This is really pretty.

This is so beautiful! I love the beads on the flower.

What a wonderful gift!

I'm glad you are going digital ... I'm not a digital person, but the people who do it love it and this will allow them to make amazing pages!

Hope you feel better soon!

I can't wait!

So beautiful!

Things that made me happy this week: My chickens started laying eggs and I have discovered there is nothing that compares to the taste of a fresh, free-range chicken's egg. MMMMM An adorable toddler with an incredibly strong personality came into the store last night. She was a handful, but she was adorable. She kept calling me "sister." I've never been called that before. It made me smile. My husband came home with a dozen yellow roses for our anniversary. I love yellow. We got beautiful new paper in at the scrapbook store. I can't wait to play with it. We turned on the air so we don't roast in the house. My kitties were waiting for me at the door. Today is Thursday, which means I get to teach people a new technique -- in this case airbrushing with Copic to color metal, ribbon, flowers and other things that won't work otherwise.

Yesterday was mine and Matt's 8th anniversary. It is a special day when we look back at the years and thank each other for the love and companionship. My husband takes it very seriously as it is a reminder of the most important vow we ever made.

My name is Candy. Not Candice ... just Candy. Dad says he regrets giving me a childish name; Mom says she doesn't like the name Candice and always meant that I be just plain old Candy. What it's meant is that I have had to endure a ton of teasing, second glances and questions, because I cannot possibly be named "Candy". I have even been asked to show my birth certificate or driver's license to prove it is not a nickname. As a child, the most annoying thing was never being able to buy anything personalized. Mugs, magnets, license plates, pencils and other products were never created with Candy on them. As a young adult, I looked young for my age and that combined with my name meant many did not take me seriously. I remember being questioned at an amusement park on whether I was qualified to ride a ride with my toddler son. You had to be 16 to take a little one on the ride -- I was 21. I also quickly discovered that you do not use Candy or any form of it in a chat room ... it attracts all sorts of nasty people. Now, in my 40s, I have gotten used to the jokes, the stares and the questions. As a writer, my name has been in print thousands of times and that has seemed to create a bit of seriousness for me. I did find this through Tami's link, which made me feel better: Meaning of "Candy" American name In American, the name Candy means- bright, sweet. Other origins for the name Candy include - American, Hebrew.The name Candy is most often used as a girl name or female name. American Name Meaning - bright, sweet Origin - America Alternate Origins - Hebrew And, I have learned to make jokes that I share a name with many actresses who play strippers on television. If I was named Linda or Jennifer I would probably find something to complain about that, too!

It's hard to remember that far back, but I did watch Little House on the Prairie, The Love Boat, The Donny and Marie Show, Brady Bunch, Eight is Enough and The Muppets, but I seem to remember watching most of them as reruns in the afternoon. I wonder if I watched any prime time tv back then.

For me, it all depends on timing. I like to be interrupted during the day by a visitor or phone call from a friend. But, when I'm watching something on tv or having dinner with my husband, it annoys me.

Some additional things that have gone missing in my world: 1. Getting cards, letters and invitations in the mail (these seem to be all electronic these days) 2. Catalogs (I really miss getting that type of junk mail) 3. Kids (Mine are grown and neither live at home anymore) 4. Being bored (Some days I wish I had time to be bored!)

Jobs I have had ... 1. Burger King 2. Compositor for a newspaper 3. Compositor for a newspaper in a different state 4. Mom 5. Video clerk 6. Compositor for a newspaper again 7. Credit & Collections 8. Sales assistant 9. Lifestyle coordinator for a newspaper 10. Special sections coordinator 11. Niche products editor 12. Scrapbook instructor 13. Freelance writer Seems like a lot, but until I started teaching and freelance writing, I only worked in four different locations!

Two very important things mean patriotism to me: 1. Always standing silently (or singing along) with the National Anthem. 2. Buying American-made products or at least products produced for American-owned companies.

I would have to say I am both a city mouse and a country mouse. Although I have never lived in a huge city, like NYC, I love being able to walk everywhere, have food delivered to the house and have every store within a few blocks. But, I also love the country where I can watch birds, deer and other wildlife, there is space to walk and plenty to look at. Although there is a drive to get anywhere, the Internet makes shopping in my pjs possible!

A few facts about our BIG (or not so big) family: 1. Both of our families are small, although our parents all came from large families. 2. Nearly all of our grandparents died before our kids had a chance to get to know them. 3. Our parents are very close with their grandchildren -- including caring for them before they were old enough to go to school. 4. Both of our parents enjoy gardening. Matt & I are going to try it for the first time this spring. 5. Both of our parents jump anytime we need them. They bring us meals and shovel snow when we are sick, among many other things. 6. All of our parents were raised, at some point in their lives, with chickens. Matt & I are considering raising chickens this year. 7. Both of our fathers are handy around the house and can figure out how to fix almost anything. 8. Both of our mothers can sew and can -- things I, unfortunately, cannot do.

Say I love you without words: 1. A special squeeze 2. A card or note left somewhere unexpected 3. A hug

Spring planning: 1. Trying to talk my in-laws into letting us raise chickens. 2. Planning a garden for the first time. 3. Anxiously awaiting the weather to warm so I can clean the windows. 4. Planning road trips 5. Planning new classes