Live and Learn

Conversations in Ardmore

2011-02-18T17:07:00.000-06:00

Conversation between me and the waitress at a supposedly upscale restaurant here in town:

Waitress: What can I get you to drink?

Me: I'd like a glass of wine. Do you have any Merlot?

Waitress: No...we don't have that, I don't think...we do have MARLO...would that be ok?

Me: Sure. Bring me a glass of Marlo.

Chocolate Snow Ice Cream!

2011-02-08T13:03:00.000-06:00

It was a hit! There was a debate over how to flavor it...hot chocolate mix or chocolate syrup...I lost and chocolate syrup won. So I mixed chocolate syrup in with the snow and some evaporated milk, then drizzled a little extra syrup on top when I served it. It was ok, not great. But, it seems as though we will have a chance to perfect our recipe tomorrow, when it is predicted that we will get a few more inches of snow. Then we will do it my way. LOL

Snow Day!

2011-02-01T21:13:00.000-06:00

What can you make with a big bowl of snow, a can of sweetened condensed milk and some vanilla? (Yes, there is a bag of sugar in that picture but, I don't know what I was thinking...I guess I forgot how sweet the sweetened condensed milk was until I opened it.)

Why, snow ice cream, of course! When I opened the cabinet to get out some little dessert bowls to serve it in, there were these two little bowls with snowflakes on them that I got several years ago and forgot I had, but they are exactly perfect for something made out of snow, don't you think?

Anyway, as I was mixing it up in the kitchen I was afraid the snow was going to melt so I took it out to the back porch and stirred and stirred and stirred...and it actually turned into something that looked an awful lot like ice cream! I was really amazed at how creamy it was. I think I was 11 years old the last time I made this. I used regular milk, and I remember it being a little runny. But not this stuff! I also thought about using powdered sugar, but I didn't need any sugar at all.

Plopped it into some bowls and took it out to the kids who were running around in the backyard. Yes, it looks like they are a little lightly clothed, but Claire had on a fleece blanket sleeper and a fleece pullover underneath her jeans and the orange hoodie. Ethan had on several layers, as well. (You have to remember that we are still new here, and not used to real winters!) But you can see how pink their cheeks were getting!

It was a huge hit and Ethan is coming up with recipes for making chocolate snow ice cream...he's just trying to decide if it would be better to use chocolate syrup or hot chocolate mix.

Perfect Weather

2011-01-24T19:54:00.000-06:00

I think it is rare to have weather that is this perfect anytime of the year, but especially in January...about 50 degrees and not a single cloud in the sky, so I definitely wanted to take advantage of it. We went to the park. I guess it's been a while since we've all really been to a park. Suddenly, all of my kids are too big for the equipment! Ethan completely dwarfed the slides, ladders and bridges!

Claire brought a few things along in her backpack to make sure she would keep busy...

Her skateboard, my old cycling helmet, her Flip video camera and a roll of Duct Tape.

And this is what Allison brought...

A Vera Bradley purse with several different kinds of nail polish. I'm not even sure these two girls are related.

With smiles like this, it's all good!

SNOW! (It worked! I can post a picture!!!)

2011-01-17T16:45:00.000-06:00

So this is our newest adventure...snow! My family moved around quite a bit when I was a kid, so I have experienced snow a few times. My kids, however, have never seen snow, so this was a first. There wasn't a whole lot, but it was enough to count. We could have made a bigger snowman but, they moved on to other things.

Like making snow angels.

And snowballs. Even if the fight was only with a tree, because her brother got too cold and went back in the house to warm up.

You can see the snow really coming down in this picture. It all came down on a Sunday, and the temps remained below freezing for 3 days (I think) afterward, so there was lots of ice on the roads...I was never brave enough to even attempt to drive in it.

But I did love just looking out at everything through the window.

Getting REALLY pissed off!

2011-01-16T14:17:00.000-06:00

For some reason I cannot add a picture to a new post here, and I have been trying for days...I don't know if it is me or Blogger...I seem to be following all of the directions, but it just won't work. Grrrr!

Dear Knitting Friends:

2010-08-23T21:40:00.004-05:00

I cannot explain what happened. I thought I was ready to move on to the purl stitch. My friend, Stephanie, thought so, too, and she gave me a pattern for a dishcloth where I was supposed to alternate 3 knit stitches and 3 purl stitches, which would result in a lumpy, bumpy texture. But something went horribly wrong...what I ended up with was twisted and curly, nothing at all like a dishcloth. I understand if you need to break up with me.

Sincerely,
Lauri

Did I mention that our house is almost 100 years old?

2010-07-28T10:28:00.006-05:00

*all pictures taken with a cell phone*

It is actually 94 years old, and this wasn't exactly the way I wanted to introduce it but, things don't always turn out the way I plan them! LOL I'm not sure what year the "modern" bathrooms were added...bathtubs, toilets, etc...but I do know that the bathtubs were not replaced before we bought it. Yesterday, one of the bathtubs upstairs developed a hole in it. A hole so tiny that no one noticed it until Claire happened to go downstairs into the kitchen, after Allison and then her friend, Laura, who is visiting us, took showers, and found water coming out of the kitchen ceiling!

We started out with this little bucket...intended for building sandcastles.

We quickly had to switch to this "bucket"...originally intended to be used for storage.

The funny thing about this is that Steven had just been home for lunch, and we were talking about how the ceiling in the kitchen was looking different...you could see a seam come and go depending on whether or not someone was in the bathtub or not for the last couple of days, and we thought it had something to do with the shifting of the house, no one living here for the last 40 years or so, etc...just something like that. The ceiling was not wet at the time. He went back to work and everyone went upstairs. Allison took a shower. Then Laura got in. Claire decided to go downstairs for some reason and that's when the water coming out of the kitchen ceiling was discovered.

I gave Steven a quick call and he came right back home. He cut a hole in the ceiling, all nice and neat. I had planned on getting a hammer and basically just ripping it all down. Guess it's nice to have an engineer around sometimes! We assumed the problem was a leaky pipe, but somehow he figured out that it is actually the bathtub itself, and that there is a teeny, tiny little hole.

We also had a little problem in the half-bath downstairs. The toilet cracked. At least it was clean water!

We have been talking about doing a little remodeling in the bathrooms...guess that will be done sooner rather than later! LOL And maybe I'll get that old fashioned looking claw foot tub I have been wanting....

Just wipe that slate clean...

2010-07-23T09:23:00.007-05:00

It's Summer Time, and this is how we roll. *All pictures taken by Allison with her camera phone.*

Long story short...I like to blog and I don't like that I haven't been able to blog regularly in so very long.

I've also had 3 MAJOR life changing things happen since the last time I blogged:

1) I got really sick again, which made me really realize that Celiac Disease is called a disease for a reason. Because it is real. And I really cannot eat gluten. The doctors were right, so score one for them and a big fat "Zero, you big dummy!" for me. LOL! We have a local health food store that seems to have a nice supply of gluten free things, and I have been pleasently surprised with the local grocery store. There is definitely the potential there for it to be great, and for me not have to oder all of my needs over the internet. Anytime I find a good Gluten Free product, I will be sure to post about that, because most gluten fee things I have had have been horrid! I just received the "Gluten Free Mama" cookbook, and cannot wait to try it! She had a cooking background to begin with, then her third child had problems with wheat, so she used that knowledge to come up with her own gluten free recipes and put it into a book. She also sells rice flowers and other things on her website: www.glutenfreemama.com I still need a few cooking supplies...like a real mixer, pots and pans, and things like that but, when I get up and running, I will most definitely post about the good gluten free items I come across, and hopefully make it a little easier for the next person who has to go through this.

2) We moved! Steven was given a very nice promotion but we had to leave Texas to take it, so we are now in a small town in Oklahoma and I am in love with it! I adjusted well to small town life and have already become spoiled. The kids are doing well, also. Our house was built in 1916 by a Judge who was originally appointed to this region by President McKinley! Up until recently, it had remained in the same family. However, there came a time when something drastic needed to be done so it was sold to a couple who refirbished it and brought it back to life without changing much but the kitchen, which is absolutely gorgeous...so gorgeous it actually makes me want to cook! *I know, can you believe it?* So more pictures on that later but here are a couple...

This is a little secret spot in our yard. It is a little meadow type spot hidden by a tree line and my "cottage"...which is a room added onto our garage that will soon be my studio. The yard is huge and one of the biggest selling points of the house!

*Picture by Allison and her camera phone.

Another spot in the yard...we have real, live, grass, y'all!

*Picture by Allison and her camera phone.

Because I have basically been sick since we have been in this house since mid-June, and if I wasn't sick I was back in San Antonio or Austin, we have only unpacked what was absolutely necessary, and we don't have any furniture except our beds and the dining room table. So, I'll be blogging about all of the fun decorating adventures! LOL

3) OK, now...sit down, hang onto your hat, whatever you need to do to get ready...I found my birth mother and have met her whole family! (Almost.) Her immediate family (husband, son, daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren!) along with her sisters and brother, and one of her sister's children, in-laws and grandchildren. What a trip!!! I now have 2 nieces and a nephew! They actually call me "Aunt Lauri"! This whole experience has been a dream that you would never even dare to dream that actually came true. Truly amazing, and many more details to come!

It just occurred to me as I was typing that maybe I should get an "ok" from them before I add their names, so for right now I will only use titles as necessary...

From where we lived in San Antonio, we probably lived within a 10 mile radius of my aunt, uncles and cousins, some so close we've probably seen each other in HEB, Target and/or Wal-Mart, not including other places we would normally go on a daily or weekly basis. One of my aunts was a teacher at our "rival" middle school!

My birth mother, her husband, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren are all in Austin. Imagine...my most favorite place to be in the world! I would drive to Austin to "Hey, Cucake!", to get a cupcake out of an old Airstream on S. Congress before I would make them at home. LOL! I'd take any excuse to go to Austin, and if you've read this blog, oh, EVER...you've probably figured that out already.

One little tiny detail...she's a quilter! It's genetic! So all of that fabric hoarding you do? That stash that is so big you will never even make a dent in it yet you cannot stop buying more??? NOT YOUR FAULT! It's genetic. You were born that way. You couldn't stop even if you tried. So don't. Why waste the energy? Embrace it! I threw myself into that fire to test that excuse...I mean, "theory"...for all of you...so use it, and if anyone says, "Prove it!"...just point to me! LOL!

So there will definitely be more updates about that to come!

For now...here is our lastest crafty project...Claire made a unicorn! She drew a body out with a Sharpie on white felt, then cut it out. Cut out some pick felt for a nose and some glittery, purple felt for the 'corn' or whatever it is called. Except for glueing on google eyes, she hand sewed everything. I only helped remove a couple of knots from the embroidery floss that she used to sew things together and with the tail. So other than that, it's all Claire!

We just got back from our latest trip back to Austin and San Antonio last night...we left for SA last Saturday...spent a few days hanging out at the pool and getting to know some of the new family. Wednesday we picked up Allison's friend, Laura, and headed to Austin. Spent the night there then drove back to OK yesterday afternoon. I think we will be doing lots of local exploring while she is here, starting with tonight...we will be seeing a local production of "Cinderella"! I love that I have an excuse to put on a dress!

Just a quick post...

2010-05-06T21:12:00.004-05:00

So you know I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth. What a whirlwind it's been!

The gluten-free diet has been going well, although that was not the whole problem. At the end of March, I got sick again, very sick, and Steven ended up calling an ambulance. I think I was only about half concious when they got here because I only remember bits and pieces. On the way to the hospital my heart apparently stopped beating. They got it going again, but I didn't see any bright lights or anything so, I figure either: 1) I wasn't 'dead' long enough for the things in my brain to start firing off bright lights, or; 2) I'm not going where there will be any bright lights! I'm willing to wait and see, though. I was in the hospital for 5 days and on the 4th day my gall-bladder was taken out. The surgeon had to be talked into it, as he didn't believe that that was the cause of my problem, but...*knocking on wood here*...it was because it's been over a month and I have not been sick even once! I have not gone this long without major vomiting in over a year and a half. I'm almost scared to talk about it because I'm afraid I will jinx it, but I'm feeling so much better I think that I will be ok.

In MUCH BIGGER NEWS: Steven got transferred! To Ardmore, OK! I was a little skeptical at first but when we went up there to look for a house I fell in love with it, and I don't even live there yet! Steven works with lots of people who have lived there before, of course, and everyone has nice things to say about it. It's a small town, everyone seems very friendly and the schools are much smaller. The entire elementary school only has about 250 students. Here, that is just a few students more than just one grade here! We have nine or ten classrooms of 20-22 students each at the school we are in now. There are basically 2 school districts in the area, and both districts COMBINED have about 4,500 students. That is less than the high school that Allison goes to, alone! They say everybody knows everybody, and now I know how that is possible. lol! The best part is that we found a historic house in town...it was built in 1916 by a man who was appointed by President McKinney to be the Judge for that area, and had remained in the same family until about a year or so ago when it was bought by a couple who own the antique store in town, and they renovated the whole thing and made it beautiful again, and managed to keep the original wood floors! Our realtor just told us that the couple is receiving some sort of award from the State of Oklahoma for the great job they did with the restoration. I absolutely cannot wait to get there! I won't have to wait long...we will be moving out of this house around June 7, and our closing date there is June 11. Allison is a little worried because the nearest Target is about an hour away in Denton, TX, which is a suburb of Dallas. It's not a bad drive though, because it's just highway out in the middle of nowhere all the way from Ardmore to Dallas.

So, that's my quick update. Just so's you know...

An unintentioned new beginning?

2010-03-08T22:44:00.005-06:00

Perhaps. At least that is how I choose to look at it. Without giving too many details, because that just might be quite a bit "TMI" for you, let's just say that I have been getting sick very often for almost a year and a half. After making many many trips to the ER (2 of them in an ambulance), 4 of those trips in the last month, 3 of them within the last 10 days or so, and 2 of them in as many days last Tuesday and Wednesday, the hospital actually admitted me for 3 days to find out exactly what was going on and causing all of this.

Apparently, "Celiac Disease", which is just a fancy and scary way of saying, "You have developed an allergy to wheat." This is the one pain-in-the-ass thing about being adopted...I found out that this is congenital and hereditary. One of those things that would have been nice to know about ahead of time because maybe I wouldn't have been sick for so long if I knew someone else that I was biologically related to had already gone through all of this.

So now I am on a Gluten Free diet, and all I can say is that I REALLY HOPE that is the correct diagnosis because I feel REALLY GREAT after having NO solid food from last Monday through Friday, and not eating any wheat products since I started eating again! It's truly amazing how quick this turn around was! I have a doctor's appointment on Friday to confirm this diagnosis and/or get the results of all of the tests and biopsies that were done during my vacation, uh, I mean hospital stay. But, all 3 doctors I had pretty much believe this is it.

I feel so healthy that I feel like a different person. I just hope it lasts. The kids have even made comments about the way I look and the things I am doing...and I figure if a teenager, an almost teenager and an 8 year old are noticing and saying things it's gotta be true, right?

So...one of these days I WILL find my camera, and the Sun WILL come out again and I can take some decent pictures to post here. I was working on some embroidery this afternoon and it dawned on me that I couldn't remember the last time I threaded a needle. (I have been creeping around taking fabrics out of my stash and sitting on the floor and feeling them, though!)

Anyway, I don't want to get all mushy and philosophical but, I think I'm going to just consider this my "Starting Over". Of everything. And maybe, just maybe, as I post about new 'Gluten Free' recipies I find, and Gluten Free foods, I can help someone else. I've already found a lot more foods available at my local grocery store than I ever thought possible, and Betty Crocker has a whole bunch of Gluten free cookie and cake mixes and recipies on the website! I tried her Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookie mix today and they were better than I expected, although the cookies were not very moist. I think I'll try adding some applesauce to the mix and see if that helps. Or hey...maybe some bananas! Bananas go with chocolate quite deliciously!

Now I'll just hold up my imaginary glass of Gluten Free Champagne and say, "Here's to new beginnings...cheers!"

Happy Valentine's Day and all that!

2010-02-14T22:13:00.005-06:00

Oh, blah blah blah...it's been too busy around here lately, and Allison is fighting off pneumonia. She has asthma and we go through this EVERY. SINGLE. FEBRUARY. I'm not kidding. Problem is, she suddenly turned into a teenager about a week ago, and she doesn't think she needs to use her nebulizer like she is supposed to...because, you know...she is a teenager now and knows everything while I, of course, know nothing and/or am overreacting. I guess I really need to get over myself when she is running a 104 degree fever and can't breathe.

Our Valentine Weekend was one of the best ever! We went out yesterday (Saturday) and stopped at Michael's to pick up some art supplies (I'll explain that later), then went to 'Cupcake Coutour'. I had the best red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing EVAH! I love that cupcake place.

So...back to the much needed art supplies...each one of my kids has more creative talent in their little fingers than I do in my whole body, so they love art and are always-literally every single day-making or painting something so, I decided we would have our own little "Valentine's Day Art Challenge". This was so fun, I think I am going to make it a regular thing at least once a month! I am very low on paint so I had to get more of that and I picked up a canvas for each one of us. Today, we all sat down at the table together and I issued the challenge: everyone was to paint, draw, collage, whatever a piece of art that had to include a 'heart' into it. That was the only rule. So we drug out tons of stuff...paint (acrylic and watercolor) crayons, pencils, ribbon, stencils and stamps (none of which were used, by the way, because who needs those when you can draw your own stuff???), masking tape (because Ethan can't do anything without that!), specialty papers (which, again, none of which were used because who needs that when you are talented enough to make your own background and draw your own things...lol! BTW, I'm talking about them...not me!), Exacto knives (!yikes! But that was Steven's fault, not mine. Every mother knows you never trust a 12 year old boy with an Exacto knife!). Anyway...a lot of stuff!

It was one of the greatest things I have ever done with them! We all had so much fun and-get this...hope you are sitting down-there was no fighting. Sssshhhhhhhhh! Don't say it out loud! I can't believe I'm telling anyone but, I at least wanted it recorded for historical purposes that my 3 kids sat together at a table for a couple of hours and no one fought. And that's all I have to say about that.

I took a lot of pictures but, it was dark outside and raining and dark and the lighting was just awful no matter what I did. So, I will take more tommorow, I promise, during the light of day because I don't think it is supposed to rain and should be nice outside. That way I will have plenty of natural light and everything will look normal...not RED!

I truly hope everyone else's Valentine's Day was wonderful and enjoyed by all!

Gratuitous Kid Pictures and Knitting

2010-01-10T22:43:00.010-06:00

Should we get the gratuitous kid pictures over with first? OK, if you say so....

I'll go with 'birth order', which is neutral, logical and doesn't show favorites. And in that case, here is Allison, in the grey pea coat that she wanted for Christmas. I've been waiting for years for the 'Preppy Look' to come back, and it seems as though it finally might be. The best part about it is that she seems to like it so, ssshhhhhh! We won't tell her how cute she looks!

This one is of Allison and Ethan. This is a great one because: 1) They are not fighting, and are actually peacefully playing together and getting along! A Christmas miracle in itself!; and 2) It really shows their red hair.

A picture of Ethan alone, with one of the best Christmas gifts in the history of Christmas Gifts for Ethan...a book about using dollar bills for origami! Can you see the concentration? He was like this for about 3 hours. Really.

And Claire...with the Hippity Hop that cemented her belief in Santa Claus for at least one more year!

And about the cutest thing I have ever seen...something I have been wanting, ahem, I mean CLAIRE has been wanting for months: This little, purple Pixie sewing machine by Singer! I, I mean CLAIRE, loves it!

Finally, a small and inexpensive sewing machine for kids that really does work! It is easy to thread (just follow the arrows and numbers), the bobbin is great all the way around and it sews like a charm! The only problem we have had is when Claire forgets to keep the top thread secured under the 'foot'. Just like any other sewing machine, if it's not in it's proper place, it does come unthreaded when you start sewing. However, it only took her a few times to have this happen before she remembered to check and make sure the thread was placed properly, and we haven't had a problem since. It sews really well, and goes slow enough that I'm not a nervous wreck about her fingers getting caught under the needle. So far she has made a pillow with it that came out better looking than my own pillows! And it is only my fault that she hasn't done more...I still want to be able to supervise completely and just haven't had the time. However, she could probably do just fine on her own. I'm really proud of her! Oh, and if you are wondering...they have them at Wal-Mart for about $50. (You know Wal-Mart prices...$48.97 or $49.38...something like that.) Two thumbs up from me, and I am VERY picky when it comes to bobbins!

Now for the knitting: this is the infamous long, skinny, pink scarf that I knitted. I know it's not much and you can see lots of mistakes, but for me it is an awesome accomplishment! lol! I finally finished something that resembles what it was supposed to be and is functional (sorta) as well. Well, maybe not as functional as it is cute.

I started working on a wider scarf, but I think I cast on too many stitches. I can barely keep them all squeezed on while I knit, and I'm working so hard to keep the yarn on the needles the stitches I am knitting are not very even. However, it will work for me because I have other plans for it. It is wool yarn so, I could felt it, which is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Or, I may use it in a fiber art piece...I've got it all planned out already, but I need some little pieces of "fancy" fabrics that I don't have...like silks and velvets. I'm wondering if it would be a good time to hit Joann's for their little remnants. All of the tiny leftovers from the Holidays.

I have really great things I got in the mail that I want to share, but I will save that for my next post. Take care, everyone!

Poor Mistreated Little Blog

2009-12-31T03:26:00.010-06:00

I know, I know...I always say I'm going to post more often but never do. I truly mean it, and I really want to. I actually miss it. But for some reason, other things just keep popping up. Like life. And school. And doctor's appointments. And just plain sleepiness. And the biggest obstacle of all...finding the camera and/or the USB cord to upload the pictures I have taken of things I have done.

Well little blog, my New Year's Resolution (and I don't usually make them) is too keep better track of my projects and post them here.

Since I last posted here, Thanksgiving has come and gone, as well as Christmas. (Christmas was wonderful, by the way...nice and quiet. I made sure it was much less stressful than in years past.) Our big family gift from Santa was a trampoline!

*Photo by Allison

This December I also knitted two scarves...and I use that term loosely! One is made with a very bulky yarn and even though I used 2 balls of it, it is still a little short. The other is made from a thinner cotton yarn, and is very long and skinny. I only cast on 10 stitches, and it reminds me of those skinny knit ties from the 80's. But Claire loves it, and it's perfect to her.

On December 12, I participated in a project that took place all over the World-a project called 'Help-Portrait'. It involved photographers from, literally, all areas of the World, getting together and doing photo shoots/family portraits for people who would not otherwise be able to afford them. This was one of the best and most fun things I have ever done, and I truly hope it is being planned again for next year!

This is a picture of the group here in San Antonio.

I've also been doing a lot of embroidery. Not sure why, but it just seems to be the thing I do right now. I think I turn to that a lot when I need to just "veg-out" and not have to really think.

We tried something new this year...we went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. In the Summer it is a huge waterpark. The last couple of Winters, they have turned it into a Winter Park, full of winter activities such as bobsledding, individual little parks with snow machines (that was so much fun!) and an outdoor ice skating rink! Now, I'm not new to ice skating but it has been awhile, and I am also used to ice skating on figure skates...not hockey skates like this place was renting out. The blades on hockey skates are MUCH longer than on figure skates and your center of gravity is completely different. Therefore, I didn't make it very far before I ended up in the air completely parrellel to the ice and landed smack on the crown of my head! Everything was blurry and double and moving in and out of focus just like you would see on TV, and when the paramedic asked me who the President is, I replied, "Richard Nixon". Hmmmm...this seemed to present a problem and it was decided I needed to take a little trip to the ER. So off we went, and many hours later it was determined that I did not have a skull fracture nor did I have any brain bleeds; just a really nice concussion! Which was a good thing, because it was a couple of hours before we got that news. However, the hospital did do a great job getting me in and doing the CT scan right away...it was just waiting for the doctor to come back with the results that took so long. I think it took so long because I was ok, and 3 ambulances came in with people who probably needed to be dealt with immediately. After about 20 minutes of waiting for the doctor to come in after the scan, I figured that everything was good or else they would have been back immediately. There was a 'Law & Order' marathon on TV, so I just decided to relax and enjoy my quiet time. Allison had texted her friend Laura about what was going on, and her mother immediately came up to the hospital, picked up the kids and took them home! I will never be able to express my appreciation to her for doing this...we have never had the luxury of being able to just drop the kids with a neighbor or have someone come over in an emergency (except for my parents) because of Ethan's issues/Autism. For some reason it worked out in this case: 1) because Ethan was so tired and falling asleep in the waiting room and he just wanted to get home to bed; and 2) because this was Laura's mom, who is a nurse and probably just instinctively knows how to deal with people. And who knows...maybe Ethan is maturing a little bit. That sure would be nice!

Before I go I do want to share a couple of pictures. These were taken in Gruene, TX at the town lighting that we go to every December.

This is one of my most favorite pictures ever...Allison and Claire.

This one is also from Gruene, and includes Laura (Allison's friend), Claire, Allison and Ethan.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and has a very safe New Year's Eve! Goodbye 2009! Here's for a better 2010!

Learn About Me...

2009-11-17T09:22:00.006-06:00

...so I can learn about you! But first, look what I found in TEXAS! I took these pictures last weekend at Lost Maples State Park in Vanderpool, TX. I think it is the only place in TX where the trees actually change colors.

Now, back to the learning part: I got this from Raw Edge Studio, and she sounded very serious so I thought I'd better obey! lol! But I'm gonna say the same thing she did..."If you opened this, fill it out!"

If you opened this, FILL IT OUT! Learn 50 things about your friends, and let them learn 50 things about you!

1) Favorite object in your room?
MY CHAISE LOUNGE

2)Have you ever been drunk?
YES

3) Do you own guns?
NO

4) What flavor do you add to your coffee?
JUST PLAIN OLD REGULAR CREAM, AND THAT'S IT.

5) Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
NO, BUT I GET MAD KNOWING THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE ME WAIT.

6) What do you think of hot dogs?
NAH.

7) Favorite song?
NO WAY I COULD PICK JUST ONE!

8)What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
DR PEPPER

9) Can you do push ups?
YES. JUST DON'T COUNT WHILE I'M DOING THEM.

10) Can you drive a stick?
YES

11) What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
THIS IS HARD...UM, I GUESS MY ENGAGEMENT RING EVEN THOUGH I NEVER WEAR IT BECAUSE I'M AFRAID I'M GOING TO RUIN IT WITH EVERYTHING I PUT MY HANDS IN; A SILVER BAND RING FROM JAMES AVERY AND THE RING I GOT FROM JAMES AVERY AFTER GAYLA DIED...IT'S A BIG MONOGRAM RING WITH AN "S" IN THE MIDDLE FOR OUR LAST NAMES AND A "G" ON ONE SIDE AND AN "L" ON THE OTHER.

12) What is your favorite pizza topping?
PIZZA

13) Ever been in a car wreck?
ONCE, WHEN SOME DRUGGED OUT GIRL IN AUSTIN RAN THROUGH 2, YES TWO, RED LIGHTS AT A MAJOR INTERSECTION, BROADSIDED MY CAR AT FULL SPEED, TOTALED IT, AND BROKE MY BEST FRIEND'S PELVIS IN TWO PLACES AND ALMOST RIPPED HER EAR OFF.

14) would you rather cook or eat out?
I WOULD RATHER EAT AT HOME AFTER STEVEN COOKS.

15) What's one trait that you hate about yourself?
procastranation...SAME HERE!

16) What's your middle name?
ANN. I AM A CATHOLIC BORN IN THE SIXTIES. I THINK THE ONLY CHOICES WERE ANN OR ELIZABETH.

17) How many kids do you want?
ALWAYS WANTED 3 AND NOW I GOT 'EM.

18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
NEW JEANS FOR CLAIRE; NEW BOOTS FOR CLAIRE; NEW SHIRTS FOR CLAIRE. (SEE A TREND HERE? TWO WEEKS AGO, ALL OF HER CLOTHES FIT. YESTERDAY, SHE BARELY, AND I DO MEAN BARELY, GOT HER JEANS ON AND THEN THE METAL BUTTON POPPED OFF AT SCHOOL! AS FOR HER SHOES, THE PAIR WE BOUGHT ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO WERE A SIZE 2 1/2, SO THE BOOTS I GOT ARE A SIZE 3...MY THINKING BEING THAT IT'S OK FOR BOOTS TO BE A LITTLE BIG AND MAYBE THEY WILL LAST THROUGH THE ACTUAL WINTER SEASON. SHE PUT THEM ON AND THEY JUST BARELY FIT.

19) Name 3 drinks you drink regularly?
DR PEPPER, DR PEPPER, DR PEPPER. OH, AND I RECENTLY ADDED KAHLUA AND CREAM.

20) Do you enjoy your work?
HONESTLY, 2 NIGHTS AGO I WAS CRYING BECAUSE I'M QUITE OVERWHELMED, WORRIED, AT THE END OF MY ROPE AND I NEED A BREAK.

21) Current hate right now?
Studio is never quite right. OH, I HEAR YA SISTA!!!

22) Do your friends love you
SHIT IF I KNOW. I THINK KAREN IN KINGWOOD DOES.

23) How will you celebrate St. Patricks Day?
I DON'T. AND I WILL PUNCH YOU IF YOU PINCH ME.

24) Where would you like to be right now?
BACK IN BED OR ON THE COUCH, WORKING ON SOME HOLIDAY STUFF.

25) Name three people who will complete this?
I HOPE EVERYONE WHO READS THIS WILL, AND IF THEY DON'T HAVE A BLOG THEY BETTER JUST EMAIL IT TO ME!

26) Do you have any weird habits?
WHERE DO I START? UMMM...I EAT/CUT THE CHOCOLATE OFF OF THE CANDY BAR, OR WHATEVER, FIRST SO I CAN ENJOY THE MIDDLE/MAIN PART WITHOUT IT. I ONLY DRINK MILK OUT OF A GLASS-NEVER A PLASTIC CUP. (AND I DON'T KNOW WHY.) I WILL ONLY PUT THREE FOOD ITEMS ON MY PLATE AT A TIME TO ENSURE THE DIFFERENT GROUPS DO NOT MIX. I DO NOT EAT OUTSIDE. LOTS OF 'FOOD ISSUES' IF YOU CAN'T TELL.

27) What shirt are you wearing?
A WHITE T-SHIRT.

28) Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
NO-I'M STRICTLY A COTTON PERSON.

29) Can you whistle?
YES

30) What will you be doing in a year from now?
PRAYING THAT ETHAN IS DOING OK IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!

31) Would you be a pirate?
I DON'T THINK SO...TOO FEW LUXURIES FOR ME. LIKE INDOOR PLUMBING.

32) What songs do you sing in the shower?
ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!

33) Favorite season?
SUMMER

34) Favorite day of the week?
ANY DAY AS LONG AS IT IS SUNNY AND NOT RAINING.

35) What is in your pocket(s)?
NOTHING

36) Last person that made you laugh?
cLAIRE

37) Best toy as a child?
ANOTHER HARD ONE...THE BEST SINGLE TOY WOULD BE MY DOLL 'SALLY-JANE'. THE BEST VERSITLE "TOY" WOULD BE BOOKS. YOU CAN READ THEM AND BUILD THINGS WITH THEM.

38) Worst injury you've ever had?
PROBABLY MY DISLOCATED KNEE.

39) Do you love where you live
YES!

40) Do you get along with your family?
MY FAMILY OF ORIGIN: YES. MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY: MOST OF THE TIME. MY IN-LAWS: HELL NO! MY MIL HAS BEEN A BITCH FOR YEARS BUT I'VE BEEN NICE, TRYING TO KEEP PEACE BUT, WHEN SHE TOLD ME SHE "HATED MY CHILDREN" I DREW THAT LINE IN CEMENT.

41) Who is your loudest friend?
USED TO BE GAYLA. NOW I'M THE LOUDEST ONE.

42) How many dogs do you have?
2

43) Does someone have a crush on you?
I HIGHLY, VERY SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT.

44) How many cats do you own?
4

45) What are you gonna do this weekend?
EH, I'LL FIGURE IT OUT WHEN I DO IT.

46) Favorite ice cream?
SWEET CREAM WITH FRESH STRAWBERRIES

47) What is your favorite thing from mcdonalds?
I NEVER GO THERE ANYMORE. HAVEN'T BEEN IN PROBABLY 7 YEARS.

48) Where is the next place you want to travel to?
ANYWHERE CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED.

49) What were you doing at 12 AM this morning?
I THINK I WAS ACTUALLY SLEEPING, SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH.

50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
"GOD, I HOPE CLAIRE'S NEW JEANS FIT!"

And Oh. My. GOD! I cannot believe I haven't blogged since early October! Actually, I can't believe the time has gone by that fast. I have all these posts in my head that I want to do, but can't decide which one to do first, so I guess they just never get done. I guess I can quit debating about the Halloween one! lol! I wanted to do one about Lost Maples-the pictures posted above-so maybe I should do that one next. Unless, of course, you want to hear about all of the laundry I did yesterday, and didn't even make a dent!

Live and Learn...

2009-10-07T20:19:00.008-05:00

I've been playing with headers and names...decided to drop the 'ArtSmith' name because: 1) I don't get as much art done as I want too; and 2) it's too hard for me to separate the art and the daily life, so this has become a daily life blog, that I can use to show things that I've done. And most of the things I do have to do with sewing and not the mixed media that I intended. Things change, people come and go and life moves on...along with your muse, sometimes. My muse has been gone for a long time.

As of now, I am officially changing the name of the blog to "Live and Learn". Not sure what to do with my Flickr account/name. I don't even know if I can change my name without starting a whole new account. I'll have to check that out, but for now it is still the same.

And check out that new and oh, so cool banner! I should probably have just gone ahead and put a regular everyday one up there but I just love this one. I got it for free at "The Cutest Blog on the Block", the same place I had gotten the cherry one. Hopefully, I will remember to change it after Halloween!

There was a HUGE adventure for us last weekend...it was Valero Family Day at Fiesta Texas. And we went! Valero hosts this every year but we have never gone. I just have not been brave enough to take Ethan out to a place like that. But this past year he has made a lot of progress and I felt like I could handle the multiple meltdowns we were sure to have. I can't believe this myself, but, there was only ONE! He wanted to play a game and win a stuffed Bugs Bunny, and things just weren't working out for him. I finally convinced him to let me try one. So I walked around and took a look at all the games, finally found one I thought I could win-it was the one where you pop balloons with darts. I even studied it for a while to see how the darts were weighted to make it harder for you to win. lol! So I finally decided to go for it, and just a few pops later, all three kids had stuffed toys!

I'm going to go ahead and brag here for a bit...I handed them my three tickets for 3 tries, and you had to pop one balloon for a small, two for a medium and three for a large. *Oh-side note...Ethan didn't trust me and thought Steven was a better shot. So, Steven played for Ethan and I was playing for the girls.* My very first 3 tries I won a medium Bugs Bunny for Claire! Steven tried 3 times and missed every single one. hee-hee-hee! I was now in charge of all of the tickets. Took 3 more tries and won a medium Tweety Bird for Allison, and used the last 3 to get something for Ethan. I only hit 1 balloon. That was it-no more tickets. So Ethan chose the small Bugs Bunny, and I thought for sure Meltdown City was upon us! But, nope. He liked the small one, because it looks more like a baby! Yee-haaaaawwww! Everyone was happy. Of course, Steven will never live down his complete and total loss to my incredibly amazing score! The new rule around here is that the girls have to say "my MEDIUM sized Bugs Bunny/Tweety that MOMMY won".

So, here is a shot of the two big guys in one of those teeny tiny cars...

They managed to do ok in the end though...

And one of the girls on the swings.

I had to go on one of the rollercoasters with Claire. The Roadrunner, I think. It wasn't the biggest one, but the next one down. Still to big for Claire, I think, but she just had to ride it. That girl has no fear! She wanted to go over and over but I thought that one heart attack that day was enough.

Long update, so I'll stop now. I have been working on some Halloween decorations and some things for a Day of the Dead Shrine; so someone please remind me to take pictures of it all before I take it down!

Conversations with Ethan

2009-09-22T18:51:00.003-05:00

We are getting ready to go out to eat, so we told Ethan to go upstairs and "get dressed", thinking that he would (at almost 12 years of age) know to put on some clean, decent, presentable clothing along with a pair of shoes. You know...like 2 shoes. One for each foot.

He does go upstairs, but then comes back down wearing a black watch plaid flannel nightshirt that I made for Steven 15 years ago (I also made matching ones for me and Allison), a pair of polar fleece pajama pants and one, yes ONE (1), not one pair...just one...Croc shoe. The other foot was bare.

Steven: Ethan...I told you to go upstairs and get dressed so we could go out to eat! You cannot wear that, so go back upstairs and put on real clothes!

Ethan: What??? It's just a Mexican restaurant...not church or anything!

Ummmm...I have no idea where this philosophy came from! Just the special brain mode of a pre-teen boy, perhaps?

Moving on...so many stories I'd love to share about school but, I am actually afraid of being "Dooced" by my teacher. Guess they will have to wait until the end of the semester. Got my first big project done today, will have a test on Thursday and then I have a paper due on October 1. After that it is pretty much smooth sailing, other than the regularly scheduled tests. I'm anxious to get my grade back from today though, because it is something that could be very subjectively graded...and she definitely plays favorites...with boys. At least they are college age, I guess, but it is still gross to watch. After taking coughsevencough years to get my undergraduate degree, I have never had a teacher like this. She never has a lecture prepared ahead of time and actually has to Google things during class that I know off the top of my head! She actually works as a therapist, also. I'm afraid for her patients.

And because it is NEVER dull around these parts: there was/is a tarantula in my neighbor's flower bed and the AirLife (LifeFlight) Helicopter had to transport a child from our elementary school to the hospital yesterday. Except for the actual incident, I watched just about everything unfold and happen. It is absolutely heartbreaking, and no one is releasing any information at all about it, so no one knows what kind of condition the child is in. I *think* I know the child that was hurt, but I'm not sure, and no other parent has any clue at all...the only reason I *think* I know is because I *think* it was a special ed student that actually responds really well to Ethan, so if he is refusing to do something for a teacher, they will call Ethan out of class to come help and he will usually do anything Ethan says. He is nothing but absolutely sweet and hugs me and Ethan everytime we see him, which is usually at dismissal. Anyway...whether or not it was him, a child was hurt and seriously enough that he needed to be airlifted to the hospital and I have no idea how he is doing! I understand the privacy laws and all of that, but...I think at this point the school could at least send out an email letting people know the condition the child is in. It happened right at dismissal time, and every kid in that school knew that there were fire trucks and an ambulance there...the helicopter didn't arrive until most of the kids were gone, but we all know that someone was hurt. And it really hurts not knowing or being able to help the family or anything like that.

Blah, blah, blah...rambling at this point.

Before I go, I'd like to give a shout out to my camera's USB cord. Hey, USB cord! Answer when we are calling you, alright? I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

I DID IT!

2009-09-16T09:55:00.002-05:00

Well look at that! I 'customized' my banner All. By. My. SELF! It is a free banner from "The Cutest Blog From the Block". They have tons of free banners and backgrounds, plus they do custom work. Check them out if you are ever thinking about changing anything...they have such great directions on how to do everything I was able to do this banner in about 20 minutes and that is because I don't know the FIRST THING about this kind of stuff. People who do can do this in about 20 seconds. They come "Highly Recommended" by me, the Anti-TechnoGeek.

Construction Zone

2009-09-15T23:23:00.002-05:00

Obviously, I'm playing around with this header business...please bear with me as I am a little slow on the uptake with all of this techie stuff!

Conversations with Claire

2009-09-04T10:18:00.003-05:00

Claire: I found love today. I was able to admit it, and he feels the same way about me and he's French.

Me: Oh, that's nice. What's his name?

Claire: Timothy. And he's French.

(I'm wondering if she thinks he comes with fries?)

School Started

2009-09-01T08:04:00.003-05:00

For all of us! Well, except for Steven. I decided I wanted to go back and maybe get a Master's Degree but, I have to bring up my GPA just a *teensy* more. So I signed up for 2 classes (6 hours) at a local community college, and hopefully I'll be able to do that. One class is Psychology of Personality-my absolute favorite subject every single day of my life, so I'm liking that one so far. The other is Educating Young Children. Not sure how I like that one yet because we have yet to get a teacher! We should find out today what is going on once and for all. So keep your fingers crossed.

I knew my eyesight wasn't what it used to be, so I made an appointment to get my eyes checked last week, and the appointment was for Saturday. I'll be getting my new glasses soon...bifocals. But! she says, They're seamless! Yeah, but I still hear the word 'bifocals' and think of a 101 year old little lady sitting in a rocking chair and knitting or something. lol! But, they are also purple, so they are cool. Just one more sign I'm getting older. Hopefully, they will be here soon because my eyes are killing me and I'm getting some bad headaches...which I do NOT understand, because I read all the time. Every day I'm reading one book or another. The only conclusion I can come up with is that if you are reading for pleasure, that's one thing, but if you are reading because you have to really remember it, that a whole other level of concentration and eye strain.

In short...we survived another summer. And this one was one of the better ones. The school let us know who Ethan's teacher would be for this year hoping that knowing what was going to happen and where he was going the first day would help calm some of his anxiety, and it worked! Something worked anyway, and that was the only thing new, and he was looking forward to the start of the school year all summer! I'm already worrying about next year though...he will start middle school and I'm really not sure how he is going to react to all of the changing classes and chaos in the halls. Well, I do know how he will react to it. I'm just wondering if I will have to pull him out and homeschool him. I'm going to try and do some research on that this year because I have no idea how to start or what to do. Do I have to register with the state? Where do you get lesson plans? Or, at least the information about what they are supposed to be learning? If anyone reading this has any knowledge on this subject, please let me know...I would truly appreciate it!

I'll leave y'all with one parting shot of summer - a total Smith Classic. My dad on the beach, fully clothed!

And now it's time for me to head off to class. :)

So I've been laying back and taking it easy this summer...

2009-08-08T20:09:00.006-05:00

NOT! Like I ever thought you would believe me anyway...I was just hoping I could get a few of you to fall off of your chairs.

Our 'Big Summer Project' has been the "Summer of Doctors Tour". Let's see, we have seen the regular GP (one for kids and one for adults), dentists, orthodontists and periodontists, Urologists, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, NEURO-Psychologists (my dream job!), and, just to throw in a little twist...Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine where I got Ethan into a brain study. That was pretty cool...he got a brain scan using new MRI equipment that is more powerful and gives better pictures. Plus, it is an all around bigger machine, and it is the actual MRI machine of the Houston Texans...not that I'm a fan. I'd be MUCH more impressed if it was where the Spurs had their MRIs done.

Speaking of the San Antonio Spurs...Bruce Bowen shops at our CVS! (local drugstore) Ethan had a flashlight with him at the time and nearly blinded poor Bruce! Ethan didn't know who he was, but Steven was trying to save Bruce's eyesight and get the flashlight away. So now everyone knows who to thank for Bruce Bowen's continued good eyesight. lol!

If I am not at home lately, well, other than being at a doctor's office, I can usually be found here:

This is our brand new Barnes & Noble Bookstore at LaCantera. It is a TWO STORY BOOKSTORE! TWO FLOORS! TWO! NOT JUST ONE! There are stairs! In MY bookstore! It's like I have died and gone to heaven. I could never work there because I would just be looking at the books all day. Coolest bookstore ever.

Oh! Almost forgot to tell you...I finally learned how to knit! On June 13-I will always remember the day-I decided that after all the years of trying and lessons and not being able to comprehend it, that I was just going to sit down with some yarn, a couple of knitting needles and a book called, "Teaching Kids How to Knit", and that I wasn't going to get up until I had taught myself how to do it. And I did it! It was pretty easy to pick up while having the book right there so I could read the directions AND see the pictures; then over the course of the next two days I knit the whole ball of yarn into this rectangle thing.

This is the book I used, and would definitely recommend it to adults and children.

And this is a picture of the rectangle in progress. I don't have a picture of the finished project but, I think you can figure out how it goes. Claire chose the yarn...that girl loves orange! It was a rather small ball of yarn, so the finished project is about the size of a doll blanket, so that's what we are using it for.

I'm sure that there is a lot more that I want to blog about but, that is all I can come up with for now. The girls are in Houston with my Mom and Dad until next week, so it has been nice and quiet around here for the last couple of days. By the time they get back we will be neck deep in "Back to School Mode"...for them and for me. Yes, I said it...FOR ME! I am registering for at least 2 classes at one of the Junior Colleges in the Alamo College District and I am so, so excited! Real live classes for credit...not just community education classes. I can't wait to actually use my brain again! I have been wanting to go back for so long...actually, I was applying when Steven got the job offer from Valero and we moved from Houston to SA, so it's been at least five years. Then last year I was feeling settled enough here to go back but kept thinking we couldn't really afford it, so, I decided that I would educate myself. Taking art classes here and there and buying a lot of books...worked great for a few months, then of course my art classes and workshops were being dropped more and more often, and I was having more and more limits placed on my book budget. So, I figured out if I am actually enrolled in college, it can't be taken away from me. So here I go!

I'll post more about this later, and I also have a GREAT "Conversations from the Backseat" to post. Right now I've got some mac and cheese calling my name!

Someone stop me!

2009-05-17T17:32:00.005-05:00

Just within the last 12 hours or so, I've completely leapt into New World Technology...Facebook AND Twitter. Like I have the time for those...just like I have enough time for the kids, the pets, the house, and doing all the things I want to do like sewing and making things and blogging and volunteering up at the school. I gotta at least try it though-I just hope I can figure it all out. Not so sure about the Twitter thing.

So, since my last blog over a month ago, I've had another kidney stone and a kidney infection; Claire had strep throat that went into Scarlet Fever; Steven's dad had another heart attack and has a stint in some artery somewhere and is on dialysis because his kidneys are failing; I made dinner once; I got a 'gig' at a local theater making some costumes and working the music for their most recent play; and...we've added a new member to the family...Daisy! (Just a day in the life, folks!)

Lucy, meet Daisy...

This is just one little part of a game we ("we" meaning me, Lucy and Daisy) call 'Playing Puppies'. It's a great game!

Daisy was rescued by Animal Control from a very poorly run 'puppy mill', and was then resuced from Animal Control (which is a kill shelter) by Tess' K9 Rescue here in San Antonio. Well really, Daisy's mommy was rescued and no one knew at the time that she was pregnant, so surprise, surprise for her foster family! lol! Four or five puppies were in that litter (I can't remember exactly how many) and they are part Schnauzer and part Poodle. I do know that there were 3 females that were whitish and one that was definitely a grey Schnauzer. They are all adorable and they had no problem placing the puppies! Sue, the wonderful lady who runs Tess' K9 Rescue said they had 1500, yes that's one THOUSAND five HUNDRED emails from people wanting to adopt! Somehow we won the lottery and ended up with Daisy! She is just so much fun to have around and I think it is good for Lucy also...she was a little wary the first week or so, and I think worried about her "spot" in the family, but now they are friends and we all play puppies every morning! Daisy thinks she is a real human baby, though. See the proof? This is her sleeping in my arms just like a real human baby would.

Also, when she wants me to pick her up, she comes over and stands up on her hind legs with her front paws resting on my leg! No...not spoiled at all!

OH! I can't believe I forgot about this! We FINALLY got a diagnosis of 'Autism Spectrum Disorder' for Ethan! Technically, he falls in the Asperger's range, but for school and medical purposes they just use the general umbrella, which is perfectly fine with me. It just took them 11 years to figure out what I knew within 2 months of his birth. I am SO over doctors and their degrees...don't even get me started. They would get a lot more respect if they would listen to a child's mother every once in a while. Anyway...this opens up a lot of doors for him that were not open before, and he is now eligible for therapies, mostly social, that he did not qualify for earlier. His school has been wonderful, though! They have always tried their best to work with him on his severe social disabilities but this will make it even better. Only problem...only one more year in elementary school before he goes into middle school! Yikes! For so many reasons I want him to stay at the elementary school, where he feels comfortable and he knows everyone and everyone knows him, and they all work so hard to do and get what is best for him. Middle school, even for the most well-adjusted kids, might as well be another planet! I can only imagine Ethan being there. Look out Mr. Middle School Principal! Here comes Ethan and His Mom! lol!

Now...reading back over this post and really looking at everything that has gone on in the last month...this IS NOT a pity post! We are all fine and well, and seriously, it really is "just a day in the life"! But I haven't gotten anything remotely artsy OR crafty done, and I'm not sure I've even been in my office/studio except to check emails every few days...or weeks! lol! I did have to sew a button back on one of my shirts that came off Friday night, and that's as close as I have come to a needle and thread in a month.

NEXT WEEKEND: another great art retreat at Susie's! Cannot wait-definitely lots of art will be happening there!

Another "Happy Birthday"!

2009-04-08T15:36:00.008-05:00

This was my very first baby. Well, she still is and always will be, actually. BUT...

My baby Allison is 15 years old today! I have a knot in my stomach. When she turned 10, and got into "double digits" it didn't bother me. When she turned 13 and was an Official Teenager it didn't bother me. But 15! OMG-she might as well be 20! Even though I've always told her she couldn't get her driver's license until she graduated from college, she truly believes she can go sign right up for Driver's Ed.! I told her there really is no point because she won't be able to use any of that information for quite a few years, because, she will be going to UTSA after high school, and Steven works RIGHT NEXT DOOR to UTSA, so he can drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the evenings, so see...there really is no reason for her to drive at all!

But, maybe I should rethink that...I'll let her get her license but, she can only go as far as Target, Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. And that's it! lol! Oh, just thought of another benefit...she can take Ethan to his doctor's appointments...you have to take the good with the bad, you know!

One more brag on her, because she is the best daughter ever-just don't tell Claire that-but...get this...Allison was accepted into the National Honor Society!(?!?) MY daughter? MY daughter. OK, I'll give Steven some credit too, I guess. She is so much like him! So smart! I'm like, OK smart, but they are REALLY smart. Plus, I had better things to do in High School than learn stuff! Well, maybe I'm really smart too, but more in a common sense kind of way...I just keep it on the down low. I just cruised by making B's and C's, and not letting anyone know I could do better if I had actually cracked a book. That way, I did ok in school, didn't cause any trouble, and when I did bring home an A or two, everyone was so excited! Kinda the best of both worlds. Anyway...

CONGRATULATIONS ALLISON-one, for being you. Two, for hanging in with me this long. I know it hasn't always been easy, but we both learned a lot together, and I'm a better Mom because of you. I love you!

Well, I have a few other pictures for you but Blogger is being a butt. Pictures of Claire at her performance, pictures of curtains, and a pictures of a log cabin pattern I am sewing entirely by hand to make a pillow for the sofa. Blogger has different plans though, I guess, because it won't let me upload any more pictures. I totally need to blog more often so I can keep everyone up to date on things because I know all 3 of you are just waiting with baited breath, and not have to do it in one HUGE post.

One more point of interest though...check out Malka Dubrawsky's blog (I really hope I spelled that right!) A Stitch in Dye. She lives in Austin-my MOST FAVORITE CITY IN THE WORLD JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW- and makes the most beautiful cloth you have ever seen and is a complete inspiration to me-she does everything I want to do but don't have the time for-- but, her post today is about the Sun. Apparently, every 28 years the Sun is in the exact position it was when it was first created, and today is that day. I find it amazing that somethng like that can be tracked, and it was definitely my 'something new' to learn about today. If you have time, browse around her blog and check out her stuff: It will be time well spent! One thing you have to see is her 'Wee Little Photo Shoot' and her 'Twinkle Quilt'. The Twinkle Quilt is so absolutley gorgeous and the quilts in the 'Wee Little Photo Shoot'...well, the colors take my breath away! Just click on that link and scroll down. They are both on that page, along with other beautiful things. I'm quite sure that Malka doesn't know me from Adam but, she is one of those ' On a Pedistal Artists' for me, just like Susie Monday...which is a whole other post but just real quick...I get to do a few more artist retreats with her starting this month and probably going every month through the Summer! I absolutely cannot WAIT until next weekend!!!

I can't believe it's April 3!

2009-04-03T08:37:00.005-05:00

And I really can't believe I haven't posted since February 25! Guess the brain really was numb. Plus we had Spring Break in there...like it was really 'Spring'...I took the kids to Houston to visit my mom and dad, and that was the week that Houston decided to have Winter. It rained the entire time we were there, LITERALLY, and it got really cold! Down into the 30's at night and high's were only in the 40's during the day. Of course, we only had flip-flops and shorts and t-shirts. Except Ethan, who actually left our house without shoes, so I had to stop on the way and get him a pair. (I know, that seems to happen a lot around here.)

Since then, hmmmm...it's all a blur really. Seems like everything goes nonstop. Plus, I got a really bad cold and took ONE dose of NyQuil which completely knocked me out for an ENTIRE weekend. No lie. Then I had that sexy Marge Simpson voice going for a few days. Got my regular voice back yesterday but then had to take Ethan to the doctor because he has an ear infection. Or, as he described it, "I think a hornet AND a yellow jacket both got in my ear and stung me!" Poor thing, but he always has a great discription.

And today is actually Steven's 40th Birthday! Now that he is 40, I can no longer deny being in my 40's. Which I really never do, but I seem so much younger in my head...like 22! lol! Anyway, back to Steven's birthday...I have NO IDEA what to get him. So yesterday I asked him if he wanted me to cook anything special for dinner. When he was finished laughing and choking and falling on the floor, he said, "Well, I had never really considered that option. I just thought we'd go out for Mexican food." Good decision, hun! But I'm feeling just a little sorta Betty-ish, like maybe I want to make a cake or something. I don't know...it's a whole new feeling so I'm not sure what it is, but that might be it. Or cupcakes maybe. Ooooo! Cupcakes mean I could go to Michael's and get some cute accessories! Cupcakes it is, then!

And after living in this house for almost 4 years, I actually have curtains on almost every window now, because my mom was here for a few days. Of course, I still gotta get pictures of that.

I also have a funny 'Conversation with Claire' from Sunday...

*Claire was playing at a friend's house, and called home to ask a question*

Telephone ringing...

Me: Hello?

Claire: Mom. Is it ok if I go to Jenna's church with her? Don't worry, I won't pray or anything! She just has to pick up her soccer uniform.

Me: (in Old Jewish Lady from New York City Voice, like I really teach my kids NOT to pray!) Gawd fa-bid tha pray-ing!

Claire: Huh?

Me: (laughing) Yes, you can go, it's fine with me.

Claire: (to Jenna) She said Yes!!! (little girls screaming in backround)
But Mom! Don't worry, I won't pray or anything!

She hangs up the phone, and leaves me wondering what the hell Jenna's mom is thinking right about then....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEVEN! WE LOVE YOU!

My brain? It is numb.

2009-02-25T19:10:00.003-06:00

For real. I can feel the tingling in there.

We had Ethan's ARD meeting today. It started at 8:30am, and we didn't get out of there until a little after 1:00pm! Definitely our longest ARD ever, and for all I know, it could be THE longest ARD ever. But once again, I have to give BIG KUDOS to the school-they are always looking for ways to help Ethan and go so far out of their way to make his days better. For example: a big problem for Ethan is lunchtime in the cafeteria. It is so, so loud in there, every single kid is yelling (approx. 350-400 students) and it is nothing but a huge echo chamber. He is extremely sensitive to loud noises and that combined with the fact that they have to sit so close together that he is always getting touched (another sensitivity problem) that he usually ends up having a huge meltdown. So, in order to combat that and make his day less stressful, he eats lunch with one of the Vice-Principals, who he is very close to and has a great relationship with, every single day, in his office! Now certainly, I'm sure that Mr. VP has more important things he could be doing, but nope, he takes that time out of his day to sit down with Ethan and have lunch. That alone brings tears to my eyes. Earlier this week, both of the Vice-Principals, his Special Ed. teacher, his Speech Therapist and one of the counselors all got Ethan and took him outside and tried to teach him how to play Foursquare. They just got the Foursquare thing painted out in one of the parking lots, and they were using it to try and teach him how to follow rules in a game and how to lose gracefully and that it is OK to lose.

Ethan is actually a General Education student...he just gets pulled out for a couple of things he needs extra help with. That Foursquare thing was just spur of the moment...Mr. O., the Mr. VP Ethan has such a great relationship with, decided to round up a few adults and go and do this with Ethan. Really, I couldn't ask for a better school and/or a better staff! Every single person who works there is there because they love kids and want to teach them and help them become better people/responsible adults. And I am so, so grateful to them all every single day!

Sorry I haven't had any pictures for the last couple of posts...Ethan had an appointment with the Psychiatrist on Monday, then I had an appointment with MY Psychiatrist on Tuesday, after which I drove straight to Border's Bookstore and spent 2 hours looking at books! I ended up leaving with the latest issue of 'Craft' with Amy Sedaris on the cover (who TOTALLY cracks me up!), along with a couple of other magazines and several books and a CD with the soundtrack of 'Annie'. The 'Annie' soundtrack is for Claire. Yep. Well, she may not know about it yet, but really, I plan to play it for her a lot in the Jeep while we are driving around.
And ssshhhhhhhhh! Don't tell Steven I bought all of these books...he hasn't realized it yet.

Guess I Needed To Catch Up On My Sleep!

2009-02-21T22:35:00.005-06:00

I didn't abandon you...I just fell asleep. I've been sleeping for like, three days. No wait, I think four.

Remember how I talked about baking? Well...that didn't happen, of course. Nothing goes as planned around here, and you should know that by now.

So here's the story...I had planned ahead. Steven had gotten a few boxes of brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil and a roll of Pillsbury peanut butter cookies, all for me to make for the Staff Appreciation Day on Thursday at the elementary school that Ethan and Claire go to. I ended up falling asleep after I dropped Allison off at school Wednesday morning, and didn't wake up until 2:30. I have to pick the kids up at three, so no baking during the prime hours. I DO NOT make stuff like that when they are home and awake because they want to eat it, so I decided to wait until they went to bed to make everything.

Ethan and Claire are finally asleep, so I'm getting everything ready but, I can't find the vegetable oil. I know for a fact it WAS THERE at some point, but now it is nowhere to be found.

Come to find out, Allison's art class has been doing linoleum printing and she had gotten a little bit of ink on her shirt. Her teacher told her it was permanent and wouldn't come out, but, she remembered the teacher telling them if they spilled it on the table or whatever to use vegetable oil to wipe it up. So...she decided to go ahead and try it on her shirt. The. Whole. Bottle. She put her shirt in her bathroom sink and poured in the Whole. Bottle. of oil, then got an old toothbrush and started scrubbing. Believe it or not, it worked! Then she used some regular soap to wash that out. Her shirt was saved but no brownies were being made.

Oh well, I'll just make the cookies. It's ten o'clock at night anyway; this will be quick and easy; lots of other people are bringing stuff too, so we'll have enough.

*whistling while I'm heading to the fridge...

Open up the refridgerator door, grab the roll of cookie dough, but, oh no! It's only HALF A ROLL! Someone had EATEN HALF. OF. THE. ROLL. OF. COOKIE. DOUGH.

I hate to name names but, I will say that this person's name rhymes with "Ballison."

I had to be at school Thursday morning at 7:45, so there was no baking happening before then. I did get to go and pass out other treats and hot chocolate to a bunch of teachers and all of the office and cafeteria staff, and that was a lot of fun. We are very lucky to have such a great bunch of people working at our school!

Pretty much slept all day Friday, too. Ethan had a doctor's appointment that afternoon, so I was awake for a little while...and was even planning to go to Yarnivore, our cool local yarn shop, to knit and hang out and watch Kristin do a spinning demo (!) that I had been looking forward to for the last two weeks but, guess what I did instead. That's right! I FELL BACK ASLEEP! I needed it though...Spring Break is coming soon, and I gotta get ready!

Also, I did not forget about the 'Name That Dressform' Contest. If I hadn't been asleep for the last four days, I could have made something already but...just more time to get the word out right? I might get like, 6 comments!

I am going to make the prize (I already know what I'm going to make, I just have to stay awake long enough to make it) take a picture and get it going. Somebody give me a wake-up call in the morning!

The Big Reveal...and more!

2009-02-18T17:31:00.007-06:00

Here's the Big Reveal of my Super Find at the Paper Bear shop in San Marcos:

This may not be a big deal to others, but, I have been looking for a cool dressform for a really long time! And I have found some...but then I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on them when I have 3 kids, several Psychologists, Therapists, a Psychiatrist, and soon to be an Orthodontist to support.

***All of you thinking about having kids: be aware that they come with many accessories!

Anyway, I fell in love with her at first sight and she was only $95 dollars. Since I didn't get anything for Valentine's Day from Steven, this was my gift to myself. Now I just have to name her. I have a few ideas, but nothing seems to stick. Any ideas, anyone? Hey! I have an idea! I'll have a "Name My Dressform" Contest, and send out a little something for the winner! I've never had a contest before and now I'm all excited! OK-give me a day or two to come up with a prize, then I'll open it up. Start spreading the word, tell all of your friends, then tell them to tell two friends...lol!

Hey MOM! You CAN COMMENT you know! All you have to do is click on the "Anonymous" button, then after you type in your comment, just sign it "Mom" so I know who it's from. Everybody else's Mom's comment on their blogs, ya know. I feel really left out and unloved. :D

Check this out: I am actually making a dress, for Claire, all on my own! I have never actually made clothing from start to finish by myself. I always saved the hard parts...like button holes, bias tape, zippers, etc... for my mom who was constantly begging, "Please, Lauri! Start something you can't finish then hand it all over to me! It's my favorite thing!"

See, if you don't comment, you can't defend yourself....

So I started this last night:

It's a short dress/long shirt that she can wear with leggings or jeans, and a t-shirt underneath. You are probably asking, "Lauri, did you actually use a pattern???". Well, I started out with one. I have wanted to make something like this for her for a while now, and finally found a pattern that was close enough to what I wanted, and easy for me to customize. Well, the pattern instructions may as well have been written in Japanese for all I could understand. Wait. Actually, I have tons of Japanese Craft books and I can follow those easier than I can this pattern. It made no sense. Plus, the little cutout arrows that you are supposed to be able to line up? There must have been a big misprint on either the front or the back pattern pieces, as they were several inches apart, and it I followed those, there would have been serious problems with the neck and armholes!

This pattern also called for bias tape around the neck and armholes. I have never done that. And the directions and illustrations were apparently written and drawn by aliens, and made no sense at all. So...I finally just scrapped the pattern, lined up the shoulders and armholes, and sewed the front and back together. Then I did my own thing with the bias tape. Whatever it was that I came up with worked great! I got the neckline and one armhole done, and then it was about 1:00 am and I couldn't even see anymore. Plus it was looking really huge and I wanted Claire to try it on before I got too much more into it, incase I needed to make adjustments.
Getting her to stand still was like pulling teeth!

I made it off of a size 8 because I would like it to last a little bit...she is going through a major growth spurt and is now 50" tall! She's almost up to my shoulders and she's only in First Grade!

Anyway, I do like the length, the armholes fit well, but it seems a little bit big along the neckline. Oh well, if that's the lease of my worries I'm doing good. If you notice in the first picture of it above, on the dress form, there is some pink coordinating fabric that I am going to use to add a ruffle along the bottom, as well as 2 pockets. You gotta have pockets! I remember making my mom add pockets to everything she made me! The thing is, I have this idea for the pocket I want, but, of course there is no pattern, so I'm going to have to work it out on paper. I'll let you know how it goes.

Now I need to get back to my baking...yes, I said "baking". It's for the Staff Appreciation Day at the elementary school tomorrow. Hmmm...baking and sewing all in the same day?!? What is happening to me, people?!?

A Sign of the Time

2009-02-14T14:07:00.009-06:00

You know it's Valentine's Day when you find signs like this posted around your house! She didn't specify who to hug, or when and where the 'Hug Fest' is being held but, I happen to know they were posted by Claire...and maybe we are just supposed to hug her anytime and anywhere. Sounds like a great idea in general. She may just be the answer to World Peace.

I also wanted to show off this new little birdie...I took another class with the Lovely Leslie last week. It was the "Felt Fun" class and she had TONS of ideas of things to make from birds to baby booties to bags and pouches and to jewelry. I made her...

She likes to hop and bop around, especially on this old gumball machine! What she doesn't know is that is full of sea glass, not gumballs. Or birdfood.

She was so much fun, that she inspired me to make this one for Claire's teacher for Valentine's Day...

She turned out kinda funky. I started out with the red and white theme, then decided that she needed something to hang from, so I started adding beads. And now, because of a long story that I will skip for now, anything I make for Claire's teacher HAS TO have vintage buttons on it, so I added those to the wings and hanging from the bottom. I added the little heart charm and bead for the finishing touch. I hope she likes it, if for nothing else than for the vintage buttons.

Now we are off to pick up the Valentine's Day present I picked out for myself. Hope your Valentine's Day is full of Love!

Check it out!

2009-02-13T17:18:00.006-06:00

I won! Jessie over at Pterodactyl Pants held one of her Haiku Contests earlier this week. She posts a picture of a Plushie she has made then asks for haikus that relate to that particular Plush. If you win the contest, you win that Plushie. Each Plushie Jessie makes comes with a haiku that she has made up herself. Guess I was feeling creative and decided to enter and I actually won! I can't believe it!

I won a major award!

It's name is The Pugilist, and it so reminded me of Ethan, so I'm planning on giving it to him. Y'all need to head over there and check her out. Thank you, Jessie!

Another exciting thing I got to do was meet Kristin from Reclaiming the Home. She recently moved to San Antonio with her wonderful family, so we decided to get together. Last Friday we each went to Yarnivore, the coolest yarn store ever, for their bi-monthly get togethers they host for knitters and crocheters. Now, if you have ever read this blog, you all know about my severe knitting and crocheting disabilities, but Kristin swore she could teach me. So I bought two different sizes of bamboo knitting needles and two different kinds of really cool yarn. Well, the poor girl tried and tried and really hung in there but the knitting just wasn't going to happen. She finally talked me into trying crochet again...well, it took Kristin and a few other ladies that were there...so I did. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to buy a cool crochet hook and some more really NICE yarn! And you know what? It really worked! You know, mostly. I cannot believe I didn't take a picture of that but, I actually crocheted a few rows. It's very loose, but I DID IT! I'll get a picture of it one of these days.

We had so much fun at Yarnivore that we didn't want to go home after so we decided to go to Starbucks for some Chai. I already knew that we had a lot in common, but she likes Chai, too! Then a miracle happened...when she ordered her Chai, she ordered it with EXTRA FOAM! Now people, in all of the years I have been going to Starbucks and ordering a tall or grande Chai with EXTRA FOAM, I have never ever met anyone else who orders extra foam...on anything, much less Chai. Literally, you could have knocked me over with a feather...it was like The Twilight Zone. We sat and talked until they literally had to kick us out the door. Then, walking out to our cars, ahem, I mean my Jeep and her car, we witnessed a severe case of Road Rage. There was a van at a stoplight that would not go when the light turned green, and the man in the truck behind it was EXTREMELY ANGRY about that. He was yelling and screaming and cussing and even got out of his truck and up to the van to yell in the driver's face. Obviously the van was having a problem and was not able to drive or it would have gone. (This was the 2nd time the light had turned green.) Then the light cycled around again to red and green, the van still didn't move, and the Idiot Truck Guy starts his show all over again, then decided to start RAMMING the van from behind! What a freak! They are at an intersection where there are two lanes that go straight and a seperate left turn lane...why not just drive around the guy??? So, while he is ramming the van down the street, Kristin and I jumped into our vehicles and took off. I was seriously afraid of what would happen next.

So that was fun.

Then yesterday I took Kristin to San Marcos to The Paper Bear...The. Coolest. Shop. In. The. Whole. Wide. WORLD!!! Yes, I defiled her, and Steven said he is going to have to send an apology to her husband, but it was so worth it! And guess what they have there? Well, I'm not going to tell you...I just decided that if I announce it here, because I have such an audience/following and all, that you will all rush to the store before I can get there tomorrow and buy my thing. So...yes, I am going back tomorrow in the Expedition, to get my thing, and you'll just have to come back for the surprise.

Now check out what has happened in our house:

Steven finally finished his project...covering as many walls as possible with limestone. OK-not really a lot of walls, just two. He decided a while back to do around the fireplace and up that wall. He also built a hearth, just for me, because I've always wanted one! It is a big hearth, too! Very deep...I can sit on it with my legs crossed and I'm still not at the edge. And yes, it is all real limestone, not a facade. He had a bunch left over so we decided it would look nice underneath the "bar" in the kitchen/eating area, so he did all of that, too. OH! And before he started the limestone, he took out all of the carpet and put in the wood floor. I feel like I'm in a ski resort when I'm in that room! Something very foreign to me, but very cool anyway. And as always, due to his exhaustingly exacting engineering, in the event of nuclear war, that limestone wall will be the only thing left standing.

I guess that's about it for this post...the Valentine's will have to wait.

We'll do all of the catching up over a few posts...

2009-02-03T19:03:00.013-06:00

Catching Up: Part 1

First, run, don't walk, to your closest Barnes & Noble or wherever to get the new 'Apronology' magazine by Stampington! Then get a bib because you are surely going to drool all over the place while you are looking through it. After you have been through all of the pictures, put it down for an hour or 24 or until you have controlled the drooling. If the pages aren't all stuck together, go through it again to get all of the info. And you must must must check out Calamity Kim's very cool, very HOT apron! This magazine is so full of inspiration that as I was cleaning out my iron today with a mixture of water and vinegar (because we have such hard water here, this has to be done almost every time I use my iron. And since I have been lazy lately, I've just been using the iron without steam, so it's been a while) and all of the brown junk is spewing out all over the old, thin, almost gauze dish towel I put down to catch all of that stuff on instead of the ironing board, I thought, "Hey! This could be the beginning of a really great art apron!"

See that bottle of purple liquid? It is MaryEllen's Best Press-The Clear Starch Alternative. I just got it yesterday at Hancock Fabrics. The scent is 'Lavender Fields' and it smells wonderfully! I guess it works, too, but I really don't care because it makes the whole room smell good. The only thing is, there is no list of ingredients. I have NO IDEA what this stuff is made of. It just says that it is "acid-free". But, then again...there is that lovely scent of lavender floating through the room....

There are a couple of new things in my studio I'd like to show everyone. The first one is this cute little 'thing'...I think it's an old match holder, but that's just a guess. If anyone does know what this is, let me know. I found it in a little shop on S. Congress in Austin, and right now I'm using it as a holder for business and Moo cards.

And this is just too good to be true! A friend of mine is doing a lot of purging, and one of the things she wanted to get rid of is her mother's old sewing machine! Aack! WHA? Allison told me about this actually...she was babysitting this friend's children when my friend asked Allison for help with her new sewing machine. She didn't know how to thread it. Up until that day she was still sewing with her mom's old machine. Anyway, she mentioned something about getting rid of the old machine but she didn't know how, really. Should she give it to some place like Goodwill or just toss it out? And right there and then my dear Alli betrayed me! She didn't just grab it and run like a good daughter would! She didn't even tell my friend that I would want it, and believe me, Allison KNEW that I would want it. After giving my friend a lesson on her new machine, Allison came home and just casually mentioned the approaching fate of the old machine. The conversation then went something like this:
Me: You didn't TELL HER that I would WANT IT?!
Al: No. (yawns)
Me: WHY NOT?!?
Al: I dunno. What's there to eat?
Me: You're on your own kid. I'm going after that machine!

I dial up my friend as fast as I can, like the sewing machine was going to disappear into thin air or something (lol) and as casually as I can, BEG FOR IT! She says, "Of course you can have it! Come over tomorrow and get it, but it's heavy so bring the car, don't walk." Yeah, yeah...sewing machines are heavy. I know that. But I carry mine all the time, no big deal, I can't believe she is such a wimp! The next day I head over to her house, walking of course, because she is close and I really can't justify starting up the Jeep and driving there, adding to the pollution problem and Global Warming and all of that. I was ready to pay her a lot of good money for this beauty...it's really old, totally made of cast iron or something equally as heavy, and it's a beautiful color of a light bluish-green. I had never seen a green one before. But, she wouldn't take my money and let me have it for FREE in exchange for some lessons on her new machine, because, she said, she knew it was going to a good home. I told her she was free to visit it anytime. I am totally euphoric and cannot believe this is happening to me so I decide I'm grabbin' that baby and gettin' outta there before she changes her mind but, when I try to lift it up I realize that she was telling the truth when she said to "bring the car"! I actually called Steven and had him drive over and put it in the Jeep and bring it home. So here it is, in it's Shrine-like spot in my Studio.

It's up on the highest shelf, which made it hard to get really great pictures of, but it is way too heavy for me to take down! Here are a few close-ups.

You can see part of my Pez collection there-some of the Winnie the Pooh characters.

If you look very closely, you can sorta see me reflected in the silver wheel on the right side of the machine.

Very. Cool.

I LOVE BLOGGING. AND THIS IS A MONSTER POST.

2009-01-27T10:51:00.006-06:00

I LOVE blogging. I really do! But for some reason, I just have a really hard time finding the time for it like I used to. When I do actually get on the computer, I usually start by checking out other blogs I like...then we all know how that goes...click a link, another link, everywhere a link link! All of a sudden it's been 4 hours and I haven't updated my blog or even checked my email! lol! But I've seen a LOT of great things!
(Hmmm...it's just occured to me that I should keep notes so I can add links here to all of those great things....)

What ends up happening is that I just have a big "catch up" post every once in a while, which is not what I want! I want to blog every day, take and post pictures every day, blah, blah, blah. I keep thinking life is going to slow down but it never does. And it's not just the blog that gets neglected...I rarely even get to return phone calls, IF (and that really is a BIG IF) I get the message in the first place. I need a routine. I just realized that when I used to blog just about every day (over at BlogSmith ) I had more of a routine.

Plus, I keep thinking I will take pictures of everything first, so I can blog them. We've been making a lot of interior decortating type changes to the house and I want to have pictures of those. I know my mom wants to see them! But, being the good Manipulative Child that I am (because I am WAY BETTER than you are, Brian!) (oh, not to mention 'Competitive') I think, "Hey, if she doesn't get pictures then she will come and visit to see it in person!" Yet, somehow, it hasn't worked yet. I didn't think Virgo's were supposed to be so damn stubborn! Oh well, I am a Certified Dyed in the Wool LEO...I can hold out longer than she can. (Nope, not competitive at all.)

But then I think "Well, before I update and start 'anew', I am going to figure out how to customize my header. THEN I can start my blog again." But I can NEVER figure that out! No matter how hard I try, it just won't work. I'm just lucky I haven't lost everything at some point in those little experiments! lol! IF ANYONE HAS ANY VERY SIMPLE TIPS FOR THIS, FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN!

And then, get ready y'all and take a seat...I start to try and organize stuff. For real. I think I'm organizing, anyway, as long as that means just moving one thing from one spot to another spot and then very possibly moving it right back again, YET I've made an even BIGGER MESS than I started out with because I 'found' a whole bunch of 'new' stuff along the way! lol! I have been working on this since the week before Christmas and mostly the only thing that has gotten accomplished is that I have moved all of my sewing patterns from my office to the sewing room then back to my office THEN BACK TO THE SEWING ROOM AGAIN. I think I've finally decided that they belong in the sewing room. Not that I can follow a pattern, mind you! I just use them to get the general idea of how to make what I want.

Don't even get me started on how I've been trying to organize my Books! I'll just say that pretty much everywhere I go in the house there is a book for me to read within arm's length. It's not a perfect system though...sometimes if I'm sitting on the couch, I actually have to lean and reach for a book on the coffee table, BUT, there is usually a child running by that I can call back and get them to handle that for me, and sometimes I can even talk him/her into getting me a Dr Pepper out of the fridge, too! Kind of like how my Dad used me as a 'remote control' for the TV and the 'beer getter' when I was a kid. But that's what kids are for, right?

WAIT! I don't want to give the wrong impression about my dad! Really...he was not a big drinker or lush or anything...he only sent me for a beer after he finished cutting the grass. Moving on...

ANYWAY..........I haven't even done a Christmas post, have I? Well, if I did, just to summarize: the best thing about Christmas was the little Vespa Scooter thing Claire got. Well, she claims it is her's but, there was no label or tag from Santa that specifically stated it was for Claire. I wanted one, too, but she says that it was sitting next to all of her other presents, so it's her's. I finally let it go because, frankly, it is a little small for me, so I'll just wait for an adult sized one. Here's the Tough Girl up close and personal:

Usually she is only allowed to ride it when I am out there with her, but, sometimes I actually try to do other Mom Type things, like laundry, and I'm going in and out of the house and she will be alone in the cul-de-sac for a few seconds. So, during one of the Really Very Few Instances In Which She Was Alone, she ran up to the garage, grabbed a couple of 2 x 4's and was setting them up in the street to make a ramp! A ramp that would be used to launch her AND the Vespa into the air, and, probably, over the cliff. Good thing that right at that point Steven turns the corner and gets home from work!

One more quick thing...somehow or other, Allison has gotten the Hula Hoop Bug. She got one at Target a few days ago, and has been hula-hooping ever since. Last night, she was playing Tennis on the Wii AND Hula Hooping at the SAME TIME for 30 minutes! This must be video taped!!! If you need me, I'll be the one playing the new Millenium Version of "Harriet the Spy: Got CamCorder Will Travel"!

To summarize: It may be too late for New Year's Resolutions, which is OK because I hate them anyway, I really should just start blogging more already!

Twice in one day!

2008-12-16T17:59:00.001-06:00

Just because I have to add this...because I don't have enough going on...instead of going to Ethan's choir concert, I get to take Allison to the Emergency Clinic because she came home with an ear infection!

I can't make this stuff up, people! lol!

2008-12-16T13:45:00.004-06:00

Oh my gosh-I cannot believe my last post was December 1! I was thinking it was like, last Sunday. Things have been crazy wild here, getting ready for the holidays (ie: christmas shopping...no decorating yet), choir concert (Allison), Winter Festival where Ethan's choir performed, choir concert again (Allison), another choir concert tonight (Ethan), and Claire is 'the littlest mouse' in a production of 'The Pied Piper', in conjunction with the UTSA Theater Department and the San Antonio Symphony tomorrow. She actually has 3 speaking/performing parts of her own! Drama is her forte!

Not to mention Steven's Christmas Party I have to get ready for on Friday night. I have to get dressed up. They don't allow jeans, flip-flops and t-shirts. And I really do not understand that whole "dress up" thing...really. I have nothing else in my closet, and I'm probably just going to get wine spilled on it anyway, plus, I will never ever where a dressy outfit again because, really, do I need that to volunteer at the kids' school??? Didn't think so. Not to mention that it doesn't go with my Jeep.

BUT...I have a plan...a secret wardrobe plan that I will reveal later this week and you will be amazed. AMAZED, I tell you! Not too dressy, I will wear it again, and I'm making the skirt myself that will be OOAK!

Actually, I am off to volunteer in Ethan's class right now. Last week we started making Christmas ornaments out of felt, that the kids had to hand sew. I was actually a little worried about the boys, but everyone loved it and so did I. I'm going back to work on them again today, and if they don't get finished today, I'll go back tomorrow. It's the first time 99% of them have ever sewn something so they are a little slow, but that's ok...I don't want them to poke themselves and bleed. I even bought tapestry needles that aren't as sharp as embroidery needles. One little girl, who is just a doll, told me there are 2 things she wants to learn: one is how to play the piano and the other is how to sew! I told her I can help her with the sewing part, but she will definitely need to find someone else for piano! lol! I think today I will bring some business cards....

And so not to leave you photo less, here is a picture of the kids I took in October at the pumpkin patch. This is one of my favorite photos ever.

And this shot was taken on the way back to the car...I just love black and white.

Also-HUGE FOR ME-I was nominated by Susie Monday for the 'Kreative Blogger' Award!

I love Susie and her work so much, and I truly admire her! So this means a lot coming from her. If you are interested in Fiber Art AT ALL, you have to check her out. I need to nominate 3 or 5 or something other bloggers to pass this on, but I TRULY gotta run! I will be back later this evening I hope...depending on the Choir Concert and all, but for now, go check out Susie and her new book!

And you thought I was dead!

2008-12-01T15:42:00.004-06:00

Actually, I almost was.

Anyway, since my last post over 3 months ago, many unplanned things have happened and I swear to God I'm not making any of this up...

This is My Life, people!

So, the quilting class...picking out the fabric for all of the kids took the whole classtime for the kids. The quilt shop owner told me she was going to have kits made up...but she claimed she had "no idea" what I was going to do, so there were no kits. Umm, excuse me but, you call someone up, had them come to your shop and go over all of the possibilities, choose one, MAKE COPIES of that particular section in Denyse Schmidts' book so you would know how much material, batting, etc...was needed and then claim to not know what I was doing? Yeah, right. I don't want to be mean but she told me a lot of things that she would do or have that she didn't. Including the fact that each kid would have their own sewing machine. Nope. At one point, we were down to six kids and ONE sewing machine. Which leads to lots of bored kids.

ANYWAY...it took every minute of that whole week but every kid finished their quilt! I think they were ALL beautiful, and we had lots of fun. I sorta have pictures, but I'll explain that in just a little bit...

School started and we had all of the usual hubbub going on with that, only extra because Allison started high school. I think I was more worried than she was, and she is doing really great. I'm still worried, and now she is having us take her to vacant parking lots for driving lessons! Agh!

Then, this is when everything started going to hell in a handbasket.... Wednesday, September 3, around 4:00 in the afternoon I started feeling this weird feeling in my left side. No pain, just weird. By 5:30 when Steven got home, I was standing over the kitchen sink vomiting and had never been in so much pain in my life! Childbirth didn't even come close. Steven called for an ambulance and all of a sudden there were a dozen fire fighters and EMT's surrounding me in the kitchen, all of them asking me different questions and expecting answers while I'm vomiting and one EMT trying to take my pulse and blood pressure...which he couldn't get because it was so loud-LOL! So I told everyone to shut up for a minute while he took care of that....

They loaded me up onto a gurney and started rolling me out the door, and then I noticed/realized that all 3 kids were standing there crying. Oh my gosh-I can only imagine how scared they must have been! So I made the guys stop and I talked to the kids and tried to calm them down, then we were off to the ambulance and the hospital.

Of course, this is right at rush hour, and I am the 6th of 6 ambulances that had just shown up at the Emergency Room! Apparently, they don't believe in triaging the patients, so the lady who was sitting up on her bed looking so beautiful I had no idea why she was there, except that she was upset at the fact that one of her perfectly manicured fingernails had broken, was ahead of me, who is trying to hoist myself up and over the siderail of the bed and puking onto the floor and trying to tell everyone and their brother (who would just poke their head in the door just long enough to ask this question): "On a scale of 1-10, how high is your pain?". I started out at 20 and just kept going up from there. Even during pukes they would ask this, and get aggrevated that I couldn't answer right away. During those moments, I would be facing away from the door. I was right in the middle of a really good puke-not that there was really anything left-when I heard the door open again...so I just threw my left hand back, held up 4 fingers, and when I got a chance I yelled as loudly as I could, "FORTY! I'M AT 40 NOW!!!"

Some doctor finally came in and told me I had a kidney stone, here's something for your pain, go home it will pass, oh, and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. (OK-so I just added in the last part. lol!)

Two days later, Friday, the pain medication isn't even touching my pain, so Steven drove me back to the hospital. I saw a Urologist, who was very nice, and he told me that the kidney stone had probably gotten stuck, would not come out on it's own, had me admitted to the hospital and planned to the Lithotripsy thing Saturday morning. My mom had come into town so someone would be with the kids, but Steven went home to sleep. He came back in the morning just as the nurses were changing shifts, so my "good" nurse hadn't checked in on me yet. He said if he didn't know that that was my room he wouldn't have recognized me. I had started to become septic overnight, running a fever, not passing any liquids even though they were being pumped in constantly through an IV so I literally looked like a bloated whale, and my pulse ox was 73.

Apparently, the night shift didn't think this was a problem, and I was too drugged up to realize this was a problem.

Steven ran and got my nurse, and although I was really out of it because of the meds, she did not have a happy look on her face. She called for a doctor, who wasn't showing up, so she cathed me right there and I still couldn't get any fluid to come out. Not good. She kept paging the Urologist on call but he wasn't in any hurry. Finally, about 11:00, this "Doctor", who was soooo stereotypically Texan he had to be from Dallas originally, wanders in with his jeans and cowboy boots on. Now, this was NOT the Urologist I saw the day before...this guy was actually the one who runs the entire practice that the previous doctor works in. He called me "honey" and "sweetheart", never once looked at my face, poked around on my enormous belly while asking questions that another doctor who was with him had to keep waking me up to answer because I was totally out of it and kept passing out. But then I heard him say that I "just had gas" and needed to walk up and down the halls and that he would give me a prescription for GasX. I responded that I didn't think that was a very good idea, seeing as how I couldn't even sit up and stay awake, I certainly didn't think I should be walking up and down the halls, all the while staring at a poster on the wall right in front of us that says something about not getting up by yourself and to call a nurse. THEN he says in his perfectly stereotypical Texan accent (and this is the clincher):

"Well Sweetheart, we all gotta do things we don't wanna sometimes. So you can either get up and walk around and get better or you can lay in bed and stay sick; that's your perogative."

Well...

Steven began saying for the first time, but not the last: "Uh-Oh. Please don't talk to her that way, sir." "Please sir, you do not want to be so condescending with her." And lots of things like that....

I became fully and entirely conscious, sat straight up in bed and yanked the stethoscope off of his ears. That got his attention. He actually looked at me!

I started shooting questions at him...did he even know my name, did he know why I was in the hospital in the first place, had he even looked at my chart before he came in the door (because I knew he hadn't looked at it since he had been in there). ALL of his responses were, "No", except for the one to know why I was in the hospital in the first place. To that he responded: "No. I just know you're a Urology patient." I asked him how could he possibly see patients this way, but there was no response at all.

Pardon my French here but, I told him what an ass he was and to get the fuck out of my room because he was fired and that no one in that hospital was ever touching me again. I tried to leave, but I couldn't roll my bloated self out of the bed! rofl!!! So I just grabbed a bag of peanut M&M's Steven had left on my little table and started eating, because I was STARVING because they wouldn't let me eat since I was supposed to have surgery that morning.

I was still determined to leave, but my nurse convinced me to stay and see one more doctor from another service. I was still eating my M&M's though, dammit.

So she calls another doctor...whoever she talked to said he had procedures lined up back to back all afternoon and that he would come see me when he was done. So we figured he would be in about 5:00. He was there in 15 minutes! He must have looked at my chart and thought my problem might just be a tad bit more than gas. We knew what his name was, so Steven went and did a search on him on the computer at the nurse's station. Dr. Thomas O'Neill is his name, and among other things he is also a researcher and teacher at UT Medical School here, and had been named one of the Top Ten Super Docs in TX for Urology in 2005, 2006, and 2007. I also saw over this last weekend he's in it again for 2008. (Dr. GasX is not, nor do I think he ever has been, on this list.) He talked to me about how I needed a stint in my kidney/ureter NOW and then in 10 days or so he would take out the stint and if the stone didn't come right out with it, he would have to do the Lithotripsy. I still wasn't sure if I was staying or not but, I decided that his credentials sounded OK and maybe he did know what he was doing so I decided to give it a go. Within 15 minutes of that, I was on the table in the Operating Room.

That's the part where I almost died.

And 10 days later, Dr. O'Neill did take the stint out and of course the stone stayed in, because we discovered I have "very skinny ureters". So, I got that goin' for me.

And Dr. O'Neill really is a very great guy, all the way around.

Two surgeries down, only one more to go. In October I had a full hysterectomy, which was the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'll just leave it at that. But really, if you do have any questions about having one because you are thinking about it, just ask and I will answer them. But on the whole, my answer is, "YES!"

So then just as things are staring to get back to normal, my computer had a very sudden death. Maybe it was suicide...tired of looking at all of the embroidery, quilting, Japanese crafts and fabric art blogs and pictures. I don't know. But, I just got a new one and it's up and running.

Oh, and that's why there are no pictures...they were all on the other computer. We are actually planning to take it to someone and get those all off and onto a CD or whatever. Well, that's the plan anyway. I hope it works. I REALLY need to get started on all of the Christmas stuff, then I'll have lots of pictures! I've also been helping out The Most Lovely Leslie Bonnell at Stitch Lab over in Austin...she has a few shows/fairs coming up before Christmas and needs some help getting everything finished, so I've been sewing on LOTS of buttons on her wrist cuffs...there are
400. And that's not even counting her hundreds of other things...jewelry and stuff. I am not the only volunteer, though, thank goodness! And Beth, if you are reading this-I am so sorry for not mailing out your quilt sooner!!! I am working on it though. The problem is that every time I sit down and start something one of the children that I am responsible for needs a parent. Sheesh! Kids are so dependent! You WILL get it though, I PROMISE!!!

Oh wait...I decided to check for any pictures at all on this computer, and I guess Allison posted this one. I think she was trying to figure out how the camcorder worked with this....

Just remembered about this...this past summer I started taking the photography thing more seriously. Somewhere in between surgeries I ended up shooting a band in Bandera, AND-get this-a couple of weeks ago a Rugby team asked me to come out and shoot a game for them!!! First of all, I had no idea there even was a rugby team in San Antonio, but there is, and it really is a cool game. Second, a rugby game has to be the most fun thing to photograph there is! And they didn't even care if I ran out on the field once in a while. lol! I only got close to being trampled once, and that wasn't on the field; it was on the sidelines. I didn't think they were moving as fast as they were. I literally just turned sideways and arched my back because I didn't even have time to take a step, and missed it by that much. I felt the brush across my back. And then there's beer after. Now that I have a computer, I can get them off of the camera and edited and all that, so check back soon! I swear I will be blogging regularly. Is there a 'Blogging Pledge'? Maybe I should come up with one.

I couldn't have said it better myself...and, Quilt Class Part 1

2008-08-21T23:18:00.009-05:00

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening
That is translated through you into action,
And because there is only one of you in all of time
This expression is unique.
And if you block it,
It will never exist through any other medium,
And be lost.
The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is,
Nor how valuable, or how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly,
to stay open and aware to the urges that motivate you.”

Martha Graham

Hazel and Henna had this quote posted on her blog, and I had to have it! I am a huge fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his quotes always 'speak' to me. However, this one by Martha Graham just blows everything out of the water. This IS my belief. It is what I believe in. It is exactly what I try to make others understand. This quote combined with 'The Golden Rule' pretty much sums up my entire belief system and how I try to live every day. I may not always be successful; I certainly am not perfect, make plenty of mistakes and do end up doing things that probably are not the best choice, but I do try.

This quote probably hits home so hard for me right now because of the class I taught last week. Way back, sometime in July, my local quilt shop owner called ME, completely out of the blue, and asked if I could teach a beginning quilt class for kids the week of August 11-15. I was all over that, baby! I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I went to the quilt shop and met with the owner and we discussed our options...of course, it had to be something easy, should we try a simple 9-Patch? I also showed her a picture of Denyse Schmidt's red and white 'Hop, Skip, Jump' quilt, out of her book, "Denyse Schmidt Quilts". (I can't believe there is no 'underline' option here on Blogger=it's going to drive me crazy that I have to leave a book title out there without being underlined!)

She thought a quilt of that sort would be perfect because there were no points that had to be matched and it's pretty random looking, so mistakes wouldn't really show.

So off I go, making a quilt inspired by Denyse, but making some changes to make it a little more my own, including making all of the seams straight. Denyse's design has at least one curvy seam on at least one side of every stip, so it's pretty important to place all strips in a certain pattern. I made all of my strips with straight edges: 1) to make it easier to sew and, 2) to make it possible to put any strip anywhere in the quilt in any order you/they want. I got my quilt made, then, hit with scholarly inspiration (lol!) started in on it with the seam ripper, taking it apart, replacing some things, leaving others out, etc.... My big idea was that I wanted the kids to see the inside of the quilt-basically the back of my top.

I wanted them to know that it was ok to not be perfect. It would be ok if their seams were not exactly 1/4 of an inch. It would be ok if, while they were sewing rows together some of their seams got pushed into the other direction and sewn down facing the opposite way. "Will anyone ever see that?", I asked. "No", they all responded. "When you are all cuddled up on the couch with it, will you feel it?", I asked. "No", they all said. I explained that the first quilting class I ever took, if our seams weren't perfect, or if our points didn't match up exactly, the teacher made us rip it all out and do it over until it was perfect. (That is when the Seam Ripper became my BFF! lol!) I told them about and showed them how to sew 1/4" seams, but, I also told them if they didn't feel comfortable sewing a seam that small to go ahead and sew a 1/2" seam, or a 5/8" seam...whatever they felt most comfortable with. I told them that this was the first quilt they had ever made, and the decisions were their's. It was their quilt...not mine.

This one is actually mine. Just the top...not finished.

You can sort of see that on the far right, down toward the bottom, some scribbly stuff in one of the strips. I decided to embroider my name.

I first went over it with the curved/'S' stitch from left to right. Then, I started couching it all down, from right to left. Not quite finished in this picture.

After that first lesson, 6 kids and I went out into the shop, where they all decided, on their own, what fabrics they were going to make their quilts out of.

To be continued...

Yesterday was my birthday...

2008-08-20T09:50:00.016-05:00

No one remembered. Except my brother. I have the best brother in the whole world!

*Edited: Someone else did remember...my friend Karen! I checked my email after I posted this and found her email to me yesterday morning:

Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 7:21 AM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LAURI……………….
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
I hope you have a WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!!
Love

Karen

Back to the blog...
Saturday, however, Steven and I took Ethan and Claire to the pool and Allison didn't want to go. When we got back, she (and Lucy) had thrown together a little Surprise Party for me! There were streamers, a cake, a big present, and even Lucy was all dressed up in her little party dress and a hat! How cute is that? Allison custom made the hat just for Lucy.

Look at the layers of that cake!

They got my age wrong...but since it's younger, I guess that's ok! LOL!

Mmmmm...it was so very delicious!

I bet you are wondering what I got...

The Singer Inspiration 4205! But what about that $4,000 Bernina you already have, you ask? Well, I'm certainly NOT going to allow the children to touch that one, much less sew on it! Allison has been sewing on an old Brother I got long ago that S.U.C.K.S. You can sew about 5 stitches on it before the bobbin screws up. Somehow she plugs along though. Claire is wanting to sew also, and I want to smash that Brother to pieces and use some parts in a collage. Plus, I was wanting something lighter (much lighter!) than the Bernina to bring to classes. So, this is what I asked for.

Here it is right out of the box! I immediately got it all set up to start sewing. But what to sew? Oh! I know...a drawstring bag! Of course, I just now realized I don't have a picture of that but, trust me, it's really cute. And I made it to keep all of the little machine gadgets in. Yeah, there is a place in the machine for that but they look so much cuter in a drawstring bag! Oh-guess I should mention that it actually works great. I would recommend it to anyone who needs just a good, basic machine.

I really just wanted it because of the dial. It just looks very retro to me. I couldn't even wait to get it out of all the styrofoam before I took a picture of it.

Now, if you know me, you know I hate Martha Stewart...Have hated her from day 1. Mostly because I never could stand the way she talks down to people and held herself so much above the general public. Anyway, apparently Martha has put her stamp of approval on this Singer machine. Someone else in the house knows the way I feel about her, so, he added this to her picture...

Buying the machine was worth that alone!!! Sorry to all of the Martha lovers out there but, we will just have to agree to disagree. There was already a little slash/cut mark made into the box there so now I'm REALLY wishing I knew Photoshop, but, now that I have seen this...I want it made into a sticker to put on the back of my Jeep! Maybe for Christmas...

Last but not least...I got these coolest new shoes! Red and White patchwork AND Converse ALL in the same shoe! Really...could there be anything better? Lucy has her eye on them too. But, there are only 2 of them not 4, and I think they are a little big, and she would be tripping all over herself. Most of all, I don't think I share Red and White Patchwork Converse!

But, all of that was Saturday.
Yesterday??? Nothing. Just a regular ol' day. Got to sleep early though. I was passed out by 7:00...sitting around waiting for something to happen is very tiring! After I feel asleep, they all went out to get something to eat, then went and got the kids their new backpacks for school. I found out about all of that this morning, when we were going to drop Allison off for Freshman, uh, I mean, 9th Grade Orientation. (I refuse to believe she will be in High School! How can my child me old enough for High School?!? PLUS the fact that Ethan will be in 4th grade...I never thought we'd make it this long!)

So that was my birthday. All in all, not so bad, since I'll be able to hang this over their heads for yeeeaaarrrrs to come! ha!

By the way...I actually ended up getting to teach a quilting class for children last week! Apparently that particular shop owner isn't very organized, and it was very "on again/off again"...extremely frustrating to me. And always at the very last minute! BUT...it was the most fun I've had in a long time, definitley something I want to do again. I'll post more on that later. Right now...I think I just may have some shopping to do...

It only happens in the summer...

2008-08-04T15:57:00.009-05:00

The air-conditioner is dead. Officially. Totally. Irretrievably. Of course. It's 101 degrees outside. And it will take a few days to get the parts/compressor/whatever in to fix it. Yee-frickin'-haw. Please pardon my pity post but, no matter what we do to try and get ahead and get some money saved, something like this happens and totally screws us and we are back down to ZERO in our savings account. Raising three kids is a lot harder than it used to be when I was a kid! I don't need tons of money, I just want to go for a whole year without SOMETHING breaking our bank! Yes, we are a one income family, and we decided I would stay home with our kids before we ever even had them. The fact is though, I am/was a Social Worker, and going back to work would actually COST us money, so it's actually cheaper for me to stay home.

ANYWAY...

This is what we have been finding in our yard as of late...

We've seen a few in the backyard, and found this one all cured up on the front porch one night. I ran to get my camera, came back and he started slithering away, down into the *ahem* flower garden *ahem* (a term used VERY loosely around this house! lol!). See, it's so hot the snakes are all over the place! So not only is it too hot to go outside, it's also too scary.

We have also had a visitor who wasn't my mom and dad! Steven's brother came up to see us; we haven't seen him since Claire was a newborn, so it's been a while.

Steven is on the left...trying to cover up a ketchup stain on his shirt.

Here is Uncle Bobby with the kids. Personally, I don't think it's very fair that I have given him 3 neices and nephews, and he hasn't given me any...I was trying to make deals with him the whole time he was here but, for some reason, he just doesn't seem to be interested right now. He is dating a girl who is in medical school and will be a Neurologist, so I think the kids would be pretty cool. I told him I would even keep them/it while she is still in school and also gave him the option of just letting me adopt, because I know she doesn't really have the time for all of that, but he still wasn't swayed. I even played my last card: "You're my only hope!" Yet again, for some unknown reason, the puppy-dog eyes I use on Steven, and work so well, didn't move him at all. It's just not right! I need a baby that I can carry around wearing all of the cute things I make for it! ;)

My last baby, Claire, is losing her baby teeth...on top, but not on bottom. Her first two permanent teeth on the bottom have already come in but the baby ones did not come out-leaving her with a double row of teeth and a new nickname..."Sharkey". So next week we get to take her into the dentist and have those two teeth pulled. Because hey, why wiggle and pull them out yourself for free when you can pay a dentist a couple hundred bucks or so to do it for you...and you'll get free stickers, too.

This is her "cute little hole", as she calls it. At least the top ones are coming out before the permanent ones come in.

That's about it...guess I need to find something for three hot kids to do. I think we'll have ice cream for dinner! Hey...I gotta find a silver lining somewhere!

Big News and a Realization

2008-07-31T22:23:00.002-05:00

Yikes! Almost a whole Summer's worth of blogging to catch up on...I don't even know where to start. I do know, however, that it won't all fit into one post. And it's 10:30 pm, and I'm getting a little groggy. But I have to get something going on here, so...here it is, my big realization: Do not spend All. Day. Long. standing in your Cowboy boots while you are ironing, measuring, and cutting out many, many strips of fabric to make a quilt with! It may seem perfectly comfortable at the time, but you WILL be feeling it later!

The "Big News" I have right now is that I'm going to be teaching a quilting class! Yep. Me. Beginning quilting-very beginning quilting-class for kids. This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time...along with embroidery and some toy/doll making. At least I've got one foot in the door now!

I'll be doing catch-up (art retreats, swaps, quilting, embroidering, working on my own new patterns...lots of stuff) here over the next few days, so please check back soon because I'm getting this blogging thing going again no matter what. I really miss it.

Feel like a new post...

2008-06-12T17:11:00.002-05:00

Nothing to post about really. And no knew pictures to show. I just don't want my blog to feel neglected.

OH! This weekend, starting tomorrow actually, I am going to an art retreat with Susie Monday at her studio El Cielo, not far from San Antonio. So click on her name and check her place out! It looks very super cool and I can't wait! Problem is, I'm supposed to bring something for a potluck dinner on Friday night, and you people know I don't cook! The only time I go into the kitchen is to get a Dr Pepper out of the fridge! Aye yi yi...I've got some thinking to do....

And quilt guild meeting tonight. Hmmmmmmmmm...not sure what should be said here or not. So I should probably just keep my mouth shut. Anybody got some duct tape???

Changing things a little bit...

2008-06-05T17:03:00.005-05:00

After thinking about this for a looooooooooong time, I think I'm just going to merge BlogSmith over here to ArtSmith. When I first started ArtSmith I had already been blogging on BlogSmith for a long time, and I wanted to have a seperate place for the art/craft stuff that I do. However, I then would have to decide to leave some things off of ArtSmith so there would be something on BlogSmith, and leave some things off of BlogSmith (that I did want everyone to see)to have stuff on ArtSmith...blah, blah, blah.... And I just want everybody to see everything! Like the good High-Egoed-Port Arthur, TX Brand of Smith I am. lol!

So now this will be more of a daily life type blog, along with the arts and crafts and the occasional "Soap Box" post that may or may not reflect the opinions of Blogger.com, the public in general, or even you. My opinion just has a way of making itself known on certain topics. lol! Like this one, for instance:

I just don't think my brother is right raising Groban, the only nephew I have to smoke.

And if your opinion differs from mine, that is fine with me, and even feel free to leave a comment. You may know something about it that I don't and could even teach me a thing or two. My motto is: Learn something new every day. I truly try to live that way, even if my only option that day is to just go to the dictionary, open up to a random page, and learn a new word or two. I love discussions but...BE POLITE and respect others opinions also. *Not that I want this to turn into a total discussion board!*

The upside to all of this is that it may be more entertaining, just because of the things my kids say and do. I think they are pretty funny and they crack me up every day. I like to post some of the funnier things they say. (Is 'funnier' even a real word???)

Just so you all know: Today was the very first day of "summer". Yesterday was the last day of school. We are all home together now. Theme for the summer: Survival of the fittist, and I'm not afraid to throw elbows! lol!

I'm just warning you because I really, truly, love my kids more than anything else, but...I have a very sarcastic sense of humor so please don't be offended!

I guess BlogSmith will still be hanging out over there, though. So, if you are looking for some reading material that might make you laugh, head over there and look for posts titled "Conversations with Claire" or "Conversations with Ethan". I know there are a lot of Claire's, because she was at home with me when I started blogging, and she says a lot of funny things.

ANYWAY...I hope the new format works for everyone, and I SWEAR, ONE OF THESE DAYS, I am going to learn how to customize my header with my own 'thing'!!! I'm tired of the standard look! But, tonight I think I'm going to take it easy. Sit back, surf the crafty net, and look for inspiration for new projects. Because why would I want to finish up the dozen projects I'm in the middle of right now???

Photo Friday: Minimalism

2008-05-30T16:24:00.002-05:00

The coolest find I've ever found...an old spinning wheel believed to be originally from the 1920's.

Houston, TX 'Good Things' Part 2

2008-05-30T14:42:00.013-05:00

*Scroll down to previous post for part one...*

This is where Steven and I got married-the A. D. Bruce Religion Center on the University of Houston Campus. We decided that we wanted to get married where we met, which was in a math class at UofH in 1989. However, I was already graduated and gone and didn't want anything else to do with a math class, so the campus chapel it was!

The door to enter the building is smack in the middle. The wing to the left is all classrooms. The chapel is to the right, and takes up that whole 'wing'. See how it is all very tall windows held up with the narrow posts/beams/insert proper architecture vocab here? It is like that all the way around the building...front, side and back! Because of this, it has a very outdoorsy feel from the inside.

See what I mean? This is a picture of the "Altar" from farther down the aisle. It is not very tall, and, there are several feet behind it, between the there and the windows, and I think that has a lot to do with the open, outdoors feeling. When you are standing there, you can see the outside-with all the grass and trees and squirrels-all around you.

Here you can see almost the whole inside. I really want you to notice the white columns that are along both sides and then start to arch around. They go up to the ceiling, but not across all the way, until closer to the altar. The columns stand just along the outside edges of the pews, then there is about a 3 ft. wide walkway between them and the windows, which is gorgeous! I love standing in that area.

This is what I mean about the walkway...

When the ceremony was over, Steven and I were told to walk back down the aisle then, not to exit the room, but to go over to our right side (into that walkway) and wait for everyone else to exit so we could go about the business of "The Taking of the Pictures". (Which I found hilarious! The way we were modeled on the steps before the alter and basically had to stand like wax figures while various groups were moved in and out for the photos.) ANYWAY...while we were standing off to the side, and all alone, the photographer took a candid shot of Steven and I, which is actually my favorite photo from our wedding. Of course, I don't have it on me-it's packed up in a book somewhere. Somewhere I need to get to and take out some pictures and have copies made to hang and place around our house after almost 16 years!

So, that was the Chapel part of the building. Now, maybe I should have started the tour at this point, entering the building at the front door but, too late, I'm not going back...anyway, these are a few of the highlights of the lobby.

As you walk in the door to the building, there is a staircase to each side of you. Very art deco-ish.

I am fascinated by all of the little tiles...some are just like regular tile, and some are almost see-through.

They don't really look that translucent in pictures, though...

Then there is one little stained glass window above the door that leads to the chapel. It's a shame, though, that there isn't any sun or light at all, really, to shine through it and show off all of the colors.

But with a bright flash, this is what you can get...

That's about it. The rest of the building consists of one office and classrooms. Oh yeah...in case you were wondering, the classrooms are where the bride and groom, bridesmaids, etc...change their clothes and do all that 'pre-wedding' stuff. It's not all that glamorous and huge and fairy tale, but, that's not what we wanted anyway. If I could go back I probably wouldn't even have worn a wedding dress. I think I'd do it in blue jeans, which is just about the only thing I ever wear anyway. So that's the tour. Hope everyone, including GreenishLady, enjoyed it!

Houston, TX-Sometimes, it's a good thing.

2008-05-26T21:21:00.023-05:00

Waaaaaaaay back during Spring Break in March, the kids and I went to Houston to visit my parents. One day I had to go downtown for some things...oh, like "High Fashion Fabrics", the absolutely most gigantic fabric store EVAH! So big, in fact, that they actually had to seperate it into two different buildings a few years ago! I decided to take Ethan with me: one, because we rarely get to do things one on one with each other and two, because I decided I wanted to take him on a little tour...I wanted to show him where Steven and I met and had gotten married. Steven and I met each other in a math class at the University of Houston in 1989. When we were making plans to get married, we decided to get married at the chapel on campus...the A. D. Bruce Religion Center. It really is very different from churches I had been used to, and it has a way of bringing the outdoors in. I had my camera with me, so I decided to "take a few pictures". Well...it turned into so many that I'm going to have to break this tour up into two different posts; one of all of the flowers outside, and one of some of the architecture inside. THIS post I am going to dedicate to Imelda over at GreenishLady because I think she might enjoy all of these flowers.

But first, here is a shot of the outside of the A. D. Bruce Religion Center:

This is the chapel inside. I have no idea who designed the building, but they packed as many windows in as possible. You're surrounded by windows. So, when you are standing down at the altar-because of all of the windows, and the fact that the altar itself is not against the back wall (there are several feet between the altar and the wall)you actually feel like you are outside. Only with air-conditioning!

Ethan was discovering and poking around at some things outside...

So I started taking pictures of the flowers. I don't know what kinds of flowers these two photos are of, but they were really pretty; especially this first one. I wish I could have gotten closer to it.

Of course, what's a great flower bed without your random hubcap??? (This is so totally NOT staged...it was there to begin with and I didn't touch it. What you see is what you get.) What I really want to know is how it ended up in the middle of a University campus where you can't drive....

I had forgotten however, how absolutely gigantic the ant beds are there! Normally, I like to just stir 'em up a little...not destroy it; just enough to get the ants really moving, but these actually scared me, so I left them alone. lol!

This, hands down, has to be one of the very best things about Houston: the Azaleas in the Spring! They are all beautiful but, this batch in particular are some of the best I've ever seen. Big, huge plants packed full of blooms ranging in colors from white to a very dark pink...all on the same bush! Or the same flower even! They were absolutely gorgeous and I took about a hundred pictures of them. I've posted just a few here, and I'll leave you all to take a tour, quietly and on your own...

There was a bee flying around, flower to flower, gathering up or distributing the pollin...whatever it is that bees do. I tried so hard to get a good shot of it, and these two were the best of the bunch.

On the way back to the car, Ethan discovered the tree that is growing along the ground. Kinda cool that you can climb a tree horizontally rather than vertically. lol! I love the trees on a college campus. They are always so old and big, and somehow more majestic than the trees across the street or down the road.

That wraps up this first little tour of the A. D. Bruce Religion Center at The University of Houston. I'll be back later with some photos of the inside. It really is a pretty cool building. But, of course, I have to leave you with at least one shot of something I am working on...
Yes,I know I have problems taking pictures sometimes. This time it was with the shadows...know matter what I did, I ended up leaving a shadow on part of what I was photographing, but, oh well...I never said I was a professional photographer, did I? Anyway, here is one little thing I'm working on. Redwork for a class I want to teach this summer. Actually, I want to teach a lot of classes for kids (or adults...just very easy, beginning type stuff) this summer. A little embroidery, a little hand sewing and a little machine sewing. I figured the easiest way to begin with embroidery is with very simple redwork. This is an 'Aunt Martha's Hot Iron Transfer'. Now, however, I'm left with a huge decision! Do I finish it as a pillow or as a little wall hanging, or what? If I decide to do a wall-hanging, should I do three or four of them and join them together into a bigger, quilted wall-hanging? These are the decisions I need help making. I hate making a final, long-term committment decision. It sounds stupid, and it's such a small thing but, I really obsess over these things, and I don't know why. I have no problems with the really big committments like marriage and children, but, if it has anything to do with interior design...I just can't commit! lol! But here is my unfinished little redwork...I'm thinking pillow or single wall-hanging. *DING!* **Lightbulb moment!** Maybe I'll do TWO...one single wall-hanging and one pillow, and let them make their own final decision! I actually feel better now.

Lauri-Red Hair and Shuckin' Corn

2008-05-15T17:46:00.002-05:00

Lauri-Red Hair and Shuckin' Corn
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

There is this GREAT new group on Flickr called The Vintage Story. It is nothing but pictures taken before 1979 ( I think) that are posted along with words to start a story, then other members comment on the photo to keep the story going.

I posted this one of me when I was 2 1/2 or 3 years old...I look like I'm having fun there but...I shucked corn every summer until I was probably 14 years old, and it wasn't so fun pulling the ear open and finding a big, fat, juicy worm! So gross! My grandparents lived on a farm, so we were either shucking corn or peas by the bushelful! On the bright side, they also grew strawberries...but few of them actually made it inside to the kitchen because my brother, cousins and I would just go pick and eat them right out there where they were growing. Same thing with their plums. Their plum trees were more like bushes, and we would hide behind them and just eat and eat!

So sad that when you are that age you really don't appreciate the freshness of the produce...you just really like strawberries and plums! What I wouldn't give for my kids to have that experience....

Oh! And the laundry! My grandma did have a dryer but it was rarely used. EVERYTHING went outside to dry out on the clothesline, which was about 5 rows wide. So much fun to run through but, I didn't like how stiff my clothes and sheets were. Guess grandma hadn't discovered liquid laundry softener! lol!

Lots of memories of those summer days!

I also added 2 other pictures of my mom and dad from the mid 1960's, so click on over there for that little surprise!

BTW: So many things going on lately...mostly, I have been having some health issues and eventually got to have a biopsy. Everything was benign, thank goodness, but...the not knowing takes a lot out of you. And OY! The end of the year school stuff-tomorrow Ethan has to dress up like a Roman Gladiator! I have to get pics of that! They've had a bunch of other things going on as well, and there is still more to come. But...the BIG NEWS is that tonight I'm going to the Spurs game! I love the Spurs. It's just that simple. The regular season games are great, but, to actually get to go to a playoff?!? I can't believe it! Yikes-I'd better keep a better eye on the clock because we are leaving in about 30 minutes, and I gotta get ready...get my Tim Duncan jersey out of the dryer and get dressed!

GO SPURS GO!

Kinda like a blog vacation...

2008-03-30T16:44:00.003-05:00

I didn't mean to stay away...there was just too much life in my life!

Thanks for all of your comments on the previous post...lots of new people to meet! But...I didn't get to Austin and Amy's house after all. :( I actually cried. I wanted to go so badly, but Claire was sick and I could tell she was too sick for me not to be here. She ended up with Strep Throat so I guess I made the right decision...I just hope we can do it again soon!

T-Shirt quilt stabilizer: it's called "OESD Embroidery Stabilizer Fusible PolyMesh". I used white, but I don't know if it comes in other/dark colors. It is 14 inches by 10 yards...that's a lot of stabilizer! But if you are doing a t-shirt quilt, you iron it onto the whole back piece of the t-shirt you are using-so be sure and cut your shirt to the right size square before stabilizing! If you are just using little pieces here and there, it should last just about 74 years-LOL! It comes rolled up in a tall (18" maybe?) plastic tube with a red lid and costs $28.99 at my quilt store. And I do have to say this is hands down THE BEST stabilizer of any kind that I have ever used! If you are serious about your embroidery, I would definitely use this!

The Kids Classes: Well, I was planning on teaching 2 classes...the heart pillow in February and a tote bag class in March. No one signed up for either class! I was totally shocked and I'm hoping that it's just because everyone was so sick around here. Seriously, kids were dropping like flies there for a while and I hope all of the germs in the schools died out over Spring Break! For now, I'm getting some projects together (some embroidery, some machine sewing and some hand sewing) for Summer Classes. Hopefully those will be more popular-couldn't be any less popular-and kids will get all signed up and come back for more! This is something I really want to do, and I'm really hoping it will work out.

In other works: I am making another t-shirt quilt. This one is made out of the different t-shirts the kids' elementary school has had, and it will be auctioned off at the school carnival in April to raise funds for the PTA. Something I'm thinking about is this...donating a few hours of embroidery or hand sewing lessons to auction off as well. It would be for say, 2 people so that a couple of friends could come together or a mother/daughter thing or something like that. Then, if whoever won it wanted to add on say, another daughter or son, we could just add on a set figure like $10 per person or divide up the final bid and add on another 1/3 or 1/4 of the price and that amount would also go to the PTA...does that make sense?

Major Spring Cleaning going on also, as well as Allison and Claire trading rooms! Right now, Allison has a loft bed and she doesn't really like sleeping in it anymore, but, it would provide some wonderful extra space for Claire so she could actually play in her room and not in the gameroom. We can put her kitchen and other things underneath it, plus she wants to sleep up there. Allison doesn't need that kind of space anymore and wants a bigger bed, so...it's a win-win for everyone! Well, except for me and Steven, who will be repainting and some minor redecorating with curtains and new comforters and things like that. We have already gotten the comforters and duvet covers and curtains-all from Ikea. We just haven't bought Allison's bed yet; but it's coming from Ikea also. I love that store! Anyway, I spent 4 hours in Claire's room alone yesterday, going through things and cleaning and all of that fun stuff and today Allison is already switching their closets and the clothes in their drawers, and they are vacuumming really well...all around the baseboards and everything! I guess that means I need to get the paint and get to work, as well as make a trip to Ikea. Looks like Allison will be getting a new bed for her birthday that is coming up waaaaaaay too soon! Next year she will be in high school! I told her though that we are not allowed to say "High School"...we will only be saying that she will be in "Ninth Grade"! LOL!

OH! Can't forget to give kudos to the hubby! He actually, finally painted all of the inside of our house! (Except for our bedroom, because I can't decide on a color.) Well, there may not be many pictures in this post, but you should be seeing a lot coming up!

Here is one picture I do have...a little Easter chick coming out of an Easter Egg. I started making these 3 or 4 years ago, and I still love them!

Hope everyone is doing well and that I covered all questions from the comments. If not, let me know!

Finally!

2008-02-09T23:17:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to getting my pictures off of the camera...of course, I'm only doing that because I'm procrastinating doing something else....

But, I know my mom has been waiting for this picture, so here it is-the quilt from the t-shirt quilt class I took a few weeks ago. Well, it's the top only. As soon as I wash the fabric for the backing I'll start basting and quilting. The back fabric is the same batik print as the sashing and border, except it's pink. That will be the binding also.

This was so easy to make! Now I'm excited to get started on the one for the elementary school-did I tell y'all about that??? They asked me to make a quilt out of all the different t-shirts they've had for the school (which is an awful lot considering this is only the 3rd year they have been open!) and they are going to auction it off at the school carnival in April. I'm really anxious to see how much they get for it! lol!

Some sad news though...I was supposed to teach my first sewing class today but, no one signed up! I'm disappointed but, I think it's because everyone is so sick here! The class was for kids, and we were going to make a pillow. Next month I'm supposed to teach another kids class where we will be making a tote bag. Hopefully, they will get a better response to that one. Yesterday I was in Michael's and checking out their classes, and they were telling me that no one is signing up for anything over there. I went to the quilt shop after that, and that's when I found out no one had signed up for this one. Steven was actually the one who thought about everyone being so sick, and I think he's right. I know it has gone through this family the last couple of weeks! Hopefully, March will be better.

In other news, I have finally gotten a couple of new book aquisitions...books I have been wanting for a long time...

This book is nice, but, the one I really love is this one:

Of course, I am very partial to patchwork! And quilting. There are so many cute things in there and I want to make them all!

Oh, and get this! Tomorrow, Amy at Happy Things is having a get together for a bunch of the Austin area arters and crafters (that's my own term, btw) and she invited me! I'm so excited! I cannot wait to meet everyone...I don't know if I should just be very subtle when asking for autographs or just bring a book and pass it around the room!

I almost forgot about these finds. I scored some real live actual vintage embroidery patterns! I got them in Fredericksberg a few weeks ago.
This is the first Vogart set of patterns I have found myself.

These others are Aunt Martha patterns. I'm not sure why I have a picture of one single package and a picture of several packages together-took them too long ago to remember, I guess. lol! Maybe the one is older than the others, so I photographed it seperately.

I actually have so many pictures I wanted to show, but, in the interest of time and attention span, I'll just have to break them up into a few posts. Although, I'm sure after tomorrow I'll have even more pictures...it's a vicious circle! lol!

Here...but on laptop.

2008-02-05T00:03:00.000-06:00

That means no pictures. Sorry. You can quit reading if you want, but then you wouldn't hear the news...

Aack! I'll be teaching my first sewing class this Saturday! Nothing big-it's a kids class (well, you don't have to be a kid; just a beginner. You are not allowed to know more than I do. lol!), but I've been wanting to do this for a long time. We will be making a pillow; nice and simple and most importantly, no zippers! lol! I'm really looking forward to it, and I think I will probably be teaching about one class a month because we have been discussing other projects as well. Oh, guess I should say these classes will be at 'my' local quilt shop: Quilter's Point . This really is a cool shop...the kind I would open if I could open my own.

I still want to show you a picture of the t-shirt quilt from the class I took a couple of weeks ago...but, uh...yeah.

Of course, I have my usual half dozen projects going on...getting ready for Saturday, trying to make some things for Valentine's gifts (can someone stop time for me for a few days to give me a chance to actually finish these BEFORE Valentine's Day???), backing and quilting the t-shirt quilt and getting some embroidery samples done to leave at Quilter's Point to try and see if there is any interest with the kids for taking hand embroidery classes this summer.

Well, it's after midnight here, and I'm tired and my legs are sore from laying on
the couch and eating my bon-bons all day. Guess it's time to turn in. I really don't care so much about those piles of laundry so much right now.

So I get this email...

2008-01-21T21:22:00.000-06:00

From Kristin over at SewMamaSew asking if she could have my permission to use a photo of a Nine-Patch quilt I made when Allison was a baby! (**February is going to be 'Quilting Month', so check it out!***)was the first one I had ever made. I had recently joined our church's quilting group and the project was that each one of us would make however many blocks that were all the same, and then swap with everyone else in the group. I knew nothing about quilting then...hadn't taken any classes at all. So you can imagine the HORROR of 'the quilting ladies' when I showed up with red and white gingham 9-patch squares, in which the gingham was not 100% cotton! I thought for sure I was going to get a good beating with all of their rotary cutters and rulers. lol! Honestly, I think lots of the ladies left my block out of their quilt. Sheesh! Have a little empathy for the newbies...I'm sure you were there, once.

Anyway, it must have turned out OK despite a little polyesther, because Kristin likes it!

Here is one of the several pictures I have for it.

It is machine pieced but totally and completely hand quilted, because I didn't know you could quilt on a machine. In the blank muslin squares, I sewed a star...because I didn't know what else to do and it had to have something there...and all around the inside border, which is the same muslin, are smaller stars. Very simple, but not bad for my first quilt ever. The thing I remember most about making that quilt, was how hot I would get while handquilting it. I think I vowed to never handquilt again unless it was Winter, but that doesn't leave much time when we only have about 3 days of Winter down here! lol!

Something Quick

2008-01-20T17:51:00.001-06:00

Ladybug Pincushion
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

Just so you all know I'm still here and I actually am "working", so to speak. I was trying to get all of my pictures off of the camera and at least into Flickr, if not all into a blog post, but, my back does not want to seem to cooperate...I had a little accident Tuesday (Thank GOD I'm worse off than the Jeep!) but I got so spun and swooshed around my muscles have been sore ever since.

I know I haven't posted about it but, a couple of days before Christmas I took a nice trip all the way down the sidewalk of a Walgreens, and then off the curb right into the parking lot. I think that fall was powered by the Energizer Bunny...it went on and on and on. And the nice UPS man that was there and saw me doing my fall dance came running with his arms outstretched but, couldn't reach me in time. The thing is, it isn't just funny looking back on it, it was actually very funny at the time! ANYWAY...when I fell off the curb, along with the cuts, scrapes and bruises that I got, my hip must have landed right on the curve of the curb-I had a very nice long purple bruise and it hurt to walk or stand up for too long. Well, that was just going away when I decided to play "Spin the Jeep" and that exact spot on my right hip kept hitting up against the seat belt buckle and the console. So that is looking pretty again and that is also why my lower back is hurting. It wasn't so bad earlier this week because I was hanging around the house. But then Friday came and I was running all day long and my Friday night it was aching and yesterday (Saturday) I was really paying the price!

So...all of that to say I'm not going to be able to sit here much longer and didn't get very many pictures off of the camera. But the Ladybug Pincushion pictured above is one of my little projects. It will be going to Tasmania (!) in a swap package.

This little Bluebonnet Pincushion is going into another swap package...

I'll leave you with a couple of gratuitous pictures of Lucy, just because I can, and she is so cute in this little pink, hooded sweater with the pom-poms on it...

But she doesn't like it so much, so she is always shaking it off before I can get a good picture of her with it on all the way...

A very quick post...so you know I'm still here...

2007-12-27T14:56:00.000-06:00

WOW! What a hectic Thanksgiving/Christmas/Holiday season!!! I have rarely even had the computer turned on, much less had time to check many blogs or post to my own. However, over the next week or so, I'll be getting all of my pictures off of the camera, onto the computer and posted here and there (BlogSmith or Flickr.

A quick shout out to Cherri at 'Cherry House Quilts'!!! I actually got to meet her while back home in Kingwood at Thanksgiving, and she awarded me with a prize of some beautiful scraps from her pile, that I 'won' on her blog. She is a fantastic lady who has single-handedly raised 4 amazing children on her own, and makes wonderful quilts as well. Funny how small the world really is...her 'quilt shop' is my "old" quilt shop from when we lived in Kingwood, before we moved to San Antonio 2 1/2 years ago. Thank you so much, Cherri! I have pictures of the stack and I've made a couple of little things from some of it. I know I should have posted this a LONG time ago, but...if it's not one thing it's another. Anyway, I'm so glad I got to meet you and we will definitely have to do it again!

Lots of other things going on...not to mention the water main to our house breaking and spewing water everywhere and not having any water for a day. Of course, these things only happen on holidays like Christmas and the 4th of July, so you have to pay the emergency fee and feel good about paying off the plumber's Christmas.

I'll get to work, and be back soon! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Various things...

2007-11-15T12:52:00.000-06:00

Of course, I/we are still in the process of planting the flowers, so it still pretty much looks like this out there:

The only difference is that there are some flowers planted around the crepe myrtle that you can only see the trunk of in this photo, and that this:

was turned into a HUGE area of dirt and stones. It seems as though my husband has turned into a caveman, and decided to haul in these huge chunks of stone being chipped out of the earth in order to build more houses in our neighborhood. So, the plant things that were there are now gone, and he is outlining a much bigger area with the stones. I do have to say though, that the flowers we did buy, that come in those little plastic containers, look so much healthier since we bought them! I moved them to the back porch, because I think a coyote made off with one of them, and they have been getting plenty of sun and water, and they look like they might actually survive now. We will have to bring them in tonight though, because it is supposed to get down into the 40's, and I'm afraid they will get too cold. Hopefully they will actually make it into the ground this weekend. Here is a shot of some little wildflowers in one of my neighbors' yard...

Too many sewing and embroidery projects going on the even begin discussing them all, but, here are a few of my favorites:

This little easy and quick flower I emboidered on some of my very own hand dyed fabric! I've been experimenting with the dying just with things I have around the house...Kool-Aid; fruits like raspberries and blueberries; teas and coffee; acrylic paints...I haven't tried any 'professional' dying products, and there certainly is no big science going on in the kitchen! But, I absolutely LOVE the color that this piece came out! I did this with acrylic paint thinned with water. Voila! Of course, I love aqua and red, so I had to put a red flower on it. Not sure what to do with it now, though, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.

I really love the Aunt Martha Hot Iron Embroidery Transfers, and I have tons of them. One day I came across a little bear in overalls that looks almost exactly like Allison's "Mama Charlie" (her very beloved security thing-I was smart enough to go back and buy more of them when I realized she was attatched to the first one! I think we are on #4 now, the last of which I finally was able to track down on Ebay, thank goodness!). Anyway, I was amazed at how much it did look like Mama Charlie, so I embroidered one, and put Ethan's initials on the pockets. Then I backed it with denim, sewed it up leaving a little hole for some stuffing, stuffed it, then, ahem, "slip stitched" (and I use that term very loosely!) closed, making it into a little doll...excuse me, stuffed bear for a boy. Of course, Claire had to have one "with orange". I decided to make the pants on the overalls into a skirt, and I'm working on that one now.

Working on another boy, along with a shot of the finished product, backed with denim and made into a little boy bear doll.

This is a pincushion that is the result of playing with one big Yo-Yo and one little Yo-Yo. To me, it looks like a pincushion with a beret, so I call it Frenchie.

And now, Blogger is giving me trouble posting anymore pictures...so...I guess you'll have to wait until later to see the rest. Assumming that THIS will even post at all!

I'm so jealous...

2007-11-06T17:07:00.000-06:00

Of everyone who got to go to the Quilt Show in Houston!

But, I'd take being with my mom over that anyday, and proved it this weekend! Saturday we did something I've been wanting to do since we moved into this house...plant some flowers! It was a GORGEOUS day, so off to Lowe's for flowers and dirt. I got lots of little purple pansies, which I love, and some....ummmmmmmmmm...very dark pink/almost red something or others (I'm so not good with plant names. I'm lucky I know the difference between an Oak tree and a Pine tree.)

Planting flowers with 3 kids is hard work. I can only dig one hole at a time, but they don't seem to realize that. Why didn't God make mothers with 8 arms like an Octopus???

However, we didn't get quite enough dirt. No lie, there is only about 1 inch of dirt on the ground before you hit limestone, so we only got a little over halfway done. I sent Steven back to Lowe's on Sunday for more dirt, and he also picked up more flowers for another little bed at the bottom of the driveway...these are some little tiny white ones that are so cute, and some kind of red ones. I think that bed will look very Christmasy!

I also pulled out 2 dead green, non flowering, plants that I had managed to kill somehow. But you know that's not unusual. I killed a cactus in the middle of a drought.

But then the weather turned cold and icky...it's getting down into the 50's at night, and only into the 60's during the day and, since I don't want to freeze to death, I'm going to wait until it warms up a little to get back out there again. Which, normal Texas weather style, will probably be tomorrow, Thursday at the latest. I did take 'Before' pictures, which I will be sure to put up with the 'After' pictures when I'm done.

As for sewing work...I managed to make a purse this weekend, and finishing up a pincushion and some pins today. I'm also still working on my little laundry room 'embroidery quiltlets', for lack of a better name. Yikes! I've got to get my camera out for pictures of those! Oh-and don't even get me started on Halloween! lol!

You gotta check this out!

2007-11-02T00:13:00.000-05:00

Head on over to SewMamaSew for a whole month's worth of Holiday Crafting! Every day in Novemeber there will be a different idea/challenge/tutorial for you to make. Today's theme was Aprons. Of course, I'm not finished, but I love aprons so maybe I can finish it up over the weekend along with the other two projects...hey! It could happen! lol! And just think...if you did this every day, or even most days, you may actually be able to get most of your Christmas/Holiday gifts done! I'm sure gonna try!

But wait-before you check out SewMamaSew, go over to BlogSmith and see what's been going on around here...you'll never guess, but here's a hint...I had to make a comfy, cozy blanket!

Real Life

2007-10-16T17:42:00.001-05:00

Just a Bud
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

A few days late but...my entry for Photo Friday's Challenge: Real Life. I think this is a little miniature Tea Rose bud, but I could be very wrong on the type of Rose as agriculture is not my forte. But I did take this picture myself, in San Marcos, TX.

Word!

2007-10-10T20:11:00.000-05:00

Pneumonia.
Sucks.
Doctor.
Said.
So.
Cough.
Cough.
Cough.
Ribs.
Hurt.
Fifteenth.
Wedding.
Anniversary.
Today.
Cough.
Happy.
Anniversary.
Cough.
Steven.

*HEY! I'm so feverishly delerious I think I just created a new art form...Word Poetry! COOL! Last time I was feverishly delerious, I was in college and had to write a research paper on "Porphyria's Lover" for my English class. Somehow or other, I did it and my Professor thought it was so great she tried-literally begged-me to apply for the Honor's Society and told me that I wouldn't have any trouble getting in because her husband was on that committee or whatever and she would handle it. I, on the other hand, literally busted out laughing and asked her if she had checked out any of my other grades! roflmao! She didn't believe me and actually thought I was genius material...so I just reassured her that she needed to really check me out before she brought my name into this. She must have. I never heard about it again! LOL!

Just goes to show ya, I'm only a genius when I have a fever.

On the crafting and stashbusting front...I did send out my Fall Quilt for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. I also cut out some fabric to make a skirt, then actually got the two skirt sides sewn together. I'll post some pictures and details later...all I can remember is that it is a very easy pattern, supposed to take only "One Hour". I think I'm pretty close to using my hour up, but, I guess if I pulled up what I already have sewn together and tied it around my waist with a rope I would technically have a skirt. Eh, I'll try and finish the waistband though. Oh-and put in a hem. I was also thinking about a little embellishment...an appliqued flower or a teeny ruffle around the bottom.

Got Ethan to the doctor, anyway...

2007-10-05T08:38:00.001-05:00

His diagnosis: Pneumonia. This is REALLY cutting into -pardon the pun :)- my crafting time, people! Isn't there some fabulous, germ-free resort that Calgon can take me away to? Please, Calgon-I'm begging you!

*To the people I owe swaps to: I promise you I have NOT forgotton! Some are even all ready to go, but I'm trying to finish up the 'Four Seasons Fall Quilt' and keep thinking, "It'll be done today, then I'll mail them all at once", but...sick children and breathing treatments aren't helping any. Which reminds me...apparently, puberty can bring back all that asthma that has been lying dormant in Allison's lungs for a while, so she's been needing breathing treatments lately. Now, with Ethan's pneumonia, he definitely needs them. All these years, we've been able to walk into the pharmacy and pick up the new tubing or masks anytime we need them...which Steven attempted to do yesterday, since I don't want Allison's weakened, pneumonia prone lungs sharing tubing and a mask with Ethan, and now we have to have a prescription! Of course, the doctor's office is closed at that point, so there goes something else I have to take care of today. And why didn't the doctor know that we needed a prescription for that anyway? You certainly don't want to make it easy on a parent with a sick child, do you? Ay yi yi!

I guess if I have to go out for that, that means I'll have to take a shower today. Seeing how I haven't had one since Tuesday, it's probably warrented anyhow.

*QUICK POLL: I can't be the only one who sometimes, not often, but sometimes, doesn't get to take showers when you or your kids are sick, or ends up in the fetal position on the kitchen floor crying because the very last straw just dropped. If you don't, lie to me and say you do anyway! lol! Do these things happen to most parents? It's not just me, is it???

Advice Needed

2007-10-04T11:10:00.000-05:00

*If you aren't a mom and/or you get grossed out very easily, don't read. Because Ethan's lungs are gross.

...when your doctor insists that whatever you have is viral and you don't need antibiotics, but you are still running a fever after 3 weeks? And so is your son? Who is also coughing up mucus out of his lungs??? I did make another appointment with the pediatrician for him though...called yesterday morning but they didn't seem concerned in the least, so his appointment isn't until 4:30 this afternoon. My doctor said not to come back unless my fever gets above 101. So I'm living my life on the couch, dying, just wishing I could cough out some of the crap in my lungs, until my head can't take it anymore and I have to take Advil, because I want to let the fever "do it's job"...and this will go on for days until I finally break down, because it's only running in that 100 degree range. And apparently, 100 degrees isn't enough to kill whatever MegaGerm we have.

Really, I don't like going to the doctor because I don't want them to think I'm a whiner, but really...I need some advice here. Steven has even been making homemade chicken soup, and I REALLY should have taken a picture of that, but...I wasn't getting up to look for the camera.

*HA! Like anyone would want to seek me out at the IQF now!

Anybody planning on...

2007-10-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

...going to the Quilt Show in Houston that runs from November 1 through the 4th? Just wondering if I might run into any fellow quilting bloggers there.

"They say she used to be nice."

2007-09-28T08:29:00.000-05:00

I've gotten a couple of super funny jokes in my email recently, and this is another one I've got to share! And maybe it's a 'cheater post' but, it makes it much easier to get something posted, so I don't have to think while I have The Plague. (And why am I the only one in my family who hasn't gotten rid of it yet?) Which leads to another question about moms...why can't we EVER call in sick???

This is also my message to the men of the world: Say NO to drugs and YES to chores! Because it's true...Mothers don't do spare time.

WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make Mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make Mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are Mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice
in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your Mother & not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mom marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Moms & Dads?
1 . Moms work at work and work at home & Dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Moms have all the real power, cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's house.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

UGH!

2007-09-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

This past week has been to hell...check over at Blogsmith and find out what's going on...

Have not dropped off the face of the Earth.

2007-09-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Still here, just too much craziness going on to blog lately. Things should be more back to normal next week, though, so, I'll be back then with lots of pictures of embroidery, because that's a very easy project to do on the run!

I will leave you with a shot of part of my remodeled office...still a work in progress, but it's almost there!

Look what I got for my birthday!

2007-08-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

Can you believe this? Allison made this doll quilt for me for my birthday! She had been huddled up in her room for days "making something", but I never once thought it would be a doll quilt. She sewed all of the patches together with her sewing machine, but hand sewed the rick-rack on, and embroidered on every single patch in one way or another. And of course put the buttons on. I don't think I could have gotten anything better!

And then she made me a cake! Devil's Food with cream cheese icing, which is my favorite. Ethan picked out the letters so it would say, "Happy Birthday Mom".

I think that deserves a couple of gratuitous pictures...

This has also been a very busy week for another reason...and a very good one at that. Gayla's sons (14 and 12) and their cousin (who is 19 and lives in FL but has been staying with the kids and Dave since she died) are here in town. Dave is in Chicago on business and last week, when it looked like Hurricane Dean was headed straight for the Texas Coast he wanted to get the boys out of Houston on the double! So, he booked them a hotel room here with me for a whole week-Sunday through Sunday! We've all been hanging out and doing stuff, and realizing I'm too old to keep up with all of these kids! lol! Actually, though, it just what I needed...a little piece of Gayla. I just hope they are enjoying it also. We are taking the day off today to rest and recover, and I'm just wondering what kind of plans they are making for me for tomorrow! LOL! Wish me luck and energy!

Only ONE MORE shopping day, people!

2007-08-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

Because you all remembered that my birthday is tomorrow, right? Of course you did! lol! wink, wink...

Anyway, Steven is taking me shopping at The Paper Bear in San Marcos, my favorite store of all time! Well, gee...ok, maybe it's even with Super Target...I'm not sure. But, I have been shopping there for over 20 years, since the ol' college days. Not sure if my Dad's money went more to The Paper Bear, or for tuition! lol!

*Dad would say, The Paper Bear and Basket Weaving! LOL! But hey, he adopted me, so he can't say he didn't know what he was getting, right???

Lots of Embroidery

2007-08-09T16:23:00.000-05:00

Ever since Gayla died, I haven't really been doing much of anything...or even wanting to. The only thing I've really wanted to do is some handsewing...I don't know why...I guess because it's still somewhat creative yet brainless, ya know?

So, I did start hand piecing a little patchwork quilt together, but haven't gotten very far on that yet.

I have been doing TONS of embroidery, though! So here are some pics...

This is a pillow I made for my mom...it goes on the bed in the playroom.

The other thing I'm working on is decorating my laundry room...it's really long, and needs something on the walls, so, I decided to embroider little laundry related patterns, then "frame" them with a coordinating fabric, quilt them, then hang them up. I've been using the Aunt Martha's Hot Iron On Transfers, which is basically just the outline which is cute on it's own. One day though, I decided I could add more and jazz it up a little bit, so here are a few of those in various stages...

Still in the hoop:

The embroidery is finished for this one, but I haven't added any fabric around it yet. Notice the towels on the laundry line and in her 'hand'...all my very own design! LOL!

One more...All hand embroidered and I even hand sewed the fabric on around it! It never even touched the sewing machine!

There are several more in the works...you wouldn't believe how many animals there are out there doing laundry! lol! And I think it's going to be really cute when they are all done.

Just-Holding-My-Place...

2007-08-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

Well...I-was-going-to-use-a-picture-of-some-bookmarkers-that-I-made-but-Blogger-won't-upload-the-picture.

Oh---my-SpaceBar-doesn't-work.
so-if-you-see-me-posting-anywhere-like-this,-that's-why.
But-it-takes-forever-to-type-like-this-so-I-won't-be-posting-much.

I-also-have-a-lot-of-catching-up-to-do-here...a-little-bit-of-work,-a-little-bit-of-StashBusting...hopefully-I-can-figure-out-what-the-problem-is-here-pretty-quickly!

Doll Quilt Swap 2-And a Bonus

2007-07-30T11:14:00.001-05:00

This past Spring I signed up for the Doll Quilt Swap and enjoyed it so much that when DQS 2 came around, I signed right up again! Unfortunatly, my friend Gayla died on July 4, and I knew I would never be able to get my doll quilt out by the mail out date of July 18. So I emailed my "Swap Mama" Susan over at Chickenfoot and let her know I would have to drop out. She said, no problem, there is plenty of time to find a swap angel or even make a doll quilt herself to send to my partner. (All of our partners were secret.) She let Lisa-the "Swap Big Mama" who had organized both swaps- know what was going on. Since I had dropped out, I had totally assummed that I wouldn't be receiving a quilt, either. But, Susan and Lisa-two wonderful ladies with big hearts-decided that a little doll quilt surprise might be just what I needed so, they kept me paired with my partner that was sending to me, and Lisa made an extra quilt and sent that on to my receiving partner!

Imagine my surprise when THIS shows up in my mailbox!!!

This gorgeously wonderful perfectly appliqued doll quilt from Marisa over at Quilt Otaku! When I opened it, I immediately thought, "Uh-oh. Someone didn't get a quilt!" and I knew I should email Susan and Lisa and let them know, but, I didn't want to give this up! lol! But, I did the right thing and emailed and found out what they had done. So, yea!!! I get to keep the quilt! It really was a totally unexpected surprise, and exactly what I needed! It is absolutely beautiful Marisa! I don't know if you knew what had happened or what was going on, but either way, thank you so much!

This is a picture of her tag on the back. Even it is gorgeous. And don't worry about it at all, Marisa! It's definitely being well taken care of!

I just have to say that these Doll Quilt Swap Ladies totally ROCK! And now I can't wait for #3...there will be a #3, won't there?

Funny thing, that very same day, I received a little quilt that my husband had purchased from Calimity Kim. A gorgeous 'Alice in Wonderland Tea with Alice' quilt.

Here's a shot of the whole top:

And here is a detail shot of the embroidery she did of the tea party:

And the back, which is made from fabric covered in cupcakes!

And the adorable tag:

I forgot to take pictures of it, but, she also included a little tiny teacup and saucer, a little tiny Tootsie Roll lunchbox filled with Tootsie Rolls, one of the glittery pink cupcake ornaments that she makes and this totally fabulous collaged tag!

Can you believe two quilts in one day? Especially when I wasn't expecting any. I think it is very fair to say, "If you want to give Lauri a little 'pick me up', give her a doll quilt!" It definitely works!

Lilly has decided...

2007-07-27T14:37:00.000-05:00

That since there isn't much crafting going on here, that the Fung Shui is getting all out of balance and somebody had better do something about it quick!

Here she is doing her research with my "Quilting: The Complete Guide" book.

After checking out some other books and magazines for inspiration, she started gathering up supplies...you can tell she is still searching my shelves to see what else she can get her paws on.

Ran out of time today, and we have to run, but tomorrow I will update what happened with Doll Quilt Swap 2! Those ladies are amazing!

July-where did it go?

2007-07-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

Wow-I can't believe summer is almost over. I think there are only 4 weeks until school starts. But with the shock of Gayla being gone, I've lost a whole month...and I'm still not ready to come back.

I feel guilty because all of the things I had planned for the kids this summer aren't going to happen, but I know I can't just forget about her and move on. I feel like I should be doing more, but I just don't have the energy.

Thank God for my Mom, who somehow knows that she is doing exactly what I need right now! Which I also feel guilty about, because she has been going 24/7 since the beginning of June. My mom and dad went on a cruise through Europe and were gone for 3 weeks. The night they got home was the night Gayla died. So, when I found out the next day, I was hysterical and she wanted me to just pack up the kids and head over there; which we did the next day. (Gayla died in the early hours of July 4.) So mom and dad got one good night's sleep, then I show up with the 3 hyperactive monkeys that are my children. People, you need more than one good night's sleep to deal with this crew! And I know they were worn out from that trip!

When we left on Sunday, my mom insisted on keeping Ethan for a week. (Insert big, bulging eyes of disbelief look here. lol!) But it was what I needed...some time with no fighting. All you have to do is remove Claire or Ethan from the situation, and it's like Heaven here! But, put them in a house together, and it becomes the clashing of two universes! So that was a nice quiet week with just the girls.

She brought Ethan home on Friday, then went back home on Saturday. Then she did have a week to herself before she got the girls last Sunday. And this week with just Ethan home is so nice! He's so quiet when he is alone, nobody is pushing his buttons, little sisters aren't around and he can just play and do whatever he wants. We got him a big pad of really big paper and a brand new roll of duct tape, and I think we've only exchanged about a dozen sentences so far all week! lol! It never fails...give that boy some paper, markers or crayons, Lego's and tape and he is good to go! Ethan and I would make good roommates...we just want to be left alone to do what we want to do. I can't go get the girls until Tuesday, so this weekend we are going to take Ethan to see Harry Potter and just hang around doing whatever.

So this is exactly what I have needed...if I could just get rid of this tightness in my chest that makes it hard to breathe, and the knot in my stomach that will only accept Strawberry Pop-Tarts and Dr Pepper.

Sorry there is no craftiness in this post. The whole ArtSmith summer has been very non-crafty. Hopefully it'll pick up soon.

Oh. My. GAWD!!!

2007-07-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

I have just seen the absolute sweetest quilt ever made! Monica made it for her partner in the Doll Quilt Swap II. You have to click on her name and go take a look right now!

But then come back...

Oh, back already? OK!

I know this is my 2nd post today, but I just had to put that out there. I've been surfin' blogs while taking another break. Still working on Gayla's book. I've dyed my own fabric and paper to use in it, so it will be even more personal. Of course now my hands are all stained, and will be for a while, and that's always fun going out in public! I always forget to put on gloves. Well, I don't think I "forget" really. I think I just unconsciously know that I love the feeling of my hands in all that liquid and messing with the fabric to try and make it come out looking like it is hand dyed, and not just one solid color.

And the best part of making this book? Gayla LOVED chocolate! So of course I had to have something representing chocolate in there, right? Right! And who knows chocolate better than Godiva? That Godiva gold box is like the little blue one from Tiffany's...you know what's inside right away. So...had Steven stop off at the Godiva store (just across the highway from his office) to pick up the little box that comes with 4 pieces. Didn't want to leave those little babies topless, ya know, so I had to eat them. Mmmm.... Now that Steven knows where the Godiva store is, I hope he will be stopping in there more often!

It's been a while...

2007-07-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

Trying to get back to the 'new normal'...in one way I'm glad the kids are home, but in another, that's when I needed Gayla the most! We would call each other and bitch about the kids and just hope that school would start back already! lol!

I have things I want to do, lots of sewing and quilting, but just never do it. I have been reading...A LOT...literally devouring books at the rate of one a day. I guess it keeps my mind off of things. And if I'm not reading, I'm embroidering-which is something I can do without thinking too much, but still know what the kids are up to. And I already have plans for all of the embroidery. I'm actually working on a lot of the 'Aunt Martha' hot iron transfers of the little ducks, kittens, and people doing chores; specifically laundry. Then they will all be displayed in my newly painted with brand new washer and dryer laundry room! Giving that room a good make-over, because I've decided that laundry rooms always get the short end of the stick, and it's just not fair for this one, because it's a big one, sorta, actually. Well, very long anyway, and it has a window at the end. So it has a fresh coat of Sherwin-Williams 'Buttery' paint, and soon the walls will be done.

We are also working on the Game Room. The game room, along with the rest of the upstairs (except for the bedrooms) were also just painted 'Buttery'. The room did kinda have a safari theme, but, since my studio is also being redone and my Frida Kahlo Gallery has been moved out, I have to put it somewhere, so...The game room it is! Way better than safari! Plus, there is room for more pictures than I had in my office. So, lots of 'redoing' going on also. Here's a game room shot...

Breaktime is up. I'm working on an art book that contains the Eulogy I wrote for Gayla that her husband is going to take to Florida and read at her Memorial Service. So, time to get back to that.

My best friend in the world just died.

2007-07-05T10:43:00.000-05:00

Very suddenly and unexpectedly. And calling her just a "best friend" doesn't seem right...she was more than that. It's not fair that we weren't sisters. Because if you say something about your "sister", people get it. (Plus, most sisters probably don't love and care about each other as we do.) If it's just your "friend", it's not that big of a deal. But she was a big deal. And I don't know what I'm going to do without her for the rest of my life. We figured we'd be old and senile, sharing a room in the nursing home and beating each other with our canes! And if we weren't senile and still remembered we were friends, we'd just hit the other old people with our canes! lol!

She didn't just leave me...she also left a husband and two sons. One starting high school next year, and one in middle school. I really don't know how they are going to do without her!

My eyes hurt so much I don't think I can make any more tears. I miss you Gayla, and I'm not accepting this and I want you back.

FINALLY!

2007-06-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

I finally found the battery chargers for BOTH cameras! (And by "me", I mean "Steven".) I only ever put them in ONE place. There is only ONE place that I ever put them down, so they will always be there. But then, that damn Robert Goulet must come in and screw with my stuff, because they always get lost!

I believe in Robert Goulet! Hmmm...or at least the children who live in my house.

So now they are charging up, and soon we'll have pictures of all the things I've been working on!

Mostly, I want to say that I hate not being able to get into BlogLand very often these days! The kids have been hogging the computer. But, I guess it does have it's advantages...it definitely makes me more productive! lol!

Thinking about things...

2007-06-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

[Yes, I did publish this over at BlogSmith also, because I think it's something people should think about.]

I've been sewing a lot over the last few days...that kind of mindless, straight line sewing that gets you to thinking about things. Lots of deep life questioning things. Things like: why am I am who I am; how did I get to be this way; why do I have certain children; what do I want to do from here on out and be known for when I'm 55 years old-because I am 40 and REALLY close to 41...which really translates into "What do I want to do with my life?". And then of course, the truly thought provoking question...why am I not a 'Commercial Lady' like I wanted to be when I was a kid?

And that may sound like a really funny question, and taken at face value it is. So I've been thinking about what being a 'commercial lady' really meant to me. I've decided that what being a Commercial Lady really meant to me was that I would get to stand or sit there and talk...a lot...about anything. What I liked, what I didn't like, or whatever someone else needed me to talk about, but couldn't bring themselves to do it. Of course, I would have been more of a 'Solo Infomercial Lady'. So obviously the perfect job for me!!! I never did believe that test I took in high school that said I should be a Mechanic! (An if you're wondering yes, that is absolutely true and yes, I can hear you laughing all the way over here!) But, I think I finally got to the root of that this week...sometimes it takes a 40 year old woman to get into a 6 year old's head.

When I was old enough to realize that "Commercial Lady" wasn't something you went to college and got a degree in, I moved on to becoming a teacher. Which, if you think about it, has a lot of the same things going for it that Commercial Lady does...you get to stand up in front of a classroom spouting views and ideas and theories and opinions. However, I realized within the first semester or two of college that my type of teaching wasn't going to work in Public Schools, and it was quite possible that Security Guards would be throwing me off school property within hours of the first day for many violations!

1) I have never had a problem giving my opinion. Never. Not in any situation, public or private. I respect the opinions of others (as long as they have actually gone through a reasonable thought process and some research to get there). Their opinion does not have to be my opinion...different opinions are what makes the world go round. (I absolutely must say here, though, that some opinions are just downright stupid and ignorant!) Anyway-back to the point of me giving my opinions...if I was a teacher and a student asked me what I thought about something, I would tell them what I thought and believed. And most likely, that is not what the Public School System is going to want me to do.

2) I don't know why I said, "it was quite possible that Security Guards would be throwing me off school property within hours of the first day for many violations!"
Because the one above is really the only one I can think of. Let's just say I am more suited to teaching at the University level, and since I had better, more fun things to do than sitting around studying for a PhD, that is out of the question.

I have spent a lot of time acting on behalf of abused women and children and trying to educate the public about domestic violence. Even made it on the news in Houston for spouting through a microphone in front of City Hall. But I am wanting to do more. I want to help educate the world about things like Bipolar Disorder especially in children; what REAL ADHD is; Depression-that sometimes you just can't pull yourself up by the bootstraps, buck up and get happy; Schizophrenia-which is not Multiple Personalities!; Learning Disorders like Dyslexia and/or the fact that not all children progress and learn to read at the same exact time at the exact time the teacher tells them too! BRAINS ARE DIFFERENT! And that doesn't mean "wrong" or "bad". My two oldest children had difficulty learning to read...Allison didn't really learn to read until 3rd grade but, when it did click, she took off! Ethan is still struggling very hard and just may be Dyslexic. And Claire-who will be entering Kindergarten in two months-still shows no signs of wanting to learn her ABCs. If you ask her how to spell her name, she can tell you and she can write it out, but, if you ask her to write a 'C', she doesn't know how. If you hold up any other letter in the alphabet and ask her what it is, she has no clue. And just exactly like the other two, the harder you push to try and sneak in some learning, the more they turn off and the faster they walk away. But you know what...Ethan is a Straight A student. Allison would be if she weren't quite so social, if you know what I mean. lol! She has been before, and will be again, but, sometimes she just socializes a lot instead of doing homework. "Normal" kids develop at different rates, and it's all good as long as they are steadily developing on their scale.

Autism-that's another one that hits close to home, and people really need to learn more about that! You can check this link to the National Autism Association, also. You might wanna check out Pete, who has A Perfectly Cromulent Blog. I use him. You know...to keep up with House Bills and all that. The whole Government, making laws and stuff, adding important issues, such as Health Insurance and Early Intervention for Austim onto other bills that have nothing to do with that...this one may be tacked on to something about how to dispose of grass clippings for all I know...ANYWAY, it's all very confusing, but, I can just go to Pete and find out what's going on with what I'm interested in. Thanks, Pete!

Health Insurance-Especially for Kids! What the fuck is wrong with our Country? A Country who will let a family lose everything they have, even their HOME, even the WHEELCHAIR that their daughter desperately needs (Yep! Someone actually walked into their door and made them GIVE BACK their little girl's wheelchair!), because the medical bills have gotten so high that they cannot afford to pay the leftover 20% of the bill that their insurance didn't cover! Try wrapping your brain around that one! What if this was your child? Would that have happened if that was the daughter of the wheelchair company's owner?

Have you ever really looked around and realized how our world treats women and children? I know we live in a male dominated, Patriarchial Society and all, and sometimes I think we, in the US, have things bad and not fair. Then I start looking around and the women in the Middle East and the baby girls in China. And then I cry. A baby girl will get me every time!

I've tried to make a change...in my Social Work/Life Before Kids, and I've even worked a little on Ted Poe's campaign for Representative of the area I lived in. He's a great man...check him out. Because of my son's Special Needs, I have fought long and hard, AND WON, to get him what he needs at school...IEPs, ARDs, Wright's Law, a great resource for Special Education Law & Advocacym etc...a lot of research, learning and commitment. And I'm willing to (and have) help anyone else get what their child needs also. Right now I'm making a bunch of little security blanket type things for some of the orphans in China. Cindy at Skip to my Lou posted about her neice, who is working with a group called Hope's Heart . They are going to China soon to volunteer and bring over some things for the babies. I know that this is a very teeny, tiny contribution but, I'm hoping it will help a few children have something to hold that is their's and belongs only to them. I've also donated many other things I have made to several other charities to be auctioned off to help raise a little drop in the bucket. OH! And PFLAG...something else I've always wanted to do something for but don't know where to start-other than to stand up on roof or walk around downtown with a bullhorn shouting, "What difference does it make who you love?" I have marched in a Gay Right's Parade, though.

But where do I start? What problem to I fight to solve? Do I do a little bit for everything, or put all my eggs in one basket? All I know is, I need to get back to doing something. I know I don't get a whole lot of traffic here, but, if any of you have a link to a group you want to help with or a cause to fight for, let me know and I'll add it into this post. And even if you don't have a group or cause you want to help with, I hope I've made you think a little. I'm not even trying to actually sway or change opinions here, but if I did make you think, you made my day!

Of course, I can't let this blog publish until I say a little something about OUR SPURS! We said, "GO!" and you "WENT!" and I am very proud to have such a wonderful, polite, well-mannered group of people represent our city! To all the Mom's who raised their boys to be these men, to all of their teachers in school along the way, to all of the Spurs Administration, to Pop...thank you all for raising and helping and teaching and coaching them all to be who they are today. A team I am proud of and a team who emulate the the social graces I want my children to learn. I couldn't be happier! Congratulations on #4!

Just a quick note to say...

2007-06-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

Go look at who commented on my blog!!! (On yesterday's post.)

May? Who even remembers May?

2007-06-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

We are well into June now! I would have NO IDEA what the date is, except for the fact that "The Soprano's" Final Episode was on last night...June 10. So, I guess that makes today the 11th, right?

So, the kids are home for summer and we have actually done quite a bit of crafting...Kid Style. I'll get some pictures of those, because some of them are really cute. One day we made fabric beads, and I think we have found a new talent for Allison! She made all of these little fabric rolls, then decorated them with silver wire and beads...I love them all! Last week was "Fish Week", so all of our books and crafts had to do with fish. But...we had some disruption last week, and I think the only craft we completed were flip-flops, so we will continue with the fish theme this week. There are beach towels, hats, and a game I am making in the works.

I have also become addicted to Doll Quilts, and now have SEVERAL going in all different stages of progress. There are some random pieces lying about, wondering what they will be joined to next, I have a couple of tops ready to be quilted, and one that is in the process of being quilted. I also have at least 2 purses/tote bags in progress, another baby blanket, a game I'm working on for a friends' son (who also wants me to make him a stuffed kitty-but I'm not good at that yet so he might be a little flat). OH! I finally finished my Mom's Mother's Day Gift...you know, Father's Day is the new Mother's Day. lol! An adorable little pillow embroidered with one of the "Aunt Martha's" little vintage kittens, then framed out with some vintage repro fabric.

AND...the most important project of all...that same friend, Gayla, entrusted ME to repair some holes in a very old and much loved quilt made for her by her Grandmother many years ago! I'm too scared to even touch the one my mom has, much less be responsible for someone elses! But, I vow to do my best and protect that quilt with MY LIFE! (Old quilts are the most important of all treasures to me...way more important than any old gold, silver or diamonds!) Most of the little rips and tears are on the backing, which is muslin. I plan on just sewing those up by hand; but, since that has already been tried before and they just rip again, is there anything I can do that will make it more sturdy? I had thought about putting some fray check on it, but, would that be really super wrong??? I do plan on adding on a new layer of muslin to the back, so that all of the older muslin will be protected. So, another thought I had was to just iron on some interfacing on top of the old backing before I added the new one. How does that sound? This quilt still gets lots of use, so it needs to be able to withstand that.

PLEASE!!! If you have any suggestions, let me know!

SO...I definitely need to put the camera to work and get some of these pictures up! Hope everyone else is enjoying the summer, or winter, depending upon the Continent you live on!

May is almost over...

2007-05-25T08:32:00.000-05:00

Just hang in there...after I finish decorating 5 dozen cupcakes-two dozen for a baby shower and 3 dozen for school-then I'll wrap up the Memorial Day Weekend, I'll be back with lots of photos to share. Swaps, things I've made...even a cupcake or two!

Doll Quilt Swap

2007-05-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

What a great idea for a swap! Lisa, over at Losabia, thought it would be fun to swap doll size quilts, so she got a group together and off we went....

Of course I'm thinking, "Nooooo proooblleeemmmmm!". HA! It may have been small, but, I haven't made a real, true quilt in a while, and I have never actually done the binding on one...always managed to talk Mom into that! lol! Thanks, Mom!

The only thing I knew about who I was sending to was that she likes red and white. Great! So do I! I can definitely do that. So, I started off with one pattern, I don't know what it's called or if it even has a name but, it's one variation of a nine-patch. Cut up all my 2 1/2 inch squares and started sewing them together, but it's not as easy a layout as a regular 9-patch and I kept getting all confused. So, I decided to do something else...something with long strips. And that's all I knew. So I kept playing around until I came up with something, then got them all of the smaller strips sewn into the longer strips, all in the right order and everything was going great! Started sewing the longer strips together, and at about the halfway point I thought it was looking kinda funny...yep, screwed up again and wasn't always putting the right ends together. Got my money's worth out of my seam ripper just on that project alone!

Finally got everything sewn up just right and now was the time for binding. That's ok, I'm a big girl now and I can do everything, mitered corners and all! Ya know, sometimes that Smith Ego just gets in the way. Mitered corners were not happening! Hello little seam ripper, my new best friend!

So, regular binding it was, and here's the finished project:

This is the whole thing...It's hard to actually see it but, the binding is black with teeny tiny white polka-dots.

A close up shot for the detail...

And here you can see the back-white with black polka dots with the black and white polka dot binding.

It's all a little wonky, but...that's what handmade is about, right everyone??? Riiiiiiiiight! lol!

In the tradition of saving the best for last, this is what I received from Jennifer (MamaUrchin)...

I could not get a decent picture of this quilt to save my life, so this does not nearly do it justice, but I love this so much...I've been sleeping with it. But, that's just our little secret! Of course she didn't know this, but some of the fabrics she used are fabrics I have myself, and some of the other fabrics are ones that I have long coveted but are not available anymore. Plus, she was inspired by Lisa Congon and her work, which I love! It is the perfect quilt for me!

THANK YOU, JENNIFER for the most gorgeous quilt of coveted fabric ever made!

This picture is a little better.

Look what she did on the back!

One more picture before you go-a close up, so you can see the details better. I love every single fabric she used!

Thank you Lisa for organizing all of this!

Of course, Jennifer and I weren't the only quilters involved in this, so go look HERE and see all of the beautiful works of art!

Pssssssst! If you are interested, I hear that Round #2 of the Doll Quilt Swap is in the works!

Poor Claire and Goodies

2007-05-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

All she wants is for me to finish her doll...there are just so many things on the fire right now...but, because I wasn't feeling guilty enough, yesterday she said, "It's just not fun playing tea party with a doll without a head." Yep...she can lay it on!

Now for the goodies!

In the Fat Quarter Swap News Department (I know, it's a little late, but, hey. Give a girl a break!) This is what I sent my partner...for her, some Amy Butler and a couple of coordinating fabrics to go with it, some Alexander Henry 'Skullfinity' fabric, and a little pink flower notepad. She also requested some boy items, so...I found a few things in my stash and added those in. Some train fabric, moons and stars fabric, some Cow Jumping Over the Moon fabric, and a couple of other blues; along with some train, plane and automobile buttons and some blue ribbon with suns on it.

This is what I got from her! Yummy Tracy Porter fat quarters, some vintage buttons, this gorgeous and oh so soft crocheted mohair trim that I don't think I'll ever use on anything...I'll just keep it close so I can touch it every so often! lol! And she made a beautiful card! Sometimes the cards are the best part of the package!

From the Fabricholics Annonymous group, I got lots of these great fabrics from Melissa, who swapped with me for some of my fabrics...but I didn't even think of taking pictures of my stuff when I sent it out. You just can't beat getting fabric in the mail!

And...I finally got "The Apron Book"! I have been wanting this for so long, and I finally just bought it...and I'm so glad I did! Of course, now I just want to make tons of aprons.

There has been a little fabric shopping too...

Looks like I'll be making some very pretty things!

Opps! Almost forgot this one last thing...

Could this be my doll quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap all wrapped up and ready to go out? Why, yes, I think it is! But...you'll have to come back to get that whole story, and pictures of what I made and the one I received. Don't worry though-it'll be worth the wait. I got the best quilt in the world!

Little Projects

2007-04-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

Well, some little, some a little bigger. I've been trying to blog a few things over at munkeepod but geez! Talk about painful! There are so many hoops I have to jump just to get to where I can post that I can't remember them all, and get stuck there in the middle somewhere. Then, I can only hold 12, yep, that's right, TWELVE images in my whatever to post. So, if I want to post a picture of something, I have to upload it into my folder or whatever, then upload it to the blog. Once I reach 12, which is pretty often, and I want to post more, I have to delete something. When it's deleted out of the folder, it deletes it from the blog, too. Well, that isn't going to work, because I need the pictures to stay there. Ugh! I really thought it would be better, but, I'm seriously thinking I'll just stay here. Maybe I'll change the title to 'munkeepod' but, I don't know. I'll have to think about it.

Anyway...on a better note...these are a couple of clothespin dolls the girls and I made on Sunday. Can you tell which one is Claire and which one is Allison?

Then on Tuesday, Claire wanted me to make her a "real" doll. Which I have been wanting to try for a long time! But do y'all remember the one I tried a while back? The one that was turning out so horribly I couldn't continue? Well, I've been scared to try again, but I did it anyway. The arms and legs and abdomen came together very quickly...I even gave her a ladybug birthmark.

Claire wanted buttons for the eyes, so I started working on the face. Sewed on two little brown buttons and embroidered a nose and mouth. Stalled out at that point because we didn't have anything for hair. So, yesterday we got some brown yarn-but we still don't have any hair or head. I also got some elastic thread to use, to sort of smock the top of the dress I was going to make for the doll. I have never used that before, and was very happily surprised that that all went off without a hitch! So, I made a little sundress out of the Tracy Porter fabric that we got from the Apron Mini Swap we did with Crystal and Eryn just a couple of weeks back, and it came out really cute! The thing is, Claire is already loving this doll so much, taking it with her everywhere she goes, including Target, headless and loosing stuffing along the way, I don't think I'll ever be able to get it back from her to put the head on! lol!

One more little project...this little black and white drawstring bag. I love it but, I'm going to have to play with some handles or something...it definitely needs some modification if I'm going to want it to stay up on my shoulder. Maybe even just a longer drawstring.

Alright-time for lunch, then other projects await!

Dreary Weekend, Rough Day

2007-04-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

UGH! The weather is just awful. The temps are hovering around 70 degrees, and it's as humid as Houston! All clouds and no sun...rain and drizzle off and on. I need some sunshine people!

As far as working goes, I've made lots of progress on the Doll Quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap. However, I'm sad to say, the purse for the Bag Lady swap isn't going as well...for this swap, there were 5 bags to choose from and we chose which one(s) we liked the best and hopefully our swap partner will make us one of those. Well, I got paired with this absolutely fabulous bag/purse maker-and I'm totally serious! She makes gorgeous purses of all kinds, some simple and some very complicated, but all are beautiful. Well, the first one she picked was the hardest one of the group. Wwwaaaaaaayyy beyond my capabilities! So, I was up front with her and told her that I could never make a bag like that that either one of us would be proud of, so she kindly chose one that seemed to be very simple. But for some reason, it just has me stumped, and I don't know why! But mine just comes out all twisted. (sad little LOL!) ha! I think I'm going to just take the rest of the night off, and hopefully start with a clean, fresh head tomorrow. (Let's all cross our fingers, pray, meditate, think positive thoughts, light a candle, whatever it is you do, and hope this will work out tomorrow!)

I think the biggest problem is this cloud of negativity that has been hanging around me, so I'm swishing it all away tonight! I blogged about it on BlogSmith if you wanna hop over there and check it out. I think I'm going to go and take a shower, change my pajamas-because I've been wearing the same ones for a couple of days now-and then relax on the couch with a frosty cold glass of milk and a piece of that Fabulously Delicious Super Duper Chocolate Cake I posted about last month, that the girls and I made this afternoon! That's the recipe for making bad things go away, right? lol!

This just in...new 'munkeepod' Blog!

2007-04-19T15:43:00.000-05:00

Whoo-hoo! My friend, Gayla, got the blog going for me! So, to you, my faithful guinea pigs (LOL!) would y'all mind going over there and checking things out and making sure it works? At least the blogging and leaving comments? There are all kinds of other things I'm going to have to figure out...like RSS Feeds and Atoms and whatever other techie stuff is going on there. I still need sidebars for links, and buttons and all that. I'd love to have a spot for music and books like so many of you do...it may be a while to get that figured out.

Anyway, try this link... http://blog.munkeepod.com/

Or, if that doesn't work, just go to www.munkeepod.com and at the very top right of the page, click on munkee blog.

If there are any problems please let me know! You can leave comments here, or munkeepod at yahoo dot com, or, if you really want to be experimental, try sending an email to Lauri at munkeepod dot com. And if you have any tips on RSS feeds or Atoms or anything else, clue me in!

OMG! I don't believe this!

2007-04-16T23:09:00.000-05:00

I've been made a "Featured Artist" on the ZNE website! Is someone out there still playing April Fool's jokes??? Because seriously...how did I get in with this great group of artists? All the ones I stalk and worship? Go check this out!

http://www.znespirit.com/

All I keep thinking is, in the words of 'Frank Barrone', Raymond's dad on "Everybody Loves Raymond"...Holy crap!
Thank you, Chel!!!

Confessions of an ADD Crafter

2007-04-13T08:27:00.000-05:00

This is a new project for me-I have never done anything like this, but, I don't think it will be too hard. I made this quilt about 12 years ago, when Allison was a baby. I needed to "get out of the house", and our church was starting a quilting group. I knew the basics, but had never made one, so I started going. The first thing we did was make a whole bunch of 9-patch blocks and exchanged them. The we sewed them up and added our own border and voila! My first quilt. It's a lap size, not big enough to curl up in, and I've always wanted it bigger. So...here I go! This picture shows where I've taken off the outer border and binding, just leaving a small muslin border around the squares...

This is the border and binding I removed...I have always hated this particular combo, so I'm glad it's done! Now I'm working on removing that muslin border, which will take a little longer just because I have to also remove the stars I quilted all around it. But, it's one of those things that will be nice to do at night, watching 'Law & Order', when my brain is done and can't really be productive anyway. When that border is gone, I'm adding more 9-patch squares and making it bigger.

I'll interupt now for one of Claire's projects...

Yesterday, Claire decided that she wanted to recycle, and "make something new out of something that would have been thrown away". The result? A rainstick! She actually did this all by herself with NO help from me, as I was working on something else and didn't even know what she was doing-you know, being Mom of the Year and all.... Anyway, she got an empty paper towel roll, actually went into the trash and got out two napkins (that I guess weren't really too dirty-lol!), some yarn, and lentils out of the bag I keep around for just such things. She put a napkin on one end of the paper towel roll and tied it on with the yarn, put in some lentils, then tied the other napkin onto the other end. I think it came out really cute, and it even sounds good-somehow she knew just the right amount of lentils to use.

This is the start of another one of my projects...it will be a needlebook. It goes with a matching pincushion and tote bag. All of which are in various stages of production.

But that's not all! Even though I don't have pictures yet, I also have 2 new purses in the works...and I do mean new in every sense of the word. I have never made these before, and since I can't follow a pattern to save my life, it's all coming straight out of my head, and I'm just making it up as I go along! I guess we'll see how those turn out in a couple of days. So just to get this straight in my head, I'm remaking a quilt, working on a needlebook and pincushion, a tote bag and two purses. Oh wait...I forgot about the 2 log cabin pillows-one is already quilted and just needs the backing, and the other is all patched, but still needs to be quilted and backed. So that's, what...8 projects for me. Oops! Nine actually-a blanket/quilt/throw for a friend's son. Somebody please tell me it's not just me! lol!

Apron Mini Swap!

2007-04-09T09:16:00.000-05:00

YEA! What a great swap! This was fun-the making and putting together, and the receiving. I actually think making the apron was the most fun, for me, anyway.

I made up a package for Cate and Tess. The only thing I'm worried about is the size of the apron...it's a 'one size fits all' pattern, and I'm not good at altering, so, I know it will be big enough for her to wear for a long time-which I want-but I hope it's not TOO big for now.

The apron I made for Tess is a full 'ladybug' apron. Claire picked out the fabric...and Claire loves ladybugs and thinks everybody should have some, so, ladybugs it was! lol! Here's a shot of the full thing...

And this is a shot of the pocket detail...

And, surprise! The ladybug apron reverses to a bumblebee apron!

Close up of the pocket...

I made this for Cate...a "cup cuff". This was my first try with one of those, and I hope it stays on the cup! Guess I should have paid more attention to that string while I was taking the picture. It's driving me nuts...lol.

Getting everything ready to go...

Here's a close up of the little stuff...place mat, pencils, stickers, Easter Egg Chickie, the buttons I covered, the little bag of vintage buttons and some candies, a couple of fat quarters and the 'cup cuff' thing.

And this is what we received! Oh my gosh, Crystal and Eryn, what a package! Claire got The Cutest Apron Ever, along with a matching oven mitt, her own cookbook and a "Ramona" book by Beverly Cleary..."Ramona the Pest". I love Ramona and had most of her books when I was younger (hmmm, wonder what happened to those?) and if I didn't have it, doesn't mean I didn't read it! I checked a lot out of the library also. Aside from the "Little House on the Prairie" series, "Ramona" was probably my favorite. Then, Crystal added in TONS of fabric! Most of it being Tracy Porter, which I LOVE. I like Denyse Schmidt and Amy Butler and all, but I just really LOVE Tracy Porter! Crystal really knows how to play me! lol! She also included some orange ribbons, which Claire keeps trying to take-orange is her favorite color-but I want a chance to see what I can do with it first. lol!

So, here is Claire in her apron and oven mitt-she loves them so much, and wants me to make her more "mittens". Ladybug ones, especially! lol!

Here's a picture of the whole package-minus the oven mitt because I couldn't get it away from her. I'm just lucky I even got the apron at all!

This is a close up of the books and fabrics.

Thanks so much to everyone...from organizers to all participants, especially Crystal and Eryn! We really had fun!

Things I've been up to...

2007-04-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Making more of these little Easter Egg Chicks like I did last year. Of course, I want to make one for everybody, but I'm running out of time! This is a little Shabby Chic one...probably should have photographed that one on a darker background.

Getting some swaps out. This is from the Fat Quarter Swap for March. The first picture is the swap I sent out...all the way to Australia...she's way into Hello Kitty!

And this is what I received. I love these fabrics! And she knows I like cherries right now, so she made me a pair of cherry earrings and also sent some cherry ribbon!

This is from the Matchbox Swap-the theme was 'By the Sea'. Here's everything all wrapped up and ready to go. I don't have pictures of everything, but here are two of the items I included...

This is a magnet I made out of beads and a dolphin charm. I thought that actually was the cutest thing I made for this swap.

I also included this stretchy, slip on bracelet...if you can't tell, those big things hanging down are fish.

And, I also made this bracelet, that I call the "Cheater Bracelet". The whole bracelet was already made, and all I did to it was add on the charms. But...I'm going to start making more and they will be real. Well, sorta. I bought a blank chain to play with, and I also have some bead string-that waxed linen stuff-and some stretchy stuff. I got some closures, too, so we'll see how that goes. Once my studio gets finished and I can solder again, I can make my own charms.

Another first, for me...a cup cuff. Reuse these on your coffee cups from Starbucks or where ever to cut down on the paper waste from the cardboard insulators they use.

And last but not least...sometimes I just like to mindlessly sit around and embroider some of the main lines in the design of a fabric. I actually back it with batting and muslin, so it's almost like quilting it. It makes the design really stand out and gives it some texture. This is the one I'm playing with now...I think it will eventually be a pillow.

***I'll give the Mini Apron Swap it's own post this weekend! Check back for some REALLY super cute stuff!

Flower at the San Antonio Zoo

2007-04-03T15:16:00.001-05:00

Flower at the San Antonio Zoo
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

Guess what I got for this picture? An "Awesome Shot" award on Flickr! Now I know somebody out there likes at least one of my pictures!

You Can Learn a Lot from Blogs

2007-04-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault

I found this quote today on Stargazer and I immediately knew it was one of those that I need to remember. I tell myself, basically, the same thing every single day, but, having it all put together like that just made it all so nice and neat.

The thing is, I actually start out enjoying the 'little things', but, between one or the other of the kids that little thing usually quickly deteriorates into one of the 'fight things'. And by the time we've actually gotten to that part, I've worked so, so hard to keep it from going there that it just becomes one of 'those things' you want to forget. About once or twice a year (and I am not exaggerating) we will have one of those nirvana moments...we are all together, everyone is in a good mood, there isn't any fighting and we're all having a good time...and that is when I want to just stop time for a little bit and let that mood linger because, really, that is all I've ever wanted. And I'm so afraid that the girls are going to grow up and hate Ethan, or that Ethan is going to grow up and hate everyone. And maybe if I can get the kids to enjoy the little things that are going on when Claire suddenly states, out of nowhere, "Purple is my favorite color.", and Ethan comes back, with smoke and fire coming out of his ears, nose and mouth, "NO IT ISN'T! YOU'RE FAVORITE COLOR IS ORANGE!!!", that it does not matter one bit who's favorite color is
what, or whether the sky is blue or light blue, they will finally learn that those little things are a lot more fun than the fighting.

And I know this is more of a BlogSmith post, but I wanted it over here, too, because: 1) I'm pretty sure everyone needs to read that quote and, 2) If anyone is ever going to understand me and/or my whole arts and crafts procedure, schedule,why I get so easily overwhelmed or whatever, this is what I'm dealing with every single day.

I just love these!

2007-03-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

Makes it easy to type up quick and in-a-flash what's been going on or what you need to do!

Julie-I'm almost done! I promise!
Terri-I'm so sorry I keep forgeting! I promise I'll get it out today or tomorrow!
Drewzel-Same thing! It's ready to go-just haven't been able to get by the post office.
Liz-Two words. Super. JoAnn's.
Seriously...I'm so sorry I've gotten so behind! I was doing so good! Well, up until Spring Break. Then I think the problem was, I had a couple of days to slow down and think, and all the stress just caught up with me and I turned totally lame. And Steven's birthday is the 3rd, although that isn't that big of a deal (Pppfffffttt! Don't tell him I said that!) But, Easter falls on Allison's birthday this year...so, 2 holidays in one. AND, her friend is trying to work with me to set up some kind of "wake-up surprise follow the notes treasure hunt to her house special thing" for the day before her birthday PLUS Allison wants a sleepover but doesn't quite get why it really isn't a good idea to plan that on Easter weekend! And, right now as I type, Claire is begging me to make MATCHING BATHING SUITS for her and Allison! Wha?!? #1: It's still March! #2-I can't sew anything that stretches! Claire says, "Mom! All you need is a pattern!" How in the world did she get that much confidence in me??? And I must brag on Ethan here...he loves to draw and is actually very good at it. So, one of his drawings/paintings was selected for the Art Master's thing to represent his school for the district, and that show is tonight! I'm not sure what happens there, but I am excited!

OK-wait...this was just supposed to be a nice quick "let people know I'm still alive" post. Not a nervous breakdown post. Usually the nervous breakdown posts are reserved for BlogSmith! Guess I'll stop here...just wanted everyone to know I haven't forgotten you!

Tote Bag for Kaylee

2007-03-22T17:09:00.001-05:00

Tote Bag for Kaylee
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

I've been meaning to add this here for a while. My friend Jamie, who's husband is in the Army, just got reassigned to Australia! Great for them, but, Jamie was a great friend here in San Antonio, and I will miss them.

Anyway-with the long flight and all the other things I'm sure they were going to have to take care of, her daughter needed to be 'entertained'. So I made this tote bag for her, and filled it with crayons, drawing paper, playing cards, and stuff like that. I sure hope it helped, at least a little bit!

And I don't even like cake!

2007-03-20T20:57:00.001-05:00

And I don't even like cake!
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

Nope...not much of a cake eater at all! But my friend, Gayla, told me how to make this on Friday, and by Saturday I couldn't stand it any longer! I just had to have some! This is THE yummiest, moistest cake you will ever have!

I don't even know if this cake has a name, but, I'll just call it:

Super Yummy Chocolate Cake

1 stick of butter, melted, in a 13 X 9 cake pan
1 cup of brown sugar, stirred into the melted butter
2 packages of chopped up walnuts, sprinkled over all of that
1 box of cake mix (I personally chose Devil's Food) made up
according to instructions.

Pour mixed up caked mix over the melted butter, sugar and walnuts. (Be sure and leave enough in the bowl to scrape and eat!) Then bake according to cake directions.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert onto large platter, cookie pan, or whatever you have.

Oh! And eat it warm! You will think you have died and gone to heaven!

Bluebonnet

2007-03-20T16:30:00.001-05:00

Bluebonnet
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

The Bluebonnets are out in force! I saw one or two on the way to Houston last Wednesday. But by Sunday they were really starting to pop up everywhere, so I had to stop and take some pictures. This is one-taken along I-10 between Houston and San Antonio on the way home Sunday.

Some button history...

2007-03-19T19:20:00.000-05:00

I got this e-newsletter from DRG Books and it had this little article in it about buttons that I thought was kind of interesting. Maybe you will, too!

Brief Button History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2000 BC

The earliest decorative buttons were unearthed at archaeological digs in the Indus Valley. They were made from shells of various sea mollusks, carved into circular and triangular shapes, and pierced with two holes for sewing them to a garment. Historians have determined that buttons were purely ornamental for almost 3,500 years.

13th Century

Baggy, free-flowing attire was beginning to be replaced with tighter, form-fitting clothing. A belt alone could not achieve the new look, and pins were easily misplaced. Buttons became popular as garment fasteners.

16th Century

Metal and jeweled buttons were used in abundance! French King Frances I ordered 13,400 gold buttons from his jeweler, which were then fastened to a single black velvet suit. Louis XIV is said to have spent over $5 million on jeweled buttons.

18th Century

The first buttons were made in the United States by Caspar Wistar, a German immigrant. The design on buttons often reflected how the wearer felt about issues of the day, such as scenes of the French Revolution and engraved eagles after the American Revolution.

19th Century

During her long period of mourning, Queen Victoria used black jet buttons almost exclusively, setting a trend that resulted in black glass buttons becoming the most popular style of this era.

20th Century

Art Nouveau, two World Wars, the Roaring '20s and the playfulness of Disney characters all influenced buttons. In World War I, the British Army used 367 different kinds of buttons, and spent $500,000 per year just for the paste used to polish them.

21st Century

Buttons of the 21st century are yet to be determined, but the trend is towards decorative and fun. Use buttons to embellish a collar or lapel, accent a pocket or seam, or create a decoration of your own. When it comes to decorating, cast your mind back to your childhood button-box days and let your imagination be your guide.

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So, back from Spring Break. Went back home to Kingwood and had lots of fun! I can update on that when I get the pictures uploaded...but, as much fabric and beads and all the crafty stuff I could think I might possibly need, and packed, I did not get ONE THING done! lol! Why do I think I'm always going to have all this extra time sitting around at my mom's house???

These are fun!

2007-03-17T00:27:00.000-05:00

*here's the link if you want one, too!
http://www.blyberg.net/card-generator/

The Christian Carlos Auction Fund...

2007-03-09T13:25:00.001-06:00

Black and white quilted purse...

Inside shot...

Reversed shot...

Is now over...and a lovely, generous person has won my black and white quilted, reversable purse.

Just thought I'd throw a shot in here of it, and of the quilted thank-you card I included in the package.

Quilted Postcard for Auction Winner
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

I actually made 2 of these types of cards yesterday...the other one for Ethan's teacher, who truly deserves a token of appreciation every singe day. But...I forgot to take a picture of it. But trust me...it was very cute! A blue and red cherry fabric mixed with other coordinating prints.

*And I really need to learn Photoshop of whatever to take out the rough edges of a picture/scan.*

Hot Chocolate and a Monkey

2007-02-28T12:11:00.001-06:00

Hot Chocolate and a Monkey
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

What's on your desk today?

PLEASE-don't forget!

2007-02-25T10:38:00.000-06:00

The Christian Carlos Fund Auction goes live on Ebay tomorrow, Feb. 26, 2007!

Go and bid on some beautiful art for a good cause!

Yikes...it's been a while!

2007-02-25T10:31:00.000-06:00

Too much going on here to even BEGIN to tell you...I don't think I even remember anything before 15 minutes ago-my brain has lost control of it's long and short term memory sections.

Just know that I'm still here...and working on projects between meeting with school principals and uh, "jail school wardens". Looooooonngg story!

And now, I have 2 hours to make a birthday present for a 4 year old and take a shower.

And uh, if you pray for people...you might want to start with me and Ethan! ha!

The Apron Swap Mini Swap Meme!

2007-02-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

All of the members of this swap are posting this, so we can get to know each other better. So, you don't have to read it if you don't want to. But, hey-who wouldn't want to???

1. What is your first food memory? Not sure how old I was...2 or 3...but I remember my mom giving me a Chips A'hoy cookie and telling me to make sure I didn't "share" it with the dog. And I went outside and sat on the back porch, took one or two bites out of the cookie, and gave the rest to the dog! lol!

2. What was your favorite dish/food as a child? Enchiladas/Mexican Food

3. Name one of your mini's favorite foods: Hamburgers

4. What was your mini's first solid food? Rice cereal, I think. Did they love it or hate it? She liked it.

5. What was something you were excited to make for your mini for the first time? Pppffffffffftttttt! This is where you learn I don't cook much! Plus, by the time I got to this mini, she was my third, so I wasn't all excited so much. lol!

6. What is your favorite food memory? Hmmmmm...this is a hard one. Oh wait! Can it be a drink??? I'm telling the Kool-Aid story anyway, because it really is my favorite! I was 10 and my brother was 7, and for some reason my mom let us have red Kool-Aid. (I can only imagine what my house would look like if my kids had red Kool-Aid!) My brother was in the kitchen, and had JUST poured himself a glass of red Kool-Aid and was bringing the pitcher back to the refridgerator. I walked in and thought, "Hey, free Kool-Aid! Plus it'll piss Brian off, which makes it even better." Anyway, I picked up the glass and took a big drink...he started yelling about it being HIS Kool-Aid, give it back, and all that. Then he slapped me on the back...I choked and the Kool-Aid came up and out of my nose in a full, heavy stream and, miraculousy poured itself RIGHT BACK INTO THE GLASS!!! If I had tried to plan that it never would have happened. Then I handed the glass back to him and said, "Here ya go.", and walked out.

7. Your mini's birthday party : All out theme with perfect kid food ala Martha? or Quiet family home party with scrumptious cupcakes? Something in-between? Quiet at home thing with a store bought cake and paper plates and napkins that she picks out.

8. Name one thing you absolutely love to make and eat when you are feeling like a kid again: Seriously...I don't make anything. Unless it's cookies.

9. Name something you ate as a kid that you now look back on and wonder "what were my childhood taste buds thinking??" I would drink the pickle juice out of the jar.

10. Name 3 things your mini loves (doesn't have to be food related): Her Daddy!!! The color orange; she's very crafty and loves making things out of anything! She rarely plays with any sort of 'organized' toy or game...but give her some popsicle sticks, glue, tape, crayons, paper and scissors, and she'll be busy for the rest of the day!

Still no USB cord...

2007-02-13T09:59:00.000-06:00

And I've got pictures to show! Grrrrrrrrr!!! Somebody remind me to get Steven to help me with the Nikon software, at least!

My parents were here over the weekend, so they painted the darker green (La Fonda) over the green that was so light you couldn't tell where the white ended and the green began. It looks great!

And the shelving in my office is REALLY coming along! And with Steven the Engineer putting it all together, it will be the sturdiest, most safe cabinets, desk and shelving ever made! It has to be made to withstand my kids. And the only thing they have broken so far is the drawer face off of a drawer that hadn't been installed yet. Of course, the electric drill and saw are in super secret hiding while he is not using them! lol!