Lake Ray Roberts Cools The Heat!

This past weekend Hubby & I tried to escape the heat with a quick trip to Lake Ray Roberts which is about an hour & half north of us. We took our friends Jerry & Ginger (the ones that share their pool with us as seen in previous post). We left about noon after Hubby had gone to see the oldest GRAND in a football scrimmage… (does anyone besides me think it insane that coaches take young athletes & put them through 2 a day training in DAYS OF 100 plus degree heat????) Oh well….OFF we go happy as larks to get away.

This photo of the trees along the path down to the lake says it all! The heat has taken it’s toll on everything!

Well, the boat wouldn’t start & we were all so frustrated. Hubby says she is going to the shop as he won’t have a boat (or anything else that won’t start when he turns the key). I bet she just needs a tune up but, still it was disappointing to not be out on the lake with wind in our hair.

But, I did want to share some of the beauty of the sunset over the water with you. Do you love a pretty sunset as much as I do? Does water soothe your soul like it does mine?

Do you wonder at the colors available in GOD’s Paint Box?

The place that we stayed was really pretty. It is located in a State Park. The name of the resort is Lantana & you can click on the name for the link to it.

A site with stunning views of the water, a great restaurant, nice rooms (rustic but, nice) & we really enjoyed our stay.

I took the photo above standing on the point of the patio (below) & it is such a beautiful place. We sat on the patio (just to the right of the photo below) & played cards until midnight.

What ran us off at midnight? The boys won the card game & a snake showed up for dinner on the patio (just like we did!). As we scurried off to our room we saw an armadillo (baby) over by our rooms. We also saw the young couple we had met down on the dock returning from fishing. And there was a couple our age that came to watch the meteor shower that was supposed to be taking place that night. So, see… many reasons to come to the lake & fun for all! Hope you enjoyed the photos & seeing how we are coping with this horrible heat. UPDATE: We did get one 10 hour period of rain on Friday night. It was a blessing indeed. Did it fix the draught? NO! Of course not but, it was a BEAUTIFUL site to behold. SEND US SOME MORE RAIN & COOLER TEMPS!

HUGS! Charlene

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER!

Elle wants you to know that these are indeed the DOG DAYS OF SUMMER! Or as the song says “Hot Times in the Summer Time”.

WOW IS IT HOT HERE IN TEXAS!!!!! Tomorrow marks 40 some days of heat registering OVER 100 degrees with another WEEK of the same in the forecast. Often between 108 –112!

And how do we stay cool????? Like Elle we put on our swimsuits & head to our neighbors pool!!!! That’s the only way to beat this heat! Grab a noodle & come on in….

Elle just loves to swim! And she is one stylin little girl let me tell you! Can you believe she is 10 months old now? And this cute suit & towel is found at Build A Bear Workshop which has great outfits for little dogs… There’s even a place for their tail to go through like on this suit.

And when I’m not swimming, I’m enjoying the online workshop Bo Ho Bliss by my friend Deryn Mentock. Check it out & see if it’s something you can’t live without!

Hope you’re staying cool~ And for all of you that have cool weather or rain…. SEND IT DOWN HERE!!!! We’re cookin!

HUGS! Charlene & Elle

So Where The Heck Have I Been?

Houston, Texas to begin with…. I MISSED YOU GUYS! I have been reading some of your blogs but, I’ve been uber busy. It started 2 weeks ago when I went with Hubby to Houston for him to work. Let’s start there… We pulled our new RV down & stayed in a lovely RV park near Pearland which is south of downtown. Pool, hot tub, grills, horseshoes… this place had it all. Luxury RV’ing for sure! And then…

And invitation to join my precious friend Diane Cook of Rosa & Josie’s for her monthly meeting of THE ROWDY ART SISTERS ART Groups monthly meeting! What a fun bunch of ladies! Above is the image that appears on all of their Art Aprons that they wear each meeting.

This month it was Diane’s turn to host/teach the project & above is her sample. Don’t you adore the little girl in the resin piece? I DO! And I love the rest of it too. The way she finished out that piece of brass heart just set the tone for a precious focal point! Diane is an amazing FRIEND & teacher. Be sure to click on her name above & go visit her to see where all she is teaching. If you have a chance… TAKE ONE OF HER CLASSES!

We met in Kathleen Wedemeyer’s studio which is over the top(click on her name to link to her)! She has “STUFF” … WONDERFUL STUFF EVERYWHERE! And her studio is huge! This is JUST ONE ROOM of it. See the fabric curtain in the back left… another WHOLE ROOM of supplies. And then there is another large storage room for big things like ceiling tiles. On the back wall you can see some of her amazing art hanging on the walls. SHE IS ONE TALENTED GAL! Her studio is located behind her darling stone home & gardens. AMAZING!!!! Her home is like walking into an art dream… Everywhere you look it is over the top decor. I wish I had brought my camera that day but, I didn’t so I am using the photos Diane took to share the day (THANKS DIANE). Kathleen & I first met at ADORN ME two years ago when we took two of Diane’s classes there.

That’s Kathleen on the front left. And you can see me & my buddy Agnes (who I get to hang out with at Round Top every year & at many of Diane’s classes) on the right. This shows some of Kathleen’s goodies on the wall a little closer up.

Everybody working hard…

Our finished watch faces filled with our images & ICE Resin. Mine is that sweet little girl in the center front row. I LOVE HER! I did not set mine in the beautiful piece of brass filigree because I haven’t decided if she will go on an etched cuff bracelet… or if I will use some of the amazing beads that I bought at the Gem Show (can you see a future post there?) that I went to a couple of days later. Indecision stops soooooooooooooooo much creativity for me. DO YOU HAVE THAT SAME ROAD BLOCK? If not… please share how YOU push through that step of creating.

This is Kathleen’s finished piece (Diane went back the next day to help her finish hers). LOVE the image with the gear behind her. And the words… Artist……………….. Good Job Kathleen! Thank you to all you Rowdy Art Sisters for letting me join in your fun day!!!! THIS IS WORTH A MONTHLY DRIVE TO HOUSTON ! Don’t ya think??? They said I could join. And I’m thinkin I should too! NOW……… I must get back to piles of laundry & mail. Not to mention 2 weeks of billing for the company. After a week in Houston we hooked up with Diane & her hubby for a week of RV fun in Kerrville. Lot’s more photos & fun to post about soon.

HUGS! Charlene

Starfish MAGIC!

My birthday present from sweet Sandy arrived & when I opened it I SQUEALED with delight when I saw this AMAZING Starfish! She KNOWS how I adore all things coastal & when my BDay was approaching she went on a quest…

I LOVE the uniqueness of this treasure. From the candlestick base (with aged BLING) to the watch face & the added BLING at the base. I had sent Sandy on a shell box seeking mission a few weeks back(California so had better selections that landlocked Texas) & I used some of those as my backdrop for this shot. Sandy said she was in desperate hunt mode when she & Robin hit Christie Repasy’s show Vintage Market Place in Rainbow, CA. They went through the whole show & didn’t find what she wanted. She said “I promised Robin we would leave after I made one more pass through all the booths”. AND THIS IS WHAT SHE FOUND…

A fabulous booth by Debbie of Blossom Vintage Chic!

Beautiful treasures at every turn. And right in the middle…

A closer look…

Sandy said she almost missed it!!!! OH NO!!!!!! I can tell you that this little beauty is HARD to photograph to it’s amazing potential!!!! Debbie used such creativity to put this together! None of the photos (mine or Debbie’s) do it justice.

In my master bathroom I have a ledge over my garden tub & in this little nook I have my Sea Treasures. At night I love to light the candles & enjoy my different little jewels. Below is a little glimpse of the selections by day.

I’ll share a few close ups…

Left top is my shell bird house, Top right is a stunning piece of china with shells that I found in Round Top, also on top of the glass jar is my head band (with starfish) that I made at the Kim Caldwell's Art Event Les Sirens' in summer of 2010, bottom left my mermaid, & bottom right is the coastal bird nest that Sandy gave me for Christmas. That artists’ name is Vicki Boster & you can visit her HERE!

My little vintage French lamp shade on that candlestick lamp is so shabby wonderful & I ADORE the HUGE Starfish I purchased from Vignette's Antique (in San Diego, CA)thank you Lori you & the store ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!! And speaking of treasures from Lori…

Love both of these & you can see the base from my Starfish from Sandy. LOVE the patina on it!

I’ll leave you with the nighttime view. Pretty isn’t it?

THANK YOU SANDY for your thoughtful gift. Thank you Debbie for your creativity, thank you Lori for having treasures to ship to this landlocked mermaid stranded in a 107 degree Texas summer…

It’s just me dreaming of the central California Coast & wishing I was there!

HUGS! Charlene

When You Celebrate Your Birthday All Month Long… Are You Older?

I LOVE the image of the girls on my BDay card from sweet Sandy. This seems to capture the essence of how I felt each & every time I was wished Happy Birthday. The happiness & giddy feeling you get when you spend time with someone who “GETS YOU”!

My birthday was June 1 & the celebrating began (& contines with lunch this Friday with my gal pal Jan… A WHOLE MONTH of BDay) with some of my girlie pals coming into town for The Gilded Life Event. I picked Sherry up at the airport & we headed to Dallas to hook up with Lulu & Kim. They treated me to lunch at one of my favorite places called Celebration Restaurant. I guess I’m not doing too bad for ALL THOSE BIRTHDAY’S!

I was a silly girl & forgot my camera but, Sherry got some good shots (thanks sweetie!). That is Lulu & I just huggin like we hadn’t seen each other in 4EVER (we were roomies in March/California for Moulin Rouge Art Event) I just hated that we didn’t get a GROUP shot of the 4 of us! WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

I wanted to show you the necklace that Lulu created for my birthday… MERMAID…. Can you imagine that? She knows how much I love my mermaids & she made a bolo style necklace with the most amazing mermaid bead as the focal point. Mixing in the silver & pearls. THANK YOU SWEET GIRL! Be sure & go HERE & see some more of her beautiful work. I’ll warn you though… don’t let that innocent face fool you. She’s a HOOT & LOVES all the spooky things in life (Halloween) in fact, she just came back from Spooky Time Jingle Convention.

And the frothy beauty of that scarf (with tiny flecks of silver that wink as they catch the light) is the first thing that Precious Sherry sent to me. And that ring… SHE KNEW how I loved the black, Bling & pearls… See how it would have matched the outfit I was wearing at lunch? She was so cute & said “I have to mail your gift because it hadn’t arrived when I left to come to Dallas. IT’s probably sitting on my porch right now" Below is a photo of beautiful Sherry who’s a true southern girl that’s as pretty inside as she is out. Thank you Sherry I’ll think of you each time I wear these.

Kim also came bearing gifts but, I’m saving hers for a post for Pink Saturday. Bet ya can’t guess what color it was.

I have to mention that sweet Cindy got me an adorable lace top & we have a “Girls Day” planned to embellish it (she got herself one too & we want to just kick them up a notch). My friend Susan came up last week to visit from Houston & brought me some tiny but, stunning pearl earrings that just didn’t photograph well. I guess I’ll have to share those sometime when I’m wearing them. MS SANDY outdid herself & that is also ANOTHER POST TO COME! But, as I said to each of these precious souls… THE GIFT OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS WHAT I TREASURE MOST! And my favorite saying is

God gives us our families but we choose our friends!

And I have some great ones! Thank you to each & everyone of you!

HUGS! Charlene