You Can Call Me Gwen

Trash to Treasure

 

 

Sadly, my house guests left yesterday.

Happily, we finished a project together while they were here, so I'll remember the visit often.

I went for a bike ride one morning during their visit and saw this perfectly good drying rack old crib at the curb waiting for big-junk pick-up (I love big-junk pick-up week).

 

 

My Seester-in-Love and I went back later with her van and picked up the piece we needed.

I had a long hinge in the garage, salvaged from a previous re-purpose.

We purchased some security wire and crimps and we got down to business.

Our new lay-flat-or-hang-to-dry drying rack is now installed on the previously big blank   laundry room wall.

 

 

It latches to the wall with a simple cabinet door catch.

 

 

When it is open, it hangs from security wire attached at the wall and the bottom of the top rail.

 

 

Yes, I painted the wires to make them 'disappear' when the rack is closed (I have a mild-to-moderate case of OCD, which I prefer to call "Visual Sensitivity").

 

 

When we finished hanging this, I immediately had a tremendous urge to do a load of hand-wash or delicate laundry.

Thankfully, it passed, so I just staged this for you, Dear Readers.

 

 

But, hey, I'm prepared for next time.

And, speaking of next time, I'll be back to show you the reason I was tuned in to see this old crib at the curb in the first place.

See, I have one of my own, so wrapped up in sweet memories that I couldn't bear to part with it.

It is currently being repurposed, as well.

Every single piece of it.

Here's a sneak preview:

 

 

I have a mild-to-moderate case of excitement about this.

Actually, that's not entirely true.

If you know me, you know I'm rarely mild-to-moderate about anything in my whole, entire, complete life on earth in the whole wide world.

Go big or go home.

Hand-Painted Napkins

 

 

One of the things I came across in my recent massive house-purge was a set of twelve cloth napkins I had cut (long ago?) and not hemmed.

I hemmed them this week.

Let's just pause and enjoy this information for a moment.

Today  I painted a fun new-to-me design on them.

Here they are:

 

 

They are a little, um, strange, no?

So...

Yo.

Tell me whatcha think.

Scrabble Tiles Rock

 

Well, let's see, this is my Tenth Day of Retirement,  so I guess I've missed posting a few days of wonderfulness (in which I went to see Bryan Adams' photo exhibit, among other things).

Today, though, along with other activities shared with my houseguests, I made my Little Brudder the dishwasher sign he requested.

 I pulled this stuff out of the studio drawers:

 

 

My Beacon's 3 in 1 Craft Glue had seen happier days and had to be cut open.

There just happened to be a scrap of balsa wood in the drawer (another vote against ruthless studio purging - sigh), which made a nice lightweight base for the tiles.

 The tiles were glued to the balsa wood first, and then I cut the balsa wood close to their edges using the craft mat and Xacto knife.

The magnetic strips were self-adhesive, but I used some glue on them, too, just for insurance.

 

 

Et voila!

 

 

Now, if I could have laid my hands on them, I would have glued these tiles to actual Scrabble tile racks (cut down a bit first) and glued the bottoms of the racks together.

Of course, that would have made the piece a lot heavier, and I would have needed my stronger magnets, which I also could not lay my hands on today, so I guess it's just as well.

On an unrelated note, the relatives brought these two fine specimens of doghood with them:

They are BIG dogs, but they are nice dogs, and they wait there patiently while we are in the kitchen, which they are not allowed to inhabit.

On another unrelated note; I took my Porsche out for a spin yesterday and happened to pass this pile of trash waiting for "big junk pick-up" at someone's curb.

 

My Seester-in-Love and I went back later with her van and picked up a piece of the baby crib that's hiding in there.

We started the re-purpose today, so ya'll come back.

Same bat-time.

Same bat-channel.

Ker-pow!

Gnomes for Little Hands

 

Dear Diary,

Want to see what I'm doing with my Fourth Day of Retirement?

I am not doing the grocery shopping or dropping my trunk-full of donations off at Goodwill.

I am also not clothes shopping for our vacation or going to Home Depot or the fabric store to pick up things I need to finish house projects.

And, to be completely honest,  I am also not showering or getting dressed.

It's cold out there and I just don't want to.

Instead (so far), I am watching old movies... 

 

 

...with my feet up on the ottoman and a drawer full of felt pieces, threads, and needles in my lap.

 

 

I am laying finished pieces of felt on the arm of the sofa next to me...

 

 

...which will some day turn into a set of little gnome peg dolls like these, which I recently gave to an "adopted" grandshoot of mine.

 

 

 

The sweet patterns (some I have altered) and tutorial are available from the generous folks at Wee Folk Art.

I do feel very privileged to have the option of staying home and sitting here in peace today, making things for no particular reason.

I really am very grateful.

But, it hasn't kept me from thinking...

..."Now if lunch could just be delivered, everything would be perfect."

Coat Rack Made W/Thread Spools

 

Dear Diary,

Want to see what I've been doing on my Third Day of Retirement?

I finally finished the coat rack that Creative Genius was kind enough to make for me many (too many) years ago.

 

Since we transformed the coat closet into a play-space for the Grandshoots, we've really been needing a coat rack.

I priced double hooks for this 48" piece several times.

Did I think they would get cheaper?

I just couldn't bring myself to lay out the money.

Then one day I had a brainstorm (my favorite kind of storm) and thought, "This might be a good place to use some of those wooden spools I've been wishing I could display."

And then I thought, "Why not use the ones that still have thread on them and enjoy the color?"

So I did.

I gave them a few coats of Mod Podge, spaced them evenly across the board, and then just screwed them in with white "All In One Screw and Anchors" because that's what was in the garage.

I hung the framed family photos - which Miss Mary Mack had given us at Christmas - over the rack, even though, technically, it's way too high on the wall.

Then I needed something with a little color, so I moved "The Beetle's Devotion" papercutting from the family room (I'm seeing it like new again - nice side effect).

 

It was a serendipitous move, a pleasant surprise, to see how nicely the background color played with the laundry room wall color (especially since that door is almost always open!).

 

 

As I stood in the hall snapping these photos, I looked anew at this grouping on the opposite wall:

 

 

I'm not a "cat person", but I found these little, bitty cards in a gift store while I was on vacation many moons ago and just kinda fell for them.

I brought them home, had some mats cut to fit standard size frames, and hung them up.

One of my Seesters said, "Is this one supposed to be me??"

 

 

I never said that.

But, I sure was thinking about her and all the good times we've had while I was working in the hallway today. Bwahahaha!

 

My Dream World

Dear Diary,

I've been sick. I've been sick for about a hundred years and four days. I'm still sick; but now I'm well enough to lay here with this iPad and tell you all about it.

Don't worry, Dear Diary, I'm not missing work. This is the week I took off work to play with my Seester-in-law. She drove all the way from Arizona to come and play. I hear she is having a good time at my Beeg Seester's house, but she was supposed to stay here.

She would have stayed in our guest room. The one with the en suite I have been working so hard to re-finish for ever-so-long. You know; the bathroom-that-never-ends. I had a lot of trouble with that bathroom, but I kept after it because I was very excited about this visit-I'm-not-currently-having with my Seester-in-law.

In fact, I had just installed the floor trim, and was finishing up the room with some decorative touches when my stomach first began making serious objections to being occupied.

Dear Diary, I have eaten so many Popsicles in the six days and two viruses since then, that I could build a model home using the sticks. And, Diary, I don't mean a model size home; I mean a model home.

I would not put any bathrooms in my model home, though, Diary, and I'll tell you why.

I have laid the floor trim in that guest bathroom IN EVERY, SINGLE, FEVERED AND DELIRIOUS DREAM I have had in the last six loooooong days and nights in this bed.

And, Dear Diary, it's never gone well even once.

I'm just too weak to do it again.

I'm sorry.

But, I am.

Million Dollar Mistakes

 

Dear Diary,

            At work I collect the copays from our patients and enter them into the computer system. Sometimes they pay with cash, sometimes they write a check, and sometimes they pay with a credit card. When they use a credit card I have to manually enter several pieces of information, along with the payment amount.

            Did you know that if you enter a $35.00 payment and forget to move the cursor to a different box before you enter the credit card approval number, you will soon be printing off a receipt for...let's say...maybe... $35,467,933?

            And if you don't notice your error immediately, you will just hand the receipt over to the patient with a smile and a thankyouverymuch.  And wouldn't that be one lucky patient standing there holding proof that he/she had a pretty sweet credit balance with your clinic?

            Now, if you stay on top of things, you'll be manually entering your receipts on a daily spread sheet that's separate from the system tally, and you'll be checking for a nice balance throughout the day.  If you're having a really good day, you'll do this in time to notice this massive discrepancy while the patient is still in the waiting room, and you'll be able to call them up to the desk and sweetly ask for the receipt back in exchange for a more, um, accurate one.   

            If it's a really, really, good day, you'll have a little bit of fun, because the patient will have a lovely sense of humor and be quite playful about the whole thing.

            I've had some of those really, really, good days.

            There is a balance in the universe.

            Good night, Dear Diary.

            Tomorrow will be another day.        

Collapse

 

Dear Diary,

        I was disppointed to find out that although it was plugged into the charger, my phone was dead this morning and, therefore, did not wake me up in time for my workout.  I guess it matters that the charger was not plugged into the wall.

        When I realized I did not have enough time to work out, but still had more time than I needed to get ready for work, I immediately chucked my frustration and began to anticipate actually sitting down to drink my morning coffee while it was still hot.  "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" and all that.

         On my way to the kitchen to make some fresh coffee, I decided to tidy up the family room, arrange the sofa pillows, and replace the throw over the back of the divan. You know that six-foot, folding craft table which I'd parked behind the sofa recently?  The one holding the tray full of little, eensy, tiny pieces of felt I'd cut, along with various shears, pincushions, and threads? It also held the glass jars with dowels in them, the little lid full of wooden beads for making tiny dolls, the two boxes of embroidery thread, the fabric bowl full of specialty threads, all my felt, and a whole-big-bunch of loose and very small paper patterns. Well, it was shoved up so close to the sofa that I had to move it back a few inches to be able to replace the throw.

         The thing about that table is...well...I never could get that second leg brace in place properly when I set it up.  This morning when I scooted it, the legs on that end collapsed. It is fun to watch children slide down a slide at the playground.  It was not so much fun to watch every single thing on that table slide down to one end and then off onto the floor this morning.

        I did not work out or have hot coffee this morning, Dear Diary. 

        But I've had a good day anyway.

Talk to you tomorrow,

Lemonade Lover

 

(Almost) Free Christmas Centerpiece and Ornaments

 

 

Hello, kids.

Remember those almost-free festive chair decorations I was working on Friday?

 

 

They were for the dinner party we had last night.

So....

Yesterday morning I finished making the almost-free centerpiece for the table.

It had the same elements as the chair decor: little pinecones picked up by my good friend, big pinecones picked up on a walk by moi to the local drug store, boughs lopped from the bottom of Chrismas trees and free-for-the-taking from Home Depot, and (larger) paper stars made from the pages of an old hymnal.

 

It was lovely last night, with just the candle light and the twinking lights in the centerpiece and nearby Christmas tree.

Every year I ask God for inspiration for the decorations for this little dinner party, and He always answers my prayers.

I like to use a handmade ornament, representative of each year's decor theme, as both place marker and take-home favor.

So, yesterday morning found me pulling things out of my Christmas craft box and experimenting at the kitchen counter while the white chocolate mousse was chilling in prep for whipping into dessert.

I found a bundle (just enough pieces!!) of wired greenery stems in the stash and thought I would make some little wreaths.

This is what I started with:

 

 

The iPad in the background isn't essential equipment, but it was wonderful to listen to some LifeChurch TV sermons while I worked.

I made a slew of little paper stars to start off with.

I threaded some stars onto the surgical wire (cast offs from the clinic where I work) and formed it into a wreath.

I put dots of glitter glue at each side of the stars to hold them in place...

 

 

...because I was too lazy to mess with other glues thought I would put this little wreath inside a wreath made from one of the wired greenery stems...

 

 

...and then hang a pine cone in the center and put a bow at the top.

But.

It was really too big and I didn't care for the way it looked ("...like a Cadillac emblem", according to The Prince).

Experiment #2 was more to size and taste.

I just wrapped the wired greenery around the starred wreath.

 

 

With a pine cone in the center and a little bow and name banner at the top, it made the cut for the finished ornament favor/place marker.

 

It was the last decorative detail, fallen into place just in time.

By 6:30, all the candles were lit, the twinkle lights were on, the music was playing, the fresh bread was out of the oven, the beautiful lasagna (The Prince made it this year!) was in the oven, dessert was in the refrigerator, the salad was tossed and the wine was uncorked.

The guests arrived.

We began to talk, to laugh, to pray, to eat.

We were having a wonderful time at this table.

 

 

But see that little round ornament hanging from the chandelier?

It has a story to tell.

It was made Friday during a play-time meeting of my D'Art group.

I contemplated making six of them to use as this year's favors, but decided they were too big.

So, I just hung that little ol' single bulb from the chandelier.

And, sometime between the main course and dessert, I looked up and noticed it wasn't looking too round any more.

We had used clear plastic bulbs for this ornament.

We had used real candles, with real fire burning the wicks, on this table.

And we all had a real laugh when we looked up...

 

 

...and saw what those two facts meant to one another.

You just never know where the fun will be.

But it's usually where your friends are.

 

(Almost) Free Holiday Decorations

 

I'm working on the decorations for our annual Christmas dinner party this afternoon, and thought you might like to see some of the progress.

I decided to use what I had on hand (with the addition of a couple of yards of burlap).

Did you know Home Depot will give you the boughs they trim off Christmas trees for their customers?

I think that's wonderful, and I usually pile some in the trunk when we go buy our tree.

I hauled my branches in as far as the foyer and clipped off some pieces to start making the decorations for the back of the dining chairs.

 

 

I used a small piece of floral wire to bind a couple of pieces to each other so I could get the length and the fullness I wanted.

Then I gathered up my other supplies, which include:

    - Green embroidery thread, leftover from making Goomba's Christmas stocking recently

    - The little pinecones Miss B picked up for me in Colorado (which I had painted and glittered for a wedding a few years ago)

    - Some four-inch wide 'ribbons' made from burlap which was left over after making the table runners

    - The 'strings' I pulled from said burlap runners to make the frayed edge

    - Some paper stars made from the pages of an old hymnal which a friend picked up for me at a garage sale

 

You begin to see what an economical decoration this is?

I pulled some of that burlap thread through the pinecones...

 

 

...until it came real close to the center.

 

 

I just clipped of one end of the string close to the pinecone and left the other long for attaching it to the greenery.

(On one pinecone, I left BOTH strings attached so I could use them to attach the whole thing to the chair.)

I tied the pinecones to the top of the greens,...

 

 

... strung the paper stars on the green embroidery thread,...

 

 

...and then attached them the same way.

The double-stranded pinecone gets tied on at the top...

 

 

 

...and the extra string gets wrapped around the knot of the burlap bow and voila!

 

 

The chairs are ready!

The table is not.

The food is not.

The people are not.

But, hey, I've got tomorrow.

God willing.

 

How to Dress for Window Shopping

 

 

I'm so glad I snapped a photo of this man doing a little window gazing in Jerome, Arizona.

 

 

Because, man, I love me some festive footwear.

 

 

And he was rockin' the look.

Favors - Pennie Pockets for Quilt Camp

 

 

I mentioned in my trip journal that  while I was in Prescott I made favors for JulieJulieJulie to take to quilt camp.

You can find the instructions and pattern for the Pennie Pockets over at the Happy Zombie (whose site is full of other wonderful eye-candy, too).

Here are some not-very-good photos of the ones I made this month:

 

 

It was the first time I'd ever made a fabric yo-yo, and I think I could become addicted to making them; I love hand sewing.

Of course, JulieJulieJulie needed just the right thing to put in the little pockets, so we got a few things out of the kitchen cabinets and pantry and made these little button sugar cookies.

 

You can gauge the size of our cookies by noting that a communion cup was used for the inner ring, and a straw on the more slender side was used to make the button holes.

It was easy-peasy and lots of fun, but I do wish we'd remembered to add color to the dough.

We added icing 'thread' to some of them...

 

 

...and then wrapped them in parchment paper and tied it shut with a ribbon.

Off into the freezer for a week or two and then off to quilt camp with JulieJulieJulie.

I wish I was going,too.

I'm rich. You are, too.

 

 

I took my sweet, orange Porsche...

 

 

...for a spin around the lake yesterday evening after work.

The big harvest moon, low on the horizon, and the glowing pink sky were speaking loudly of the majesty of God.

I took a photo with my phone as I whizzed by this particular view:

 

 

It was a beautiful fall evening and my thoughts were running to all the things that made me smile (or laugh) over the busy weekend just past.

The Prince and I were cleaning out "my side" of the garage Saturday when Sam-I-Am stopped by.

He gave the Prince a hand moving a piece of furniture-I-got-for-free-and-am-going-to-redo-some-day.

He was clearing the top of it when he said, "I draw the line at moving this; you guys creep me out with your dried toad".

 

 

Yep.

Our garage mascot.

We found him a couple years ago while cleaning the garage, and he gets moved from place to place whenever we're working out there.

He's resting sweetly on my mitre saw now.

Bwahahaha.

-------

We kept Little Man and Baby Girl overnight Saturday.

Little Man got up (too) early, asked for, and ate, a scrambled egg, and then sat on the sofa under my blankie playing on my iPad and finishing off Mary's leftover popcorn.

 

 

Baby Girl got up much later and there was a crowd of drowsy people here (which included her parents) when she decided she was hungry.

Mary let her have the bag of baked tortilla chips for breakfast.

 

 

I think she knew she was getting away with something.

It rocks to be the grandparents (or the auntie).

-------

I had a pile of 'stuff' sitting on the stairs ready to take up next time I went to my studio, but Baby Girl found the tin of sequins before I did, and her Momma had to do a tedious clean-up task.

When I decided (later) I'd better take that pile up and put it away, the same tin of sequins slid off the top and...

 

 

...made one of the loveliest messes ever.

 

 

I hated to clean it up.

-------

The Cable Guy's Bride is good to me.

She brought me this big bag of gently used wrapping tissue to recycle.

 

She also brought me two magazines.

My Beeg Seester bought me a subscription to Martha Stewart's Living magazine and, for some inexplicable reason, the good people at Living send it to my son every month.

 

 

I think his only use for it would be as a sleeping pill.

------

Creative Genius and his Bride brought my precious Goomba over for a visit...

 

... and were telling me about his nose being orange from eating too much squash and carrots.

You can poke my eyes out, 'cuz now I've seen everything.

I got a big chuckle when Creative Genius asked me for some help making this little person's Elroy Jetson costume and then pulled out this ginormous piece of green felt...

 

 

...for me to make it with.

That's a whole lotta felt for a little bit of boy!

To be fair, Creative Genius didn't know you could have less than a yard cut at the fabric store, but still...

-------

Miss Mary Mack has discovered Pinterest. (Oh my goodness!! Oh my goodness! I have a daughter whose brain is on crafts! Someone pinch me! Am I dreaming?)

I found her at the kitchen table, in the midst of all this visiting family, sewing (!) lace to one of the back pockets on a pair of her jeans. (Oh my goodness!! Oh my goodness! I have a daughter who is sewing! Someone pinch me! Am I dreaming?)

 

 

Be still, my beating heart!

-------

Yep.

I'm rich.

Making Lingerie

  Can you guess what this is?

 

 

It is about the third step in the process of making lingerie (I forgot about my camera until we were settled into the rhythm of repetiton).

If you'll forgive my poor photos (the natural light was gone and I dropped out of my photography class), I'll show what the rest of the steps were.

First, "we" did some design work and drafted patterns, and then we choose "fabrics" and trim.

We did some tracing and cutting and then used a glue stick to adhere our pieces to the strip of black "fabric".

Next, we cut the strip down the middle...

 

 

...and then cut each piece loose at its sides.

 

We used one of my favorite decorative shears to trim the "lace"; the postal edge scissors were perfect for this.

 

 

Of course, the top needed a little trimming, too, so we repeated the whole process with the pieces upside down.

 

 

Next, I did a little work with a fine-tip black Sharpie, and started making tiny bows from eighth inch black satin ribbon.

 

 

I have to cut the ribbon longer than I need for a bow, because my fingers are just too big to manipulate a short length.

I had a bunch of little bits leftover.

 

 

They were perfect for making straps.

 

 

Now, while was at one workdesk making these little nighties, Miss Helping Hands was at the other making some that are a little, um, spicier.

 

 

I don't know if you can tell yet, but soon you'll see.

She put lace at the tops and hems of hers as well, but she used the small scallop shears.

 

 

And now we skip all the steps that took place while the Grandshoots were here and we were working downstairs, sporadically, and not quite as serenely (which made me forget the camera again).

Those steps included a little more work with the Sharpie marker, and the addition of another "garment".

We printed off our invitations, drew a little clothesline at the top, "pinned" our lingerie on the line, and then backed the whole thing with some red cardstock.

Voila! Miss Helping Hands has completed another task as the maid-of-honor for an upcoming Christmas season wedding.

 

 

And I can add "maker of fine lingerie" to my resume.

Can't I?

My Vacation Pg. 29 By GweNaomi

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My Vacation. By Gwen. Grade 2

 

This busy Friday started with a short stop at Me Darlin' Mither's on my way to D'Art Group.

I had only ten or fifteen minutes with her, but it was enough time to share the latest gems I've gleaned from my job entering the names from state obituaries.

Yesterday's special was a gal whose legal name was "Twinkle Bell -----------".

Enough said.

On to D'Art Group where we painted an apple as part of a learning exercise about color value...

 

 

...and started painting the backgrounds on our canvasses for an ongoing project.

 

Mine will undergo a complete makeover later.

 

I came home for a bite of lunch before meeting up with our 'adopted' daughter, Leeeeeeeesa, to shop for silk flowers for her upcoming wedding.

She's marrying during the holiday season, so a little red and a little bright green are the order of the day.

A little practice on the boutonnieres...

 

 

...and a little bit of work on Baby Girl's Christmas stocking...

 

 

...brings me to this moment where I am filling time with this post before Little Man and his sweet momma arrive to pick up some folding chairs for his Sunday birthday party and have a little fitting of...

 

 

...Ninja masks before I actually settle on the pattern size...

 

 

...and get things all stitched up tomorrow.

After the fitting, it's off to the Plum Thicket Book Club meeting, where we'll be discussing "To Kill A Mockingbird".

That's a lot of input for one day.

Lots of pretty things, lovely people, and creative energy.

But none of it exceeded the amazing bit of God's handiwork I stopped to enjoy on my way out to the car first thing this morning.

The morning-glories climbing over our fence from the back flower bed...

 

 

...were absolutely...

 

...glorious.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SuperGwen!

 

I was in my studio this weekend, working on a little project for the birthday of one of my favorite superheros.

My workdesk looked like this:

 

 

I just love having my iPad to keep handy when I'm using tutorials like this one from Georgia Leigh.

I love generous bloggers who freely share their wonderfulness, too.

Other things I love are...

 

 

...the free and generous supply of old blueprints I use for drafting patterns, and...

 

 

...finding the fabric I need for cheap (sometimes in the form of a pillowcase) at the thrift store.

I love to applique (since UnderWonder and Heat'nBond were invented).

 

 

And I really love little boys.

I got to thinking about little boys while I was working on this reversible cape.

 

 

 

And I got to remembering the little boys who wore the superhero capes I made in the past.

They really believed they were soaring when they jumped (off the couch??) with their capes on.

They really believed they could run faster in their new "fast shoes".

I just love that about children.

And I'm wondering if there isn't something to the idea that performance really is affected by the way we dress.

I don't think it would be a difficult job at all to make a Gwen-size  superhero cape.

And, maybe, if I wore one, I would have super powers to help me see - and do something about - the things that are being neglected while I sew superhero capes.

Maybe, just maybe, if I was SuperGwen...

 

...I could save a life.

Help, I'm Cracking Up!

 

It's been a little (very) tough for me to squeeze in much 'art time' since I started my new job and work schedule.

In fact, this week I wasn't able to squeeze in any at all.

Last night, exhausted and with an aching back, I sat on the sofa and realized I hadn't even managed to do any lessons from the book we're now using in my Friday morning group.

I felt frustrated, cranky, and miserable, and I was just too tired to climb the stairs to my studio and do anything about it.

And then I remembered an easy little drawing project I'd been wanting to do.

I took the ten steps to the kitchen, got a Sharpie marker from the drawer, and took the eggs out of the refrigerator.

I sat at the counter and did this:

 

 

I was laughing, when I put the lid on the carton and put it back in the refrigerator.

I figured I might be waiting a few days for Miss Helping Hands (our main egg-eater) to discover them, and was just hoping I'd be nearby when she did.

But...

Tonight Prince Charming decided we should have what he refers to as 'big breakfast' for dinner.

All four of us went into the kitchen to prepare food, but I just sat at the counter and played with my phone;  I couldn't get away with hauling the big camera in there, but I figured I could start snapping pictures with my phone without much to-do (this explains the upcoming poor photos).

I was so surprised by Miss Helping Hands reaction when she opened the eggs.

She literally pulled her hands away from the carton like she'd been burned.

 

 

"Why do they have faces?!"

 

 

"These are hilarious, but I can't crack them now."

 

 

"When I first opened them, I thought you were doing an art project and had just left it in there."

"Really.  I can't crack them.  They have faces."

Good thing Miss Mary Mack was home.

She didn't mind cracking them one little bit.

 

 

She liked playing with them, too.

 

I actually felt sad after dinner when I saw this:

 

 

When I pointed it out, Miss Helping Hands tried to bring comfort.

 

 

Yep.

I'm cracking up.

The yolks on me.

It was an eggcellent dinner, but it's ova.

Shell I stop with the puns now?

I will.

But only because I'm so tired...

...my brain is just fried.

Falling into the Pin(terest)hole

 

I did, despite my efforts to avoid it, fall into the Pin(terest)hole recently.

However...

...I was looking through my photographs this morning and realized that at least I resurfaced with something to show for my plummet.

Last week I made body scrub with (tweaked) recipes I found there.

Wish I could give credit to the poster, but I no longer know where I was when I read the recipe.

I made Lime & Coconut Oil sugar scrub ("You put the lime in the coconut..." Anyone remember? Anyone? Bueller?), which Miss Helping Hands used in the shower recently and said, " It was lovely and smelled great".

I also made Lemon & Olive Oil salt/sugar scrub (with lemon zest!), which I've been using at the kitchen sink.

Anyone want some?

 

 

It won't keep forever.

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On my recent crochet binge, I made a little purse for Baby Girl (she's into purses and keys - she's going places, I tell you).

I do remember that I got the pattern from here, and am very grateful, thank you.

This bag was just a wee bit large for Ping...

 

 

...but I made and gave her the second one before I photographed it.

So there you are.

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Also, from the great world of Pinterest, came a peek at these wonderful clothespin toys by Molas & Co. (Such creativity!)

Have I ever mentioned how I love clothespins?

I have a drawer full of different styles and sizes, and a heart full of good memories of hanging laundry, and watching Me Darlin' Mither hang laundry, too.

I guess I could wax poetic about the humble clothespin and it's many uses, but I'll spare you (just this once).

I tried my hand at making some of the 'mechanical toys' like Molas & Co., but I used heavy paper and colored pencil, rather than balsa wood and watercolor.

I needed a birthday gift recently for someone special, and these fit the bill (quite literally).

(Why am I using so many parentheses in this post?)

(What's with that?)

(Don't I believe in what I'm saying enough to make the sentences stand on their own?)

(I guess not.)

 

 

I like little things with hidden surprises.

I like homemade gifts.

I like clothespins.

Thank you, clothesPinterest.

I appreciate the tour.

What is in a name?

 

At our place, all the vehicles have names.

There is a story about why my car is named...

 

 

...and why this one was named...

 

 

...and why we named this one, too.

 

 

Now we think nothing of it when we say things like, "You'll need to take Phin, because Jesse is parked behind Gwen."

We all are so accustomed to this that when Prince Charming and I both bought a new set of wheels last weekend, the first thing Miss Helping Hands asked was, "What are you going to name them?"

It took me only moments to decide what to name mine.

The Prince also had his named before the end of the day.

And Saturday morning we pulled over to the side of the road and took this photograph of ourselves...

 

...while we were out taking my "Porsche"...

 

 

...and his "Maserati"...

 

 

...for a spin around the local lake.

How can I begin to describe that feeling of power...and speed...and wind in my hair?

It was awesome.

Yet Another Strange Collection

 

I confess.

I have an affinity for the unusual.

Plus, I like collections I don't have to pay for, dust, insure, or find storage or display space for.

For the last year or so, I've been collecting unusual names.

One of the odd jobs I do at work every day is to enter into our database the names from all the state obituaries.

It's difficult to rein my mind in when it sets about imagining the lives represented by these lists of (sometimes amazing) names and occupations; so I had to set the parameters at simply collecting the names I enjoy the most.

I thought maybe I would use some of them to name my next group of handmade dolls, but I've already started using them to nickname real people I work and live with.

I call Miss Mary Mack "Alwana" now.

As in, "Alwana know when you arrive safely in St. Louis, girl."

For all practical purposes, my coworker is now "Tinky"; and don't you know it lightens our moods to use that moniker?

I am saving "Ippin", "Icie", and "Icophene" for some doll triplets.

I'm not sure who or what will be honored recipients of "Edsom Bumps", "Obie Lea", "Joed Cleave", "Alta Mae", or "Bernietta Hazel".

I love knowing that "Jot Jr." was a real-live cowboy and "Pee Wee" was a ranch hand.

And I love "Alpha Ruth", "Journey Echo", "Delpha Jo", "Clara Velma" and "Opal Mavis", whatever their occupations may have been.

But I think my favorite so far is "Thrilda B".

And that's what they call me at work now.

As in...

"I'm Thrilda B here."

The herd of swine...

 

...moved just after I last posted about them.

Miss Helping Hands moved them to the shelf over the computer area.

Two problems arose (for me) because of this move.

One: I realized how badly I want/need to replace the green plant that is supposed to live where the drawing-of-no-one-we-know is sitting.

 

 

Two: Oh-my-goodness-somebody-help-me-they're-not-in-a-straight-line-and-it's-very-very-awfully-much-troubling-to-my-eyes-mind-soul-ack-every-little-piece-of-me!!!!!!

There.

That's off my chest.

Am I the only one this would trouble?

I think not.

I think it even disturbed my little harlequin friend; just look how she's staring at them.

 

 

If she could talk, I believe she would let out some kind of primal scream.

I can talk, but I never told Miss Helping Hands.

And you shouldn't either.