FishEyes and Magpies

The Dog Days of Summer

This is why summer sucks:

1.) It's hot.  I hate hot.

2.) High electric bills

3.) It's busy.  As much as I love my family, I can't wait until the visiting is over. 

4.) The kids are home.  I love them, too, but seriously.  I'm hanging on by a thread.

5.) It's hard to get into knitting. 

Anyhow, doom and gloom aside, how's your summer going?

Here are some photos to make you smile...

My niece (right) and my best friend's daughter thought it would be a great idea to shove Mr. Potatohead mustaches up their nostril.  It was good for a few laughs.

Mag-nadoodle is getting big.  She's eight months now and...challenging.  She's all over the house now, picking up little things off the floor like a baby Hoover.  She's also pulling herself up to stand and starting to cruise.  She is definitely a handful!  But oh, so cute...

...When she's sleepy.

Is summer over yet?

I had a whole post written.  Pictures and all.  Then the website froze.  Blah.

Anyhow, this is what is up--the abbreviated version, considering I already wrote this post once today.

First of all, these kids are going to be the death of me.  That, or I'll need to be committed. 

The quilt I'm working on.  Everything was going well. 

The idea to make this quilt came to me while driving.  I looked over at some trees, it was foggy, and I thought, "I wish I could recreate that."   Then, like a flash, it came to me--organza.  I would layer organza, embroidering skeletal trees on every level, creating the illusion of depth.  As the layers got piled on, the trees would fade. 

It worked like a dream.

Then I started quilting.  Everything was going well--amazingly well--when little Maggie Marie woke up from her nap.  She start fussing.  And I called out to her, "Just a minute, Maggie, lemme just finish this."  As if her little seven month old brain understood that.  Well, I pretty much screwed myself.  Now I was rushing a round of stitching while listening to a baby fuss.  I was working under duress.

While I was rushing, I falled to notice my work snagged in the back...in two places.

I don't know what to do!  Do I remove all the stitching from the last two rows?  Do I try to work out the kink with some steam?  This is what I get for ignoring Magpie.

Anyhow, it's still a very pretty quilt--or, will be.  I still have to finish it (after fixing the glitch.)

My next quilt is going to be a gift for my best friend.  She wants a french country style wall hanging to match her decor.  I've never coordinated a quilt with decor.  We'll see how it goes.

I also have some other great ideas.  I've been busy sketching away.  Unfortunately, my studio is a wreck.  Sean, my little terror, decided to unravel all my spools of ribbon.  All of them.  All over the floor.  The studio was a mess to begin with.  I haven't had much of a chance to settle in up there.  Whenever I go up to my room, I have to bring Maggie, and she is into EVERYTHING right now.  She's crawling and mouthing any object she finds. 

My newest niece was born May 31st!  Her name is Rosina April-Inez Braud.  :)  I'm going to see her this weekend! 

That's it for now.  I'm hoping that, by some miracle, the kids all pass out.  I'm sooo tired.

Who needs friends, anyway?

Well, that would be me.

I really need to make some friends in my area.  Like minds, you know?  I have one friend here, and I love her (we've been friends eleven years), but we don't have anything in common anymore, besides our past and the fact that we are both mothers.  (As opposites go, we couldn't be more different.) 

And the kids are driving me bananas.  Absolutely nuts. 

Eh, gripe, gripe, gripe...that's what you want to hear, right?

So, how does one make friends?  I haven't made any new ones since...sometime in the early 2000's. 

This is what I'm looking for in a friend:

--likes to cook/bake/clean.  I'm domestic, and I want someone equally so.  I'm tired of being laughed at for my enthusiasm for clipping coupons.

--is crafty in some way.  Even if she's creating cowboys out of bottle caps, it would be nice to have a friend who understands the need to create.

--likes vintage/kitchy/retro things.  I love old stuff. 

--Is somewhat intelligent.  (This is a must.)

--likes movies...good movies.  Sure, blockbusters are okay, but a true movie buff looks past the glitz and glam and seeks out movies for their quality--not their money-making capabilties.

--likes zombie and martial arts movies.  A little violence never hurt anyone...

--drinks.  A cocktail a day keeps the white men in coats away.

--has a good sense of humor.

--READS.  No one reads anymore. 

--likes to play board games/ cards.  No one does this, either.  Whatever happened to ladies getting together to play cards? 

--is not too full of themselves.  There is nothing worse than someone who feels they have to make themself sound better than they actually are.  It's not a competition. 

So, there it is.  This is what I want my friend to be.  I'm not asking too much, right? 

Ugh, I'm so bored.

It's a finished project, hooray!

I don't need the lectures.  I know I haven't been around.  I've been busy...oh so busy...

But hey, look at this picture!  It's a FO!  It's an FO by me! 

Baby Brogue Booties from the book, "First Crochet."  I used Plymouth brushed alpaca yarn (bulky weight) and a size 8 hook.  It was a quick project and it's for my preggo sis who is due any day!  Enjoy!  I have to go yell at a little boy who refuses to stop playing on the stairs...

Happy Homemaker

Alright.  It is almost done.  The house is almost clean.  Not today, and probably not tomorrow, but sometime this week I can pull off my rubber gloves and rest easy...then start doing what I really want to be doing--sewing.  Embroidering.  Drawing.  Planning.  Etcetera, etcetera.

Until then, here is a sketch I did back in '05. 

That is how little I have been doing craft-wise--I'm posting sketches from THREE YEARS AGO.

Anyhow, I have been doing a little work.  I'll post it either later or tomorrow...probably tomorrow, as I am tired.  And lazy.

Welcome to my lair...muwah ha ha!

First of all, here is a shot of me and my new necklace, which I mentioned a few posts ago:

This is my studio:

 

The room is a super mess...and yes.  That's a roll of toilet paper near my computer.  Sean was rolling it down the stairs...

Just a quick Hello!

Hello!

(I'm working on organizing my craft room so I can get down to business!  I will post a pic later!)

Is that a lemon in your lap...or are you just happy to see me?

This past Friday I did something I haven't done in a loooooong time.  I went out.  With a friend.  To drink.

This is a good thing, right?  A woman needs a break from her brood every now and again.

I had a little too much to drink, though, and made an ass of myself...a few times.

Towards the end of the night, my best friend, Michele, and I are standing at the bar talking to two guys (innocently--I'm married, remember?), and she (or I--I really can't remember) decides it's time to do a shot.  So, she buys all four of us lemon drops. 

Here is my moment to shine--to not look like the novice.  I slam my drink in one gulp, grab my lemon wedge, and bite down.  Then, I take the soggy, sugary lemon and toss it into  my glass, no, wait...it went into the guy's lap.  He was still brushing sugar off his pants ten minutes later.

What can I say?  I'm all sorts of classy.

...Saturday morning I remember why I usually stay home Friday nights with my three kids.  My head ached so bad that I smelled smoke.  I was sure the booze gave me a tumor.

Above:  Me before my night of debauchery...   

Sneak a peek

I almost forgot about some embroidery I'm working on.  It's actually a block that will belong to a larger piece.  It's all wrinkled from the move, but check it out anyway:

I've also taken some wildlife photos:

Those damn kids are still tp-ing the tree--in the middle of the day while I'm here.  It's not funny anymore.  I wish I could catch the little pricks jerks in the act.  It's almost as if it's being done by mischievous, invisible pixies.   

On the bright side, though, I don't have to buy toilet paper for a while...

Now I can be the Queen Bee

I made a purchase today.  Check it out:

I also purchased the most wonderful soap and candle a few weeks back and forgot to give kudos to the seller. 

If you click on the pictures, it will bring you to the listing for the items.  Below are the links to the stores.

BirdzNBeez

LotusSyfn

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I decided today was going to be a "clean-a-little-draw-a-lot-day."  I have ideas for new quilts and I have to get them down on paper.  Space is limited in this ol'cranium.

Since I haven't posted any crafty stuff lately, I will post my preliminary sketches once I have some.  Hopefully there will be a few to post tomorrow.