Fudge Buckets

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T09:11:00.000-08:00

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I am almost finished with the VCR tapes. This week I did 12 DVDs of "Good Eats." I also recorded DVD's of "The Thin Man" series, all 6 films from TCM's marathon showing--that was an all-night project. I picked up "Duck Soup" by the Marx Bros. as well. I purchased two DVD sets of Red Skelton shows and a DVD of various versions of Sherlock Holmes films and radio shows.

All I have left is a smattering of miscellaneous shows and movies, and some snippets recorded of my kids when they were young that appeared on news broadcasts, etc. Those are the only films I have of them as children, we never could afford a videocamera. These 15 second snippets are very special to me. Then I have some sewing and craft shows that I have been recording all this time on videocassettes. I am more comfortable recording that way because I can then rearrange them when I transfer them to DVD. By the end of January I should be totally finished with them all.

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I also need to get started on sorting receipts and such for taxes. We have an accountant do our returns, but I'd like to get it ready for them by the 1st of February. That will be a big job, but it will be nice to get it done early. After that I will have to start packing for the move.

This is the time of year that I can normally take a breather for a few weeks, but this year all I can do is Breathe Deep and Carry On. No time to really think about it, just get in there and do it.

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Christmas Loot!

2011-12-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

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Copper hopes everyone had a great Holiday Season! He got TOYS!! Yay!

I also made out like a bandit. This is my pride and joy---

Remember all those quilting lessons I gave my granddaughters? This is the payoff! They made this gorgeous quilt for me. The points all match, the fabrics are perfectly coordinated, even the backing as shown below. It is well bound and beautifully quilted using free-motion. I could cry--it proves they were paying attention! I guess I taught them well. I am so proud of them both!

And they made this one for my hubby. He loves it as well. Again, everything was so well done!

I also got several other gifts, including a new camera (can you tell? LOL!), a Panasonic Home Theater system for hubby and myself, a new herb mill which will be so much fun to use when I get my herb garden going in Arkansas, and a JoAnn gift card from hubby. Below are some other gifts I received.

My stepson sent me the Ball jar lantern which will make a great bathroom nightlight or a decoration in the front window. Very neat! The snow globe was a gift from a friend in Eastern Star, and the glittery ornament was made for me by my 6 year old grandson. He used floor wax and glitter to make it--such a cool idea that I think I will eventually make some more to go with it. He did a very neat job, and put his initials on the back. It will be a cherished heirloom!

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If you have read my blog for very long (see note on that below) you know I love thrift stores. I don't always find anything good, but on Monday I went to two different ones and scored big, especially on Christmas stuff at half the marked price. I got the tramp art twig and pinecone basket below for $2. It's about 8" square, and is a great decor piece.

I bought these items for Easter displays. The bunnies were $1 each and the cart was $2.

The old checker board will hang in the kids room. The metal hangers will show off special ornaments (like my grandson's) although I intend to get rid of the orange berries and the glass pail. The envelope contains a "Saddlebag" plant grower, including two envelopes of seeds. It is meant to drape over a deck or porch railing. It looked interesting. These items cost me $1 each. The hangers were two for $1.

This 9" oriental vase must have once had a lid on it, but for branches of forsythia or dogwood it will be beautiful. The red and white pitcher will go in a vignette with the red cookbook holder I bought a few months ago. I posted a photo of it at that time. The bag of miscellaneous blocks did cost me $6.50, but I intend to use them for crafts projects. There are at least 4 different kinds of blocks, including Lincoln Logs.

I snatched up these bottle brush trees, the glass and plastic ornaments, and the small papier-mache toy shop for next to nothing.

I am a sucker for snowmen. Some people collect Santas or angels, but snowmen are my thing because they can carry over throughout the winter. These cost me about $2 each--the smaller one is a candlestick.

The box in the foreground is full of old glass ornaments (two were broken and I replaced them with others I found with the ones pictured above.) The other set is of wood, and all the pieces are there, although a couple need a touch of E-6000. These sets were $2 each--a real steal!

Altogether I was thrilled with my purchases. I will probably go out again in about a week to see what people got rid of after Christmas. I'd love to score an aluminum tree.

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I mentioned above that if you read these posts you would know I like thrift stores. I really don't think anyone reads this. I never get any comments about my posts and even friends rarely mention my blog. But I don't care. I use this blog mostly as a journal for myself. If anyone reads it that is great. (Please leave a comment! I may not respond, but I do look for the comments.) But I will continue the blog as long as it fulfills a need in me to document the events in my life. I hope to use it more often to document our move to and adjustment to our new home in Arkansas in June.

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Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

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Christmas is ready for takeoff! All packages decorated and labeled, ready to go.

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Just returned from seeing "We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon. Wonderful movie--funny, sad, romantic, heartbreak, healing. Highly recommended for family viewing. LOVED IT!!

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

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Ready for Christmas

2011-12-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

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I'm finally ready for Christmas--all gifts purchased and wrapped, all cards sent out, everything arranged for the family get-together. This year we are doing it on Christmas Eve--opening gifts around noon, then out to eat at Golden Corral, then all going our separate ways. Not much of a holiday but it will do. Now that the kids are grown and have their own families, getting together with us is not the first priority.

Hubby and I know that moving to the farm will be the last step in distancing from the close-knit family life we once knew. We wish it weren't so. We have loved being near the kids and raising our sons to adulthood, but it is time to step back and let the next generation live their own lives without our input. It will be sad, especially around the holidays, but it is that time in our lives. We hope they will come to visit, but it will be a long trip and we are under no illusions about seeing them more than once a year or so. We are still able to travel, thank goodness. We can visit them probably more easily than they can come to see us.

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I have been sewing more, now that the holiday prep is over. I made the tote below to use when traveling. It is larger than I would normally use as a purse, and much sturdier than most purses, because I used Peltex interfacing in most of the construction, with upholstery grade fabrics. The Peltex was a double-edged sword, I had to re-do the handles because I just could not get them to turn properly with so heavy an interfacing. So I removed the Peltex and used a crinoline that I happened to have on hand for the handles. I also had to improvise on some of the construction techniques, but overall I am pleased with it. It has pockets on each side, two pockets inside, and a magnetic snap closure inside. I used Butterick 5658 View C with contrasting side pieces.

My next project is to make one or two inserts for changing purses, using the Portapockets and Encore purse insert patterns from Studio Kat Designs. I have enough of the fabric left over from the tote that I should be able to make one insert of each size.

These are the Christmas cards I made to send out this year, enclosing the tree ornaments that I showed in past posts. I have gotten several comments on them, so I must have done well. They weren't difficult and went quickly in an assembly line fashion.

I wish everyone who reads this a wonderful holiday season, and a healthy, happy and prosperous new year!

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Gruene is pronounced "green."

2011-12-04T15:40:00.001-08:00

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I went on a bus tour to Gruene, Tx yesterday with a few of my Red Hat friends. The town is small and is very proud of its Historic District. The main claim to fame is the oldest dance hall in Texas. The Christmas Market was in full swing, and the town was swarming with tourists. There are several specialty shops and a general store, antique stores and restaurants. It was a wonderful trip. Despite the rain.
I had been saving up for a couple of months, but actually spent only a fraction of what I had saved. I had a delicious lunch at the Gristmill Restaurant--the onion rings are to die for! I traipsed all over town, stopping at every store that interested me, which was most of them. There were vendors set up in tents as well, but I didn't find anything of interest.

I did buy a couple of Christmas gifts for my hubby; some divine Lemon Verbena potpourri shown above, which smells just like lemon drops! and a lovely parure of Peruvian Turquoise (Chrysocolla) consisting of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings, all set in silver wire (below.) I also bought a jar of Pecan Praline Honey Butter spread. Yum!!

In all the bus tour lasted 11 hours- 3 hours getting there, 5 hours in Gruene, then 3 hours back. The trip only cost 30 dollars and was well worth it. (Rockport Tours)

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I have all my Christmas cards mailed, all my gifts purchased and wrapped, and have done all the decorating I am going to do. Now to get back to work on those VHS tapes. Those are going slower than I had hoped, but I must get them done as quickly as possible, because in January I need to start packing for the move in June.

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Fall is finally here!

2011-11-07T13:37:00.001-08:00

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The weather has finally changed from the oppressive heat we have suffered all summer, to the cooler fall weather we all love. The temperature hovers around 85 during the day, but dips into the 60's at night. It feels so good to need a sweater!

I have a Red Hat Thanksgiving dinner this week, and since I don't cook much, I volunteered to bring rolls and butter. I thought about baking homemade rolls, but it is usually disastrous when I try something like that for the first time and serve it to other people. So I will be taking my favorite Hawaiian rolls from the store. I wanted to dress them up a little though, so I made three bread baskets with matching bread cloths. These are just the perfect size for the packages of rolls, and have stiff sides and bottoms with cardboard built in. Since they can't be washed, the bread cloths will go under and around the rolls to absorb any oils or moisture, and can be tossed in the washer and dryer.

I picked up a cute pattern on eBay for this scarecrow doll, which I wanted to make for fall decorating purposes. I decided for time's sake to use a purchased doll form. What complicated matters was that the doll form was 18" tall and the pattern was for a 20" doll. I had to do some resizing of the clothing pieces on the fly, but other than that and embroidering the face, the most difficult thing was getting the "straw" on the doll. I used eyelash yarn, and at first was trying to sew it on, but that darn eyelash kept going every which way! I finally wrapped it around the wrist, ankles, and throat of the doll three times, and tied it in the back. Then I hot-glued three rounds of it to the inside of the hat. It turned out pretty well, I think. The doll has a smile embroidered on, but the camera didn't show it except for the "bow" in the middle.

If I ever make another one, I will stick to the pattern, and will use raffia for the straw. But I am pleased with it.

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I am still dubbing tapes to DVDs, and hope to have them all done by Christmas. Today it is "Riverdance" and "Lord of the Dance" along with a couple of historical programs on Ireland.

I am finding several tapes that have degraded so much that I couldn't use them. I especially am mourning the loss of 6 "Thin Man" movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy. I may break down and buy them on DVD one of these days. I really enjoy them, especially Asta, their dog.

I also couldn't use my VCR tape of "Bill and Coo," a 1948 film starring trained birds. I was happy to find that it is in the public domain, and was able to download it to my computer. I will burn it to a DVD sometime this week. It was still a little dark in places, but much better than my old degraded copy.

I had previously mentioned that I didn't have "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "Life of Brian" on video. I will be taping them off the IFC channel this weekend. The "Monty Python at the Hollywood Bowl" special is also playing there this month. I don't mind the commercials. Sometimes in watching these old VHS tapes, the commercials from years ago are interesting to revisit--such as the old "Where's the Beef?" Wendy's commercials.

I'm just too cheap to buy all new DVDs, I guess. So many of these programs would be very difficult to find anyway. So dubbing is the way to go.

Have a great fall weekend, everyone!

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Finished projects

2011-10-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

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I have finished the tree skirt I mentioned in an earlier post. The pattern is "Trees All Around", by Quilted Garden Designs. I purchased it from Keepsake Quilting. It was a little fiddley getting everything lined up properly, but after that it went very quickly and I am very pleased with the results. It is reversible as you can see.

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This is how the tree ornaments turned out. I made several for myself as well as enough for the Christmas cards.

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I am still dubbing VCR tapes to DVD. This week has been 5 DVDs of "Are You Being Served?" the British comedy from the 70's and 80's. Very funny, if you understand British humor.
Then I will start on the Thin Man movies, and "Cadfael" episodes.

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Laughter, The Best Medicine.

2011-10-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

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Wow--I didn't realize it had been almost a month since my last post. I have been transferring VHS tapes to DVD for the last two weeks, and let time get away from me. It has been tedious but since most of them have been humor it could have been worse.

I did several DVDs of the Three Stooges, from the early Curly days, through Shemp, Curly Joe, and Joe Besser. There are a couple of the movies as well as a two day marathon of the shorts.

Then I did the Marx Bros movies--all except Duck Soup, which I somehow missed taping. I want to get that eventually. One DVD of other comedians such as W.C. Fields in "The Bank Dick," The Ritz Bros. in "Hotel Anchovy", etc. and now I have just finished Monty Python, although I am missing "The Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian." Oh, and I can't forget Victor Borge, and Bill Cosby "Himself." Today I plan on doing "Airplane!" and "Airplane 2!"

Obviously I love humor. If I get down on myself the quickest way to climb out of it is to watch something funny. I am a real believer in the healing power of laughter. I would love to have more Laurel and Hardy, (I do have a bio film of them) and Abbott and Costello. The older the films, the funnier they seem to be. I also have two of my favorite movies--"It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World," and "What's Up, Doc?" with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. I love slapstick and silliness. My sons saw so much Monty Python as kids that they can recite whole skits.

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I wasn't the kind of mom who monitored my kids' viewing on TV or movies very well. I didn't care if they watched mild sexual innuendo, language, or scatological humor. One of their favorite shows was "Ren and Stimpy." What bothered me the most was violence, gore, and gratuitous language or nudity. They got enough of that from video games already. I just didn't censor things from them. I knew they would be confronted with them eventually, and felt they would be better off taking them in stride rather than being shocked or offended by them.

Now I will say that I did not like horror, torture, or the infliction of pain in movies. No Jason or Michael Myers in our house! They had to wait until they were over 17 before seeing that kind of stuff (as far as I knew.) I also didn't allow anything that involved mistreatment of animals. I am too soft-hearted for that--I turn the channel when an ASPCA commercial comes on. (Do they really have to be so pervasive? Enough is enough.)

They weren't damaged by this lack of censorship, in my opinion. They were both Eagle Scouts and DeMolays. They participated in sports and other extracurricular activities. And they have both turned out extremely well. I am very proud of both of them.

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Today is my last visit with the orthopedic surgeon. I have no pain in my knee now, and am using the treadmill or walking the dog almost daily. I still wear my Z-Coil shoes, and probably will for the forseeable future, as my heel spurs still bother me, and there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about them. The shoes allow me to walk with minimal pain. I have these exact shoes!

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I have been working on a tree skirt, and will post a photo next week when I have finished it. It still needs the binding, but is otherwise done. I still have two baby quilts to be machine quilted (I dread doing that!) and I want to make myself a new purse next. I finished the Christmas ornaments to be put in my Christmas cards, and although they are primitive, I really like the way they turned out.

I still play Minecraft almost every evening, and have read 8 paperback mysteries in the last month. So I do keep busy! I'll try to blog again within the next week or so.

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A Busy Day

2011-09-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

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Yesterday was a lot of fun. It started off with a wonderful Red Hat luncheon. I love going out with my Red Hat friends! We always have a great time.

Afterwards, one of my friends and I went browsing through some second-hand and antique stores, which is something I really love to do. One store saw us coming, I think--they had lots of red-and-purple items to drool over. I bought a lovely red chenille hat for only $10, and a cute red purse for $6. They are cardinal red, not orange as the camera shows them.

Afterwards I went to a local thrift store, where I scored a set of Double Wedding Ring quilt templates for $4, and four bamboo trivets for $2 each. A good day!

On the crafting scene, I have been making some ornaments to include in my Christmas cards this year. I used lots of small pieces of fabric from my stash in a string quilt sort of technique to make a large piece of fabric, sandwiched it with Peltex interfacing and a backing, then used the decorative stitches on my sewing machine with pretty threads to embellish the seamlines. Then I edged them with a rough satin stitch. Now I am going to add some glitz and add a loop for hanging. They are kind of primitive looking, and that is part of the charm. The best ones will go in the cards, and the others will make nice gift tags or go on my tree. The leftover pieces on the left will be sewn together in a crazy quilt sort of way, and more ornaments cut from that piece, maybe circles or stars or something.

This summer has been so hot and dry that we didn't want to do much gardening. So-- the flower beds look like the photo below. It used to be full of Mexican heather with an edging of liriope. Now the heather is almost all dead, weeds have proliferated, and the liriope has invaded the whole bed. It was here when we moved in 23 years ago, but may not be here much longer. It is not really attractive, and is very invasive. We have given away all we can, and the rest will have to be dug out.

I worked all day to clear the other bed shown below. Only a few tiny hosta plants have survived. (The dirt is brown, not gray--my camera again!)

I have asked my hubby for a new digital camera for Christmas. I want to do some online research to pick the one I want, something easy to use at a reasonable price that gives good results. The one I have is about 4 years old, and was an inexpensive model at the time. I know the technology has improved in the interim.

I have finished the physical therapy for my knee, and am no longer taking much pain medication. Once in awhile I take enteric aspirin for my heel spurs, but the knee seldom bothers me anymore. I have started using my treadmill again, so I hope the limp is gone for good. I still don't get down on my knees. I used a shower chair for the weeding work.

My hubby tore down the backyard shed that the possums were living beneath. The metal and rotting wood was put on the curb for the heavy trash truck which is due to pickup this week. The day after he set the stuff out, all the metal disappeared. There are lots of "junkmen" around that scour the curbs before the trash truck comes. Anything they can repair or sell for scrap disappears overnight.

Last week Copper caught and killed a possum half his size. It appears that he pulled it out from under the shed by the tail, and it probably "sulled' or played dead. He crushed its chest. No more possums now, I hope. (yes, I know it should be spelled with an "o" but no one says "opossums," do they?) Copper didn't have a scratch on him. We call him the Great White Hunter now.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

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A Day of Infamy

2011-09-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

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Today is the 10th anniversary of 9/11/2001. As I watch the replay of the newscasts of that day, I cannot help but remember the horror we all felt.

That morning I awoke around 10 am and stumbled groggily into the living room. My husband was sitting on the couch. He looked at me and simply said "We are at war."

He told me that the World Trade Center Towers were no longer there. I watched the replay of the events that morning, feeling that I was watching a disaster movie. As I watched, all I could say, over and over, was "Dear God." The Pentagon disaster, and the crash in Pennsylvania
only deepened the sense of anxiety we all felt.

My biggest concern was for my son, Chris. He was a Navy sailor aboard the USS Enterprise, and it was on patrol near the coast of Afghanistan. The terror in my heart was that my son was in immediate danger, and would be for the foreseeable future. If the terrorists could do this in the US, what could they do to our ships at sea?

My husband and I have flown a US Flag outside our front door for the past 10 years removing it only during severe storms. A light shines on it every night. As far as I am concerned, it can stay there forever.

The days and weeks after 9/11 were filled with such a sense of togetherness, determination, and patriotism. I wish that had lasted to this day. I hope today will spark some of that same feeling again.

We will never forget.

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Game-playing for stress relief

2011-09-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

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I have two sons. Raising boys in the 80's and 90's meant lots of video games at our house. We started out with an original Nintendo console, then added the Super Nintendo, Game Boys, etc. My younger son has made a career working with computers, so there were always computer games, as well. They soon outdistanced me--I never did get the hang of Super Mario Bros. and 95% of the computer games out there were shooters, RPG's, racing games, etc. that required more hand-eye coordination and quicker reflexes than I seem to possess. Games in which you know something is going to attack you make me very uptight and nervous. So I was thrilled when my son introduced me to

http://www.minecraft.net/

Minecraft is right up my alley! It is what they call a "sandbox" game. You build things with blocks of various substances, like stone, dirt, or wood. You dig for resources such as coal, iron ore, gold, diamond, or obsidian. You use a workbench to craft items like tools or torches. You cook items in a furnace to make glass or cook food.

The best part is that you can play it in "Peaceful" mode where there are no bad guys to bother you. You still can die by falling or by drowning, or by contact with lava. But nothing is going to sneak up on you to do you harm. There are peaceful creatures--cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, and squid; and the wolves can turn on you if you attack them first. But you can also tame them. You harvest pork from the pigs, hides from the cattle, feathers from the chickens, and wool from the sheep. These can all be used to make other things. You can grow sugar cane, cactus, trees, and wheat to make bread or paper.

If this is too easy, you can turn up the danger factor by playing in easy, normal, or hard modes. There you are in danger from creepers who explode, skellys who fire arrows, huge spiders that can jump, and zombies who attack you. Plus there is a "nether" world inhabited by "ghasts" and other unearthly enemies.

I enjoy playing in peaceful mode as a stress relief. I even occasionally play in easy mode and no longer fear the spiders or zombies. I only go out in the daytime, though. Most enemies are only active at night. I still panic when I see a creeper. That's as much fear as I care to face. I am a complete wuss.

Minecraft will soon be coming out with a rather significant upgrade. There are new creatures, called Endermen, which are rather like Ents or tree-people. They attack you if you look at them. It will be hard NOT to look at them because they are interesting to look at. There will be villages to explore and quests to complete. There will also be a new mode called "Creative" in which you are given infinite resources and can create to your heart's content without fear of being attacked.

In my opinion, Minecraft is a perfect family game. You can start kids out in peaceful or creative modes. They can advance at their own pace to the more difficult modes or stay in peaceful mode forever. There is no time limit, no points scored. It's just fun. You can dig mines, build fantastic structures, or go exploring. It's not an expensive game either.

There are lots of blogs and videos out there that show screenshots or actual play of the game. I highly recommend Minecraft for anyone.

Now you'll have to excuse me, I found some obsidian to mine.

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Drought, but still blooming!

2011-08-20T12:56:00.001-07:00

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How, during one of the worst droughts in South Texas history, can this beautiful Amaryllid be blooming right outside our front door? We haven't been watering that much. I guess it is just a hardier species than most. It has two beautiful blooms on it and will soon have two more.

The drought has destroyed any plants I put in my cement urn near the front porch. I finally gave up and put in some artificial plants to at least give us some color. It almost looks natural--it might fool people who don't realize that nothing else is in this kind of shape.

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I had a stack of 4.5"' squares that I had cut out for some I Spy baby quilts. I finally got around to making two quilts, and didn't have enough left over for another. So I used them for these little things. They are only 14" square, not counting the ribbons. I've heard them called "church quilts," "woobies" or "bankies" according to how juvenile the person is who describes them. Babies seem to like all the ribbon tags around the edges.

Some people are afraid that babies might get their fingers caught in the ribbon loops. These loops are 4" pieces folded in half, so they are really too big to get fingers caught, and too small to get a little fist through. If the mother has a worry about it, she can always just snip open the loops at the fold.

These quilts and "woobies" are not for any particular baby; I just wanted to have some baby gifts ready to go when another baby comes along. I have a large extended family so there will always be another baby eventually. I have the larger quilt tops done but I haven't sandwiched them or quilted them yet.

I need to make some gifts for the weddings that will be coming along, too. That's a project for later, though. I have a list of projects I want to do first. Isn't that always the case?

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Hubby's new baby

2011-08-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hubby just got a new toy for his birthday! He just picked it up today. He's just as proud as Punch. He is selling his Suzuki to our youngest son, since his car wasn't worth repairing. The truck has a really smooth ride, and all the bells and whistles.

I'm down to using a cane now instead of crutches. I'm a little nervous of losing my balance still. By Monday I hope to be walking normally.

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New sewing project

2011-08-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

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Copper loves to go "walkies." I went looking for a new harness for him, but the only ones I could find at the pet supply stores looked very uncomfortable, and when he walks with just his collar, he ends up choking himself by pulling too hard. He really needed a good, comfortable harness.

So I went looking on the internet, thinking someone must have copied one of those new "safe" harnesses they advertise on TV. No such luck--but I found a good tutorial for a really cute vest-type harness that I felt I could adapt a bit.

The original tutorial was posted by Erin Erickson here:

http://www.erinerickson.com/2010/11/little-dog-harness-tutorial/

Her dog is such a cute model! The harness is designed to close with Velcro, but I prefer to use something a little more secure since Copper pulls a lot. So I used the "Loki Harness" pattern on the same PDF, shortened the belly straps a couple of inches, and inserted a snap-buckle and straps on each side. I kept the neck the same but overlapped it with a button and buttonhole. I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

It was really easy to make, even with the changes I made. I think it took less than an hour. Erin also has some other really cute dog accessories with tutorials.

Copper seems to like it. He loves being fussed over! It certainly looks a lot more comfortable than the store-bought harnesses. There's a D-ring on the back for his leash to hook onto.

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This is my fat knee without the bandages on. Two small puncture wounds with a single stitch in each. It is a little swollen and bruised yet. It is very sore, but that's probably because I've been putting more weight on it today. I'm looking forward to walking without pain very soon.

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Hobbling along

2011-08-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

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I finally had my knee arthroscopy on Friday, and am hobbling around on crutches for the next day or two. The pain was pretty bad on Saturday, less on Sunday, and today I can put most of my weight on it without difficulty. The crutches are just to keep me steady at this point. By this weekend I hope to be walking normally again.

My son borrowed my car while his is in the shop, which came at a good time since I'm not using it anyway. I'm not supposed to drive for the rest of this week. (Husband's orders, not the doctors'!)

Hubby has been watching me like a hawk. As a retired rehab nurse, he helps me with my crutch technique, etc. He fetches and carries for me, too. It's great to have a private nurse!

My bandage comes off today and I can finally shower. I'm curious as to what the incisions look like.

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Meanwhile, I found these aprons in my MIL's things and thought they were very cute.

a plain, full skirted half-apron

a half-apron with scalloped hem, two pockets, and rick-rack trim

a really cute hostess apron with fish pocket

I'm into aprons right now. I've spent a couple of days at the computer downloading free apron patterns and believe me, there are a lot of cute ones out there. I'm thinking about making some of the free-domain ones to sell at a fair in Arkansas next year. I have plenty of fabric and lots of free time right now. If I do make some, I'll try to post some pics.

It is interesting that aprons kind of fell out of favor for 30 years, but now are considered retro-chic! A lot of the free patterns on the web are put there by young women who are probably riding the crest of the "newest wave." I have several in my kitchen linen stash, but rarely wear one myself. That may change if I really get into this.

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Trying again

2011-07-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's try this again. Life has settled down a little, for the next few months anyway.

Ten months to go until we move to Arkansas. I am enjoying this last summer in South Texas. Like the rest of the country, we have had some real scorching days, but we're used to that. Next summer I will be too busy unpacking to enjoy the weather very much. We have already sent two PODS full of stuff to Arkansas. One load went into our shop building there at the house; the other was split between the shop and a climate-controlled storage unit we have rented. All paper goods and fabric goods go there, things like my collection of mystery paperbacks, linens, photographs, etc. Much of that POD load came directly from the 10' x 10' storage unit we had here. It will be "fun" unpacking all that stuff next year. I anticipate a large garage sale next fall, although I did try to weed stuff out that I knew I didn't want anymore. Goodwill has been the beneficiary of most of that.

This past week I reorganized my sewing room, labeling everything clearly and making sure everything was put in its place. Not only will I be able to find everything easier, but it will help tremendously when I pack it all up and then unpack it again. The bins and boxes will just go in large cardboard boxes, labeled and sent up in the last POD which will go up about a month before the move.

The pillowcases on top of the shelves are encasing my finished quilts. I buy zippered white cotton pillowcases at BB&B, then add a clear vinyl pocket to one side. I take a photo of the quilt, print it out, and put the photo in the pocket. I can then tell what quilt it is without taking it out of the case.

Now to keep it looking this neat!

Oh, and I bought a new Baby Lock Quest Plus sewing machine since I last blogged much. I like it, except for how hard it is to find extra feet for it. It came with several, but I like to have a few specialty feet, you know? Pintuck foot, stitch-in-the-ditch foot, cording foot, etc. The shank ankle on this machine is wider than most, so the feet I have for my Husqvarna Viking Rose won't fit, and neither will most other Baby Lock feet. What's up with that? Otherwise it's a great machine, even if I did have to travel to San Antonio to get it.

I've been going through old videotapes and dubbing the good ones to DVDs. I had several years worth of sewing and quilting videos--Nancy Zieman, Eleanor Burns, Martha Pullen, Fons and Porter, Sue Scheewe, Donna Dewberry, etc, etc. Those have now been dubbed. Now I'm going through the tapes we don't want to keep, making sure there are no unlabeled "gems" on them before they hit the recycling bin. Right this minute I am watching the first day of "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Talk about a blast from the past! All the speculation about how many casualties there would be, the weapons of mass destruction they expected to find, the dangers of biological warfare, in hindsight sound a little alarmist but were very indicative of the fears after 9/11. We taped the CNN coverage because my husband was a Navy reservist at the time and our son was on the USS Enterprise.

To catch up with when I stopped blogging--our Bedlington Terrier, Copper, is doing well. My husband has put on some weight but is still in remission from his Goblet Cell Carcinoid. He has stopped his plant growing business in preparation for the move, and is only taking care of plants that we may be able to take with us. He has already sent a few boxes of bulbs to our renter, who has set them in the ground for us. We'll put them where we want them later.

I am in better health now and have a lot more energy. I had been having a lot of problems with high blood pressure, heel pain, and other problems related to obesity. This year I decided to get more active. I bought a treadmill and have been using it regularly, 5-6 days a week. I am also eating a high protein, low carb diet. My BP is back to normal. I am still using a CPAP machine, but the pressure has been reduced on it. I still have the heel spurs but they are not bothering me as much.

I am scheduled to have arthroscopic knee surgery in two weeks to repair a torn meniscus and generally clean out the joint. I have limped for over a year, and took a bad fall in February that probably caused the torn meniscus. I'm anxious to get this surgery done and get my knee back to normal.

I am no longer involved in Eastern Star, although I am a life member and still have friends there. I let my health get to the point where I could no longer enjoy that type of activity. Now that I feel better I am too busy getting ready to move. I do still attend the Red Hat events and the book club with some of the Red Hat members. I get so much from those friends--I will really miss them when I move! I hope some of them will keep in touch. I intend to.

I found this lovely tray at a thrift store last Saturday. I couldn't pass it up. Isn't it pretty? The bottom is made of ceramic tiles. It's in perfect shape--the white spots are glints from the shiny tiles.

I have been saving my sons' old T-shirts for several years now, intending to make quilts out of them. I finally got around to it because I didn't want to move the shirts to Arkansas. This one is made of a lot of school shirts, Boy Scout shirts, and various others that were favorites.

This one, on the other hand, is exclusively made of Eskimo Joe's tees. My sons both enjoyed these while they were growing up. At one time Eskimo Joe's tees were the second most highly desired tees after Hard Rock Cafe. The chain is based in Stillwater, OK where my DH grew up. My MIL used to get the shirts for the boys at every holiday, so they always had several.

These are still just tops. My sister in Arkansas will quilt them for me later. For those who don't know how to make quilt blocks out of t-shirts, I'll explain.

1. Launder the tees, no fabric softener. I use even the shirts with stains and small holes in them, as well as the ones that are faded as long as the design is clear enough to see.

2. Buy lots of middleweight fusible interfacing, non-stretchy. I mean lots--I had to go buy more twice for the two quilts above. One yard will do two 15" blocks. I had a 15" square ruler that I used for the template.

3. Cut off the sleeves and neck ribbing of the shirt and open at least one of the sides so you can lay it flat on your ironing board. The sleeves and plain backs make good cleaning rags. If the back or sleeves have designs on them, use them for the quilt too.

4. Lay the design area face down on the ironing board and press it to remove wrinkles and to square up the design if it's a little cattywampus. (yes, that's a real word!)

5. Cut a piece of interfacing the size you want the finished block to be. Mine were 15" squares.

6. Center it over the design area of the shirt. Most of the time the top edge of the interfacing will be at the neckline edge of the shirt. Press the interfacing in place using the manufacturer's directions. Don't be afraid to use the extra pieces of interfacing by piecing them onto a block. It won't make a difference.

7. Cut out the interfaced area from the shirt, using a template or ruler. Now you have a quilt block! If some of the designs are bigger or smaller, you can either cut into the design and only use part of it, make one row with larger blocks, or add pieces to the smaller blocks to make them all the same, etc. You can see what I mean in the pictures.

I used sashing on one quilt to tie it all together because I had to add some strips to a couple of smaller blocks to make them fit. Since a few of the shirts were tie-dyed, I interfaced the remaining tie-dyed pieces and cut them into strips to use for the sashing. I like the look. Don't try cutting out the pieces before interfacing them--trust me on this one.

I will say that these are rather heavy quilt tops. I've chosen regular cotton backings and will use very thin cotton batting. Polyester would be too bulky. These are going on the kid's guest room beds when we get to Arkansas and have the addition built on the house.

Boy, when I do get around to blogging I really talk a lot, don't I? I'd better save some for later.

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Keeping it Open

2011-02-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't felt like blogging for many months now. I do want to hold this blog open, and will try to start using it again very soon. Sometimes blogging becomes a chore, and is no longer fun or interesting. That is the way this blog has gone. Problems arise, attention is diverted, and it feels like nothing is worth blogging about. I expect that to change soon.

We still expect to move to NW Arkansas in about 15 months. In the interim, I am concentrating on improving my health, which has slowly deteriorated over the last few years. I have made great strides in that direction, and I hope that I will soon feel up to talking about it.

So bear with me! I will be my old boring self again, soon enough.

Trips

2010-06-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

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We recently returned from our ten-day vacation to Oklahoma and Arkansas. It started out rather badly; just south of Waco we were knocked off the interstate during a rainstorm. No one was hurt, but we learned how the PIT maneuver works when used by the cops to stop a car. The white car below did exactly that, hydroplaning into us hitting first our left rear, then swinging us around so that it collided with the left front of our car; it knocked us onto the grass verge where we did a 360 degree spin before limping across the access road into a driveway.

You can see the damage to our Suzuki Aerio below.

We limped into Stillwater and had the scraping wheel well trimmed. After attending my husband's fiftieth high school reunion (much fun!) We went on a tour of the OSU athletic facilities. Below is hubby at Boone Pickens Stadium. We got to see the VIP skyboxes used by Mr. Pickens and the President of OSU.

This dark photo was taken inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Both these facilities are the best that money can buy.

We then toured the OSU Botanical Gardens. WOW! What a gorgeous garden! Very well presented and maintained, with lots of ideas for garden art and arrangement.

Then we traveled to Fayetteville, AR where we stayed with my sister and brother-in-law.
She has a longarm quilting machine, and was kind enough to quilt my granddaughters' quilts for them. These were the sampler quilts they made in their quilting classes. She also quilted one of my own quilts.

Below is her Maltese, Salty. He poses so well! He is a real sweetheart, and kept us from missing Copper too much.

My sister gave me a couple of snapshots my uncle had sent her of me as a child. This one was taken when I was barely three. The brown dog was mine, the other was my sister's. I only threw that dog away about three years ago, when I realized that it was mostly stuffed with dust mites.

We then traveled to Bristow, OK where we met with all my husband's cousins. Hubby wasn't well by this time (he had developed bronchitis.) We left a day early so we could get home sooner.
All in all, it was a good trip. Now we are dealing with the car repairs, but our insurance company has been very good and it will be fixed very soon.

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Last Friday I traveled to Rockport, TX to test-drive the new Janome Horizon sewing machine.

It's very large, and very nice; but I felt it was more machine than I really needed. So on Monday I drove all the way to San Antonio to test the Babylock Quest. I really liked it. The size is more manageable; the controls more intuitive. Altogether more user-friendly. Plus it was only a little more than half the price of the Horizon. So I bought it (it is now upgraded to the Quest Plus.) It should be delivered sometime next week. I can hardly wait! I spent a couple of hours today rearranging my sewing room to make space for it. I intend to make it my main machine, and turn my old Viking Rose into an embroidery-only machine. I rarely use the embroidery unit bacause it has always seemed such a hassle to convert it from sewing to embroidery. This way I may be able to use it more.

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My sister found an old Kenmore 1560 free-arm machine at a garage sale for $15. It is very clean and looks as though it was used once or twice, then stuck in a closet for years. She cleaned it, but found the stitch length control dial was broken. I bought it from her for my granddaughters, and took it to my Singer dealer to be repaired. They called me and told me they couldn't find the replacement part, so I picked it up this afternoon. This evening I found someone selling parts from a 1560 on eBay, so I asked him if he might have the dial I need. He does! I paid for it and it should arrive in a week or so.

I also took my Touch and Sew 600 in for repair. Once fixed (or not, as may be) it will probably be sold in a garage sale or given to a family member who wants it. It has been an excellent machine since I bought it on eBay about 10 years ago, but I no longer need it. I hope it can be repaired. Right now the needle position control is broken.

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Long time no see!

2010-06-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

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Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted! I have been uber busy, what with sewing classes with the granddaughters, and going through 31 years of accumulated stuff before our 2012 move. We've already had one large garage sale, and have another planned in late July with more than enough stuff already boxed up and ready to go. We figure we'll have 3 more garage sales before we move! That's a lot of sorting of stuff, folks!

I had some blood work drawn recently, and everything turned out normal. I had asked the doctor to do an A1C test for diabetes, since my dad was a diabetic and two of my sisters are as well. The test result was 5.9--enough that I need to start watching it, but not enough to call "prediabetic" yet. I guess a diet and increased exercise is in the cards.

Poor Copper has had a rough time lately. He had a blow-out of his left anal gland about a month ago, and last week the right one blew out. He was miserable, poor boy. If it happens again we may have to resort to surgery for him. He feels much better now after his antibiotics.

The girls' classes have gone very well--it has been hard to keep up with them, they are progressing so rapidly! I am turning them loose for the summer, then this fall we will tackle garment sewing. It's not my favorite thing, but I am proficient enough to teach them the basics. I already have their curriculum planned out--very ambitious for one semester of work--seven projects plus some extra classes that won't be covered in the projects, like alternative fasteners, mending, taking measurements, and recycling used clothing (field trip to the thrift stores!) It seems like a lot to me, but at the speed they learn, It may not take them the three to four months I had envisioned. Remember--this is on top of all their regular schoolwork! No wonder they are being homeschooled, there is no way public schools could keep them occupied.

Our vacation is coming up, two reunions and a trip to check on our new properties in AR. I hope to post some pictures next time!

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Happy Easter from our house and yard to yours!

2010-04-04T11:45:00.001-07:00

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Spring has sprung!

2010-03-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

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The freesias are blooming in the backyard--oh, do they smell good!

The last week has found me down and out with a bad cold. Copper knows when I need a cuddle.
I'm finally feeling better, although I will have this cough for weeks.

I had to skip one of the granddaughters' quilt classes, but they are doing very well. Here are their first quilts:

They learn very quickly. We are now in the middle of their sampler quilts, and going strong.

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New Home

2010-02-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

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We just returned from an 8-day trip to snowy Northwest Arkansas. We stayed with my sister, Meg. Our main reason for going was to look at land to buy. We bought a 3.2 acre investment property (an estate lot) that is unimproved. We then looked at several properties with houses. We intend to move there in the fall of 2012, and land prices are currently depressed there as they are in most areas. So we felt it was the right time to buy. After much deliberation, we chose the property pictured below.

It is on a county road which is about a mile and a half from Hwy 62, halfway between Farmington and Prairie Grove, AR.

This is the front entrance. The porch is small, but I love the etched glass door! (disregard the dates printed on the photos~~)

These two buildings are included. The one on the left is a large "shop" building, insulated and heated by a wood stove. You could easily get two large tractors in there. The other is a small building that is made of 12" reinforced concrete. I call it the block house. It will serve as our storm shelter as well as a wintering area for my hubby's bulbs, root vegetables, etc.

There is a wood-burning fireplace insert in the living room. Most of the walls are paneled with good quality paneling. The house was built in 1998 and is handicapped accessible.

This area is at the opposite end of the living room from the fireplace.

A trip around the small kitchen-- back corner near the sliding patio doors. The house is currently occupied by the sellers, so the stuff is all theirs.

Above is the back window over the sink, the appliance garage is a nice feature.

Above is the window overlooking the driveway and shop building.

The corner next to the gas stove.

The stove and refrigerator wall on the right as you enter the kitchen.

The laundry and half bath. There are two other full baths, and three bedrooms.

The view of the back of the property from the driveway. The 2.2 acre lot extends past the fence to a line paralleling it at the end of the perpendicular piece of fencing. All the trees on the left are on our property.

Hubby inspecting the covered patio.

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Now that we are back the real work begins. Packing up 30 years worth of stuff would be too much, so we will spend the next two years purging and sorting. Trying to keep everyday life going while doing it will be the tricky part.

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Try That Again

2010-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

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Ok, let's try that again. Now I'm back, after having two cataracts removed and two intraocular lens implants inserted. Now instead of being nearsighted, which I had been since I was a child, I am now farsighted. But at least I can now pay ten bucks at the drugstore for my glasses.

The prospect of having eye surgery was frightening. I wondered if I'd be able to keep my eye still, would I see the instruments coming toward my eye, and how much would it hurt? I went into surgery in November very nervous. I came out wondering why I had been so afraid. I felt nothing, saw nothing but a bright light, and couldn't have moved my eye if I wanted to. Sure, having to put drops in my eye four times a day for four weeks was a hassle, but a small price to pay. In December the other eye was done, and since I knew what to expect I wasn't a bit concerned. But I felt the surgeon start work, and complained loudly, so he gave me more pain medicine and the rest of the surgery was a piece of cake. Afterward he asked me how I felt. I told him I felt like someone had poked me in the eye. He replied,"Guilty as charged!"

Of course then I had to do the eye drop thing all over again. But now that's over, and I am back to my regular routine. Except that I then had to start using a CPAP machine. I couldn't do that until the eye doctor gave his okay, as it tends to blow air in my eyes when I least expect it.

Now the CPAP is a whole different story. I had been having to sit straight up in bed in the middle of the night, to catch my breath. Not a good sign. I also woke up every morning with an hypoxic headache, and tended to fall asleep anytime I sat down for a few minutes. So the sleep study (a miserable experience, and I had to do it twice!) showed that I was hardly getting any sleep at all.

Getting used to a CPAP machine is a real challenge, and after two weeks I am still having difficulty wearing it for more than 4 or 5 hours per night. It is an uncomfortable feeling, especially for someone who is mildly claustrophobic anyway. The "nasal pillows" tend to leak air, and it is virtually impossible to speak or breathe through my mouth with it on. I have mastered taking care of the machine, mask, and tubing; keeping the humidifier filled; and putting the headgear on in the dark. I am adjusting to breathing only through my nose, after getting a prescription for a steroid nasal spray for my allergies. Now if I can figure out how to turn from side to side without dislodging the thing, I will be satisfied. I also think I need to get a chin strap for it, as I tend to try to open my mouth even though it gags me if I do. Thirty years of mouth-breathing is hard to overcome. That's what usually wakes me up in the middle of the night, either gagging or dislodging the nasal pillows when I turn. They make a loud hissing noise when that happens.

My husband swears it doesn't keep him awake, but he does end up on the couch more often since I started using it. Normally the sound of it is less than the fan we keep on for white noise anyway. I have managed to twice sleep through the night with it, although it did wake me up a couple of times when I turned. But oh, how I wish I didn't need it. My husband comments that I seem to be better oxygenated during the night, no longer snore (even when I throw the darn thing aside) and seem better rested during the day. I don't feel that much better yet, but it's early days.

*****

I have started teaching my two granddaughters to quilt. They are homeschooled by their mother and having me teach home-ec twice a week gives her a break; plus I love getting to know them better. I have started them on a Rail Fence pattern, and they are making great progress. For girls who had never touched a sewing machine, they can really make those things hum. They need to concentrate more on accuracy, but speed is their forte. We are having a blast.

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No, I'm not....

2009-11-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

I thought I was back, but it turns out I won't be blogging for awhile, probably not until January. I had cataract surgery in my right eye, and may be having it in my left in December. I can't see very well, so this will have to wait until my vision gets better. Sorry.

I'm back!!

2009-10-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

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It's been awhile since I've posted. I've been having vision problems, and just found out that I will be having cataract surgery in November. I've also been tested for sleep apnea, and will start wearing a CPAP machine about the same time. I hope I will soon be doing much better.

I made 36 of these Sewing Kit in a Jar units to sell at our Eastern Star Rummage Sale on October 24th. They sell for $7.50 each and contain a mixture of vintage and new sewing supplies.

Here is a photo of the table I decorated for a recent Eastern Star meeting. I made the centerpiece, which has flower "hair" with a raven sitting in it. Below is the cake that was served.

My older son and his family are arriving tomorrow to begin their tour of duty at Corpus Christi NAS. We are so looking forward to having them nearby! They will live on base, and we live only about 5 miles away. My younger son and his wife live about the same distance from us in another direction. We are pumped to all be together again!

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New sewing room

2009-07-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

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July's image swap was Rosia from Paper Imagery Designs. These are the ones I received.

from Lee H.

from Jennifer R.

from Dianna M.

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June's swap was Marshall in 4 x 4 size, from PID.

from Lee H.

from Jennifer R.

from Chris L.

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It's been awhile since my last post, and I said I would share photos of my new sewing and craft rooms when I got them organized. Well, that's going to take longer than I thought! I have been working on them for a couple of months now, and they aren't even half loaded yet. But at least they are semi-organized, so I can show them to you.

This is my craft room. The closet has wire shelving with lots of bins of craft stuff, plus boxes and other containers that haven't been sorted yet. The other shelves are for books, magazines, and vhs tapes that I am in the middle of dubbing to DVD. The printer is on the left, and you can't see the computer desk; but you can see the top of the TV in the foreground. The work table is under the window, with storage for beading and jewelry supplies and cardmaking supplies.

To the right is the drawing table, currently covered with stuff. The cart on the left holds desk supplies, and the one on the right holds scrapbooking supplies (I don't really do scrapbooking though, it's mostly stuff for making ATCs and cards.) Behind the door are two purse racks. I make a lot of my own purses, and this was the only place I could find to store them.

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This is the Singer Fashion Mate (237) that I picked up at a garage sale for $20. It had a broken stitch width lever, so I bought one on eBay for $5 and fixed it myself. I have yet to try it out, as I have no table to put it on right now. I understand that these are real workhorse machines--all metal parts except the faceplate and spool pin. It weighs a ton, too. It will do straight stitch and zigzag, and the feed dogs lower. It will make a good back-up machine.

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Now, here's the sewing room as you walk in the door. My Husqvarna Viking Rose and my Singer 600E Touch and Sew are set up and ready to go. The pegboard holds a lot of stuff, and there's a rack next to the window that holds rotary cutters and rulers out of the way of little hands. There's a worktable in the center of the room for cutting and pressing. The quilt rack holds items that are waiting to be machine quilted.

To the left of the door are three bookcases. My battings are labeled as to size and stacked on the top left side.

My finished quilts are on the top right.

The bookcases are full of bins holding fabric by color or category, and the one on the far right hold books and projects in progress.

A closer look at the pegboard and the ruler rack. There is a window to the right--the sun was bright today!

Then to the right of the window is the closet. My serger is to the left, my thread rack is on the right (this is only about half my thread!) The TV is currently not hooked up. I don't know if I'll ever get around to getting a cable box for it. The door to the room is on the right edge of the photo.

I still have about half my stuff in storage, so the rooms won't always be this neat. But they work for me. I may rearrange the furniture a little, once I find out if the layout works or not.

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So you see I have been busy, so I have a good excuse for not updating this blog sooner. I'll try not to be so remiss next time.

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Back to work

2009-06-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

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I entered 5 charms in a contest for Cloth Paper Scissors, and received the charms below in return.

by Michelle H.

by Lisa H.

by Laura B.

by Jo D.

by Elizabeth D.

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The monthly image swap for April was Craig by Paper Imagery Designs. Here are the ones I received:

by Wanda H.

by Sarah W.

by Lee H.

by Eileen B.

by Betty M.

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I have a brand new grand-nephew! I made this quilt for him. He will soon have two new female cousins, so I'll be trying to get two more quilts done by September. This is the Pansy Table-topper from e-Pattern Central, with the pansies changed to a more generic flower.

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I think I already mentioned that while we were in Fayetteville, AR my sister machine quilted three quilt tops that had been sitting in a box or some time. I finally got them bound and although I still need to put labels on them, I wanted to show them here. I don't remember where I got the pattern for this first one. I intended it for Christmas time, but doesn't it remind you of watermelon?

This next one was a kit from Michael Miller fabrics called Ginkgo Glory. I have another kit that matches it that I haven't even started on yet. I wish my camera was better. My sister quilted koi fish into the background and it looks great!

This last one was a series quilt from Quiltmaker magazine, called Mr. MacGregor's Garden. I finished it nearly ten years ago--but I never could figure out how I wanted it quilted. My sister actually used invisible thread in her machine with an allover pattern, even though she had never been able to use it before. It worked like a charm, and doesn't detract from the fusible applique.

I am so thrilled to finally have these done! I have been moving things back into my "new" sewing room, and in unpacking boxes and bins I have found several unfinished projects. I'm hoping to get them done in the next few months.

When I get all the furniture in the new rooms I will take some photos to share here.

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One of my older son's best friends got married recently. Coming from a fundamentalist Protestant background, I had never been to a full Catholic wedding before. It was a beautiful service. Many of the boys that were members of my sons' BSA troop were there, all grown up now, of course. It was a real trip down memory lane. I only wish my sons could have been there. They would have had a blast!

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I have finally started back to the dentist after 3-4 years. My last dentist retired just as we lost our dental insurance, so we couldn't afford to have dental care. As a result, my new dentist is going to have to do extensive work to get my teeth back in good shape. So far he plans on at least 3 crowns and 3 fillings. I don't mind going to the dentist like some people do. I want to keep my teeth as long as I can. But it will be an inconvenience for the next couple of months.

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Saturday is the Installation of Officers for this next year of Eastern Star. I get to wear my lovely new wine-colored dress ( :-P) for a whole year, twice a month. I'm in the same position I have been in for the past year, so I'm comfortable with it. After this year I want to take a break, though.

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2009-05-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

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Well, we're back home again, after being gone for over a week. We had a lovely service for my MIL in Stillwater, OK. We saw relatives and friends we hadn't seen in a long time. It was a stressful trip, but we then traveled to Fayetteville, AR to stay with my sister and her family.

We really needed a break, and we couldn't think of a more beautiful and peaceful place to get some R & R. Something else we haven't seen in a long time---real trees! They had a really big ice storm this winter that damaged a lot of trees, mostly pines and magnolias, but they were still gorgeous to us. This is my sister's backyard AFTER the tree trimming.

Still beautiful, isn't it?

The flowers were blooming everywhere, like these bearded iris:

And these peonies, in every color imaginable:

It rained almost every day while we were there, but to us it was like manna from heaven! South Texas has been so dry lately, although after we got back we did get almost an inch of rain here.

We were missing our dog, Copper; but my sister's dog, Gypsy, made it her mission to keep us from getting homesick. We spoiled her while we were there! I wish I had gotten a picture of her.

We had a great time going to some garage sales with my sister and niece. We bought way too much stuff! We couldn't resist--garage sales here are pretty sparse. At one stop we found five large grocery bags full of fat quarters. They were marked 25 cents each or $25 a bag. We talked them down to $20 a bag and my sister and I bought all five bags! We then laid them all out and I took this one and she took that one, over and over until we had them split equally. Here are the bags I brought home:

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I enjoyed garage sale-ing so much that last weekend I did it again here. The sales weren't as good, but my prize purchase was this framed piece of scherenschnitte:

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On the way home, we stopped in Quitman, TX at Stitchin' Heaven. I bought the pattern and fabric for this purse there. It is a pattern by Kathy Fernholz for Indigo Junction called Pocket Perfect. It made up really quickly, although I added my own touches. It calls for one outer pocket but I made two. I lengthened the straps, and I also added two inner pockets to the lining, as shown in the lower photo. I love the purse, but I think I'd use a regular interfacing next time instead of the Timtex called for in the pattern. Just my preference.

My sister machine-embroidered the designs for these potato/vegetable bakers, and gave me the fabric. I made four of them there, and finished a fifth one here at home. I gave that one to my DIL. The ones that look yellow are actually a pale pink and the red one is actually maroon--I really need to get myself a new camera one of these days!

My sister also used her longarm quilting machine to quilt three tops I brought with me. I will be showing them when I get the binding on them. Thanks, sis!

~~~~~

While we were gone, I received my charms from the charm swap at MixedMediaArt Yahoo group. I think they are all wonderful! I will make several bracelets from these when I get the time.

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Now that we are home, we have been moving my son and DIL into my MIL's house. They will be the caretakers until we are ready to sell it. Most of my MIL's stuff is still there; we will be going through it slowly over the next few months. My son and DIL have been living with us for 4 years now--it is time they had their own household. Once they are completely moved out of our house, I will be turning their area into my sewing and craft studios. It will take some time to rearrange everything in my house, but I am going to do it up right. It will be another 4 years before we are ready to move to Fayetteville, which has been our dream for several years.

Our other son will be home from Iraq tomorrow, and we were thrilled to learn that his next duty station will be here at Corpus Christi! That is if the Navy ever gets his orders cut. :-) He and his wife and three kids will be living near us for the first time. We are so excited! This is why we won't be moving for the next few years.

~~~~~

My husband went to San Antonio this last weekend and received his 32 degree in Scottish Rite Masonry. His mother would be so proud--I know she is smiling from above. She always wanted him to do this, and he had hoped to get it done before she passed. He now can add this to his list of Masonic accomplishments!

He is on the road again now, to Stillwater, OK to attend a Tree Conference at OSU. When he returns I think he will be ready to put away his suitcase for awhile!

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Sad news

2009-04-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

After months of suffering with Alzheimer's Disease, my mother-in-law finally passed away last night. We will miss her, but in fact she has been gone for some time now.
It may be awhile before I can post again, but I will be back as soon as things quieten down.

Avery swap

2009-04-08T16:19:00.001-07:00

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Here are the results of the monthly PID image swap: Avery.
They're all wonderful! Thank you, friends!

By Sarah W.

by Jennifer R.

by Elena V.

by Eileen B.

by Dianna M.

~~~~~

I've been asked to share the following recipe. It's quick, easy, and oh, so good!

Marcia’s Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

1 pound spaghetti, broken into thirds

1 teas. salt

2 pounds ground beef

½ cup diced onion (I use frozen)

1/3 cup chopped green pepper (again, I use frozen)

1 T vegetable oil

½ teas. minced garlic in oil

2 cans tomato sauce with Italian Herbs (I use Contadina)

Grated parmesan cheese to taste

In large stockpot, boil 6-8 quarts water with the salt. Add broken spaghetti to boiling water, simmer for 10 minutes or until al dente. While waiting for water to boil, sauté onion and green pepper in vegetable oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef, crumbling it into small pieces. Add garlic, sauté until ground beef is fully browned. Drain off any liquid, then add tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer until spaghetti is done. Serve sauce over individual servings of spaghetti and top with Parmesan cheese.

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Beautiful to look at...

2009-04-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

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Three darling grandchildren!

The new table-topper I just finished...

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My DH just inherited some "dishes" from an elderly cousin. Some dishes!!

10 pieces of Fostoria crystal, "Baroque" in Topaz yellow.

4 ice tea tumblers, 4 sherbets, a relish tray, and a small vegetable dish. I love this pattern!

Also a complete set of Franciscan "Apple" USA, circa 1950, in excellent condition. Very collectible! Four place settings with several completer pieces, plus some coordinating green glassware of unknown origin. If anyone recognizes the green glassware pattern, let me know!

~~~~~

Don't anyone try to tell my DH he can't grow iris in South Texas! These are next to our front door.

~~~~~

Yesterday my DH spent all day at the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens' Big Bloom Plant Sale.
I helped out during the afternoon for about four hours. It was breezy and shady there, so I didn't bother to wear sunscreen or a hat. My face, shoulders, neck, and lower arms are very sunburned today--which has given me a headache. Yuk!

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New purse

2009-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

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TODAY'S PROJECT

This purse was made from a pattern in the Spring 2009 issue of Quilts and More magazine. It is fully lined with 2 patch pockets inside, and has a magnetic snap closure. I pieced the straps for more interest. I wanted a purse that shouted spring. I may try another one perhaps for fall, but if I do I'll enlarge the pattern by at least 25% to hold all my stuff. It was easy to make, and I enjoy making purses for myself. Copper was not very impressed, though.

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Isabella arrived

2009-03-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

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Below are the five Isabella ATC's I received from the February Swap at Paper Imagery Designs.

from Sarah W.

from Jennifer R.

from Eileen B.

from Dianna M.

from Angie H.

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These are my April swap cards--the image is Craig.

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My DH surprised me with these roses--aren't they beautiful? They smell luscious, too. He occasionally does things like this, and it always makes me feel great. I think I'll keep him.

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Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-03-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

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My friend Eileen gave me this award, and I am thrilled and honored! So I am supposed to list 7 of my favorite things, then send this award to 7 of my favorite bloggers so they can pass it on.

My favorite things:

1. My Bedlington Terrier, Copper

2. My PT Cruiser, royal blue.

3. The series "Paranormal State" on A&E.

4. My own recipe for spaghetti and meat sauce. Yum!

5. My fabric stash--extensive!

6. Oldies radio stations

7. Rose-scented products, like potpourri, hand-cream, and scented oil that I bought at the Rose Garden in Tyler, TX.

I read a lot of blogs, but here are some of my favs:

1. Marci

2. Chrissy

3. Karen

4. Rena

5. Melinda

6. Beth

7. Angie

These are all worthy of a regular look--they all inspire me with their creativity. I need all the inspiration I can get!

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Happy Birthday to me! (last week--)

2009-03-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

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This is the package that was delivered for my birthday.

and what it contained! It is from my son and daughter-in-law.

~~~~~

I finally got around to doing the March image swap for PIDSwaps. This time it's Avery. I thought I'd show you one of my favorite background techniques. First, I cut cheap fusible interfacing into small pieces, about 3" to 6" rectangles. Then I painted them with acrylic paints in various designs.

Then I chopped them up into smaller pieces with a rotary cutter.

I used an 8.5" x 11" sheet of sturdy cardboard for the backing. I sprayed it with a little spray adhesive just to make sure, then covered the cardboard with the pieces in a random manner. I then pressed the whole thing, using a press cloth between the paint and the iron.

Then I cut it into 2.5" x 3.5" ATCs. They resemble a crazy quilt.

Here are the finished Avery ATCs.

~~~~~

This is me at a recent Red Hat Society meeting. It's not a good photo, but then I'm not very photogenic. I look sleepy because I was.

I just bought a Wii Fit balance board for my birthday gift to myself, plus a couple of games.
I hope to get it hooked up tomorrow. I want to start working on my balance, which has been a problem for me over the last few years.

I just joined Facebook. I don't understand how to use it, but most of my family is on there, so I figured I'd give it a try. I tried MySpace a few months ago, but it made no sense to me, so I dropped out. We'll see how long this lasts. Ha!

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Swaps finished

2009-02-22T18:53:00.000-08:00

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This ATC was sent to me by Dianna M. for the PID Red, Pink, and Touch of Green Swap. She also sent a goodie bag of ephemera as a bonus! Thanks, Dianna!

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Earlier I showed a bracelet with four of the charms I made for the Mixed Media Art Charm swap. I finished the last 3 sets, so I thought I would show them all as sets:

Game Pieces: Miniature Alphabet blocks

Fabric/Sewing: Covered buttons with flower brads
and beaded edges

Found Objects: Paper tags
One side is alcohol inks with a stamped face on it;
the other is alcohol inks with acrylic stickers.

Other: Wooden tags
One side has decoupaged roses, the other
side has a stamped design.

Fabric/Sewing: Beaded fabric dangles
One side has roses fused to it, the other
side has the word "Love" stamped on it.

Spring Colors: stacked buttons on wire

Beading: Wire-wrapped glass hearts

~~~~~

Once these are mailed I will be all caught up with my swaps. I may skip the next month's PID swap to get some other things done. I have been going through books to reduce the number. I have a large box of Boy Scout books that I want to get rid of, I just haven't decided how. I am keeping the books that were my sons' of course. They both made Eagle Scout with palms and were in the Order of the Arrow. A lot of work went into that, both by them and by their Dad and I. They aren't really interested in keeping any of their old things right now, so we will save them in case they do want them later on.

~~~~~

My elder son is returning from his active duty in Iraq for a two-week leave. He will be home with his wife and children. I wish we could see him, but not this time. He will be back for good in mid-May. I miss him, but at least I do get to talk to him by Instant Messenger every couple of weeks. It will be good to have him on home turf.

~~~~~

My MIL is physically about the same, but mentally has lost all ability to recognize anyone other than her daily providers. She doesn't seem to notice that her home has been changed to make her care easier, or that we have transferred some of her clothing and valuables to our house for safekeeping. She no longer interacts with her pet chihuahua, either. The poor dog is confused and bewildered by the whole situation.

~~~~~

Tomorrow is my younger son's 26th birthday. I can remember his birth as if it were last week--it doesn't seem that so much time has passed. My older son will soon turn 29. Oh, boy.

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Great finds!

2009-01-29T19:03:00.001-08:00

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I took a day off for myself and made the rounds of the thrift stores. Score!! The photo below shows some of what I brought home.

This is a LARGE drawing board. Other than a couple of scratches in the masonite coating, and one missing latch on the bottom right, it is in great condition. The drawing board lifts up, and there are two large storage compartments underneath. It even has a carrying handle! Ten bucks. Really!

Isn't this lovely? It's in like-new condition, and I fell in love with it. It's about 10" wide by 7" tall by 3" deep. I'll use it to hold return address labels and stamps on my desk.

This fabric was all stuffed in a bag and cost me $3.60. The top piece is a feedsack--it still has the chain stitching in one end. The two blues and the yellow are about a yard each, the green is almost two yards. The prints and solid blue are 100% cotton from Cranston, and the solid yellow may be a blend, but I'll have to do a "burn" test to find out. There were also two pieces of navy, but they were obviously polyester, so out they go.

This beautiful little domed box had a $30.00 price tag on the bottom. I think I paid $2.50 for it. It is about 6" across and 3" deep, japanned steel. I love the subject matter--a fabric seller showing his wares to a fair damsel. Or are they gifts for his beloved?

More finds-- I actually bought the 14" x 18" printed tin tray about a month ago at a thrift store, but the rest I bought today. The blue bottle and the red vase are for a future bottle tree. I love the colors! I bought two Anchor Hocking glass bowls, and three Pyrex bowls for $2.00-3.00 apiece. The Pyrex ones have an aqua tint to the clear glass.

This gorgeous 18" pillow is my final find. Hand-embroidered top with tucking all around, and a zippered back; all on butter-colored fabric that I think is charmeuse, but I'm not sure. $3.95--I kid you not. Who could pass this up? It will look great on a guest room bed.

Needless to say, I had a blast today, until I went grocery shopping. Now my feet are sore from walking. That's not unusual for me, as I have bone spurs in both heels. There are times when it is very difficult for me to walk at all. I bought some Glucosamine and Chondroitin capsules today, I hope they help a little.

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Belinda Spiwak's mmartfriends group on Yahoo is doing a swap of bracelet charms. I signed up to do 7 sets of 6 each, although I am actually doing 10 of each. Here are representatives of my first 4 sets:

and the reverse sides:

1. wire-wrapped glass hearts
2. wooden tags, stamped and decoupaged with roses
3. stacked buttons on wire
4. miniature wooden alphabet blocks with decoupaged sides and a finial on the bottom

These were harder to photograph than to make! The top picture is a scan, the bottom a photo. Neither worked very well. I'll have a whole month to finish the other three sets. I have some ideas, but they are only tentative right now. I'll post more pics when I get the rest done.

I've always loved charm bracelets--I have several that I have bought over the years. This one will be special since the charms will all be handmade. I can hardly wait to see what I get in the swap!

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I have been using my Wii, although I have to admit that I enjoy Animal Crossing a lot more than I do Wii Sports! I want to get the Wii Fit for my birthday next month, and at least try to do some yoga or other balance training on it. I have a tendency to fall (usually on my knees!) and hope to prevent any further injuries. I don't really expect to lose any weight using the Wii, although that would be welcome! But improving my overall fitness is my main goal.

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Back at it...

2009-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

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I have been busy on various projects the past two weeks. I thought I'd show a few:

This is a purse I made just to take to Eastern Star. I don't need much there, so I wanted a smaller purse. The loop slips over my wrist for carrying. It's lined, with pockets inside.

~~~~~

I spent one of my gift cards to buy this Zutter Bind-It-All book-binding machine. I've played with it a little, but I haven't used it properly yet. It will eventually get lots of use.

~~~~~

This ATC was made for a Red, Pink, and Green challenge. The one below is for a "Be ....." mingle. They were both made from an old embossed Valentine card that I lightly sanded with an emery board. I love the way the embossing stands out.

~~~~~

The ATC below is for a Hearts and Polka Dots mingle.

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The February monthly image is Isabella. Here are my 6 ATCs for this swap. I will keep the one with Discover on it--it covers too much of her face. I may change it out eventually. I tried to place the large word where it could be seen the best.

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My MIL no longer recognizes my husband, or at least he doesn't think so. Otherwise she remains in the same condition. It astounds us how much different she is from just 6 months ago, when she was walking around and talking normally. She now talks only when she has to, mostly to express her needs and wants. Conversation in almost totally gone.

I just finished reading a book called "Still Alice," by Lisa Genova. It describes Alzheimer's from the inside--a fascinating book. I read it in one sitting; couldn't put it down.

We have been slowly going through photos and documents, clippings and cards. I wish we had done this when she could identify people for us. We will eventually put these into albums and scrapbooks. For now they are sorted and are back in her house for storage.

I have decided that the best way to deal with all this is to continue our normal routine as much as possible. I have been getting back to my arts and crafts as time permits, and I find that it eases the stress considerably. DH gets the same results through his gardening.

We went to see "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" last night, and laughed all the way through it. I can recommend it for quick escapism. We then went out to eat and had a good time.

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After Christmas

2008-12-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

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I received my Sophia ATCs from the PIDSwap group.

by Sarah W.

by Lee H.

by Elena V.

by Debby B.

by Annie L.

~~~~~

This Sarah card is the last one from the December swap:

by Lee H.

~~~~~

My MIL is still hanging on. We took her Christmas gifts to her, but she was too weak to open them, so we opened them for her. She said they were nice, then promptly lost all interest in them. At first she didn't even know it was Christmas. She asked her provider to help her get dressed and get out of bed, which she did. As soon as MIL was in her recliner, she went back to sleep--leaving us sitting there awkwardly. It was a sad visit, especially for my son and DIL.

We did get a phone call from my DS in Iraq. It was so good to hear his voice! He was in good spirits, and said he is doing well. I miss him terribly, and hope his tour of duty will end this spring as scheduled. His children need him.

I also talked to my eldest sister on the phone. She was all alone for Christmas Day, and I think just wanted to hear other voices. We had a good talk, and I was left feeling that no matter the troubles we are having, our lives could be worse.

I got lots of gift cards for Christmas--I will have fun doing a lot of shopping in the days and weeks to come! My DH was so delighted with the garden cart I gave him that he immediately went to work putting it together. He is putting in a large bed of Amaryllids at the local Botanical Gardens, and the cart will certainly come in handy.

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Catching up

2008-12-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

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I haven't posted in awhile. I realized that when I got a card from a cousin (thanks, Kristin!) who follows this blog. I have been so busy with my MIL's illness that I haven't done any quilting or art.

My MIL is in the final stages of Alzheimer's. She doesn't always recognize us; sometimes she is unresponsive. The doctor insisted on seeing her this last week, and even he was shocked by her rapid decline. He saw her a month ago, and she was walking with help, talking, answering appropriately, and appeared alert. This time we wheeled her in, and she could barely stand long enough for the nurse to weigh her. The entire visit she sat in the wheelchair moaning and groaning. She kept saying, "I want to go home." We're no longer sure if she is speaking literally or metaphysically.

This decline has finally made it clear to my DH that his mother is dying. It has hit us hard, especially since he is an only child. He is doing all he can for her, but it really isn't making much difference. All we can do is try to keep her comfortable, and we can't tell whether she is or not.

DH is going through years of paperwork, making final arrangements, and dealing with the providers, all of which is stressful to the extreme. It is amazing the things you can discover about a person you thought you knew well. MIL was always a very private person; if she had her faculties she would be furious at the invasion of her privacy.

MIL liked to go to garage sales, and her favorite item to look for was stuffed toys. She would buy them from kids, and make sure they got the money. She had thousands of them in her garage, all sorted into bins and carefully stored. Many were brand new, with the tags still attached. I have spent the last three weeks going through them one by one, sorting any stained, soiled or ragged ones out to send to Goodwill, and the new and clean ones were donated to a children's charity for their Christmas giveaway. We donated several kitchen trash bags full. Each child was given a chance to talk to Santa, then was allowed to pick their own stuffed toy. We are told that the toys were the main attraction, and that each child went away happy. We also donated some bags to local fire and police stations to give out in domestic situations. I think MIL would be delighted at the distribution.

We also had to remove most of her clothing from her room, to make sure she had the kind of things she can still wear (nightgowns, and a sweatsuit for going to the doctor.) I found bags of beautiful lingerie, much of it still tagged, that will go to my granddaughters after Christmas. They are about the same size as my MIL. She had lots of lacy stuff. We still have about 7 large bins to go through, and haven't even touched the clothes hanging in her closet.

I had been reading Ami Simm's blog (www.amisimms.wordpress.com) dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's struggles, and am saddened by the news of her mother's death. Her story parallels ours in so many ways. We know what is ahead; we just don't know when.

I have to admit to mixed feelings. It is hard seeing her suffer (and I believe she is suffering.) I want her to be at peace. On the other hand, she is the only grandmother my sons have ever known; and although she and I haven't been particularly close, you can't care for someone day in and day out without becoming fond of them. She has been a part of my life for 30 years. Her death will make my own mortality that much more real. I find myself imagining being in her place, aged and confused, and it saddens me immeasurably.

When she does pass away, our lives will be forever changed. My DH wants to move us back to the area where we grew up, which would be wonderful except that it is completely unrecognizable. I know a great adventure awaits us, but I am a little frightened at the prospect. Sort of like the feeling one must get before skydiving, or shooting some rapids, or base jumping. Once you take that first step, there's no going back; the die is cast. You may have a bad experience or a tremendously fabulous experience ahead--no way to be sure until you go for it. It would be so easy to do the safe thing and stay the way we are. But DH has his mind made up, and where he goes, I must follow.

I may not post regularly for awhile, but I will try. Life is just in too much upheaval right now to plan ahead.

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ATC Swaps

2008-12-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

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Below are 4 Sarah ATCs that I received in the November swap at the PaperImageryDesigns Yahoo group. We use a different image each month, but Sarah is one of the prettiest.

by Karen M.

by Dianna M.

by Kim S.

by Brenda S.

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This ATC uses Nia and was for the October swap.

by Elena V.

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These are Ralph, my cards for January.
(I showed the December cards, using Sophia, in the last post.)

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What I am thankful for...

2008-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

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I am thankful that I finished this quilt top this past week. It's the "Fabric Gal" pattern from Eleanor Burns' book, "Still Stripping After 25 Years." The 'peppers' fabric will be the backing for it. I like the color combination, which I took from the border fabric. I also put in a narrow strip of purple faux piping between the blocks and the border. The quilt top is 39" square, and is intended for a tabletopper.

I am also thankful that I finished my next swap ATC's, which use the image called 'Sophia' by PID. You can't see it in the pictures, but they have a wash of glitter on them that makes them seem almost holographic.

My MIL now has a daily provider, and today she got her to eat more than she usually eats in a week. My MIL is happy with her, and as long as this progress continues, we will feel a lot less stress over her condition. That really is something to be thankful for. DH admits that we should have done this a long time ago.

My Eastern Star chapter is having their annual rummage sale this next weekend, and I have cleaned out my clothes closet for things to donate. My sons and I were Trekkies during their teenage years, and I had all the TV episodes from the original series, as well as TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise on VHS. I no longer have any interest in them, my older DS doesn't want them either, and my younger DS has them on DVD; so they are all going into the rummage sale as well. These are home-taped videos, not production videos--but some trekkie might like to have them. We'll see! At least I've freed up a lot of space in my video cabinets! More to be thankful for!

The weather has been cool and rainy the last few days, and it has felt really good. I've been staying at home as much as possible, because my heel spurs have been acting up again, making it very painful to walk for more than a few feet. I have been taking lots of ibuprofen, which helps some. Not so thankful for the pain, but hurray for meds!

We had planned to get take-out meals for Thanksgiving this year, but the expense will be too much; I'm going to my fall-back plan--deli-sliced turkey with all the fixings. I simply don't have enough room in my tiny galley kitchen to deal with a turkey or ham. We'll cook the fixings here, then take them over to my MIL's house for the meal. Thanks be for deli turkey!

We have been teaching Copper to talk. To get any table scraps he has to say, "I want it!" or as close as his little doggy voice can get. He tries really hard, sometimes having a whole conversation with us before he gets something out that sounds anywhere close to "I want it!"
But he has gotten the idea, and DH thinks we have created a monster. When he tries to eat his morning donut, Copper asks for continual bites and it comes out perfectly clear. DH wonders if he will get to eat any of his own donut from now on! Copper also loves ice cream, which he proclaims is "nummi-nummi-num!" I think so too, Copper. I am so thankful that we found you at the shelter--you were worth every penny we spent, and so much more.

I am also thankful for my DH's continued remission from his cancer; for friends and family; for continued good health except for my feet; and for a roof (however leaky) over our heads. I am thankful for my DS in Iraq staying safe, and my DS here for his help and support.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

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Great Giveaway!

2008-11-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

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These three quilts are being given away on the Old Red Barn Co. blogsite! Aren't they great? I just love the old-fashioned look. These are all designer quilts, fully quilted and finished.
Be sure to get over there pronto to enter for a chance to win one of these quilts or one of two patterns! See the box in my sidebar.

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Cold, cold, go away!

2008-11-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

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I've been fighting my cold for almost a month now, and I finally have it down to just a nagging cough. I've been sick enough that I didn't feel like doing much. I did try out the quilt pattern that my sister gave me, although I just wanted to make a table topper with it. This is a very simple pattern that looks complicated (don't you just love those?) The pattern calls for nine-patches made out of 4" squares (I used 3" squares.) The center square is white, the corner squares are a feature fabric, and the rest are a coordinating print. Then you cut the blocks in half vertically and horizontally, and turn the upper right and lower left pieces 180 degrees, then sew the pieces back together. My quilt used 16 blocks, 4 across and 4 down. It finished 28" square, just what I wanted.

Here's the back, which uses the leftover feature print fabric bordered with strips of the purple print. I bound it with a strip of kelly green, although it looks teal here.

I quilted only the squares of feature print, and wrote my name in quilting on the center bottom two squares. (It says "Made by Marcia Gilbreath" with "2008" in the upper right corner.)

I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, especially since it's the first time I've really quilted anything on my sewing machine. It's not perfect, but it'll do.

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I'm Baaack!!

2008-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

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We're back from our big trip,and we had a blast! We drove twelve hours straight to get to Stillwater, OK, where we had a great afternoon reunion with some of DH's 1960 classmates. We also spent time with his Dad and step-mother, who we had not seen for nearly 10 years. We had dinner at Joseppi's, where I had the best potato soup I have ever tasted! DH also went to a tree-growing seminar at OSU. I made the decision to go shopping while he was gone, but of course he had the car. So I walked to a nearby shopping center that had a Hobby-Lobby in it, then ate at a Mexican restaurant. The walking caused my heel spurs to act up, and I had sore feet the rest of the trip.

We then drove to Fayetteville, AR where we stayed with my sister and her husband. All six of my siblings were there, as were many of my nieces and nephews. We are a rare family in that we always get along--no fights or major disagreements. We also enjoyed visiting with my DDIL and two granddaughters and grandson. We are glad they have gotten to know us better, especially my GS who we had not seen since he was a baby.

We also had a brief afternoon reunion with the few aunts and uncles I have left at a beautiful lodge at Lake Wedington (below.)

We then drove to Tyler , TX and spent the night, then toured the Tyler Rose Garden. It was gorgeous! The roses were in full form, although I think DH enjoyed talking with the gardeners in the Idea Garden more than anything else. That's DH, below.

Then back to Corpus, where my DS and DDIL had been taking care of everything for us. We could not have gone if they had not been here to visit my MIL every day, take care of Copper, and water the plants.

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Back to creating! The PID Swap Yahoo group is doing a swap of ATC's of Sarah, the lovely image shown below. These are my contributions, done on wood blanks, with an old Texas map torn up for backgrounds, rubbed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks to dull them down, then Sarah was applied, then map-based transparencies were laid over all.

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These are the NIA swaps I got back so far (one still to come!) Upper left is by Sarah W. from Australia; upper right is by Elena V. Lower left is from Gabriele H. and lower right by Debbie L.
I think they are all wonderful!

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And now the Halloween ATCs I got back. This one is by Kim S. and uses an encaustic wax coating, very cool!

These two are both by Dianna M. who also hosted this swap.

Lower left is by Lorraine R. and lower right by Elena V.

Lower left by Eileen B., and lower right by Shelly W.

Aren't they all great? Boy, am I in a Halloween mood!

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I finished this pillow, which took longer to gather the materials for than it took to make! It is from a pattern in BH&G Holiday Crafts 2005.

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This birdhouse was made by my Secret Angel to replace the one I never received in the earlier swap. I've shown front and back views here. Thank you so much, Angel!

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I have had a bad cold since our return (actually, it first showed up in Tyler.) I haven't felt much like creating this week. I do have everything I need to make my Christmas cards this year, but it's a little early to start on them. I still have grocery bags to work on, too. And my sister showed us an easy quilt pattern that I'd like to try soon, so stay tuned for more pics, I hope!

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News from afar

2008-10-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

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We sent my DS in Iraq a package on the 22nd--it arrived on the 29th! Seven days is not bad at all for halfway around the world. He sent me an e-mail to let me know how much he appreciated everything we sent. My DDIL also called me to tell me he had received the box. It was wonderful to hear from both of them.

I will get to see DDIL and my grandchildren in another 10 days. They will be at the family reunion that DH and I are attending in northwest Arkansas. I can hardly wait! I don't know what is more exciting, seeing my siblings or my DDIL and grandkids. It will be a looooong trip, but well worth it to both of us.

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I have been trying to get some projects finished before we go. I made five of these ornaments from a pattern by Nancy Taylor called "Comfort and Joy." The fabric looks the same on the back, but the 'bead and button soup' is only on the front sides. They look a little lumpy right now, but will even out as the fiberfill settles. I only need to sew on some ribbon to hang them by. They are made with four patches, and I intend them for Christmas use, but in these colors I think they would look good year-round. They look especially Easter-ish to me. I have 36 bird ornaments cut out and ready to stuff in the same colors.

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This wall-hanging is from the 2003 issue of BH&G Holiday Crafts. I used wool pieces from the skirts and jacket that I cut up. It looks off-square but that is just how it is pinned onto the back of my couch. It is about 14" x 18".

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I also have a couple of small kits to take along on the trip--a cross-stitch bookmark that is half-finished, and some templates and hexagons for one flower for a Grandmother's Flower Garden block. I will take the bird ornaments as well if I can get them far enough along to sew the wings on and attach the bead eyes. They are supposed to have strings of seed beads to hang from, but I'm not sure I want to try working with seed beads in a moving car! That will have to wait until we get home, I think.

Copper has become very attached to us, crying when we leave him at home, and following us around from room to room. Although my younger DS and DDIL will be here taking care of him, I worry about our absence being too traumatic. After all, he was a rescue from a shelter, so he has already been abandoned once. I'm sure he will get lots of attention while we're gone, though.

DS and DDIL will also have to take care of my MIL while we are gone--that entails visiting her home every day and bringing her something to eat, and giving her the medicinal patch every day. So far she seems to be okay with our leaving her, so I hope she will give them no problems. Changes in routine tend to upset her. She is looking more frail these days--she is not eating as well as she should. Her appetite has improved but she insists on eating fast food, even though I have bought microwave meals for her. She has an appointment with the neurologist shortly after we return from the trip, and I am anxious about what he will say. I hope that he will see the same changes we have been seeing, because I feel she needs 24 hour supervision. We shall see.

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Ready for Halloween

2008-09-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

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This is the last of the leaves from the swap. This one is by Ange H.

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Halloween is my favorite time of year, and I started making decorations early. I figure if I make a few each year and buy a couple of nice ones as well, I will soon have all I need to decorate the house.

I made these from potato chip cans. I'm not crazy about the skull, but the other two turned out just like I wanted them to. I love the old-fashioned looking decorations.

These ATCs are for a Halloween swap on the Paper Imagery Designs yahoo swap group.

This guy is about 30" tall. I just love him--once I carved the foam pumpkin, the rest took only an afternoon to gather together the supplies and construct him. He will sit in the living room until a few days before Halloween, when he will go outside the front door in the flowerbed with other pumpkins. His base is a sand pail with a FQ of fabric tied around it. His head is lined with black felt and stuffed with plastic grocery bags. The raven is attached with clothespins. The head is attached to the pail with heavy duty craft adhesive.

I have some fall pillows in the planning stages. I have been shopping the thrift stores for wool skirts to felt, plus a few other fabrics that will work well with the wool. I picked up a lovely grape colored skirt today, and a red plaid that will work for Christmas pillows. Wool clothing isn't very easy to find around south Texas. I bought several skirts and a beautiful pumpkin colored jacket last week that are now washed and taken apart for the fabric, so I hope to get started on one of the pillows this week.

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More backgrounds

2008-09-16T21:56:00.001-07:00

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One of the techniques this past week being taught on the Paper Imagery Designs blog on Yahoo groups is paper towel painting. I had done some before for the amulet swap, but this time it is just to make backgrounds to use in your art. The ones above I painted with cheap craft acrylics. The second one from the left is metallic, although the photo doesn't show that. I really like how the texture of the paper towel pops out, and they are made sturdier by the paint so they will stand up to being used in ATCs or collages. The one below I did with Cat's Eye Pigment Pads by ColorBox. The paper towels are a local chain brand, but other brands give very different textural effects.

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Remember the felt leaves I did for the FiberArtTraders yahoo group? Here are the ones I have received in trade--I still have one more to arrive. Some also included extra goodies!

By Flicsha A.

by Morning Dove

by Barb E.

by N.J. B.

by Linda W. (The beads in the center are made of Tyvek!)

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Some ATCs from the PID yahoo group:

The ATC on the left is by Kim S.
The one on the right is by Wanda H.--I may have shown it before, but it rates a second look!

Both of these are by Pam B. All four are tiny masterpieces!

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I made the wooden ATC above for the September ATC Jackpot on PID, in which we were to use gold in some way. I used a wrapper from a Rolo candy for the background, then a piece of punchinella (sequin waste) with a gold spiral button, an image from PID which I then lightly sanded, and a small balsa chip.

This one was made using the background sheet below, done with music sheets and Tim Holtz' Distress Inks. Little Ralph looked like the perfect PID image for a Tenderfoot. I gave him a hat, a cow skull on the wall, and a coil of white twine stamped with Distress Ink to resemble old rope.

The background sheets look kind of messy until you cut them to size--these are 8.5" x 11" sheets of cardstock. I had an old book of cowboy songs in my stash; I used some of the pages for this project. Paste them to the cardstock, cover with smears of Distress Inks, and let dry. I then rolled them with a brayer to flatten them. Very easy!

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I hope to make more ATCs over the next few days. Copper goes for a haircut tomorrow, and DH will be at his Master Gardener class in the AM. I will have time to play if I work it just right!

Hurricane Ike passed Corpus Christi by completely--not even any rain until the next day! The elderly and disabled were evacuated, but we stayed here expecting high winds and lots of rain. I think we got a half inch when it finally did rain.

I'm putting together a care package for my son. He's a Dallas Cowboys fan, so I bought him a jersey and made a throw that he can use as either a blanket or a wall decoration. I don't know how cold the nights get in Iraq, but it's a lightweight fleece with the team logo on it. I've got lots of candy and personal care products in there, as well as a couple of Halloween surprises that he'll get a kick out of. I should get the box filled in the next couple of days. DS #2 promised to download some music for him as well. I hope to start the next box as soon as I get this one mailed.

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Art as comfort

2008-09-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

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My son is now in Iraq, and doesn't know when he will be coming home. My DIL and grandchildren seem to be adjusting well. I, on the other hand, am a nervous wreck. I have not had any inclination to create anything for at least two weeks. I did receive a packet of inchies from my MixedMediaArt yahoo group swap. I love them--they are tiny little artworks but all are very different. I received two of my own back, and the eighteen new ones below.

The PaperImageryDesigns yahoo group has a new technique for this week, and that got me going again. We did pulled paint background pages (I used cardstock for mine.) I did the four pages below, then we were to cut one page up into ATC backs and make one card to mingle. I made "Bloom" out of one piece.

Then a new swap was announced that will use a new image every month. For September the image is Nia from Paper Imagery Designs. I made these five cards below, plus an extra for the hostess. I used the other ATC backs that I cut out of one of the above background sheets.

I had such fun making backgrounds that I tried another technique using acrylic paint and plastic wrap. The paint is smushed around on the cardstock with the plastic wrap, then the wrap is left on with the wrinkles intact while the paint dries. When the plastic is peeled off, the wrinkles remain to add texture to the sheets. I did that with the first five sheets shown below.

The last sheet is one of three that were a real trial-and-error sort of technique. I spread gel medium over a sheet of cardstock, then spread some kind of unlabeled dried herb flakes over it. (You know, the kind that come with your spice rack and you don't have any idea how old they are? The label had come off this packet, and it was so old that I couldn't identify it by smell. Yuk!) Then when it is dry you are supposed to cover it with green paint so it looks like artificial turf or something. I haven't gotten to that stage, and I may not. The herbs are crumbling off with every touch, and although I can't identify the smell, it is strong! I think these sheets will bite the dust.

I've started some other ATCs that I will show when they are finished.

The past four weeks have been brutal emotionally and physically. I have had a headache nearly every day, and am short-tempered and out of sorts. DH and I even had an argument, something that has rarely occurred in our thirty years of marriage. Between the worry over my son, DH's cancer, and my MIL's Alzheimer's, the everyday financial problems and household clutter and lack of privacy tend to blow up to unbearable proportions. I need to spend more time by myself, but with DH being out of work so often I have barely had a moment to call my own. I can hardly wait until October when we will travel to a family reunion. It will be wonderful to get away for awhile and be able to breathe again. Claustrophobia is setting in here.

I find working on ATCs relaxing, as long as there are no interruptions. I can think while I'm waiting for the paint to dry, and express my frustrations in my artwork. I find myself daydreaming of a private studio for my arts and crafts, and another for my sewing and quilting. A big enough kitchen to actually cook in and a freezer and pantry big enough to keep the food in. More than one bathroom. Empty space between us and the nearest neighbor. And of course, the money to be able to live that way. No one to have to care for but ourselves. What everyone expects retirement to be like. But it doesn't look like it will ever happen. That is a big reason why the stress is getting to me--I can't see the end of the tunnel.

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Doldrums

2008-08-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

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I have been in the doldrums for awhile now. It has rained off and on for two weeks. DH has missed more work than he will get paid for--he has to leave the nursery when there is lightning because of the metal greenhouse frames. I can't get much done in the way of art or crafts when he is home, although I did get this grocery tote finished. I used the bottom-weight suiting that I got on clearance a few weeks ago, and some webbing for the handles. This one is a sample, and that's a good thing because it is larger than I need. DH says I can only put light groceries in it because anything more would be to heavy to carry! Now I know to reduce the rest in size, and I may go back and cut this one down on the sides somewhat. I put squared-off gussets in the bottom and I'll have to undo those to cut it down.

DS #1 called last week to say he was home in Virginia after his training for deployment. He is now gone for his final instruction, and will be going to Kuwait soon. Then when everyone in his squad arrives, he will be moved into Iraq.

My MIL is eating a little better now, although I don't believe she has gained much weight. I took her Chihuahua to the vet on Monday--she's 14 and showing it. She has a heart murmur and a greatly enlarged heart. The vet is not optimistic about her longevity, but we have decided NOT to tell my MIL about it--why upset her when she won't remember it in a day or two anyway? But at least we are aware that the dog may die suddenly, and we will have to deal with the aftermath. DH and I both agree that this will be MIL's last pet, as she will probably have to go into a facility in the next few months. Should the dog still be here, we will care for her as long as she remains comfortable. She's a really sweet little dog, and knows us well enough to be comfortable living with us; I don't know how she and Copper will get along but it will all work out.

We have spent much of our time watching the Olympics, with it's ups and downs for the USA. I'm glad that it is coming to a close this weekend--I'm just not getting anything done!

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Crafting space

2008-08-10T19:37:00.001-07:00

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I thought I'd post a few pictures of my crafting area. I haven't shown it since last year. My ironing board gets used more for storage than anything else! The cabinets to the left behind it are full of quilts and fabrics; the other cabinets belong to DH and hold remnants of his Navy career.

The entertainment center also holds bins of fabrics and craft supplies. I love these bine because they stack, they fasten shut, and they have sturdy handles for carrying.

My work table is always piled high with stuff. The violets still love the window!

Did I mention that my worktable is in the dining room? Luckily we eat most meals in the living room in front of the TV.

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I recently received a wonderful ATC from Wanda H. at PID. I love their images and especially their transparencies. They also included some punchinella (sequin waste), an embossing folder, an ATC background, and an envelope full of blackbird punch-outs. You can't beat an envelope of surprises!

FiberArtTraders yahoo group has a swap of felt leaves, to be put together into a sort of art book after the swap is done. Above is my attempt at one, this is about 4" x 4" overall. I did a total of 8 of them, although I only needed 6 to trade and one for myself. Something might happen to one in the mail, stranger things have happened! I was pleased with how they turned out. They might look a little plain, but the camera doesn't show the spray dye on the orange leaves, or the melted crayon covering the word charms. They took quite a bit of work.

I'm hoping to do some ATCs this week just for fun. I also have those grocery bags to start.

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Good news!

2008-08-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

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Good news! The A/C problem turned out to be "seized points." Much less expensive than we thought, and my MIL offered to pay for the repair, which was a big help. What a relief!

MIL is doing much better after getting her B-12 shot. She has been eating everything we bring her, and asking for more. She hasn't eaten this well in several years. At this rate she will regain all her lost weight in no time.

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Below are the Goddess ATCs that I have received this week. The first is called "Mystery Woman of the Flowers" and is by Linda W. It is hand-drawn and printed onto fabric.

This one is by Gabriela G. and she also sent the piece of fabric behind it. I like the amorphous shape, and the shells that she sewed on. Definitely a sea goddess!

This one is by Deb M. and is called Le Coiffures. Isn't she gorgeous? Deb also included some fibers as well. I love the lace, the beads, the ribbon, and look at that hand-drawn face!

This one is "Luna-Goddess of the Moon" by Diane Y. It has glitter and stones on it. The background appears to be ink on watercolor paper. Very pretty!

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For the birds

2008-07-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

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The above piece is titled "Stressed Bride" and is for the Gothic Arch challenge at Paper Imagery Designs' yahoo group. The image is from PID. Wanda sent me the background that looked to me like stained glass.

The piece below uses a PID image named "Maxwell." This week's challenge is to use Maxwell in some way. While trying to think of what to do with the image, I realized I was humming the song by the Beatles (in my mind I see it as done by Steve Martin.) So here is Maxwell and his Silver Hammer.

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The birdhouse above is by Melanie H., who also sent all the goodies below. This was another trade for PID. The sign on top says "This house is for the birds."

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This birdhouse is by Kathleen E. She sent the spool of ribbon as well, and cushioned her package with multicolored strips of paper that I am going to use to try some quilling.

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This ATC is by Barb E., and is for the Goddess swap from FiberArtTraders yahoo group. She included this piece of gold/red dupioni silk--beautiful!

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We took my MIL to the neurologist last Wednesday, right in the middle of Hurricane Dolly! (It basically was just a big rainstorm that lasted all day. We got about 8" of rain out of it, but only a few small branches came off our trees.) MIL weighed only 98 pounds at the office--down from 105 not too long ago. The doctor started her on B12 shots, which have already produced an improvement in her appetite. We got her to agree to eat a garden salad every day or two, to give her at least some vegetables. We also found that adult multivitamins come in chewable form, so we started her on them as well. She can still be reasoned with, although she has to be reminded of things over and over.

The air conditioner has been running constantly today, but the temperature kept rising in the house, so I think the outside unit may have "frozen." I turned it off for awhile, so we'll see if that works. The last thing we need is to have to pay for A/C repairs.

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More swaps received

2008-07-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

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This little card, above, is by Marge P. and was part of the Out of the Blue Swap for FiberArtTraders yahoo group. She also sent the fabric and ribbon. I love it when I get a bonus!

This Dotee doll (above) was made by Flicsha. Note the dreadlocks!

This one is by Diane K. She also sent fabric and yarn. I kept the green paper that she wrapped the doll in--it is a specialty paper, I think handmade.

The one above was made by Gabriela G. I love her flower-petal hair!

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These three birdhouses were made for a swap for the PaperImageryDesigns yahoo group. The bird designs are by PID. The roofs are covered with wood shavings taken from the ash tree we cut down in our front yard a couple of months ago. There is a butterfly made of feathers perched on each roof. If you could see inside, there is an egg decoupaged to the back wall of each house as a surprise! I will be mailing these out in the next couple of days. Then I will be getting some in return--I can hardly wait!

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I won a trivia contest on the PID yahoo group a few days ago, and received this grab bag of products in today's mail. There are three collage sheets, the silver leaf, a packet of clear stamps, a package of rub-on words, and a package of decorative clips. I was thrilled that they were so generous! I have plenty of material now to do some ATC's and other collage pieces.

There's a new challenge this week at PID--Gothic Arches. I've started on a couple and will post them as I get them done.

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Swap City!

2008-07-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

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This week's swaps:

Above: Out of the Blue trade by Kara K. The bird's belly is made of yellow caution tape. I love the panda tape she used to seal the package!

Below: Out of the Blue trade by Norma S.--the wings are made from a soft drink bottle! She also sent the fat quarter and the fiber.

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Above: Amulet by La S. She also sent the ATC and the beads shown below. I love all the beading and stones on her amulet! She sent along some paper charms which say Live, Love, and Laugh on them--they are now inside the amulet to serve as talismans.

Below: Amulet by Norma S. It has a talisman inside--an amethyst, my birthstone! The amulet is an upside-down pyramid shape.

The one below is by Ange H. It has a small pink heart inside as a talisman. She also sent the beautiful papers for me to use in my artwork.

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The ATC above is from the jackpot that I won last week, and is by Brenda S. She sent along all these collage papers, too!

This darling ATC is by Gayle R. and is titled, "Take off Your Shoes, Martha!"
Enough said.

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MIL's carpets are now clean, as well as her upholstery. She was very happy to get that done--she had no idea that they were that filthy from the cat. The house smells much better. DH changed the air filter in her AC which was also clogged with fur. Tomorrow we plan to get her living room sorted out, which shouldn't be too difficult.

I mailed off my Dotee dolls, shown earlier--and included with each a Spoon Goddess, also shown earlier, as a bonus. I hope they will be well received. I have one more swap ready to mail--the Goddess ATC's; and I am working on three birdhouses that are due the end of this month. I will probably hold off on joining other swaps for awhile to do some things for myself.

I bought 5.5 yards of a brown pinstripe suiting material, bottom weight, on clearance at JoAnn at 40% off of $5.00/yard. I intend to make some larger grocery bags out of it. I figure I can get two bags out of each yard of fabric. I bought some several months ago and machine embroidered them, but they are really too small to hold much, and when I go grocery shopping, I shop for a month's supply at a time. They will certainly be unique in appearance--no chance of anyone mistaking them for their own!

I also need to get more organized with my art supplies. I am short on room and have supplies scattered everywhere! I need to come up with some shelving to hold all the bins. I have bought lots of clear plastic bins with latching blue lids at JoAnn and Hobby Lobby that are the perfect size for either sewing or art supplies. They stack and have sturdy handles, too.

Do you ever buy a magazine off the rack that looks interesting, only to find when you get home that you already have that copy? Been there, done that yesterday! And what's more, that you have a subscription to that magazine?? Double bummer. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Oh well, one more item to sell on eBay.

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Boy, are we tired!

2008-07-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

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Copper's pooped! I mean he's really tired.

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This canna at the corner of my house actually has a bright orange bloom on it. My camera just can't handle that color!

My purple sage has been blooming this week. Aren't the colors just gorgeous together?

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I won the June ATC Jackpot on paperimagerydesigns Yahoo group. The designs come from the Paper Imagery Designs website. Here are the great ATC's I've received this past week. I should get some more this coming week, too.

Left: by Melissa H. Right: by Lori R.
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Left: by Wanda H. Right: by Kathy E.

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Left: by C.T. H. Right: by Angie H.
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Left: by Donna H. Right: by Tammy L.
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Left: by Eileen B. Right: by Daisy C.

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I made this altered CD for a "winged things" swap for the PID Yahoo group. The little girl is a PID design.

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Here are some ATC's I made on wood blanks for a swap of Goddesses of Myth and Mythology for the FiberArtTraders Yahoo group. The last one I will keep for myself.

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The saga of the feral cat is over! Animal Control came out and removed the offending animal at the end of a catch pole, hissing and clawing the whole way. What a relief! She had terrorized my MIL for the last few months, and had avoided every attempt to capture her. The poor animal never was socialized as a kitten, and so remained totally feral all of her life, even though she lived strictly indoors. She was not completely housetrained, and the carpets are a real mess.

This Tuesday the carpet cleaners will steam clean all the carpets and the upholstered furniture. I will take my MIL out of the house during this time. She wants to get a haircut, and then she will spend the afternoon at our house while DH supervises the cleaning at her house. She hasn't been out of her house in a few weeks, so it will be a nice change for her; she would only get anxious and upset if she stayed there.

Last weekend DH sprayed her house for bugs while I cleaned out half her kitchen cabinets. We threw away a large rolling trash bin full of expired food, some of it dating back to 1998. This weekend I finished the job; and also cleaned out her refrigerator and freezer, filling another trash bin, while DH vacuumed her carpets and chairs in preparation for the cleaners. She says she is so grateful for our hard work, but I am waiting for her to say something about us taking her stuff. This is what has happened in the past, and so much was thrown away that it is probably inevitable.

We are trying to keep her independent at least through October, when we will be gone for about a week to visit my FIL and his wife, and then attend my family reunion. My son will take care of her while we are gone. When we get back we will have to make some hard decisions for her welfare. She goes back to the neurologist in ten days to see how she has deteriorated.

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DH is hoping to get into the Master Gardener program on the 30th of this month. He enjoys working at a local nursery, even though he has to miss work about two or three days a month due to his illness. His boss is a cancer survivor, and understands his absences. There are a limited number of places in the MG program, but he plans on being there early to make sure he gets in.

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DS is still doing training for his Iraq deployment. He is excited about it, mainly for the boost it will give his Navy career. I try not to think about it too much. We haven't heard much from him or his family recently, but I trust everything is going well. My DIL is a very capable young woman and will handle his deployment with her usual aplomb.

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Goddesses and Cats

2008-07-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

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I made these "spoon goddesses" from Wendy's plastic spoons colored with alcohol inks, polymer clay faces rubbed with Perfect Pearls powder, batting scraps, dupioni silk, and beads strung on wire.

They were the subject of Technique Week #3 on Fiber Art Traders Yahoo group.

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Then I made these Dotee Dolls for a F.A.T. trade. They have a flapper-look to them, don't they?

I used rubber stamps to make the faces, and fancy fabrics for the bodies.

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Bernard here is an ATC I did for the Black and White Challenge for the Paper Imagery Designs Yahoo group. The title is a wordplay on the song title and the phone book page I used for the background.

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I received my last button fairy, from Barb E. I love her face! Her wings are stiffened fiber paper over a wire frame.

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The feral cat saga continues! We trapped the most offensive outside cat and took her to the pound. Now we are trying to trap the inside feral cat. We had it trapped today, but MIL felt sorry for it and tried to slip some water inside the trap with predictable results. It took refuge in her bathroom behind the toilet. When we got there three hours later, she didn't remember letting it escape from the trap. We tried to capture it with a bedsheet (and leather gloves!) but the little spitfire got away leaving us bloodied in the process. So we re-set the trap with food and left it for another try. We have left signs on the doors reminding her not to do anything with the cat, but to call us when and if it gets caught again. MIL wants it gone no matter how we have to do it, but we want to be as humane as possible and not injure the cat.

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Sunny day

2008-06-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

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It was a beautiful day today, and I had lunch with a couple of good friends at the local Art Center. While there we toured the galleries and the gift shop. There were exhibitions by the Texas Watercolor Society, the Southwest Sculpture Society, and the South Texas Art League. But the exhibit we went to see was the Fiber Arts Society Show. There were quilts on exhibit that covered almost every technique you could think of, and it was interesting to examine each quilt and discuss the methods used to make them. I wish I could have taken photos of the quilts, but that is frowned upon. But I did take these photos of the marina on the bayfront. This was the view we had while eating lunch.

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This ATC is for a Floral Challenge, again involving images from Paper Imagery Designs. Using the design called 'Nia', I called this one zinNIAs. I used printed tissue paper, a rubber stamp, and a clipping from a seed catalog, plus a photo of a zinnia bloom to place behind Nia's head.

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This button fairy arrived today from Leslie C. in Tallahassee, FL. I love her wings! The Roman coin button for the face is an interesting touch. Thanks, Leslie!

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Little sweet things

2008-06-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

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This little anole, less than two inches long from nose to the tip of his tail, crawled across my window yesterday. You can see his internal organs through his tummy! (Boy, I guess I need to wash my window, huh? It gets splashed on when hubby waters his plants underneath it.)

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This hibiscus is named "Ice Cream Float." The bloom is about 6" across. It is blooming on our patio right now.

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This button fairy is named Audrey, and comes from Pam P. in Carrollton, TX. It's hard to see, but she has a teeny-tiny necklace with a pink bead on it! I love her antennae, too.

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These two ATCs were made using images from Paper Imagery Designs. I coated them with a mix of gel medium and glitter glue to make them really shimmer in the light. The top one (Nia) has another coating of an olive green ink under the glitter layer. The bottom one (Elizabeth) has a light smear of tan ink which I then wiped off. They are both made on wood bases.

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Inchies

2008-06-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

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Here are twenty inchies that I made for a swap. I've never made any before, so i hope they will be up to standards. I wish I could take a sharper photo, but this was the best of many that I took.

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Pendants

2008-06-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

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I received all three of my painted paper towel pendants, and although the pictures are a little blurry, the pendants are fabulous! The one below is from Meg L., who added copper foil around the edges, and copper wire and beads to the front.

She also sent this piece of really funky fabric--I love it.

This one is from Gloria S. and has a large wooden bead on it with a button and some rattail cord.
She also sent fabric that she bought in Japan; some buttons, yarn, and extra cording to hang it from. Very nice of her to send extra goodies, wasn't it?

The third one is from Kathy H. It's hard to tell from the bad photo, but the pendant is teal with yellow dimensional flowers on it. There are hot-fix crystals on it as well. Very pretty!

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I finished up some amulets today for a swap. The top one is mine. The talisman is a doggie angel pin that I was given when Monty died. I think of Monty and Maggie as my guardian angels. This photo shows the inside of the amulet.

These three are the ones for the trade; I won't show the talismans because I want them to be a surprise. This shows how the amulet fastens closed with a small skewer. These are made with felt that has been sealed with gel medium and and colored with alcohol inks. They feel like leather.

My next swaps are 20 inchies for mmartfriends and some Dotee dolls for FiberArtTraders. I've started on the inchies and will try to get some decent photos of them to post when they are finished.

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My MIL is really confused sometimes. A few days ago she left a message on our answering machine asking for DH, then me, then DS #2, and finally DS #1, who hasn't lived at home for nearly 10 years! At least she remembered his name. She asked DH to get rid of her outdoor stray cats because they hiss and swipe at her when she feeds them. I bought a Hav-a-hart trap for him to use, but by that evening she called and said she had "forgiven" the cats and no longer wanted to get rid of them. Today she had changed her mind again. This time they are going whether she wants them to or not. We don't want them giving her some disease or an infection.
Her inside feral cat does scratch her occasionally and it will be the next one to go.

She had a problem with her answering machine, and asked me to replace it. I bought her a good one with simple operation, and DH and DS put it in for her and showed her how to use it. The next day I went with DH to check on her. She asked what she should do with the old phone that no longer works. DH told her to trash it, and I motioned to him to take it with us so she wouldn't dig it out of the trash and want to get it fixed. That evening she called and left a message that she wanted it back so she could use it in another room. The next day she told DH that if I wanted her phone that badly I could have asked her for it and she would have given it to me, instead of me "stealing it" from her! Although I know logically that she does not understand what is going on, it hurts to think that she still doesn't trust me.

She is still wearing her Lifeline panic button, and the new unit is working properly. At least we know that she can call for help if she falls. I don't know how long it will be before she takes it off, though.

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I was installed as Martha in Eastern Star this past weekend. Martha is one of the Star Points, and that is all I can tell you. I have been studying hard and intend to blow everyone away with my phenomenal memory (yeah, right!) I will more likely forget my lines and have to be prompted. I enjoy Eastern Star--I have met so many nice people and have made lots of friends.

This Friday I have a Red Hat luncheon where one of the members will be "reduating"--turning 50. Now she can officially wear red and purple instead of pink and lavender (ugh!) I enjoy Red Hat Society meetings even more than Eastern Star. We have so much fun and laughter at our meetings that it always lifts my mood. For a couple of hours I can forget all the difficulties with MIL and just have a gabfest.

We still haven't finished painting the woodwork in the bathroom, but we are slowly getting along with it. Most of it has the first coat on it, and the vanity has two coats on it. We still need to put the door handles and drawer pull on it, though. I will be so glad to get this finished.

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Surprise!

2008-06-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

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DH planted these two coleus plants in the front flowerbed. They're a really intense lime green. The flowerbed is now full, and very colorful.

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I won a "door prize" at a birthday party online at FiberArtTraders, a Yahoo group I am in. I received it today, and am so thrilled with it! Look at all I got (donated by Dove S.!)

There are six coordinating fat quarters--I love the spaceship theme! Also a small handmade heart pin, a bag of yoyos, and a kit for making the heart ornaments (Comfort and Joy by Nancy Taylor.)

Dove also included this lovely handmade box, beautifully done, which opens up to reveal three drawers. Isn't this great? I will probably keep my charms organized in this. (FAT stands for FiberArtTraders--it's not a comment on my shape, however appropriate!)

All this was packed in this gorgeous hatbox! How did she know that I was a Red Hat lady? I always need another hatbox for my numerous red and purple hats! And this one is particularly nice.

Thank you for your generosity, Dove! I love everything you sent. May the creativity fairy sit on your shoulder in perpetuity!

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I had a disturbing encounter last evening. I was sitting in the backyard, enjoying the warm breeze, when I heard a disturbance two houses down. The man was yelling at his dog, and as I watched he reared back and kicked it with all his might! Instinctively I yelled at him to cut it out or I would call the ASPCA on him. He responded with a stream of the most vitriolic invective I have heard in a long time, calling me every name he could think of, spitting at me and using obscene gestures and language. His school aged children were in the yard with him. He obviously has an anger management problem. He was still cursing at me ten minutes later. I am now afraid that he might try to exact retribution by harming Copper or by vandalizing our property in some way. If he makes the slightest move in our direction I will not hesitate to call the police--he really frightens me. I suspect that the kids and wife are probably treated in the same way as his dog. He has verbally attacked the neighbor who lives between us, as well.

I hate this neighborhood! Although the climate here is beautiful most of the year, if I had the means I would leave in a heartbeat. Some of our neighbors are friendly, but I hate living in fear.
We are unable to move, unfortunately. We live on a greatly reduced income now. I am tired of the racial tensions and high crime rate in this area. Our outdoor cable box has been tagged by gang members, we've had things stolen out of the yard numerous times, and now a neighbor who is obviously unstable and dangerous lives two doors away. I will no longer be comfortable relaxing in my own backyard. End of rant.

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Blooms and grooms

2008-06-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

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Several plants are now blooming in our yard:

Firecracker Plant with Caladiums

Ixora

Copper is blooming, too- having been groomed this weekend. He feels much better now in this hot weather--it's been in the low 90's for awhile.

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I finished these pieces today for a FiberArtTraders swap; it required that I use blue fabric, circles, thread or yarn, recycled plastic, and something representative of nature. The kimono are made of shipping tags, inked, stamped, and embossed with UTEE. I used pieces of black plastic mesh vegetable bags to tie on Japanese 5 yen pieces and added eyelash yarn. The obi are made of blue fabric with a silk flower attached to each one. I used chenille yarn with old pink and blue plastic macrame beads as hanging loops.

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Here's the blue jacaranda tree we planted in the front yard. It's about 8' tall, but they grow fast. It looks spindly (and it is!) but the winds here will toughen the trunk within a year or so. DH grew this one from seed.

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My MIL agreed to wear an alert necklace, so we got her one. She's still wearing it, but the unit doesn't work. The company agreed to replace the base unit, but we haven't told her it doesn't work right now; it would convince her that it's unreliable and she would stop wearing it. At least we know the alert system works, the company called all three of the responders to tell them the unit wasn't working. I hope the new unit gets here soon.

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More goodies!

2008-05-27T19:20:00.001-07:00

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This is the other Party Hat from my swap. I received it today from Rayna in New Zealand. Look at all the goodies she sent with it--a beautiful handmade card, a nice pocket notebook with a lizard on the cover (the lizard appears to be made from a slice of abalone or some such material.) She also sent three pieces of metallic braid, very glitzy; and a little tiny teddy bear, only 2" tall, fully articulated. The hat has braid and "jewels" on a beautiful brocade gold-on-black fabric. Thanks, Rayna!

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I felt like making some cookies today. I so seldom bake that my flour said "best used by 01/06." OF COURSE I tossed it, as well as the shortening which had gone rancid. A quick check of other ingredients (all recent, thank goodness!) and a quick trip to the store for fresh shortening and flour, and I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.

What really got me started was finding my mother's recipe for Snickerdoodles. My mother, my sister Meg and I made these often when I was young. They always bring back good memories!
The big difference is that we had to mix the ingredients by hand, so they took a long time to make. I now use my food processor. I've tried my Kitchenaid mixer, but overmixing makes them a little tough.

Bake along with me!

SNICKERDOODLES

1 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
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1/2 tsp salt
2-3/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsps cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
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2 T sugar
2 tsps cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together the first four ingredients in the food processor (note: this shows a double batch!)
Sift together the dry ingredients, and add to the food processor in small increments. Mix until the dough is consistent throughout.

I had to refrigerate the dough often because it was 90 degrees today with 84% humidity. I'm not kidding!

Roll into balls the size of large walnuts--about 1-1/4" in diameter.

Mix the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together, roll the dough balls in the mixture.

Place the balls on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Leave plenty of space between the balls for the dough to spread.
(Anyone know how to get that gunk off the cookie sheets? That's why I use parchment paper now!)

Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes per batch until lightly brown, like these. Keep your eye on them in the oven! Makes about 3 dozen cookies. These flatten out as they cool. They make great ice cream sandwiches!

I put most of these in the freezer, otherwise they would be gone in a flash. I intend to make more cookies in the next few days--we'll see if I actually do it.

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I have a Red Hat luncheon tomorrow, then my DH and I are going to plant a jacaranda tree in the front yard. Our Arizona Ash died last year, and we have cut most of it down. We still have a Loblolly pine that drops loads of pine cones every year. We need all the shade we can get here in south Texas.

My DH and DS are going to my MIL's house after the tree planting to set up her Lifeline necklace. She isn't thrilled about wearing it, and I'm still not convinced she will; but at least we are doing what we can to make sure she is safe. I have the feeling she will take it off in a few days and lay it on her chairside table in the living room (where she spends most of her day) and then fall in the bathroom or bedroom. I hope I'm wrong.

DH has a buyer lined up for her car--he is getting his financing lined up and should have it ready on Thursday. It will be a relief to get the car out of here. We've had several calls on it, and a couple of other serious lookers. I think it will be gone by the weekend. Yay!

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Goodies!

2008-05-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

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Today I received my Party Hat from Wanda S. for the Fiber Art Traders swap. She included lots of goodies, too! Multicolored fibers, a bag of spangles and sequins, another bag of beads, a lovely piece of fabric, two pieces of glittery green cording, six beaded beads, and a small pair of scissors--all wrapped in the lime green tissue. Then the hat was wrapped in the gorgeous pink iridescent plastic! The hat is decorated with feathers and a pom-pom, with ties of the same green cording. I tried to get Copper to model the hat, but nothing doing. Thanks, Wanda for being so generous! I love the hat, too!

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Today I bought groceries for my MIL and sat and talked with her for a few minutes. She was unable to remember her grandson's name. She seems to get more feeble every time I see her. She still is unhappy that she is not driving anymore, but she admits that she'd rather not do any shopping for herself. I don't mind doing her shopping for her, but she gets impatient if she has to wait a day or two.

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Button Fairies

2008-05-18T18:40:00.000-07:00

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I made two of these button fairies, one for my DDIL and one for myself. The three below are for a swap for one of my Yahoo groups. They were easy to make, and I'm really pleased with the way they turned out.

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I finally got tired of dealing with long hair and just got it cut short. It takes me five minutes to wash it instead of 20, and it sure makes it easier to comb out, too. I tried to take a picture, but I couldn't get one to come out. I'll try to get my DS to take one soon.

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Gifts and swaps

2008-05-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

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DH in his "Heroes of '76" uniform

My DH is a member of a group called "Heroes of '76" that conduct patriotic ceremonies in colonial regalia. Today he attended a function, and I took the opportunity to take a photo for posterity. I think he looks quite snazzy!

I made these pendants for a swap. The rectangles are made with chipboard and paper towels (really!) that are painted, stamped, embossed, and inked. I added the bead tassels and hung them from ball chain. The one on the far right shows what the backs look like. These were fun to do, although labor intensive. I was stepping out of my comfort zone for these.

This hibiscus was my Mother's Day gift from DH. The photos are very deceiving--the flower is actually a deep neon-bright red-orange, but my camera just can't seem to capture that color! I tried shot after shot, but this is the best it would do, and it is nowhere near the yellow-orange that shows here.

My DS #2 and DDIL gave me a gift card to JoAnn which I can always use. DS #1 called me and we talked for a few minutes. I had a really good Mother's Day!

My sister called last night, and we talked for over an hour. I always enjoy talking to one of my four sisters or two brothers. I live far from any of them, and sometimes go for a few years between visits with them. This sister sent me a lovely Mother's Day card with a photo of our Mother that she had digitized for her embroidery machine. She made one for all of us. I was really touched when I saw it and will treasure it. We all adored our Mother, and my sister was so thoughtful to do this for us all. Thanks, sis!

Tomorrow I will try my hand at making some button fairies for another swap. I'll let you know how they turn out!

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Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

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Look at the lovely fruit bouquet my DS and DDIL sent me for Mother's Day! It's huge! and just full of gorgeous fruit. This will be enjoyed over the next few days, for sure!

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Some cards I received this week:

"Fan" by Barb E.

"P is for Puzzle" by Kim B.

"Beautiful Browns" by Barb E.

"Beautiful Browns" by Leah M.

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The "elderly relative" we have been taking care of is my MIL. She has always been a very smart, sweet lady, very independent and opinionated. She is still independent and opinionated, but the smart and sweet have slipped drastically with her diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Today we took her to the family doctor for her thyroid test and asked him to inform her of her diagnosis. He neatly side-stepped the issue, and the one time he mentioned the "A" word she told him that she had been told that she didn't have Alzheimers. That was the end of that.

She has lost even more weight, and now weighs only 100 pounds. She assures the doctor that she is eating a balanced diet (instant oatmeal and chocolate malts, with an occasional chicken strip or order of fries.) And yes, she still takes her medicine, except for her vitamins, which she choked on twice so she stopped taking them. We bought her a month's supply of liquid dietary supplement--we hope that stops the weight loss and replaces the missing vitamins. We also bought her some simple microwaveable meals. We will see if she can manage to use them.

She threw a real fit when it came to trying to explain to her that she needs more supervision. She accused us repeatedly of trying to have her "committed to an institution." She kept saying she wishes she had died years ago so she wouldn't be causing us so many problems. She refuses to leave her home, or to have anyone else stay with her. She just wants to be left alone. The doctor told her that that could not be an option anymore. So he finally talked her into wearing a panic button. She kept saying she would tell us when she needed one, but we pointed out that when she realized that she needed one it would be too late. So she agreed that she could "go that far."

We are currently checking on her every day, changing her Exelon patch and making sure she is okay. She doesn't like it, but she allows it.

This doctor's visit was very hard for me. I find myself stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. She is not my mother, so my husband is the one making all the decisions. But she blames me for them anyway. I would give anything to have the opportunity to take care of my own mother, who passed away many years ago. Taking care of her would have been so easy. But as much as I would like to take care of my MIL in the same fashion, that is not an option. Their personalities were poles apart. Where my mother would have been quiescent, MIL is argumentative. Things have to be done her way, and if she doesn't get her way she attacks us verbally, accusing us of wanting her dead, of wanting her money, of stealing, lying, cheating.

Part of the problem is that I feel deep empathy for her--I would be fighting for my independence too, were I in her place. As a retired nurse, I have seen too many elderly patients who have no one who cares, no one to check on them, no one to hug them. I know how important it is for her to be supervised as she sinks deeper into dementia; but when do you cross that line? I asked her that question, there in front of the doctor. "At what point would you say it would be time for us to step in?" At first she avoided the question with the same irrelevant sentences--I still keep my house clean, I still take care of myself, etc. But when I insisted she answer the question, she finally decided that if she could not take care of her pets, or could not fix her own food, or started falling, then it might be time to step in. What she doesn't realize is how close she is to that point. And when that time comes, the criteria will undoubtedly have changed.

On the plus side, a couple of days ago she asked DH to sell her car, that she was afraid of driving anymore and wanted the car gone. She told him to take care of all the details, but she knew who she wanted to sell it to. Our long-time auto mechanic was to get first chance at it. A 99 Toyota Avalon with only 27,000 miles on it! I think he will jump at the chance. We were going to address the issue of her driving today, but she actually beat us to it!

All I can say is this: if your mother is alive, give her a big hug, or at least a call, on Mother's Day. If she is gone, give yourself a hug, and have a good cry about your loss. I know I will.

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Behind again

2008-05-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

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Copper loves to play with his toys. This is how the living room floor looks most of the time. He knows how to play ball by himself and keeps himself entertained. He is the sweetest dog, always wanting to kiss everyone. We are so lucky to have found him.

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I got my Plus Size Inchies swaps today. These are the Four Elements--Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. They look much better in person--they aren't easy to photograph! These are by Barb E.:

These are from Suzanne A. (who sent two extras!)

These are from Debra N.

These are by Linda W. The one that is really light is the Wind design--it is really multi-colored pastel fabric with a fluffy cloud shape on it! I took dozens of photos, and none would show any better than this one.

Debra also sent this really cool piece of fabric:

This postcard is for the "Fans" swap from Maureen E. in England:

And three "Beautiful Browns" postcards:

from Sharon Z. in Canada

by Chris R. in England

by Kate N. in England

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I have been having an allergic rhinitis attack that has really sapped my energy the past few days. I want to get into some art techniques over the next weekend. I have been going through my past issues of Cloth Paper Scissors and marking things I want to try. I've also gotten some past issues of Somerset Studio which are always inspiring to look through. I want to start by making sample backgrounds with different materials which can later be used in small art projects and swaps.

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Our elderly relative has to be checked on everyday now. Medicinal patches have to be changed daily, and we make sure there is fresh food to eat. We have not brought up the subject of placement yet, that will be coming within the next few weeks. Any small break in routine causes tears and confusion. A broken toilet is a major catastrophe. So sad.

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DH really loves his job playing with plants. He's bringing home all kinds of things to grow in the yard, and gets more online from friends he's developed all over the world. He has signed us up as members of the local Botanical Gardens, and has plants here even their experts have never heard of! He plans to take the Master Gardener course this fall.

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A disappointing week

2008-04-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

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Here are some of the postcards I've received recently:

"Oriental Fan" by Diane P.

"P is for Pink and Purple" by Beth P.

"Beautiful Browns" by Diane P.

"Eclipse" by Amy P. for the Celestial Swap

"Celestial" by Priscilla H.

"Celestial" by Barb E.

Our elderly relative now has an official diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease; this was no surprise. Now we must decide what to do about it. This is a hard decision-- how do you take away someone's freedom without being hurtful? How long can the person be allowed to care for themselves before it becomes dangerous? How do you take care of someone who only wants to care for themselves? Our options are limited and time may be short. The one thing we can agree on is that the next step is to seek legal representation to make sure everything is done properly for the protection of all concerned.

Today I attended my Red Hat luncheon at a local Mexican restaurant. The company was fabulous, the food was okay, and the service was bad. Lesson learned! We had not gone there before--they are evidently not set up to serve groups of 15-20 people. The experience would probably be different if DH and I went alone; but there are better restaurants in town. Why waste our time to find out? I could live on Tex-Mex food, and was really looking forward to trying a new place. Oh, well! And oh yeah--why is it so hard for a restaurant to serve a group by taking orders from the regular menu? We had a choice of three entrees, plus rice and beans (bland) and flour tortillas (which never showed up.) We had to ask for chips and salsa, and asked repeatedly for drink refills. The limited menu didn't make the service any better.

This was not intended to be a rant! Back to the home front.

I tried a new art technique this week-- toilet paper casting. I had no success with it, but others in my Yahoo group did. I must have done something wrong, but for the life of me I don't know what. My castings turned out shapeless and the layers of paper flaked apart, although I was using diluted PVA glue between layers (50% strength--maybe too dilute?) I was disappointed. Maybe the next new technique will work out better.

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Catching up

2008-04-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

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These lovely bog iris are blooming just outside our front door. The blooms are small and only last about 24 hours, but they have bloomed repeatedly over the last month or so. They really are a nice surprise to see first thing in the morning!

I finished one of the small quilts I mentioned in an earlier post. I backed it with flannel and tied it instead of quilting it, using multicolored perle cotton. I then sewed the binding on by machine with a feather stitch. This one is destined for my new great-nephew. I have another top done of the same design, I will get around to finishing it soon.

And here's the second party hat for the Fiber Art Traders swap. I added the beading around the bottom and three swags around the top. I think they make a lot of difference. I left the tassels and the hanger as they were otherwise.

I am doing fairly well at getting caught up with unfinished projects. I still have three other small quilt tops that need to be quilted, but at least all the "have-to-do's" are done. I'm going to hold up on swaps for the next few weeks. I want to concentrate on playing with some art techniques, plus there are doctor's appointments and meetings to attend this next week.

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Projects done, and in progress--

2008-04-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

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Two weeks since I posted, and it seems like yesterday! I've managed to get a couple of projects done in the meantime. This set of postcards is for a swap called "Fans" for Artsnthemail.

Fiber Art Traders is having a swap called "4 Elements" (earth, wind, fire, water) done in plus-size inchies (1.5" square.) These are my sets; the water squares have small seashells attached, the wind squares have leaves that move, the earth squares have small sequin flowers, and the fire squares have shiny fibers sewn across them.

One of my groups was discussing a method of cutting identical squares from a busy fabric and sewing them into a four patch so that they resemble a kaleidoscope. This is the fabric I decided to use to try the technique.

I cut the fabric into 4 identical repeats of the design, and stacked them up carefully. I then cut the stack into 4-1/2" squares so that there are now four identical squares of each that will get twisted around 1/4 turn and sewn together into blocks:

Here are four of the resulting blocks--maybe this makes the idea more clear:

I still have to cut some sashing and make them up into some small quilts. I'll show more photos when that gets done.

Fiber Art Traders also has a swap going of miniature party hats. This is one that I'm still working on; I covered it with scraps of fabric left over from the Fan postcards shown above. I'm not real thrilled with the fiber tassel and the strap, so I'm re-thinking those.

and this is one that I have finished, modeled reluctantly by Copper:

In other news, my older son's deployment to Iraq has been postponed until June. It can be postponed indefinitely as far as I am concerned! I will be voting for whichever presidential candidate that I feel will get us out of Iraq the soonest.

Our elderly family member has had tests done to determine if there is any brain change indicative of dementia. We have not gotten any results yet, but the cognitive tests were very revealing of the degree of memory impairment already involved. This situation is extremely difficult for all concerned. I am ready to let the situation take its course, but that may not be possible. It would be so easy to turn a blind eye to the problem. But the responsibility is ours to bear, and bear it we will.

On a brighter note, I am due to be elected this week to a new position in Eastern Star, and have been studying hard. I am excited about changing positions, although I am not ambitious enough to want any position more difficult next year. I am not trying to work my way up, in other words. Just holding a position is enough for me.