Welcome Spring 2010!

On Saturday, we welcomed the first day of spring 2010. It's been a long Wisconsin winter and apparently Mother Nature wasn't done with us yet.... that morning we woke up to 3 fresh inches of snow after being teased with 64 degree weather the week before. 


But even after four long months of shoveling, trudging, sliding and shivering, I'd be sad not to have the beautiful Wisconsin winters. Doing so would mean no spring flowers and robins to admire. No fall campfires and beautiful leaves to collect. Seasons are a beautiful gift. 

My love Affair.... with House Plans!

I love house plans. I love to draw them. I love books about them. I even love going to open houses so I can experience them! Maybe I should have been an architect... (nah, too much math) or builder (nah, too much hard labor)... or maybe a realtor (who knows)...

This has been an obsession most of my life. Even as a kid, I loved seeing my friends bedrooms and how they arranged their stuff. I can even tell you the wall colors and layout in some of my best friends bedrooms when I was 10. Yep, useless information still being stored.

Then, my dream came true in 1999. My husband and I worked with a wonderful (female) builder to design and build the home we live in currently. Everything from picking out door knobs and doors to coordinating flooring and cabinets, was fun for me. Many of my friends have built their homes also, and swear they would never do it again. Not me, I'm counting down the months till I get to do it again! Yep, today we meet with an architect to begin the fun again! It will be a bit more challenging this go-round. It's a small lot on a lake and as we approach becoming empty-nesters, we'll be trying to "downsize". As the process unfolds....I'll keep you posted on all the details!

Grown-ups need Pen Pals, too!

Remember when we were kids and everyone seemed to have a far-away pen-pal? Well, "far-away" is a relative term.... when you're under 10 that can mean anything from a neighboring city to across the world.

My pen pal happened to live in Pennsylvania. Me, Ohio. I know, Pennsylvania was not the distant land I had hoped for... but it was through a "sister" girl scout troop, so there you have it. I can't tell you that I learned about new cultures, languages or life styles.... but we did chat about boys and parents and school (ho-hum).

So flash forward to present day life.....
Recently I opened a shop on an artist's website called "ETSY". pronounced like Betsy without the "B". While I do enjoy a steady steam of sales there, I have to admit what really makes me grin ear-to-ear, is that my jewelry is popular in places I would have never dreamed of. I have a few ladies in Australia and Scotland who are quickly becoming Katcando collectors! But that's not all.... they have also become my new grown-up pen pals. From hearing my new-pal in Scotland's quirky sayings to receiving beautiful photographs from my new-pal in Australia.... I have to admit, pen pals are a great thing no matter what your age!