more than "just a pool". I remind myself that I always get to keep the good memories of this life as my gift, while my real treasures are laid up for me in my Real Home- Heaven!

      We took a trip to Indy yesterday - our Anniversary- & stopped in Kokomo on the way home on US31 at the Outback Steakhouse to share dinner & over the mandatory YUMMY FAVE Bloomin' Onion, had a chance to go over our options for a new pool. Some of our future-new-pool plans changed without realizing it: deeper than the 24x48 is out since it wouldn't match with the decking already in place, and..they no longer have bottom drains like we did (permanently discontinued after children were hurt being caught in the suction of the water in the drain), and our plan to drop the drain deeper is also out due to voiding any warranty of the new liner if we reinserted our still-existing bottom drain. Also out is pro installation, as noone will install within 8 inches of an exisisting structure (decking). The pluses are: we have already installed our own pool before and have learned from any mistakes, we made our pool (original outside & liner as well) last for 20 years specifically due to our own work & care for it all. We also have plenty of experience in replacing worn working parts- motor, filter, pipings, fittings, skimmer aparatus, etc. Sooooo. As soon as the cleanup is finished, and we find the right replacement We don't need the full pkg that most companies sell and forget Family Leisure in Indy whose salesman was ready to sell us "any pool in stock" only to tell us about each choice we picked with a "Oops. We are out of stock on that one." and by the time I'd made the THIRD pick and it was far inferior of what we were wanting....I clicked on my cell phone to find out for myself if I could just order the sucker online from their supplier myself (yep) and bypass that place entirely. Shhesh! Why are they even open....HEEEELLLLLLOOOOooooooo?!?

          All in all; I know a new pool will happen if I just be patient. (And in the meantime, the ULTRA-monsoony-muggy Indiana weather of 2015... I seriously think they need ta be thinkin' about changing the State Bird from a Cardinal to a MOSQUITO !!!) I am forever GRATEFUL & THANKFUL noone was around or in it at the time, thus noone was hurt; no other property was damaged, and our own house was still ok. No amount of insurance we have on all our belongings could make up for the loss of anyone's LIFE or LIMB. And I learned from this - once again- that in times of happiness, or in need of help: we have A TON OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE US!!! Our kids were all out of state- the older couple took a trip to Tennessee on vacation, but were on the way home at the same time, and stopped by to send us updates of the damages. Our younger set live up in Red Wing, MN, and we wanted to contact them AFTER we got settled down so they wouldn't worry that we or the pets were hurt. Our next door neighbor family watch over us & our home even when not at home- same as we do with them & theirs while they are gone (ironically the same area of Minnesota where our younger couplekids live). And I am CERTAIN that the rest of our neighborhood also watch over things just as we do for them- and we would all join to help each other even if we had any differences of opinion or the way we each live. Our kids are ALL important too- no matter whose they are. That's what is so great about this country we live in. And I wouldn't trade it! 

     So take a deeeeep breath, know it all is ok, and I DID have a good breakdown and cry over it the night before we got home. And I was hyperventing as we drove up. The Chief was too, just a TINY bit. ;) Here's the photos. With the *BANG!* ppl say they heard down the street, and the bent of the steel posts.....you'll see why I am so THANKFUL!!



BEFORE: David and I kinda 'helped' Mark Cotner and his brother Rick Cotner as they start the roof on the finished back bottom decking. The Chief and I can hammer and drill alot of things....as long as you tell us WHERE you want them hammered and drilled. Mark Cotner is a MASTER builder and his wife, Wendy, is a HUGELY talented MASTER crafter/artist. These two people are what I call Extreme Givers. And we are humbly proud to work alongside them and call them "Bestie"!



   

SUNDAY; July 12 a photo sent by Dave Armick via cell a few hrs after the break. Rachelle Pearson's sister, Katie, was house/puppysitting next door and originally sought out how to contact us, calling Rachelle and trying across the street at Bill & Kim Watkins' house also. THANKS SO MUCH, EVERYONE !!!!! :)



It doesn't look bad at all from here. Till you try to walk over to it.....and the amount of mixed stuff hidden in the soggy grass tells the real story.



The pump is actually OK!! But, imagine some people- ESPECIALLY KIDS- who were filling this pool being hurled by all the steel that broke and hit the filter- flinging it aside out of the holder and the actual pump...... That steel held up SEVERAL TEEN BOYS walking on top of it during the night....(Thought "Mommy don't see that stuff", huh??) and also myself when I daily popped over it to turn the bottom drain on for daily bottom cleaning. That wall is pretty darned strong- even at 20 yrs old. It was the rust from around the skimmer that was weakened from overfill by a storm Saturday night. If we had been home (as I was doing daily) ...I'd been draining off the excess. So, no, the insurance will not cover it in this case.



My BabyDucky was found along with several top liner-pulls....clear out past the new back porch decking and the camper. WHOA! What a wipeout!!!!


 

I will soon have my house and property back to the way I like to keep it. I know all that takes is alotta elbow grease on my end, but it's work I like to do and take joy that GOD still enables me to enjoy on most days!!!!
Then, I guess we'll have to end up having another pool party.... in THE NEW POOL...to give THANKS, and share it all around! ;)



  THANKS 2 ALL!  for not only the nice comments left on all my crafts done recently, but all the NICE thoughts and prayers sent our way while I was sick again, for our Missions Trip, and then trying to contact me after hearing through whatever grapevine you did about the "Larimore Tsunami". SHEESH!! That makes TWO of those that affected us personally- the one in Japan affected David's job at SIA and the people of the company. Should I be.... a touch CONCERNED with my obessive love of WATER??

I guess I am a bit backed up on blogging again, but it will all get out at some point. In the meanwhile;

I send my sincere thoughts and prayers backatcha'all! Be safe, have a wonderful week, and....

                                                  

                                                      Happy Blogging!!