Bug Revenge!

If you know me, you know I hate bugs!!!  I can only tolerate dragonflies, butterflies, and ladybugs.  Right now it is beetle season here.  Some kind of oriental one and the Japanese beetle are driving me nuts!  At night, you can't walk out on the front or back porch with getting bombarded by them.  And you got it!  THEY FLY INTO THE HOUSE WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED!

So, last night I was sitting her watching TV and knitting a shawl.  A shawl that has a lace pattern.  The kind that if I drop stitches, it is very aggravating to find the dropped stitches and pick them up correctly.  So.....I am knitting along, then all of a sudden, I get ATTACKED by a beetle!  Flew right into my face!!  OMG!  I am swatting, and trying to get away from it and it keeps attacking.....and guess what!  I completely pulled my needles out of the row I was on!  I was angry!  I put the knitting down and searched for the little sucker who messed me up!  No...I didn't have knitting fairies that messed up my knitting!  I had a beetle do it for me!  I still cannot find where to SOB went.

But today, I went to Ace Hardware and got BEETLE TRAPS!  Yep!  This is now war!

I put one in the front garden, by the front door!  I didn't even have the stake in the ground, when these beetles came out of nowhere to get to it!  The smell was working!  Then I went and put one near the patio door out back!  They work!  Now I am anxious to see how many beetles are flying by the porch light tonight!


This is the brand of trap!

 

This show the little buggers at the bottom of the bag!

And the one below is looking down into the bag, through the funnel!  Yep they are at the bottom!

 

Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net

 Flowers make me happy!  I love looking out back and seeing the roses in bloom.  God's Beauty at it's finest. 

Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net

A Sad Sad Time..........

Have been in a real funk lately.  My Dad had been sick with cancer, and passed away on March 22nd.  Two days prior to his 82nd birthday.  While Dad said he had a good life, and that he couldn't live forever, I kept hoping the end wouldn't come.  It did.  Have been trying to deal and cope with it these past few weeks and am not doing well with it.  Everyone says it will always hurt, but it gets easier.  I cry myself to sleep at night.  I say my prayers, and I talk to him, in hopes he hears me.  As a grown a$$ woman, it is now at this point in my life that I feel like a little girl again.  I didn't want to lose my Daddy.  We had a good relationship and I treasured our conversations.  Love you so much Dad!  And thank you for being you.




Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net

My new ride!

Mike has been after me to get a new car for the past few years. I love my Focus wagon and didn't feel the need for a new car when this one was paid for, and had nothing wrong with it. I told him if I was ever to get a new car, and have payments, I would want a convertible. I test drove and brought home one last year. A Pontiac. He said it was too much and since Pontiac was going out of business it wouldn't be a smart move. End of that! He had been talking lately about a Hyundai Sonata (sp). I wanted to wait a while, at least til the end of the year and get a better deal. So the other day, he comes home and said he found a convertible at a local dealership that we could afford. And it was a Mercedes! Yeah Yeah...........sure honey. I didn't think we could afford nor did I think he would go for it. Mind you, as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I can lug around some serious stuff! But this one has a small trunk and would be do-able! Well he snuck off after dinner, when it was dark in hopes of going to the lot and seeing it without being seen by a sales person. WRONG! He was spotted, got shown the car, they talked, blah, blah, blah......He came home and told me that if I went and test drove the car he would have to pry my fingers off the steering wheel! So the next night, we went as a family to see it. I had called them earlier in the day to try to negotiate a better price over the phone. We ended up getting a great deal.....too good to pass up. And with Connor turning 16 next year and adding another driver to the household we can hang onto the Focus for him and for me to drive when the weather is bad. So I am now the driver of "Heidi"! Since she's a German girl, I named her after Heidi Klum who is one of my favorite celebs! Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net

Roses are...............

In this case....NOT red! I love the flowers at Costco. They always have such a pretty selection and they last a long long time. I usually pick up a mixed bouquet when I go there. But yesterday, these gorgeous roses called my name! You get two dozen roses for $15.99! LOVE IT! I mistakenly got rid of a large vase I had a while ago, and have yet get another one. So I had to split them up into different vases. This vase is my favorite. My Mom gave this to me when Connor was born 15 years ago. It was given to her from my grandmother who received it with flowers from my grandfather when my mother was born! So this vase is 75 years old! It has a patina look to it. I need to come up with a way to make sure Connor keeps this in the family when I am gone! Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net

Fairy Huts or Toad Stools?

Mike came home from work today and said did you see the toadstools on the side of the yard? Grab your camera! So I did. In between our house and the neighbors were these! So are they fairies homes, toadstools, or edible mushrooms? I put my shoe in the pic for a reference! Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net

Why is one of my frogs trying to kill the other! (bwaaaahhaaa haaaa!)

I remember when I was a kid, seeing my grandmother squirt the hose at a dog that was mating with our dog. What made me think of this????? Hmmmmmmmmmmm...................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Well.....let me tell you.

The other night I came home and saw that one of our African Dwarf frogs had the other in a choke hold around it's middle. I figured it was trying to keep the other one from going to the surface to get air. It was little frog murdering right before my very eyes! I was frantic! Got the little fishy scooper thingie out and tried to separate them to no avail! Yeah Yeah! Now you see where I am going with this!!!! My husband laughed at me for being worried, but he didn't know what they were up to any more than I did! It is called Amplexis.

I didn't know they did this! For one thing! I was told these were two males! And I also thought the female just laid her eggs and the male fertilized them. Nope! They cuddle first!

I think it was the new tank with a light that got them in the mood! Now we'll have to keep our eyes open for little tadpoles!

Happy Stamping & Knitting!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net/

Little Peanut!

If you follow my blog, you know how much I enjoy my little backyard critters. We have a family of squirrels that frolic out back all day long! I have been tossing them peanuts now and then. One of them has been coming up to the screen door and looking in! I opened the door the other day and he/she didn't run....(lol...as I sit he/she is at the screen door again!) away. So I tossed a few more and this is where he/she decided to feast. It kept coming back to get a peanut, then went back to sit on top of the chair to eat it!

I have added a video to the post! This little guy just kept coming back to the door! He can't be eating them all and must be hoarding them somewhere! I make this noise, and he just comes and looks at me!

Happy Stamping!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net/

What is this bug???????

What is this bug????? I am finding them in my house!!!!! Creeping me out big time! Windows aren't open so I don't know where they are coming from... Happy Stamping!

http://www.joanhajek.stampinup.net/

Cardinal

I just let Snowball outback to do her business and saw our local cardinal in the pine tree. I had to grab the camera real quick! Pic's aren't the best but it was like he was waiting for me to take his picture!

Nature Photos

I have always loved taking pics of landscapes and nature in general. And love photos of the sky! Just trying to capture some of God's handiwork in my lens.

So I was on the road a lot over the last two weekends and took some shots. Most

of them while moving in the car.

Out of the Wreckage, The Pop Stories

Barbara Blanks (St. Flossie) is someone I would consider a friend. We have conversed via emails for years on the same rubber stampers list. We have never met in person. Over the years, Barb has shared many stories of her life with us. Her humor is something that gets me very time. She has a way with words. She now has a published book, hence the title of this post. This book is a must read for anyone and everyone. It will make you laugh out loud, and cry too. I highly recommend this book.

You can get the details by clicking this link:

http://www.lulu.com/content/3677822

Halloween Gathering

Since Halloween fell on a Friday night this year, I decided to throw a block party. I went and bought an outside fireplace at Target. Everyone brought their own Spirit (beverage of choice!) and a dish to share. It was soooooo warm for October, but then got chilly later so the fire came in handy! The kids made smores and the adults ate, drank, and were merry! Katie came in costume!!!! She sure showed the Halloween spirit! (Hi Katie!) The house was decorated and John McCain and Sarah Palin stopped by as well. It was a fun way to celebrate the Fall season.

Jiminy Cricket-----------NOT!

This is Jiminy Cricket. He is cute and adorable and I would gladly welcome him into my home. I don't think I'd allow him into my stamp room though. He would NOT be a good conscience to have around when I am buying stamps.

This is what I HAVE in my house. They are in my basement!!! UGH!!!! I hate these things! They are a Camelback or Cave Cricket. And they JUMP! Right at you too! I just came down in my stamp room and two were in the hall! I grabbed the dust buster real quick and attacked! Then found another! (I can still hear them jumping in the dust buster! Lol lol lol). I don't do bugs........ I will only pick up a Ladybug.

And last week, Connor went to put his shoes on to go to school. He wears those DC's with the shoelaces tucked inside the shoe instead of tied up. He puts his foot in the shoe, then pulls it back out. I figured the laces were bugging him and he had to adjust them. So did he.

BUT.................it was one of these buggers! I screamed cause he was about to dump it on the family room floor! OMG! I made him take the shoe outside and shake it out there!

How can I get rid of these things?????????????? I read online about glue traps so I may have to go find some tomorrow!