Making Hay While The Sun Shines!

Hi Folks!  I hope you are all doing well and having a COOL weekend!  Here in the hills of northern Georgia our high today should reach a chilly 97 degrees, with a heat index of over 100!  How's that for summertime?  But it's all good, because I plan on staying inside, doing some cooking, some crafting, AND some laundry in preparation for some packing!

All four ATC's

This week has been a whirlwind of activities!  Monday was 'Mama Day', Tuesday was somehow lost - I just couldn't seem to get moving!  Wednesdy was laundry day, Thursday was the Georgia Farmgirls 'Thursday Night Craft Party', and I taught a class on making artist trading cards, or ATC's.  More on that in a minute! 

Mary Ann's ATC

Then Friday was yard sales (a great treasure day!), a haircut, grocery shopping, and spending time with my two new neighbors Mary Ann and Phyllis at the henhouse getting it ready for our big June meeting and 1st birthday party, which was yesterday (Saturday).  And the meeting/party was so great!!!  We had 10 women and three children, we had a great business meeting where we talked about things we wanted to do and see happen in our group in it's 2nd year.  Then we played games and had prizes and gift bags and cake and ice cream and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  To me, the best times were when we were all just chatting with each other, because that's when we shared tips and tricks and ideas about things - it was SO COOL!!!

Sarah's ATC

As for the ATC class on Thursday night, it was lots of fun!  I did definitions of both art and artist first of all because I wanted to show the 'students' that everyone is or can be an artist.  Then I did a brief history of ATC's, ACEO's and LTC's, ad then we each took an envelope that I had prepared ahead of time.  Each one had a set of 6 identical farm type clipart pictures and a set of 6 identical sayings or quotes. 

My ATC

I had the envelopes marked with 1 - 7 and each person chose a # and that is the one they got.  Then we got to work and made four identical ATC's (there were 4 of us in the class) and it was just a blast!  We shared ideas and projects, and every single person's designs were different, but they all blended together so well.  We had all used stickles and they were still wet, so we agreed to leave them on a shelf at the henhouse, then display them at the meeting on Saturday, and then we traded them all after the meeting.  It was a lot of fun, and the examples caused a stir of interest at the meeting yesterday.

Phyllis' ATC

It was a great week, and I had lots of fun, but I was exhausted by yesterday afternoon and slept for an hour, flat on my stomach on the sofa - and I never sleep on my stomach!

Oh!  And remember up top I said something about some packing?  Well, my friend has to go to the Florida panhandle for some business, and HAS to stay in a condo on the beach, and NEEDS me to go with her, so of course I couldn't say no!  We'll probably be leaving on Wednesday and return on Saturday.  The place we will be staying is already having oil on the beach, so I will take pictures and share what I found with you some time after we return.  Hubby and the girls will stay here at home - this will be a girls only trip, and my first in over five years, so while it will partly be a business trip, we'll be sure to have some fun along the way!

Overall, for right now, life is good!  I am so grateful that God has blessed me with not one, but two new neighbors!  For almost seven years I have been praying for a neighbor, and now I have two!!!  And no, we don't live in the same neighborhood.  The distance between Mary Ann and me is @ 4 miles, and Phyllis is another 6-7 miles past her, but you know what?  Just like being a farmgirl is a state of the heart, so is being a neighbor!!! 

I'd better get off of here!  I still have 2 posts to do on the GAFG blog, and I've GOT to get my kitchen cleaned up and cook a real meal tonight, or hubby might just fire me as chief cook and washer of dishes and clothes!  And we wouldn't want that, now would we??? 

Take care, have a blessed week, and look for the little things in life that make the difference!  Blessings, Becky