Visitor

We've had a cute little visitor for the past few weeks in our yard. It's a pretty white rabbit. I found out she (I'm calling her she because a rabbit that pretty just has to be a she), belongs to our neighbor.

I've gone out several times and taken some pictures.

The first one I took the other morning, she was nibbling on some grass.


Then she stopped and looked up ...






She's a really sweet, pretty rabbit and she seems fairly tame. Our neighbor thought it would be fun to just have her scampering through out yards, pausing every now and then to munch on some grass. Our neighbor is also giving her some rabbit food. I'm not sure how good I feel about her just being loose like that, but it's not my rabbit, so I'm not sure there is anything I can do about it. My only concern is for the rabbit's safety.

On another note ... Eddie and I have decided not to go to Florida. His allergies are just giving him a fit right now. He always has a terrible time at this time of the year. It just makes him feel awful and the medicine he takes doesn't make him feel much better. I think that with all the things that have to be done to get ready for a trip, it was just more than he feels like doing right now.

I'm a little disappointed ... but just a little. I have plans for the next couple of weeks that involve getting a massage, reading, doing some crafty things, going to a painting class, getting together with some friends and some other things that I don't normally get to do when I'm working. I'll probably spend a couple of days with my mom going to lunch and stuff like that.

At work today I'm trying to get caught up on some things that I've been neglecting so that I can feel like I've accomplished something and can leave with a clean slate. It sort of clears my mind for being away from work and hopefully getting to do some fun things. That wouldn't be possible if I was thinking about everything that I had left undone at work.

Maybe I can get some new things photographed to put in my Etsy store. I would like to go to Knoxville and get the rest of my jewelry from the art gallery and bring it back here to put on Etsy, or have a sale of some kind somewhere. I really enjoy making my jewelry, but sometimes it feels like everyone else is doing the same thing, so there is not much of a demand for it. Now, I have all this jewelry that I don't know what to do with other than have a huge Etsy sale. And I might do that. I'll have to give that some thought.

Florida

We've been slowly but surely getting ready for our Florida trip. We seem to be having a hard time getting motivated to pack. It seems like there is alot to do and no time to do it. It's a little overwhelming. Eddie said today that he wasn't in the mood to pack. We both wondered if it's because it's been so long since we've been anywhere, that we just don't care. I don't know how that could be. We're going to be staying in a condo on the beach for free for a whole week courtesy of a business associate of my cousin's. It's an opportunity that we won't get again any time soon, if ever.

So far, we've only gotten this far. Getting the suitcases down from the attic:


And starting to pack a few necessities:


In between packing I've been working on a few crafty projects. One of them is a quilted potholder that I finished:


And another one in progress:


I also found some great collage sheets from several different sellers on Etsy. I got them all printed out on sticker paper that I bought from Staples and decided to put them in a little box that I'm calling my Sticker Box:


I thought it would be fun to have stickers to put in my handwritten journal that I keep. It might be fun to just reach in a draw one or two out every time I want to write in it and let it be the theme for my journal entry for the day.

And I can't forget to give you an updated picture of my friend's mailbox garden. This little garden is flourishing.


And last, but not least, I decided to make an altered clipboard:


I found this great tutorial for making altered clipboards that seems very easy to me. I didn't vary much from the example in the tutorial, but I'm pleased with the way it came out. I still have to apply the Modge Podge to mine, but I'm in the process of letting it dry for 24 hours before I do that. Before watching this video, don't forget to go to the bottom of my page and turn off the music.

Tired and Wrung Out

I've been feeling really tired and wrung out for the past two weeks. I've been taking antibiotics and ibuprofen for the toothache I've had and I think between the both of them, they are dragging me down. All I want to do is sleep. My dentist told me that I have a cracked tooth and that I need a root canal, a new filling, and a crown. I understand the root canal and the crown, but I'm confused about the new filling. In the meantime, he has decided to retire, so not only do I have to go to a special dentist to get the root canal, I now have to find a new dentist. I really hate it because I loved my old one.

Somehow I feel like I'm repeating myself. It could be that I've talked about this in a previous post. Either that or I've thought about it so much that I think I posted about it. If I've posted about it before, I apologize for the repetition. My days seem to be running together too.

Well, on a good note, my peonies are blooming like crazy and I cut some for a tabletop arrangement.


I've also been hand piecing some 5" x 5" squares, and then I decided to make a small quilt square. Then I thought, what am I going to do with a small quilt square? Then I decided it could be used as a pretty mat under a vase of flowers, or a mat for a candle or whatever I want to use it for. I really like sewing these by hand because it doesn't require alot of physical effort on my part, which right now I couldn't muster up the energy to do if I wanted to. I can sit in my recliner and watch TV while doing it and talk to Eddie. Then if I get sleepy, I can go take a nap. Of course I can only takes naps on the weekends because I can't at work.


I made two of them. One in lavendar colors and the other one in some yellow.




I think another thing that is dragging me down is work. We have several projects coming up this summer and my boss is all geared up to get started and finished. The more geared up she gets, the more wrung out I seem to feel with her sense of urgency. I think I'm burned out and I need a vacation. The good news is that we are going to Florida in two weeks and I can't wait.

Mother's Day Weekend Pictures

Eddie and I had a wonderful weekend with our mothers. On Saturday, we went to Eddie's mother's, and my MIL and her daughter and I went shopping. We had a great time. We found lots of sales and bought several things that we needed. After we finished shopping, we went back to my MIL's house and had hamburgers that Eddie had cooked on the grill.

My MIL and her husband moved into a different house about a year and a half ago and she said recently that she has been missing her yellow rose bush so badly. I remembered that one day while they were still living at their old house I had taken a picture of her rose bush with my digital camera. I was amazed at how well the photo came out, so I decided to have it enlarged and frame it for her. I gave it to her yesterday, and she was so touched that she cried. The good thing about this whole thing is that the man who bought her house, told her that she could come and dig up any of her old plants that she wants, so Eddie is going to take her soon to get her yellow rose bush and any other plants that she wants from there. Here is the photo.


On Sunday, my mother came over to our house and we grilled out BBQ chicken. It was delicious.

Before my mom got there on Saturday, I decided to take a picture of the table setting. It was nothing elaborate, just a simple table setting that I thought was pretty and reminded me of Spring.



Later, after my mom had gone home, I was fooling around with the camera and took several photos of our cat, Heckle. He is so funny.


What?


Ahhh, that feels good!


Where did that bird go?

Lastly, I noticed that my peonies are beginning to bloom, so I couldn't resist taking these pictures and sharing them with you.

Chocolate or Chocolat

Every afternoon after lunch my energy level just plummets. It's all I can do not to lay my head down on my desk. I can't have caffeine, so I'm sure that's part of it, and then I get to thinking maybe some chocolate will revive me. Then I go get some candy. Lately, it's been Hershey's Kisses that I've been craving. I have to stop doing that or I will never lose weight. I'm sure that's what is keeping the weight on me. At least that's part of it. I wish I didn't like chocolate candy so much.



My doctor told me not to eat chocolate because he said it raises blood pressure. I thought he might as well tell me not to breathe. It's been really difficult for me because I've always loved chocolate, even as a kid and it hasn't changed to this day. Sometimes I think when someone tells you not to eat a certain food it makes you want it even more. I think that's what's wrong with me now. I have it in my mind that I can't have it, so now I want it more. Maybe if I could forget I'm not supposed to have it, then I wouldn't want it so much. It doesn't help that every time I go to the doctor he says, "Remember, no chocolate, no alcohol, no this, no that, etc. He wants to spoil all my fun.

When thinking about this chocolate saga, it reminds me of the movie Chocolat. It's one of my favorite movies. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of my page and turn off my music before watching this clip.

Mother's Day

When I think about Mother's Day I think about real mothers with real human children, plus I think about my own mother, of course. I didn't use to think of myself as a mother because we don't have children. One Mother's Day several years ago Eddie and I were in the grocery store and as we were leaving, one of the store employees handed me a red rose and said, "Happy Mother's Day". Rather than tell him that I am not a mother, I just took the rose and said thank you. On the way out to the car, I told Eddie that I felt sort of funny taking the rose under false pretenses since we don't have children and I'm not a mother. Eddie said the sweetest thing. He said, "Well, you are the kittie's mother". It just reminded me once again why I love this man so much. Right now we just have one cat, Heckle, and at that time we had four cats.

This morning I was reading one of my favorite blogs over at A Fanciful Twist and saw that she has offered some of her wonderful artwork for free in the form of cards that can be printed from a pdf file. One of the cards caught my attention because it says "Mammie to all little Creatures."


I love this because if anything describes me it has to be this. Eddie and I don't have human children, but we both love all creatures. Cats, dogs, rabbits, squirrels, and all of God's creatures. It's true we have not had children, but all of these creatures are here on earth and God has placed them in our care. I feel it's my responsibility to take care of them as best I can within my means. I feel that they give us so much unconditional love.

I guess this post is for all of the men and women out there who are childless, whether by choice or not by choice, who have been made to be feel badly or guilty for not having children by people who do. People should never judge other people because we don't know what their circumstances are. I had a miscarriage when I was a young wife. We later decided that we wouldn't have children. There have been many times that I've wondered how old our child would be now, and what kind of personality he or she would have had. I've had people who don't know my circumstances make snide comments about the fact that I don't have children, so I can't possibly know what it's like. Well, no I don't have human children, so I don't know what that's like, but I do know the unconditional love of a cat or a dog. My cat looks to me and Eddie when he's sick and feeling badly because he knows we will take care of him. Heckle also knows when we're feeling badly because he crawls up next to us and just quietly sits. Quietly nursing us and taking care of us.

So, when I think about Mother's Day and Father's Day I think about not only mothers and fathers with human children, but of all of the mothers (and fathers) who take care of all the little creatures that are on the earth, human or not.

Mailbox Flowers

Last night we went to a friend's house to play cards. Our friends have been very busy because they've been planting spring flowers. I saw this wonderful flower bed they made around their mailbox.


It's just wonderful and now I want one! The area around our mailbox is very flat and I've been trying to think of something to do with it, now I know what I would like to do.

I'm going to see if I can work it out somehow.

Treasures

I'm a fool for pretty paper, pens, pencils and things like that. I could spend a good hour in an office supply store or the pen and paper and stationary section of Walmart, Dollar Store or anywhere like that looking at everything. I stopped by the Dollar Tree this afternoon and look what I found!


They had some beautiful, floral clipboards, notepads, notecards and pens. And they were only $1.00 each. I bought a pretty floral petite clipboard, 2 notepads, and a small box of notecards with envelopes and a pack of 3 floral pens. I wanted to buy more stuff, and I may go back tomorrow and get some more. This kind of thing makes a great gift for someone who loves to write or journal. They even had some small journals and they were square. I may go back and look at those too.

I'm also crazy for floral journals and even if I have several if they are reasonably priced, I've been known to buy one or several. You see, the way I figure it is if I love them, then chances are that someone else will too, so I like to keep a stock of things that like on hand for last minute gifts. I must get this stationary fetish from my mother because she loves those things too.

This week I've been all wrapped up in Alice in Wonderland. Through the Looking Glass to be exact. A friend of mine loaned me her copy of a wonderfully illustrated edition. She got hers at A.C. Moore for about $3.00. Unfortunately, A.C. Moore closed their store in our city, so I didn't make it to get a copy. Anyway, my friend and I really know how to find a bargain. It's because we don't have much money to spend, so when we find treasures, we have to take advantage of it.

Here are some pictures of the book and a couple of inside pages.

Spring!

The last few days here have been absolutely gorgeous! The temperatures have been in the middle to upper 70's and sunshine almost every day. I wish it could be this way all summer, but I know that eventually it will be really, really hot and humid and almost unbearable to go outside. So, I'm really enjoying this wonderful spring weather right now.

Yesterday afternoon I got into a picture taking mood. I went outside and took some pictures of my flowers and I wanted to share.

The first one is of one of my azalea bushes that are in full bloom right now.


The second picture is of the begonias I bought at a plant sale last week. I'm afraid to plant them right now because I'm afraid there might be just one more frost and I don't want them to be taken by the frost.


This last picture I have to say I'm very proud of because it's one of my hens and chicks plants and I've never seen one this big. At least I've never grown one this big before. It's so pretty and it's just flourishing.


Yesterday afternoon when I typed this, I had my windows open, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. I hope these pictures inspire you to work outside in your gardens and take some pictures of your own. I have spring fever right now and I wish the same for you because it feels really good!

Crochet Cookies and New Prints

I've had so much fun this weekend crocheting cookies. I found a really fun, easy pattern in this Etsy store. I also found a free crochet oreo cookie pattern here.

Both of these patterns are very easy to do. The only thing different I did with the oreo pattern is that I used black yarn instead of the brown the pattern called for. The reason is because every Oreo cookie I've ever seen has been black on the outside, not brown. For both cookie patterns I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn because it was all I had and I had lots of different colors on hand already.

Like I said, this was alot of fun this weekend. I'm going to put a platter with these cookies arranged on it to keep on my Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen. I also want to make some more Oreo cookies and put them in a clear glass jar of some kind. I just think these are cute arrangement to put in the kitchen. They look real. Of course now that I'm doing this and fooling all of my friends and family, I'll have to have some real cookies on hand. Looking at these crochet ones will make you want a real one.

I love photography and especially taking pictures of flowers, so I want to tell you about two new postcard prints that I have just put up in my Etsy shop.

Crochet Cakes

I just found the neatest web page for crochet cakes. These would be so much fun and I can't wait to try them. I think I'll make some and put on a pretty plate and arrange my dolls around them for a tea party. What fun! She has free patterns too!

Laughter

Hello again, I just found this wonderful video clip on Youtube of Mary Poppins and the "I Love to Laugh" scene. It's about 7 minutes, so if you want to take a short break, sit back, relax and enjoy. And don't forget to go to the bottom of my page to turn off my music before you watch the video.

Wonderful Surprise

My best friend and her husband just came back from their son's wedding in Memphis. On the way, they stopped at a Cracker Barrel and bought me this gift. I was so surprised and the gift was so pretty I hated to open it. I always have that problem. I love the way gifts are wrapped and packaged almost as much as the gift that is inside. I really appreciate the time and thoughtfulness that someone puts into making a package pretty. Here it is in it's wrapped state:


And here is what was inside:


They know how much I love cats and I'm a sucker for stuffed animals. This one is so cute! Now I have to think of a name for her and maybe a story! Hmmmm.

Travel Jewelry Bags/Pouches

As promised, I have a photo of the project I have been working on for the past 2 weeks. They are drawstring jewelry pouches. Inside they have 8 separate compartments for rings and earrings and the middle part is great for necklaces and bracelets. They can also be used as small portable take-a-long bags for sewing items like sewing thread or embroidery thread, thimbles, a small pair of scissors and things like that. They drawstring tightly closed so you don't have to worry about anything falling out and getting lost.

I really had alot of fun making these and I plan to put a few of them in my Etsy store just as soon as I can get more photos taken and get them listed. I hope to do that this weekend.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been so tardy in posting to my blog lately. It has been so busy here at work and at home that I feel like I'm in a whirlwind. I work in an academic library which is busy most of the time, but I work mostly behind the scenes in technical services. That means we do all of the receiving of new books, cataloging and processing them to prepare them for going on the shelves. We also do a yearly inventory during the summer and some departments also do weeding (or withdrawing of old books from our collection) during the summer months when things are quieter in the public service area. But, for me, my workload doubles in the summer months because all that weeding and inventory involves lots and lots of paperwork, which I'm involved in. It really doesn't sound like much, but the time it takes to do all that and the paperwork involved is unbelievable. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I love books. In fact, I wouldn't be happy if I weren't working around books, so this is the ideal place for me to be. The only other thing I would rather be doing is staying at home and having more time for artwork, sewing and all the other things I love to do.

At home, when I don't come home and collapse after work, I have been doing lots of sewing, so I do have some fun things to show you as soon as I get a chance to get the photos I took posted. Just a hint is that it has to do with jewelry and traveling.

Speaking of traveling ... we are planning a vacation with some friends and family to Panama City Beach, FL the first week in June. I'm going to take an extra week after we get back, to rest before I go back to work. That's terrible isn't it? You take a vacation to rest from your vacation??? I'm just not one of those people who can drive 8 hours one day, get home late that evening, and get up early the next morning to go back to work. I would be exhausted.

On another fun note, one of my blogging buddies, Mica, just published a children's book. I also think adults would enjoy it as well. I know I have. It's called The Tale of Spring Forgotten and she published it through blurb. I had never heard of blurb before, but now that I have I'm going to think about publishing a book there later. Maybe a poetry book or something else. My mind is clicking with ideas.

Whimsical Dolls

This morning I stumbled onto a whimsical web site. I found the link through Garb-oodles Soup links. I just love these whimsical dolls and the ones made by Mica at Garb-oodles Soup. I don't know how they are made, but I would love to learn to make some.

Please be sure to go to the bottom of my blog page and turn off my music to watch this video.

Tom Kitten

I love Beatrix Potter books and the Miss Potter movie. One of my favorite books is The Tale of Tom Kitten. The following is one of my favorite pages from the book. In fact I have it framed and mounted on my wall at home.


She sent them upstairs; and I am sorry to say she told her friends that they were in bed with the measles; which was not true.

Quite the contrary; they were not in bed; not in the least.

(From The Tale of Tom Kitten by Beatrix Potter.)

Roman Holiday

Yesterday, was a movie watching day. The first movie I watched was Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. It was a wonderful movie and I had just started watching it when, alas, the doorbell rang and my mother-in-law popped in. Drat it. Well, it wasn't her fault I had been planning on watching this movie for about a week. She stayed about an hour, and then left. I did get to see the ending of the movie, but I'm pretty sure I have seen the movie before, just not in its entirety. Just bits and pieces. To view the video below, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of my page and turn the music off on my music player.



Right after that movie, I saw that Key Largo was coming on. I love Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart together in movies, so I wanted to watch this one too. I didn't really enjoy it, though. I don't think it's one of their best movies together. I did watch it to the end, it was just the story line I didn't like, not the actors because Bogey and Bacall are exceptional actors in the movies they were in together. I just think their acting ability has been put to much better use than this movie.

This weekend I finished making a baby sweater. It's for no one in particular, but I like to have a few of these on hand in case of baby showers.


I also took a notion for some deviled eggs. I don't eat them very often, but every now and then I really like them. When I saw how pretty they looked on the plate and I saw my pretty salt and pepper shakers, I decided to take a picture.


When I was making them I started to reach for my regular salt and pepper containers, which really aren't containers at all. They are more like the containers that they came in. Then I happened to see these pretty shakers, and I decided that I wanted to make this an elegant experience, even if it was just deviled eggs I was making.

Using this pretty Lady Carlysle dish and those elegant looking shakers reminded me of my aunt. She used to set a perfect, elegant table and always used cloth napkins. When she passed and we bought her house, we found all kinds of lovely linens. None were embroidered that I remember, but she had lacey type linens and just all sorts of napkins, tablecloths, pillowcases. I kept them all, of course, because I love to use these things.

I wish I could have been more like her. She lived in the era where most mothers and wives stayed at home and she never even learned to drive. I'm glad I learned to drive, but sometimes I long for the simpler times when she was a wife and mother. With this faster paced world where it seems it almost always takes two incomes to make it, there doesn't seem to be any time for things like real linens and things like that unless we stop and make the time.

Maybe turning 55 last month, was a liberating experience that made me put things into perspective. So, I have decided that I'm going to add more elegance to my life just by using my fine china teacups and dishes for the simple things. What am I saving them for? I've started drinking my coffee every morning using a different china teacup every day. I'm going to start using those Lady Carlysle dishes. Since that is my favorite china pattern, I would love to add some dinner dishes to that, but the outlet store that was close to us in Calhoun, Ga. closed. I'm going to have to figure out a different way to find them.

New Paintings!

I'm very excited to tell you about two new paintings that I just finished over the weekend. You can find them in my shop. I really enjoyed working on them and I hope they find a new home with someone who loves them.

These were so much fun, and I have lots of ideas floating around in my head for more paintings in the near future.

New Treasures

I been kicking myself because I kept forgetting to post the picture of this beautiful doll that my friend made and gave to me for my birthday last week. I love her and she's found a home on my fireplace mantle for the moment. I haven't named her yet. I'm going to have to ponder that for awhile ...


I also wanted to post a picture of my new friend, Pinky. I saw her this morning at the grocery store and since I've become smitten with pink flamingos lately, I couldn't resist. She's keeping me company near my computer at work.



Other than that, things are going fine except for some mild stomach bug over the weekend. I also finished some new paintings for my shop that I will share with you tomorrow!

The Other Boleyn Girl

Friday night was the opening night in our city for the movie The Other Boleyn Girl. My friend Susan took me to see it for my birthday. We both really enjoyed the movie. In addition, she gave me a lovely doll that she made for me, but I forgot to bring the picture that I took of her with me today so you could see.

My cousin recently won a world-wide award through AC Photos for a photo that she took called "How to Completely Disappear."


Seeing her photos on her myspace page has renewed my interest in photography. She is a talented artist and photographer. She even has one of her watercolors on her myspace page that is available as a print.


It's called "The Gathering" and is an 18"x30" and giglee' prints are available.