Soul Woven Songs

Halloween Wishes

2010-10-28T10:13:00.007-04:00

I know my visits to the blog are few and far between,
But I'm stopping by a moment now to say "Happy Halloween"!

Hello. My name is Kathleen and I'm a Knitaholic.

2010-09-22T11:41:00.005-04:00

I took this little quiz and found out I'm a knitholic of the worst kind. But I'm not ashamed to admit it and I choose NOT to join K.A. Nuff said. Take the quiz and see where you rank on the knitaholic scale!

Have you ever...
•decided to kick the habit only to "fall off the yarn wagon"?
•knit alone or first thing in the morning?
•gone on a knitting binge?
•had a craving for just a little yarn fix?
•been a pusher, turning others on, even minors, to this habit?
•experienced blackouts..finding yarn in your stash you swear you never bought?

Are You...
•an adult child of a knitter?
•a compulsive overknitter?
•living in denial...
•telling yourself you actually save money by knitting clothes and gifts?
•believing you can save on therapy bills by knitting?
•certain that you can quit any time you want?
•calling yourself a social or recreational knitter?
•Has your cat ever gotten "messed up" after getting into your stash again?
•Is your definition of a "needle exchange" different than that of non-knitters?
•Is too much yarn never enough for you?
If you can answer yes to...
•10 or more questions - you may be a knitaholic
•8-9 questions - you may be a compulsive overknitter
•6-7 questions - you may be a yarn junkie
•4-5 questions - you may be a chronic social knitter
•0-3 questions - you are living in denial or you're at the wrong web site!

After The Sunday Funnies....

2010-09-14T13:14:00.005-04:00

I tried roller blading...once. I fell and broke my leg the first time out. Haven't done it since. But I guess I would strap them on again in exchange for kids getting interested in knitting or crocheting...or something creatively different to help them see there's more to life than cell phones, texting, video games and computers. Maybe next time I'll hold some yarn while blading to keep my balance. Yea. That's it. I was 'improperly' balanced when I tried it the last time.... ;o)

Time For A Pop Quiz

2010-09-08T11:03:00.005-04:00

I found this little quiz in one of the knitting daily newsletters I get in my email. I took the quiz and found out I'm 100% WOOL...no nonsense. It was fun! Take it and see what kind of yarn you are, then pass on the quiz to someone you know! Copy and paste link into your browser.

www.quizilla.teenninck.com/quizzes/924312/what-kind-of-yarn-are-you

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll...

Happy Labor Day!

2010-09-06T12:31:00.001-04:00

Comments and Graphics - Layouts - Photobucket

Try not to labor today. Even a cookout is laboring. Order takeout ~ and have it delivered!!!

Now You See Her, Now You Don't

2010-08-30T13:30:00.005-04:00

So...Hello. Howahya? It's been awhile - again. I disappeared from the blogoshpere as per usual. Am wedging in a bit of screen time here to say hello and I've missed you all.

It's been one crazy, hectic summer around the old homestead here. New jobs. New home. New life. New aches and pains. No knitting. No creating of any kind for several weeks now. Not even enough time or ability to sneak a peek here and there at your lovley blogs. So I'm completely out of the loop!

The big things on the list here are the major life changes...and the being put on the injured list. Seems I've developed a whopping case of carpal tunnel in both hands and BROTHER has it been a pain! It literally came out of the blue and knocked me backwards. Looking back now I can see where I've been having some problems for several months. But I chalked it up to the usual arthritic pain and stiffness and kept about my daily business.

Now am in splints on both hands full time indefinitely. Typing, knitting, crafting of pretty much any kind, even just the usual mundane daily tasks are off the list indefinitely. I'm cheating somewhat today to sneak in a short bit of blogging and catching up on email and what not. But it ain't easy!!!...and I can see where it's going to be a long time coming getting back to normal stuff. Surgery may be on the horizon.

Anyway, lots of missing all of you. Lots of missing writing. Lots of missing pretty much everything. Am hoping am allowed sooner than later to at least be able to surf the internets and keep up with all of you of course. A few more visits to the doc's office and we'll see.

I hope you all are having a fabulous summer and are now looking forward to the fall season with your creativities. I sincerely hope to see you soon ;0)

Have a knit pickin' good summer and fall ya'll !

Granny's Back In Town

2010-07-21T12:03:00.012-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of a few of the projects I've been busy with the last few months. Today it's all about the Granny square afghan I made for my new little niece in Texas.

This is
Miss Brittania Anne
Born June 15, 2010.

My sister sent me this picture a few days ago. It had the caption "I'm supposed to be sleepin'". She has her days and nights turned around right now and this picture was taken at two in the morning. I'm thinkin' judging by this picture, baby thinks it's pretty funny. Poor mom!

I love Granny Square afghans. I make them. I buy them at thrift shops and yard sales. I love the classic look of it. It's a very enjoyable pattern to crochet and there are so many ways it can be configured color and pattern-wise. It's my favorite thing to crochet and I chose it for the new baby. I considered other patterns...and doodled around making various blocks and strips. I settled on the granny.

I chose Bernat Sport baby yarns for this. It needed to made of something that's very washable and 'wag-able'. But it's very soft and I love the feminine color combination. It should be good to drag around for a few years.

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckety Monday

2010-07-19T07:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, as parents and even as grandparents we have to sacrifice some things so the children can benefit. Some sacrifice more than others!

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Deceptive Practices

2010-07-18T12:09:00.005-04:00

Looks can be deceiving sometimes. I saw this picture on the internets the other day and did a double take once I read the description. All this lovely crafting stuff is not real. It's a cake. Yes, you read it right...a cake.

If you're like me, you watch a lot of WE TV and Food Network. For a while now the more popular programming has to do with weddings (Oh David Tutera, please come design my dream wedding...mmmmmm). I love 'Amazing Wedding Cakes' on WE. 'Cake Boss' is good too. I'm always blown away by what can be done with cake, frosting and sugar. Some of the ideas the clients come up with for their cakes is mind blowing at times...whether beautifully embellished classic...or totally off the wall designs that no one would ever dream of ~ usually.

The work is always detailed, stressful and incredibly satisfying when it's complete.

The only thing I have a hard time with is knowing these cakes are out in the open for days at a time while being designed and decorated. Loads of fondant is rolled and handled for hours and days...with bare hands. You NEVER see the cake artists washing their hands before handling food. It makes me wonder just how sanitary it really is by the time it's finished and served to a multitude of wedding and various party guests. And...is the cake FRESH when served? After days of being handled at room temperature and being refrigerated repeatedly, it makes me wonder. It makes me somewhat squeamish thinking about it and I lose my appetite for cake. It also makes me VERY aware of what I'm doing in my own kitchen while baking or doing cooking of any kind. Erring on the side of caution isn't such a bad thing.

But I'm always impressed with the finished product on these shows. The cake artists are truly artists indeed. Bravo!

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

Pinky and The Brain Brain Brain Brain....

2010-07-15T09:59:00.010-04:00

I woke up with this ditty in my head the other day. I don't know why because I haven't heard it since my youngest child was in Jr. High...and that was some years ago.

From the time she was in the third grade until she was nearly grown, her favorite cartoon on TV was 'Animaniacs'. We watched it together...a lot. My faves of all the different characters and their shorts were 'Pinky and The Brain', 'Mindy and Buttons' and 'Good Idea. Bad Idea'. Pinky and The Brain were mutated lab mice who lived together in a lab somewhere...I'm assuming here in the U.S. The Brain was always scheming dastardly ways to conquer the world. Pinky was his not so bright goofy little side kick with a british accent who said "narf!" a lot. The introduction to the cartoon was a song that if you heard it only a couple of times, stayed with you forever. It was always fun to watch.

'Good Idea. Bad Idea.' was just down right funny. Just a few seconds long, it consisted of a strange looking skull head/skeleton/stick figure of sorts doing things that were good ideas and bad ideas. The narration of each one was voiced by Tom Bodett...the infamous Alaskan DJ who found world wide fame narrating Motel 6 commercials and saying "We'll leave the light on for ya". These silly little good/bad ideas were the best. Nuff said.

Mindy and Buttons - a toddler named Mindy and her dog named Buttons. The mother of Mindy was always leaving her in the care of Buttons, usually in the backyard, to be watched over by him while mom was busy doing something else, being the speaker at meetings about better parenting or being honored as mother of the year. Ha! Needless to say, all kinds of chaos ensued involving Mindy getting into trouble of some sort...without her realizing she was in trouble...and Buttons was the one who took the brunt of physical pain and mental anguish trying to keep her out of trouble. "Silly Puppy". When Mindy's mother would speak to her on her way out, Mindy would always say "OK lady". Mom would try to get her to say 'Mom'. The effort was fruitless. When mom left the room, Mindy would say "OK lady. I Love you. Buh-bye".

My child picked up on that and to this day when we end a phone call, she says in a squeaky little Mindy voice "OK lady. I Love you. Buh-bye." She signs all her emails to me that way too. I wouldn't trade that...or the years we spent watching those silly cartoons together for anything in the world. THAT'S priceless.

Enjoy!

Have a knit pickin' good weekend ya'll...and "OK ladies. Love you. Buh-bye!"

Music To My Ears

2010-07-14T07:13:00.002-04:00

I ran across this video on AOL the other day. This relatively unknown talent unveiled her latest album a couple of weeks ago. Since I'm a lover of all things music, I'm always interested in giving unfamiliar artists a listen.

If you can get past the goofy stuff in the very beginning that makes absolutely no sense, the song she wrote and performs is very good. She manages to make a ukelele sound more like a mandolin...which is a good thing. Her self inflicted harmonies are quite good too. There's a couple of little misses and off key notes. But over all the song is great.

Just wanted to post something a little different, off the knitted path as it were. My first love is music. I've been singing all my life. I still do. In a band and stay busy. Music of all kinds is never far away from my ears. I've worn out a couple of Ipods and before that countless CD's. And before that cassettes, and before that records. I've sung 'em all and heard 'em all. I'm singin' 'em all and more importantly, listening to 'em all. I'm always open to the new...and the old.

Music is meant to be shared. Share this with the music lover in your life.

Enjoy!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckety Monday

2010-07-12T09:09:00.006-04:00

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Sometimes fences are needed to protect our privacy. Seemingly that becomes more and more true with every day. Everybody and everything is in your business and we scramble to find a little peace, quiet and private moments wherever we can, whenever we can.

But wouldn't it be nice if all we needed was soft, knitted fencing that cushioned both sides. No harshness from either side. The ability to fold it up and put it away for awhile and let both sides of the fence stand together on property lines of life to speak gently to preserve the right to privacy...for ourselves...and each other.

I would knit fencing until the cows came home if that's all it took to make a peaceful and private world again.

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll.

Major Announcement

2010-07-06T11:08:00.007-04:00

Federal Government Bans Knitting in Public Buildings

WASHINGTON, DC (AP) -- Citing the rapid rise in the number of new knitters over the past 12 months, the United States Congress and Senate have both taken unprecedented measures in passing a bill banning knitting inside any public building, according to documents released Thursday.

Under the terms of the new law, knitters are required to take their knitting at least 10 yards from any public building. Although they are allowed to carry knitting inside, anybody caught engaging in the act of knitting may be subject to a $10,000 fine or 10 years imprisonment.

According to recent studies, the mere sight of a knitter actively knitting increases a person's odds of becoming a knitter by 200 percent. The dangers of second-hand knitting have long been a concern for Federal worker Irene Schlamp, who is happy to see the bill pass. "It's been a big problem in my department, where people often take four, five, or even six knitting breaks a day. Those of us who want to do our work can't because we're so distracted by the clacking of those damned needles."

But not everybody is happy about the news. "This is so unfair!" says Betty Schnoodle, a worker at a U.S. Postal Service processing plant in Louisiana. "Why should we be forced to huddle outside in the cold when we want to take a knitting break? We're not hurting anybody."

Human rights group AmKnitty International has already filed a suit claiming the new law is unconstitutional and violates the civil rights of knitters everywhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, OK, OK....so it's not exactly major news, or even factual for that matter. But it's 'slightly' possible knitters are discriminated against: Maybe in a bar~not the best place in the world to knit. Or maybe the 'Man Cave' where the wife/girlfriend isn't even allowed to enter in the first place...but why not; he invades your space every chance he gets with "Hey babe! Bring me a beer!" when you're right in the middle of counting stitches at a critical part of your knitting. You throw your hands up, say "yes dear", mumble something snotty under your breath and imagine him being impaled with knitting needles...through the lips! Well, not really - the impaled part. But it's fun to think about it!

So the next time I decide to knit in public, I'll post a sign on my forehead that says "Down with knit discrimination" and then watch the strange looks and the dumb questions fly! A girl's gotta have fun sometimes!

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

P.S. My baby...the youngest of six is 23 today. Where does the time go? Happy Birthday Alexandra!!!!

After The Sunday Funnies....

2010-07-05T14:02:00.003-04:00

(click on picture to enlarge)

I just thought this was cute.

I watched the whole HBO series 'John Adams' Saturday night...all seven parts. I couldn't stop watching. It was fabulous. The fact that I love history doesn't hurt either. I recorded it to DVR so I can watch it again at some point...which I will. It would be a great learning tool for kids in school just starting to learn about American History and the Revolutionary War.

If only our Founding Fathers could have seen what their work was going to lead to 234 years later. I think maybe they would have worked longer on the Declaration of Independence to try to avert so much of what we deal with today as a result of our National Government. There's a lot of good in our country, but it seems like the bad is starting to out weigh it.

But I am proud to be a citizen of this country and will do what it takes to protect our freedoms. My youngest son has rejoined the Marines and will be doing that very thing...again. Thank you Scott. Thank you God.

God Bless America.

Sparklers, Hot Dogs and Thou...

2010-07-02T14:45:00.006-04:00

It's hard to believe it's Independence Day already. It only seems like yesterday I was sitting here wishing you all a Happy 4th a year ago. Time flies when you're busy.

I hope all of you here in the U.S. have a happy and safe Independence Day. For those of you over seas readers: have a wonderful weekend. Come here one day and enjoy all that goes along with our Independence Day traditions and celebrations. It's the best!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckety Monday

2010-06-28T17:09:00.002-04:00

(Click on picture to enlarge)

One hundred percent true. About ninety percent of the time, I don't know what I'm knitting until it's finished. It's only on a few occasions throughout the year that I set out to knit something in particular...with a pattern in hand and a purpose for the completed project. I think I've already met my 'occasional' particulars for the year with the baby stuff I've knitted.

Most of the time I just want to feel the needles in my hands clacking away playing with some sort of yummy yarn just to be doing it. Knitting is an addictive behavior. I cave in quite frequently to the urge. Better than food, tobacco, and alcohol I'm thinking. Knitting and frogging. Knitting and frogging. Knitting and frogging for heck of it.

It's very satifying.

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll !

After The Sunday Funnies...

2010-06-21T10:25:00.004-04:00

(Click on Picture To Enlarge)

This past week was 'Knit In Public Week'. I was a participant. But I'm ALWAYS a participant. My knitting goes with me wherever I go and I don't hesitate to whip it out in front of everyone if I have time to kill.

In my daily travels out and about in the usual places, I did see a few people doing the knitting in public thing: at work, the mall, doc's offices, Dunkin Donuts, sitting in the drive thru at McDonalds (yes, McDonalds is true) and even the airport. I guess the memo got out! If there were Sonic Drive In's around here, I probably would have seen it there too. When I was living down south, going to Sonic to get my daily diet coke and knitting while sitting there in the car was the norm for me. No place is off limits when it comes to me and my knitting. And strangely enough I don't get odd looks and stupid questions from people about what or why I'm knitting in public.

It's so nice to see at least SOME people doing something in public besides yakking away on their phones, texting a mile a minute and not involving themselves in what's really important in life: KNITTING!

I say every week should be knit in public week!

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll.

After The Sunday Funnies

2010-06-15T06:52:00.005-04:00

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

A day late here. But working on catching up.

Have a knit pickin' good day y'all!

Disappearing Act

2010-06-11T10:50:00.010-04:00

Howdy ya'll! Yes, I dropped off the planet as far as blogging is concerned. Not by choice mind you, but forced into hiding after my computer took a nose dive never to recover again. Poor old thing. Had to shoot to put it out of it's misery. :0(

By choice I did take my time to figure out what I wanted next when it came to shopping for another one. I spent a lot of time searching...and researching. Finally - three days ago I made a decision. So yesterday I brought the new baby home...and I'm sooooooooo in love!!!!

Being old and nearly blind, I chose one with a VERY large screen and fabulous high resolution. We're a perfect match. But it's very light and easy for me to tote around when I need to do some 'pooter' totin'. (My sister calls a computer 'the pooter'. It stuck. Whatever...)

So now I'm in a situation where I can do the blogger thing again...thank God! And the cherry on top of this deal is I was also able to upgrade my camera! WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!! Now when I wanna post pictures, they'll actually be visible and not all grainy and dark and stuff. Imagine that! Who da thunk it????!!!!!

While I was without 'real' computer access (I did use my phone a lot during this time to kinda stay in touch with the nets), I did stay very busy in the creativity department. It's been great. My sister is now a week overdue having her baby and my focus has been getting some things made for her and new baby...a girl. Oh what fun it's been doing the girlie stuff! I have lots of pics of all those things I made. I will post those soon. I've done some other things too, not baby related. But the caveat here has been that I broke my left wrist a couple of months ago and it's been a bear trying to get knitting and crocheting done. But where there's a will, there's a way...and by gosh I worked at making a way!!!!! So I got a few things made and very satisfied with what I turned out.

So, with all the upgrades, improvements and whatever in the high tech department, I should be good to go for awhile. It's good to be back and hope I get to stick around indefinitely. Looking forward to catching up with all your blogs and what you've been up to the past couple of months. Will get back to posting the regular features...and hopefully improve on those and add some new stuff too.

It's good to be back. Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

After The Sunday Funnies

2010-04-21T08:28:00.006-04:00

So here I am late with the Monday Funny...again. I've been busy. Working. Working. And more working. Right now I have more work than I know what to do with. But I'm not complaining mind you. I'm extremely grateful to have so much, especially in our down trodden economy these days. Work is good. Yes it is.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Knitting is a disease. Once it's in your blood, there's no cure. It goes with you wherever you go. It doesn't matter where you are; it's gonna rear it's head and make it's presence known.

So what if people stop and stare. Give 'em and wink and a smile. It's surely contagious. This is the kind of disease you WANT to spread to the world.

Let there be a knitting pandemic!

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll :o)

Patriots' Day

2010-04-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans' Day are four distinctly American tributes to liberties, freedom and democracy, commemorated by a holiday in the United States.

Then there is Patriots' Day. For New Englanders, Patriots' Day remains the quintessential observance: the anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War with skirmishes between British troops and the Minute Men of Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, and preceded by Paul Revere's famous Midnight Ride. For runners, Patriots' Day has become synonymous with the Boston Marathon or, as locals often refer to the day, Marathon Monday.

The events of more than two centuries ago in April 1775, now commemorated as the Patriots' Day holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, marked a turning point in the long struggle between England and her American colonies. In a march of protest and petition, which turned into revolution and independence, the fighting on April 19, 1775 foreshadowed the rebellious action of the American colonies in ultimately creating a new nation, the United States of America. Originally celebrated on April 19, Patriots' Day was moved to the third Monday of April in 1969.

(Patriots Grave, Old Burying Ground, Arlington, Massachusetts)

While "the shot heard 'round the world" continues to reverberate in re-enactments of the historic events, the sound of gunfire also will ring clearly in Hopkinton this Patriots' Day to signal the start of the 114th Boston Marathon and to recall the ideals of the American Revolution.

Patriot[s'] Day is not to be confused with Patrio[t] Day; Patriot Day is observed on September 11th.

Patriot Day was signed into law on December 18, 2001 as a day to remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on our country.

On Patriot Day, Americans should fly their flags at half-staff and observe a moment of silence to honor those individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks.

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked civilian aircraft crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third hijacked aircraft crashed into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C. And a forth hijacked aircraft crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania after passengers tried to take control of the aircraft in order to prevent the hijackers from crashing the aircraft into an important symbol of democracy and freedom. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives in this tragedy.

The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on:

1. State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;

2. All departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001;

3. The people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.

The President and First Lady ask Americans to volunteer in their communities as a way of honoring the heroes of September 11 and those who continue to serve in uniform.

I came to New England a year and a half ago. I am still learning about all the things that make this region of the U.S. special and unique. Patriots' Day is one of the more interesting and touching traditions. It's beautiful to see the dispalys of heartfelt patriotism where I live. All U.S. citizens should be so thankful and observant every day of the year.

Happy Patriots' Day to one and all...no matter where you live.

After The Sunday Funnies

2010-04-13T19:24:00.011-04:00

Ok...so it's not Monday. I'm runnin' behind. Way behind...in pretty much everything this past week. It's just been plain busy and I ain't had time to sit here to do the blog thing. But it doesn't mean there hasn't been truck loads of stuff to blog about, because there certainly has. So today I squeeze in the Monday funny which happens to be a day late, i.e. sans the Muckity Monday in the post title.

This is how I spend some of my time knitting. There just seems to be no other place that's more comfortable and serene as my bed. I turn out some pretty good projects here - kntting-wise that is......

Happy day after Monday ya'll!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckity Monday

2010-04-05T13:52:00.006-04:00

Today's funny pretty much speaks for itself. It can't get any more Monday than this!

Click on picture for better view.

Happy Monday ya'll :0)

Easter Greetings

2010-04-03T13:22:00.005-04:00

I hope you all have a blessed and happy Easter. I'm waitin for the Easter candy!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckity Monday

2010-03-29T11:08:00.006-04:00

Easter is only a few days away. So I thought I'd post this little cartoon. It just screams Monday. I kinda like the Easter egg shell paint job he's doing here. I might would want it in my music studio. After a few glasses of some really good wine, singing in a room with the 'psychedelic' walls could be quite the far-out experience!

I think I would pass on yelling at my Mr. Peter Cotton Tail and just accept that Monday and all it's screwed up glory is OK once in awhile.

Happy Monday ya'll.

Ain't Got No Mo Rocca

2010-03-28T17:43:00.016-04:00

The Ravelry community chose to beat up on Mo Rocca because of an arbitrary comment he made about hand knit sweaters: "Home made sweaters are always itchy". Uh oh. It's time to duck and cover. In coming!!! Mo had better cover his itchy ass! And beat up on him the knitting community did - in the form of harsh comments on Ravelry...which made their way to Mo's eyes. Rebuttal was in order. The result was this story on CBS Sunday Morning.

I wish to post a disclaimer here: Mo says at one point during the story that a person should not "drink and knit". Drinking and knitting CAN and DO go together. Just ask Crazy Aunt Purl http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/ . I did a lot of drinking and knitting while going through my last divorce. It's not to say that the next day you won't discover grave mistakes in your knitting and subsequently have to frog the project because you have NO recollection of knitting any stitches at all the night/day before! But yes, they can co-exist.

So, I like Mo. I even liked him when he was doing the crazy comments on 'This is The 80's' etc...on VH1 years back, stupid as a lot of those comments were. But he was kinda cute in a raggedy old teddy bear that needs a little repair kinda way- even with the little hint of lisp he has; and I hate listening to people with a lisp. But that's another post for another time. I'm proud of him for "movin' on up" to CBS news. Can we look forward to Mo taking Katie's place on the CBS Evening News? Probably not. But one can dream......

Warm Me Softly

2010-03-25T17:28:00.010-04:00

I found this video on You Tube and thought it was just the coolest thing. It's an ad for Natural Gas. But it's concept is sheer genius. Watch for yourself and feel the warmth!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckity Monday

2010-03-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

This would be me if there were such a thing as 'The All Knitting Channel'. Aaahhh Monday....

2010-03-20T11:10:00.005-04:00

I love spring. I'm so happy it's here....finally. I'm a spring baby. I was born on the first full day of spring, so tomorrow is my birthday. Yay spring! Yay birthday! Yay new beginnings. Yay new hope!

Hope springs eternal...thank God :0)

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2010-03-17T06:56:00.007-04:00

Here's to the "wearin' o the green", "may the luck o the Irish be with ye", "findin' yer pot o gold at the end o the rainbow", "carry ye four leaf clover fer luck", and "carryin' the spirit o the Irish with ye all the rest o ye days".

A hearty toast to St. Patty's Day!

After The Sunday Funnies...Muckity Monday

2010-03-15T11:15:00.005-04:00

For most of us, Monday is a dreaded day. I don't know who made up the rule that Mondays are foul. I think we should hunt this person down and make him/her experience every 'Monday thing' there is. Then maybe Mondays would be given a slightly better reputation as ' just another day' so as to avoid all the yucky 'Monday-ness' we so whole heartedly swallow each and every week.

In any case seeing as how this is not likely to happen, I will do my tiny little part to make Mondays seem more tolerable. So here on my little blog, Mondays are here after known as "After The Sunday Funnies...Muckity Monday". Why did I name it this you ask? Mainly just because. I could leave it at 'after the sunday funnies' or 'muckity monday'. Or 'funny muckities' or 'sunday mondays'. Or 'sunny funday' or 'funny mucks'. Or 'f****ity muckities'....well, you get the picture. Mondays are usually all discombobulated and messed up like that. So it seems fitting that the post title on this day should be too. I mean, I can't totally clean up Mondays and not leave something in it messed up. So the post title it is!

I will insert some little one liner funny...usually pertaining to knitting...in an effort to lift the spirits of those readers who are mired in Monday hell, i.e. - me. But I'm not ruling out taking jabs at other Monday things too. Knitting is on the menu for today. Ziggy. Just can't go wrong with Ziggy.

Have a " sunny muckity funny Monday" ya'll!

Just Over The Horizon

2010-03-08T17:54:00.006-05:00

Spring is almost here. Got a big taste of it the last couple of days. It's been gorgeous here in SE Mass for two days - sunny and 62 degrees. HooooooooooWeeeeeeee has it given me a baaaaaad case of spring fever!

This has been the longest, coldest, snowiest, dreariest winter...and we're all sick of it. The Robins are making their presence known. The Chipmunks are coming out of hiding. Crocuses are trying to make a showing despite the snow and ice. Little tufts of green grass are popping up here and there; all signs of change and new beginnings.

Thank God!!!!!

Froggy Went A Courtin'

2010-03-04T07:27:00.019-05:00

I said something in my most recent post about frogging some knitting I've been doing. 'Frogging' in knitting terms refers to the unraveling...or as I more aptly refer to it as "ripping the damn thing back to the beginning"...of a current OTN project when a mistake(s) in the knitting has been discovered somewhere along the way. Usually the only way to correct it is to unravel it to the point of the mistake and redo it. The term frogging came to be because when unraveling knitting, it makes a 'ribbit ribbit' sound. Sort of.

Anyway.

I do on occasion rip back something I'm knitting. Believe it or not, it typically doesn't frustrate me when I have to do this. I just kinda take it with a grain of salt, do what I gotta do and move on. I LOVE to knit and would rather be doing that than most any other thing I can think of, except maybe sing and get lost in my music - it's a very close race there. Most knitters find frogging a rather offensive action to take, especially if one has invested countless hours and miles of yarn in current said project. But this doesn't mean that I NEVER get flustered about having to frog something. I've had my moments. A few of my frogged projects have found their way to being balls of crinkled yarn filled with catnip for the cat. He gets the better end of the deal in this thing.

OK. So after rambling on about frogging here, I'm getting to the real point of this post: When I find the need to frog some knitting I have in hand, my brain ALWAYS finds it's way to a Tom and Jerry cartoon from my childhood. Don't ask me why this happens. It's just the way my brain seems to work.

The cartoon is called "Pecos Pest". Jerry's Uncle Pecos comes from Texas to visit his nephew and is preparing to be on a TV show. Uncle Pecos carries around his guitar and sings pretty much all the time. He also breaks guitar strings like they grow on trees...or in this case, on Tom's face. [Insert a fearless Uncle Pecos and the plucking of long whiskers here].

The song Uncle Pecos is constantly gracing us with is "Froggy Went A Courtin' Crambone". His version of it is WAY better than the version I learned in first grade. Especially with the stuttering and the substitution of other words because the stutter prevents him from singing the correct words here and there.

The very talented Shug Fisher (aka Shorty Kellum in The Beverly Hillbillies) voices Uncle Pecos in an otherwise wordless feature. It's mind boggling how well he voices this part. Throughout the years of their existense and popularity Tom and Jerry were never given speaking roles except in very early shorts where out of the blue Tom or Jerry may say one word...but very rarely. The animated shorts relied entirely on sight gags and silent voice slapstick, a method that worked very well for Hanna-Barbera.

It's a a full six and a half minutes of hilarity. I'm sure I've seen this cartoon short a thousand times in my life time and it NEVER fails to make me guffaw like the very first time I saw it. It's a kind of humor I grew up with and relate to. Again, don't ask me why. It just is. The creators of Tom and Jerry, Hanna-Barbera, were sheer genius in their day.

Last night I was knitting along and even without having to frog what I'm working on, Uncle Pecos and his Froggy Went A Courtin' came to mind. I've been humming it ever since. I woke up this morning with the tune in my head, complete with all the cartoonish sound effects that make it so great.

I've included the animated short here for your enjoyment. I hope the next time you must resort to frogging some knitting, Uncle Pecos and his little ditty will pop into your head. It really does keep the production of cat toys to a minimum.

Dig them c-c-c-c-c-c-c-razy boots man!

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll.......Ohhhhhhhh doodle bop nop bop Crambone!

A Purl Of Wisdom: Swatch What You Say

2010-03-01T12:33:00.007-05:00

I should know better than to open my big bazoo about certain things I think or feel. I'm a believer in "watch what you say or it might come back to bite you in the butt". Such is true in the world of knitting...at least it is for me.

I've been known to spout off on more than an occasion or two about how much I dislike knitting gauge swatches. I think it just wastes valuable fun time knitting the actual project at hand. But I will knit a swatch if somewhere in my head there's doubt. I didn't have doubt this time.

Anyway.

This past week I started knitting stuff for a small layette for my sister's baby. She's due in June. I figure this will give me enough time to knit up some cute little things and get them sent off to her in Texas. (I have to keep reminding myself that where she lives is a sauna in sweltering heat come bout April...and I'm sitting here in Massachusetts up to my neck in snow and sub freezing temperatures...so she really has no need for to head to toe merino wool).

Again - anyway.

I'm ticking right along on a little sweater and some knitted Mary Jane's for her to be able to use come the fall. The projects are simple in the knitting and fun to do. About half way through the sweater I decided to measure and see where it sits gauge-wise. Big. Way, WAY BIG. And of course I didn't knit a swatch prior to starting the sweater. So "a frogging I will go". Dang it all.

Me and my big mouth.

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll.

A Valentine Wish For You

2010-02-14T13:53:00.006-05:00

~Happy Valentines Day~

In The Blink Of An Eye...And We Ask God 'Why?'

2010-02-12T20:23:00.006-05:00

This past week has been an intense one. It's been a roller coaster of activity and emotion. It's been a week of immense sadness and heart break. It's been a week filled with trying to come to terms with tragic loss. It's been a week of utter shock and disbelief. It's been a week of trying to reach out to help in any way possible and then not being able to reach far enough. It's been a week of asking why and not getting any answers.

On February 4, 2010 my youngest daughter in Tennessee and her husband lost his brother in a tragic car accident. It was sudden. It was unexpected. It was utterly devastating.

As I spoke with my daughter on the phone in the days that followed, all I could feel was helplessness, frustration and my heart completely breaking for their heart break, sadness and devastation. It just absolutely kills me when my kids are hurting. It's a hurt like no other and it completely consumes me. It sends me straight into the arms of Jesus begging him to please take away their pain and suffering. It reduces me to a pile of rubble at the foot of The Cross asking why them.

My son in law was intensely close with his brother. My daughter was intensely close with her brother in law and his wife. They are next door neighbors. They are the partners they worked closely with in their Duct Tape business. They are the very best of friends. My son in law's family has been part of our family since he and my daughter were in Junior High school in Tennessee. They have been together for what seems like a life time.

We take our lives for granted. We take the most important people in our lives for granted. We take the time we have here on earth for granted. We take love for granted. We fail to see how fragile and fleeting life really is and when it's suddenly gone from us, it leaves us scratching our heads in befuddlement. We feel betrayed. We feel mortally wounded in our souls. It ALWAYS leaves us asking God "why?"

It leaves us with no clear answers for the rest of our days. It leaves us with using our coping mechanisms to get by in the days that follow. It leaves us with never truly accepting that death is a part of life but each and every one of us WILL experience it in one way or another at some point(s) in our lives. It leaves us contemplating our own mortality and ultimately knowing that we will expire ourselves some day. It leaves us trying to picture what the transition from life to death will be like. It leaves us hoping that there really is a God and a Heaven and the after life is the home where we really belong. It leaves some of us hoping that there is no after life and we simply go to sleep for eternity. It leaves some of us wondering what we will be in our next life here on earth. It leaves us with immense questions and pain and confusion and anger...and worst of all, regret. It leaves us in shambles and wondering how we will ever be able to put the pieces back together again and resume life as usual.

As my kids work on accepting what has happened and getting on with life, I think of the young wife left behind and very grateful her injuries were not life threatening. I think of her contemplating what her next steps in this life will be. I think of her dealing with her grief and loneliness and feeling betrayed. I pray that God will keep her close in the next few months and comfort her in her deepest, darkest hours.

I pray for the parents and the other siblings dealing with such immense loss. All I can feel for them is that no parent should ever have to bury a child. I pray that God holds them closer than ever. I pray that their faith is not shaken and they will cling to Jesus and The Cross.

Life doesn't seem very fair sometimes. We try hard to make sense of all that takes place in our every day lives. But we're always left asking questions about why life is the way it is and never really getting clear answers. My experiences have left me taking one step at a time, one day at a time. I quit asking so many questions long ago. All it did was leave me confused and frustrated. Life is too short to spend it in a muddle.

To my dear children, I pray intensely every day for the healing of your hearts and the void you feel right now lessening as each day passes. To dear sweet Danielle, I pray for the healing of your body, mind, heart and spririt. Just know that God is never far from you. Please know that James is not gone from you. He simply has gone home to Jesus, and Jesus is keeping you wrapped in his arms.

Rest In Peace James Fitzgerald Walworth. 1982 - 2010

Duct Work

2010-02-05T17:39:00.010-05:00

Today’s post is not about what I’m up to at the moment. I’m not gonna drone on about the numerous crafty type projects I have under way or rattle on about recipes or opinions I may have about the world at hand. I’m not going to give you an ear full of my daily activities or what the household critters are up to or anything like that. I’m not going to talk about me – lets’ just put it that way. Today I’m here to talk about this far out, fun and fabulous new thing I discovered not so long ago.

I discovered this new thing on Etsy, quite on purpose of course because it happens to be my youngest daughter and her husbands business called ‘Ductile Designs’. They make all kinds of stuff from duct tape and sell it. It all sounds quite crazy I know but it really is a cool and very real business. And the items they make and sell are fabulous.

They started out making billfolds, wallets and neck ties. They’ve since expanded to making purses, book bags, head bands, and roses. Apparently there’s a slew of different colored duct tapes available and they cooked up all these cool things to make from it all.

They’ve been doing this for about a year now. Persistence and perseverance is starting to pay off for them. They do pretty good business and have even been able to employ extra help. They are doing their part to stimulate the economy!

They sent me some of these items for Christmas and I was blown away by what they can do with duct tape. The roses are my favorite. But I love the ties and wallets too. I’m secretly hoping for a knitting bag at some point ~ small hint ;0) I’m using the wallet they made me and I love it. It’s very practical. Very durable. And VERY pretty. The ties are very wearable. Even when my son in law was still waiting tables in the early months of their new business, his boss was so impressed with the ties, he ordered enough for the whole wait staff to wear during working hours. It was a hit with the staff and the restraunt customers.

Their latest creation is a baseball cap. I haven't seen it yet but I'm sure it's fabulous. They do custom work. They will make pretty much anything you want in the way of color and design. They're very good at doing your fave sport logo. Whatever you want, they try their best to meet your needs. Just ask and they will work with you.

These photos are just a small example of what they make and sell. To check out more go to www.myspace.com/DuctileDesigns or Etsy/DuctileDesigns. It’s all just ducky!

I couldn't resist the doing the shameless plug here. I'm pretty proud of my kids :0)

Have a knit pickin’ good day y’all!

Hello Again

2010-02-01T14:34:00.017-05:00

Hi there people! It's been a long time. The time for me to post is LOOOOOOOOOONG overdue. So I'm here today ready to jump in with both feet and get this blog train rolling again!

The last time I posted was Thanksgiving. Even that was short and sweet. The holiday season was busy on this end and it left little time for blogging and certain other things of that nature. But the holidays were good here and it's nice that things have finally slowed down to the point that I can actually think about other things besides the daily grind.

I stayed busy with crafting. The week before Thanksgiving I started making Christmas Tree decorations for our tree as we had to start from scratch in the Christmas decoration department. That was great fun. It has long been a tradition in my family to make tree decor and that's something I've carried on with proudly through the years. It mainly has to do with LOTS of poster board, glitter and glue - and lots of patience. I managed to get a tree full of stuff made and then some: the 'then some' was extra stuff I made to send to my daughters in Tennessee and Florida. I'm still working on glitter creations as I've vowed never again to wait until Christmas time to start playing in the glitter. It will forever (or for as long as I'm able) be an ongoing process year round. It was just too much fun to box up and put away for another year.

I have several glitter things in the works to ship off to family in Texas and Arizona. These things will probably be a 'Christmas in July' completion and the recipients hopefully will be happy to have a little taste of the Christmas spirit in the middle of the summer heat. I was very pleased with what I completed and everyone else seemed to be also.

I also made Raggedy Ann's and Andy's out the wazzoo! I love making the Raggedies. Have been doing it for going on 30 years now. It never gets old or wears itself out. I love the timelessness of the classic Raggedy Dolls. The patterns for them have changed some through the years. But no matter the changes, I keep the clothes and faces as close to the original as possible. The only pattern company that produces the Raggedy pattern now is Simplicity. And I ran the gamut of pattern companies searching in the fabric stores and online. I had to purchase a new one and was somewhat disappointed with what I found. I used to use a McCalls pattern that I loved and bought repeatedly through the years as I would wear them out. But McCalls doesn't make it any longer.

What I found in the new pattern was the lack of iron on transfers for the embroidery of the facial features and the little heart on the chest. McCalls always included yellow iron on transfers for the embroidery. I used tracing paper under a self modified facial pattern instead. Also, the eyes have changed for fabric painting purposes. It also came with instructions to make a 'wig' to be sewn on for the hair instead of the classic sewing in of the yarn along predetermined lines marked throughout the scalp directly on the doll head. The pinafore has changed from a classic sash being sewn across the width creating the ties in the back to elastic being run through a casing. I tried these new pattern changes with the first doll I made and didn't like most of the results. So I revised the pattern enough to reflect the classic elements: an embroidered face instead of painted: the classic zigzag under-eyelash instead of the star burst type eyelashes surrounding the eyes. I did keep the elastic in the pinafore as this is a time saving effort and I do like the look of it. I also drew the lines on the scalp to sew in the hair. I made a wig with the first one and DID NOT like the look...and what a pain to make!

The ~best~ change to the new pattern was Andy's hat. The old pattern had me setting a top into the brim and the new pattern has me adding the brim to the top. Doesn't sound like much as I'm explaining it here but it is quite the difference when working with the pattern. Also the new hat is a little taller so it can actually be seen when looking at a front view of the doll. The old hat was rather short and couldn't really be seen from the front because of all the fluffy hair. You had to turn the doll to the backside to see it.

I completed several dolls the way I wanted them and they were a big hit for little ones at Christmas and recent birthdays. The Raggedies will be another year round project. I have lots of family with lots of little ones...and the birth of more in the summer. So the Raggedies will be a staple of this old gals perpetual repertoire.

I haven't done any knitting since the first part of October. I had some health issues to deal with and it kind of threw a wrench in the works where the knitting was concerned. For a while I was too sick to mess with it. By the time I felt well enough to do it again, I lost interest and haven't picked it up since. I picked up the sewing and the quilting again instead.

I have lots of knitting UFO's and am getting the itch to pick up the needles again. I need to finish all the stuff I've started before I take on new projects. But spring yarn catalogs are arriving and it makes me nuts wanting to dabble in new(er) knitted projects. I swear knitting is a disease. It's a lot like Alcoholism: It's easy to say I can put it down any time I want, but the need to do new and exciting things almost always takes over and I'm addicted again. Is there a twelve step program out there for knit-a-holics? Or quilt-a-holics for that matter? Or glitter ornament-a-holics? Or crochet-a-holics? Or Raggedy-a-holics? And numerous other craft-a-holic type stuff? Cuz if there is, I need a sponsor(s)!!!!!

On to other things~ A couple of weeks ago we made a whirl wind trip to the heart of the Pocono's in PA to visit my daughter and her family from Florida. Her husband had a job interview there and we jumped at the chance to make the six hour drive to see them. I saw my grand babies. It was soooooooo great. They're growing so fast and am keeping my fingers crossed (and everything else I can cross) that the son-in-law gets an offer and they move closer. Tampa Florida is a twenty two hour ride and something I can't do. So having them so much closer would be fabulous.

My Grandson Ayden, My Daughter Anna, and My Grandaughter Chloe Amidst Chloe Birthday mess!

In other news, my sister in Texas found out a few weeks ago that she's expecting again. Normally this would have been kind of run of the mill news in our family as the vast majority of the family females are Fertile Myrtles and seem to pop out babies like Pez dispensers. But my sisters' case is a little different.

First of all, this was completely unexpected and totally took her and her hubby by surprise. She thought she was DONE eight years ago. Secondly, she turned 45 this past December. She thinks she's too old for such a thing again...and her doc told her point blank that her eggs are old and that makes her high risk (doctors really have a way of making you feel good about yourself, don't they?). And thirdly, for her, getting pregnant was always a huge effort and never came easily. She has a daughter who's 22 and another who just turned 8. The 14 year gap between the first two was a big deal back then. The 8 year gap between the second two isn't as big, but big enough to keep my sister raising kids until well into her 60's. So by the time it's all said and done she will have spent 40+ years raising kids. Not that that's a bad thing mind you, but she was kinda looking forward to getting the eight year old raised and off on her own so that dear Sis could spend her golden years in some peace and quiet!

The best news is that Sis is healthy and the baby is too. Last week she had another intensive Ultra Sound and an amnio to look for Downs Syndrome and a couple of other things. All her tests came back with good results. She's now comfortable with and accepting of the idea and is looking forward to it. She's not so frightened any longer. She also found out it's another girl. She's thrilled. She loves the girlie stuff. Me too. Gets my brain to churning bout quilts and stuff! But I'm partial to little boys too...as I have three of each. She's due in June...just when the Texas heat has pretty much set in. But Central Texas heat starts to rear it's ugly head in March. Add storm season to that March through June and it makes for a rockin' good time y'all! :\ It can make for a pretty miserable pregnancy. Sitting under the the A.C. is bout all anyone in that condition can do.

But we're all happy everyone is OK and are looking forward to the new addition late spring.

In my absence from Blogger in the form of an author, I did keep up with what everybody else in blogland has been up to these last couple of months. It was so much fun to see your creations and families and fun. There were even a few sad moments out there. But I did read you all every time you posted and have been kept apprised of whats going on outside my four walls. It's always inspiring to me to see what you do in your daily lives on the home front and the creative front. Blogger is such a great thing.

In the near future, I will be setting up an Etsy shop as I have lots of things I want to put out there. My daughter and her husband in Tennessee use Etsy for their duct tape creations (Ductile Designs) and have great success with it. It has inspired me to expand my own creative efforts and show the world what I have going on. I will post here at some point the date of the opening of my Etsy. I'm so excited!

It's soooooooo good to be back here and have the creative juices flowing again, both figuratively and for real. I feel human again.

Valentines Day is sneaking up on us fast...and Easter is too. And then Summer. Oh where do I find eight arms and hands and 47 hours in a day to get it all done? I can hardly wait to figure it all out!

Have a knit pickin' good day y'all!

Thanksgiving Wishes

2009-11-26T18:09:00.005-05:00

Wishing you all a joyful and peaceful Thanksgiving.

Very 'Revealing' Stockings!

2009-11-18T11:24:00.009-05:00

Recently I participated in a stocking swap hosted by Andrea over at Indigo Blue. The only requirements were to make a Christmas stocking and put a card with it to send to our swap partners. Now that the swap is over, I can FINALLY reveal what I sent and what I received.

First- this is what I received from Molly over at 'Crocheting My Best With My Worsted': It's a felt stocking embellished with different stitches from her sewing machine. It's sooooooooooo pretty! She also included a little Christmas tree cut out done in the same fashion. Also included with the lovely stocking is a crochet pattern book of baby ripple afghans. It's all so great. I will definitely use the pattern book. I love to do ripples when I crochet. Many, many thank yous to Molly for such lovely gifts.

What makes these gifts so special is that Molly has MS and is also dealing with multiple eye surgeries. She has her good days and some not so good days. But she most definitely manages to stay busy with her crafting and crocheting and does such beautiful work. No amount of thank yous will ever be enough to let Molly know how much I appreciate her efforts and her gifts.

Next- This is what I made for Molly: I did red work embroidery on bleached muslin and trimmed it with red and white striped fabric for heel, toe, and cuff. This was great fun to make. I love to embroider when I can and this just seemed like the thing to do with this stocking for Molly.

Doing this swap helped me get into the holiday spirit and has me wanting to do other projects for Christmas. It has gotten fairly cold here in New England, even though we still have some warmer days here and there. But this seasonal weather has helped boost the want for doing holiday projects as well.

Again, very many thanks to Molly for the lovely gifts and also to Andrea for hosting the swap. I hope to participate in more swaps of various kinds in the future. This was soooooooooo much fun.

Have a knit pickin' good day y'all!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T09:08:00.003-04:00

Just a boo and trick and a treat for you! Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins too! Be safe. Have fun. And hope you get lots of goodies...WOO HOO!

A Sneak Peek

2009-10-19T09:42:00.007-04:00

This is a tiny 'sneak peek' at what's happening on the Christmas Stocking Swap front. This has been so much fun to do. I get to work on it a little at a time as time allows...and as I feel like it. I was put on some new meds this past week and OH BROTHER...have they made me sick! But each day gets a little better and all should be fine in a couple of weeks.

But anyway, in the mean time, I do a little here and there and mainly I've been working on Molly's stocking. I love to make Christmas stockings. I made them for all of my six children...and for all of my eight grand children. And I've made a gazillion others through the years for various reasons. They are just fun to do mainly because there are sooooooooo many different ways they can be made. The possibilities are endless. So it never gets old and each one is like doing a stocking for the very first time.

I can't divulge more than this today as this is a surprise for Molly, but a little teaser isn't a bad thing either!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was quiet and mostly spent under the quilts on the bed as it was cold and wet outside. But really perfect weather for staying snuggled up and still while trying to adjust to new medication. Sometimes things really do work out for the best - even if it does involve crappy weather.

Have a knit pickin good day y'all!

Some Reflectin', Some Quiltin', and Some Knittin'

2009-10-12T10:46:00.020-04:00

I've been on a sabbatical for some time now while I've tried to figure things out where my life is concerned. I took time off from writing and pretty much everything else. I've functioned in a most repetitive, robotical, mechanical kind of way for a few weeks now. But seems the time has come to snap out of the funk and get on with things. That's a good thing, BELIEVE ME.

My heartfelt thanks to all those who wrote to me expressing concern and sending me well wishes. They were (and YOU ARE) appreciated more than you know!

While things are still not back to 100% in some areas of my life, I have been doing what I know best...in the creativity department at least. I've been sewing, and quilting, and knitting. It's been excellent therapy except for the fact that I'm soooooooooo slow and don't turn out the projects as fast as I'd like. And I've had Christmas as inspiration to create the determination to get some things done. So, as the Christmas deadline is ALREADY looming (gees, where did the time go this year?!), I've cranked it up a few notches and have two quilts, two knitted afghans, and various other small projects in the works.

I would have preferred to be singing with the band and staying busy on that front, but it just hasn't made itself available to me for a while now as I've had no gumption in that aspect of my creativity. My music has ALWAYS been the best medicine for whatever ails my soul, but even this, my real love of all things that I love, hasn't been the fix I've needed. But what I have done is listen to an awful lot of it whilst working on other said projects...with a few bottles of wine to keep it all company.

So the wine days are behind me now...at least in bottle form. Maybe a glass of it here and there. It's nice to have it in front of the fire in the evenings...now that's it's cool enough to have a fire in the evenings. (I can't believe we're already facing winter and sub freezing temps and snow...LOTS of snow - UUGGHH).

But anyway, the quilting has been great. And the knitting has been great. Along the way, I've discovered some great places to shop for fabric and yarn in Providence, RI and Fairhaven, MA. I've come up with some fab deals in those areas to keep me going on this front. The inspiration has been tremendous and it constantly fuels the want to finish all these projects.

Some peeks here at what's OTN and in the quilt frame. Can't divulge too much cuz it spoils surprises ya know!

Here again...I'm STILL without a decent camera to take pics good enough to do them justice here. My phone is all I have and seems the more I use it, the worse the picture quality gets. But it's all I have for now and will have to do...still! Renovating a house and just trying to make ends meet these days leaves money for little else...and the camera thing is definitely considered a "luxury" at this point.

This past week I joined a 'Christmas Stocking Swap' that Andrea over at Indigo Blue is hosting. This should be lots of fun. I've not participated in a swap before and I loooooooooooove to make Christmas Stockings. My swap partner is Molly from sewquiltwhatever and crochetingmyworsted. (Sorry, but even after all these months of blogging, I STILL don't know how to create a link within my own blog. I CANNOT figure it out!!!) You can catch their blogs <------- over to the side here in my blog list. But this stocking swap thing should be lots of fun and am going to get started on that this week.

It's good to be back and am hoping to get back here to post more often. There's lots going on in the way of beautiful fall scenery here in New England and the critters in the house are always entertaining and I'm busy, busy, busy with the projects.

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

Sunny Daze

2009-09-20T11:53:00.008-04:00

It's been a while since I've been here to post anything. A lot going on and I've been busy.

As the the temperatures start to fall and sure signs of Autumn are making their presence known here in New England signaling the end of summer and a new new season upon us, so do the winds of change blow in my own life.

When I started this blog back in the spring, it was with great enthusiasm and hope of all things new and exciting. I mainly classified my blog as a knitting blog, but knew it would be more than that in the creativity department. I do lots of things and knew I would want to talk about those other crafty things too. But I've also talked about personal issues and opinions. I've lamented about some not so happy things that have happened at some point in my life and in my head. I've talked about fun things and silly things too.

These days, I deal with a lot of personal internal struggle about the direction(s) my life should go. I try to stay busy with the knitting and sewing and quilting to keep that aspect of my life alive and ongoing. But sometimes it isn't enough to overcome overwhelming feelings of stress, depression, dread, fear and uncertainty. Suffice it to say, I'm still here and am still breathing and am still trying to figure things out. To say the very least, it has kept me away from the blogger as I've not had much enthusiasm about projects I'm working on, nor have I had the true desire to sit here and type for the words just don't come easily and readily the last few weeks.

All the while, I've kept reading your blogs and have enjoyed watching your summers unfold with all your great projects and food and activities and families and friends.

As of this moment, I just don't know how often I'll get back here to write. I'm hoping the blogging mojo will kick in again soon and I can cheerily chatter on about my projects a few times a week like I once did not so very long ago. In the meantime, I'm just kind of in a fog...or a daze, if you will, and know not what to do...or what to say...to anyone...about anything.

On an up note, I did manage to hit a few yard sales this summer and found a few things that definitely made improvements in my life - i.e. - a sewing machine! A nice one that works great and does everything I need it to do. Because of that nifty little purchase, I've been able to get back to the quilting I sooooooo longed for. Am currently working on a quilt of the small people kind: something for a grandbaby. I pieced the top last week and now have it in the frame doing the quilting (by hand of course). So in addition to the what seems like 47 different knitting projects I have under way, so do I now have the quilt projects up and running too. YAY!!!! I'll post photos at some point of the current quilt project and the one that will follow immediately after (2 quilts in the works). I can't really post pics now as it would spoil surprises for the intended. And I know the mama of the recipient(s) reads this blog!

I hope you all had a fabulous summer. I hope the Autumn will bring even greater joys to you all. Fall is my favotite time of year and I live in the perfect place for such a season. Fall in New England is truly spectacular - just like what you see in magazines, books and TV. This particular Autumn I think will be new beginnings for me and I hope to lavish in all it's autumnal beauty and splendor while trying to figure things out.

Hope to see you all soon!

Man The Life Boats!

2009-08-30T10:44:00.009-04:00

It rained yesterday...and rained, and rained, and rained. Here in the Southcoast region of Massachusetts we got a storm system from the west that converged with the remnants of tropical storm Danny. It dumped a LOT of rain overnight Friday and ALL DAY Saturday.

I was dumb enough to get out in all the rain yesterday afternoon and go to the grocery store. My sweetie called me while I was on my wet little jaunt to make sure I was OK. We were under flood warnings...and I did have to cross a couple of partially flooded streets to get to my destination and back again.

During this phone call, sweetie said he'd been down in the basement to see if there was water coming in to a place that's prone to leakage when it rains a lot. At that particular time he said it was damp, which is normal. It all checked out OK and he went on his merry way.

An hour later when I got home and dried out some, I went to the basement to get a load of wash from the dryer. At the top of the stairs I flipped the light on and started to take a step but STOPPED! dead. in. my. tracks. - for lo and behold, at the bottom of the stairs was water. LOTS of water. I hollered to sweetie to COME HERE NOW!!! We both ventured down to find the whole basement with about 2 inches of water...and the sump pump in the frech drain WAS NOT WORKING!!

Nearest we could figure after about 20 minutes of investigating was that the city storm drain system was flooded to the point of backing up into our property and caused the french drain to clog and the sump pump couldn't function. All this happened in about 90 minutes time - from the time he'd been down to check just prior to the phone call until the grim discovery at the top of the stairs just minutes later.

Sweetie did some digging into the drain and surmised that the valve inside had slammed shut from all the water. He fixed it and got it to working again. It was slow to drain, but it WAS draining! He got the shop vac and started to clean up. I got the big push broom and was pulling water away from the washer and dryer. We did this periodically all evening and he worked some into the night. This morning it was mostly dry save for a big area rug that's in front of the washer and dryer. It's gonna have to be thrown out. The de-humidifier has been working over time for sure.

All the while when were cleaning up I kept thinking "where's the the rubber duckies and the little toy boats when you need them?" It was a little kids paradise for sure!

In all the commotion of trying to figure where the water was coming from and the subsequent clean up, I didn't think to take pictures of our first flood. Maybe next time....and I'm sure there will be a next time. It's just part of life here.

So goes the life of living on the coast in southern New England. But I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Another Fun Give A Way!

2009-08-27T10:40:00.007-04:00

Quilt n Quilt Things is having a cool give away to celebrate her blogaversary. The stuff she's giving away is all quilt related and if you want to check it all out and get in on it, go here: www.quiltfever3.blogspot.com

Good Luck!

Knit Pickin' - Catching Up

2009-08-20T09:03:00.018-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted about some knitted throw pillows I was working on. I finished them recently but am just now getting around to showing you the finished product.

Whilst working on these, I got side tracked with making pincushions...aaaand working on a couple of other knitted projects...aaaand keeping up with every day life. I get all scattered like that very often as I think of new projects I want to take on while I'm working on something else. I have a hard time waiting to start something new, so the current project gets put to the side until I've done enough on the new project to warrant guilt for dropping the previous project in favor of the new one.

So...

It takes me a while to complete said projects - but I do get them completed...eventually.

So, these nifty little striped knitted throw pillow were fun to do. They were absolutely mindless in the knitting. I wanted something simple in design and technique. It was about having fun with the colors.

Normally I knit with nice wools...usually Merino wool - and the softer the better! But when searching for yarn to do accent pillows, the colors I came up with in the various wools available to me fell quite short of what I was looking for. I found nothing that would even begin to coordinate with what I have going in my living room. I don't usually use acrylics of any kind, but I saw this stuff in A.C. Moore and knew it was what I needed to do the job.

These yarns are from the Vanna White Collection by Lion Brand yarns. They're very soft without being fuzzy, so little chance of pilling with wear and tear. They're nice and springy and form quite nicely to whatever gauge I need for the project. And it was really quite nice to work with. I enjoyed it very much...and still am!

So now I have cool little colorful pillows that will please for a long time to come. There are more of these little gems in the hopper; same colors but different patterns. Will end up with about ten pillows by the time it's all said and done. I LOVE throw pillows...and the more the better!

So now I'm off to work some on the one I currently have on the needles before I get summoned to do something else that will take me away from it till who knows when!

Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

Quilting - It's A Family Thing

2009-08-13T10:50:00.019-04:00

I was born into and grew up with very talented and creative women in my family. My family lineage is steeped in generations of seamstresses, knitters, crocheters, tatters, quilters, and needle crafters to no end. For as long as I can remember, these things have been going on all around me.

I don't know much about my dad's family. I was taken away from them at a very young age and they were never talked about in our house. So I don't know whether or not there were creatively talented women in the Daniel family. In my adult years, it's something I've never researched. I've preferred to keep that distance my mother set for us early on. But I think I'm getting close to wanting to know more about where I come from, for I know there are TWO sides to a family and those two sides make up the whole of who I am genetically. It will be worth looking into someday. But all I've heard about my whole life is my mother's family and the rich heritage it offers it abundant ways.

Even my step dad's family offers quite a lot in the way of sewing, quilting, and creating through the generations. My mother found old quilts dating back to the late 1700's stored away in my step grandparents dairy barn in Arkansas. They were traced back to my step dad's mother's family in Ohio and Pennsylvania and were quite the treasures indeed. My mother was so taken with one of the quilts she found that she meticulously studied the pattern and the fabrics it was made of in order to make one herself. She recreated the pattern and searched far and wide until she found the exact same fabrics. It was beautiful when she finished. And it was pure pure joy for her to recreate this wondrous work of art.

A great aunt of mine in Texas is a nationally known quilter: Minnie Ola 'Olie' Perryman of Gatesville, Texas. She took that same pattern to make the same quilt for herself. A picture of her with that quilt with an article about the history of the Prickly Pear quilt are featured in the book 'Lone Stars: A Legacy Of Texas Quilts 1936-1986.'

My younger sister and I have been sewing and quilting since we were 'knee high to a grasshopper'. In the same tradition my grandmother learned to quilt from her mother, so did my sister and I learn the craft. My grandmother could recall being three years old and sitting next to her mother at the quilt frame with needle and thread quilting right along. My grandmother did the same thing with my sister and I when we were very young. We both learned to sew on her mother's old Singer treadle sewing machine. I was six and my sister was around five I think. We were the same ages sitting next to her at the quilt frame with needle in hand quilting right along also. My grandmother had my youngest daughter sitting beside her at the age of three showing her how to push the needle along in whatever quilt she had in the frame at the time.

I've spent all my life quilting. I've spent that life with my mothers family as deep inspiration for keeping the craft alive. My sister does the same thing. We both do quilting by hand as has been passed down in our family. The hand quilting is a preference. We know machine quilting seems to be THE thing to do these days. It's evident in monthly quilt publications as they advertise elaborate, expensive quilting machines and the quilts that have been produced by these machines. More and more quilters and their elaborately machined quilts are featured. Granted these quilts are beautiful, but they don't have the same look, feel, aesthetic quality, or artistic value as a hand quilted quilt has. Long gone is the simplicity that hand quilting offers.

These days I don't quilt so much. I have a sewing machine that is in non working order and don't have a quilt frame to my name any longer. I am also poor as a church mouse and not capable of changing these particular statuses at this time. I don't know when I will be able to change it. Not in the foreseeable future for sure. So to make up for it, I knit and crochet like crazy, preferring to knit. My sister on the other hand does have her sewing machine which is in working order and a quilt frame in hand and keeps them both busy.

My sister Rosanne, who lives in San Antonio, Texas spends a lot of time sitting at her quilt frame hand stitching along. Her 'significant other' gave her a Grace quilt frame for Christmas and she's had something going in it ever since. But she's been quilting for far longer than that.

She is a stay at home mom with a seven year old still in tow. She has a 22 year old who is still living at home also while she works and goes to school. But she's working to get her married off ASAP! In the midst of taking care of all that needs taking care of while wrangling kids, managing a household, taking care of 'significant other', and doing the daily 'must do's', she manages to find the time to sit at the frame and quilt some most every day...even in the horrendous heat Texas is currently experiencing - 105 degrees in San Antonio every day for the past two weeks for sure. And one of the air conditioners in her house conked out a while ago, so she is definitely feeling the heat in her house! But she marches right along on the quilt no matter what. I admire her tenacity.

I remember long after I married, left home and was living in Colorado, getting a letter in the mail from my grandmother in Texas bragging about my little sister and her first quilt. She was of junior high age at the time and had been working with my grandmother and great aunt Olie to make a beautiful Fan quilt. It was done in different shades of blue with white lace edging the fans. It was beautiful indeed. She's been quilting ever since. She's has always managed to stay in practice with quilting no matter her situation and how many times she's moved over the years.

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Her current project is what you see in photos here. She says it's kind of a hodge podge of stuff in piecing and quilting. She sends me pictures of the progress and I'm always impressed with the ideas she comes up with as she goes along. She's doing lots of different quilting designs as she goes: so far there are little birds, and butterflies, and triangles. She has other ideas swirling around in her head about what to do next. It's so cool that she can do this and it just works as it goes. I can hardly wait to see the finished product.

She and I talk often, pretty much every day. We text all day long. (It's a good thing we each have unlimited texting on our phone plans!) We talk about everything and the conversations always turn to the quilting and the knitting. We talk about our family traditions in this regard. We are each adamant about pursuing the family heritage and traditions in the ways of crafting - especially quilting. We are determined to keep the craft of hand quilting alive, no matter how small that impact may be on the quilting community as a whole.

We see for ourselves at craft fairs, and quilt shows, and monthly quilt
publications, and advertising of all sorts in the world of quilting that hand quilting is falling by the way side. Even the Grace Quilt Frame company has branched out and created frames that will accommodate quilting machines. It's a sad fact. We live in world of needing instant gratification which is what machine quilting offers. No one wants to take the time to preserve history in newly made quilts. Quilting has become as commercial as everything else in this world. It's all about mass production and money. An art form that was formed out of necessity hundreds of years ago is rapidly becoming a lost art. That's a horribly sad fact also.

No matter how busy our lives get, me and mine will always make the time to sit at a quilt frame and plug along one hand stitch at a time until we've created the work of art we desire. There's not much family left on my mother's side. Most are gone now, including my mother and grandmother. My sister and I hope they can see what she and I do today and are proud that we keep at least family tradition alive.

Happy quilting...and happy day!

Fun, Fun, Give Away!!

2009-08-11T09:17:00.016-04:00

NO. No. no. I'm not giving away anything...YET. But someone I know is giving away something VERY fun and I want to give her a shout out here and give you all the opportunity to get in on it.

JenX67 is giving away a set of 3 brand new John Hughes DVD's: The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Pretty In Pink. How fun is that?!

If you happen to be a regular reader of my blog and scroll down the page when you're looking around at stuff here, you'll notice a section called 'Spiritually Speaking'. Included in that list of blogs I read is jenX67. She writes a daily blog focusing a lot on Generation X, among other things, and it is ALWAYS great and inspirational reading.

I happen to know jenX67 from my childhood...well, the waining years of my childhood anyway. Her dad was the pastor of a little church I attended in west Texas in the late 70's. She has a brother who is my age and two older sisters. Her family and their message of faith and spirituality were a huge influence on me during that time. That influence is still with me today...although I must admit you can't always tell it outwardly if you talk to me in person - or read my blog with any regularity. But believe me, it's there...especially in my music!

I LOVE her blog. She is a very talented writer. She's very creative in sooooooo many ways. AND has THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FAMILY! Her whole family is creative and talented. One of her sisters has another blog on the same list: 'A Gathering Of Thoughts'. Check them both out some time. Believe me, it will be worth your time!

If you go to www.jenX67.com, you can check out the specs of her contest and get in all this fun! Don't miss out!

By the way, I should mention that mentioning jenX67's give a way here earns me a bonus point towards the contest. Sneaky...but effective!!!

In the meantime, have a knit pickin' good day ya'll!

Pincushions Galore!

2009-08-10T14:08:00.022-04:00

It's been a while since I've been here. It's been kinda busy tending to the daily necessities of life. Yes, there is more to life than knitting, crocheting, quilting, etc...you know, all that really important stuff.

In between taking care of the things that need taking care of, I've been making these little crocheted pin cushions. Mostly I've done them late at night while trying to unwind enough to go to sleep.

I saw this pattern on Ravelry. It was written in Danish and I by no means speak or even begin to understand the language, spoken or written. So I just kinda looked at the picture and 'ciphered' it for myself thataway.

I thought it was just too cute not give it a shot. It's so easy and so much fun to make. I plan to make more...some to give as gifts for quilters and seamstresses I know.

I've mainly used Sugar-N-Cream Cotton yarns for these. I have so much of it leftover from the potholder making jag I was on a few weeks ago. I've made a couple of them from some Merino wool I have, but I really prefer the cotton for the function-ability it creates for the cushion itself. It will keep pins and needles nice and sharp constantly pushing them into the stiff cotton. The pins slide easily in and out of the cushion, but the texture of the cotton will be good for keeping points sharp.

This is a PERFECT project for that bag full of little scraps of yarn you just don't know what to do with.

What's been the most fun is digging through old buttons and buying new ones too for the centers of the cushions. I've come up with some great vintage glass buttons and some other fun stuff too. I've seen a few of these made up with little crocheted flowers in the centers. I tried that, but I prefer the look of the old, and the glitzy, and the fun colored buttons.

My mother had two little pincushions like these when I was a little girl and I know those cushions were old back then. They'd been given to her by her mother. So this pattern has been around for a very long time. The ones I see online now may be a very slightly different version of the old ones my mother had, but not by much.

While I knit and crochet and do whatever it is I do through the day, this is my partner in crime. The cat is always there to check out the latest project in the works. Once he's scoped it out and decides it's OK for me to proceed, he curls up in my lap or beside me where ever I happen to be.

All my projects are "Dinkus" approved. I call him 'Dink', 'Dinkus', 'Dinky Doo', 'Kubla Kraus', 'Joe', ...whatever pops into my head at the moment that seems to fit his personality at that particular moment. That's why he's never had just one name. There are too many different facets to his personality and one name is not fitting all the time. Remarkably, he responds to what ever name he's called at any given moment. He just seems to know he's no ordinary cat.

So any time you see a project here that's been marked 'Dinkus Approved', you'll know it's of top notch quality and satisfaction guaranteed. If it's been sniffed, rubbed on, purred over and 'bisquit making tested', then it's good to go!

I hope to get to post a little more often the next couple of weeks, but we'll see.

In the mean time, I hope you're having a knit pickin' good summer!

Knit Pickin' - Pretty Book

2009-07-30T17:26:00.022-04:00

I've not posted any this week as I have been busy prepping for a yard sale we're holding this weekend. It's been quite the task going through all kinds of stuff to decide what goes, what stays and how much things should cost if they end up in the 'go' pile...and there are LOTS of 'go piles'. Will finish it all up tomorrow and the big sale is on Saturday. Hope it ALL goes. I don't want to haul ANY of it back into the house!

In the meantime, I thought I'd take a break and pop in for a minute to give you a peek into my favorite knitting book. I have lot's of knitting books, but this one is by far my favorite. Probably a fave of some of you too.

This is Morehouse Farm. Margrit Lorher and her husband Albrecht live in upstate New York and own and operate a Merino sheep farm that produces the wool for the fabulous yarns they make and sell. This book is really beautiful in it's photos and the story of how Morehouse Farm came to be.

It's definitely a story book....and I still love 'story books'.

My copy of this book is rather dog eared as I've looked at it A LOT the last couple of years. I love it and have used it so much!

My cheesy camera does not do these beautiful pictures any justice whatsoever. Just take my word for it when I say 'beautiful'. Margrit has all kinds of great projects in the book also - all of which I hope to complete someday, one at a time.

Enjoy!

...and have a knit pickin' good weekend too!

Bringing A Bit Of Summer Indoors

2009-07-25T11:22:00.005-04:00

Have a beautiful, sunshiny, sunflowery, kinda weekend!

Knit Pickin' - Pillow Talk

2009-07-24T10:00:00.016-04:00

The last year and a half of my life has been about starting over...and starting over in every way imaginable. One of those ways is putting a household together completely from scratch.

So while doing all the things necessary like getting the basics to set up housekeeping, there's also the little things that add to the aesthetic quality of making a house a home. I yard sale, shop thrift stores and the like, and make stuff, etc. We are also currently renovating an old Cape Cod style home we acquired last fall. All this has been quite the task and quite the adventure, to put it mildly. But it has been great fun and it all has been like working with a blank canvas to create the living environment most conducive to and most comfortable for our current lifestyle.

It is true the old saying: "It's the little things that make a house a home". So one of my latest projects to 'home-ify' my house is knitted throw pillows. I got the idea from Morehouse Farm. Margrit Lohrer who runs a Merino sheep farm for her fabulous knitting yarns in upstate New York, and who knits like a banshee, has made some beautiful knitted throw pillows through the years and that's where I got the inspiration to do some for my house.

I'm starting with just simple, basic stockinette stitch to showcase the colors I've chosen for a pillow or two. Then I will move on to some more elaborate stuff like cables and some entrelac. Right now the most basic of knitting techniques is great fun - simple and mindless in the work. I'm currently working on a seat cushion done in entrelac and it has been a challenge finding a tutorial dumbed down enough for me to get the hang of it. But I finally figured it out and it is going swimmingly. But it does require quite a bit of 'paying attention' to what I'm doing at the moment, so it's nice to put it down and go to the stockinette stitch for a while. Doesn't make my brain hurt so much.

I have so many different kinds of projects in the works that it's nice to take a break from one thing and go to something completely different, i.e. going from knitting to embroidery, or crochet to quilting. Keeps my fingers nimble and my mind sharp...as sharp as it can possibly be at this age now. My mind is mush most of the time these days, which really ain't such a bad thing either when I think about it. I can just play dumb to a lot of things and get away with a lot! Getting old does have it's advantages!! Not that I think I'm truly old. It's just nice to be able to use it as an excuse occasionally when there's things I 'might' need an excuse for. So, it keeps me out of trouble. Just so long as I "tend to my own knittin' ", I'm OK.

Have a knit pickin' good weekend ya'll !!

Going To 'Pot' !

2009-07-22T09:49:00.011-04:00

I've been crocheting like crazy the last couple of weeks and in addition to finishing the afghan, I've made a gazillion potholders.

My youngest daughter in Tennessee is a newlywed (1 year this past June) and is still in the throws of setting up housekeeping. I told her I'd make some potholders and shoot 'em her way.

But I was having such a good time making these that I got a tad bit carried away and have a butt load of them now. So I will divide them up evenly and disperse them between my three daughters. Now in addition to making their way to Tennessee, some of them will also be traveling to Florida and some to Arizona. My kids are scattered ALL OVER the country. (My boys are in New Mexico and Virginia).

These were sooooooooo much fun to make. I made some for my sweetie's mother for Mothers Day and just did the same kind for my girls. These are very simple patterns I made up as I went along. I have to have VERY simple patterns. My brain doesn't handle too much in the way of complicated these days. So nothing more than double crochet. It's just better that way.

Soooo.....

This is some of what I've been up to lately. There's more stuff in the works. Am knitting at the moment and loving that. Am doing some entrelac in the form of throw pillows and a seat cushion for a rocking chair. Just too much fun.

See you soon with more updates on more stuff. Have a knit pickin' good day ya'll !

Knit Pickin' - I've Been Busy

2009-07-21T11:40:00.014-04:00

I've not posted much this past week as I have opted to be busy with various projects I've had in the works.

I finished my 'Providence Rose Garden' granny afghan a few days ago. It's so good to FIIIIIINALLY have this completed. In this last month or so, every time I thought I'd be able to sit and finish, something else would come along to take me away from it and then it would be days before I could get back to it.

This past week I've been bogged down with some sort of cold/flu like crud that sweetie brought home over the 4th of July holiday. It hit him hard that following week and then I got it this past week. In the throngs of coughing and feeling pretty crappy, and in between reading all your lovely blogs out there, I've managed to finish the afghan and work on a couple of other projects too.

So here's the afghan. Will be showing you what else is in the works in the next few days. Am working hard to get stuff ready to be put up for sale this coming fall in addition to doing things for my own house too, i.e. the afghan for an old rocker that sits in my dining room. Have some knitted throw pillows in the works for various places around the house too. Have taken on some entrelac knitting and thoroughly enjoying that. Been crocheting like crazy too...and doing some embroidery...and designing a doll or two.

Soooooo.....

There's lots of stuff to keep me busy for the summer and lots of stuff to show you as it goes along.

Hope ya'll are having a fab summer week. It's raining here...AGAIN. A good day to sit and knit. Certainly not gonna get out and about in this weather with the crud I have. Napping and crafty stuff as I feel up to it are about all that's on my agenda for today.

See you soon. Have a knit pickin' good rest of the day ya'll!!!

Addendum to today's post: I would VERY much like to be able to give you better photos than what I have been, but as the case may be - I don't have a real live camera to do the deed with. I have to rely on my phone to take pics for now. A nice digital camera is on my wish list - hopefully for Christmas. My good cameras were something that went when I broke down and sold nearly ALL of my worldly possessions a couple of years ago, and until now, haven't really had a need for another. So, please pardon the dull, unclear, lack of detail photos until I can rectify the situation. The afghan you see here has a scalloped edge, but you CANNOT see it well in these photos.

Such Is Real Life

2009-07-20T15:29:00.004-04:00

OK...this is for all you working stiffs out there who have to deal with the dreaded 'MONDAY'. Enjoy!!

Notice the 'giants' are knitted :)

Gone, But NEVER Forgotton

2009-07-18T11:44:00.016-04:00

I've spent a good portion of this week lost in remembrances of the Apollo 11 rocket launch, the lunar module touching down on the moon's surface, and Neil Armstrong's first step (for man) on the moon.

On this most historic date in history, July 20, 1969, I was seven years old. But I remember this momentous occasion like it was yesterday. And the voice I've been hearing in my head all week recounting this monumental moment is that of Walter Cronkite.

Yesterday we lost a true National Treasure. In this year of great losses in the entertainment and news industries, Walter Cronkite's passing is the one that touches me deeper than most others...even more so than Michael Jackson. Walter Cronkite was a daily staple in our home when I was growing up and when I moved out on my own, he remained a staple of my daily life until his retirement in 1981. Life just wasn't normal if I didn't have his face and voice reporting to me the days news every evening during supper time.

Walter Cronkite is a true icon of Gen X'ers and those of us old enough to remember his reporting during the days of just 3 networks and black and white TV no doubtedly will feel the loss of such an important figure of our era.

Even though Mr. Cronkite retired from daily television news reporting some 28 years ago, he has remained the standard by which even today's up and coming news reporters and journalists of all kinds aspire to, but none seem to ever achieve. Lyndon Johnson said towards the end of his presidency, "If I've lost Walter Cronkite, I've lost middle America". And that was a true statement in every sense. He had the ears and pulse of the nation as a whole as the most trusted man in America and had great influence over nations and political leaders the world over. I don't think we'll ever hear president Obama saying "If I've lost Rachel Maddow.. Katie Couric...Brian Williams, I've lost middle America. "

No one in the world of television news today has the vision, the fortitude, the forthrightness, the no non-sense manner, nor the honesty by which Walter Cronkite came to us every day. And I think he has no doubtedly been sorely disappointed...and disgusted by the turn television news has taken in the last few years.

There's no one in television reporting today I watch with any regularity because of the lack of appeal and the insincerity most journalists deliver on a daily basis. I still subscribe to the old school ways the news should be - honest and to the point.

When Walter Cronkite spent 27 straight hours on the air to report the very first man on the moon in 1969, my family was there every minute with him. When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, it was the only time in his career Mr. Cronkite was speechless. I was too young to remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy - 19 months old at the time. But I do remember when Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were murdered...and Walter Cronkite was the voice of those historically somber occasions also. He took us through the Vietnam war, the Energy Crisis in the mid 70's, The Three Mile Island disaster, the Iran Crisis, and the election of president Ronald Reagan...his last of very many political and election coverages dating from WWII.

He covered thousands of stories, in hundreds of countries, reaching millions of people in a career spanning more than seven decades. No one will ever top what he has done, in the way he did it, in the time he did it. Just like there will never be another Michael Jackson, there will never be another Walter Cronkite.

"And THAT'S the it was".
Rest In Peace Walter.

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

2009-07-16T17:00:00.010-04:00

There were a LOT of years in my life when I used to spend more of my time in the fabric department at WalMart than I did in my own home. Some of those years I dragged my significant other with me and put him through the rigors of matching fabrics for a current quilt project or laying out a new one. The poor slob never knew what hit him.

What I knew to be only minutes at a time, significant other ALWAYS swore it was hours at a time. But time flies when you're having fun...and maybe it really was 'hours' he subjectively endured.

I never was one to drag him along when I shopped for clothes. I always preferred the opinions of others not be relevant when choosing my wardrobe. My own warped sense of style and eye for fit was enough criticism and punishment. But mall hopping, sitting at Sonic Drive In, and going to WalMart were always a different story. These were places to 'share' special time together, and what was more special than choosing quilt fabric?! After all, he always did encourage my craft and showed off my completed projects to whom ever would even remotely be interested - whether they wanted to be or not.

But the shopping for fabrics together was akin to the Plague. Any time I asked if he wanted to tag along on one of my jaunts, he would usually politely agree, "Sure. I don't have anything better to do" as in; "the game is not on for another six hours yet" or "maybe the yard work can wait another day or two." But actually getting him in the fabric department - and keeping him there was a struggle.

WalMart was a struggle because it was a department store, as in having OTHER things BESIDES fabric and the like. In the older stores, the fabric department was usually sandwiched between Sporting Goods and Automotive...and Lawn and Garden was just a hop, skip, and jump away too. Sooooo, he didn't feel TOO tortured when it came to tagging along. There was always the 'escape' route for him. He could walk to fabrics with me, stand there with hands in pockets while I asked his opinion about a piece or two, nod, smile, "uh-huh" gratuitously, and then suddenly decide he needs a couple of things from the aforementioned areas. Escape complete.

But a 'fabric store' might as well have been the paddy wagon; locked up and on a one way journey to Nowheresville. He didn't go with me too many times to the specialty shops, but there were occasions when he did come along...and I got to where I hated him being there as much as he did. So I learned to make those trips myself...and to relish the time alone to revel in all the splendor that is a fabric shop.

Today, I don't even begin to think of asking my new sweetie to accompany me on my trips to these places for these things. I learned my lesson previously from the old significant others. He's all for my endeavors into the world of creativity...so long as he's not dragged along on the outings for supplies. And I prefer it that way. It really is better as just 'my thing'. And he always seems to appreciate that I prefer it that way. I prefer not to have to endure the sudden aches and pains, extreme tiredness, or the sudden remembrance that he had a previous engagement and we gotta go...NOW!

OK. So I'm done with dragging my male counterparts to the things I like to do, and I prefer not being dragged to the stuff he likes to do. Those days are long past, wasted on what was my youth, and now I enjoy doing stuff alone in my old age. It just works better that way. And we have recently discovered that we are eating supper around 4pm instead of 6 to 7ish. Come to think of it, I kind of wind up in bed by 7:30, and he falls asleep on the couch long before then. And I'm the one who drives to wherever we need to go. And I find myself in the slow lane with the turn signal ever blinking unbeknownst to me until some passerby yells 'turn your blinker off grandma!"

So, I'm getting old. Spending time alone is not so bad. Early meals ain't so bad either. Shopping for my supplies alone is a great thing. Now, shut up and drive.

Jingle Bells

2009-07-10T10:06:00.008-04:00

It's July and time to start purchasing Christmas fabrics. I do it every year and it's never intentional. But I walk into the fabric shops in mid summer and there they are!

I can't help it. There's something about Christmas prints that just drives me crazy. I see 'em and I gotta have 'em. I never know what I'm going to make with any particular piece I buy. I just know I gotta have it. I know I'm gonna die dead if I don't walk out of the store with out a Christmas print of some sort. And the closer to Christmas it gets, the worse it gets. I end up with boxes full of the fabulous little treasures by the time Christmas rolls around. And those fabrics may just sit in those boxes or in cabinets or what have you for a year or two before I actually find a project for them, but by gosh I've got 'em and that's enough for me!

The very first find for this year is an adorable 'Peanuts' print I found at JoAnn Fabrics. I love the Peanuts characters and am especially fond of anything having to do with 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. There's nothing more precious than the innocence of these children in this particular story. It's been part of my life for 42 years and I grow more fond of the characters and this animated story every year.

This fabric at JoAnn is regularly 9.99 per yard...GEEEEES - enough to choke a horse. It's just a plain old 50/50 cotton poly blend. But I got a yard and a half on sale at 40% off plus another 10% off with a coupon I had. So all said and done at 4.99 per yard, that's not too bad. I can live with that. It was just too cute to pass up and even at regular price I would have gotten a yard at some point.

So the Christmas shopping season officially begins for me...and gonna LOVE every minute of it. There are many, MANY more Christmas prints in very near future as I can not resist them. Stick and around and watch the stack grow!!!!

Hi-Ho Cherry 'O

2009-07-06T13:46:00.006-04:00

Life Is a bowl of cherries...

pitted and chopped...

...and then you make cake!

Happy Birthday America !!

2009-07-04T06:43:00.012-04:00

It's hard to believe it's been 33 years since the Bicentennial of our country. At the end of that summer I entered my freshman year in high school. What memories that brings back. And what a big deal our Bicentennial was. Sooo much anticipation. Soooooo much celebration. Sooooooooooooooo much commemorative 'junk' manufactured for this auspicious occasion.

Last night my sweetie and I were moving a bunch of boxes of miscellaneous 'what have you' from the back porch to the basement...stuff we inherited from his mom recently as she is selling her house and cleaning out YEARS of accumulation. In the mountain of stuff, we ran across two boxes filled with Bicentennial commemorative coffee mugs. They had belonged to my sweetie's dad and are quite nice really. They must have cost a pretty good penny back then.

Running across those mugs at this particular time was kind of a cool thing and it got me to thinking about where I was July 4, 1976. And it got me to thinking about all the years that have passed since then. So much time. So many memories, good and bad. Mostly good. So many things to be grateful for.

I am truly blessed to live in this country. My children and their children are truly blessed to live here too. All the opportunities in life afforded them today could never happen anywhere but here.

My baby girl, my BABY, who turns 22 on Monday (who was very nearly an Independence Day baby, but the hospital's surgical team had that Saturday July 4, 1987 off...and that Sunday too, so she had to wait 'til Monday the 6th to be born), and her lovely hubby drove to Washington D.C. from Nashville, TN yesterday to spend our country's birthday in the most spectacular place on earth place for this event. How fabulous, and how fortunate they are to have the freedom to do this. I am soooooooo very proud my children live in a place where they can choose to do anything they want to do and go anywhere they want to go and say anything they want to say and feel anything they want to feel.

I expect the pictures and the video's from their experience to start rolling into my email around midnight or so tonite.

As for me and my sweetie, we have the freedom to just sit home and enjoy the holiday on our deck with Cat and Dog and the grill and cold beer. We may drive the few blocks to U Mass to watch the fire works display, or we may just sit home and listen to them booming in the distance. We have the freedom to make that choice.

I also have the freedom to get up this morning, cruise the newspaper, check off my destinations and hit the yard sale trail. What a country !!

Have a happy, safe and blessed 4th of July !!!

Habitat For Humanity ReStore

2009-07-01T10:16:00.021-04:00

<------------ Time to feed the fishies!!

Today's post is for all you thrift store junkies out there! I've mentioned several times now about the fact that I used to volunteer in a Habitat For Humanity ReStore. In some parts of the country, the ReStore is a thrift store in the way we usually know a thrift store, with the exception of clothes. They don't sell clothing. But it's a great place for fab finds in the way of vintage furniture, antique furniture, new furniture, dishes, knick-knacks, framed art, etc. It's endless some of the great stuff that can be found in one of these stores.

Some of the ReStores around the country focus more on construction materials for houses and the like. If you're the 'do it yourselfer' and doing some repairs on your house, or even focusing on a remodel of some sort, The ReStore is a THE place to get your needs for these things too.

Cabinets galore. Bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Floor tile. Wall paper. Paint. Rugs. Windows. Doors. Appliances. The list is endless in what these particular stores offer too. A lot of it used. A lot of it new.

All merchandise sold in the ReStores is donated from the general public. A good bit of is donated by businesses like Lowe's, Home Depot, Builders Source, the Room Store, Haverty's, etc... Smaller home town businesses donate too. Most of it comes from residents of the cities and towns where they operate.

Most of the money made in the ReStores goes toward building actual Habitat houses. Some stores do have paid staff and therefore have to use some of the money to towards payroll, but most stores rely strictly on volunteers. Those are the stores you REALLY want to shop. Most of the volunteers are passionate about what they do and it shows in the stores and in customer service. They are passionate about what they are working for.

Because it is costly and environmentally unsound to overflow landfills with waste from construction and renovation, ReSTORE acts as a "thrift shop" for building materials and household items, offering them for sale at hugely discounted prices to the public. Proceeds from ReSTORE sales support the Habitat home building program which partners with hard working, limited income families to build simple, decent, affordable homes.

Habitat ReStores are pretty much all over the country. The only place I know where they're not actually called 'ReStore' is in central Oklahoma. It's called 'Habitat Renovation Station'. VERY unfortunately for me, there's only one Habitat Restore in all of Massachusetts. It's in Plymouth which is about an hour or so away. This is me sobbing uncontrollably now :( If you're into the whole recycle, and thrifting, second hand shopping deal, Habitat ReStore is for you.

If you're looking to get rid of some of that stuff that you just don't use any longer or just don't need, donate it. ReStore will even pick it up for you if you like. Now how great is that?

You'll be doing a great thing for others while getting great deals for yourself.

Poverty Is All It's Cracked Up To Be

2009-06-30T21:04:00.018-04:00

I spoke some in yesterday's post about a time in my life that was difficult on several different levels. I struggled on different planes and each one unique in it's problems, the way they affected me, and my reactions to each.

This particular period in my life lead me on a strange, but interesting and life changing journey. It took me down a path I'd never been before in terms of the kind of people I met, the kind of work I did, my living arrangements, and the way I made money. All of it truly came out of the blue and hit me square in the face when I wasn't looking.

My situation of an unfortunate 'avalanche', if you will, came about simply because my car crapped out. Out of the blue one afternoon on my way home from work with no prior warning, my car starting making awful noises, spewing stuff, sputtering on the freeway, and ultimately dying on the spot...never to operate again. My car engine literally blew up and that was all she wrote.

Aside from the sheer exasperation and frustration of this disaster, I had no idea what other feelings and emotions were in store for me as a result of this single action. It set off a chain reaction to every other aspect of my life, and life would never, EVER, be the same for me again.

When my car blew up, it was detrimental to my existence, period. I lived 40 minutes away from where I worked. I knew no one else to hitch a ride with that went that same direction. Taking the bus was not an option; mass transit in Charleston, SC is a joke and I lived in an out lying community of Charleston proper. The cost to fix my car was more than the car was worth and I simply could not afford it. Buying or even renting a car was out too. And then on top of it all, I lived in a rural area and it was too far to walk anywhere where true civilization existed.

So...

As a result, I lost my job - which caused me to lose my income - which caused me to not be able to my pay rent and utilities - which caused me to lose my phone service - which caused me to lose my Internet service - which caused me to lose touch with every one and every thing. And it became very difficult to eat. I was isolated and VERY alone.

But just before I lost my phone and Internet services, I had been in touch off and on with someone I'd met a month prior at a gig I was singing at. During this brief period of time we'd known each other, we'd been talking online. Now mind you, I didn't make a practice of giving total strangers my phone number or my email address, but this particular meeting was different some how and something deep down inside me prompted me to divulge the information this particular night. We talked online a few times and as it turned out, this person ran the local Habitat For Humanity ReStore...a thrift store of sorts, dealing mainly in constructions material, etc..., with the sales from the store benefiting the local county chapter of Habitat For Humanity.

This person knew slightly of my dilemma. But just before I lost my Internet service, I'd informed him of how dire the situation had become and the fact that all my efforts to correct the situation had been futile. The very next day, he sent someone to pick me up to take me to a church he attended that had resources for helping people in need....such as I was.

These good people of this church provided me with a few days worth of food. And was this ever a hard thing for me to do. I'd never been in this boat before and suddenly I'd joined the ranks of the people I'd always just felt sorry for. But they gave me other resources too, to maybe help me find a place closer to town to live, and maybe a way to get around a little easier. Most of those things failed because I didn't "qualify" for certain funds or programs because I didn't have dependent children living with me, and I'd made "too much money" in my recent work history to qualify for anything else. All of that in and of itself became very frustrating.

In the mean time, this particular person whom I'd met, and who'd been working hard to find ways for me to function again, got my phone up and running again, and at least I had a way to communicate with the outside world...namely said person who'd "come to my rescue", so to speak. But the dominoes just kept falling and within a couple of weeks I was out on my fanny with no place live - and no way to get there.

So...

This same person sent a truck and a driver to pick up me and my stuff and hauled it all to the ReStore where he worked. It ended up being a VERY strange arrangement for a while, but a safe one for the time being. I ended up sleeping on the "sofa's" of this thrift store at night for a few weeks. I was literally homeless just kind of hanging in the balance. No one knew about it but me and the person who ran the place. During the day, I volunteered in the store full time while looking for a paying job all the while.

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months volunteering in the ReStore...and continually looking for other ways to work, and live, and eat, and get around. But as fate would have it, it seemed my destiny was to stay right there until an opportunity came along to become the Development Coordinator for the county Habitat For Humanity.

In order for me to take this position, and I was gonna if at all possible!, I had to become an Americorps/VISTA volunteer. What the hell was Americorps? And what the hell was a VISTA? And VOLUNTEER?...AGAIN? No. NO. Unh-UNH. NO WAY!! I needed a PAYING job and I needed it YESTERDAY. But the wheels of fate were already in motion and I started the application process for the position. All the while, the people who ran the local HFH were just sure I was sent to them by God to fill this desperately needed position in their office.

I found out that Americorps/VISTA is a national volunteer program that focuses strictly on fighting poverty in the U.S. Americorps was founded in 1965 - a division of the Peace Corps. All kinds of charities in this country use Americorps volunteers to fill positions to get the work done they need done. People who sign on to become VISTA volunteers sign on to live at the same poverty level as the state they live in. Each state's poverty level is different, so the stipend (living allowance) the volunteers receive are based on those poverty levels. When I took the Americorps oath of office, I vowed to live at poverty level for my full service year.

I became a VISTA - VISTA standing for: Volunteers In Service To America. VISTA is a leadership position. VISTA was founded by Americorps in the early 1970's to combat poverty in this country. I needed to be a VISTA in order to take the position with Habitat. So my application was pushed through and accepted. Within a month I was going to PSO in Atlanta - Public Service Orientation - and would be starting the job as soon as I returned.

PSO was sooooo great. It was four fabulous days of learning and fellow-shipping with others. It was great preparation for what I was going to be doing in my new job. But the greatest part about it all was the actual work itself. My job as a Development Coordinator was primarily grant writing. I was the one to raise the funds to build the houses. I was the the one to develop the method by which the money was raised. It was a very hard job in some respects, but very rewarding work when seeing the end result of what those funds did.

In my time at Habitat in South Carolina, I saw some deplorable living conditions. I saw families that were living without water and electricity...which means no heat in winter or air conditioning in summer...and the sweltering summer temps in SC reach 115-120 degrees with the humidity heat index. I saw families living with gaping holes in roofs and floors of the houses they lived in. Walls falling down. Exposed insulation. Houses crawling with bugs and mice and rats. It was incredible some of the things I saw. Most of those people don't live in those conditions by choice.

Most of these people have fallen through the cracks of our country's system...in every form the system exists. But some of these people DO choose to live that way in order to draw benefits from local and federal government agencies so as to not have to work. They find ways around various stipulations and draw benefits they truly don't deserve...and those are the people who push hardest to have a Habitat home built for them. But Habitat has a hard application process that involves months of interviewing, screening, back ground checking, credit checking, reference checking, and the list goes on for prospective families. From the time an application is filled out to the time a house is actually built, the time frame is usually two years. Because the screening process is so intense, the odds are VERY good that the family who gets a Habitat home is truly deserving.

There's a stigma attached to Habitat for Humanity that's absolutely false: Habitat homes are NOT built just for Afro-Americans, and those who have a Habitat home DO NOT get them for free. Actually, 67% percent of homes built are for whites (that number fluctuates from year to year)....because there are just as many poverty stricken white people in this country as there are minorities. ALL those who have a Habitat home built for them must pay for their houses.

While the house is being built, the applicant must put in 500 hours of 'sweat equity' for the down payment. 60% of that sweat equity has to be put in before the build is started. That can be in any form, such as putting in hours at a Habitat office doing office work if needed, or cleaning, or running errands, etc... it can also be in the form of putting in hours in a ReStore in whatever capacity the store needs extra bodies...and they ALWAYS do. They can even participate in the building of their own homes. It takes a LOT of work and a LOT of time to rack up those 500 hours.

Once the 500 hours have been put in, then a mortgage is drawn up on the house, usually financed through the Habitat chapter that's doing the build. The payment on a Habitat home is substantially less than what anyone else would pay for a house elsewhere. What would normally be a $800-$1000 per month payment on a brand new home of these particular sizes and qualities, a new Habitat home owner pays around $250 per month on a 15 year fixed mortgage. It's a pretty sweet deal when you see what they're getting. But they certainly don't get it for free...and they don't get it easy.

I was fortunate in my service year with Americorps and Habitat in South Carolina to see some of these houses to completion. I followed the chosen families from start to finish in their process. I witnessed these houses being dedicated and the families take their first steps into their brand new homes. I witnessed a lot of happiness...and a lot of pain and tears. I saw what the fruits of my labors accomplished. I learned that there is sooooooo much more good in life than bad, including my life.

My sweetie and I each completed our service years with Americorps as VISTA's. Yes, he was a VISTA also and that's how we came together...and worked together, and struggled together, and cried together, and laughed together. He was the director of the Habitat ReStore I volunteered in for so long. He was the one I met at the gig that night and he thought I was Stevie Nicks to 'enth degree'. He was the one that hauled me and my junk to the ReStore when I had no place else to go. He was the one to see in me the potential to do good for others in the capacity in which I have done. He is the one I've chosen to spend the rest of my life with.

I lived that service year at poverty level. It was tough, but not like what I witnessed when researching some of the Habitat applicants. I didn't live in deplorable conditions, or suffer in the way so many of those people do. In my 'poverty', I found immense riches in the forms of a new family in Habitat and Americorps, and in the satisfaction in the work I was doing, and...I found a new me in all of that.

My life became a pretty sweet deal when my car blew up. But there was no way to see that at the time. That's what's been so great about all this. I discovered it's about the journey. It's never about the 'stuff' you have. It's never about the next thing you're trying to buy. It's never about how much more money you can make. It's never about any destination, in any capacity. It's about the journey. The journey is the destination, and the prize. In the ride, there is curiosity, and discovery , and joy and pain, and tears and laughter. In the ride there's growth and the gaining of personal strength and integrity. In the ride there's healing in brokenness. In the ride there is peace.

My sweetie and I are seriously considering doing another service year with Americorps. We really and truly can't see our lives without it right now. We can't see ourselves not doing this kind of work in this capacity. President Obama signed in an act (Serve America Act) a few months ago expanding the number of Americorps volunteers creating endless opportunities for volunteer work that is sooooo desperately needed in this country. You can read more about it at www.americorps.gov/ . It's a ride I'll take as many times as I can as an Americorps/VISTA. I love what I do. I love what it accomplishes. I love the sustainability my work achieves.

It's worth throwing a job in corporate bull to the wind to do what is truly God's work: taking care of those who can't take care of themselves by giving them a hand up. It's worth every poverty driven stipend penny, because yes, I do make a difference. And poverty is all it's cracked up to be...and then some.

A Colorful Monday, Even Though It's Gray Outside

2009-06-29T18:30:00.005-04:00

<------ Don't forget to feed the fishies! They're ALWAYS hungry ;)
(For feeding instructions, see yesterday's post)

Today's post comes with a fair amount of excitement about the stash of sewing, knitting, embroidery, and crafting supplies I have slowly been building for several months now. With it comes a lot of reflection of where I've been in the last two years and the realization that life truly is good for me now.

I'll start with this picture of my little stash of embroidery and sewing stuff.

This is so exciting for me because it's been two years since I've had access to anything like this. I used to have rooms full of this stuff not so long ago from years and years of sewing, quilting, knitting, and crocheting. I've been putting this together little by little over the past few months. It has grown to a nice little wad of stuff to keep me busy in the creating department...aside from the knitting

I've gotten most of this at JoAnn Fabrics (I prefer Hancock Fabrics, but it doesn't exist in New England). I shop A.C. Moore and Michaels too. I used to do the vast majority of my fabric and notion shopping at WalMart, but since the pea brains who now run the company have decided to do away with the fabric department in their stores (Mr AND Mrs Sam Walton are rolling over in their graves), I have been forced to resort to shopping the fabric and hobby stores who use hiway robbery tactics to run their businesses. They don't have Wally World for competition any longer, so they've jacked up prices on EVERYTHING where needle craft of any kind is concerned. But if I look hard enough and long enough in these places, I can find some pretty good deals on a few things here and there. I don't do online shopping for these kinds of things, especially for fabric and yarn because I need to be able to see and feel for myself what I'm getting before I plop any money on anything.

I do like A.C. Moore though. I've shopped them for years in conjunction with WalMart...and they've always been competitively priced with WM, in the areas where they both carried the same items. I can always get better yarns there - as WM has never really sold anything but cheesy acrylics...and still does. A.C. Moore is a lot like the Hobby Lobby's I used to shop in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas years ago. Lot's of stuff for every interest at 'fair to middlin' prices. They don't sell fabric though. But they do carry a pretty good supply of sewing notions and quilting supplies.

My little stash of stuff here represents the rebuilding of my life in the last two years. As these tiny little bits and pieces of crafting materials have been slowly building over time, so have the tiny little buildings blocks of my life.

In the summer two years ago, I made a decision to do away with every material thing I owned...and I do mean EVERYTHING. I was divorced - again. The last one of my kids flew the coop to go to college...and then move back to Tennessee from where we lived in South Carolina a year earlier. I was alone, in a big house, full of nearly thirty years of stuff and memories.

Depression had gotten me down sooooooooooo badly that I literally couldn't function in daily life. I was sitting at home, trying to recover from two colon surgeries that were only three months apart. When I started feeling better from the surgeries, then the depression of where I was in life set in. I spent a whole year doing nothing, but laying in bed, eating, watching TV, and sleeping. And I preferred to sleep more than anything else. It got really, really bad.

Then one day out of the blue, a little light went on in my head about it all, and I forced myself to get up one evening, get dressed up, and go to my favorite karaoke bar. Well, had been my favorite when I was still married and we used to go there together a couple of times a week to sing and throw darts. But it dawned on me that what I loved to do more than anything, or used to love, was singing. I did it for a living for a lot of years. It was time to get out and sing again. That seemed to do the trick and I was up and about and functioning again and participating in daily life.

But a few months later, I was struggling financially. The job I had didn't pay enough to make ends meet and soon I had to move out of the house to take a place that was much smaller and less expensive. I had to give up the dogs and the cats in the process...which I still don't cope with today, because parting with them was literally one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

When I moved out of my house, I gave away quite a few things, donated a lot to Goodwill, and put the rest in storage for a year and a half. I struggled to pay the monthly storage fee, but did keep it afloat until a time came when I decided it was time to part with it all. I sold every last bit of my belongings out of storage, save for a few carefully selected bits and pieces of memorabilia, like photos, and a very minuscule amount of knitting and crochet stuff...mainly my hooks and needles - and my books. I kept a few keepsakes my kids had given me over the years - and my clothes...well, the clothes that were fairly current. I donated the rest to Goodwill. That's all I kept. The rest was sold off and I haven't really looked back.

I realized somewhere along the way during that period of "coming back to life", that material possessions weren't what really made me happy, nor were they what mattered in life. I realized that material possessions weighed me down. Seriously weighed me down. I had years, and I do mean YEARS of stuff I had worked so hard to accumulate. Stuff that I thought at the time was giving me joy and fulfillment to the max. It truly was like "he who dies with the most toys wins". But it was all just stuff. That's it. Stuff. And 'stuff' doesn't matter.

I fretted for eighteen months about how to pay my storage bill each month to preserve my 'stuff'. I fretted all those months trying to have a place big enough again to put all my 'stuff'. I worried that I would never be a whole person again without all my 'stuff' around me. I swam in a world of 'stuff' and all it did was make me sick. I felt physically ill from worry about it. The stress of trying to keep up with it all messed with my head. It just flat made me ill and wore me out.

In the time since I relinquished most of my earthly possessions, I've bottomed out in my life in a lot of ways. Financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually. Was literally homeless for a little while. Was without a vehicle for that period of time also. But what I did have was people around me who cared. Total strangers in fact. Strangers who reached out when I had no where else to turn...strangers who found me. I didn't go looking for them. It was a scary time. But also a phenomenal life changing experience.

This time in my life was a time of total stripping my life of the old. Stripping me of the old and making a way for me to start my life anew without years of baggage, materialistically, and emotionally. It was a VERY hard time, but also a VERY good time for me. I met someone who I'm crazy about and we make a life together now. I've moved to a part of the country I've never lived in before, but always wanted to at least visit someday. I was given the opportunity to do some phenomenal, life changing work. I've been given the opportunity to start life again with different kinds of 'stuff', but this time it's with 'stuff' that matters.

My very first post to this blog was mainly about my love for yard sale-ing. I made a big 'to-do' about how I looooooooove this particular activity. I made a big deal about some of my finds at the first sales of the season. And that's all true in this respect: I do love to yard sale and similar activities. I always have. But this time it's different because I'm doing it for the 'need' and not so much for the 'want'. There's a big difference there. The need comes from needing to furnish a new home now. Yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales, and the like, are necessity now more than anything. Don't get me wrong here. I still looooooove the thrill of finding such great deals on great stuff. But the thrill is even bigger now because the need is great and the funds are limited. So it's a challenge trying to get the things we need on the budget we have to do it with. But it's soooooooo much more satisfying now knowing I'm being truly productive with my shopping and creating a home that's both functional and comfortable.

The goal of my shopping these days is not to buy a lot of stuff, but to select what's necessary to life and the extra things that come along once in awhile are so much more of a treat today. I don't aspire to have a house stuffed to the rafters with 'stuff' ever again. I just want what's needed and the few little extras that make life fun - like my little stash of sewing, embroidery, knitting, and crochet supplies.

For years and years, I had two extra bedrooms and a den filled full with all my crafting stuff. I used to move ALL of that stuff with me all over the country, which was often. And accumulated more each time I lived in a new place. Now I wonder what I thought I ever needed so much of that 'stuff' for. I'm so happy with my little stash...and perfectly content to keep it that way. It all fits in my sewing box, and my knitting basket, and a small box in my bedroom closet. My sewing machine sits in a corner in the dining room. I've no need for anything else. And the projects that come from this little stash of 'stuff' will be that much more rewarding. The rest is gravy.

My need to create is always strong. I've found that I can't completely do without something in that regard. That's why this little stash is so exciting. It gives me the opportunity to do a few of the things I love to do most in life. This little bit of 'stuff' doesn't make me who I am though. My house filled with great finds from thrift and junk stores, yard and garage sales, estate or any other 'sale' of any kind DOES NOT fulfill me, make me truly happy, or make me who I am either. Simply the precious people around me, and my critters, and the opportunities I'm given to do good for others is fulfilling and makes me happy and content. The ability to create in so many different ways is God given and I choose these days to do it to benefit others.

I look at my little stash of stuff here and see how colorful it is and the sacrifices and hard work it represents. The colorfulness and the cheerfulness of it matches my life today. Small things. In small amounts. A little at a time. And how colorful it makes my life today...even on a gray, wet, gloomy day as today. But gray (grey) is a color too. It can't be all that bad then.

Feed The Fishies!

2009-06-28T15:18:00.007-04:00

See the little fishies swimming around in the upper left hand corner of the page? You can feed the fishies!

1. Move your cursor to the fish tank.
2. Left click your mouse or tap the pad on your laptop to dispense food. (You will see little orange dots of food start to appear)
3. The more you click or tap, the more food the fishies get.
4. Watch the fishies rush to the food to chow down!
5. Wherever you move the cursor to dispense food, the fishies will follow!

Now how fun is that? And you don't even have to clean the tank !! ;)

I Found My Thrill...On Blue Berry Hill

2009-06-27T22:27:00.012-04:00

For the past two weeks it has done nothing but rain here in New England. It's been gray, sometimes a little too cool, and terribly, terribly wet. Ideal conditions for baking really - the gray and cool part that is. But today was beautifully sunny and warm - 80 degrees. And VERY humid.

So today it was VERY warm. It's REALLY humid now with the heat. A steam bath when you walk outside...and I decide to turn the oven on and bake. Will wonders never cease where my brains are concerned? It IS in constant state of fart ya know .

But the thing here is yesterday my sweetie's mother gave me a half pint of fresh blue berries. Beautiful, big, plump, juicy, sweet, fresh from a local grower's garden blue berries. I knew immediately I wanted to make muffins with them (well, really muffin batter in a cake pan instead of muffin tin), but was busy yesterday and didn't get to it. So this morning I decided that at some point today I would defintely do the deed. But my schedule was jam packed this day also.

So...

I decided to do them this evening when things slowed down some and it had cooled off a little too. Around 8:30 pm was good enough for me and mix up a batch I did. It did heat up the house a little, but the pay off was worth it.

Gawd! did they taste good straight from the oven with a big 'ol hunk of butter. Summer never tasted better.

And to all you lovely peeps out there in bloggy land; here's my recipe for fab, light, fluffy, juicy-berried, perfect for summer snackin' blue berry muffins:

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder (make sure it's fresh)
1/2 Cup Vegtable Oil (I use Canola)
1 Egg
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Cup Fresh Blue Berries (a half pint = 1 cup)

Topping (optional)

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Butter, cold and cubed
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400.
Grease muffin pan (or cake pan, which I prefer).
In medium size mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Place vegetable oil in measuring cup.
Add egg and milk to fill cup.
Stir lightly and add to flour mixture.
Fold in blue berries.
Fill muffin or cake pan.

Topping:
Mix together topping ingredients with fork.
Sprinkle on top of muffin mixture.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes. (30 - 35 minutes for cake pan)

Eat warm from oven with big 'ol glob of butter.

Now ain't that easy...and tasty y'all?

Knit Pickin'... An 'Ode To Granny'

2009-06-26T09:51:00.023-04:00

When it comes to crochet, I love the classics, especially the iconic 'Granny Square'. The granny square has been used throughout the generations for everything from afghans, to dresses, to toilet seat covers...and then some. See http://whatnottocrochet.wordpress.com/ for some fab examples of the craziness grannies get thrown into. It's versatile indeed. But it gets a bad rap too. The poor thing.

I know there are some out there who don't care much for the granny square. I see it in other blogs I read from time to time. It's made fun of in sitcoms on TV. Even some monthly crochet publications aren't too crazy about it. And I must admit, there are some things I think the granny square should NEVER be used for. But no matter the verbal beating it takes, it still endures as a classic in the world of crochet and is the almost always the very first pattern learned when learning how to crochet. I taught it to all of my daughters when they wanted to learn to crochet. It has been my favorite my whole life, and I have been crocheting for 41 years.

My first memories in life of the granny square comes in the form of an afghan my mother had. It was the traditional black 'patch work' with multi colors thrown in and was made by her mother when my mother was a child in the 1940's. It was always draped over the back of our couch. It was made of wool and I remember it being somewhat scratchy to the touch. But I loved to look at it and run my fingers around the different bright colors in each square. It was a staple of my mother's living room decor for years and years. Eventually it became rather thread bare in spots and my mother retired it to her bedroom to preserve what was left of it.

When I was six, I remember coming home from school one day to find my mother sitting in the recliner in the living room crocheting. She had a laundry basket on the floor next to the chair being filled with what I thought was numerous pot holders! I remember asking her why she was making so many pot holders. She didn't correct me at the time and told me "just because". Later that evening I would find out why she was closed mouth about her project as I exclaimed to my grandmother that "mama was making a LOT of potholders!" Turns out, my mother was making an afghan for my grandmother for Christmas...and as my sister and I both had BIG mouths and could never keep secrets about anything, mama was content to let me believe she was making an endless amount of pot holders. But that didn't keep me from getting smacked in the back of the head for my announcement either. She did tell me a little later on what she was doing and threatened me to within an inch of my life if I told. So I never told and my grandmother was moved to tears that Christmas Eve with my mother's gift to her.

But that November in 1968 was when I learned to crochet. I beeeeeeeegged my mother for months to pleeeeeeeeeeeese teach me how to crochet. I wanted to learn so bad. My mother didn't have patience with us as kids and she never really wanted to give in to a lot of the stuff we wanted to do, mainly because it meant her having to clean up immense messes we made from whatever it was we were doing. And it also meant her having to answer endless stupid questions about every little thing...of which she was not a fan. But eventually she broke down and showed me the basics. I think probably just to shut me up and quit bugging her about it. But no matter, I was gonna crochet !!!

I learned to thread crochet first. She dug through her crochet stuff and found a ball of crochet thread she didn't really have plans for and a hook and set me to chain stitching. I thought I was something and somebody brother! I was making miles and miles of chains and it never stopped. But there came a time when I tired of the chain and wanted to make "pot holders".

My grandmother was the one to teach me to double crochet and turn that into the granny square...and make the transition from thread to yarn. She had MUCH more patience with me than my mother and loved the teaching process for both me and my sister. She would proudly display our crooked, ratty looking little attempts at grannies everywhere. She would even take them to work with her and show them off to the little old ladies in the nursing home where she worked.

These little old ladies who sat in their rooms all day and crocheted, turning out afghans like they were being rolled off a toilet paper roll, would send home granny squares they had made for us for inspiration. They would also send home doll blankets and doll dresses they'd made for us. From time to time, my grandmother would take me and my sister to visit these sweet little old ladies and they would make such a fuss over these two cute little girls who were crocheting their hearts out. It was great fun, and I know for me personally, what these little old ladies did all day was great inspiration for me...and still is today.

Over the years, I've made several versions of the black patchwork afghan. I wanted one of my own that was like the one my mother had on the couch for years. I've done different variations of it also. I did the 'mile a minute' strip afghans when those became popular back in the 80's. I've done ripples and log cabins and pineapples and the list goes on and on. But I always come back to the granny. It is 'home' for me where crochet is concerned. It will never fail to fit in wherever I happen to put it in the house. I made granny square afghans for all my babies when I was pregnant with each one. I've made a few for the grand babies too. It is truly a classic, and no matter what anyone says about the granny square, it will always be a classic. It will never go out of style.

I finished the knitted green scarf I was working on this past week and picked up an afghan I started back in April. I'd put it down for a while because the itch to knit became overwhelming -again. But am determined to finish the afghan before I take on any more knitting. And, gawd! I have scads of knitting projects in my head I want to get to. But finishing the afghan is priority right now

The pics you see here are the current project. This is my 'Providence Rose Garden' granny. It's about 3/4 of the way done at this point. I hope to finish it over the weekend. I needed something red when I started this.

Believe it or not, this is actually going to end up in an old rocking chair that sits in the corner of my dining room. Sounds dumb I know. But this chair needs something and the room needs some color, so this is what I've opted to do. My kitchen and dining area have little bits of red here and there and this will brighten up the corner quite a bit where the chair sits...and make it a little more inviting to sit. I love to sit in this chair. This will be perfect come winter time with the granny to put over my lap. In the meantime, while it's too warm to snuggle, it will add a bit of life to this corner of the room.

My sweetie is from Providence, RI. We live 30 minutes from there in SE Massachusetts. The inspiration for the afghan came from what I've seen of the the history of the city and the place where he grew up. Brown University is in Providence. Beautiful campus with lots of flowers. The oldest Baptist church in the U.S. is here. I've seen the house where my sweetie's dad was born on Federal Hill. The old textile mills and the thousands of old Cape Cod style homes that are built on the hill sides of the city are a sight to behold. The Rhode Island State House and it's grounds are beautiful. The neighborhood where my sweetie grew up is old and homey and beautiful. The Water Fire festival that's held here in fall and summer will be an inspiration for another afghan down the road.

I just wanted something that commemorates my sweetie's home and the beauty it has to offer. So 'Providence Rose Garden' was born. I hope it will be a staple of my home's decor for many years to come.

"Cats In The Cradle"

2009-06-19T14:30:00.001-04:00

My mind has been in a muddle since last weekend about some family stuff and I've not been able to concentrate on much of anything else. I've not done any writing during this time, nor have I done much knitting. I've kind of let my current life fall by the wayside while I've dwelled intensely in the past.

I caught up with my brother (finally, after four years) a week ago and he gave me the news of my step dad's passing a little over a year ago. I'd not known of my dad's whereabouts either for a good many years, but I was not surprised to learn that he is now gone.

Without going into detail, I'll just say that my relationship with my stepfather was not a good one through the years. He was a real son of a bitch when we were growing up and it caused a HUGE rift between me and him, and me and my mother...and caused me to literally run away from home at the age of 15 - never to return to their house to live again.

In later years, my mother apologized to me for all the crap that happened during those growing up years. We mended fences and got an opportunity to have a real mother-daughter relationship the last ten years of her life. I think it was God prepping us for what would be difficult days for her...and for us in her final year here on earth.

It's strange that the news I got about my step dad's passing comes only three weeks away from the eleventh anniversary of my mother's passing. She died July 5, 1998, the day before my youngest child's' eleventh birthday. And this coming Tuesday, June 23, would have been my mothers 68th birthday.

This news this week has put me in a place I haven't been for a very long time. I've been in a world that existed long, long ago, reliving in my head a lot of my child hood and the later years when we had better relations. I've relived the time my mother was struggling with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), to which she eventually succumbed. I have also been struggling with immense regret and time lost for so many of those years. Time that I should have taken to be more attentive to the family of my youth instead of working so hard to put all that behind me and move on.

My brother and I have talked several times this past week. We talk about what we are doing today and eventually the conversations end up being about the way we spent our childhoods. This is something we've not done much of through the years really. We've touched on it here and there, but always end it at just touching on it. Now that our dad is gone, it's almost like we have permission to talk about this stuff now. Before, we tip toed around certain subjects almost like we were afraid he would find out we were talking about these things. And to some degree, I felt ashamed of running him down so much because I knew my mother would never have approved of such hateful talk. But what was always said was never anything but the truth...and still is today.

I think what I have the most regret about is the fact that I didn't have sense enough back all those years ago to realize that if I didn't pay more attention to others instead of myself so much, maybe things would have been better back then. Youth is most certainly wasted on the young.

For some reason, God saw fit to not give young 'uns a lick of sense about anything in life. Instead, He gave us this cocoon of self centeredness and rudeness and stupidity that we're supposed to break free of, and in the meantime, we create all this shit that eventually causes huge amounts of regret. I think if kids were given some wisdom and a little common sense at birth, maybe there wouldn't be so much turmoil in the parent-child relationship department. At the very least, kids should be born with a smattering of 'respect your elders' so that all hell doesn't break loose that to which inevitably leads to losing precious time with family...whom does eventually pass away.

Thinking about the old days and comparing it to where am today is a hard thing to do. The way I grew up has had immense influence on the way I've lived my life since I left home. For some people, if they've had a lot of bad during their childhoods, they try hard not to do those same things as adults. Some take the good of their growing up years and carry it forward. In my case, I've done everything. In my early adult years, I did only the things I knew...which was mostly bad, unstable type things. As the years rolled by, I learned through trial and error, and lots of mistakes that there are much better ways to live life than what I knew as a child. I'm still learning.

Today, I'm a lot different than I was back then. I think the biggest difference in me between now and 25 years ago is that I've learned to forgive and to forget. I used to harbor a lot of hate and resentment towards my folks...especially my stepfather. That hate and resentment spilled over into other areas of my life...and as a result, I lost a lot of people and a lot of things that were precious to me.

I figured out, the hard way, that harboring hate and resentment doesn't do anything. It doesn't accomplish anything. It doesn't solve anything. The only thing it does is turn one inside out with twisted, debilitating, anger that ends up ruining a person, inside and out...sometimes for life. And in turn ruins those around them because it can't help but spill over onto everything else that person touches.

I held a lot, and I do mean a lot of hate for my stepfather for too many years. But in the last few years of my mothers life, he ended being a pretty stand up kind of guy. He quit drinking. He quit smoking. He quit physically, verbally, and emotionally abusing his own children. He learned to truly love and cherish my mother the way she deserved. And in turn, she learned to love him the way she knew it was supposed to be. They were happy in their last years together. It completely broke my dad's heart when she died. He never wanted anything else in life but her. Once the alcohol and the tobacco and the hatred were gone, he finally saw her for who she really was, the way she really was, and pampered her the rest of her life. When she was gone, he was gone too.

Two months after my mother passed away, my step sister, my step dad's first born child and daughter died from complications of colon cancer. She was only 40 years old. She truly was my dad's baby and loved her like no other. She was special. She was born with cerebral palsy, but lived the most phenomenal life. She went to college and got her degree in language arts. She married and had two sons. She was my best friend during our growing up years.

He lived almost ten years longer than my mother and his daughter. It really is a shock to us all that he lasted that long...because of the horrid life style he lived his whole life..and because of the heartbreak he suffered from losing my mother and his daughter. He spent his final years with my step brother in Arkansas.

I don't know the details of what kind of life he lived those last ten years. I can only hope they were comfortable. I'm pretty sure the bottle became his best friend again during that time. I guess he felt like that's all he really had left in life. He was crippled with severe arthritis and couldn't do much of anything. He had emphysema the last 20 years of his life. He and I only spoke with each other three times after my mother died. I saw him only once during that time. I kinda wish now I'd have made more of an effort to keep up and keep in touch. More regret for me to wrestle with now.

I made my peace with my folks long ago about all the crap we endured during those growing up years. I made peace with myself about all of that too. I let go of all the hate and the resentment and the horrid memories from what should have been an innocent, joyous time as a child. I've moved forward and done things to the best of my ability to be a respectable human being. But mostly I've let go. Let go of so much bad and made room for the good. There's so much more good to life and to people than there is bad. It's so easy to see the bad. It's harder to find the good sometimes. But it's there, and it's there in immeasurable abundance. We just have to be willing to see it and accept it.

I hope my dad is at peace now. I hope he is finding the rest and the joy and the comfort he sought all his life...and I hope it's with my mom. May they both rest in peace.

Knit Pickin'

2009-06-19T11:11:00.006-04:00

An update on the green scarf:

I should be done with this by now, but I've not done much knitting this past week. Have been pre-occupied with other stuff and this has fallen by the wayside as a result. I picked it up again yesterday and made a serious dent in it's progress. I hope to finish it this evening. Tomorrow at the latest. Am ready to move on to other things. This is about 3/4 of the way done right now.

I have an afghan partially done that needs finishing and want to do that when the scarf is finished. I started crocheting the afghan a couple of months ago, and put it down to delve into more knitting projects. It's time to finish up unfinished projects.

That's my head though. I get started on a project, and then all these other ideas for other projects flood my brain and suddenly I MUST start something else. It drives me batty because I'm slow to finish projects to begin with: I'm not the fastest knitter in the world...and don't aspire to be. Or the lack of money slows me down. Can't get to the next batch of yarn. Or I get side tracked by something completely unrelated to crafting.

So, first I need to learn to be more disciplined in 'finishing what I started' before I move on to the next thing. And that's such a haaaaaaard thing to do. I always want to do more, and halfway scared that if I don't 'do them all RIGHT NOW', I'll lose my inspiration for some of it and THEN WHERE WILL I BE? I shudder to think.

Oh well. One thing at a time. It's all good.

Have a knit pickin' good weekend, ya'll!

Motion Sickness While Knitting? - Youbetcha!

2009-06-12T20:41:00.009-04:00

I spent all of this past weekend sick. It kind of came out of the blue. I had a bad case of the trots and a very queasy stomache to go along with it. At first I thought it may have been caused by some chinese take out we'd had the previous day. But it lasted too long for that. I finally concluded that it was a bug of some sort and it was gonna have to run it's course...while it had me running to the bathroom every few minutes for the better part of 72 hours. It was not fun.

I hadn't been ill like that in quite some time. It took me by surprise and really disrupted my normal daily routine, if you can call what I do a routine. But the fact remains is that it sucked... and it screwed up my days for about three days.

In the interim, I tried to find ways to keep on top of things that still needed to be done, like the shopping, and errand running, and figuring out meals, and taking care of the critters, blah, blah, blah. I did the bare minimum of those things....yes! the critters stayed fed and watered, so don't even say it. The rest of the time, I would plop on my bed (mainly because my bathroom is only 5 feet away) and try to ride the waves of ill that would wash over me.

Normally I knit a few hours every day. I do stuff online each day too. I write the blog...and read a bunch of others also. There's always the daily email bull shit to sift through. I respond to those worth responding to; the rest get trashed. But as I tried to wrestle with being physically miserable, I also wrestled with this stuff . Reading wasn't doing it for me. The TV was of no interest. Listening to music didn't wash. Doing computer stuff was pretty much out altogether. Eating was TOTALLY out of the question. Attempted sleep would be interrupted by running to the bathroom every few minutes.

The only thing I found myself half way wanting to do was knit. I was still working on the alpaca scarf and wanted it finished sooner than later...as I have a gazillion other projects in my head I want to get to also.

I attempted to knit several times over the course of this 3 day 'puke and shit' fest. Each time I would pick up the knitting and start to find my rhythym, waves of horrid nausea would wash over me. When I put the knitting down, the nausea would subside. I did this 3 or 4 times in the course of one day and deduced that I was getting "motion sickness" from knitting.

It all had to with the rhythmic clacking of the needles and watching those needles go uuuuup....and dooooooown. Uuuuuuup.....and dooooooown. Uuuuuuuup....and dooooooown. Now mind you, I don't really knit as slow as those waves of "ups and downs" make it seem. But for some reason, while knitting, it felt like I was doing it in slow motion...on a slow boat to China.

In reality, I get horrid motion sickness while reading in any kind of a moving vehicle. I CANNOT do it. If I do, the driver will eventually have to pull over so that I can jump out and "toss the poverbial cookies". Knitting or crocheting, not so bad while riding, but I do have to limit it some what or I end up with a banging headache. But this whole getting sick while knitting thing was just fucked up.

Apparently my brain equated it to 'reading while riding' whilst I was sick. The cross hairs in my brain short circuited about halfway between my hands and my stomache and decided that this was "toss the cookies" time. It didn't straighten out until the bug had run it's course. I gave up on knitting altogether during this time and was rendered 'useless' on all counts.

Once the bug had past, I settled into finishing the scarf I started a few days earlier and knocked it out in a couple of evenings.

Moral to the story: Chinese take out - good. Knitting - good. Slow boat to China - OK. 'Puke and shit fest' combined with all these things - BAD. Never knit and shit while on "slow boat to China".

Knit Pickin'

2009-06-12T10:23:00.020-04:00

I finished the alpaca scarf I was working on last week. It only took a couple of days to complete the project. This was an enjoyable thing to do. It's an abbreviated version of a cable knit. I like the soft tucks as they twist through the length of the scarf. It's heavy and perfect for the harsh cold that can exist here in New England in the winter months. It goes into the stash of things that are going to be offered up for sale later this year.

I started another scarf yesterday. This one is made with Naturally Caron 'Country' merino wool blend. The color is 'green sheen'. It's wonderful to work with also. This will drape and hang beautifully on a coat/ jacket or alone as an accessory to a blouse or a casual dress. It's being done in the same abbreviated cable but with three columns instead of one. It should be pretty

nice when it's done.

I think this one will take a little longer to do because the ply is much smaller. It is a twelve ply cable and looks like really big embroidery thread. But the stitches are nice and I can tell it will shape nicely when it's finished.

It has done nothing but rain here for the last two weeks. There's really nothing to do but sit and knit. Yard sale-ing has been a bust because of it. I get out and walk every day but I think am gonna have to keep it in today. Just too damn wet. BUUUUUUT.....the upside to the down trodden weather is that I do get to knit...and knit...and knit. Even Cat and Dog allow me to do so as they just sleep when the weather is like this. Dog goes into 'rain mode' and won't go outside 'til it dries up. She'd rather explode than have to go outside to pee-pee and risk getting her feet wet. Wish I had a bladder of steel like she does. The rain just makes me have to go pee-pee...every 30 minutes. It's ridiculous :p Cat just sleeps in his little bed under my bedside table. It's cozy and sometimes I wish I could stuff myself under there and snooze the day away too.

Well, back to the knitting for now. Am still vascillating about whether or not I wanna get out and walk today. I go around noon or so. That's about an hour from now. Maybe I'll get lucky and drift off into 'snooze land' myself whilst I knit. Yes, I think that will be the plan for the day after all. The rain ain't so bad ;)

Playing the Quiet Game

2009-06-09T16:07:00.039-04:00

Life can get pretty noisy at times. Most times it's hard to hear the silence. With all the things there are in today's world that cause noise, it's a wonder we aren't all deaf.

In 1968, at the age of six, I was in the first grade. My teacher then, Mrs. Ballard, had a hard time with noisy six year olds. She was always having us play the 'quiet game'. I guess it was her way of keeping us in check and keeping herself from losing her mind amidst the chaos.

The quiet game always consisted of us having to put our heads down on our desks, not looking at our neighbors, and not making a sound until she told us to raise our heads. Those quiet games felt like an eternity to me. As a six year old, I don't think I had any real concept of time, but those 'quiet games' felt like they lasted a life time. I'm sure, thinking back on it now, they couldn't have lasted more than five minutes. But five minutes to a fidgety, rambunctious, having the attention span of a flea six year old might as well have been a life time. And it never failed, I always got a case of the giggles...which I ALWAYS got in trouble for.

The giggles came from two sources: 1. The class cut-up, a boy, who always disrupted class for whatever reasons, found the quiet game prime opportunity to show off his greatest feats of shenanigans, usually in the form of smelly bodily noises...on purpose. Those times were hard to keep quiet when such fabulous performances were offered (fabulous to six year olds). The whole class would have the giggles and therefore we would all end up with some type of punishment...usually in the form of a note sent home to parents, or not getting to go outside for recess that day. And the instigator almost always got a paddling out in the hall.

2. I hated the quiet game. I couldn't take the silence. The giggles seemed like a good way to break the silence and it let me know there was life still in the room. I couldn't stand the quiet. It was a scary thing to me. For some reason, silence felt like death all around me; there was nothing alive to make noise and it literally freaked me out.

As the years rolled on, I always needed some sort of noise around me. In junior high and high school it was music. Whenever I could, however I could, I listened to music. I was not fortunate as a teenager to have a record player, or my own radio as a lot of my friends did. So finding ways to listen to music became a creative thing in itself. But usually my folks had the radio in the kitchen on until late into the night, listening to Bill Mack, The Midnight Cowboy, on WBAP (AM radio) out of Fort Worth, Texas...and I would have to settle for that. I couldn't go to sleep at night without that radio being on. My mother was an avid TV watcher and when my dad worked nights, she had the TV on most of the night. So that became a source of comfort also...listening to Johnny Carson and old movies as I lay in bed hoping to fall asleep before midnight.

When I left home and got married, I couldn't go to sleep at night without the radio beside my bed being on. I had a clock radio and I would put the music on just enough to hear it without it disturbing my newborn babies. During the day, I would always have the stereo on playing my favorite records or my favorite radio station. If the stereo wasn't on, the TV was. And it was almost always on sitcoms and cartoons. I had to have bright, colorful, happy, positive, noisy programs to keep my spirits up and to ward off the feeling of doom and gloom. My kids grew up with loud music and LOTS of cartoons.

My world was noise in some form or another 24/7. It was that way for years and years. When I married a second time, that changed to some degree. My new husband couldn't sleep with the radio or the TV on...and for the longest time, I slept on the couch in order to listen to music as I went to sleep. But the separation was awful and eventually I learned to sleep without the music at bedtime. I wanted to sleep next to my husband and so in turn, I forced myself to bear the silence. Eventually it became the only way I could go to sleep and still is today.

Throughout all the years, I've always sung in one fashion or another. Sung in church. Was always in choir in school and usually cast as lead vocalist in school musicals in high school. I've been in bands for years. I ran my own karaoke company for years. I worked as a KJ for other karaoke companies for years. The music was ever present...and always loud. I loved loud, full sounding music. I loved MY music loud. I wanted others to participate with me in loud music.

When my babies were born, loud music didn't seem to bother them. I listened to lots of loud music while pregnant, so I truly believed they were accustomed to it by the time they were born. They would sleep through it all. And when they were fussy, the music seemed to sooth them back to sleep, or to a place of contentment. Loud music was a way of life for me nearly my whole life.

Later on, when I entered the job market, computers and cash registers and over head music and noisy customers and announcements over head and the constant chitter, chatter, clang and bang of the retail world was all part of normal for me. When I got home in the evenings, all that was replaced with the music or the TV. The noise of traffic and sirens screaming and garbage trucks at five a.m. never bothered me. It was all a part of life. It was alive and death didn't loom because the noise was life.

About a year ago, out of the blue one day, it hit me. Hard. About just how noisy my life really was. I had been experiencing a very tough time for a while and it had me living and working with someone I didn't know. We spent 24/7 together for months. The place we worked was a thrift store of sorts. He ran the place. I volunteered full time, not by my choice really, but because the hand of fate dealt me the circumstances and I truly had no choice in the matter.

This store was busy. Busy. Busy. Busy. And noisy. Lots of customers. The phone always ringing. Other volunteers constantly chattering. The music over head always on. The traffic outside constantly hustling by. Someone was always bitching about too much work or cranky customers or about someone else who worked there. They all bitched about something...every single day. Merchandise constantly coming in and in need of sorting, pricing, and displaying...which was noisy in and of itself. The constant 'soap opera' of other volunteer's lives was ever present. There was never a quiet or dull moment in this place.

After the days business ended and the store closed, the person who ran the store...and with whom I was living with at the time, would sit. and talk. and drink. and listen to loud music 'til way late in the night. There was lots to talk about. Lots of reasons to drink. And the music and the alcohol blew off the days commotion. When the music went off, the TV came on...and stayed on all night.

During these months of hard times, there were always people coming at me from all sides telling me what they thought I should do with my life and how to go about it. EVERY ONE had an opinion. There was CONSTANT noise in my life, about my life. In addition, there was the constant noise inside my own head about my life circumstances (like I didn't think about this shit all the time as it was and what they were telling me was news to me? I don't think so!) and all that was around me every minute of every day. It was noise and commotion surrounding me and costantly churning in my head round the clock. It never shut off.

After a few months of struggling to get on my feet with my life, an opportunity finally came to get my own place. It took some wrangling and some wheeling and dealing, but finally a deal was worked out on a nice apartment and I could start the trek of finding some normalcy again. By this time I was romantically involved with the person I'd lived with and worked with all these months and we moved into the apartment together.

As we settled into a different place and a different kind of life together, amidst the continual playing of an Eric Clapton CD...and very noisy neighbors...and a very noisy neighborhood...and the constant chattering at me from outside sources about what other directions my life should take - I snapped. Out of the blue one evening I just couldn't take the noise any longer. It had never dawned on me before how much noise there was in my life, but here I was in all this commotion for months and months and months and something inside me gave way and said NO MORE NOISE. Period. I had a breakdown of sorts, I guess.

It was a shock to me when this happened. I was astounded at the fact that music was now an annoyance. The TV was rudely disrupting. People talking to me, about anything, was a huge intrusion. The phone ringing was apalling...like "how dare anyone even think of calling me". The very things I took comfort in my whole life were now alien and nerve wracking. I was horrified. But the only way to deal with it was to dwell in the quiet and seclusion and hope to find my way back to at least some of it someday.

I proceeded to completely black out the bedroom windows. There was no TV in the room for a while. I never turned the clock radio on. I used the laptop for an occasional DVD if I needed mild diversion from something, but that was rare. When I occupied the room, the door was always closed. I just needed some place that was quiet. Some place to shut out all the noise. It was my place of reclusiveness because I'd not been alone, or in the quiet for months...years really. I needed to be alone, in the coolness, in the dark, in the silence. It was hard to get up and go to work each day because of all the commotion that surrounded me in the work place. My bedroom was the only place on earth that offered solitude and some peace.

Today, it's still much the same in needing to find the quiet times. The "quiet game" is something I now relish and play frequently. I still have to search hard for the quiet time. If I'm not alone in the house, the TV or the music is always on, which is OK. It lets me know there's life abounding in our home. But I've gotten to where I don't turn the TV on during the day anymore when I'm alone. There's enough noise around me as it is with the constant buzz of neighborhood lawn mowers from fanatical keepers of the lawns...and sirens screaming down the main drag only two blocks away...and 'jeep boy' who lives down the block continually racing up and down our little street with his loud ass jeep, his loud ass buddies following right behind...and their thumping music to boot. We are right in the flight path of our local airport. The dog and cat run and play and bounce at each other pretty much constantly. There's a lot of noise no matter what time of day or night it is.

What's so crazy about all this noise stuff is that I'm very hard of hearing. Have been all my life. I 'feel' more noise in my bones than I take in with my ears. I'm extremely sensitive to sound vibrations no matter what the source...and it seems like the older I get and the worse my hearing gets, the louder the noise becomes for me.

I have to read lips while someone is speaking to me to fully understand what's being said. And you wonder how someone who is nearly deaf can spend a life time singing, successfully? It's all about the feel...and yes, that translates into pitch control and singing on key...successfully. Just one of those things.

I spend a lot of my time today trying to create focus and balance in my life. I find I don't need the music so much any more...usually only when I need to fill my soul. And when I do watch TV, it's for the sheer enjoyment of it; not to fill in the quiet. I still have to have bright, vibrant, happy, positive, usually comedic type programs or music video channels to watch. Can't deal with the doom and gloom of detective, and court, criminal/forensic investigative, and blood and guts, murder, and sleuth TV has to offer. That will be something I'll never reconcile. This stuff plunges me into deep, dark depressions that are hard to pull out of. My nature is to be fed with happy stuff in that regard. I Love Lucy, and Andy Griffith, and Friends, and MASH, and Roseanne (yes, Rosanne, because I seriously identify with a lot of the content) and old cartoons and an occasional movie of happier proportions will always have to be the menu of TV watching for me. And my very favorite of all -the Greater Tuna series of plays on DVD. I soooooooo seriously indentify with this content....and laugh 'til I pee my pants.

Knitting brings me peace. Sewing and quilting bring me peace. Singing brings me peace. There's peace in the nature in my own back yard. I find peace in my relationship. I find little things everyday that bring me peace in one way or another. Focus and balance comes in the quiet moments. The quiet game has become a daily staple. It offers the offset to an otherwise very noise existence...which I think we all live in today. It's about paring down those things that cause the most unecessary noise and living in the noise that's necessary to daily life and finding tranquility in what's been done away with.

Getting freaked out about the silence and crying because I hear no noise doesn't happen any longer. The doom and gloom and death-like feeling of the quiet is gone too. I relish the times when the sound vibrations are at a bare minimum...and look forward to those moments when quiet abounds. I have learned to love "the quiet game". It's not such a terrible thing after all.

Knit Pickin'

2009-06-05T09:48:00.017-04:00

Am working on a scarf right now to add to the collection of things that will be offered up for sale later on this year. I have several knitted projects in the hopper at the moment and bounce from one to another so as not to get burned out with each particular project. The scarf you see here I have just started. It is being made with a sumptuously soft Alpaca wool from Bernat - Natural in color. I looooove working with this stuff. The softness I feel as I work with it is relaxing and soothing. It is even more wonderful to wear.

I seem to do most of my knitting and crocheting in the warmer months instead of the more traditional colder months, as most knitters and workers of fine spun goods tend to do. I think my yearn to do this stems from my childhood.

During summer vacations from school, my mother and grandmother would each find things for me and my little sister to do...to keep us out of trouble mainly, and to stay cool when it got to be too hot to play outside in the central Texas summer heat. One of the first things they would do is go through their yarn stashes, select bits of it they didn't have plans for and set us to crocheting.

I always loved digging through their boxes and bags of yarn. It was like going through a treasure chest and finding diamonds and rubies and sapphires and emeralds. The colors of the yarns were always so bright and vibrant...and my favorites were always the calicos (they call them ombre and varigated now). My sister and I made lots of pot holders and doll blankets with the beautifully colored yarns.

My grandmother preferred to knit and my mother preferred crochet, though they each did both. They were traditional cold weather practitioners of the crafts. In summer months they sewed and quilted. I'm just the opposite. Yarn calls to me when it's warm, and sewing machines and quilt frames holler at me in the cold. I believe the latter also to be because of the 'reversal' to keep us occupied during winter vacations from school. Whatever they weren't doing is what they would have us do.

So my 'bass ackwards' method of seasonal crafting keeps me busy year round and seems to serve it's purpose: the warm and wooly things I work on in the summer are ready to snuggle under and wear by the time it gets cold. The light, cottony, sewed and quilted things created in the cold, are ready for spring. Seems like a pretty good way to go about business...and scratch the itch of itchy knitting fingers for now.

Expanded Bustlines, Smelly Good Stuff, and Victoria's Secret

2009-06-03T16:28:00.013-04:00

I have a secret love affair with Victoria's Secret. Sort of by nature, I'm not much of a shopper...at least I don't much enjoy actually getting out and doing the deed. That doesn't mean that I'm not good at it when I do go shopping - I just don't "live to shop". But Victoria's Secret is my silent indulgence in the world of shopping.

By all rights, according to the industry standards set by the companies who create and manufacture beauty products and lingerie; the fashion industry; advertising agencies; the entertainment industry; the media; and the public in general, it should be against the law for me to even set foot in a Victoria's Secret. VS doesn't cater to women like me.

It's not news that VS is especially known to flaunt it products by using models who don't even begin to closely resemble the women of the 'real world'. These "angels" used to tout their products are concocted by men to capture the fantasies of men the world over...and in turn, to make women believe that if they buy and wear all these fabulous products they offer, then they will be able to fulfill the fantasies of men the world over. Hmmmfff...

I'm a girl of rather larger proportions...especially in the "housing of the girls". I'm built like my mother's family - big boned, big busted, broad shouldered, wide pelvised, tall, German women who carry a lot of meat on those bones. We were built for trodding along behind plow horses, hefting 100 pound feed sacks, carrying yokes loaded with a dozen filled water buckets for miles, and popping out babies like Pez dispensers . We are not a petite, demure, especially feminine form of the species.

I carry most of those traits. Now mind you, I'm not a line backer by any means, and the boys say I clean up good. I have my moments. I'm just not a size double 0, 87 pounds, and 5 foot nothin'.

I'm fortunate in that in my 47 years, I've managed to not look as old as I really am. If I brush my hair some and put on a little makeup, people will tell me they think I'm in my early to mid thirties. Give 'em a doggie biscuit! And I rarely stand up to correct their stupid assumptions. I just say "thank you" and move on. I so seldom get to hear the truth about much of anything these days ;). It's not something I've done on purpose through the years to try to keep a youthful look to my face...at least not labored over it. Whatever it is that floats around in my genetic make up dictates it for the most part. My mother was always very young looking for her age, at any age, and so was her mother. I got some of that and it has served me well...especially in the music industry where looks are 99% and talent is 1%...in that order...in order to be successful in a career...but I also worked my ass off to to find that success.

I was aware of VS for a few years before I ever tried any of their products or set foot in one of their stores. During those years I pretty much thought it was slutty advertising. of slutty products. by slutty women. for slutty women. I didn't consider myself slutty and therefore had no need or desire to validate their slutty efforts by giving them any of my slutty - oops, rather, hard earned money. Slutty was just something I did not do...or so I thought.

Many years ago when I was living in Dallas and singing for a living, my friend Libby gave me some VS toiletries as a gift one Christmas. She told me where she had purchased them (in case I wanted to exchange), which happened to be in the same mall where I worked part time (starving artist singers gotta eat too). I was always aware that VS was there but I paid it no never mind. It just didn't appeal to me...and I was a child of WalMart, because of budget...and ignorance.

The gift she had given me was a gift set of body wash and body lotion. It was "red apple' scented (that later I would learn was only available around Christmas time). I was a little afraid to check out the pink potions she had given me: 1. I'm sensitive to lots of stuff like that and have to be careful about what I use or I get these horrid, big ass rashes that don't go away for weeks; 2. I was a little intimidated by the fact that this was from Victoria's Secret. I shoved it in the bathroom closet and didn't think about it again for a couple of months. Fortunately, Libby never asked me what I thought of the stuff.

One evening as I was showering and getting ready for a regular gig, I discovered that I was just about out of all the things I normally used to 'clean up' with. I had just enough shampoo for one more wash, but 'nary a drop of body wash or bar of soap. I hadn't had time or energy to go shopping to restock (in those days, I sang from 8 p.m. til 2 or 3 a.m. six nights a week, and got up early the next morning...usually hung over...for my job in the mall five days a week. There was nooooooo energy or time left for much of anything else). I dug around in the closet where I kept all that sort of thing and discovered the ONLY thing left was the VS gift set given to me months earlier. I picked it up, looked at it a minute and decided that slutty or not, I wasn't gonna sing grubby. So I tore the plastic wrap off the package and proceeded with my normal shower routine.

I washed my hair first as usual. Then came the washing of body parts. I squeezed some of the red apple scented liquid in my hand, prayed HARD that I wasn't allergic to it, and set to scrubbing. As I smoothed this pail pink lotiony concoction over me, I was suddenly taken aback by just how WONDERFUL this stuff smelled. It was like cutting open fresh picked apples straight from the tree - which I HAVE done and KNOW what that smells like. No cinnamon. No spice. Just sheer, juicy, crisp apple. The fragrance alone sent me reeling. Next I noticed how silky and sensuous the lather had become. It was the softest, sexiest, most luxuriating feeling. I was in heaven. I wanted to stay in this cloud of sweet smelling deliciousness and lavish in it's sensuous layers of silkiness forever. But darn it all, I did need to speed it along some and be at work on time. So I ~reluctantly~ hopped out of the shower to proceed with the rest of the routine.

Since the shower gel was so sinfully delicious, I HAD to try the body lotion. I slathered it all over and got the same rush as in the shower, only this had longer lasting effects. The next day my skin was sooooo soft and smooth....and I didn't break out into rashiness either. This was the greatest stuff ever, and by God, I was gonna get more! I had instantly been transformed into one of the soldiers in the slut brigade...and I was gonna give 'em my slutty money!

The next day during my lunch hour at my job in the mall, I scurried down the hall to the VS I had so adamantly avoided all this time. I discovered the store was divided into two sections: one side for the lingerie - one side for the smelly good stuff. I puttered around in the lingerie for the slimmest of minutes...and then followed my nose to Nirvana.

When I reached the other side of the store, I couldn't believe what I saw...or smelled. Walls from bottom to top FILLED with potions, lotions, scrubs, perfumes, and colognes in all all sorts of colors, textures, and fragrances. I was a kid in a candy shop. I wanted to feel and smell each and every one. But my time was limited, so I asked an associate for the red apple scented products. She showed me what I was looking for and I bought three, as they were 3 for $21. I thought that was an amazing price for such rich indulgence. I had struck gold. During the remainder of my tenure as an employee at this particular mall, I went to VS as often as possible to browse and shop until I moved away.

I've moved around the country quite often over the years. Every time I relocate, there are three things I look for as soon as I get there: 1. Sonic Drive In; and tied for 2nd place: WalMart and Victoria's Secret. If those things don't exist withing a five minute driving time for me, I don't wanna live there. Just can't do it.

Fast forward to today: when time allows, I still wander around in VS. I've spent all these years shopping when I had the money, and window shopping when I didn't. I still do. No one has ever really known about my love for this place and the things it has to offer. It's my secret little indulgence I prefer to keep to myself. I love to go alone and take my time without influence of a BFF. or a boy friend. or a husband. or an anything. I even over look the baked on, sprayed on tanned, with the overly colored, processed hair, and excessively made up associates with their VS push up bra's pushing these gals boobs up to their nostrils (look up and take a breath girl!). These women still don't give me the time of day, even when I'm giving them my slutty money, because I don't "fit the mold" of the desired VS customer. But they sure don't have a problem taking my slutty money when I buy a shit load of their slutty products.

Side note here: Something that has always stewed me about men and VS is that when a man (and I've known a few through the years who pride themselves on being such GREAT gift givers and have done this very thing) is trying to decide what to get as a gift for a woman who has recently lost some weight..usually a LOT of weight...the first thing that pops into those pea sized, pricky minds of theirs is a gift card from VS. Because suddenly she is attractive enough to wear the push-ups and the thongs. "Oh please take it. Enjoy. You'll feel like a new woman because 'damn girl' you look goooood". It never even begins to cross their minds that the rest of us "tub 'o lards" might enjoy being on the receiving end of that same gift card....because "damn girl" we smell gooooood, if nothing else. Dick brains.

I can't wear a stitch of anything made from any kind of fabric they have to offer. But I sure can, love, and do wear the layers of sensuousness in fragrance and potion for skin. It's never been about hoping to be transformed into an 'angel of desire' if I use what they sell. It's always been about how it makes me feel feminine and beautiful to me. If I don't feel it, no one else will either. It's indulgence for me, myself and I. I revel in femaleness and the things that go with that. In the times I have money, I spend it in VS. In the times I'm broke, I still go browse, play, experiment, and walk out smelling like a french whore. It's fabulous.

VS has made design and layout changes in their stores over the years. The lingerie has expanded to include jeans and shoes and sportswear...all of slutty proportions of course. And they've even started to acknowledge the fact that some of the 'bigger' girls of the world would like to buy a bra every now and again. They offer sizes up to a 38DD now. That still leaves me out. The packaging and fragrances have changed too. There are some things that I used to buy religiously that are no longer available today: like the red apple. It will always and forever be my first love of the sumptuous potions. It's like your first real love of a boyfriend. It sticks with you forever and that particular feeling never surfaces again, no matter how many different guys you date...and sometimes even the one you marry. There's only one first love. It is truly special...including VS.

The men in my life through the years have never really known about my love affair with VS. Most of them (the ones I've been serious with) knew that I would buy some of their products from time to time. I've always had baskets in my bathrooms filled with VS products for my own use and for the pleasure of those who visit me. Those men have known me to be be pretty prim and proper for the most part, about pretty much everything in life. They've never really known the slut that exists within me. Even the man I'm with today doesn't really have a clue of these things about me, I don't think...and it's just as well.

No matter who we are, where we are, who we are with, how we were raised, or the modesty restrictions we do or don't put on ourselves, there's a little slut in all of us. Some of us just prefer to be particular about who we reveal it to. In this case, Victoria's Secret knows all my slutty little secrets...and I don't think she's gonna tell.

Victoria's Secret sluts of the world unite!

Fiesta Ole' Salmon Anyone?

2009-06-02T10:38:00.003-04:00

I'm feeling a little hopeful now. I planted the impatients my sweetie's mother gave me. It felt good to do a little digging and plant something for real this season....finally.

These are double impatients. The little label spikes in the pots they came in say they are "Fiesta Ole' Salmon" in variety and color. Cool. Pretty fancy name for such a small blossom.

But the simple pleasure it brings is immeasurable.........

'Amaryllis' By Morning.....

2009-05-31T15:53:00.005-04:00

I'm a digger of dirt by nature. As a child, my mother was mortified by the fact I would rather go outside and dig holes in our yard than stay inside and play tea party with my dolls. Don't get me wrong here. I loved my baby dolls and later on, my Barbies. But going outdoors and smelling freshly dug earth was my greatest love of all. I loved the way it felt in my hands and under my feet...and on my face...and in my hair...and in my mouth...and everywhere I could possibly smear the stuff because I thought it was 'Beauty Cream from God' !

My little sister and I would use all the great stuff my grandmother had given us to furnish our 'play houses in the woods' to dig with. She gave us old cooking utensils i.e. wooden handled spatulas and spoons, old pots and pans she no longer wanted, coffee cans, plastic butter bowls (back when margarine was the new thing and packaged in attractive reusable cereal bowls in assorted bright colors), an occasional jelly jar if we were VERY careful with it because it was made of glass, and the list goes on. To my mother's chagrin, my grandmother encouraged us to to "go dig in the dirt" and make mud pies.

The coffee cans were the greatest for digging big, deep holes in a specially designated place for us to do so (the "designated place" to dig was so that in evenings when my folks would sit outside with their 'after dinner cocktails', they didn't fall into our holes that would have no doubtedly happened after a few too many of those 'after dinner cocktails'). Grandmother would stand at the backdoor with her apron on, usually with a dish towel in hand and yell at us "if you keep digging, pretty soon you'll be able to hear the phones ringing in China"...and we believed her!! So we dug, and dug, and dug, and a couple of times I truly thought I heard the phones ring...or maybe it was the bells on the rickshaws as they scurried down the streets of China - I don't know. All I knew was that I had to dig. And dig I did.

My grandparents had a great love and respect of the outdoors and nature. My granddaddy was an avid bird watcher and could tell you the name of every bit of plant life and tree that grew in our world. My grandmother loved to garden and plant flowers. She LOVED to grow things. The inside of her house was a testament to that fact. It was filled with house plants she'd carried around with her for forty years. She had huge ivies and violets that were cuttings from her mothers house....that were cuttings from her mother's house. These were old, beautiful creations of mother nature and she nurtured every one for as long as I can remember.

That love and respect of planting, growing, nature, and 'digging in the dirt' was passed on to me. I love watching the birds and the squirrels and the chipmunks in my back yard. I encourage them to come...and that includes the squirrels. Most people think they're a nuisance, but I love to watch them. They are way more entertaining than watching TV. So I have bird feeders and squirrel feeders and they all come...including the wild rabbits at dusk and early morning.

There's one old rabbit who comes around on a regular basis to scavenge the squirrel corn and the cardinal's sunflower seeds. I know he's old and well established here because he seems to know the squirrels by name. He finds a spot where the getting is good, and by gosh dontcha know he stands his ground when the squirrels come around.

A few days ago, I was sitting at the supper table and happened to look out the window into the back yard where all the feeders are. The rabbit was there enjoying his supper. There were a couple of squirrels pilfering around the feeders as well. One of the squirrels decided he wanted the spot where rabbit was eating. Rabbit was having none of that -stood back on his haunches and they went to boxing each others ears! It was the funniest thing I had ever seen...until the next day. The next morning, I was sitting out on the deck in the back and there were squirrel and rabbit going at it again, only this time squirrel was hanging upside down like a trapeze artist from one of the bird feeders taking swipes at rabbit on the ground...and the boxing match was on again. A little later on, the tiny little chipmunk that lives under our back porch was weaving himself in and out of the feed portals of that same bird feeder. Waaaaaaaay better than TV folks.

My sweetie and I live in a Cape Cod style home we are currently renovating. In this economy, we got a real sweetheart of a deal on this place. We've been working on it since last fall. With all the time and attention that goes into working on the house, I haven't really had much opportunity to get outside and "dig in the dirt". There's a spot in the back where I know I want at least a table garden this year, but don't know if I'll get that far or not. There's a couple of places in the front I'd like to put in some flowers, but don't know 'bout that either. The closest I've come to planting of any sort thus far is the amaryllis bulb my sweetie's mother gave me for Christmas...and I did that back in January.

My sweetie's mother did give me a couple of small pots of pretty pink double impatients yesterday and a hanging basket to put them in. I'm a little encouraged now.

This amaryllis bulb was one of those things you find as a kit in the stores around Christmas time along with the tulips and the mini orchids and the like. My sweetie's mother actually re-gifted it to me because she's not much of a 'dirt digger'. She has a couple of house plants that are quite lovely but that's about as far as it goes with her. Someone had given her this paper white amaryllis kit for Christmas and she gifted it to me.

In January, I took it out of the box and proceeded to follow the planting instructions that came with it. I followed the instructions to the letter. I set it in a southwestern exposed window for optimal sun. I was proud as punch I'd been able to plant something so early in the year. The instructions also said I would see growth within a couple of weeks and soon I would have a magnificent thing of beauty to admire and behold.

Now, this is supposed to be a forced bulb, in the house, in the dead of winter. Each day I watched for some sort of sign of new growth. A week went by...nothing. Two weeks. Three weeks. Nothing. A month. Six weeks. TWO MONTHS. Nothing. Finally, at the end of March when I figured the worst of the nightly freezes were at a minimum, I gave up on the little amaryllis bulb and set it out on the back porch steps with the thought in mind that maybe it will do what it is supposed to do next fall...as the instructions said it would do the next time it was due to bloom.

A couple of weeks ago I was headed outside to check the feeders when low and behold, what did I see but some tiny green sprouts in the amaryllis pot! Could it be, I wondered? Is it really going to do something - even if it's just some little green leaves? It's alive!!! I was tickled pink to see this foster child of a plant have some spirit and decide to wake up in the spring.

Since then, each day three little bright green, banana shaped leaves have grown. In the middle a dark pink shoot has come up. In the days since, the dark pink shoot has grown tall and sports a bud on the top. I was just out of my mind with excitement about the sudden and stunning growth of this little thing that's not supposed to bloom until late fall.

So, I eagerly anticipated the pay off of all this activity. Soon...I didn't know exactly when, but I knew very soon, there would be the beautiful paper white amaryllis bloom I'd long awaited to see. This was going to be magnificent. I took a couple of photos of the proud little plant with it's bud perched high atop it's throne. I wanted to document it's progress in pictures so I would forever have proof of "the little amaryllis that could". Each day I would take a photo of it's budding progress and have them forever. I even knew I would want a photo of the completed bloom as the wallpaper on my computer. That's how confident I was about this thing of beauty unfolding in front of me.

Two days ago, early in the morning as I was leaving the house to take my sweetie to work, I noticed something different. The amaryllis. It was different today. The months of anticipation. The hope. The frustration. The tending it like it was my own child. The dreams I'd had of it's beauty and grandeur - dashed. In an instant, the bud on top was gone. "What happened to the amaryllis bud?" I asked my sweetie as he saw the tears welling up in my eyes. "I don't know. Maybe the squirrels got it" he said. "But it was here last night when we went to bed" I said. I looked hard at it for a moment and then it hit me...the boxing rabbit. Rabbit had this sweet, tender, chubby little bud in the wee hours of the morning for breakfast.

I didn't have much doubt that it was rabbit who scarfed my prized amaryllis. My neighbors recently told me the rabbits come around and eat the buds from the tulips on the verge of blooming. Most tulips don't see the light of day here because of the rabbits. That was all the validation I needed. I looked at it again and saw that it had definitely been chewed. No clean break as if maybe it been knocked by a passerby. No dirt laying around. The pot still upright. No evidence of it anywhere else in the yard. It was just gone. Period.

Even though there will be no grand paper white amaryllis blooming for me this time because of the boxing rabbit, I will continue to feed the birds. and the squirrels. and the chipmunk. and the boxing rabbit. I invite them here and will continue to do so as I love their daily antics and the wonder of the nature in my own back yard. I will just have to reconsider how I go about "digging in the dirt" planting flowers and the table garden, if I get to pursue these things this spring. I do not feel like Elmer Fudd and have the need to go after "that cwazy wabbit". That "cwazy wabbit"' was only doing what comes naturally to him and found a treat indeed. I'll just have to 'wabbit pwoof' everything else I do henceforth.

In a way, it's not so bad knowing it made someone else just as happy as it would have made me. Even if it was a 'boxing rabbit'.

Getting High,Yard Sales and My First Time

2009-05-27T16:49:00.002-04:00

Yes, I am a blogging virgin and this is my first time as an author, so please be gentle with me.

For about two and a half days...or six months...I thought about what the subject matter of this auspicious occasion should be. A thousand different things spun around in my head. The possibilities were of dizzying proportions - to the point of brain fry. My circuits overloaded and I decided to not think so much about it and just let it go for awhile. Now that my head has 'seeminglysettledintosomesortofsensemaking' of all this blog stuff and the subject matter thereof, I think I can finally put words to paper, as it were.

There are so many things that would make such great fodder for blogging. I see and hear stuff everyday and there's always that moment when I think "that would be a good topic for a blog". I could type little blurbs here and there about those little things that touch me (like the birds in my back yard on the bird feeder), or infuriate me (like the traffic here in New England), or really make no obvious impact at all - merely observations.

Then there are all the changes ~big and small~ that have taken place in my life in the last two, three...forty seven years - most especially the last eighteen months of my life. I've moved a few times. I've changed jobs several times. I've traveled some. My marriage ended. I dived back into the world of dating. I've formed relationships that have made huge impacts on me - good and bad. My relationships with my children have taken different directions and moved to different levels. I've become a grandmother. My musical career has expanded with those changes. Certain health issues have been hard to overcome and control. There's the financial desperation I endured - and overcame. The gray hair made an appearance a couple of years ago and seemingly continues to multiply everyday. My life long affair with knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, painting, and crafting in any form possible has grown with these changes. This "Peri-menopause" thing is driving me absolutely fucking crazy. Birthdays go by without any real physical or emotional trauma; these mile markers mainly just tell me that I don't really feel any differently in my mid forties than I did in my mid twenties....with the exception that my energy level was much more abundant back then...and my bones and brain didn't hurt from the rigors of mundane daily life...and shopping was fun then. I looooooved to shop.

Shopping these days is merely a drudging chore for me. I only go out when absolutely prompted to: like opening the kitchen cabinets only to find there's one can of corn and a zip-lock sandwich bag half full of mostly broken crackers I don't recognize - and a box of taco shells that have been there for God knows how long; and the fridge boasts only a quarter of a fifth of Triple-Sec and what's left of a sliced up lime - at least I think it was a lime at some point in time; and the freezer reveals two frozen mugs reserved for beer at the end of those long, hard, exhausting, days of...days of...OK - those days of deciding which blogs I'm going to read, contemplating what I've just read and tumulting over what to write in my own blog if and when I start writing a blog (Gawd, I have such a hard life); then there's the frozen martini glass (with pink and blue fishies on it) that's reserved for pitchers of pretty pink Cosmopolitan's, made with 'lite' cranberry juice (gotta watch the waist dontcha know - NOT! I don't do that stuff anymore. There's no point.) at the end of those 'extra' long, hard, arduous days of...days - well, you get the picture; and when the toilet paper supply is at MAYBE twenty shit-tickets between two bathrooms; and toothpaste has been squeezed to the point that surgically slicing open the tube is the only way to get what's left of a microscopic little blob. Then and ONLY then do I trudge - oh, and the critters have a day's worth of morsels rattling in the cat and dog food bags ( these critters are NOT neglected in any way, shape or form. They are fed and cared for better than the human form in this house...so don't even go there) - THEN I trudge off to get the things we need to stay fed and clean and fairly healthy. Malls aren't my thing. Shopping for clothes is worse than grocery shopping. Spending the day at the beauty salon and getting manicured, pedicured, and anything else that most assuredly needs 'curing', doesn't necessarily blow my skirt up. Someday I'll explain why I've morphed into a ~retail~ shopping sloth. In the meantime - What was that? Did someone whisper 'yard sales'?

Then there was "Yard Sale-ing".........

Aaaaahhhhh.........yard sales. Garage sales. Thrift shops. Junk stores. Estate sales. Estate auctions. 'Real' antique shops. These are the recreational drugs of choice for me with the exception of the aforementioned beer or the pretty pink pitchers of Cosmo's ALSO reserved for the celebratory end of days' successful bargain hunting. There's nothing like the rush of finding the 'deals of the century' and the lasting high that ensues thereafter in these 'Gardens of Eden' of second hand shopping.

When the first signs of spring start to peek up out of long, cold, gray months of winter, so do the yard and garage sales start to make their tiny appearances. Thrift store and junk shop inventories start to increase too. The local daily newspaper becomes my best friend from mid March 'til late in the fall when it's absolutely too cold and wet to produce these magnificent offerings of someone elses trash.

This is like Christmas morning for me. Have anticiapted this moment all winter long and FINALLY - 'Yard Sale Day Eve' is here. I put out the plate of quarters and the glass of bargaining jargin for good old Saint ReSale to find in the middle of the night. I can't sleep because I'm so excited. I sneak downstairs in hopes of catching a glimpse of him leaving my Yard Sale Day gift under the 'antique shop find' coat tree....but alas, I tucker out and fall asleep before he arrives. When I awake the next morning, he's fulfilled my Yard Sale Day wishes and left me the days newspaper magically filled with more yard sales, garage sales, and estate sales I could ever hope for. Note to self: write him a thank you note and send his wife a lovely trinket from the days' finds.

So with newspaper in hand and carefully selected sales close to home or long distance travel (2 miles or more) if the items listed seems like the 'good stuff' highlighted; the passenger seat, back seat and trunk of car have been emptied and cleaned (a winters worth of soda cans, paper cups, straws, straw wrappers, crumpled sale ads papers, coats, sweaters, scarves, ice scrapers, de-icer cans, dog hair, etc...etc...etc...have been raked out) in order to pack as much newly purchased merchandise as humanly possible; a new air freshener hung from the rear view mirror (to mask the stale smells from cigar smoke - that I've begged him not to do in the car cuz it reeeeeeks and the smell NEVER goes away, and the dog smell, and the winters worth of garbage, blah blah blah, just raked out of car); a fist full of one dollar bills and a couple of dollars in quarters; a wad of reusable shopping bags in various shapes and sizes; a stack of old newspapers to wrap breakables; a couple of small to medium size boxes to pack breakables in; bungee cords, sash cord, a roll of duct tape and various other things to "tie the trunk closed" as much as possible because of the sofa, love seat, pool table, grandfather clock missing chimes, hands and anything pertinent to making it function properly that I just might HAVE to have, and a weight bench with most of the weights included (for my sweetie) that may be hanging out of it... the trunk that is (this is where a winch and steel cable come in handy to cinch it all down tight)...and to strap things to roof and hood of car if necessary; a couple of red mechanics rags to use as flags on stuff sticking out of the trunk more than 200 feet - or that naughty red nightie from Fredericks of Hollywood thatnevergotwornandbeeninthedresserdrawerfor15yearscuzijustneverlosttheweightforittofitright andbesidesineverhadtheenergyattheendofthedaytoputittogooduseanywaysowhynotcutituptouseasred flagsonthebackofthecaronyardsaledaysifneeded; a tank full of gas; sunglasses; cell phone -to keep my sweetie apprised of all the fabulous deals I'm acquiring as the day wears on...and would he be a lamb and please empty the basement of last years finds and junk to make room for this year's haul cuz honey the car is packed full...and I'm going back for more !!!- (big breath here) aaaaaaand a BIG diet soda to go - I'm saddled up and ready to go....and this is doing it alone.

Tip for those who wanna yard sale with the BFF: Take separate vehicles. More room for more stuff! And if you're like me with an economy size car that has to make use of the least amount of space for the max amount of stuff, invite the BFF with the BIG SUV or pickup truck. If you ain't got a BFF with either one of those modes for hauling stuff, then get yourself a new BFF - one that does have one of those modes. It's waaaaaaaaaay cheaper than buying one of those modes for yourself.

Or.......

If your sweetie happens to loath yard sale-ing (which most male sweeties do) but does have that big ass Dodge truck with the Hemi sittin' in the driveway but doesn't allow you to touch it cuz it's "his baby" - promise him anything he wants in return for following you around to all the great sales this weekend cuz you JUST KNOW you're gonna find that $35,000 bass boat he's been wanting somewhere out there for 10 bucks. You can feel it in your bones, God a mighty ~ this is THE day for the boat some body's gotta give up cuz the wife don't allow him to go fishin' no more...not since that incident with the ~new~ church secretary...and the boat...and the only fishin' being done was for her bikini top floatin' around somewhere in the lake.

His eyes will light up like a Christmas tree and he'll decide in that instant that you're the greatest thing since sliced bread for suggesting he go with you to find the boat of his dreams without having to second mortgage the house - or sell off your prized antique heirloom finest china you inherited from five generations of grandmothers aaaaand the silverware service for twelve passed down from those same five generations - which he would prefer to do because God only knows it would Kill. Him. Dead. if he ever had to part with his "Man Cave" (he's decked out with all the stuff ~crap~ HE thinks is cool and you're not allowed to enter) because the house got re-po'd if it was second mortgaged.

In the meantime, you're loading up with all the goodies you can possibly stuff in that "big ass" truck of his ~aaaaand he may just even help you unload it all when you get home cuz you promised him anything he wanted and you gotta make good on it. Damn, maybe I shouldn't have cut up the naughty red nightie from Fredericks of Hollywood just yet... and you never know, you might just find that $35,000 bass boat for 10 bucks sitting in some one's yard sale -but be prepared to settle for the $3 trawling motor that "needs some work" and console him by telling him it's a place to start and he can keep trading up. Just hope he doesn't want to trade you in the process... and believe me honey - he WILL trade UP !!

Sooooooo - I'm outta the the gate in a flash like Big Brown at the Kentucky Derby, as are a gazillion other seasoned yard salers. I gotta get there first!...to all the sales!!...I gotta get the good stuff before anyone else does!!!....me first, me first, ME FIRST!!!!

Yard sale season is officially open.

Suddenly my energy level is that of a five year old with ADHD. The degenerative arthritis that consumes me from the waste down is non-existent. The color in my face is rosy instead of ashy. The brain that is in constant state of fart is suddenly sharp and capable of processing and retaining infinite amounts of information relating to yard sale-ing...and driving directions are noooooo problem. The bifocals are no longer needed as I can see the prices of stuff on tiny price tags, from my car, from across the street of yards and garages.

I'm a kid of fourteen again effortlessly sailing over hurdles and the high jump in our school's track meet. I'm the same kid winning the trophies as 'best guard' in day long basketball tournaments for our school. The competition is stiff and the prizes are bigger and better with time and effort. The sun on my face and the wind in my hair never felt so good.

I went to my first yard sales of the season last weekend. I got some great stuff at virtually nothing prices. This is my first experience with yard sale-ing in New England. I was flabbergasted at what people were (not) charging for stuff at these sales. I went home with two carloads of stuff...stuff we needed and stuff not so necessarily necessary....for about $25. A desk with a hutch ($3 - FOR REAL TYPE SERIOUSLY...and not the crappy kind that comes in a box you put together yourself), four dining room chairs ($10 for the four - SOOOO SERIOUSLY) that match the table I already have, some beautiful old dishes (10 cents per) , a couple of knick knacks (25 cents here and there), a wicker coffee table for the back porch ($1 - KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER), a smattering of things to hang on the wall (50 cents tossed around), a great looking 3x5 throw rug that came from Pottery Barn ($1 - MAY LIGHTENING STRIKE ME DEAD IF I'M LYIN'!), some picture frames (more 2 bits tossed in the pot), a gooooooorgeous wine decanter set with all six glasses by Princess House ($1 - new in the box - never been used, 'nary a chip to be found - IT'S INSANE PEOPLE)...and the list goes on ~ and all this stuff is in FABULOUS condition.

Where I come from in South Carolina. and Tennessee. and Arkansas. and Texas. and even Oklahoma 30 years ago - yard sale prices are quite a bit higher. At the time I thought I was getting good deals on stuff, but compared to what I paid last weekend here in Massachusetts, those might as well have been retail prices. I don't know if people here just haven't figured out they can charge more for the junk they're trying to get rid of...and people will buy it...or if they just don't care and it's not about the money. Maybe it's just about getting rid of their junk to make room for more junk, or to just make more room. What I do know is that I've died and gone to yard sale heaven. My first sales of the season have left me drooling for more and I suspect I'll hit the yard sale trail again in a week or two.

I thought it fitting this being my first public blog and all, as I'm starting a new life in a new place, and it's spring...a time for new beginnings great and small, that "Yard Sale-ing" was a good topic start with. In time I will post pictures of the things of my daily life and the stuff I knit and crochet and sew and quilt...and of the dog and the cat and the wildlife around the feeders in my yard...and of my sweetie -if he consents -...and of my "deals of century" throughout the yard sale season. I will be creating things throughout the summer to offer up for sale in the fall and winter on my website and maybe Ebay. My creativity begs to be pushed to the limits and to be most productive with what I do...what I love to do. I will talk about the various happenings in my daily life...and of my sweetie...and of the cat and the dog...and whatever else seems fitting to post (maybe even a little about my 'Rock Goddess' persona as I live a double life and sing in a band too). There's a lot going on...and a lot of "fodder" for blogging.

.....and yes, it was good for me.