Im on the BEAM!!!

Id like to introduce to you my brand new precious Grand Daughter... Natalie Josephine...born this afternoon a little after 3 pm.

Mom is fine but naturally exhausted...Dad is in the ZONE with pride...and of course Ronnie and I are just spent with songs of praise and gratitude to Jesus for blessing us all with this miracle of life and protecting both during this 12 hour labor and delivery.

I am incredibly amazed at how the circle of life envelopes us. Little Natalie was concieved the same weekend the kids were here saying goodbye to my Mom when she passed away. In my Moms house.

Natalie-Jo was weighed in at 21 inches long...and 7lbs & 9 ounces

Natalie is Lanas Moms first name (who was at her side during delievery all the way from Russia, here for 6 weeks) and of course Josephine being my Moms first name.

Ten Perfect fingers and toes...I am going to bed a blessed and happy woman. I couldnt wait to stop by here first and share my beautiful Grand Daughter with all of you. Thanks for being a part of my journey...

Plans are in the making for our trip to Jersey to meet her in person. How can someone love someone so very much whom youve not even met yet? This is an incredible experience.

Signing off for the very first time as G.G. (Glamorous Grammie)

Blessings from Napa Valley and more....

I havent been here in awhile & I apologize but Ive been so busy. My dear friend Jody who I asked yall to pray for (thank you all so much, ohhh the power and wonder of prayer) came and spent an over night with us. What a delightful and wild-woman she is.

Its as if I met my twin...ok, so we may not exactly look alike, but kindred spirits we are indeed.

We had a great time gabbing, sharing, and loving each other like best friends do. I am in awe that God would deem me worthy of such a phenomeanl woman. I mean she IS ALL THAT!

Thank you God.

See my flowers? Yup, Ronnie surprized me last week with this gorgeous dozen. I immediately went to the "What did you do?" place..LOL but he bought them to make me smile... :>) and smile I did!!!!

See, on Wednesday, June 10th, I tripped on a broken floor tile in the kitchen at work and I went down HARD! When I put my hands out to naturally try and break my fall, I injured my right thumb/wrist...ya know, the one I suffer from RA with? so my company sent me to their Prompt Care place, which x-rayed me, found a sprain, but when I went home and it began locking up on me like the pain and un-natural way a charley horse does...everytime I flip my cell phone down, or hold the tooth brush, paint brush...(please pass the tissues) it began this painful episode, so they sent me to a "Hand Specialist/Surgeon.

He was not happy with the xray, and saw the inflammation and joint/ligament & tendon damage from the fall. Going back on light duty (which is a laugh, cuz there is no light duty doing what I do) probably wasnt the best call made from Prompt Care...(his words, not mine) so he put me out of work for the remaining last 4 days of school, gave me a cortizone shot...OUCH!!!! ohh how embarrassing to have a toughie like me beg this man for mercy while he purpously dislocated my thumb to insert the cortizone.... but ohhh what sweet relief with the novicane he also injected which only lasted a couple hours before the pain returned. So I have a take on, take off cast with rods, and an appointment on July 1st to set up another appointment for an MRI and possible surgery???? WTHeck???? I heard little else after that one!

I am going back to school on Monday to say goodbye and to wish the kids a happy, and safe summer while lunch is being served for the last time this year! BAUGH Im gonna miss most of these buggers..........so now Im unable to collect unemployment cuz of the injury.... and workmans comp is going to take awhile.... so I guess patience, tolerance, and lots of prayer will be required...ohhh yeah, did I mention Ronnie got laid off yesterday too?????????????????????????????????? Ohh man its a good thing I dont drink!

I thought Id show yall some of my new ink I had done a couple of months ago...a beautiful lotus which only grows from mud and mire and only gets beautfiful when exposed to light? hence the amazing celestial female sun that my talented friend Bennet Love designed just for me? (Darn good thing I shaved dem pits!)Definitely appropraite considering my life was in the mire before I was rescued by God and brought to the light of a new way of life in recovery. And what a life this is!



Looky here....Shoe shopping for my Natti-Jo due to be born on the 29th of this month. Newborn Crocs?????How stinkin cute...

I painted this tote bag for Jody, knowing it would be loaded up with goodies Ronnie and I spoiled her with, its a great gift bag and take on for the plane. Both sides were painted with whimsical designs from me, and a variety of artists. Sherrie Reiner being one. (Angels on the other side.)

She sooo LOOOVED it! I think if you click on the photo, it will become enlarged, check out the adoreable buttons from "Joannes" that were on sale for .50 cents each!

I also posted a cute shutter shelf with panes and mirrors behind it, I found at a tag sale and stripped and helped it along to give it some primitive pop.

Well todays Ronnies birthday, Im making a nice summer cake for him. A white cake, poke some holes in it after its baked and drizzle some fruity jello in the holes and then slather with whip cream..mmmmmm I bought him a single sterling silver feather ear ring for him, since he lost his last one. It honors his Native name being Ronald 4 Feathers. and for Fathers day? a card and an inexpensive but durable birdbath hes wanted for so long... OMG!!!!when did we get to the place where we want bird feeders and bird baths for presents? When did the Harley Davidson themed gifts stop???? OMG were stinkin old!!!!!!

Well Peeps, this will be the last "Christmas Time Letter" type of blog entry...Im off for the summer and although sore, and slow, I am in the process of creating something fun for a "Giveaway" to find my old friends and make some new...Lets get this party started!

Introducing "Scaredy Kat & Her Own Crow"

OH mY LiTTlE OpIe!
Gosh how is it possible to love and adore a little neurotic Jack Russell Terror as much as I do? Its like a sickness.
Its more than puppy love.
What in the WORLD am I going to do when I meet my Grand Daughter Nattie Jo????
How can you have so much love in your heart? Its GOT to be a God thing.
Well as you can see, Im in the process of celebrating & introducing my new business name that Ive included as my Blog name (although I have no clue as to how to change the link name, so for now it will have to remain the Katerpillars no more name but in link only) I sure would appreciate any suggestions.

Anyway...HIIIIII Everybody!!!!
What a gorgeous sunny, warm Sunday afternoon here in New England.
Weve got some baby back pork ribs on the grill, and I made pasta salad with tuna, bacon and ranch seasonings. OOhh with a little bit of cucumber and a couple of tomoatoes! mmmm



I made this sign and placed it on a tree we refer to as the "Squirrel Highway" Down there!Its pretty self explanatory, but I love thinking maybe all of our weeds could be wildflowers..so I shouted it to the world, well at least in my back yard, the squirrels know how I feel...that is... if they can read....dont underestimate em, these lil critters are purty smart when they wanna be!

I wanted to show off some of my neat loot I scored at this huge tag sale the hubs and I went to yesterday morning. We had a ball. Then we went to breakfast at this old family biker diner and shared hot coffee, eggs and home fries, Im sure glad Im not seeing any cholesterol checking Doctors this week!!!


Ohhhh boy...this looks like trouble...What Could olde
"Ever Ready and Never Ready" be thinkin??? Not me...Them! They are like 2 peas in a pod.

Ronnie was test driving our neighbors Harley Davidson that was plenty big enough for our neighbor, but poor Ronnie needs a little more bike for his 6ft4inch self! But he sure had fun. Im excited to share that we have begun an official Harley Davidson Savings account.

Ohhh Kitty, kitty oh so pretty. This heres olde crotchety Mr. O'Malley. He last weighed in at 23bs. (Im sure alot if its his fur)


So heres a few more things I scoffed up while sailing yesterday morning, I bought these cute lil Uncle Sam corn on the cob holders, a picnic basket, wheres Miss Tina when ya need great painting ideas? Then look at this awesome prim apothocary style cabinet I got for our bathroom with 4 tin drawers! Then I hung this antique fire putter outter thingy on my living room wall. Too stinkin cute. We had a blast just hanging out together without a care in the world, thank God for weekends and the best husbands.

Ok and last month I was scanning my all time favorite magazing The Mercantile Gatherings and I see this article honoring and introducing this wonderful prim artisan Kristal from Rags-n-tags...well dontcha know she lives a couple of towns over from me? well I immediately email her and go to her blog and website and ordered some of her fabulous olde bottle caps with pictures of Slave womenfolk in them, I wear mine on my lapel and will use the others on my old civil war dolls. I know the piccy isnt clear but please go check this woman out. I ordered a few other things and sent her too mcuh money and she sent me an adoreable muslin cinnabun. I hadda warn the "Wildman" its not to eat!!!!

How cute is this?

Please DO check Kristalswebsite out, you wont be sorry.

http://www.rags-n-tags.com/

Well it sure is smellin right as Im typin away and the old belly is a growlin...thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous week. I sure am getting excited with working only half days from now on until the last day of school, then ElEVen weeks of vaca! YIPEE!
In closing I would like to thank each of you who prayed for my Best Friend "Jody" Our prayers have been answered and the healing has begun...Thank God...Thank all of you prayer warriors who held this amazingly brave woman up....God is so good! But we knew that!

.

A little Joisey in the air...

This is the Hudson River looking from the George Washington Bridge...The one Tony Sopranos driving over in the opening of his show...I was looking but couldnt find poor "Pussy" floatin around...probably cuz of the cement shoes they strapped on him....

Ahhh sweet remenents I found at "Jo's" gonna make me some Patriotic treats from this stash... Im thinkin pinwheels! or no...how bouta prim pillow with sumpthin stitched on it..or no i KNOW!!! oh never mind...well just have to wait-n see.

I bought this beautiful plant as a Managers Special...she was almost dead...look at her now..worth alot more than the 2 bucks I paid for her!

And something Ive begun painting...youll hafta wait to see the completed design.

I lOVE being a copy Kat..but not without proper credit where credits due...This fun piece I painted is a Sherrie Riener?/Reiner? (sorry Miss Sherrie) print... She used a clip board to paint her design on but I bought this awesome canvas to paint on, I used gesso then painted it, ironed it and threw a dowel thru the hemmed top, then added a wire and a piece of torn homespun fabric...what an adoreable piece in my living room. Ohh these ideas with this canvas are swimmin so fast my old red head is a hurtin!

This huge plant Ive named "Grace" was in the dumpster at Ronnies warehouse...can you believe I saved it? I kill me, Im like the plant whisperer!I laughed when he brought this dead limp brown, broken mass home..."honey can you save her" a little miracle grow, water, lotsa sunshine and a transplant of new dirt and just look at her! I may even dare profess I have a green thumb!

Ok, so heres the thing with the tiki torches...I almost took 2 huge beefy, men out while trying to steer the basket they were in at "Big Lots"...At least their wives thought it was funny. Man could they move!

Dont ya just love my primitive window panes I picked up on the side of the road looking all lonely? and my old dresser someone else was putting out for the garbage...still gotta alot of life in it. Im not sayin it would service my bedroom or clothes but COME ON...this is cute. Im buying a couple of begonias this weekend to plant in the side drawers. Just visualize.....

How stinkin cute is my very pregnant daughter in law...

Hi LAnA!!!

Hi Nattie-Jo...tee hee,

thats my Grand baby growin in there...ohh shes gonna love her G.G.& OG

Weve become the perverbial dorky Grandparents.

Im so excited I cant stand this waiting. How can you love someone so much that your heart aches, you havent even met yet?

Hi Wildman....this heres my Ronnie...yall know him. It was nice to see him without his skull cap on.... He even ate Guacamolie...sssshh dont tell him....





Look at the loot Lana scored at her baby shower 2 weeks ago when we threw her a surprize (me thinks) Jack n Jill baby shower...

Pops was measuring her belly for a shower game...Big manly man coppers acting so silly with these girly games, man the testosterone was flyin..they all became so competitive!

Momma Kat bumpin her gums about something....

AHHH and what a blessing to have met "Bernie" a fabulous friend I met online....what a surprize to learn he lives in the same town as my son and DIL so he took time out of his very busy schedule to come meet Ronnie and I.

Ive heard so many negative stories about the freaks you can meet and al the warnings about having to be careful but I have to tell you, Bernie is one of the best blessings Ive had because of this internet.

Well all, 2 more weeks before my ELEVEN did you hear??? ELEVEN week summer vaca for this Kat!!!!

Before I close, most of you know I invite anyone and everyone to leave me a prayer request or Praise report, so Im asking you to please keep my Bestest friend in the whole world in prayers...her name is Jody and I dont need to go into detail...God knows whats goin on... but please keep her close in healing thoughts...thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Im finally getting to meet Jody in a couple of weeks, shes flying to Akron for a huge Founders Day celebration, then to Albany to spend time with her Moms, then driving to spend the night with me. me. me!!!! me so happy. Wait till yall meet her, shes da bomb diggidty!