Plum, with issues

Why must plums have stickers? Why can't there be sticker-free zones? Why can't the newspaper folks stop putting stickers on the front page that require me to do a stickerectomy before I can read the daily news? Not that it's worth reading anyway, but I'm just saying....

So what's the deal with produce? Is this for the benefit of the grocery store checker who doesn't know a plum from a peach? I happen to like eating plums in their entirety, so this forces me to remove the sticker and then, more than likely, find a sharp knife to cut off the glue residue. Maybe I'll include this little annoyance in my letter to the governor--the one I plan to write about the flagrant abuse of the no-cell-phones-while-driving law.


So I finished up the little embroidered apron project I've been working on for a friend.

It didn't turn out to be quite the piece of cake I'd planned on though. The two layers of fabric at the top (one a facing) was just too thick to get an embroidery needle through without a pair of plyers.....which would have then made it a Mr. Gadget project...heh...heh.... So I ended up ripping out some stitching to open out the facing. When I was finished with the embroidery, I stitched it back up with matching thread. This actually worked quite well to hide the backside of my embroidery stitches, so it does now look neat and tidy. And don't you just hate when that easy-erase marker won't disappear? Or disappears, and then reappears? Maybe I'll speak to the governor about that too.....


So the archaeological dig has begun here at Chez Macaroni in preparation for our move.

We've just barely scratched the surface of the Mesozoic Era. It's just a matter of time before we reach the Paleozoic, and maybe even the Proterozoic......

EZ Market

After a bit of a scramble yesterday to finish two witch dolls, I loaded the pair, along with two of their friends, into the car and drove them to the senior shop where the nice ladies seem to have no trouble finding suckers, I mean buyers, for whatever silliness I offer them. I call this the EZ Market--the EZ part coming from something I noticed in the tour brochures on my Baltic vacation. For those not feeling up to doing lots of walking, there were tours with names like EZ St. Petersburg and EZ Oslo. A tourist could mostly just sit on a bus and watch the cities go by.

The EZ Market only requires that I deliver the dolls and later (hopefully not too long afterwards..heh..heh...) collect a nice check from my mailbox. No muss, no fuss, and no having to hear a shop visitor yell out, "She wants THAT much for this little thing? I bet -------(fill in name of big box store) would have one for half the price."

Luckily, I had the foresight to put the sheep between the two witches because sometimes they can be a little snippy with each other. Mostly it's jealousy. "She's got a boa and I don't. You must like her better." Sister Mary Bodacious had no interest in sitting in the back and getting caught up the fracas. In fact, she insisted on sitting in the front with me, with her big ruler handy so she could keep a good eye on my driving and give me a sharp whack on the knuckles if my foot got too heavy on the gas pedal.

Thankfully, the trip was pleasantly uneventful. The shop ladies seemed delighted with the dolls. On my way home, as I admired the lovely fall colors, I pondered the possibilities for their futures. I'm sure the witches will find homes right away, since it's almost Halloween. Then they'll be packed away in a dark closet for a year. The sheep might be adopted by a knitter or a spinner, so you know that's going to be a happy place. I'm just not sure about Sister Mary. Just how comfy-cozy would a home be with the constant threat of that ruler......not to mention the guilt.....

Would Grandma giggle?

When I eventually find a little free time to sew, I'm going to make these ol' gals:

Aren't they a stitch? I hardly ever buy doll patterns anymore, but when I saw this pair of spunky ladies by Maureen Mills of Sweet Meadow Farms, I sent my order off post haste. I have the perfect place to display them. Grandma Ferna's old rocking chair.

They won't sit there all the time though. I may put them to work. Like if we have company at our new place and they hang around till after our bedtime. I'll invite the little white-haired one to join us on the sofa so she can give them the look.

And if Mr. Gadget happens to leave his dirty socks on the bedroom floor, I'll put her right there next to the socks. He should get the message. So much better than me nagging.

Oh, and if one day I don't feel like having company....

I'll just prop each of them up in a window next to the front door. They'll be just the thing for scaring off annoying solicitors, pesky little trick-or-treaters, and long-winded neighbors......or even grown children who might be entertaining wild ideas about moving home.....

Ma and Pa's Discount Moving & Storage Co.

There was a small interruption in the new home hoopla this weekend, as we lended a hand, and some wheels, to Big City Girl and Tech Guy.....both of whom had moving needs. BCG had a few things to move from the apartment she once shared with former Prince Charming. And TG, having just purchased a washer and dryer, was in need of a speedy delivery, lest he run out of clean socks before the start of the new work week. They both know it's not worth shopping around for a mover when Ma and Pa's DM & S Co. is usually available, always dependable, and extremely economical.

So now back to the hoopla. From this picture, you'd think our new condo is all ready for us to move in.

But behind this door, it's a different story.

Here's Mr. Gadget talking to Jeff the electrician guy, making sure he puts in enough outlets for all of his gadget needs.

Here's the master bathroom--future home of a big soaking bathtub and a comfort toilet. Hmmm......maybe this getting-older business won't be so bad......

Here's the basement and the little corner where Mr. G will have his office. My craft room will be two flights up. The secret to a happy marriage, if hubby is retired or working at home, is to insist on at least one floor of spacing. This is considered a buffer zone. And if you want to chat....well, there's always email.

This is the great room, but I'm thinking they'll all be great. With everything new, I figure I won't have to do any real cleaning for at least 6 months. Jeff the electrician guy put a connection above the gas fireplace for a plasma TV. We don't have one of those. We have a perfectly fine TV. But I don't imagine it'll be long before Mr. G gets a hankerin' to go shopping....you know, to enhance his Jeopardy viewing.....

Need a mattress?

Apparently the folks who work for our local newspaper think we do. When I retrieved the paper yesterday morning and saw the size of it, I was quite excited by the promise of extra reading material......and the prospect of sitting with my feet up in my comfy chair with an extra cup of coffee and delaying my chores. Heh.....

I had intentions for this blog post to be about my crafty things. I do have a sock underway (with other Marcia's gifted hand-dyed yarn), and an embroidery project to begin for a lady who has, over the years, hired me to handle all of her embroidery needs.....mostly stitching names of her grandchildren on various articles of clothing. But I've had to let some of my projects slide for the moment....because Mr. Gadget and I are preparing for a big move.

We've decided to buy a condo and my days since returning from vacation have been filled with making choices about tile color, floor stain, cabinet styles, appliances, and whether or not we want the comfort toilet or just the regular kind. That was a no-brainer. I'm all for comfort, with a nice magazine rack thrown in.

It's exciting and crazy-busy around here. Sadly, I will be giving up my treehouse, but happily I will be gaining a new room with twice the space. More details will follow in the coming days. It's amazing, isn't it, what some people will do for blog fodder......

Meanwhile, here are a few vacation pictures from the Mr. Gadget file:

Another one of those crazy colorful ferries.

My new Estonian friend. We're the same height, but it appears she's slightly more well-endowed.

Mr. Gadget almost had to sit in someone's lap on our tour bus to get this shot of a street sign in Norway. Being married to a knitter has exposed him to lots of frogging.

I'm afraid a petal or two may have fallen off my little potted flower. But I'm busy sweeping up....

Well, maybe just a little more whimsy....

I wonder if the owner (maybe a nice Indian gentleman) lives in that upstairs apartment with the cute little balcony? (Copenhagen)

Coat hangers in a store window display (along Stroget St. in Copenhagen)

Copenhagen flea market.

Danish cruise ship.....with attractive make-up. Mary Kay perhaps?

Pre-schoolers in Frogner Park, Oslo. Easy to count.

Sculpture in Frogner Park.

In St. Petersburg cheap cars park on the street; expensive cars park on the sidewalk.

Candy factory? Near Stockholm.

Swedish ferry boat companies must compete for most outlandish paint jobs.

Every medieval city needs satellite TV. (Tallinn)

Building art. Effectively deters solicitors. Tallinn, Estonia

Baltic colors

Last time it was whimsy. This time it's colors. I'm sure glad I have lots of photos so I don't have to tax my brain and write much.....well, at least till the jet lag goes....I'm guessing sometime around Wednesday......

Tallinn, Estonia

Sidewalk cafe in Stockholm, Sweden.

Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood - St. Petersburg, Russia. This was built on the site where Alexander II was assassinated in 1881.

Apparently Mary Kay is alive and well and doing business in Oslo, Norway.

Children in Frogner Park, Oslo. The park is the site of a wonderful sculpture garden.

Coffee cafe on the main square in Gdansk, Poland.

Harbor area, lined with restaurants, in Copenhagen, Denmark......site of our expensive hamburgers.

Along one of the many canals in Copenhagen.

Danish pastries. Almost as good as duty-free chocolate.....

Baggage guys get an A+

I'm pleased to report that my suitcase and I didn't once become unglued during our adventure around the Baltic Sea. The same can be said for Mr. Gadget and his, although a considerable amount of cash worked itself loose from his wallet. Those $25 Danish hamburgers and the 5-mile, $60 taxi ride from the cruise port to the hotel....in mostly stopped-dead traffic....almost emptied it completely. Good thing he didn't try to hit me up for a loan. I had big plans to meet up with some duty-free chocolate.....

And for the first time ever, I won the suitcase-unpacking Olympics. I had mine emptied and ready to stash before he even looked at his. I like the new me--the me who has wholeheartedly embraced the obsessive-compulsive rituals of returning home which, heretofore, have always been strickly Mr. Gadget's affliction, I mean specialty. A good marriage, they say, is one in which each partner encourages the other to grow and take on new challenges. Mr. G has made me a better person.

And now, here are ten pictures (oops...you'll have to count the stacking dolls too!) of my Baltic vacation.....the whimsical version.

Fashion statement - Stockholm style

Soap in the fountain - Copenhagen

St. Petersburg kitty out for a little sight-seeing.

Deep in the heart of Tallinn, Estonia Sheep in a shop - Tallinn

Stitching doll in a shop window - Tallinn (such a whimsical place!)

The shop greeter - Tallinn (ok, I couldn't stop taking pictures here)

Tattoo parlor......for that special souvenir - Tallinn

Street performer (making like a statue) in Gdansk, Poland