Hi there everyone, I know it's been awhile!

Hope things are going well for everyone! We have been very busy lately and it looks like I have not been here in a while. Please check out my site on the right hand side: Lynn's Crafts and you will see more of what I have been up to. I am doing a craft show next weekend Nov. 1-2 and then a flea market on Nov. 15th so I have been trying to keep up making product and stuff so that I am organized a bit. The house is coming along fabulously. All the ceiling fans are now in and we have just ordered some bedroom furniture that should be here before the holidays, or so they tell us! Mike went to Phoenix for a few days for some brother time with Gregg, and so I had some downtime to create and work on my show stuff. I want to have a little variety for everyone and so that is the hard part, trying to create enough of a mixture of product.

On another note, does anyone know where I can get some pixie stix(?) they cannot be found ANYWHERE either here or in Tuscon or so it seems. If you can get me some and ship em to me I will gladly pay you for your time and effort. I would like a bunch of em, maybe like 25 or so for a project! Thanks for your help.

Otherwise, not much else is new. We start our training this coming week for the Witness Victim Program and so that will be three days a week for the next three weeks. I am excited to see what that is all about. Either we will work as a team (Mike and I) or I will work with another person if he doesn't want to do it. We shall see if we even pass the course, interview, background check, etc. I think I even get to drive a squad car and practice on a practice track (sounds like fun to me).

Did I tell you . . . Mike's niece, Lisa, has a part in the show Cold Case which is being filmed as we speak. (Kudos to you Lisa) . . . I don't know when the show will air or anything, but she plays a 1960 stewardess. That sounds so exciting and we are all very proud of her. I'll let you know when the show is on!

So, back to crafting I go. Have a blessed day and I'll try to keep in touch sooner rather than later.

Hello, Hello, I'm back . . .

Hi there everyone, sorry I have been MIA for awhile! My goodness, time flies when you are having fun! Yeah, right if you call unloading junk in the garage and selling stuff on Craigslist fun, well then I guess I'm all over it! We finally have the garage organized, yeah Mike! We can actually put a car in it nevertheless. What an awesome feat that was for us . . .

I attended a stamping party with my pals in Milwaukee via the webcam this past Saturday and I was able to join in the fun and make a few cards with them. Technology is grand and I am glad that I was included. It was almost like old times, except I couldn't borrow any of their goods because they didn't fit in the camera. lol.

I have been trying to connect with some churches in the area to see if they have rummage/craft tables available for an upcoming show but they don't really seem to do that kind of thing here. I also hooked up with a small craft store and they said they will try to get me in to do some classes in the near future, that would be awesome! I have lots of ideas, now if I could just market them. If anyone need any gifts for family or friends, I probably have something you could use!

I taught my first Bible Study group this past Monday and it was awesome. The ladies were very receptive and I was blessed to have an opportunity to facilitate this group. Maybe I will be asked to facilitate the group again. I will gladly go wherever the Lord leads me!

We are loving the weather here now in AZ. Any humidity they had is mostly gone. The days are still in the 90s but it is comfortable and easy to work in. I have lost like 30-pounds probably from sweating to death (literally) and feel good. I am riding my bike almost every evening and the nights are really pleasant in like 60-70's. I told Mike if I lose any more weight (only 50-pounds to go), that he will have to get me a new wardrobe, as my clothes are starting to get too big for me. Yeah . . . I will shop for sure.

So otherwise, nothing else too new. We are still getting settled and acclimated to the weather and climate. Mike and his sister went to shoot their pistols in the desert today and they actually got kicked out by some security personnel. Apparently, Mike is going to have to do some investigating on where there is legal shooting places in the desert, or else he may end up in the big House!

Next week, we go for our first orientation class for the Victim Witness Protection Program that we are checking out in Sahuarita. This should be interesting. I'll have to keep you all posted. I'll be back soon!

Love and hugs,

Wow it has been awhile since I blogged last!

Paper Bag Album (cute, eh?)
Burst Photo Album (neat, eh?)

I can't believe it has been a whole week since I last worked on my blog! Well do you think I have maybe been busy with setting up the house???? Well, let's see. Actually, I have been working at 'my store' a.k.a. Criag's List where I have been busy listing and selling items that we no longer have room for or need here in sunny, Sahuarita, AZ. People have been placing inquiries on e-mail and then I make arrangements for them to cash and carry the item outta here! I love all the scammers and people who just want me to give the stuff to them, geez then I may as well have a rummage!!!!!

Mike laughs at me and says I would make a good saleswoman because I have a way with words. I have to ask him to go outside or go in another room while I wheel and deal because he talks too much (lol). But, I am having fun placing ads and stuff. Mike says any $$$ I make is mine so you know I am all over it. lol. I posted a comment on my Facebook account today that maybe I could sell enough junk to buy a plane ticket home to Wisconsin (I don't know if Mike saw the humor in my comment). I know he thinks I would go home in a heartbeat, but we still have some stuff to take care of here so here I will rest until the time is right. I am trying to call this place HOME and not refer to Wisconsin as home all the time . . . but you know where my loyalties are (just a joke). I seriously love it here, especially now that the weather is so beautiful. I have just been told that October and November are awesome months here in AZ.

Anyway, not much else new here. I made some new craft stuff . . . okay, I'll show you some of it . . . because I know you all want to see it.

Some cute little TY note cards and matching envelopes (for teachers, helpers, etc. )

So, I gotta go check my CL and e-mail and work at 'my store' for another hour or two. Love to all . . .

Today is Wednesday and it has been a long week already!

Well, let's see. We are pretty much done unpacking. Mike is still working in the garage. That is going to take awhile. He has finished hanging all our shutters and they look really nice! Today, the MIL and I went to the fabric store and purchased some fabric for some throw pillows and a floor pillow for Mike to watch TV with. We have to go into Tuscon for any major stores as Sahuarita is a fairly new community and you have to travel a bit to get to the bigger stores. We do have a Walmart Super Store, Walgreen's, bank and various other stores within a mile of our house. Today it rained, which is a rarity in itself. Since we arrived here in June, it has only rained about three times during the day. The storms come and go pretty quickly and then it is sunny again. They say the sun shines for like 360 days here and I guess that is pretty accurate.

I just helped two girlfriends from Milwaukee get set up with their web cams and now we can see and talk with each other. That is really cool and when we are on line, it is almost like I am there with them instead of 2000 miles away! Hopefully, that will save on telephone charges. I also was able to connect with a girlfriend from high school (over 40 yrs ago) and that is really interesting. We will try to correspond and get caught up on old news. How exciting is this here Internet thing.

Well, I guess I will sign off for now. My love to all our friends and family!

We are finally in our new home!

Well, we moved in six days ago and are doing great. Almost all of the inside stuff is unpacked and put away. There are some loose ends, no wall decorations or anything like that. But the home is totally functional. I'll post some pics. We are now working on stuff in the garage. We had a full basement and double car garage/workshop in Milwaukee, which now has to be weeded out AGAIN and we will need to find a home for all the stuff we want to keep. Sounds like a job for superman!

My husband has been wonderful . . . he has installed all the shutters in our home with the exception of the front room, which had bad frames, and we are waiting for the corrected product. He has wired all our computer and electronic stuff and put in cable and wireless t/o the house. He is amazing! I did all the unpacking and setting up of the living quarters and he did all the fine tuning for us. We are a great team and really do work well together.

Needless to say, we are a little exhausted and only work half day and rest the remainder of the day because we are getting old (he!he!). So, I best go check on things and see if the man needs any moral support. Will be back later in the week!

Five Days Until We Move!

Dinner out on the veranda!
Some of the beautiful cactus at the Desert Museum!
Mike, Lynn, Diane & Terry
A view of the kitchen minus the stove?????
A view of the backyard outside the patio door!

Well it has been a few days since I have posted anything. Let's see, we had our walk through on Friday and we are pretty much ready to go. They need to do some touch-up painting and some last minute details, and then we should be able to pick up the keys on the 29th and start the next chapter. This past weekend, my sister and brother-in-law from Texas paid us a visit and we had an awesome weekend enjoying one another's company, etc. So now we have to focus on finishing up all the loose ends on our end like getting the utilities connected, changing our address AGAIN and all those other mundane tasks. Here are some pics of the house and some from our weekend. Enjoy . . . and thanks for looking!

Twelve Days and Counting!

We are counting the days until moving day . . . the house seems to be coming along nicely. We still have some work to complete before the 29th but hopefully all is in order. Nothing else new on this end. Have a good day!