Sheep preview

A while back, my friend Marcia suggested that maybe I could make a sheep doll. Since then, I've used that as my excuse to pop into all the fabric shops in the area....and there aren't many, even though this is a huge metropolis. Well, there is Joann's just down the street, but I have yet to find fabric there that works well for my dolls. I like their little jumpsuits to drape nicely, not stick out at odd angles. Good quality quilting fabric works the best.

So today I popped into this nice little shop and found this fabric that seems to have scanned fairly well. It looks like mums--those flowers whose whole name I'm sure I couldn't spell correctly. But I think it would work for a sheep's wooly coat. I was hoping to find something with a swirly print, but the only fabrics with nice swirlies were bright purple and orange. Not exactly the kind of sheep you'd find down on the farm. So mum's the word for my sheep. What do you think, Marcia? Now that I have the fabric, I'd better come up with a pattern.

And further to my story yesterday about the annoying car alarm. I noticed this morning it went off at 7:41, and hubby....who gets up earlier than I do....said it had already gone off a couple of times before that. While I was out shopping he tells me the gardener was out mowing the grass between the sidewalk and the road. And you can probably guess.....the alarm went off each time the lawnmower went by.

I also mentioned that Big City Girl got her cell phone back. And today I was the lucky recipient of a call from her. This is a rare and wonderful thing! She told me she'll be finished with her internship early and will have satisfied her remaining 9 units to graduate. I asked her how it feels to be so close to college graduation, and she said, "weird!" I can relate. I went back to college, after dropping out years ago, and graduated when I was 52. Because of that, I am especially proud of both kids for doing it in four years.

Did I mention I also make a graduate doll? I'd better dig that pattern out and get to crackin'!

Gotta Llove a Llama!

Yesterday hubby and I met some friends for lunch in San Juan Capistrano, and afterwards we took a stroll around town. Even though we had no children with us, our inner kids insisted that we stop at a petting zoo.

Since this was not a fiber festival, there wasn't any yarn in sight to satisfy my inner knitter. But there was plenty of cute face. So if I ever decide to make a llama, I'll have this face on file. And if I ever need to be reminded to hold my head up high, I'll look this guy up!

Many years ago, my husband worked with the male half of the couple we lunched with, but they had lost touch. Every now and then I would ask about him and suggest that he look him up. "Yes, I should," he would say, and then more time went on and nothing materialized. So one day I decided to do a Google search and there he was, along with his company name, telephone number and email address. I wrote it down and stuck it where I knew hubby would find it quickly--on the remote! No....just kidding! A rendevous was planned, and we've shared a couple of fun times together with him and his wife when we're on the west coast.

Wouldn't you know....I have another pet peeve. This one is Number 3 on my life list of pet peeves. Car alarms. What's the point? The condo here is on a fairly busy street. It's a two-lane road with a bike lane on each side as well as parking. At least 6 times a day, a car alarm goes off--one of those with a variety pack of sounds. It seems that the least little rumble of a truck going by is enough to set it off. Does anyone ever pay attention to a car alarm? I think not. I am tempted to go over and stick post-it notes all over the car, or spread sticky peanut butter on it. But of course I would set off the alarm, and with my luck, the police would come out in record time and take me off to the slammer.

And if you don't think miracles happen.......Big City Girl found her cell phone. This is the expensive one--a gift from boyfriend--that disappeared from her office desk two weeks ago. I'm not sure of the details, but it has been returned. So I'm suggesting that she find a way to chain it to her belt or wear it around her neck or have it permanently affixed to her ear. And I guess if none of those measures work, she could try covering it with peanut butter.

About Faces

In a recent post, I was talking about painting some of my doll faces to give them more expression. And soon afterwards I was over at Barnes and Noble where I saw this new book by Patti Medaris Culea, dollmaker extraordinaire. Well, I just had to have it! This book is full of wonderful dolls made by extremely creative dollmakers. I can hardly wait to get back to my sewing machine and try out a few new ideas that are whirling around in my brain!

Finding this book so soon after I mentioned wanting to create more expressive faces reminded me of another interesting book-related experience I had about a year ago. I had just finished grocery shopping in my local market, and I headed for the magazine and book section for a quick browse--my usual routine. I parked my cart up next to a book rack, and noticed a gardening book right there in front of the cart. The author's name looked familiar. It was the name of someone I knew as a child--the daughter of family friends who we vacationed with for several summers. Her mother was a sorority sister of my mother, and was also her maid of honor.

I looked on the back of the book to see if there was a picture of her, but no luck. I did notice a website though. So when I got home, I went right to the computer and sure enough it was her. She still had the beautiful red hair I remembered. I wrote her an email and she wrote right back, and we had a delightful little reconnection! It seems she has become quite the gardener, as well as a published author with several books to her name. We haven't gotten together yet, but hope to one of these days. Maybe I can teach her a few embroidery stitches in exchange for a small dose of green thumb...

Hubby and I had a nice trip to Disneyland. The day turned out a little differently than we expected though. There was very little traffic on the freeways, but Disneyland was packed. Since it was a weekday in the winter, we expected kids would be in school. But it seems there's this thing out here called winter break. We used to have that in Connecticut (where it really seems more appropriate anyway), but the moms revolted. What with winter break, snow days, and then spring break.....well......the moms marched on the administration building and insisted that winter break be cancelled or they'd have to fling themselves into the nearest frozen pond. Fearing the mess that would most certainly result, not to mention the lawsuits, the administration relented and moms were awarded one more week of sanity.

Booooo

Since I'm not working on any dolls at the moment (because I'm 2500 miles away from my sewing machine.....I hope it's having a nice vacation!) I thought I'd share one from the archives. I love making witches! When I do needle-sculpting on a face, I never know how it's going to come out. Witches make good practice subjects, because the uglier the better!

Once I decided I was willing to part with Wanda (so named because she liked to "wanda" around in the garden), I put her up on eBay, and she flew off to the west coast--in a box because the broom was in the shop.

Since I'm a big fan of embellishment, one of the things I like to do is embroider spiders on my witches. They usually end up with one on a hand or a leg....just ready to crawl up under those bloomers. Wanda doesn't have a spider because I sewed it on after the picture was taken......sorry! Sometimes I make dressy witches with jewels and knitted boas. And I've even had requests for kitchen witches, so I sew a little wire whisk in one hand.

The pie was fun to make, and virtually calorie-less. When I was doing the coffee-staining on muslin for the doll bodies, I noticed how much it looked like baked pie dough. "Hmmmmm....maybe I could do some "baking" with this stuff," I said to myself. It gets quite a few comments at craft fairs, but so far hasn't sold. I guess people figure they can get one cheaper at Costco......

On another subject, today I had a wonderful visit with an old friend I haven't seen in over 20 years. I'm really jealous of her too because tomorrow she's leaving on a cruise to Mexico. But hubby has taken pity on me and is talking about a trip to Disneyland. And a trip to Disney without kids sounds like fun--even though there won't be any bon voyage party with pina coladas and little paper umbrellas.

The embroidered cat is coming along nicely, although I'm concerned I might be overdoing it a little with the beads. I'm pretty sure it'll be ok. I'll just call it art.

Handmade Thank You

I got a card from Tech Guy yesterday thanking me for sending the ice cream cake to his office for his birthday. He's a pretty good cartoonist, and he knows I love getting things that are handmade. He's also under the impression that we are spending a lot of time at the beach. Not so. It has been chilly here in Cali (as he calls it, but we natives would never refer to it that way). The one day we went to the beach, it was so foggy we couldn't see the water.

Both Tech Guy and Big City Girl are creative and artistic. I like to think I was a good role model. At least I gave them lots of opportunity. Hubby would bring home stacks of computer paper (stuff that was printed on one side and ready for the dumpster). They drew and colored all kinds of things. When I was a kid, my dad, who was an architect, used to bring home old blueprints. I could draw really big things on the backs of those. I still remember the strong ammonia smell that came from the printing process.

I draw many of my own patterns for the dolls I make. With the bean bag dolls, I start with a basic pattern for the base of the doll and the jumpsuit, and then I design heads, hands and feet for each of the characters. The ideas for embellishments come to me usually while I'm doing something else--like ironing or grocery shopping. The Red Hat Lady is one of my favorites, with her knitted boa and red shoes with fishnet stockings. I've also made a cute Leprechaun--but you'll have to wait til St. Patty's Day to see that!

Besides encouraging my children to draw, I nagged them endlessly to write thank-you notes for gifts they received over the years. So it's especially gratifying to receive a "no-nagging-necessary" thank you note in the mail. Thank you Tech Guy for the Thank You!

And on another note, I was too hasty in my gloating about the picture posting. The second attempt was a stressful "hair-pulling-out" episode. I'll get it though, and when I do, I'll pass along some tips. I hear there are others who are Blogger-challenged. Thanks for sharing!

Moooooo

My husband goes to the gym here at the condo complex where we stay. Then he reports back on the cast of characters he encounters. There's the man who exercises for 10 minutes and showers for 30. And the woman who works out while making weird whistling sounds and slapping herself--maybe to get her blood flowing at 5:30 a.m.

I'm much more comfortable hanging out with my own characters. They're mostly quiet (except for an occasional croaking frog) and sedentary.....and they don't get up at the crack of dawn. Then, they usually get me laughing when a face turns out a little crazier than I had planned. Sometimes people walking by my table at a craft fair will chuckle and remark at how my dolls have personalities. Believe me, I don't plan it that way.

The cow is one of my bean bag characters. One of the cutest ones I made was dressed in a lime green fabric with a little white milk carton print. I should have bought a few yards more. It's always a guessing game. I've stocked up on fabric that I thought would go like hotcakes, only to end up making lots of bean bags!

Cows are collectibles. So are frogs. They don't sell as quickly as snowmen or santas, but when someone comes by who is a collector, or knows a collector, they sometimes jump up and down with glee. So I've learned to always have one sitting around just waiting for that magic moment.

For me, making dolls is an ever-evolving process. When I first started making cows, I was painting black spots on white fabric. Then I found fabric with the cow print already on it, and it's quite a time-saver. I learned right away to stock up on that one because it's hard to find except at Halloween. Now I'm starting to paint the eyes on rather than use black beads. I'm able to get more expression on the faces that way. I've been practicing cow eyes on my sketch pad. I know they have to be big and brown and friendly-looking. I'm pretty much a city girl, but I've seen pictures!

So, as soon as I can get my stitched cat to moooooove over, I'll start contruction on another cow.

Sightings

I've been having a little trouble figuring out how to put more than one picture on my blog. There don't seem to be any instructions anywhere. And I'm sure the Blogger people assume that most beginning bloggers have at least a basic understanding of how these things work, but that would not be me. Anyway, I thought I would practice with a few pictures of things I've seen in the last few days. And, if it doesn't work out, at least I know where the delete button is.

The dancing animal mural was spotted in Venice Beach. It is one of many around town that was painted by Rip Cronk. You can go here to find out more about Rip and to see some of his other works. This one looks like it has embroidery potential. I love the colors. The only issues I see would be I'd need a really big truck to get all of the embroidery floss home, and I'd need another lifetime to get it done. Maybe I'll look for another idea.

We had a bit of rain the other day here in Southern California. I know.....it doesn't happen very often. This little rain storm was over quickly and look what it left behind! This is only part of the rainbow. This may have been the first time I've seen a whole rainbow from one end to the other. I have only seen parts of rainbows in Connecticut because there are usually trees and hills in the way. I didn't see the pot of gold though. I'm sure it would have been gone by the time I got there anyway.

And the last picture doesn't need any explanation. I don't know if it's the same blimp I rode on all those years ago. I imagine it's a newer version. Hubby and I had gone to IKEA to look around--well, actually we went for lunch. They have good hot dogs and they're a real bargain! Everything you buy at IKEA has to be self-assembled, but not the hot dogs. I did find a cute little ginger jar lamp for my computer table, and, believe it or not, the lamp shade--one of those fluted ones--had to be put together. There's no way to describe it--you had to be there.

Anyway, the blimp lands and takes off from a field not far from IKEA, and I was able to get a picture as we went by it on the freeway.

Next week we're planning a visit to the local botanical garden where I expect to find some inspiration for my cat stitchery. Maybe I'll even see some flowers that look a little like what I've already stitched, and then I can give the impression that I know what I'm doing.

So I've previewed my post, and by golly it looks like I've managed to get the pictures in like I wanted them. I'd better go call Tech Guy and gloat.

Cat Update

Just a quick post tonight with an update on the cat embroidery. I filled in with more French knots in a different shade of purple. I'll add some beads before I'm done. I did the yellow flowers and will add more, plus some others when I decide on the right colors. I do intend to put a tail on this cat. It will lay along the bottom front and will curl up on one side. I always forget about the tail and embroider flowers down lower on the front than I need to. I do have plans for a bee and a ladybug. The bee will be up by the flowers on top, and the ladybug just might end up on the tail. I'll see where they land once the rest of the stitching is done.

I'm a little tired now. Maybe it's time for a cat nap.

Happy Birthday Tech Guy!

Today is my son's 24th birthday. He was two weeks late for his birth, but I must say he's never been late since. He's like me that way--compulsively on time. We take our commitments seriously when it comes to appointments and dinner plans and early morning taxi service. But that's where our similarities end.

Tech Guy has musical talent. He plays a mean piano. In both middle and high school he played saxophone in the jazz bands. Sometimes he played piano and saxophone in the same concert. I gave up piano lessons after a couple of years--and lived to regret it, just like my mother said I would.

He knows how to make a great baked potato with oiled and salted skin--in the regular oven. I'm strickly a microwave potato gal. He loves peas, and has even asked me to make him a big batch just for a snack. I hate peas and would only eat them accidently--like for instance if they were covered in chocolate.

He loves his VW Golf, and thinks I should drive a pretty little Passat. I'm strickly Subaru. He's a standard shift guy and I've graduated to automatic. It's easier on the arthritis. He listens to rap and it's mostly New Age for me.

So I arranged to have a raspberry cheesecake ice cream cake sent to his office today in honor of his birthday. It was a hit. It was the least I could do in exchange for the lemon meringue pie he made me last year.

Happy Birthday Jeff....and thanks for all the tech help, and for your patience and understanding. Tech Guy really knows his computer stuff, and I'm a slow learner....

An updated photo of the cat embroidery will be posted tomorrow. It's coming along!

Facts of Life

Here's another cartoon from the 2002 edition of my Christmas funnies. It seems like only yesterday that I was giving my little facts of life speech. Stefanie (aka Big City girl) will be graduating this May.

I've always believed that college students learn much more (well, the important real-life stuff) outside of the classroom than in. Maybe one of these days I'll ask Big City girl if she agrees.

The first two years she lived in the dorm and ate in the dining hall, and took the usual core classes. But the third year she moved off campus and that's when the real education began. Old house. Two apartments. Girls upstairs, boys downstairs. All friends. "It'll be great, mom!"

She ends up with the closet-sized bedroom with the gimongus wasps nest in the window. Then the boys decide washing glasses....or any dishes for that matter.... is not their cup of tea, so they come upstairs to "borrow" girls' dishware. And their TV, which is bigger than theirs, for video games 24/7.

Winter comes and the meter for the oil tank is in the basement--where the spiders live. So meter-reading is a job for boys, but boys are not always prompt. Oil tank goes empty and pipes burst and they have no water for a few days. City trucks plow the snow off the street, but tenants are responsible to clear their own driveways. And it helps if your snow shovel is not in your car. As the end of the semester nears, people move out for internships or study abroad or whatever, and kinda forget about the utilities they've already used and haven't paid for. And where is everyone when moving day comes and there's this big mess to clean up?

We warned her about all of that during the same conversation with the washing machine instructions and a few words about keeping a bank balance. But she didn't listen to much of what we said, just like we didn't listen to our parents. We all made it though, and I'm sure she will to. And I'd like to think I'll still be around when the time comes for her to have the same conversation with her kids.

The embroidered cat is coming along nicely. I've added a few more flowers and I did get some small seed beads. I also have a scarf underway on the knitting needles. I'm using Bernat Soft Boucle in Richest Red. I cast on 20 stitches on size 10 needles and I'm doing a garter stitch (all knit stitches, no purl). Easy knitting for while I'm watching the Olympics.....or sitting out in the sun thinking about all of that snow I'm missing. I'm not even worried about where I left the shovel.....

Cat Embroidery

I made a little progress on my embroidered cat today. The fabric is coffee-stained muslin. I want it to have a primitive look. The lighting is not good in this photo. I'll get a better one after I've done more stitching. I outlined the cat with a running stitch, just to define the boundaries while I work. When I'm done with the embroidery, I'll sew the front and back together, and I'll sew an oval piece on the bottom. Once I've put some weighted pellets inside and stuffed him, he should sit nicely. I'm planning to do a needle-sculpted nose and painted eyes. The glasses are a nice touch, don't you think? Too bad I need them for most everything!

I haven't decided exactly how he'll be embellished. I'm drawing the stems and flowers on as I go. So far I've done a stem stitch and lots of French knots. I'll do more knots in a different shade of the same color to fill in the flowers. I may even add some beads, but I'm not sure yet. I'm not planning to sew the cat pieces together until I get back to my sewing machine in Connecticut, so I have a few more weeks to go crazy with him.

There's a big fabric store here in the neighborhood. They've been in business for years, but have decided to close. Each time I'm in town, I go in for a look around. Their prices have always been on the high side, and their fabrics pretty much traditional. I'm a fan of brighter, more non-traditional stuff....and I always like a bargain. Today I noticed a big final sale sign in the front window advertising 75% off, so I'm planning a visit. I'm sure I can find something I'd like!

I got an email from Big City girl today to thank me for the Valentine I sent with enclosed Starbucks gift card. She said it made her day. The last few days haven't been happy ones, as someone (a big creep) walked through her office and helped themselves to her nice new cell phone (expensive gift from boyfriend). I'd like to find that QE2 laundry room fighting woman to run down the culprit! Oh yeah, she's in Fiji.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I got my honey some chocolates. I'll put them by the door in the morning so he'll see them first thing when he gets back from his 45-minute workout at the gym...heh..heh...

Funny Frog

Here's another one of my family cartoons. You may remember Ray from an earlier post. He was unwelcome in my son's college dorm and had to move home.

I had planned to include a photo of some progress on my cat stitchery, but there was none today. We took a road trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library instead. One of the highlights of the day was the weather. It was in the low 80's and the visibility in the Los Angeles area was spectacular. This is in stark contrast to today's weather in Connecticut--where I spend most of my time. Just take a look here and you'll see why I'm ever so grateful to be elsewhere! My friend Marcia is in the thick of it, but at least she has the Knitting Olympics to keep her mind occupied....

But back to the library. The exhibit that fascinated me the most was one that's housed in a specially-designed pavillion. It's Air Force One--the Boeing 707 aircraft used by Reagan during his terms of office. I've been a big fan of airplanes since my high school days when my dad got his private pilot's license and invited me to go along on weekend joy rides. Then several years later I got a job with an airline, and saw lots of the world. One of my most memorable flights, however, was not to an exotic place. It was a short ride over the freeways and shopping malls of So. California-----in the Goodyear blimp. My boss was the airplane tire buyer. Sometimes it's great to have connections.

So an update on the QE2 soap opera. Apparently my friend had the story wrong. Seems the two combatants were women. One of them, age 70, ended up with a sprained arm, cut forehead and broken nose. The aggressor and her husband were put off the ship in Fiji. There's more. Novelist Mary Higgins Clark was aboard the ship giving a lecture series. She plans to include this episode in her next novel.

I think it's Jay Leno who says, while doing his Monday night headlines, "You just can't make this stuff up."

Family Funnies

Back in the late 1980's, I decided to venture into the land of the Christmas letter. I enjoyed writing, and for the most part, I enjoyed reading about the years' news of folks we didn't see very often. I'll admit, I did have a few second thoughts. I remembered the one we used to get each year from my mother's old friend, Clara. It was hand-written and covered every square inch of an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet. Clara would relate every operation, malady, misfortune and hard luck story of everyone in her family. It got to be funny. I'm sure Clara has gone on to the big writing desk in the sky by now. If not, my apologies Clara!

So, taking all of that into consideration, I cautiously began writing a Christmas letter. It seemed to be well received. I don't know if people were laughing behind my back or not, but I took pains to make my letter very un-Clara-like.

One year I had a case of writer's block. I just couldn't get the words to flow, so I started doodling. And I ended up sending out what has now become known as the "Christmas cartoon." The drawings are very elementary, but people seem to enjoy them along with the humorous captions. I think families have similar issues that we can all relate to, and it's fun to laugh at ourselves.

On the crafty front, I finished the bird socks--and just in time for 80 degree weather here in So. Calif! I think I'll still have plenty of winter left when I get back to Connecticut though. And now that my knitting project is finished, I'll be starting an embroidery project--an embroidered cat (my own design) with a primitive look. Picture soon!

Forest Fires

Yesterday morning I awoke to what I thought was the aroma of a wood-burning stove. That wouldn't be so unusual in New England this time of year, but I remembered I was on the west coast in the land of the warm.

Then I read in the local newspaper about a forest fire burning east of us. Apparently it started from a "controlled burn" that went awry. And then the Santa Ana winds kicked up (occasional winds coming from the desert and blowing westerly)--something the starters of the controlled fire didn't anticipate.

This is a view looking toward the west late yesterday afternoon. We're about 3 or 4 miles from the ocean. Thankfully, no homes were lost and there were no injuries reported.

On a completely different subject, and not in the least craft-related, I'm constantly amazed at how the internet has affected our lives. At the moment, I have a friend who is on a 109-day world cruise aboard the Queen Elizabeth II. She is traveling solo, and is keeping up an online journal of her experiences. She reports (from Auckland, NZ) that a man was put off the ship in New Caledonia (the previous stop) for punching another man over a dispute in the self-service laundry room. Seems he took the other guy's laundry out of the washer because he hadn't retrieved it quickly enough and there was a line of people waiting. I can certainly understand this---wouldn't that just be another of my pet peeves! My hubby wonders if the ship company will pay the guy's way home. Probably.

Also at the moment, my husband's brother and wife are on a 10-day cruise through the Panama Canal. Today we watched their journey online by way of Princess Cruises bow cams. Then we switched over to the Panama Canal official web cam and watched their ship move through the locks.

When we're not watching the travelogs, we're looking at the Weather Bug. At any time of the day or night we can check out the weather conditions in our hometown in Connecticut. It gives us the current conditions, or, with one click we can see 24 hours of weather in a speedy slide show.

This is all so much more entertaining than most of what is on TV. Who needs to watch reality shows! I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment of the antics aboard the QE2.....

Spectator sport

I mentioned in an earlier post that when it comes to quilting, I'm more of a spectator than a participant. And when I get together with my friend Barbara, which I did last weekend, I become quite the sports enthusiast. Barbara is a QUILTER!

This particular quilt is one she made as a surprise for her sister, who is a big fan of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. Even though I wasn't able to photograph the whole quilt, I think I've captured the essence (we were on questionable ground by sneaking into her sister's closet while she was at work.) Both Barbara and I have been known to take risks where fabric is concerned.

The quilt depicts a concert-goer's view of the stage. There's the bowl-shaped structure, the sky with clouds, and the instruments that surround the conductor--whose name escapes me. I'm more of an east coast gal. But I was told that the regular conductor's face was copied onto fabric and appliqued on. What impresses me the most about this quilt is the border of piano keys. Although it doesn't show in the picture, the keys go all the way around the quilt edge.

Barbara and I met when we were taking a speech class together at junior college many years ago. We supported each other through the terrors of public speaking, and our friendship continued on through the years. One of the things we share is our love of fabric. And one of our favorite activities when we get together is a trip to a big discount fabric store out near Disneyland. After we over-do on fabric, we walk across the street to a little Mexican fast food restaurant and have lunch. We usually over-do there too. Then we go home and see who can attack their stash first.

Our shopping expeditions will be fewer and farther between from now on though, since Barbara moved to Arizona a few months ago. She found a cute little house in a nice little town and decided to buy it "for her retirement." And, don't you know, she fell for the guy she bought the house from! I love stories like that! Have fun Barbara.....and don't forget to email!

Bird socks

I'm calling these "bird socks" because I've posed them on a Bird of Paradise, and this particular combination of colors is called Toucan. The second sock is well underway. This yarn is so much fun to knit with it's hard to put them down. No "Second Sock Syndrome" this time! I got the yarn last October at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Knitters' Heaven), where these nice people had a frenzied free-for-all, I mean a booth.

I was kind of expecting to see stripes, but this is how they came out. Kind of like one of those crayon scribble drawings we did as kids. I like 'em though, and I'm curious how the second one is going to come out. Definitely different than this one. But someone once said, and I don't think it was me, that life is too short to wear plain socks.

I had been thinking of posing the sock on my neighbor's orange tree....with permission, of course. I guess it would have looked equally silly hanging from a lime, lemon, banana or plum tree. I happened to see this neighbor while I was on a walk and I mentioned the tree and how it was just loaded with oranges. I asked her how they tasted and she didn't know. She'd never eaten one!

And speaking of avocados, which would be no match for the sock, the guacamole I made for Super Bowl came out great. Hubby and I ate the whole thing and called it dinner. We'll have bratwurst (the original menu) tonight. Oh, and I completely forgot to get those celery sticks out of the fridge......

Lemon Pie

So I've been checking out the lemon tree in the backyard and thinking it won't be too long before these are ready for lemon meringue pie--my favorite food in the whole world! Then, guilt sets in and I remember my resolve to lose those pounds that crept on (I have no idea how) over the holidays. And I figure, maybe it would be better to try this recipe instead.

This morning I made a trip to the grocery store (the one with the pleasant employees) to stock up on Super Bowl goodies for hubby. I'll be eating celery sticks....heh, heh. I had in mind making some guacamole. So I picked up some nice ripe avocados and suddenly found myself faced with Pet Peeve #2 (#1 being the skinny graham crackers.) Funny how my peeves seem to relate to the grocery store. Maybe I'm spending too much time in there.

Anyway, what's with those plastic produce bags that refuse to open no matter how many clever finger tricks you try? I struggle with both ends and nothing works. I read the instructions, "open this end," and still nothing. I refuse to lick my fingers. There's no telling where those grocery carts have been. By the time I find a moistening agent like just-sprayed bok choy or damp celery and get the bag open, I'm thoroughly exasperated. "Grrrrr," I reply to the cheerful produce clerk when he asked me how I am on this beautiful Sunday morning.

So later in the morning, I went to visit my father at the nursing home where he now resides. Many days I plan my visit so I'm there to sit with him while he eats his lunch. He always offers to share what's on his tray--things like beets and bean salad and tapioca pudding, and I always politely decline. But today he had lemon meringue pie, and I think he remembered how much I like it. He insisted that I have it, and I didn't want to disappoint him.

Oh well. Tomorrow's Monday. That's always been the best day of the week to start a diet.

Housework

Here's another pillow, in response to a request by Kathy, who is a big fan of my small ones with funny sayings. This one is about 16" square. The words and the outline of the lady are embroidered, and her cleaning attire has been painted on, including the pink rollers (don't you love 'em?) It's the perfect ensemble for a day of housework....or for going to the mall, depending on where you live I suppose.....

The lady is one of my sister's drawings, and has always been one of my favorites. I'll write more about her in a future post. My son (aka my tech guy) has promised to animate her. He says it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to do. I find that mind-boggling! My first thought was to have her moving the broom back and forth in a sweeping motion. But then I decided it would be more appropriate to have some foot tapping. Housework with an attitude.

I'm not much of a fan of housework. I've contemplated many plans for making it less of a pain. I've considered devoting one whole day to doing the entire house, and then having the other six days free to play. This doesn't work. Something housework-like always slips in. I've thought of dedicating one day a week to a different room. But then someone will track mud into the kitchen on a bathroom day. I've given myself "assignments" by writing out chores on 3 x 5 cards. Then I can't remember where I put the cards.

So what I end up doing is pretty much what I've always done. I leave the dust bunnies alone to play in the corners, I do the laundry when I see clothes peeking out of the hamper, and I grocery shop when the fridge is looking a little light. Then I knit and sew until I hear there's company coming....

Bean bags

Here is yet another example of what I do with scraps. When I do craft fairs, it's fun to take a variety of things to sell. Bean bags are always a hit with kids.....and teachers, especially those who teach primary school. Anything sports-related is a good seller, and also anything with dogs and cats.

Bean bags are popular at fairs I do before Christmas. They make great stocking stuffers, although parents have to explain them to their kids. They're an old-fashioned toy and don't require batteries. I do have a confession to make though. I fill them with rice.

It would be fun to come up with a list of uses for bean bags. I often ask my customers what they'll do with them. I use them as paper weights, or for holding down a pattern on fabric. Since they're filled with rice, they can be heated in the microwave and they'll keep your hands warm for a few minutes--just long enough to go out for the newspaper on a cold morning. My son learned to juggle with my bean bags, but I've never had the patience--although I'd like to be able to add that skill to my list of life goals reached.

And speaking of rice, one of the great things about my California neighborhood is the large Japanese market just a short walk down the road. There must be 100 different varieties of rice. I'm having fun trying out some Asian cooking. Yesterday I bought sesame seeds (just a 2 lb. package!) and toasted them to serve on marinated beef, and noodles with stir-fried Japanese eggplant. And this morning I stopped in to pick up some sesame oil for tonight's dinner--chicken with spinach. A walk through the produce section is quite an adventure. Nothing looks familiar. Maybe I'll venture back in there one of these days, when I get up my courage.....