Another doll finished

Big City Girl graduated from college yesterday. We were all very proud of her, and she was quite proud of herself....which is how it should be! As we were leaving the stadium, on one of the 45 shuttle buses, we passed by her old freshman dorm. It was almost impossible to believe we had delivered her there just four years ago.

We left home early in anticipation of the traffic that was predicted. I guess we could have slept a few more minutes. As we approached the stadium, we saw lots of parking spaces and found one very close. But apparently this was the basketball stadium and not the one for football/graduation. Hubby was a little miffed at me. I think he figured I should have been better prepared for my job as campus GPS person. Lucky for us, a nice shuttle bus driver stopped very soon to ask if wanted a ride.

Since we were so early, we had our choice of seats in the stadium, so we chose some that were close to where BCG's seating section would be. Not-so-conveniently, she ended up behind the tent. But not to worry. Tech Guy and BCG each had their cell phones with cameras, so we got to see a picture of her among the graduates, and she got to see a picture of her family in the stands.

Unfortunately, some of the graduates weren't too well-behaved. In addition to a couple dozen beach balls being tossed around, someone brought a naked, plastic blow-up woman. She made the rounds for five minutes or so, until one of the deans, decked out in his full regalia, leaned into the crowd to retrieve her. The sight of him carrying her off to a hiding place behind the podium was pretty humorous, but I decided to respect the ceremonious nature of the occasion and not record it.

So now BCG is back in the big city working. The celebrating will have to wait. And here at home, some things never change. She packed up her stuff and left for the train. And her cap and gown are here on the floor. A mom should never be without a good supply of dust mops.

Fred the cat

Here is Fred, the cat I made for Olga. He's all done except for a couple of wild whiskers. I think he got into the peanut butter! I've made lots of cats, but still haven't settled on a really good way to do the whiskers. On Fred, I used heavy-duty nylon thread. It's nice because it has a little spring to it. As long as the whiskers go east and west, everything's ok. But usually one or two decide to go south. That's when I tell people he got into the peanut butter. I hope Olga likes her new kitty. I think he'll make a nice nursing home pet. He'll be traveling in a plastic bag under the seat in front of me on the airplane. I hope he's not expecting one of those fancy cat carriers....

So Big City Girl was here yesterday....briefly. Most visits are brief because she always has exciting things to do elsewhere. I picked her up at the train station, took her to two appointments, and deposited her at a local shopping center to meet up with some friends who were headed up to Massachusetts. The graduation celebration was starting early. Hubby, Tech Guy and I will drive up tomorrow morning. We'll be leaving at 6 a.m., hoping to get a jump on what is certainly going to be a traffic nightmare......well, let's just say it's sure to be a challenge.

I insisted that BCG make sure her cell phone is fully charged so that we can figure out where she is in the sea of graduates who will be filling the football field. Yes, technology can be your friend when your child attends one of the biggest universities in the northeast. Well, it was that or the megaphone. Then later, if we find her, we'll have a little tailgate party in the parking lot with sandwiches, sodas and some "food of love" dessert. Good thing the celebrating is starting early because there won't be much of it afterwards. Poor BCG has to work on Monday. Real life begins.......

Good-bye old friend!

It is with a great deal of sadness that I report the not-so-untimely passing of my old wallet. It has served me well for the last 25 years or so....probably more.....but I'm embarrassed to think how much more. I had been thinking of replacing it for years, but just hadn't gotten around to it.....til now.

As I was walking through Macy's today, on my way out after already having done more shopping than is typical of me, this cute little crafty number caught my eye. A saleslady with some idle time was tidying up the wallet display with a feather duster, so I browsed around in the handbags til she was done and then I grabbed it up, all freshly dusted. It's a little smaller than my old one, so should leave just enough room in my purse for my new electronic toys.

I'm not sure what I will do with the old one. It has been my constant companion for years now, so I'm not too thrilled at the idea of just tossing it in the garbage. I'll probably do what I usually do with things I'm finished with. I'll find a place to stash it in my big stash collection, and eventually I'll end up throwing it in the garbage anyway. But the separation anxiety should have lessened significantly by then.

And if you're feeling a little weepy for me, here is a picture I've been saving for a time when I needed something light-hearted and less somber. It's me and Lego Man. It was taken during my last visit to Calif. when hubby and I went to Disneyland. We were on our way out and decided to take a stroll through Downtown Disney--a long boulevard of shops and restaurants just outside of the main gate. Lego Man didn't have much to say, so I didn't stay very long. Probably just as well, since I would have no doubt nodded off right along with him.

Next Wed. we'll be heading out west again for a few weeks. I have to pack, but otherwise I'm ready. I've got my new cell phone so I can stay in touch 24/7, we've got the new GPS so we'll never get lost, and I've got the new camera, so I'll be able to record and report much more than you'd ever have a need to know. But I promise to do it in a humorous way. The wallet grief should be mostly gone by then....

Reading about writing

Here is Fred, not quite finished and a little out of focus. I still have a lot to learn, and one of those things is having the patience to read the manuals. Late yesterday, I told hubby not to give me any more pointers on the operation of my technical stuff. My brain had maxed out for the day.

Anyway, Fred is posed with one of my favorite books on writing, which I've recently started reading again. Poor Fred is smiling because he thinks it's about the birds in the backyard. The book is Bird by Bird and the author is Anne Lamott. The title refers to one of her childhood memories of seeing her brother struggle to write a school report about birds. When the task seemed completely overwhelming, his father (also a writer) lovingly put his arm around his son and told him he could more easily complete the project if he just took it bird-by-bird. Good advice for anything in life I think.

In the introduction she says, "One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore. Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around." I have to say that the blog has motivated me to be more observant, and to pay more attention to people and things around me. There are always things to write about and stories to tell.....what with all the daily lurching and tramping.

So today I did something I don't remember ever doing before. I ask hubby, no....I pleaded with him not to do something. When I returned from the grocery store, I noticed that he had the ladder up against the house with the intention of going all the way up to the top roof (we have a colonial style, so we have two) to clean gutters. Since we're going away next week, and before that we have BCG's college graduation.....and hubby does not have a good track record for doing house projects without injury.....well, all these things combined to make me a screaming crazy woman, I mean...a concerned wife. I'm happy to say he regained his sanity, I mean...he decided I might have a good point, and put the ladder away.

Just last night, we were having a discussion about marriages and why some last longer than others. I said that I believe many marriages fail because one person always insists on being right. Maybe once in 25 years won't hurt......

Got Rhodies!

I just love rhododendrons. Every spring they burst forth in bloom without even five minutes of attention from me. Then I can take their picture and make people think I'm a wonderful gardener. But that would be far from the truth. All I've been planting lately is mulch with hopes that it will keep the weeds to a minimum. Since we've become summer travelers, it doesn't make sense to plant flowers that won't get regular watering, and would most likely just end up being deer food anyway. Too bad those deer haven't learned to like weeds. Maybe a little ketchup would help. Remember when your mom used to tell you liver would taste good if you'd put ketchup on it?

So today I took a little trip to the Tarrywile Mansion here in the town where I live. It's owned by the city and has become a popular spot for weddings and other special occasions. There are lots of hiking trails on the grounds, and a wonderful area for picnics. I had arranged to meet my friend Linda there for a brown bag lunch. She is the recreation director for one of the local nursing homes, and the one who started a Red Hat group for the residents. You may remember my plan to write up this story for submission to the Chicken Soup people for a new book on Red Hats. So now I have lots of good story fodder and the fun begins.....honing it all down to something that makes sense in 1000 words or less...

And on my way over to Tarrywile, I observed something that now prompts me to start a new blog category called Strange Sightings. As I drove along a heavily-traveled, two-lane road that is lined with businesses, I noticed a man walking toward me along the side. He was dressed in business casual clothing, and he was playing a bagpipe. I wasn't sure I was seeing correctly, but sure enough, as I passed him I could actually hear the bagpipe. I think this puts a whole 'nother spin on multi-tasking. He was probably just spending his lunch hour getting some exercise and practicing his music. Well, I hope that was it and he wasn't an apparition returning to the cemetery just down the road......

So I've been working on Olga's cat and I may have a photo tomorrow. Unlike Loretta the ladybug, the cat seems pleased with the outfit I picked out, especially the red polka-dot bow tie. I'll let Olga name him, but if she can't come up with anything, I think he'll just be Fred.

Flying things

The other day I made mention of a story called "Hubby the Bat Slayer." Funny how I just happen to have something crafty with which to illustrate my story.

Here's how I remember it. We had just turned the light out to go to sleep one night, when I started hearing the hum of wings of some kind above my head. We do have big moths in the house sometimes, so I figured that was it. But the longer I listened and the lower it swooped, the more concerned I became. "Are you awake?" I whispered to hubby. He said he was. "Do you hear something flying in here?" He said he did. So he turned the light on, and I dove further under the covers, making sure no part of my head was exposed.

"What is it?" I asked. "It's a bat," said he. And he grabbed the only bat weapon that was handy (he reported later, since I was unseeing under the covers)--one of my crocheted afghans! And he batted at the bat until the bat was on the floor, dazed, and willing to be scooped into a shoe box for transport downstairs and into the backyard for release. As you might imagine, the bat story became good cocktail party conversation, but the weapon was much higher caliber and the bat was the biggest one he's ever seen.

And on the lighter side, here is a gentle hummingbird having a drink at our feeder. Well, I thought they were gentle until I noticed two of them having a little scuffle below the feeder in the bushes. I wasn't sure if they were fighting over food or doing a little mating dance. With all of the animal and bird antics going on in our yard, there's plenty to keep me entertained and really no need to get involved in reality shows on TV. And you know I can always get caught up on that action with each of my dental visits.

So today hubby and I will go to the phone store to pick out new phones. It seems that ours have become relics. I don't use mine very much, so I mostly pay the monthly fee just for peace of mind. For a while, before we traveled anywhere, I would plead with the kids to put something in their wallets with our emergency contact info. They said they would. But now there's this new thing (or maybe I'm way behind the times) where they can program "ICE" (in case of emergency) into their cell phones. I watched Tech Guy do it last night when he came for dinner, and I'll make sure BCG does hers next weekend.

Sometimes technology can be your friend. It will be interesting to see just how friendly I feel after I've read the directions for the new phone, continued to study up on the new do-everything-but-the-dishes digital camera, and attempted to handle a request from hubby to reprogram the new GPS as we sail down the highway at 70 mpg.....

Fun in a bottle

This came in the mail today. The bottle, not the frog. Can you see the stamp on it? How much do you think it cost to mail it? Here's a hint: it's plastic and has about an ounce of sand it it, along with several small shells....and a paper scroll. All of that required an 87-cent stamp. It's probably the special bottle rate. It's guaranteed to get to the recipient more quickly that way than if they had just floated it down the river.

The scroll is a wedding invitation. The edges have been charred, so I'm wondering if I should get my pirate outfit cleaned for the occasion. It's to be held in August on Block Island. Hubby and I don't know the bride and groom, but we are very good friends with the groom's grandparents. They will be flying in from Texas, but from Connecticut we will just have to hop on the ferry. It should be a fun and festive day, and a great chance to see our friends who we don't get to see very often. And now that we've been to Martha's Vineyard, and will soon be visiting Block Island, I'm wondering....can Nantucket be very far behind?

So BCG was here today for a very brief visit. She arrived on the noon train, and returned on the 4 o'clock (but not until she scavenged the crossword puzzle out of our newspaper) and while she was here she attended a friend's graduation party AND tried on the dust mop sweater. I'm happy to say that it fits perfectly! I was afraid the sleeves might be a tad too long, but it turns out they're just right. So now I will go ahead and finish it and start browsing for my next sweater project with renewed knitting confidence. And here's a note to my knitting friends out there (and you know who you are!)......I think I'm on my way to becoming a yarn snob......

Dust mop blocking begins

I decided to do a little blocking of the dust mop sweater. I put Mr. Sheep on the job to watch over it....just to make sure Loretta and the others don't wander over to have a little picnic. Since Big City Girl will be home this weekend for a short visit, and to attend a friend's graduation party, I would like to see how it's going to fit. Mostly, I want to see about the sleeve length. Although I don't look forward to shortening the sleeves, a little more frogging and tinking isn't going to kill me. After all, I'm really good at it now.

So I finally met our new next-door neighbor today as I was leaving to go shopping. We exchanged some small talk, and I told him that hubby and I would stop by to say hello and meet his wife over the weekend if they were going to be around. "We'll be here on Sunday," he said, "but on Saturday we'll be going to our daughter's college graduation." To which I replied that we would be attending our daughter's graduation the following weekend. I can hardly wait to tell BCG that now, after more than 22 years, she finally has a playmate in the neighborhood who's just her age!

The sun is finally out here in Connecticut and people are smiling again. Even the birds are happy. The hummingbirds have been at the feeder, the cardinals are spashing around in the birdbath and the bluejays are hogging the gazebo feeder. Yesterday I spotted a wild turkey strutting across a lawn nearby. I wonder....can the mosquitoes be far behind? Or the bats? Which reminds me of a great story. It's called "Hubby the Bat Slayer." But it will have to wait for another day.....

Car Knitting

Car knitting is what I do while my husband drives.....well, as long as he's driving sanely and I don't have to use one hand to clutch that little grab bar thingie while chewing my nails on the other. It's been known to happen. Good thing he doesn't read this! When I first started the blog, he would ask me each day if I had posted yet. I eventually told him that he didn't really need to read it because it was mostly about knitting and dolls and stuff. He happily went back to his Scientific American.

Anyway, car knitting isn't just about knitting in the car. Many years ago I knitted this sweater vest for my father. You'll have to visualize it a few shades lighter. I could have posed the Halloween cat with it.... My father was a big VW fan back in his day. He was especially fond of the models made in 1957 and before--the ones with the little "football" window as they were called. He had several over the years, but his favorite was the gray one. Once in a while, he'd even let me drive it. That was back when I was a regular driver of standard shifts. For years I had a red Kharman Ghia which I was quite fond of, and only gave it up when I had Tech Guy and couldn't get a car seat in it. Well, that and the fact that we had moved to south Texas and it had no A/C.


So today I was rummaging through a closet and discovered some handwork that my grandma did long ago. This is one of a set of pillowcases. I was thinking I might make some pillowcase dolls--just a simple doll with a dress and bonnet made from a pillowcase. I have a pattern somewhere. It might be nice to pass them on to a couple of my cousins. We used to spend time together at grandma's house and she would make us all wonderful doll clothes.....while we snuck cookies out of her sailor boy cookie jar!

When I turned the pillowcase over, I noticed some dark handstitched appliques on the back that seemed puzzling (sorry, I forgot to rotate it!) After some thought, I'm thinking this was grandma's attempt to make a ghost costume for one of her grandkids for Halloween. Or maybe a puppet. Or maybe just to gives someone a little scare when they pulled it out of the linen closet....

So tonight I'm going to a little knitting get-together at the local senior center. It's just starting up and has been advertised as a multi-generational group. Good thing I had my hair colored today! Maybe they'll think I'm younger rather than older.... Maybe I should wear the car sweater and my crazy bird socks. I could accessorize the whole thing with my bright purple crocheted boa. I'm not planning to take the dust mop sweater to work on though. If I try to knit and talk, I'm sure I'll be doing lots of tinking tomorrow....

Black Cat

Here is the black cat, all finished and looking excited about Halloween. He'll just have to be patient though. And if he is, maybe I'll make him a friend. They can sit together on the windowsill and watch for the leaves to start changing color--a sure sign that Halloween is on the way. I made lots of the fabric pumpkins a few years ago. Everytime I went to the fabric store, I'd see something in a great shade of orange that I couldn't resist. Soon I was Queen of the Pumpkin Patch. I had quite a festive booth at craft fairs. I've given many away to friends, who have learned over the years that when I'm invited to their houses, I don't bring wine or flowers. It's strictly cloth.

And here are the painted rocks, as promised. The cat is a special piece because I found the rock here in Connecticut and sent it to my friend in Texas with a request that her daughter paint it to look like my calico cat, Sparkle. It's a good likeness I think, and certainly more special to me now that Sparkle has moved on to kitty heaven.

My mother used to pick up rocks when she traveled. She had a bowl in the living room where she'd keep them. When I started traveling, I would occasionally bring one back to add to her collection. On a student trip to Europe back in the 60's, I picked up a small piece of the Berlin Wall. I don't know what became of the rock collection. After my mom passed away, my dad went into a clearing-out mode. He may have just figured they were....well.....old rocks and tossed them. Sometimes men don't recognize true treasures.

I started a little rock collection of my own not long ago. I picked up a nice round stone from the driveway of BCG's first off-campus apartment. You might remember, this was the place where the girls lived upstairs and the boys down. These were the boys who borrowed the girls' dishes when their own were dirty, and broke the pipes when they let the oil run out. The same boys who assumed the girls' apartment was open 24/7 for video games. I think I'll paint the rock with some pretty colors, wrap it up in a nice gift box, and give it to her.....maybe for graduation....as a little memento of all those fun-filled college years....

More favorite things

Since today is Mother's Day, it seems appropriate to share a couple of items from my "Favorite Things My Kids Made" list. The first is an embroidered pillow made by Tech Guy when he was 11 or 12. I will never forget the circumstances. He had been grounded and was serving time for an offense that shall remain nameless. What has always been amazing to me is how he did this all on his own without any sewing or embroidery instruction. His observation skills must have been keen, or else there is some sort of genetic explanation.

The second work-of-art was done by Big City Girl. It's a pen and ink drawing with cut-out letters that have been glued on, and a stained-glass effect along the bottom. I need to get busy and find a suitable frame. BCG usually has her sketchbook with her and draws wonderful pen and ink drawings of all kinds of things. Sometimes outdoor scenes, and sometimes just a hairbrush. It's a rare treat when she allows me a glimpse of her pages.

So Tech Guy asked me what I'd like for Mother's Day, and I told him I had everything I could ever need or want, but it would be nice if he came over and gave me a big hug. And then I thought it might be nice to have a fancy banner for my blog. The obvious complexity of that project just boggles my mind, but he is...after all....the Tech Guy. "Maybe you could do something with pasta," I suggested. I haven't heard back yet. I'm pretty sure that when I mention pasta to him, he's thinking dinner at Mom's with some leftovers. I think a nice banner might be worth a big plate of lasagna. I'd even throw in some chocolate chip cookies....and maybe a load of laundry if it's really a mouth-watering banner.

While waiting for ladybug inspiration and the black cat's paint to dry, I did cut out the pieces for Olga's cat. Kitty construction will begin soon. And just for fun, go over and look at Mimi's blog to see what she has been constructing lately.....out of thread and fabric....or is that nuts and bolts?

Little primitive cat

It's a rainy day here in the east, and a good time to stay inside and organize the craft room, and stuff a little primitive cat. I'm planning to paint him black, and that reminds me of Halloween, so I included some pumpkins just to brighten things up.

The two on the left are ones I made out of paper clay. The one on the right is a painted rock, made by a friend's daughter. I have two more of her pieces--a house and a cat, also made from rocks. I should have included them in the picture, but I didn't think about it. I will do that when I take a picture of the finished cat......if I remember......

Ladybug Loretta still sits. I think I know what the problem is. When I was taking a journalism class in college, the professor told us that sometimes we would become very attached to certain parts of our writing. We would think it was some of the best writing we'd ever done and possibly worthy of a Pulitzer. We would find it extremely difficult to just let it go when it didn't work with the story. Loretta's wings just aren't working with the story. They are shimmery and wonderful, and a nice garden green. But they just don't work with the rest of her body. So I need to do some hard editing. While I wait for a solution, I'll start sketching out plans for a garden angel who might be happy to inherit Loretta's wings. I'm sure I have an envelope around here somewhere.......

Unfortunately, little Ms. Red Shoes didn't sell on eBay, so she will stay right here with me in the craft room. Actually, I'm not too disappointed. I think I will change the "2006" to "1997" and she will be my graduation gift to me....... just a little bit late. Then we'll have a party......with cake......

Hi-tech observations

Yesterday afternoon I took a little tour of the yard with hubby and the new camera. This was to be the basic tutorial. Since I don't like to read cumbersome instruction books, and he seems to actually enjoy it, this seemed like a great arrangement. The first lesson involved learning how to turn it on, zoom in and out, and turn it off.

So I decided that the yard tour should have a theme, for blogging purposes of course. I would look for signs of living things that frequent the yard....some welcomed, and some that we would rather have go elsewhere. The first picture (this means a multiple picture challenge) is of the azalea bush in front of our garage. You will note that the top of the bush is awash with blooms. That's because the deer have munched everything at the level of their mouths and down. Definitely not deers that are dears....

The second picture is what is left of a tree we had cut down a few weeks ago. It was starting to lean a little too close to the house for our comfort. Hubby told the tree guy not to drive his bucket truck onto the lawn, so he climbed up the tree...fast like a monkey....with the belt and the shoes with metal climbing spikes and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth! Picture a guy hanging by a belt from a tree with a cigarette in his mouth while wielding a chain saw in both hands. I guess that's what some would call living on the edge.

The last picture is a tree in our front yard that looks like someone used it for target practice. Not so. It's a big red-headed woodpecker's buffet. There must be some real tasty treats in there. He pecks and pecks until he can't get his head in any further, and then he starts a new one. Kind of like me when I'm going through the fridge and the cupboards looking for a late night snack. Only I'm a lot more quiet about it.

So that's about it for the nature tour. I seem to have mastered the first part of the tutorial. Hubby says this camera is quite amazing and will do about a gazillion things. Yeah, but will it load the dishwasher?

A treehouse....almost

I have nothing crafty to show today. Actually, I'm not in a very good mood and it's all Loretta's fault. I thought I'd have her finished today, but I put the ruffled collar on her and pinned the wings on, and it's just not right. The color is off. So she'll just have to sit here for now while I stew about it.

I took this picture of my craft room some time ago, as you can probably tell from the snowy scene outside. This used to be Tech Guy's room. The day after he moved out, I moved the paint cans in. In fact, I think they may have been sitting out in the hall before he actually moved out, and I believe he was a little put out that I was, maybe, chomping at the bit.

I remember when both kids were teenagers and I was having an especially difficult time putting up with their $%@!...... I mean, dealing with their issues. I gave some thought to using some of my craft fair proceeds to hire a carpenter to build me a treehouse. It wouldn't need much furnishing, because I'd just sit out there and knit or read. But there would be one very important accessory I would need, and that was one of those rope ladders that I could pull up behind me. Well, that and maybe a can of Raid. I even thought of putting a little basket on a rope that I could lower down for bribes. If they promised not to fight anymore, and sent up plenty of Snickers bars, I might be convinced to come down.

But things do change, and today Big City Girl called from her office in NYC, where she is now working for a tour company, just to say hi. She says she likes her job, and she mentioned that a lady called to inquire about a tour of Greenwich Village for her Red Hat group. During their conversation, BCG mentioned that her mother was a Red Hat Lady, and not only that, she was a Red Hat Lady who makes Red Hat Lady dolls. So nice of her to be thinking of me! I did remind her though that I would be going on vacation shortly and would be taking a break from dollmaking......to which she said, "Well, you wouldn't go if I got you 40 orders would you?"

So I'm going to give Loretta a little "time-out" while I go do some laundry or something. Maybe I'll knit a few rows on the dust mop.......

Hi-tech toy; Low-tech brain

Hubby, bless his heart, bought me an early Mother's Day present. It's a new mini-digital camera which I will never have an excuse to be without. The great news is that I will now have limitless blog possibilities. The bad news is that I now have to read the instruction book. I remember when there were booklets, but now there are books. I'd prefer having an "on-off" life, or even "wind-up" is fine.....like the chattering teeth. They are easy to operate with no instruction needed. But I am determined to take on new technical challenges and grow gracefully into the modern age.....hopefully before it gets so far ahead of me there'll be no catching up.

Knitting challenges, on the other hand, should be finite. I think all of the stitches and techniques have already been invented. The dust mop sweater is giving me lots of "tinking" practice. Last night I discovered the stitch pattern was off, so I had to tink 8 rows. It probably had something to do with decreasing every 4th row on one side of the front for the neckline, every row 5 times on the other side for the armhole shaping, all the while keeping the stitch pattern going. Hubby actually had the nerve to ask me why I just didn't give it up. I figure that if I can finish this sweater, and figure out the new camera, I should have a nice boost in my self esteem. Somewhere I read that you don't get self esteem from reading self-help books. You get it from taking on challenges and completing them. That's why I do it. Well, at my age there's that and the dementia thing....

So this morning I went to my Weight Watchers meeting, and Rich (our great leader) was back from a vacation in France. He told us that hardly anyone in France is fat, and that they walk everywhere, and have no behinds.....but he didn't use the word "behinds"...heh..heh...Then a nice lady in the back row, who was obviously many pounds away from her goal, raised her hand and in a cute French accent said, "I know. I used to look like that til I came to this country." So, I think if this WW thing doesn't work for me this time, I'll book a flight to France and see what kind of results I get from the wine and croissants and.....oh yeah, the walking.....

Ladybug Wannabe

As you can see, the ladybug is underway. I'm very happy with the color. Her arms and legs will be painted black and she'll have little painted shoes with some sort of embellishment. I'm reconsidering the black tulle collar. Too much black I think. Maybe yellow. After I decide what to make the wings out of, I'll choose the collar fabric. So far, I'm pleased with how she's coming along.

Oh, her name is Loretta by the way. Once I finish Loretta, I'll probably put her up on eBay.....unless she experiences a mishap along the way. I've been known to let my scissors slip when I try to sew too far into the night. That would be most unfortunate, and ever-so-painful for poor Loretta! Then I'll take a break from the auction business, and move into the gift business. I'm going to make a cat for Olga.

Olga is one of my dad's neighbors in the nursing home. She and I have gotten friendly, and I often visit with her--but only after I've had my dad visit, because he gets jealous! She understands. I always wave or say hello on my way in, and tell her, "I'll be back." She loves to talk about the wonderful Greek cookies she used to make, and she's a very big USC football fan---so I never stop by when there's a big game on.

One day I took my laptop into the home so I could show my dad some family pictures, and when I was done I also showed them to Olga. In addition to family pictures, I had several pictures of my dolls. She loved the cat, and asked me if I would make her one and said she would make sure to tell her daughter to bring the money in ahead of time so she could pay me. But I have no intention of charging her for the cat. Sometimes it makes me feel good to give one away to special people. I only hope it's a cat that likes football!

So I ended up going to the Frank McCourt talk yesterday without Tech Guy. He got a better offer (a boat trip on the lake.) The program was very good, and I enjoyed hearing him talk about his writing process. He writes longhand in a marble composition book.....sometimes in bed with his morning coffee. And he talked about his 30+ years of experience teaching creative writing in NYC high schools. After finding that most of his students were unmotivated to write anything, he assigned them to write excuse notes (for a future child), restaurant reviews of the school cafeteria, and obituaries for themselves and the principal. The students were happy, but apparently a few others weren't smiling.

Work continues on the dust mop sweater. I've finished the back and am now working on the right front. The stitch pattern is challenging and I've had to rip and re-do many times. It turns out that what I've been doing is called tinking, not frogging. Frogging is when you take the work totally off the needles and unravel back to where you made the mistake. Tinking is when you actually unknit stitches one-at-a-time (tink is knit spelled backwards...heh..heh...) I guess tinking is better than frogging when you think about it. But no matter what, it's enough to make me croak....

Ms. Red Shoes

She's done. She finally relented and let me install her hat. So now she's up on eBay, and we'll just see how that goes. She told me she hopes to be adopted by someone who will take her along to a graduation party where there'll be lots of cake.

The other day I got to thinking about one of my favorite stories when I was a kid. It was in a Better Homes & Gardens children's book and I still have it somewhere. The story was about a little girl who had lots of dolls and one night they all came to life. I think maybe I'm re-creating parts of my childhood that I would be better off to just let go of.

Today I cut out the pieces for the ladybug doll. The red body pieces are awaiting some black painted dots. I tried my idea of painting them on the fabric, and I think it will work out well. I was pondering what I might use for the clown-like collar, and I think I have some black fabric....almost like tulle....with some sparklies. I think I stashed it with my Halloween stuff. It's in a safe place.....somewhere.....

So yesterday I had a little lull here in the craft room, and I cut out a primitive cat. I wouldn't call it a doll though. I drew an outline of a cat with four legs and a tail, but in a primitive style. With two pieces together, I'll sew around the outline, turn it right side out, and then stuff it. Then the fun part happens. I paint the whole thing black, except for eyes, nose and mouth. This one will have a big smiley mouth. These sorts of things appeal to people who have primitive decor.....or to those who love cats in any form. It can be put in a bookcase leaning against the books, or on a windowsill. I may put a little hook on the back so it can hang. I'll post pictures of everything when I'm done. I hope the cat and the ladybug don't fight for my attention.

So I think I need a break from my craft room, where things seem to be stirring. Tomorrow, Tech Guy will join me for a program at the local college (we're both alums.) Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes and more recently Teacher Man, will be speaking. Maybe I'll see my old Journalism professor. And when he asks me what I've been writing lately, I'll tell him "my memoirs."

All dressed up

I picked up the new Patti Medaris Culea book last night from Barnes & Noble, and wasn't I surprised! When I ordered it the day before, they told me it wasn't even coming out until the end of May. At first glance, it looks like a great book, and I hope to make use of it when I get around to making dolls with real arms and legs and not just the pretend kind with the plastic pellets in their behinds.

So I've been trying to finish the red-shoed graduate doll, and for some reason, she just doesn't like wearing that hat! She's sitting on my craft table smirking at me. If she gets more cooperative, she'll be up on ebay tomorrow. I think she'll be happy to leave home.

And just about the same time I was getting attitude from the doll, I got a call from the nursing home with word that dear old dad is acting up. I'm pretty sure I know why. He's not happy, and yelling and calling names and swinging his arms at those who care for him is about all he can do to show his displeasure. The nursing director and I had a conversation in which we discussed options, and she suggested that maybe a good scolding from me would help. Well, since my dad doesn't hear well, I suggested maybe an email would be more effective. She agreed.

So I wrote the email, trying to word it carefully so as not to totally offend him and make him see me as the enemy too. And I couldn't help but feel like I was writing to my 10-year-old child who had misbehaved at summer camp. No ice cream for dessert tonight Dad!

Having a plan

Sometimes I have an idea for a doll when I'm somewhere other than near my sketch pad. In fact, that's mostly the way it happens. And since I'm not one to handle my mail right away, I usually have an envelope nearby. Some of my best ideas have started on envelopes.

Here is my idea for the ladybug doll , along with a graduate standing on her head. I thought it would be cute to put some painted shoes on the ladybug with some bead embellishment. And maybe a ruffled collar of some kind, similar to a clown doll, but in something more frilly. I have an idea for the shape of the wings, but I'm not sure what I'll make them out of. A dive into the fabric stash is in order. I'm sure I have something.

So the graduate in pink sneakers will be going out to California. It's probably no surprise. You know how those Cali folks are......with their reputations for being a little off-the-beam and laid-back and all. Well, I should know, don't you think. I haven't been gone that long. I hope I get some feedback from the buyer about where Miss Pink Shoes will end up. I always enjoy hearing the stories, but of course I won't press.

Now that BCG is about to wear her cap and gown and go through all the pomp, I kinda wish I'd done the same. I dropped out of college in the 60's and didn't return until the 90's. I was considered a "non-trad" which is what they call old ladies who go back to school. It gives one an interesting perspective when one is the oldest student in the class, not to mention older than most of her professors. I attended part-time for 3 years, did well, and graduated with honors......but I skipped the graduation ceremony. I wasn't sure I wanted to be sitting with all those kids who were young enough to be my own. I didn't want hubby to have to miss work, or for my kids to miss their own classes. And I hate traffic. There would certainly be plenty.

Now I'm sorry I didn't rent my own cap and gown and go through all the pomp and circumstance. It would have been a nice finish for an accomplishment several decades postponed. Besides......there might have been a party!

Red Shoes

I had put the second graduate doll aside while I waited to see what sort of response the first one would generate on eBay. You may remember, it's the one with the pink high-top sneakers. There would be no sense working away on this one if the other one wasn't flying off the auction block. As of last night I had a bid, so now I'm feeling more enthused about Number 2. She'll have red shoes, red finger nail polish and a red "2006" embroidered on her scarf. Just enough red, I think. Who knows, she may grow up to be a Red Hat Lady....

And speaking of that, I found out this weekend that the people who publish the Chicken Soup books are going to do a new one about Red Hat Ladies. I've decided to submit a story for consideration, based on the experience of one of my friends who is a recreation director for a local nursing home. Always interested in looking for ways to enhance the lives of the residents, she decided to start up a Red Hat group. She put the word out, and got a tremendous outpouring of support. I think it's worthy of a write-up.

So hubby's out looking for a good deal on a GPS system for the car. Men will do just about anything to avoid having to ask for directions. I told him I was neutral on the whole thing. And if it requires technical know-how to operate it, I might not be the appropriate navigator. By the time I find my reading glasses and figure out which button to push, we'll be past our turn-off and he'll be just as upset with me as if I had mis-read a map. My friend has one that talks to you. If you take the wrong road, it tells you in a nice way. I might be able to go for that. And then maybe it could immediately lead you to the nearest Baskin Robbins so you could get a cone with a double scoop of Rocky Road and feel a whole lot better about how modern technology is improving our lives.....

Universal Harmony

Here is what I see as a glass half full, along with some craftiness for Mother's Day. Hubby, on the other hand, would see a glass half empty. This is an example of the yin and yang of our relationship. I prefer to view it as us doing our part to promote harmony in the universe.

So it's probably best if I expand on my last post, wherein I discussed assessing someone's character by observing their behavior in the grocery store. It is entirely possible that when someone ahead of you puts that plastic divider thingie up there on the belt, they are trying to make sure the checker doesn't charge them for any of your items. It would probably be wise to look at their face to see if there's a smile or a scowl before you entrust them with doing any housesitting.

So Big City Girl did indeed come for her visit yesterday, and in the excitement of having my medical/dental issues behind me, I took her to the mall and let her have her way with my credit card. She was thoughtful though and just bought essentials. We had a lovely time. It was so much different than previous excursions to the mall where she would walk three paces ahead of me and not speak. Or talk on her cell phone while doing same. Or better yet....beg and plead with me to let her go without me, but in the company of my credit card.

The days of green hair highlights and torn t-shirts are gone. There's rarely an uncovered tummy, and clear nail polish has replaced the blue. She does crossword puzzles for fun, and she really liked the dust mop, I mean the Mandarin-collared sweater I'm knitting for her.

I tried hard to have faith during those turbulent teenage years. Having had my children later in life, I had many friends who had already navigated the rapids and they assured me that calmer waters were up ahead. They were right. BCG seems to be turning back into a kind and thoughtful person--just like all of her teachers used to write on her report cards.

So I figure this is all the Mother's Day gift I need this year. Well......maybe she could think about cleaning her room. Or, at least clearing a little path so we can at least open the storm window....

For the Birds

Our backyard birdhouse has been vacant all winter, but it's about to get new occupants. That's because the wrens are back. Since moving to the east coast, I've really learned to appreciate just how smart birds are. The robins seem to appear on our lawn on the first day of Spring, and the wrens arrive right around the first of May. I mentioned to hubby not long ago that the wrens always let me know when they arrive by perching on the deck rail just outside the kitchen window. I could see his eyes glaze over. So yesterday we were having breakfast, and don't you know a little wren--the first of the season--appeared on the rail. Just checking in I guess.

And speaking of creatures with homing devices, Big City Girl will be arriving today for a short visit. I'll have to show her my progress on the dust mop sweater, but of course I would never call it that in her presence. I'm happy to say that "the other Marcia" was very helpful in getting me on track with the pattern. It struck me that the color of this yarn is similar to that of the first sweater I knit when I was in 8th grade. I wore that sweater so proudly, mistakes and all. Fortunately, I've since learned about the frog pond.

My little adventure with the endodonist went fine yesterday. No pain is a good thing. But what is it about dental folks? All the while they had their hands in my mouth, the endo and his assistant were discussing the recent episode of American Idol. The last time I saw my regular dentist for a filling (a couple of months ago), he and his assistant were discussing the same show. I don't watch it. Maybe I should. Maybe my gastro doc was discussing the same thing last week during my hospital visit? I can only wonder. Perhaps it's just a dental thing.

So this morning while I was checking out at the grocery store, I got to thinking about people and how sometimes just a little thing can tell you a whole lot about someone's character. How about those folks ahead of you who finish putting their groceries on the belt and then they put that plastic divider thingie up there for you. I bet they call their moms on Sunday and treat their cats nice too! I wonder if they watch American Idol.......

Feeling Witchy

Yes, I am feeling a little witchy today. I think it has a lot to do with this being my week for "probing." You may remember my little jaunt to the hospital last Thursday for what was to be my first probing....but I just didn't know it then. Tomorrow I'll be off to the endodontist for a root canal. More fun resulting from the horrible soft bread I bit into a couple of weeks ago. But it will all be over soon and then I can get on with the real fun--making a ladybug! So now I'm having trouble getting this to separate paragraphs.....so there will just be one today. (Pretend there's a break here.) I took a little road trip today to a fabric store I had never been to before. A couple of days ago I realized I was about out of the fishnet print that I use for the red hat lady stockings. And calls (to save $gas$) to the two stores where I've gotten it in the past were disappointing. So now I'm stocked up on stocking makins' and don't you know they had a wonderful red for the ladybug....did I mention I was thinking of making one of those? (Another break. Just pretend.) This is a little witch I made last fall, and sold on ebay. It was fun knitting a boa in a color other than red! The pumpkin was fun and very easy. I just cut a circle of fabric, gathered it around leaving enough space for the twig (from my yard), then stuffed it nice and firmly. I tied a strip of homespun fabric around the twig. I may have coffee-stained it too--don't remember. The boots, which don't show in this picture, are green polka dots-- same green as boa. (break, break, break) So another reason I'm feeling witchy is because of the dust mop sweater. I've started it several times, and have had to frog it (Knitting term for ripping out.....while tearing hair out at the same time). So before I was completely bald, I emailed my friend and knitting guru (aka "the other Marcia") who just happened to have the pattern at her fingertips, and she will help me figure it out when I go down to her house tomorrow for a spinning lesson. Maybe I'll take my camera. Maybe I'll even get it out of my purse. Do check out Marcia's blog though because, as I mentioned before, there are pictures of our adventures at Knitters' Heaven....and she even got a decent picture of me! Thanks, Marcia! Well now.......I think I need a break.......

The loot

The trip yesterday to Knitters' Heaven was a success! I found the yarn for Big City Girl's sweater, and a very nice saleslady helped me find a substitute for the expensive stuff. Actually, I was all set to buy the expensive stuff, but there wasn't enough of any one dye lot to do the whole thing. The yarn I ended up with is similar and was a little more reasonably priced. You may remember that I'm worried about the sweater becoming a dust mop, based on BCG's history of using her floor as a closet. Maybe she will feel so honored to have such a magnificent handknit sweater that she'll use the nice hanger I plan to give her along with it. I can only hope.

I have no multiple picture issues, since I didn't even take my camera out of my purse. I do that a lot. I think I need to hang it around my neck so I have it handy. "The other Marcia" (as we affectionately call each other) took lots of pictures, so when she gets her pictures posted to her blog, I'll just send you over there.

The highlight of the day (other than a very nice lunch at the Dockside Restaurant in South Hadley, Mass. and oogling all that yarn) was the talk given by the Yarn Harlot (aka Stephanie Pearl McPhee) who, in addition to having a very successful blog, has written three humorous books on knitting. I bought her latest one, "Knitting Rules" and waited in line to have her sign it. She wrote, "For Marcia....Obsession is Normal." She thinks I'm one of those folks who obsesses about knitting...heh...heh...

What I've been obsessing about is the ladybug doll. After making the butterfly, I got the silly idea to make a ladybug. Whenever that happens, my mind doesn't rest until I have it planned out. Today I sketched it. Now, it's just a matter of time until I dive into the fabric stash. I mentioned it to hubby (a regular reader of Scientific American) and he just can't understand how I can do the wings, since he says they have outer ones and under ones. "Not to worry," I tell him. "I'm going to make whimsical ones."

So tomorrow I'll be doing a little sewing on the second graduate doll (the one with red shoes) and designing whimsical ladybug wings........right after I get home from a long dental appointment to fix the tooth that I broke on soft bread.......

Graduate ready to graduate

Here's the graduate, all ready for her big day. Actually, I guess her big day has already passed, since she has her diploma in hand! This was a fun doll to make and I'm ready to make another one....this time with a more traditional outfit, but with red shoes. I always like a touch of whimsy! I learned a couple of things while making this one. Most important--stuff the head and neck more firmly so there's no bobble-head effect that requires tweaking later.

My intention is to put her up on eBay, since the graduation season is almost here. I think she would be a cute addition to a cake table, don't you think? It might appeal to someone who has a graduate with a bit of a rebellious streak. Maybe like me.....with one who likes rubber band jewelry.

This past week I sold two dolls on eBay....Dottie and Beatrice, who you've met before. Although I like the auction format, and the fun of watching it through the week, I wasn't thrilled to sell them both at the starting bid, which I probably set too low. Now I'm thinking of starting them a little higher, or maybe even offering a "Buy It Now" option. I'm going to ponder it over the weekend.

I'm happy to report that my little trek to the hospital yesterday went well. It was just "us girls." There was the lady gastro doc and the lady anesthesia doc and the nurse and me. They were having quite a gabfest while I lay on the table under a toasty blanket feeling sleepy and carefree. And wasn't I glad I'd packed a PB & J sandwich for the ride home!

And tomorrow Marcia and I will head up to WEBS for the yarn orgy. I understand the Yarn Harlot's appearance there has generated so much interest, they've had to move the program to a local hotel. It has been suggested that we bring our knitting, so I'll be casting on some socks later. They will be small enough to fit in my handbag, along with the camera. I can just see it now. Another blog post with multiple-picture challenge....

Gourmet delight

If you're under 55, you probably aren't familiar with these. I'll be having one for dinner (kind of an early-bird special) mixed with a small glass of ginger ale. Then, tomorrow morning, I'll be having another one for breakfast. Honestly, I'd rather be going to the House of Pancakes. This is all in preparation for having the gastro doc look at my colon in the early afternoon. It's not so bad, really. I've been there, done that once before. The stuff they put in the IV takes away all your cares and makes time go fast. The worst part is when they start looking for a vein in which to put the IV. Mine like to hide. Someone said that drinking lots of water will help and Lord knows I have to do that anyway. I expect to be spending quite a bit of time in the bathroom today....reading the Da Vinci Code which, lucky for me, just came out in paperback.

I made this chef doll some time ago. When I first started making them, I was using white fabric. After all, isn't that the color of choice for chefs? But some of my customers mentioned that the dolls were getting a little discolored from hanging out in the kitchen. So I started making them in food prints. One time I was doing a craft fair, and I had a cute chef wearing an outfit made from fabric with a red background and chocolate candies all over it. A lady two tables down from me was selling chocolates and she had a red tablecloth on her display table. As soon as I got set up, she rushed down--doing a little dance of glee--and snatched up the doll, saying it was just perfect for her display....and it was! It was like I made it special.

I think the chef dolls would be cute sitting on a baker's rack among the cookbooks. In fact, I wouldn't mind having a real live chef of my own.....kind of like Oprah. And I'd like a good-looking one too. He would probably have no problem serving up my tasty dinner fare this evening in a long-stemmed crystal glass with a sprig or two of mint and one of those cute little umbrellas.......

Pomp & Circumstance

Here's my whimsical graduate doll.....almost done. Well, I thought she was almost done, but then I decided to take her head off (poor thing) and put a little more stuffing in her neck. I really do try my darndest to keep the dolls from being bobble-head characters. I'll be embroidering a "2006" on her scarf, and painting her nails. Something to match the shoes maybe.

The mortar-board hat went together pretty easily. I planned ahead this time and remembered to put the tassel on before stitching the hat to her head. I crocheted the cord out of gold embroidery floss, leaving a long enough end so that I could thread it through a needle, poke it through the top of the hat, and tie it underneath where it doesn't show.

She hasn't told me her name yet. Maybe she's waiting til I get her head sewn back on....heh...heh...The hair was a challenge. Her first "do" was ok, but then I realized it was mostly gray. And most gals don't do what I did....wait til they're 51 to graduate.....so I found some dark brown wool in my stash and made her more youthful. I like that it looks a little wild though. What were those folks thinking who designed mortar-board hats anyway? And......have you ever noticed those crazy hats the professors wear at graduations? Just too much pomp for me....but plenty of whimsy, and always good for a laugh!

In a little while, I'll be going over to see my hairdresser for a much-needed hair cut. She'll be telling me that I'm overdue for some color too, which I know all too well. I think someone has been sneaking in during the night and sewing some of that gray wool doll hair to my head . And while I'm out, I'll drop by the post office and ship Dottie the Red Hat Lady off to her new home. She's headed down south, where those Red Hat Ladies can be pretty wild, or so I've heard.....

Egg hunt

So about an hour before the kiddies were to arrive for Easter dinner yesterday, I decided maybe I'd put together a little egg hunt in the back yard. I remembered how much they used to enjoy hunting for eggs when they were little, and I was hopeful they'd still have some of that youthful enthusiasm. I was right! You can see how excited Big City Girl was to find the first egg. In fact, she had found several eggs before Tech Guy had found any. You can see that he wasn't quite as enthused. I must say that in my enthusiasm to hide the eggs, I had forgotten about the old tantrums and the crying about the unfairness of it all. Lucky for me, though. They both had matured somewhat and took it all in stride.

The eggs were the plastic ones that are suitable for hiding things in, and I figured that money would be the best surprise. Some were filled with dollar bills, others had quarters, two had silver dollars, one had rubber bands and one had ten pennies. At the end of the day, things turned out pretty much as I predicted. They left me with the rubber bands, the pennies and the hard boiled eggs, and they made off with the chocolate and the "Food of Love" dessert.

You may remember an earlier post where I talked about making bean bags out of fabric scraps. In my stash, I had 3 bean bags made from a crossword puzzle print. I had gotten them out to give to BCG because she has become quite a fan of crossword puzzles. As soon as she saw them, she smiled.....and began to juggle! It seems that, in addition to reading college textbooks and writing term papers, she also learned a few circus tricks.

So in just a few weeks, I will be the proud mother of two juggling college graduates. And I guess if corporate America lets them down, they can always run away and join the circus......

Food of Love

.....to borrow a phrase from Emeril. This is what I'm serving for Easter dessert, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. It's easy and everyone loves it. Works for me. I got the recipe a while back from someone's blog. I wish I remembered who so I could give them credit. You bake up a box of brownies, and as soon as they come out of the oven, you sprinkle them with chocolate chips (I used the chocolate/vanilla swirl this time), and crushed up Snickers bars. The great thing is that there are just enough to serve 5 or 6 people, and anything left is easily wrapped and sent home with guests. These must have a gazillion WW points, and I don't need them calling to me from the fridge, which they most certainly would do.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the placemat with the heart on it.......I made it. Well, actually I did the applique. Years ago, after I got my new sewing machine, I was putting machine appliques on everything that wasn't nailed down. It was fun for a while, but I eventually got bored with it. I did several banners, including one for my daughter's Daisy troop--which they carried in our hometown Memorial Day parade. The thing about doing big applique projects like that is I was always going to the store for more thread. I had no idea.

My friend Marcia has invited me to join her next Saturday for a trip up to knitters' heaven (aka WEBS) in Northampton, Mass. It seems that the Yarn Harlot (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) is going to be making an appearance there to speak and sign books. We'll also do some serious yarn shopping. After all, it is a two hour drive. We have to come home with something truly worthwhile to show for it. I have in mind knitting a sweater for Big City Girl. It's the Mandarin Collar Jacket pictured in the recent issue of Knit It magazine, and she admired it when she was home last. But I will be looking for a substitute yarn for the $10 a skein llama/wool blend the pattern calls for. For years, BCG has considered the floor as her closet, and I'm not feeling generous enough to knit her an expensive dust mop.

So once the trip plans were made, we got to the really serious business of where to go for lunch. I do remember that WEBS has a rather large parking lot, and I think a big yarn event such as this might just call for a tailgate party.....

Funny Bunnies

With Easter approaching, I thought it would be fun to see how many of my hand-crafted bunnies I could find around the house. These aren't all of them. Some of them were hiding. Probably with the dust bunnies. The mommy is one I made for my daughter when she was little. It has been well loved....or slightly abused, I'm not sure which and I hate to think.....

I made the bunny in the middle for my son. He definitely needs to be propped up, as his neck is very floppy and he usually looks like he's just nodded off. I've since learned that when I think I have enough stuffing in the neck and head, I don't. Bunny on the left is a more recent one that I made for sale at craft fairs. She is wearing one of my hand-crocheted collars.

I did visit a fabric store this morning, but was unsuccessful in finding ladybug fabric.....which would be red with black polka dots....not white ones....I was wrong. Now it occurs to me that I could just use red fabric and stamp some black spots on with fabric paint and a sponge. That might even look way more cool!

So tomorrow I'll be having some Easter fun--coloring eggs. And I got the stuff that doesn't need vinegar.....don't you hate it when you don't have enough and you have to go out to the store again! I usually fix up an Easter basket for Tech Guy and Big City Girl, and then I hide them just like when they were little. They giggle and laugh and worry that some day I'll stop because they'll be getting too old for this. I'll put a few colored eggs in their baskets along with some Snickers and Cadbury eggs.....and Peeps, of course! Then later, they'll go on home with their candy safely zipped into a plastic bag, and they'll leave all the hard-boiled eggs for me.

I guess that's fine. It's really what I expect anyway. Only 2 points on Weight Watchers.....

Dud Spuds

Sometime back in January, I posted a picture of some fabric veggies I made, some of which were potatoes. It took me a few tries to get a decent one, so some of them were destined for the compost pile. But luckily they didn't make it that far because they ended up making great pieces for practicing needle-sculpted faces.

Before I took this picture, I got my wool scraps out and my colored pencils to see just how life-like I could make them. And once they took on a little bit of personality, I had to name them--of course! Left to right, there's "Ray with the bad toupee," "Marian the librarian," and "Lou who sells shoes." I definitely need more practice, but it's fun. I wish I had lots more spud duds.

I just put Beatrice up on eBay ("Primitive Folk-Art Butterfly Doll"). I sat down last night and decided I had to figure out the wing-attachment issue. It turned out not to be as challenging as I feared. A long doll needle and some thread worked fine.

I'm not sure what my next project will be. Maybe I'll try to work on the sneaker-wearing graduate. She's sitting here on the shelf with one shoe on and a bald head. The mortar board hat is going to be the challenge. I used to glue them onto the head, but as I mentioned in yesterday's post, I prefer to sew everything on because then I don't have to worry about the dolls coming undone. Beatrice has me thinking Spring, though, so I might just have to do a garden angel with some embroidery on her wings. And then there's the ladybug doll idea. Maybe I'll have to visit a few fabric stores tomorrow looking for just the right polka dot print. Darn. I was really looking forward to mopping the floors .......

Coupla Cuties

Meet Dottie and Beatrice. They're sitting pretty for their photo. And I think they're ever-so-much cuter than the buzzard couple I can see from my window, roosting on the neighbor's chimney. As I've said before, I grew up in a city-like place....so I'm always surprised and amazed at the vast array of wildlife I see right here in my own neighborhood. I'd get a photo, but my zoom just won't do them justice.

But back to the beauty queens. Dottie is all finished and has made her way onto eBay. Beatrice is almost done. I still haven't figured out how to attach her wings. In the past, I used glue for things like this. But I've found that the dolls hold together much better and have a longer life if I stitch as much as I can. This would not be a problem, except that Beatrice is painted and I also applied a clear sealing coat. It gave her a nice satin sheen, but getting a needle through it is next to impossible. For now, she's sitting while I ponder this predicament. I would like to get her up on eBay too, since she's a nice little thing for Spring.

So I just got back from the dentist, where I went in sort of a rush because yesterday I broke a tooth. Little did I know that chewing soft bread could be a dangerous thing. But my dentist says that many people break teeth on bread--it's very common. I guess for the tooth, it's like the last straw. I should be as good as new in a month or so--after two appointments, and possibly three---in the event he finds I need a root canal before he can do a crown. And I can forget that crui$e I might have been thinking about.

While making Beatrice, I had the thought that maybe I could make a ladybug. That would involve some red fabric with big white polka dots, and a painted black head--a little more rounded than a butterfly's. A ladybug would need to have a very happy face, and some eye makeup, and some red lipstick. I'll just need to make sure I sew the wings on before I do the painting. Now, what in the heck do ladybug wings look like.......

Grandma's crochet

I had a request from Kathy for more crochet pictures, so here are a couple that show my grandma's bedspread, along with a couple of Easter goodies I made a year or two ago. And you really should go over to Kathy's blog to see her embroidered lab coat. She paid me the finest compliment ever--she said I inspired her to do a little fancy stitching of her own! I think she did a great job. I told her she might want to consider her coat a work-in-progress, and that she could continue to add to her garden. But then I suppose the time would come when it might become inappropriate office attire rather than just an interesting uniform treatment....

I made the bunny out of white flannel and stuffed him. His arms are long enough so that one could be wrapped around the basket handle and glued. The two little chicks are made from yellow fabric and lightly stuffed. Their beaks are painted toothpicks, and I put little yellow

feathers on their heads. Last fall, I got some tiny baskets and put one chick in each and sold them as Christmas tree ornaments.

For anyone thinking of doing a craft fair, Christmas ornaments are usually good sellers. With so many things being mass-produced now, lots of people are happy to find something handmade for their trees. One year, while on vacation in northern California, I collected small pieces of driftwood along the ocean. I really wasn't sure what I would use them for, but I put them away in a bottom drawer. A few years later I noticed someone selling Santas that had been painted on oyster shells. Bingo! I dug out the driftwood and got busy. They were good sellers, and the ones that didn't sell became decorations for our family tree.

So Beatrice and Dottie are just about done, and should be ready for a photo op tomorrow. They seem to be getting along fine together on my craft table, so maybe they'll be happy to sit for a pose.

A Butterfly.....almost

It's not very spring-like here in the northeast today, but I know it will be eventually. That's why I'm working on this little critter. I think she'd be cute sitting on an end table watching over a little pot of African violets. Or whatever. I'm not much of a gardener. The only flowers I grow are the needle and thread variety.

This is one of three dolls I have underway in my workroom at the moment, and she has been the most demanding of my attention. I say "she" because she told me her name is Beatrice. I have more work to do on her. She's just pinned together at the moment, and I put a purple flower on her just for show. I usually use those on the red hats. I like Beatrice's expression. She's thinking, "Please don't make me go out and fly around in the garden......I like it here just fine!"

Also underway in my workroom is another red hat doll. Since Pearl left, things have been pretty dull in there. Now I'm working on Dottie. It's funny how they let me know what they want to be called. A while back, I was wondering if I should name my dolls at all, but now that I've started doing it, they let me know right away. It's a telepathy thing I guess....

And I'm still working on the graduate in pink sneakers. Fortunately, she's been patient. I guess as it gets closer to graduation time, she'll start to nag. You know....... maybe I've been spending too much time in the workroom with these characters. Maybe it would do me good to get out and about with some real people......

A few more pillows

Here are some pillows I made way back in the 70's. My parents liked them and displayed them on the couch, not far from the little ceramic ashtray I made in grade school. When you become a parent, your appreciation for art expands into a whole 'nother dimension.

The pillows on the left and right are embroidered with yarn, and the one in the middle is crocheted. I do crochet from time to time, but I haven't done any lately. Once in a while I crochet a collar for a doll. My grandmother would be proud. She was the queen of crochet, and she was my teacher. She was ever-patient and encouraged me to keep at it, and assured me that with enough practice it would become easy. She also had chocolate chip cookies in her big sailor boy cookie jar for when frustration struck and I needed a little break. I think it was the cookies that kept me going.

My grandma made wonderful crocheted things. She made a bedspread for each of her four children, and I now have the one she made for my folks. It makes a nice spring spread for when we no longer need the down comforter. But what I remember the most is the little cups and saucers. I thought it was magic. She would crochet a little saucer and then the cup, and then the handle--all in one piece. Then she would starch it.

After my grandpa died, grandma learned to drive their 1950 Plymouth with the stick shift. I think that's why my dad got gray hair.....he taught her. Once she got her driver's license, she drove all of her friends to the senior center for activities. And she started doing a lot of babysitting. She was in demand and had many regular customers. And she always had her crocheting in her purse to keep her busy during the long evenings. That, and Lawrence Welk on TV with those Lennon sisters.

I have to thank my grandma for my love of crochet and other handwork. I've never minded waiting for things because I usually have something fun to do while I sit. And sometimes I meet interesting people in the process. It's too bad lots of kids today haven't had the opportunity to learn patience. I think it's because of computers and video games and instant messaging and cell phones. They just don't seem to be able to wait around for instant gratification.....

Twenty-Five!

Note: I thought Blogger had eaten this post sometime yesterday after I wrote it. But it seems like they were playing hide-and-seek instead.

Hubby and I have been married twenty-five years today! We're just having an ordinary sort of day though because a couple of weekends ago we celebrated at this wonderful place on Martha's Vineyard. I guess if we were truly romantics, we would be there now. But the prices on MV, always a bit pricey, double after April 1. We're practical folk.

When people ask how we met, I'm a little reluctant to tell them that we met in a bar. It's not the sort of place where one should go (or so the relationship experts say) to find a lasting partnership. As it happened, I almost didn't go that evening. But I had made plans to meet friends there, and about the time I was thinking of changing my mind, I knew they had already left home. And there were no cell phones way back then......how did we ever manage? Lucky for me though. One phone call and I would have ended up taking the other fork in the road......

We hadn't been in the place very long before I noticed this tall, dark and handsome guy standing at the bar, and I told my friends I was going to go ask him to dance. Well, as they say, the rest is history.

I often think it would be fun to write a book about how couples met. I think of my friend in Arizona who fell in love with the guy she bought her house from. Or my parents who met on a blind date back in the early 40's. I'm sure there are all kinds of wonderful, quirky stories. And it might be good reading for young women who are in a hurry to meet Mr. Right and get married. Maybe it would help encourage them to get out there in the world and do something wonderful with their lives, and just leave this whole business to serendipity.

I remember a couple of times when Big City Girl called from college to tell me that some boy had done her wrong. What I really wanted to do was find him and give him a good whack upside the head. But I thought better of it, and just gave her some good, sound mom advice. "Men are like busses," I told her. "There'll be another along in a few minutes."

Slam Dunk

Here's what I've been working on for the last couple of days. One is finished and one is still under construction. Actually, it's under re-construction because I botched the first attempt. I usually get in a hurry to see how something is going to come out, and I smear paint somewhere. Today hubby helped me come up with a drying rack for these kinds of things. I now have a dowel clamped to the edge of my work table over which I can slip big binder clips. It should work well to keep things with wet paint out of my reach.

While I was working on the shoes, I had an idea for another doll. There seems to be no end in sight for my character development. And, of course, I had to get started on it to see how it would take shape. It's a butterfly. It will be the same bean bag style, but with a butterfly head and wire antenna. I'll paint the body parts (head, arms and legs) and leave a little unpainted area for the face. I'm going to put some fabric leaves around the neck and maybe a flower of some kind. I'll use a print fabric for the wings, but will do some quilting embellishment.

Pearl, the Red Hat Lady doll, sold today on eBay. She'll be heading off to Philly. I have fun shipping off the red hat dolls. I found some red and purple tissue paper at the local dollar store to pack them with. And I usually put a red and purple shipping label on the box. Girls just like to have fun, you know!

On another subject, but somewhat related, my father was quite the traveler. In his condo he had two large maps displayed on the walls. One was of the U.S. and the other was the world. He put colored pins in all of the places he'd been.....red if by land, blue if by sea, white if by air. They were quite the conversation pieces. When I started selling dolls on eBay, I thought it would be fun to do a similar thing to show where my dolls had traveled to. At about the same time, I ran into a quilting friend who was making fabric maps, so I bought a very nice one of the US. Now I sew a gold star on it each time a doll leaves home. I hope Pearl likes Philly. Maybe she'll email and let me know.....

Go Hug a Tree!

Well.......maybe not this one! Here's another picture I took at the South Coast Botanical Gardens in California. For some reason, this tree makes me think of tree huggers. I don't think they'd want to get too cozy with this one! This is called a thorn tree, and I had never heard of one before. But I'm currently reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, and there is mention made of thorn trees in the book. This is not the first time I've come across something in real life, and then soon afterwards read about it in whatever book I happen to pick up.

Today, in addition to working on the pink sneakers (aka tennis shoes), I've been filling bird feeders and getting them rearranged in the yard. Several years ago, we purchased a gazebo for our backyard, and hubby got the home center to throw in a gazebo bird feeder with the deal. It's mounted on a 4" x 4" post, and we installed a squirrel baffle that works very well. We've only seen a couple of squirrels up there over the years, and we've wracked our brains trying to figure out how they managed it. Even though we're pretty good at Jeopardy and crossword puzzles, we have yet to figure out those squirrels.

I've always enjoyed feeding the birds. It may be genetic. My grandmother was a great bird feeder. She used to wire small tin cans to the fence behind her house and fill them with bread crumbs mostly. Back in those days, you couldn't go to the corner market and pick up a 10-lb. bag of wild bird seed. I remember my mother feeding birds in our yard. She used to buy peanuts in the shell and leave them along the brick wall in front of our house. This would attract the bluejays. We didn't have squirrels to worry about. They would have made quick work of those! The bluejays loved them, though, and each morning they would come earlier and earlier, looking for the peanuts. They would yell and squawk and make a horrible racket. Then they would start pecking on the side of our house, making even more noise. After that, the peanuts became my after-school snack.

So, as I mentioned, I'm working on the pink sneakers for the whimsical graduate doll. I drew a couple of patterns and made a prototype out of some orange fabric. I think they're going to make quite the fashion statement. Now......I wonder if Sheldon the Sheep would like some? Or, what about Santa? Now there's someone who could really use some nice foot comfort, not to mention....something with a little extra traction for walking around on the roof.....