Les Fleurs Jolies

 

I was so happy to get this piece made. I've been thinking of it for days now. Its on a piece of door that was in our neighbor's dumpster....shhhhhh. I have it listed for $38 in the shop. I have a couple more pieces of door that I am working on. Sadly, they took the dumpster away. But they replaced it with a new and empty one so who know's....

The next piece involves a deer antler. I need to find some eye hooks.

Craft for the Birds

 

Ok, so this is not an original idea. I had seen this on etsy, and it looked like something the kids could do. I purchased the grapevine ball at Hobby Lobby. Believe it or not, the kids stuck bits of yarn and fabric in this thing for a good 20 minutes with little argument. Its probably a little late in the season for nesting but who knows? We just might find a bird nest with some gold glitter yarn woven into it. We've nestled the ball in a crape myrtle out front.

The Afghan of Love and Scraps

 

I've always wanted to make a mish mash scrap afghan big enough for two people to snuggle under. This is a MONSTER. Its probably 7 feet wide. I've been working on it for about a week now. Its double stranded. I have two balls of yarn going that are scraps tied together.

I am not looking forward to tucking ends...

Father's Day

Well, so much for big plans. Fern felt hot last night and woke up with a pretty high fever of 102.6 under the arm. She threw up once (all over me - hey, at least it wasn't dad). Her fever has sort of come and gone all day, but no more puking and a whole lot of nursing. At least I know she is hydrated.

We gave Scott his gifts: a half-pint of Jim Beam, a bar of Pabst Blue Ribbon Soap, a new rain gauge, and some scratch-off tickets. We had previously given him a hoe. He took Lulu to the pool this afternoon.

This evening, its hot wings, cole slaw and homemade ice cream with peaches.

Yesterday, we noticed a few fruit trees near the road on the way to the house. Turns out they are sugar pears and damson plums. Scott and Lulu went and got permission from the folks to pick them. Lulu and I picked a few plums last night but we need to go back with a ladder. Its going to make the BEST jam. The pears aren't quite ready but we will be back when they are!

The shop is going well. I've sold quite a bit lately, even hats and scarves.

Speaking of crochet, I am working on a HUGE AFGHAN. Pics tomorrow.

The Garden is Coming Along!

 

 

 

 

We have a few tomatoes turning and the squash are coming. We have nine squash plants - Scott cannot get enough squash apparently. We can sell or donate the excess.

An Addiction to Handmade Soap

Between my friend who makes goat's milk soap and all of the soapers on etsy, I have become addicted to handmade soap. Commercial soap is really nothing more than a harsh detergent with the glycerin removed. The handmade soaps are so much nicer. Today, I placed an order from http://dennisanderson.etsy.com. He has lovely soaps, and recently quit his real job to pursue his soaping full time!

I purchased tangerine bergamot, peppermint oatmeal, pomegranate olive oil, lavender fields (I love lavender), the poor man's beer soap (for Scott for Father's Day), and some lotion in a Blackberry Amber scent.







Bath and body items are probably my favorite things to purchase on etsy. I have a a few soapers like Dennis and Hiromi (http://soap.etsy.com) that I purchase from regularly, but I also have a long list of shops that I will try in the future eventually. Really, once you use handmade soap, you cannot go back to the store crap.

The girls and I ended up going to IKEA today. All of our kitchen chairs are old and broken so I picked up 4 Herman chairs. I got a few new towels, some potholders, scissors, and a beach tote. I put the girls in the childcare there and they had a blast. I enjoyed a little peace and quiet as I tried every chair IKEA had to offer. I really liked the clear ones but they were $90 each.

I've got to get back into the gym again. I've been lazy of late and I gained back the 12 lbs I lost. I have a raging ear inner infection that makes me dizzy, so hopefully this antibiotic will do the trick. There is no denying that I will have to have surgery eventually to get rid of these chronic ear infections. Ugh.

The garden is coming along. We had our first harvest on Sunday. I harvested the Swiss chard, and sauteed it with some garlic and olive oil. Lulu loves it, Fern not so much. We do have one red tomato and a few green ones. The beans are coming along too. We cut down the size of the garden a little this year so hopefully we can keep up with picking.

Pretty soon, it will be blueberry picking time and we will make jam. When peaches come in, we'll do preserves. They make lovely Christmas gifts and its fun to do together.

Speaking of family time, we are on the lookout for a big tent, like an 8 person tent. Yes, we are only 4 but I am very claustrophobic and need the extra room. We are so looking forward to taking the girls camping at some point this summer.

MEDUSA of the Woods

These are a couple of newly listed items in the shop. Love those eyes!

Very exciting news! I am finally getting a dress form. Scott's aunt has one in her basement that she is giving me. w00t! I am hoping that using it to photograph my clothing will make a big difference in sales.

I managed to snag a treasury yesterday. Check it out here:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=49072

I did wake up to find I sold a painting. "Rosemary Takes a Bubble Bath" is on its way to a new home.

Pictures from the Yard

 

 

 

 

More pictures as promised. The headboard and the concrete stand are things I found by the side of the road. I will probably make a bird bath to go on the stand. The headboard will probably get painted and used in my Farmer's Market booth.

There are more pictures of the garden, and a couple of the bluebird houses.

I have been fascinated with guerilla knitting. I started this purple piece and then realized it was too narrow to go around much, so I made Scott a hoe cozy.

Garden of Eating and Bluebirds Too!

This is our 2008 veggie garden. We are growing sweet corn, tomatoes, eggplant, hot peppers, banana peppers, carrots, onions, potatoes, green beans, Swiss chard, cucumbers, yellow squash, and zucchini.

We also have blueberries, apple trees, grape vines, and a fig bush. I will have some more pictures once I get them turned around and saved.

Oh, and we have a total of 9 bluebird eggs between the two boxes! How exciting! If they all hatch and fledge, that will make a total 14 this season. I also spotted a quail this morning as we drove down the dirt road. It was just peaking out from some poison ivy. I went to take a picture and it ran off.

Oh and mercury is in retrograde? That apparently explains a lot about the absolutely insane week I had last week.

I will be listing a ton of new stuff this week - fabric cuffs, vintage lingerie, a new baby blanket, two scarves, and even a few pillowcase dresses. That means dragging out the iron....OH NO!

Oh and I'll give you a peak at one of Scott's Father's Day gifts next time!

Locks of Love Donation!

 

I took the girls to get their summer haircuts yesterday. Lulu and I talked about donating her hair to Locks of Love a few times of the last few months. At first she wanted to do it since her penpal also did it. Then, she changed her mind. Well yesterday, she decided she wanted to donate her hair. So the folks at Great Clips did their thing and Lulu was able to donate 4 10" long ponytails of gorgeous hair. I am very proud of her.

In bluebird news, we currently have one box with 4 eggs and a second box with 3 eggs last time we checked. We fledged 5 birds a few weeks ago before adding the second box. We think we have enough room for a couple more boxes.

I have made some nice sales lately through the shop. I woke this morning to see that I sold my pink and black gardening visor. Hooray! It was very cute.

I am furiously trying to keep up with spring and summer stock while also making new items for my fall collection of hats and scarves. I have some really interesting things in the works. Stay tuned!

Wild Wookie Stashbuster!

So in light of my supply restriction, I am forced to be extra creative. I started to knit a cowl and got bored so I turned it into a hood. I think I used 20 different yarns. It might be my imagination (or wishful thinking) but I think I can actually see my stash growing smaller.

We had a fun night last night with the MOMS Club of Gainesville. It was a family potluck at Laurel Park. We were supposed to have the Sprayground to ourselves but it was a little chilly for water play. My sweet husband agreed to put on a little talk about bears for the kids for the evening entertainment. I think they enjoyed it. Despite the fact that he hates speaking publicallly, he does so well with the kids.

Its overcast here today. I have a few new projects I am working on - a painting, a vest, some hats. I think I'll drag out paints for the girls too.

I am on restriction!

Ok, well its a voluntary restriction. I am not going to buy any craft supplies between May 19 and June 19. During that time, I have to use what I have. (If I get a custom order and need to buy something, I can.) Its forcing me to be quite creative, and to finish some projects that I started.

I have been knitting some amazing scarves and hats. I am using up stash pretty quickly. I have some very, very amazing pieces to list this fall for my 2008 Fall/Winter Collection. Stay tuned...

I am still on the hunt for a dress form. I think it would make a huge difference in my sales if I could photograph my vintage and handmade clothing on a dress form.

School has ended for the year. I was a weepy weepy mess at kindy graduation. I was thrilled to death when Lulu won an award for art. The art teach recognized 6 or so kindy students who showed excellent talent in art and Lulu won! I was so proud.

We are looking to buy a tent soon and hopefully, we can do a LOT of camping this summer.

JAKES Day and Moccassin Creek

Yesterday, we headed up to Smithgall Woods to attend the Jakes Day by the National Wild Turkey Federation. The girls got to see lots of animals, including snakes, hawks, a owl, and turtles. Lulu and I had pictures take with a Harrison hawk on our heads. Lucy also got to shoot a BB gun. She is obssessed with all things law enforcement lately, including the show Cops. She enjoyed meeting all of the law enforcement guys. Or maybe she just has a thing for men in uniform, just like her mama. Yummers!

After Smithgall, we headed up to Moccassin Creek State Park to do a little fishing. How frustrating it is to see an assload of fish and not catch a single one. Lots of bites, but I think those fish are really saavy. Regardless, it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the view. Lake Burton and Moccassin Creek are two of my favorite places. I would love to spend a week up there camping with the family. You can rent boats, bikes, canoes, kayaks, etc. They have a playground and a kiddie fishing pond. Really, we need a big, big tent and we are set.

Lulu and Scott went to Atlanta today to see a Braves game with his dad and his dad's great-grandson. Its Lulu's first game so I hope they have fun. Of course, Scott wore his Ryan Klesko jersey.

Entertainer of the Year

Our MOMS Club Annual banquet was Tuesday night at the Chattahoochee Country Club. I wasn't going to go but Christine was going and offered to drive. I just hate getting dressed up, mostly because I have no clothes that are stay-at-home-mom stuff and I am too fat for anything super cool.

But I managed to pull something together and go. I ended up receiving the award for Most Entertaining/Funniest Mom. That was really sweet. I also won an auction for 3 hours of babysitting. It never occurred to me to donate something for the auction, say a pretty tutu and tiara or $100 gift certificate to electric bluebird.

I had a wonderful time. I am so lucky to have hooked up with such a great group of moms. I look forward to seeing what the new board plans for the club.

I whipped out my paints and knitting needles again. I needed a change. I haven't decided if I am knitting a scarf or scarflette. The picture is called "Cats Don't Eat Cupcakes".

The New Addtion!

 

 

 

 

Scott visited a woman in Lula today who found a baby red-tailed hawk that had fallen out of its nest. Until he can find a rehabber to take it, we are fostering Roscoe. He's very cute, a big ball of fluff. He's been eating ground beef and has a good appetite. The girls are quite taken with him. Scott said maybe he would take up falconry...hahaha.

I am still recovering from my fall from the merry-go-round. I have some lovely bruises. I haven't check youtube yet to see if someone captured my gracefulness.

Happy Birthday Lulu!

We celebrated Lulu's birthday last night. She asked to go to Build-A-Bear and eat Chinese food so we headed down to the Mall of Georgia. She made a pink leopard with an Aurora outfit and she was named Peppermint Rose. Fern made a white kitty and chose a yellow fairy costume and she was named Beebop.

We took a ride on the merry-go-round. I made the mistake of riding with Lulu in the spinning bucket. As she twirled the bucket faster and faster, I was sure I was going to either throw up or pass out. I made the stupid decision to get up and exit the bucket and was subsequently was flung off the ride and onto the floor. The ride was still going just inches from me and I was afraid my foot or hand or piece of clothing would get entrapped. The ride finally stopped and I was helped up. I am quite sore and bruised this morning, particularly on my right side.

Kids, let that be a lesson for you. Do not move about the ride while it is in motion.

I added this new visor to the shop last night, inspired by birthday cake:



I will be adding more of these once I get my yoyos from http://yoyocottage.etsy.com.

Cupcakes and Jam

 

 

Half pints and pints of wonderful strawberry jam. Unfortunately, the first batch wasn't quite as mixed as I would like. Scott mashed the berries extra well for the second batch and we cooked it a little longer.

These are the cupcakes Lulu is taking to school in the morning. For some reason, she finds great delight in making the boys eat pink frosted cupcakes with Ariel on them. Tee hee hee!

 

 

 

 

Its hard to believe my baby is 6. We had a nice visit with Scott's mom and step-dad and aunt this weekend. There was much princess stuff involved. And tractor rides. We caught a couple of nice bass and a few brim. It was a beautiful day.

We've made cupcakes to share with Lulu's class tomorrow. (Bonnie, do not read any further.) They are from a Funfetti mix with pink frosting and purple sprinkles. Oh, in Ariel paper cups. I know - I hang my head in shame.

Oh Canada! And Strawberry Jam

 

 

How funny to see so many cars around town with Canadian license plates! I even ran in to the ones in the pictures several times. Turns out that the Canadian canoe/kayak team is having some sort of event at the Clarks Bridge Olympic Venue dow the road from us. Of course, my uncle Doug McKown is a world-reknowned Canadian canoe and kayak sensei and the author of several books on the subject.

We finally managed to go strawberry picking today. It rained the whole way there but it stopped just long enough for us to pick strawberries at a place outside Dahlonega. They were tasty. Oops! I guess its a good thing they didn't weigh us before and after picking! We will be making jam tonight.

'Coon in a Bucket!

Ewwwww. So there have been 18 confirmed cases of rabies in Hall County in the last few months. Last week, we noticed a dead raccoon in the creek. Yesterday, as I walked around our property I just about tripped over yet another dead raccoon. Did I mention it was right near the playset? Argh! So I tossed an old litter box over it so the dogs wouldn't mess with it.

Scott came home and tossed it into a 5-gallon plastic bucket and we made endless jokes about raccoon - its what's for dinner, raccoon helper, raccoon - the other white meat and so on. I will be walking around the yard with a heavy object from now on.

Scott's mom and step-dad finally listed Nana's place. If you have $1.7 million and want a very special place, check it out: http://landflip.com/land.asp?listing_id=6668. Its sad to see it up for sale. I have so many wonderful memories there, especially when Scott and I were first dating: tractor rides up the mountain, rowdy parties, hallucinating a talking jack rabbit in the pasture, lots of fishing, and on and on. I know the rest of the family has special memories there as well.