Getting Back to 'Normal"

Well, whatever you want to call 'normal'.
It's normal to me I guess as nothing about my life is normal!
The house is coming along good. The paving is all done so I now have no problem getting in or out BY MYSELF! (don't take ANYTHING for granted people).
We have a lovely new stamped concrete patio and walkway, new driveway, new fence and gates and the landscaping has started but today it is noisy and busy with new wood siding going up.
Inside, we're getting organized and all but 2 boxes are unpacked. We have a nice 'new' black/stainless stove to replace the prehistoric one that was here and 'new' oak cabinets are sitting in the garage waiting to be installed. I'm waiting for the kitchen to be done before we paint and hang curtains. I know - so maybe it's still not normal but it's come a long way from having to maneuver my wheelchair over wooden planks set on mud and sand!
Being back in Ladner, added to my normalcy too. My mobility scooter had been acting up lately so hubby bought me a brand new one!I love it!! It's so quiet and smooth and has tons of features that my old one lacked. We bought my old one used over 10 years ago (1996 model) so I was due for a new one. Anyways, being able to scoot into town again and visit my old haunts and see familiar faces felt good. I felt at home again - something I never felt in Tsawwassen. Don't get me wrong - Tsawwassen is a lovely town right on the ocean and only a 10 minute drive from Ladner. It has great shops and is sunnier there even more than in Ladner - but it just wasn't home to us. So, I guess you can call us official Ladnerites now - we're here to stay!
Also, to help get back to normalcy too was the start of "Geek Club' for this year.
We have a small group this year but then again, it's summer! Who wants to be inside scrapping or doing anything for that matter when we can be outdoors! Hopefully once fall comes, we'll have more join us - if not, I enjoyed our friendly, fun little group!

We started by making a ribbon bookmark. This was so cute.
We used a metal 'frame' and inked and stamped patterned paper for the inside.I stamped a flower but you could also use a sentiment or even replace it with a photo. After the ribbon was coaxed thru the tiny holes a button and twine was added to the bottom and a rhinestone to secure the top ribbon. Although the pic only shows a closeup it is about 12 inches long and the top just has a simple knot in it.

How pretty is this:



Next we made a pretty pinwheel card. We embossed the base cs (orange) using the much loved Big Shot with polka dots. We then stamped a pretty flourish design on the white c/s (I NEED this stamp!) and added the stick for our pinwheel. We next added a sentiment onto vellum (i chose 'thinking of you' as it is always so versatile) then attached this to a c/s mat (green) and popped on our little pinwheel.

What a cute and cheerful little card.



And a Closeup:



So, that's it. I guess we'll never have 'normal' again as we once knew it. But slowly and surely we're settling into our new normal. Hubby's semi-retirement, the kids married and a new grandson on the way!
Life is good!