Aunt Polly's Blog

A halloween freebie ... and I HATE migraines!

2011-09-27T11:14:00.002-05:00

Home from work today and piled into bed in warm jammies after a warm shower, feeling like a dishrag after a night of migraine, medication (which makes the after-migraine suck that much more, but what can you do?), and is it allergies or a cold? My migraines always sneak up in the middle of the night. What's up with that sh*t?

I ... FEEL ... LIKE ... CRAP!!!

But BEFORE I felt like crap, I designed a lil Halloween freebie for you all ... please send some pics if you decide to do something with it.

Til next time ...

Long time no see ... and hopefully a freebie ...

2011-09-13T20:33:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness! Did you all think I'd disappeared ... dropped right off the face of the earth?? To be honest, I've been keeping up with all of you behind the scenes. It's been a busy summer filled with gardening, time in the greenhouse (an absolute JOY), canning, and a few new yard projects ...

And now it's FALL already! Yikes!!!

I've been playing a bit with a cross stitch program the last few evenings and would like to share a little freebie with you ... hope you enjoy ...

(Edited to say IT WORKED! I wasn't quite sure it would ...)

Til next time ...

The day the world changed ...

2011-09-11T08:47:00.000-05:00

Downtime in Thailand ...

2011-03-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

We were relieved to receive a middle of the night phone call from Quinn. It's so hard having your child on the other side of the world, especially in these uncertain times. He's working hard at his training in Thailand and making time for a little fun too ...

Quinn is in the white tee shirt. While on their "ride", they saw a cobra and a crocodile ... pretty fun stuff for a kid from the cornfields ...

A very special thank you ...

2011-03-11T18:17:00.000-06:00

to all my friends and loved ones that have e-mailed about my son, Quinn, who is stationed in Okinawa, Japan. First let me say that he is fine and on a temp duty assignment in Thailand. The island of Okinawa wasn't affected by the tsunami that has so devastated the mainland. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Japanese people.

Wishing you all ...

2010-12-22T09:12:00.000-06:00

peace filled holidays ... the joys of family ... and quiet moments of reflection ...

A great BIG thank you ...

2010-11-11T08:41:00.000-06:00

to my two boys ... my heroes ... from a grateful mom

It still sometimes takes my breath away when I think that my two handsome sons felt this calling ... they truly are my heroes ...

An arrest has been made ...

2010-10-30T08:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2010/10/29/dekalb-man-gets-murder-charges-in-case-of-missing-niu-student-antinette-toni-keller/a6w5f2u/

I'm stunned ... my community is stunned.

There is really little to be said. It can happen anytime, anyplace ...

My heart and prayers go out to Toni's family and I ask that yours do too ...

Horrible news on our missing student ...

2010-10-24T09:10:00.001-05:00

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2010/10/23/54156888/index.xml

Our hearts are broken ...

Something you think only happens in the "big cities" ... not in the middle of a cornfield in the middle of nowhere, USA. ~~Five~~ Three (correction: I think I wanted it to be longer ago than it actually was) years ago Valentine's Day, we lost five students to a gunman in a crowded lecture hall. Something you think only happens somewhere else ... not in the middle of a cornfield in the middle of nowhere, USA.

Not a good week for my community ...

2010-10-22T11:46:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, I work at Northern Illinois University. This has really been a long, tough week. One of our students went missing eight days ago and there has been no sign of what happened to her. We hope, we search, we pray, and try to hold each other up. I cannot for the life of me imagine what her parents are going through. Such a beautiful young woman ... gone without a trace ...

Sand casting is dry ...

2010-10-05T18:12:00.000-05:00

Please excuse my toes ... I'm a TERRIBLE photographer!

I'll let it dry a few days and then brush it good around the edges and in the veins and seal it with Thompson's and it's done! I love it! I can't wait to try some other things.

A terrific Saturday morning ...

2010-10-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

What a GREAT morning! I was up and out early this morning for a sand casting bird bath class through my local junior college. It was held at a private residence about 10 miles from me in a small town. The instructor's yard was incredible! I wish I had remembered my camera! She had a fire going in the back yard for us and she had us all set up to start right in.

Here's my rhubarb leaf bird bath ... tomorrow I can take the plastic off (I peeled it back for a picture) and Monday I can turn it over and let the leaf dry up. In a week's time, I can fill it with water for the birdies. I am toooooooooooo excited!!!

I've never posted the pictures of the finished greenhouse. It's finished except the wire shelving across the front windows ... but I'm not in a hurry til late winter anyway. We're having COLD nights here in northern Illinois so a few herbs have made their way inside and they seem to love it with new growth everywhere. It will be interesting to see how long they last through the fall.

If you look closely, you can see the stained glass window hubby surprised me with. I LOVE it! It will be fun in the spring to till up all around the greenhouse and put in my new flowerbeds. But for now, it's fall and I'm about ready to pack in the gardens and get ready to tuck up for the cold snowy months ahead.

No special plans for the day ... a nice, quiet autumn day watching my bird bath dry ...

Many thanks ...

2010-10-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

A special thank you to those of you who have e-mailed me. Your sweet e-mails have touched my heart. They truly have. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's so comforting to know that I have friends who know and understand.

Maybe it's time ...

2010-09-24T18:12:00.000-05:00

I explain why I've been so quiet. Life can sure throw you a curve ball when you least expect it. And forces you to stop and re-evaluate ... everything.

We lost our unborn granddaughter, Coraline Bella, at 22 weeks gestation on August 26. My heart is shattered.

With the tears came lots and lots of stitching. Hours spent quietly in my favorite chair pulling stitch after stitch. It's been good therapy for me. Big update to the website coming Monday night. Lots of new goodies -- little framed samplers, pillows, pinkeeps, and what not ... and lots more to finish up this weekend ...

Hope to see you Monday night!!

Looks like he's having fun ...

2010-08-22T19:53:00.002-05:00

Week-end fun in Okinawa ...

Sums it up perfectly ...

2010-08-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see ...
and knows what the mind cannot understand.

~ Robert Vallett

Out my bedroom window ...

2010-08-14T17:24:00.001-05:00

Hubby snapped this picture from our upstairs bedroom window ... he wanted to get a picture of the sunflowers along the back of the garden ... see them back there peeking over the top of the greenhouse? The tallest ones are about 11' tall now ...

A good chunk of today was spent in the heat and humidity under the Easy Up canopy painting rough side cedar for the trim ... I was soooooooooooo sure it would be barn red ... it's what I had envisioned from very early on in this little endeavor ... well, it's not going be barn red ... it's now Autumn Gray which is really a gray/green/sage-y color that you can see here: http://www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com/menards/Documents/pdf/exterior.pdf

I LOVE it!!!! The sign on the front will be a barn red color ... still working on the name ... hubby likes Aunt Polly's Greenhouse ... I love Grandma Tinkerbell's Greenhouse which is what my lil Piper calls it.

Second coat of paint tomorrow ...

Hanging my head ...

2010-08-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

Has it REALLY been over a month??? I really don't know where the time went ... but it went. I don't remember it being a particularly busy month ... working long days at my full-time job (but short weeks) has been difficult this year ... the university has made four day work weeks in the summer mandatory. I LOVE the Fridays off but hated the long days ... it's TIRING!! To make up for my absence, I have lots of pictures to share ... hope you enjoy ...

First up ... the greenhouse ... I promised to take pics and keep everyone updated on the progress ... we're ALMOST done!!!! The cedar siding (which is being painted barn red) is finally getting delivered tomorrow. I'm soooooooooo excited to finally start seeing an end in sight ... and I know hubby is too.

The walls starting going up while Quinn was home on leave the latter half of June.

Looking at the pictures of Quinn make my heart ache tonight ... I miss that kid ... ALOT!!!!

Look at Shelby Girl and her boy ... I SWEAR, that dog is smiling ... she was in seventh heaven having her boy home ...

The brick floor ... the gravel to the left is under where the wire plant shelves will hang ... I'll be able to water freely and not have to worry about flooding the inside of the greenhouse.

This is the entrance and will be sided and trimmed in the barn red cedar siding ...

This is the front view ... I can't WAIT to see it all sided and trimmed and painted with the sign hung. The only things left to paint on the inside are the skylights (my job and NOT looking forward to it - I'm scared ~~to death~~ of heights) and tomorrow I'll finish painting the leading in the stained glass window so hubby can install it on the back wall. Once the siding and trim are finished, it will be time to hang the wire shelves across the front windows and build/install the potting bench and pot shelves on the back wall. And then more work on the outside digging out all around it and filling it with rock ... framing up and building the brick pad outside the entry. Next spring should be a dream come true ... ~~playing~~ working in the dirt ... I can't wait.

* * * * * * * * * *

Two weekends ago, my friend Terri and I drove out to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and met our internet friend, Deb and her hubby and granddaughter. Deb, Terri, and I had a day of antiquing and shopping together in Marion, Iowa. Fun, fun! Deb is so fun to be with ... except for the fact that it was incredibly HOT and HUMID, it was a GREAT getaway weekend.

Terri, moi, and Deb (thanks Bria for taking a picture for us!)

On the way to Cedar Rapids, Terri and I stopped off in the little Mississippi River town of Le Claire to visit the American Pickers (seen on the History Channel). A fun little side trip ... barely even out of the way ...

It was drizzling just a bit that day ... and the shop was filled with people ...

Mike and Frank weren't there ... but Danielle was ... isn't she a cutie? Even sweeter in person than she is on the show ... her smile just lights the place up ...

I love this guy!!!! And his arm even waves up and down ...

I couldn't decide if these heads were cool ... or kinda creepy ...

And that ... that ... that's ALL folks!!!!!

Just for fun, I wanted to show you the volunteer gourd plant that came out of the compost bin (and has now totally swallowed said bin, you can't even see it anymore), it has swallowed three zuchnni plants, has grown up through two trees in two different directions and is on it's way up my neighbor's garage roof!!!! lol This girl knows how to rot some GOOD compost! lol

I zoomed in on the gourds growing up in one of the trees (the one closest to the neighbor's garage) about ten feet in the air. I've never seen a gourd plant with so many gourds! There are so many hidden in the trees, on the neighbor's garage roof, and all over the back of the garden, I have no clue how many there are.

Piper in her "cooking skirt" helping Grandma Tinkerbell in the garden ... I didn't capture the surprised look on her face when no carrot came out with the stems ...

Got one!!!! She absolutely loves to go out to the garden, pull a carrot, and stand on a chair at the kitchen sink scrubbing it nice and clean before she gobbles it up ... she LOVES carrots ...

Picking the cherry tomatoes ... I couldn't get her to try one though. I'm thrilled that she loves being in the gardens as much as she does ... my very own little garden fairie!!!!

A sad good-bye ...

2010-07-01T21:30:00.001-05:00

Seems like just a few days ago that we picked Quinn up at the airport ... seemed like we had just oh, so much time ... and just like that, it's over and he's off to Japan. It makes it easier to know that he was excited and ready to go ... a LITTLE easier ... I'm beginning to realize that saying good-bye to your child is always going to be sad and hard.

While he was home, we had a nice picture taken (ie., NOT by me ... I'm a horrible photographer) of our boys ... Josh and Quinn ... my Airmen ...

Hubby and I couldn't be more proud ...

A wedding ... a homecoming ... a greenhouse ...

2010-06-13T21:46:00.002-05:00

As of June 2, 2010, it's official -- I'm a mother-in-law!!! I love my new daughter-in-law, Angela, who makes a wonderful wife for my son, Joshua. I'm so happy for them both!

Piper and Brick now call me Grandma Tinkerbell!!!!! lol It cracks me up!!

Just LOOK what I found standing at the curb in O'Hare on Friday evening ...

Airman First Class ... my son, Quinn!!!! He's home until June 29 when he'll leave for his permanent duty station in Okinawa. Oh my gosh, I'm in HEAVEN having him home!! He is sooooooooooo grown up!!! I do believe that the service has been good for him. He just LOOKS SO GOOD! And seems happy that he made the decision to enlist. We are so darned proud of him, I don't even know how to put it into words.

So yesterday was spent in the backyard in the company of several of his friends ... cooking out ... playing yard games ... and having a few "refreshments" ...

Quinn, proud Dad, and friend Matt ... a fun Saturday afternoon!!!

My Quinn ... he knows me well ... gifted me with a new hardback book ... The Passage by Justin Cronin ... right up my alley ... he knows me well, my littlest chick ... and the handwritten message in the back ... well ... let's just say ... he knows my heart well ...

And on the greenhouse front ... BIG project! MUCH bigger than I thought it was going to be ... hubby is such a TROOPER ... he has put hours and hours and HOURS in the windows ... removing glazing ... re-glazing ... scraping ... painting ... re-painting ... the windows are looking incredible! Here's a couple of the larger ones on the horses and getting ready to be painted ...

And here's a picture of the foundation ...

Hubby and Quinn will be putting the greenhouse up this week ... I'll be taking pictures of the progress ...

It's finally finished ...

2010-05-29T23:16:00.001-05:00

I feel like I've been stitching on this Quaker (Praiseworthy Stitches ... The Simple Gifts: Love) for a SUPER long time ... it's ready for a dye bath and pressing and blocking ... then to find a frame ... always the toughest part ... if hubby wasn't up to his eyeballs in re-glazing the 150 year old windows for my greenhouse (not something he expected to have to do when this little project first started), I could probably talk him into making one for me.

So, the greenhouse continues ... we'll re-glaze the last three windows tomorrow and will pick up all the framing materials at the lumberyard in the afternoon ... Monday we can begin painting all the lumber ... I want it all white inside and out. Hubby will begin framing next week ... I'll begin painting windows next weekend (new glazing must dry 7 - 14 days) ... hubby predicts another month before it will be all finished. The re-glazing and the weather has really slowed our project down. We'll be glad in the long run that we took the time to do the re-glazing now. The old windows really needed it in several places so he removed it all and replaced it. That's just the kind of guy he is ... a bit of a perfectionist (oh yeah!!!) but he would never admit it. The stained glass window that he bought for me (what a guy!!!) has been taken to the repair shop and won't be ready for another three weeks. I can't believe I'm going to have a stained glass window!!!! Right above my potting bench. How fun!!!! The floors are done ... and of course, I forgot to take pics tonight when I was out there watering the gardens earlier ... not that there's really much to see as we'll leave the sand on the bricks til the greenhouse is finished. I'll get some pictures tomorrow for everyone who has asked to follow our progress. The floor in mostly brick (given to us by a friend that had it left over after he finished his patio -- gotta love the free stuff, right?) and the front of the greenhouse has pea gravel in the floor so that I can water freely.

We've been spending quite a bit of time tending to the gardens too ... the herb bed is fantastic this year ... oregano has returned in a couple of spots, which I was glad to see although I've heard it's aggressive ... the orange mint also returned and I have to think it's also aggressive as it seems to have spread ... ALOT!!!! The hyssop, lemon balm, and lavendar have also returned ... I keep waiting for the year when our harsh winters finally does my last remaining lavendar plant in. The chives have returned in abundance and the first batch goes into the dehydrator tomorrow morning. Newly planted in the herb garden this year -- lemon grass (perennial), cutting celery (annual - in a pot tucked up close to the lilies and daisies as it tends to droop in the hard sunlight), dill, lemon verbena (in a pot this year so I can move it inside this winter), a Tiny Tim cherry tomato plant (freebie from the greenhouse when we bought our veggie plants ... we get one every year), fresh basil, and a Brandywine heirloom tomato plant that I grew from seed that I bought at Landis Valley Farm in Lancaster, PA. The new raised beds in the vegetable garden are exciting. I love not having to bend over so far ... and the maintenance (ie., weeding) is next to nothing ... gotta love that. The peas are now about 18" tall or so ... we should see flowers soon ... the radishes have all been harvested (YUM!!!) ... the tomatoes (Roma and heirloom Brandywine) are all planted ... the gherkin cukes (dill pickles this year!!) are coming up ... the zuchinni are up ... the carrots (second planting) are sporadic ... don't know WHY I can't ever get a good start on carrots ... no matter how hard I try ... the bunching onions are looking good at about 4" tall. The broccoli and cabbage seem to be taking their time ... probably trying to figure out our 65 to 95 degree weather ... lol!!!!! We went from early spring to early August and the hot, humid dog days of summer in the matter of two weeks! Next week we are supposed to settle in to more normal temps in the mid 70s. Hubby's Walla Walla onions look fantastic ... and his pepper plant medley is looking good too.

And we have a wedding on Wednesday!!! By Wednesday evening, I'll be a (gasp!!!) ... a .... a.... a.... MOTHER-IN-LAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

A fun gathering, a greenhouse, and a wedding ...

2010-05-15T17:59:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted!! I have been busy, busy, busy!!!

Isn't this a GREAT house? I love it and couldn't resist snapping a quick pic while on the backroads somewhere in Pennsylvania.

I spent the last week of April in Lancaster, PA with some of my favorite gals in the whole wide world!!! We had so much fun shopping, eating, and laughing and talking til the wee WEE WEE hours of the morning.

We crafted together most evenings -- fun, fun!! We did wool applique, needlefelting, and got a good start on a memory book of our trip.

This is one of the gals' truck ... she drove back home to North Carolina like this ... bet she got some looks on the freeway. You should have seen some of the great junk she found!!! We all wanted to just shop out of her truck. ha ha

It was a wonderful trip filled with special memories ... I'm already looking forward to our next gathering in 2012!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A GREENHOUSE!!! Yep!!!! Hubby is building a greenhouse for me! It will be made from wood windows taken from a house built in the 1850s. I'm so darned excited, I can't stand it. This is the only picture I have uploaded ...

Since this picture was taken, the foundation has been poured, the grass removed and dug down about 10" and filled with gravel ... waiting for the brick to be laid ... tomorrow I begin scrubbing the windows (YUCK!!!!) and hubby will begin making any necessary repairs and re-puttying where needed. I'm sure the chippy paint is lead based so we'll disturb it as little as possible and get it sealed up nice and tight in a fresh coat of semi-gloss white exterior paint. I'll post more pictures as we move along ... a fun summer project for hubby and I ...

Aren't I a lucky gal to have a hubby that would build a greenhouse for me? I feel so special and loved ...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And the most exciting news EVER!!! We're having a wedding!!! Joshua and Angela are getting married!!!

I got my wish to be Nana to Brick and Piper!!! Hubby and I both feel very blessed to receive such a pretty, sweet, and smart daughter-in-law with two wonderful children into our family. It will be a small afternoon wedding in early June. They had hoped that Quinn would be home for the wedding before leaving for Okinawa but it doesn't look like that will happen.

Quinn is doing great at tech school in Texas but still has three blocks to finish before he graduates. He anticipates being home mid-June. Can't WAIT to see him!!!!

Look what I found ...

2010-04-11T11:09:00.000-05:00

... in my back yard ...

we think there are three of them ... we're having a bit of a time keeping Shelby away ... aren't they SWEET???

Spring has sprung ...

2010-04-02T20:44:00.001-05:00

FINALLY! It seems that spring is here ... and maybe here to stay. We're looking forward to the weekend to work on the yard and the new raised beds for the veggie garden. We're hoping to have the peas and radishes in by Sunday night. Lots of work between now and then ...

* * * * * * * *

Not stitching alot lately ... I'm distracted by the weather ... by work ... by the new plans for the gardens this year ... by my upcoming trip to Lancaster, PA with gals from the Primitive & Rustic board ... by some newly dyed wool and some new wooly projects ...

I have started a new Quaker ... I'm in love with them lately ...

And a fun new project ... felted Easter eggs ... I'm loving the bright, springy colors of the wool rovings ...

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!!!

A perfect Friday evening ... a pep rally!!!!

2010-03-20T09:19:00.001-05:00

What an angel ... my lil P is for Piper ...

Isn't this a granny heart stopper picture????? Oh my goodness, my heart about POPPED ... my sweet lil Piper had her final cheerleading class last evening ... the girls put on a pep rally for the families ...

She's taking a dance class next ... hope my heart can take it! lol

Updating the website tonight ...

2010-03-13T16:31:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be updating my website after 8:00 p.m. this evening ... finally ... seems it's one thing after another lately that keeps me away ...

Our son's graduation from BMT ...

2010-02-19T22:15:00.001-06:00

Our youngest son has graduated from Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX!!! We're so danged proud we could just POP!!!!

I could be just a bit biased, but I think he's the handsomest kid ... the most beautiful blue eyes that just dance when he smiles ... and he did ALOT of smiling while we were there with him ...

The weather was horrible while we were there ... cold, wet, rainy, windy and just downright crappy. All of the ceremonies were held on the individual flight's training pad underneath of the dorms ... I took gobs of pictures and very few turned out ... the above picture was the coin ceremony ... and the first time we've seen our son in two months.

I just wanted to hug him and hug him and hug him ...

My guys ... hubby on the left, Quinn, and Josh ... I was thrilled that Josh could fly down with us ... we were strolling along the Riverwalk in San Antonio ... the rain stopped for a few hours and we took advantage of the mild weather ... and Quinn enjoyed being out in the "real world" ...

Graduation Day!!!! Again, on the pad under the dorms because it was raining and windy and just downright nasty out ...

Quinn's home sweet home for the past two months ... hmmmmmmmmmm, his room at home NEVER looked this nice ...

It amazes me how CLEAN everything is ... everything lined up, everything exactly the same ... spotless ... wish I could get my hands on a couple of those nice gray wool blankets ...

All too soon it was time to say goodbye ... it was hard ... REALLY hard ... but it was also a relief in some ways ... we've seen him, he's healthy, he's proud, and he's excited about his future ... he's currently attending Tech School at Ft. Sheppard, TX and will be finished with school and able to come home for a brief visit in May ... he will then be stationed in Okinawa for two years ... he can't WAIT!!!!

A few new finishes ...

2010-02-04T22:01:00.001-06:00

on the website tonight ... http://www.auntpollysattic.com/ ... a few new tucks and pinkeeps ...

We're off in the morning ...

2010-01-26T18:58:00.000-06:00

... to San Antonio to see our youngest son graduate from Air Force Basic Training at Lackland AFB ... we haven't see our Quinn in two months now ... this old mom is ready for a hug!!!! A BIG one!!!! We'll get to see him (hopefully) on Thursday morning in the 2 mile Airman's Run. We can't wait to just GET THERE. Except there's an airplane ride ahead of us ... I don't fly well ... not at all ... just ask my poor hubby ...

**********

I didn't get my new items listed on my website before leaving ... but I'll be home late Sunday night and will be listing on Monday ... keep an eye out ...

A few new finishes ...

2010-01-01T23:04:00.001-06:00

I just finished uploading a few new pinkeeps and bowl fillers to the website ...

Aren't these sweet little buggers? Reminds me of my childhood where we were outside every minute we could be ... winter could be soooooooooo fun!!!!

I call this cupboard tuck Bless the Beasts ... I'm sure that's not the name of the original pattern ... which I can't find ...

And of course, I had to stitch a quick Stacy Nash while home over the holidays ... birds and flowers are my favorite pinkeep motifs ...

Little Pink House cupboard tuck ... a fun stitch ... a little bit of this a little bit of that ... motifs ... Quaker ... sampler ... yep, a fun stitch!

A little sampler pinkeep ... I love pinkeeps stitched with just one floss color ...

Wouldn't this make a great little gift for a spinning friend?

**********

Happy New Year's from Aunt Polly's Attic ... may all your hopes and dreams come true in 2010!!!!!

My empty nest ...

2009-12-18T17:09:00.000-06:00

It's been a quiet couple of weeks since my youngest son, Quinn left for the Air Force ... my nest is empty and I'm not handling it well ... I don't like how empty my little house feels nowadays ... I had NO idea how icky this was going to feel ... how do you stop being a parent? I mean, I know that I'm still a mom, but everything is different now ... believe me, I'm ROTTEN company right now ... so I stitch ... and stitch ... and stitch ... the UFO pile grows ever higher ... think I need a swift kick ...

On a finishing roll ...

2009-11-28T19:53:00.000-06:00

A nice, long, quiet weekend at home ... lots of new goodies added to the website this evening ...

with lots more to come soon ...

Finishes desperately needed ...

2009-11-20T18:20:00.001-06:00

Seriously addicted to stitching ... seriously allergic to finishing ... and this isn't all that I have ...

I'm ALMOST a collector!!!

I'm making myself STOP STITCHIN' this weekend ... it's way past time to finish a few of these off ...

Some finishes ... finally

2009-11-08T19:35:00.002-06:00

Finally, some new finishes ... just finished adding them to the website ... go have a peek ...

Stitched on my hand-dyed linen ...

Old Fashioned Christmas Bowl Fillers ...

I LOVED stitching this pinkeep ...

Blue birds just captivate me ...

I won, I won, I won!!!!

2009-10-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

How about THIS????? Many, many, MANY special thanks to Beth at Raggedy Angel for having such a WONDERFUL birthday giveaway!!! The redware plate is my second piece of redware ... I feel the start of a new collection coming on ... I LOVE the turkey on the plate! And Thanksgiving is coming FAST. The lard spoon will go perfectly with my collection on the kitchen soffit! The spicy wooly punkin is so yummy smelling! The tarts and room spray ... INCREDIBLE! Thank you, Beth. It was just like Christmas!

Old friends ... there just isn't anything better ...

2009-10-09T20:38:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I was able to get together with a group of old friends that I haven't seen in awhile ... some longer than others ... and we had a BLAST shopping at our favorite prim shop, Two Sisters in Sandwich, IL ... it was soooooooooooooooo nice to see everyone ... just what this ol' gal needed ... old friends ... there just isn't anything better ... front row starting lower left ... Terri, my partner in crime and all things ROAD TRIP!!!!!! ... next to her is yours truly with my arm around Kitty Cat (Primitive Heart), Emily (Hootin' Annies) ... back row upper left ... Rhonda (Cattywhompus), Donna (Santamaker), and Chris (Walnut Ridge) ... the "original" gathering gals!!!! Yep, it's been awhile ...

Scarrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ...

Chris and her boyfriend, Dan ... it's been a long time since I've seen Chris ... she is as gorgeous and sweet as ever ... and Dan is a keeper!!! What a guy!!! Hung right in there with the girls ... he deserves a medal or something ... and not once did he whine ... yep, he's a keeper ...

Lunch with the group ... Rhonda and Cat ... a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon ... gorgeous day, good friends, and prim shopping ... does a girl's heart good!!

I HAD to show you this lil gal ... Ms. Kitty Cat is THE Queen Dollmaker ... her dolls are truly incredible ... museum quality always. Now Ms. Kitty's true love is miniatures ... this little dolly was MAYBE 6" tall ... unbelieveable details ... every hand stitch perfect ... the little boots were hand molded and painted and I wish you could really see them ... the face ... those EYES!!!!! ... all I can say is WOW!!!!! Every project of Cat's that I've been lucky enough to see in person has left me awestruck ... and our Ms. Kitty Cat is so humble about her talents ... she really has no clue how extraordinary she is!!!!

Sweet little gift from Emily ... she's always so thoughtful ... prim brown repro fabric ... vintage buttons and twill tape ... antique cabinet card ... there was a prim notepad, but I took it to work ... I love having prim notepads to use at work ... what a nice surprise from Emily ... love ya, Em!!!

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A quiet weekend ahead ... tomorrow my Quinn goes for his monthly meeting with his Air Force recruiter ... the days and weeks seem to be flying past and all too soon my last chick will leave the nest and head to Texas for boot camp ... it's becoming all too real now ... I feel it in my chest when I dwell on it ... I try not to spend my time thinking of it ... but every once in a while, it creeps up on me ...

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No major plans ... it's supposed to be COLD and WET ... and I heard the "S" word just yesterday in the weather forecast ... yes, that's right ... the "S" word ... SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our first major overnight frost ... the one that will leave everything looking so sad ... is predicted tomorrow night ... I'll be yanking the last of my gourds tomorrow ... out of the lilac tree (about 12 little punkins all in a row on one vine ... a volunteer from last year) ... out of the birch tree (a birdhouse gourd vine jumped the fence and grabbed a branch and now I have one little gourd about 20' in the air ... I hope I can get it down without it dropping and smashing on the sidewalk) ... and all the big green fatso gourds off the fence. I grew Tennessee Bombs this year ... I've never seen them before ... they looked like cute little round green gourds on the seed packet ... HA!!!! Mine are gargantuan!!!! They must weight a good five or six pounds each!!!! I'll have to remember to get pictures and to weigh those babies ... I sure hope they'll dry over the winter and not rot ... some gourds do and some don't ... we'll have to see what the Tennessee Bombs do ...

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I've been in a cross stitching mood lately ... cupboard tucks and bowl fillers ... pinkeeps ... needlerolls ... lots of things just waiting to be finished up ... stay tuned ...

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Sunday afternoon I'm watching my beautiful grandbabies, Brick and Piper. I haven't seen them in two weeks ... can't wait to give them hugs! We're baking and decorating cupcakes ... fun, fun!!!

It's been awhile ...

2009-10-02T18:46:00.006-05:00

and no real reason why ... life just sorta interrupted ...

the Attic gardens have almost been put to rest for the winter ... hoping for just a bit of good weather this week-end (it's supposed to rain and rain) so we can tear out the last bits ...

canning, dehydrating, and freezing this summer has kept me busy and away from my sewing machine!!!!

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I have a few pictures to share ... I took these with my new Olympus 1010 and I'm definitely not used to it ... very different from my old, old, old Sony ...

I won, I won, I won!!!! The gorgeous little prim gal on the right was a giveaway from Betty Dukat at http://primitivebettys.blogspot.com/ ... isn't she great??? Love her to bits!!!! Thanks sooooooooooooo much, Betty! She's a treasure!!!!

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A few weeks ago my road trip buddy, Terri and I hit the road and visited our friend, Jackie in Indiana for four days of crafting and laughing ... not far from Shipshewana (yes, we DID go into Shipshe to visit Yoder's and Lolly's!!) ... but most of our time was spent seriously crafting ...

we made punkins ...

and a spooky Halloween shadowbox ... wish I had gotten pictures of all of our things together when we were there ... every piece distinctly different ... and oh so spooky!!!

and some Halloween spoons ... fun, fun!!!

and some altered bottlecaps in a mini muffin pan that we painted and grubbied up ... it was soooooooo hard to get a picture of this ... the flash kept reflecting in the Diamond Glaze in the bottlecaps and totally obliterating the images ... I really need to read the manual for my new camera ...

Woolies ... woolies ...

2009-09-09T20:16:00.005-05:00

I am hopelessly addicted lately ...

Punkins Punkins mat above has sold.

I am soooooooooooooooo in the mood for AUTUMN!!!!!! Click the pictures to get a nice close up of the wooly mats.

New Wooly Mats ...

2009-08-22T20:55:00.007-05:00

A few new wooly mats on the website this week ...

The punkin/crow mat below has sold ...

The punkin mat below has sold ...

My Red Bird mat below has sold ...

A wonderful giveaway ...

2009-08-13T08:17:00.001-05:00

Everyone needs to run right over to Laurie's blog at the Wooly Red Rug http://woolyredrug-prairiesedgeprimitives.blogspot.com and sign up for her too cute pinkeep giveaway ... I sure did!!!

A couple of new woolies ...

2009-08-12T16:12:00.007-05:00

My new chair pad all punched up in my newly dyed wool yarns ... LOVE punching with the yarn! It goes soooooooooooo FAST!!!!

A new wooly mat that will be added to the website soon ... measures 21" x 11" ... my Penny Bird ... made from as is and hand dyed wools and backed with an old army blanket ...

THIS is how I've been spending some of my time lately!!!!! I'm soooooooo darned EXCITED! My oldest son has a girlfriend and she has two little angels ... Brick and Piper, ages 5 and almost 3 ... aren't they ADORABLE??? I want to be their Granny T really, REALLY bad!!!

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More experiments from the dye pot ...

2009-07-21T19:40:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning found me back at the dye pots with some more wool yarns ...

My first attempt at natural dying with Queen Anne's Lace ... hubby and I picked a TON of the flowers Friday afternoon on a slow drive through the country ... I dutifully cleaned the leaves and stems away ... and yuck, they stink and are a bit sticky ... I simmered the flowers for an hour or so and let the concoction cool ... strained the dye through cheesecloth ... and what a disappointment ... not much color ... the end result was not good ... I ended up overdying the yarn with Cushings ... I think I'll stick to my onion skins for yellows and golds ...

And here it is ... Cushings dye in the left pot ... clear water in the right pot ... thought I'd see if I could get some good varigation in the yarn doing this ... and it worked!

My first attempt at dip dying ... it was fun to mix up small amounts of this and that dye and dip, dip, dip ... I'll be dip dying again very soon ... I want to dip dye some fat quarters of wool for a new rug I have drawn up ... see the background yarn hanging on the far right side of the old drying rack? I love how it turned out once it dried.

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All my finished goodies ...

Confession ... remember that vow to not buy any new fabric except for quilt backings and bindings?

I didn't make it ... but I didn't blow it by much really ... only three fat quarters and a new little purse pattern ... not bad really ... you should have seen this quilt shop!!!! Actually, you CAN see the shop ... here's the link ... http://www.quiltersgeneralstore.com/ Gorgeous fabrics everywhere!!! Civil war and reproductions galore!!!! I bought the backing for my king sized quilt and my twin quilt for $4/yard in the clearance section (NICE selection too!!!) ... I got such a deal on 16(!!) yards of fabric, I "rewarded" myself with the fat quarters and pattern. All my new fabrics have been washed and dried ... it's time to start ironing and piecing the backings ... can't wait to take them to the long arm quilter ...

Experimenting in the dye pots this afternoon ...

2009-07-16T19:34:00.004-05:00

Something new for me ... wool yarn ... fun, fun, FUN!!!! I started with off white, a brownish tweed, and buttercup yellow yarns ...

The colors are scrumptious!!! I can't wait til they're dry ... I'm planning to punch a new chair pad ...

Of course I had to throw pieces and scraps of wools in too ...

It was interesting to see the different colors in the same dye pots ... the wool pieces were light pink, a gawdy bright BLUE(!!!!), and camel ... interesting things happen when I dye in my copper pot ...

Peacock and robin's egg blues ... hooking them will be fun for sure ...

These are some of my favorite pieces from today's experiments ...

The perfect red continues to elude me ... I'm truly beginning to believe it's impossible for me ...

Lots of nice mottling ...

A far cry from the flat boring camel, pink, and bright blue that I started with ...

Off to the quilt shop in the morning with two good friends in search of quilt backings ... and ONLY quilt backings ... I'm still determined to not buy new things until I use what I have ... except quilt backings ... tomorrow is going to be a SEVERE test of my resolve ... wish me luck???

Pickin' blueberries ... drying herbs ...

2009-07-12T17:06:00.002-05:00

Hubby's new dehydrator that he received for Father's Day ... sweet basil and chives ... we did several trays of herbs this weekend ...

lemon thyme ... mother of thyme ...

blueberry/apple fruit leathers ... three trays that should be dry in the next hour or two ... no more Fruit Roll Ups for us!

Blueberry cobbler for dessert with vanilla ice cream ... YUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Hubby and I got up early this morning and went blueberry pickin' ... 10 pounds between the two of us. We froze ALOT of them ... made the leathers in the dehydrator (our first -- can't wait to try them!!) ... made the cobbler ... and ate a TON! They are oh soooooooooooooooooooo good!!!! Just think how good fresh blueberry cobbler will taste this winter!!!

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Marinated pork roast, taters, onions and carrots from the garden are cooking on the grill ... homemade coleslaw ... cuke salad ... fresh cottage cheese ... call it dinner.

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A satisfying weekend craftwise -- finished a couple of small cross stitches, cut some wool pieces out to applique a pillow, hand quilted one of my two doll quilts, did some sketching, wound all 174 skeins of floss that I dyed a week ago -- that was ALOT of winding!!!! I'm working up a new little punch project using them ... tonight will find me winding some wool yarn skeins to dye for a punched chair pad ... I bought a dye book and some awesome new dyes while in Pennsylvania that I'm just itching to try out. A nice, quiet, not-too-hot Sunday evening in northern Illinois ...

Busy weekend ...

2009-07-05T16:37:00.005-05:00

A nice, long holiday weekend filled with projects ... still clinging to my pledge to buy nothing new, finish what I have ... I'm finding that I don't NEED anything new ... I have pretty much everything I need ... at least for now - tee hee ...

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I finally finished it!!!! My reindeer sampler stitched on 28 count evenweave ... I believe it will become a holiday wall quilt ...

Playing in the dye pots ... a new dye for me ... Cushings for cottons ... I picked it up in Pennsylvania ... I love it and have to have more ... today's colors were Light Brown and Khaki Drab ...

Another sampler I started AND finished this weekend ... stitched on 32 count linen ... my favorite ... laying on the top of the stack in the dye pot ...

Into the dye pot ... 174 skeins of brightly colored cotton floss that a friend gifted me with ... in it goes ...

Out of the dye pot ... MUCH better!!!

So long as I'm dying ... in goes some 32 count linens ...

and some feedsacks ... and even some weaver's cloth!!!

And the weekend's almost over ... trying to decide what to work on this evening ...

My punkin cross stitch on 32 count linen using a French overdyed cotton floss that is just YUMMY!!!

Or maybe I'll do some hand quilting on my two new dolly quilts ... oranges, browns, greens, and whites ... 1930's prints ...

Wonderful new blog and a great giveaway ...

2009-06-30T11:08:00.002-05:00

Everyone needs to run right over and see Maureen's new blog and her sweet, sweet, SWEET giveaway!!!! Although I do realize that by posting this information I'm reducing my chances of winning that sweet babe! lol Off you go everyone ... http://www.sweetmeadowsfarm.blogspot.com/

Finished the quilt top ...

2009-06-28T15:39:00.004-05:00

I woke up early this morning and finished the quilt top! That was my first quilt-in-a-weekend type quilt top. It's all pressed, folded, and on a hanger waiting to go to the quilt shop to select a backing and then off to the long arm quilter for an all over meandering stitch. I LOVE FINISHING PROJECTS!!!

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I also finished the binding on another shabby chic table topper from the scrap basket. It will be listed on the website soon.

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My next project is a rail fence dolly quilt made with green, brown, and orange 1940's prints. The fabric is in the dryer and headed to the ironing board soon. I'm on a roll!!!! I have two baskets filled with quilt kits -- table toppers, wall quilts, dolly quilts, full sized quilts, you name it, it's in those baskets! And I'm clearing them out! My goal is to use it allllllllllll up -- shelves and drawers of fabrics -- NO buying ANY new fabric except for quilt backings. That's it. I'm TIRED of all this fabric stacked and stuffed in every nook and cranny. It's gotta GO!

How I spent a hot summer day ...

2009-06-27T21:02:00.003-05:00

QUILTING!!! And doing a big of cleaning in the sewing room. I'm digging through kits and UFOs ... today I ironed two batik table toppers that have been pieced for hmmmmmmm ... two years???? I've ironed the toppers and their backings and have them ready to sandwich and pin. And then I dug out this kit for a twin sized quilt that I bought last year at Quilt Festival. I remember I loved the sample I saw there ... it reminded me of a worn, sun-faded quilt on grandma's front porch swing and I just had to have it. The name of the quilt pattern is 5 and Dime and it's a quick-pieced, fat quarter-friendly pattern. In one afternoon I've done all my cutting and piecing and tomorrow all I have left to sew are the long seams between the pieced strips and the focus fabric strips. I even have all my binding ... an enjoyable afternoon in the air conditioning ...

AMAZING swap ...

2009-06-27T09:23:00.003-05:00

On my recent Lancaster, PA trip, a group of us decided to do a fat quarter swap one afternoon while browsing in a fabric store. Grace M. drew my name ... and just look at the AMAZING things she did with my fat quarter!!!!! I feel so spoiled! Absolutely ROTTEN spoiled!!!! Her work is INCREDIBLE! Every stitch perfect! Her add-ons truly vintage/antique -- I know that she sat down and planned every single thoughtful touch from the heart ... and just for ME! I feel so blessed to call you friend, Grace! You're the BEST!!!!

New to the Website ...

2009-06-26T16:08:00.008-05:00

Sweet little wooly robin pinkeep ...

Hand quilted shabby chic table topper ...

Two birds sampler pinkeep ...

When This You See Remember Me pinkeep...

ABC sampler pinkeep ...

1803 pinkeep ...

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A Few New Goodies ...

2009-06-25T20:50:00.003-05:00

I've been busy ... a little busy anyway ... a few new goodies have been added to the website today ...

I've been bit by the cross stitch bug ...

Penny rug made with my hand dyed wools ... YUMMY!!!!

Sweet little sampler stitched on 32 count linen ...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how this sampler turned out ... a reproduction of an antique sampler by Sarah Tobias ... pattern from Blackbird Designs in their booklet "Thank You, Sarah Tobias" ... stitched on 32 count linen. I started this sampler many months ago and recently picked it back up and finished it. Hundreds of little x's in dull primitive colored cotton floss.

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More new goodies will be added to the website in the next few days ... I'm on a roll!!!!

Out in the Gardens ...

2009-06-09T10:06:00.009-05:00

The poppies are INCREDIBLE this year! I wish they stayed like this all summer long ... but alas, they don't. As a matter of fact, the poppy plant itself gets downright UGLY long before the end of summer. But they sure are spectacular while in bloom!!!

My wild phlox that everyone said would NEVER take off when I stopped along an old country road and dug these delicious smelling beauties. And boy were they WRONG! The wild phlox have sprung up everywhere in my gardens! I love the smell of them all in bloom ...

The boys' old sandbox ... now our hosta bed with my dumpster divin' metal sculpture from last spring ... LOVE having my office close to the art school at the university ... those wacky art students are right up my junk-lovin' alley!!!! You never know what you'll find in the dumpsters!!! Hubby and I started collecting different hosta varieties a couple of years ago and add a new variety or two every summer. We'll be purchasing this year's newby in a couple of weeks when our 50% off bucks kick into action at a local greenhouse. See the ceramic mushroom lower left in the sandbox? That's the spot for our newby this year.

Think the hostas on the side of the house need to be thinned? Ya think?!!? Anybody want some? My friend Neenee would say they're just junker common hostas, but I love them just the same ... seriously though, come fall these babies HAVE to be thinned!

The herb bed this year ... rosemary from seed (!!!), lavendar, basil, tomatoes (cherry and not), chives, hyssop, rue, lilies, daisies, sedum, orange mint, hen and chicks, alyssum, hmmmmmmmm ... what else???

My egg basket from the Amish guy's farm in Lancaster, PA ... all planted up and coming right along ...

Once this basket gets settled in and the plants start to grow, it's going to be downright GORGEOUS! And it must weigh 80 pounds!!!! Tons of plants in this basket!!!

The vegetable garden is coming right along ... I'll be posting some pictures soon ...

Long time ... no post

2009-05-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

No pictures today ... sorry ... I know eye candy is important ... maybe the MOST important thing in a blog. No pics still ... soon though -- promise.

We've been busy, busy, BUSY cleaning out the gardens, laying 22(!!!!) bags of mini pine bark chips, I've lost count of how many bags of soil, fertilizer, etc. And I'm happy to report that we're DONE with it all!!! Every last bit has been turned over, weeds ripped out, and seeds and plants put in. The gardens should be spectacular this year. We've planted three different kinds of tomatoes, five different kinds of peppers, green beans, cukes, zucchini and patty pan squash (first year on the patty pan -- we'll see how it goes), peas, radishes (we're on our second planting already!!!), carrots, pie punkins, bunching onions, Walla Walla onions, and red sweet onions. We also put in a mixed variety of gourds along the old fence -- AWAY from the veggie garden this year. Hubby was ticked when my gourds got away from me last year and swallowed our tomatoes, cages and all. So this year the gourds are planted far, far away. The herbs this year are basil, oregano, orange mint, lemon balm, lemon thyme, chives, hyssop, rue, and nasturtiums. We've planted flowers galore -- marigolds all over in the veggie garden, and lots of baskets and pots. Pictures soon -- I promise ...

On the homefront, hubby will be having his fifth hip surgery on June 11. We're hopeful that this surgery will finally fix his hip that was replaced last July. It's been a real roller coaster ride getting to a diagnosis, but we're hopeful that we have indeed arrived and can get off this crazy, wild ride once and for all. I'd appreciate it if you could find the time to say a little prayer for my husband, Rick. He has endured so much more than I would have thought was even humanly possible. He so deserves to finally be pain free and to have his life given back to him.

And our youngest son, Quinn, is taking his ASVAB test for the Air Force today. He wants to enlist full time and this old mom's heart is breaking ... I understand his reasons for wanting to do this and I certainly would encourage him to be all that he can be. I just wish ... well, I wish about a million different things. But what will be, will be. And there's just not much I can do about it.

And that's about it for my "dump" today ... next time there'll be pictures ... promise.

Vacationing in Lancaster, PA ...

2009-04-30T19:30:00.012-05:00

We're on the road! My friend, Terri and I ... we're in Lancaster, PA visiting, shopping, EATING, shopping ... ummmmmm, shopping ...

We left last Saturday morning, early ... 12 hours, lots and LOTS of laughs, and a few Starbucks later, we arrived in Lancaster. We're staying at a gorgeous hotel that our friend, Grace, manages and let me tell you, it's GORGEOUS. And for some reason ... too many pictures maybe???? ... I can't get the pictures to load in this posting. I'll post the pics though because I want you to see the Amish farm that we wake up to every morning ... the rooms are gorgeous, the view is gorgeous, the breakfast is FANTASTIC (can you believe it, I am eating YOGURT!!!!! Homemade by local Amish and it is absolutely incredible! And I don't eat yogurt! I'm so afraid to go home and never liking a store-bought yogurt. The stuff here at the hotel is oh so YUMMY!!! I'll miss it when we go home.)

Terri and I have had the most wonderful time visiting here ... our friend, Grace ... Grace is one of the sweetest people on the face of this earth -- TRULY! There isn't anything she hasn't thought of in the way of bringing peace, ease, and total comfort for Terri and I. Saying she is the hostess with the MOSTEST is such an understatement!! Grace, if you're reading this, you know what's in my heart and I can never, EVER thank you enough, girlfriend.

Terri and I rolled into town late Saturday night and after ooh'g and aah'g about our hotel suite, we hit the hay probably around midnight. Sunday morning found us getting up early and rolling up to Adamstown for extravaganza!!! We met up with Linda S. (my kindred spirit -- I love ya!!), visited a few antique shops, and Grace discovered that her favorite prim dealer has taken a break from selling. Poor Grace ... she was really heartbroken. She was able to spot a couple of this gal's pieces in another booth and they were veryyyyyyyyyyy nice. I could see why Grace was disappointed to find her gone. We all wandered down to Shupp's Grove to the outdoor antique market ... Lordy, was it HOT! Weird, hot, sunny weather! All of us got a bit of a sunburn ... but we also all found treasures! You'll see mine once I get home and get unpacked. It was a great day in the Grove and of course, I took NO pictures! I was so mad at myself when I realized what I had done. We had a late lunch at an Italian restaurant and I had my first Philly cheesesteak sandwich. YUM!!!!!!!!! We visited a couple of shops with some of the BEST early textiles! Wayyyyyyyyyyyyy outta my price range, but so FUN to look at and fondle a bit.

On Monday morning, Linda took us to an Amish farm ... it was beautiful there ... everything so neat and well-kept ...

We had a blast rooting through Mr. Esh's barns!!! Lots of treasures came home with each of us. A one-of-a-kind adventure with special friends ... special memories to be treasured forever ... hey, I don't go rooting through junk with just ANYBODY!!!!

I know I missed tons of treasures ... there was just too much to see ...

Terri found a treasure ... we each got one ... they're sunflowers ... see 'em??? I KNOW my hubby is gonna SUPER love this yard art! NOT!!!!! lol And believe me, he doesn't call it art ... I do ... but he doesn't ...

Look at that Grace go!!!!! She's on a mission!!!!

Linda had to leave us shortly after leaving the farm and Grace, Terri, and I continued our shopping in Intercourse, PA. We visited a great prim shop owned by a friend of Grace and Linda's, Julie. Great shop ... great owner!!!! You'll see pictures from a class that Grace arranged for us to take there soon. Grace treated Terri and I to lunch at a quaint little place where I had the most delicious chicken salad with orange marmalade and delicious homemade bread ... I don't think I've ever really EATEN orange marmalade ... always assumed I wouldn't like it I guess ... couldn't have been more wrong ... this stuff was INCREDIBLY delicious!!!! We wandered through a few shops ... I picked up apple butter for my work mates ... jellies for my son who loves the little variety boxes of home canned Amish jams and jellies ... he'll be thrilled when he sees what I've brought him. We went to a quilt shop, a wool/yarn shop with the yummiest hand dyed wool fabric and yarns, and a small antique mall. We finished out the evening at Grace's house making prim fly screens. Fun project and Grace's house is LOVELY!!! Perfect! Her vignettes are such fun to discover throughout her house. Her kitty, Casey, is a sweety ... and her hubby Jim ain't half bad either ... lol. The ride back to the hotel late at night on unfamiliar, windy backroads was, well ... let's just say it was interesting ...

Tuesday morning our friend, Kim, joined us ... she's the tiny one in the middle ... Terri's on the left ... and Grace is on the right ... guess it was about time I intro'd them, huh???? We wandered up to Hummelstown to the Olde Factory where we each found a few new treasures that we just HAD to have ...

and then wandered into the scrapbooking shop next door. I LOVE THIS SHOP!!!! Oy vey, there is just too darned much to look at!!!! It puts my entire brain into overdrive ... I'm completely overwhelmed here. Kim and I were able to find a few new papers for our next banner swap (SUMMER in vintage reds, yellows, and blues -- think Grandma's apron ... fun, fun). We talked to the owner about teaching a class when we're here next spring for the Prim & Rustic Gathering ... she showed us a few memory book projects that were so imaginative and creative!!!! I know the Gathering galz would love this project!!!! And the prices she quoted seemed veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy reasonable too.

We finished our day with a trip to Primitives by Kathy and an Amish dinner buffet where I ate ENTIRELY TOO MUCH!!!! It was all so darned GOOD! I couldn't stop!!!

Our evening entertainment was a class at the prim shop Family Creations. Grace arranged for a class where we made painted and distressed paper mache boxes with grubby labels and a fabric pin cushion on top. Loved the class ... love the finished project!

Here we all are taking our class ... starting front left we have Teryn, Linda, Terri, Kim in the center back, Grace, and Susan Byrd, and then what should have been Teryn's sweet daughter, Nikki that I cut off on my right ... I'm an AWFUL photographer and am eternally grateful that I do not have to attempt making a living at taking pictures ... I STINK at it!!!

Here we all are with our finished projects (see Nikki in the back row, third from the left? Cutie patootie, huh???? A truly sweet, sweet spirit that kid. I really enjoyed sitting between her and her mom, Teryn. They have a special relationship that is really refreshing.) This was my first time meeting Susan Byrd. She's beautiful ... inside and out ... and soooooo very talented ...

So here we are on Wednesday (was that REALLY only YESTERDAY?????) ... this picture is for you, Linda T.!!!!! Yum, yum, YUMMY candles at the Cinnamon Stick ... we all took many, many whiffs for you, girl!!!!!

The Cinnamon Stick shop!!!! The owner, Judy and my girls. FANTASTIC prim shop! And Judy is just tooooooooooooo sweet!!!! Loved our time there!!!

Off we go to the shop next door ... Homespun. Yet another incredible shop! Stocked to the hilt with yummy hand dyed wools and reproduction fabrics and set in an old general store with all the shelves and built-ins still there. Be still my wooly prim lovin' heart!!!!!

A wonderful display of antique sewies ... back wall loaded with wools ... by this point I'm thinking I might just die and go straight to wooly heaven ...

The owner, Kay, is a doll. I chatted with her about teaching a needlefelting class for the Gathering next year ... she was very excited about it ... I will definitely be in touch with her in the coming weeks.

We ended our shopping day with a trip to Burkholder's Fabrics ... we enjoyed browsing through all the fabrics and selecting a fat quarter for a swap we're going to do.

We ended the day with a delicious spaghetti dinner at Grace's house (I told you she was the hostess with the MOSTEST!!!!) and a fun-filled night crafting together. I'll post pictures of our projects when I get home and unpack ... Terri's poor car is pretty filled at this point ... I think we could almost open a prim shop in there! ha ha

Today's our last day and we shopped until we dropped today ... ATI, Keystone, Flower and Craft ... supplies, supplies, SUPPLIES!!!! And a special trip to Carson's in the Cornfields ... a really unique shop filled with architectural pieces and parts ... anything and everything ... it's all available here. We really enjoyed getting new junk ideas ... creative and whimsical ... a fun afternoon that ended with a nice lunch at a quaint little restaurant I have no idea where ...

It will be sad to leave in the morning ... this area and the people in it have really stolen my heart ...

We leave in the morning and drive 9 hours west to see our friend, Jackie. I haven't seen her since last June and I can't WAIT to give her a hug and maybe pull a stitch or two with her ...

He's home ... safe and sound ...

2009-04-13T16:17:00.004-05:00

My Josh is home!!! He's the tallest one in the back ... all graduated from Air Force security forces training ... gotta love that blue beret!!! He spent the past couple of weeks guarding the gates at his base here in Illinois. And now he's taking a two week break to relax, unwind, adapt back to civilian life, and take a short trip to Canada to visit friends before going back to work at the cable company full-time. He reports to his base the first weekend of every month for drill and for two weeks in the summer for training. A group from his base will be leaving shortly to serve six months in Saudi Arabia. I'm relieved that he's not leaving already ... I know he will eventually ... although I can't bring myself to think of it ... not yet ...

There's just something so special ...

2009-04-11T17:06:00.007-05:00

about gathering with girlfriends!!! I was lucky enough to spend a day last weekend in the company of a great bunch of gals ...

A wonderful get-together with friends old and new ... Em, Rhonda, Terri, Neenee, Donna, Cat, and Ro -- love you all!!

a little something to eat and drink ...

good "sisterly" talk, hugs, and laughs ...

We don't do it near enough!!!!

A beautiful morning and some new goodies ...

2009-03-29T18:31:00.003-05:00

Look what we woke up to this morning!!! Yesterday afternoon we had rain (lots of it!!!) ... then ice (lots of it!!!) ... then snow (several inches) ... YIKES!!!

This is the view through my kitchen window this morning ...

In the background you can see the street ... no plows until almost noon today ...

It's been so nasty this weekend ... and we're trapped inside ... hubby doin' his thing ... me doin' mine ...

My first coaster book!!! I love how it turned out ... I've been wanting to try this technique for awhile now and today was the day ... click to enlarge the pictures ...

These Things Have I Learned ...

Life is not measured ... a friend is an angel minus the wings ...

there are angels among us ... the world outside your window ...

a friend is a gift you give yourself ... take time ...

take your wings and fly ... life is full of surprises ...

back cover ...

This coaster book measures 4" square and is held together with a snap ring in the upper left corner ... $24.95 shipping included ... email me if interested ...

Wooly eggs ... love the dusty colors ... rubbed with spices ... featherstitchin' ... eggs come with a bit of prim sweet grass and "vintage" tag ... $22.95 postage paid ... email me if interested ...

Sweet 6" square journal that I've altered the cover of ... 100 pages of lined paper ... sorry, the journal has found a new home ...

Freebie Cabinet Card ...

2009-03-27T19:26:00.008-05:00

I just love this little guy, don't you? I found him in an antique shop recently and I knew the minute I laid eyes on him that he NEEDED to come home with me. I think he has the sweetest face ... and that hat cracks me up. Feel free to use him in your art ... click his picture to enlarge and print him out. I've scanned him at a high resolution so he should print nice for you. At least I hope he does ... I'm new to this scanning stuff. I'd love to see what you do with him ... email me pictures of your art so I can put it here for everyone to see ...

Enjoy!

Spring Banner Swap ...

2009-03-26T19:38:00.003-05:00

Just received my last two banners for a fun, fun, FUN spring banner swap that I participated in with five of my friends from an internet group I belong to ... I can't wait to get them tied together and put up ... this has been such a fun swap! Our only instructions were to make them 6" x 9" and to think vintage ... we each took a letter and made six ... five to send and one to keep ...

Kim was "S" ... Darlene was "P" ...

Neenee was "R" ... I was "I" ...

Tracey/Jeannie was "N" ... and Joanne was "G"

I hope that we do all of the seasons!!!

Happy Spring!!!

2009-03-22T19:53:00.007-05:00

Has it really been almost a MONTH since I posted? Hmmmmmmmmm ... I guess it has. How time flies ... healing, working, and therapy ... that's been my life these past weeks. The shoulder continues to heal ... slowly ... but surely. It's still stiff and sore at times ... but I'm getting there. Still going to physical therapy three evenings a week after work for an hour or so of torture ... I still can't tuck my shirt in, do dishes, or lift a laundry basket ... and I can't lay on my right side (which is, of course, the position I MOST want to sleep in) ... and some days are better than others ... but I'm getting there ...

Peeking through the nasturtium seedlings, hubby is showing off his new camera and his picture taking skills ...

Here's our seedling setup this year ... every year we try this and every year we pretty much fail miserably ... this year hubby built us a snazzy little setup using the whoop-de-doo lighting for underwater gardening in his large aquarium ... see all our little babies???

From tomatoes to zinnias ... with six varieties of peppers in between ...

Two varieties of tomatoes ... Early Girls and Beefsteak ...

Nasturtiums (peaches and cream - yummmmmmmmm!!!!) ...

Marigolds ... lots and lots of marigolds for all around and through the vegetable garden ... they really do help with garden pests ...

Sweet basil for the herb garden ... I love to chop up a bit and mix with freshly chopped tomatoes, a little olive oil and vinegar, fresh ground pepper, and a twist or two of sea salt ... yum, yum ...

A new offering just finished today ... click on the pictures to enlarge them ... ten pages of garden journaling in an original, one-of-a-kind handmade altered 2009 Garden Journal ... this heavily distressed journal is bound using a length of stained dowel rod with vintage carpet string and beads ... email me if interested ... $24.95 includes shipping ...

Simple Moments ... Notes ...

Herbs ... graph paper to plot that perfect garden ...

Garden Dreams ... Seedlings wooden stakes ...

Pests and Guests ... Flowers tablet ...

page for garden musings ... Bird Friends ...

back cover ...

Pieces and parts of a SPRING banner swap I'm in ... my banners are finished, packaged, and ready to go to the post office in the morning ... finishing swaps feels sooooooooooooooo good, doesn't it? I have about a million things that I want to work on next ... it's hard to choose just one ... I want to do it alllllllllllllll now that my arm and shoulder are cooperating a bit ... it feels WONDERFUL to be able to do my crafts again ... paper crafts anyway ... still way too early to do any hooking or punching ... I'm quite limited in what I can do but I'm getting there ... FINALLY!!!

I'm a lucky gal ... and it still hurts ...

2009-02-27T20:06:00.013-06:00

The good stuff first!!!! I'm a REALLY lucky gal ... in the past few weeks I've received some truly wonderful gifts from some truly wonderful friends ... sorry about the quality of my pictures ... no matter how hard I try, I take the CRAPPIEST pictures ...

A swap that I'm doing with a sweet, sweet prim friend, Grace ... how awesome is this???? The hooked snowman ornie ... WOW!!!! Grace's hooking is PERFECT! That girl can pull the most EVEN loops ... incredible. The prim dolly with the little Bible in the stitched pocket is just toooooooo sweet. Love her to bits. And how about the pinkeep on the antique bobbin? I LOVE this!!!! Very different, very creative. And it's all mine, mine, MINE!!!! lol I hope Grace enjoys my gifts as much as I'm enjoying hers ...

Isn't she SWEEEEEEEEEEET????? My good friend, Terri, searched high and low to find this tin head dolly for me. Only she knows how much I've regretted setting one down at an antique show a couple of years ago and having someone else snatch her up. And she found this sweet little gal for my birthday ... and then stitched up her dress from beautiful cotton indigo. I absolutely LOVE her! Her name is Emma ...

Terri is sooooooooo creative with her soldered ornies! I just don't have her "eye" ... I wish I did ... I love this little gal to bits!!!!

Some sweet gifts from my dear friend, Linda ... antique children's shoe molds, a wee hurricane lamp ... a nutmeg grater with a few spices - nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Linda is incredible ... she remembers every single little thing I EVER tell her ... and never misses the opportunity to make sure I'm ok and make me feel better ... a little gift in the mail ... a friendly e-mail timed just right ... I swear, she has a nose for when I need her most. Every woman should have a friend named Linda ...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On the dark side ... it's 10-1/2 weeks post-op ... and CRAP!!!!! This friggin HURTS still!!!! I'm sad ... REALLY sad ... I am beginning to think that I'm not healing well even though my therapist says I'm doing fine. There are times when I think I can almost see a glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel ... and then the pain sneaks up behind me and swallows me whole again. On top of the shoulder pain, my "wing" (upper back) has been incredibly sore for a few weeks and my therapist said tonight that she's wondering if I possibly have a displaced rib (oh wow, how GREAT is THAT??????) ... my bicep is so darned sore, you'd think I've been olympic weight training or something (NOT!!!!) ... my necks feels like I was in an auto accident and got whiplashed ... and the worst and scariest thing for me ... my elbow is shot. I had tendon release surgery two years ago on my elbow for acute epicondilitis (horrible tennis elbow -- and I don't even PLAY tennis!!!!!) ... and it feels like it's BACK (you have NO idea how much this makes me want to cry) ... along with some good, banging, jolting nerve zaps that about take my breath away when they zap. Tonight my therapist started a new laser treatment on my elbow, and e-stim'ing my wing instead of higher up my shoulder. I know I looked like Robo Chick hooked up to all the machines tonight ... wires everywhere, packed in ice, propped on my pillow ... yep, Robo Chick for sure ...

Proud mom ...

2009-02-13T09:15:00.004-06:00

I just have to tell you ... my son was awarded his DOUBLE EXPERT MARKSMANSHIP ribbon ... complete with star!!!! He also was one of five men selected in his flight to throw live grenades. He said it was AWESOME and boy, are they LOUD! lol He has a little over a month to go in his advanced training in the Air Force security forces. Today he leaves for a three week "roughing it" field training jaunt. Love, love, LOVE my Airman ...

my buddy, my pal ...

2009-02-04T08:45:00.005-06:00

here it is, the ol' torture device ... the dreaded immobilizer ... i hate it ... i love it ... we go round and round with this love/hate thing ... i think i'll miss it when it gets put away next week ... NOT!!!! ... well ... maybe just a little ... it's been my constant companion for the past seven weeks ... might be a little sad to finally kick it to the curb ...

working on the website ... finally ...

2009-02-02T15:20:00.002-06:00

tomorrow begins week 7 post-op! yippee!!!! i'm out of the immobilizer up to 6 hours a day now ... and hoping to toss it to the side next week!!!! still no lifting, reaching, pushing, pulling ... no real USING the arm ... and still can't pull on my own jeans, dang it ... but getting better, a little better every day ... today's my first day working full-time with a 75 minute therapy session right after work ... the ol' tail feathers will be dragging tonight ...

i spent a good portion of this past week-end one hand dusting around the Attic and doing a little updating ... check it out if you have a moment ... www.auntpollysattic.com ... some new (and old) left hand productions, several vintage domino necklaces, and several soldered microscope slide necklaces too ... i've got so darned many things that need to be added to the website ... now that i feel good enough, i don't have enough time to just get 'er done ... murphy's law i guess ...

new left hand productions ... and still ouch ...

2009-01-30T14:36:00.010-06:00

week 6 post op ... out of the immobilizer 4 hours a day ... not really very thrilling since all I can do is let my arm hang ... I did return to work part-time this week and actually did pretty good ... I'm impressed with my bad self - lol ... soooooooooooooo, to keep myself sane and off the street corners, I've been busy creating some new left hand productions ... sweet friendship cards ...

I'm captivated with the faeries this week ...

sweet, sweet, sweet ... love the "attitude" ...

I'll fly away ... and take a good nap!

and I'll fly away TOO!!!

Ms. Hoity Toity ... gotta love her ...

Each of us is the accumulation of our memories ...

dreams have wings ...

A day to remember ...

vintage friends ... gotta love that red party hat!

bittersweet vines ... I LOVE embellishing with this stamp!

A trip to nostaligia now and then is good for the spirit ...

As always, left hand productions are made using quality cardstocks ... purchased or handmade backgrounds, and fine inks. Drop me a line if any of the cards just happen to catch your fancy ... all cards measure approximately 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" and come with a coordinating envelope ...

left hand productions ...

2009-01-18T15:40:00.011-06:00

created in a tiny messy corner of Aunt Polly's Attic ... using my left hand ...

handmade cards measuring approximately 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" ...

i especially love this sweet little card ... one of my first using my very own handmade background paper ...

another of my handmade backgrounds ...

sweet bittersweet berries up the side ...

friends are life's treasures ... ain't it the truth?

having fun altering purchased background paper ...

friendship ... such a sweet thing ...

friends like us ...

another handmade background ... follow your bliss ...

enjoy the journey ... kinda says it all ...

dream a little dream ... an early left hand production ...

best of friends we will always be ... original handmade background papers ...

a friend knows the song in your heart ... yummy handmade background papers ...

i've had fun experimenting and creating with paper these past weeks while recuperating from my shoulder surgery ... it's kept my mind and one hand busy ...

all left hand productions cards are made with both purchased and handmade papers and cardstocks ... all cards come with a coordinating envelope ...

I made it ...

2009-01-12T15:35:00.003-06:00

whew! shoulder surgery is absolutely no fun ... none whatsoever. and my luck being what it is, there were five problems that needed to be corrected ... a small tear in the rotator cuff was repaired, the bone at the top of my shoulder was deformed and had to be shaved down and some nasty arthritis junk cut out, the bone at the end of the shoulder had grown down over the shoulder joint and had to be cut off, the main tendon in the front of the shoulder was frayed and had to be debrided (sanded?), and finally, my inflamed bursa sac was removed. yowsa, huh? soooooooooooo ... i'm immobilized ... and it's driving me nuts ... this contraption is so confining ... but then my arm feels like it's going to literally fall off without it ... very frustrating.

it's going to be a long road, much longer than originally thought, back to my hooks and needles ... so i've turned to paper ... i'll show you some cards and projects soon ...

Last post for 2008 ...

2008-12-12T20:32:00.003-06:00

Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope all your wishes are fulfilled.

This will be my last post for awhile ... I'm having surgery on my right shoulder early next week and will be headed into "hibernation" for several weeks. I look forward to getting the surgery and physical therapy over with and having my needle punch and rug hook and needle back in my hand. The past few months have been so frustrating for me because without these things, I don't know who I am ... I'm excited about being able to bring my newest sketches and ideas to life and sharing them with you ...

Til then, all my best ...

Boot Camp Graduation ...

2008-12-01T16:37:00.028-06:00

First off let me say that my hubby and I are NOT travelers ... we're just not. We are truly the Griswolds on Vacation. Our story starts on Tuesday, November 25 at 3:30 a.m. with the alarm blaring ... out the door at 4:30 and on our way to Midway Airport in Chicago. We NEVER fly (once years ago) ... we drive on our vacations ... always north ... always to Wisconsin. But this time we're FLYING to San Antonio, TX!!!! To see our son, Josh, graduate from Air Force Boot Camp!!! So we find our way to Midway (thank goodness for the Tom Tom GPS I bought him for his birthday) and we actually get there, parked, and shuttled into the airport with no problems. We checked our huge suitcase and proceed into the security area ... oh boy ... with two artificial hips, my hubby set off all the bells and whistles and in an instant there were men on either side of him who whisked him away to a glass cubicle in the middle of the area where everyone can stare at him and wonder and whisper about what he must have done to get thrown in there ... leaving me to scoop up five bins worth of "stuff" ... our coats ... my sweatshirt ... my laptop ... laptop case ... two pair of shoes ... my purse ... my camera ... my book ... coughdrops which spilled out everywhere and I have to have them because of course, I got sick two days before leaving ... really sick ... I'm coughing and feverish and my throat is on fire ... and I'm holding up the line and I can hear grunting and snorting aimed at the back of my head and I'm trying to just stay upright and scoop, scoop, scoop ... half an hour later, we're on our way to our gate ... our flight was actually not bad ... I HATE to fly ... so two xanax later, I could have been on the back of a goose I suppose and still enjoyed the flight ... we land and actually find our luggage and on the shuttle (hey, we're beginning to look like we do this all the danged time!!!!) ... off to the rental car site ... we get this zippy little red number ... we drive trucks ... this thing is like a GO CART!!!! We hadn't left the parking lot yet and hubby made his first emergency OnStar call. Kid you not!!! So we get Tom Tom all rigged up and we're ready to roll ... out we go, make the first right ... right into a cul-de-sac because the road has closed recently (shoulda updated that Tom Tom before we left I guess) ... so after getting turned around (I'm POSITIVE the guy in the rental car parking lot booth thingee is laughing his butt off by this point), we were off and into San Antonio traffic. Let me just say this ... WOW!!!!! And what's UP with the stacked highways or freeways or whatever you call them? I mean, at one point I counted NINE highways on top of the one we were on!!!! And WHY are all the roads one way ... going the WRONG way? We found our hotel without much trouble, check in, and rest a bit. Then we make the near fatal mistake of going out to the Buffalo Wings behind our hotel. It took us 35 minutes to get back to the hotel after picking up some dinner!!!! I could have tossed a rock straight through a window of our hotel, but we could NOT get to it!!! Around and around and around we went. Oh, I've forgotten to tell you ... EVERYONE in San Antonio drives 65 miles an hour. No joke. For real. Have you ever tried to merge onto a four lane highway filled straight across with cars going 65 and nobody's moving over for ya ... nope, nobody! By the end of the trip, hubby was actually getting pretty good at that whoa and go type driving ... scary ... I could NEVER have done it ... thank God for hubbies ...

Enter a civilian, depart a trainee ...

Neither my husband nor I saw our son in the Airman's Two Mile Run the first morning ... it should have been our first opportunity to see him ... we worried as we knew he had been struggling with his mile and a half sprint time ... he's never been a sprinter ... we're worried and concerned ... WHY didn't we see him? Everyone around us saw their kid ... we didn't. My heart is heavy ... so very, very heavy. I'm sick ... lightheaded and coughing ... my ribs feel broken from coughing so hard ... I'm trying to stay on my feet and not fall down ... I'm crying and need to get away from all the happy parents. Hubby takes me to the car because I can't quit crying and I'm embarassed. After awhile we decide to go for a walk to try to waste (???) three hours before the Airman's Coin Ceremony where we hope we see our son. Please God, let us see him today. Let me know he's ok. We round a corner and there he was with his flight!!! I know, know, KNOW that this was a gift from God ... meant just for me ... my very own blessing ... and I'll carry with me all my days. I'll never, EVER forget that moment ... it will always make me cry ...

I'm standing right behind you, bud ... I'm standing right behind you ... feel me, Josh ... I'm right here ... I'm HERE!!!!!

I can't believe how thin he is ... how hollow his cheeks are ... he looks completely different ... he's a shell of what he was ... he looks so tired, worn out, and beat ... they all do ... and now that I see him, I think I maybe DID see him in the run this morning ... it makes me cry ...

My son's home away from home ... those blankets look SCRATCHY!!!!! Makes me want to make a new, special quilt for him and all his buddies ... this dorm would look ALOT better with a nice quilt on each bunk, don't you think???

Night display ... all ready to literally jump into at 4:45 a.m. reveille ...

The trainees entering the Retreat Pad for the Coin Ceremony to take their Airman's Oath ...

The boys of Flight 029 receiving their Airman's Coin ... no longer trainees ... they're now AIRMEN!!!!!

The Airmen of Flight 029 saluting their loved ones ... a very moving, emotional ceremony ... I bawled like a baby ... I now have a perfect record for crying every single solitary day for 6-1/2 weeks ... but today was the WORST ... I can't stop no matter how hard I try ...

The flag has never been more beautiful or meant so much ... every American should witness one of these ceremonies ...

Thanksgiving Day ... Josh gets his first town pass ... and we go to the Riverwalk in San Antonio ... AMAZING is the only word that comes close to describing it there ... long, meandering walks with gorgeous, lush plantings along a manmade river with shops and restaurants, most open air ... incredible!!!!! This is a picture of Josh with St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost things ...

The picture is a bit dark, but let me introduce you anyway ... please meet the MOST ANNOYING BIRD IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD ... the grackle according to my friend, T/J, who's a Texas gal ... these birds never sleep ... they never shut up ... and they're NOT afraid of anything ... hope they never migrate north ...

One of the tour boats cruising the Riverwalk ...

Hubby (Rick), Josh, and I taken by one of Josh's flightmates who we ran into at the Riverwalk with his parents ... notice we're all wearing hats? Fair warning if you ever go to the Riverwalk, there are LOTS of birds! lol

We were able to take Josh to a Spurs basketball game!!!!! What a great night!!!!!

The Spurs played the Grizzlies (I forget what city they're from ... I'm not into basketball but the time spent sitting between my husband and my kid was what this ol' mom needed) ... the Spurs won ...

Overwhelming ... Graduation Day is finally here ... my heart was so full I'm surprised it didn't pop ... but you'll never guess what ... I DIDN'T CRY!!!! Truly ... not one tear ...

Airman First Class Niemeyer (wearing his TWO stripes for the first time!!!!) ... incredibly handsome, don't you think? He will remain at Lackland Air Force Base for his tech school until April of next year.

Training Squadron 722, Flight 029 ... my boys in blue ... a special and heartfelt THANK YOU from this ol' mom ... thank you for being my son's friends and confidantes ... thank you for lifting him up when he couldn't do it for himself ... and for being there when he needed you most ... for all the good ... and all the bad ... THANK YOU!!!!! May God bless and keep each and every one of you.

Shame on me ... it's been too long ...

2008-11-15T21:36:00.004-06:00

What can I say? I've been in such a funk ... maybe it's the gloomy weather day after day ... or maybe the changing of the seasons ... or that my oldest son left almost five weeks ago for boot camp in San Antonio, TX. He enlisted in the Air National Guard and will complete boot camp Thanksgiving weekend. He then goes to school until the end of March. I will never again take having my sons near for granted. I can't imagine the pain of parents with children in Iraq and other dangerous areas of the world. My heart truly goes out to them all.

Well, whatever "it" is, it's time to snap out of it. Somebody slap me!!

On a lighter note ... hubby and I have been learning a new craft ... soldered jewelry. I struggled and struggled with my soldering, cussing my way through each piece only to have my glass break from overheating and my solder was thin and overworked ... my husband watched me and kept encouraging me and one day asked if he could give it a try ... he picked up the soldering iron and was like a duck in water. So now he's Solder Boy (he loves the nickname even if he says he doesn't). I assemble the pieces and he solders them. And we've both really enjoyed the time spent together ...

Be watching for them on my website soon ...

Some new woolies ... fresh from the dye pots ...

2008-10-11T18:28:00.014-05:00

Early Saturday morning ... I could have slept in, but didn't ... I could have turned on HGTV and sipped my coffee in full throttle recliner mode, but didn't ... I could have been outside on a GORGEOUS autumn day, but I wasn't ... instead, I set up the dye pots. It's been in my mind for weeks ... how desperately low I'm running on browns and greens ... blanket weight wools for some autumn penny rugs that are rolling around in my head ... yummy chocolates ... soft khakis ... winter sky blue/grays ... antique green/black ... and of course, that danged elusive "perfect" red ... I don't think I'll ever accomplish that "perfect" red, try as I might ...

A sweet lil' punkin mat measuring 6" x 8-1/2" ... made from a vintage brown heavyweight army blanket appliqued with Aunt Polly's hand dyed wools and a vintage green army blanket. The mat has been bound using heavy cotton floss. Perfect lil autumn tuckaway ... postage paid ... $22.95 ...

Created one at a time ... no pattern used ... just me and the scissors ... extra sweet lil autumn flower pinny made from a vintage army blanket and appliqued with Aunt Polly's hand dyed wools and embellished with some fancy stitchin' and glass seed beads. The stem is hand dyed, hand spun wool yarn that has been couch stitched. Pinny comes with a couple of Aunt Polly's make do pins, some shell buttons, and rusty safety pins. Pinny measures 2-1/1" x 7" and has been stuffed FULL of crushed walnut shells to keep your pins and needles extra sharp. Postage paid ... $21.95 ... I sure wish my picture taking skills would have captured how sweet, sweet, sweet this lil' pinny really is ...

Ahhhhhhhhhh, the CHUBBY one! LOL! I love how this pinny turned out! No pattern used ... just the scissors and me ... It's been stuffed wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy full with crushed walnut shells and she's a chubby one ... lol. Made from blanket weight antique white wool with some fancy 'broidery stitchin', glass beads, and hand dyed wools ... This one will hold TONS of needles and pins! Postage paid ... $24.95 ...

A quick update to let you know that ol' chubby has been purchased.

Banana Bars Recipe ...

2008-10-01T09:42:00.003-05:00

I was asked to post the recipe I used for making my banana bars recently. Here you go, Kim ... straight off my favorite recipe site, http://www.tasteofhome.com/ ... YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! I have three bananas sitting in a bowl getting riper by the minute ... I think it's time to bake up another batch!! Except that my hubby has gone on a three week fishing trip ... and I sure don't need to be gobbling up a whole pan of these! Maybe I'll be a nice gal and bake them up and take them to work tomorrow. Hmmmmmmmmmm ... or maybe I'll bake up a batch and eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
FROSTING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions: In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into creamed mixture just until blended. Transfer to a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Frost bars. Yield: 3 dozen.

Sweet little wooly pincushions ...

2008-09-28T22:01:00.010-05:00

Some new wooly pincushions on the website this week ...

Sorry, the From Me to Thee pincushion has sold ...

Sorry, the sweet little flower cushion has sold ...

And a new little penny mat ...

2008-09-26T17:46:00.003-05:00

The king sized quilt top is finished! Whew!!!! This baby is 108" square(!!!) and is by far my biggest quilting adventure yet. I literally had to have help getting it to and from the floor where it was laid out to the sewing machine and then over to the ironing board! Thanks, Lorri!!! Couldn't have done it without ya!!! So now I'm on a mission to find 118" wide backing. I really didn't think it would be as hard as it has turned out to be. I feel a quilting "road trip" coming up very soon as I've scoured all my local shops and haven't found what I'm looking for online yet either. (Are ya ready, Lor????)

Happy Sunday ...

2008-09-21T21:08:00.003-05:00

AREN'T THEY GORGEOUS????? I'm soooooooooooo proud of myself! Harvested today from the Attic gardens. And oh my gosh, they were so FUN to pick! Hidden little treasures on vines that had pretty much consumed the back half of the vegetable garden this year. In my defense, I thought they would stay on the fence. NOT!!!! I had lil punkins growing in the lilac tree on the other side of the fence, hanging inside the tomato cages, and under the marigolds. Pulling the vines today, each little treasure more delightful than the last.

Oh my gosh, I'm in a fall mood!!! And fall means wool!!! Yep, it's time to get the woolies out. Just for fun, I stitched up some wooly white heirloom punkins ... so uneven and lopsided ... perfect to display in large wooden bowls filled with harvest pickings ... or sitting on a shelf in the stepback cupboard ... you can find them on the website ...

Happy Fall!!!!

2008-09-14T17:45:00.009-05:00

My FAVORITE time of the year ... when I'm inspired to cook -- made homemade chili yesterday with my freshly canned chili mix and spicy juice (YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!) from the Attic gardens, to bake -- made banana bars with homemade frosting yesterday too (sooooooooooooooooo good and calories I definitely didn't need), to create -- new to the website this week ... an original, one of a kind punched punkin fresh off the punchin' frame ...

Something new that I'm playing with ... vintage dominoes ... they're ADDICTING!!!!!

It's hard to see the soft, ink stained colors of the dominoes. Hand stamped with permanent ink, little "alters" here and there, wired beads or abalone shells, hanging from cotton hand twisted cordings or ball chain. $15 each ... drop me an e-mail if you'd like to see a closeup picture.

UPDATE 9/22/08 ... all of my altered necklaces have been spoken for. Yippee!!!!

My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by Hurricane Ike. Living in northern Illinois and never having encountered a hurricane, it's hard to comprehend the pictures we're now seeing of the devastation. My heart goes out to those affected.

The Olde Prairie Register ...

2008-09-04T15:17:00.005-05:00

The September issue of the Olde Prairie Register is now available ...

and we've been selected as the Featured Website!!!!

You HAVE to check it out ... this issue is packed with autumn goodies ...

http://oldeprairieregister.blogspot.com/

A new award ...

2008-08-31T19:43:00.009-05:00

I'm so excited!!!! Special thanks to Cathy at http://hazelruthes.blogspot.com/ for selecting me as one of her favorite prim blogs. I'm honored, Cathy. Truly.

Each recipient of the Primitive Excellence Award must:

Proudly display the award on their blog
Add a link back to the person who nominated them
Nominate at least seven of their favorite prim blogs with links to their blogs
Leave a comment on each nominee's blog

And now I'm to pass the honor along ...

to ...

in no special order because they're all some of my very favorites ...

Kim at Cabin Creek Farm
http://cabincreekfarm.blogspot.com/

Doreen at Vermont Harvest
http://vermontharvest.blogspot.com/

Kelley at With Hook and Needle
http://kankerdoodle.blogspot.com/

Judy at The Spice Cupboard
http://thespicecupboard.blogspot.com/

Terri at Thistle House Primitives
http://thistlehouseprimitives.blogspot.com/

Miss Prudence at Quaint & Plain
http://turkeyhollowamericanfolkart.blogspot.com/

Cheryl at She Seeketh Wool and Flax

http://sheseekethwoolandflax.blogspot.com/

WHEW! Get your favorite drink and settle in ... lots and lots of prim readin' to be done ... click away prim seekers ...

It's ready ... FINALLY!

2008-08-18T11:03:00.003-05:00

Seems like forever ago that I posted a sneak peek to my Punched Pinkeep Dolls! I'm so pleased to announce that the pattern is ready to go! (Can you believe it, Linda S.????) Punched with 6-strands of floss, these lil gals punch up nice and quick! And they're just the perfect addition to your antique sewing basket. This is a paper-only pattern available only through Aunt Polly's Attic. The cost is $10 postage paid. You can find the pattern on my website www.auntpollysattic.com ...

Thank you, thank you, thank you ...

2008-08-14T19:45:00.002-05:00

I've loved receiving all the wonderful comments and e-mails! Thanks so much everyone ... every single one truly touches my heart. I've so enjoyed sharing my work and pictures with you. This blogging stuff is the cat's pajamas!

Hubby's Quilt ...

2008-08-13T21:05:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd share a picture of the quilt I made for hubby using repro civil war blues and browns offset with shirtings, a small border of dark brown, and a wider border in my favorite blue fabric from the quilt. I think it turned out very manly ... no sissy colors for my macho carpenter dude. This was my first attempt at setting blocks on point ... believe me, I wouldn't want you to examine my points very closely!!!! All in all though, I'm pleased with the results and even MORE pleased that it's no longer sitting in my UFO basket.

The Penny Rug is FINISHED ...

2008-08-12T18:45:00.006-05:00

I can't believe I've finally finished it! It's done, done, done ... and what a project it was. A whopper! It measures 47" x 21-1/2"!!!! One inch short of four feet long! Wowsa!! I tried and tried to get a picture of it but there wasn't anywhere in my tiny house to lay it out and take a good picture of it. I took it to work today and had one of our photographers photograph it in the studio. We pinned it to a black backdrop so that's why you see the corners pulled up a bit and the little humpy pull in the top center. He did great job capturing the true colors of it. MUCH better than I could have done (special thanks to Bob B.) ... and a heartfelt THANK YOU to my friend, Cee ... your pattern was wonderful to work with ... stop by and visit Cee at her website (get those drool rags ready, you're soooooooooooo gonna love this) http://earlystylepennyrugs.com/

I'll be listing the penny rug on my website soon ... I'm working on several new prim goodies at once (which could be disaster - lol) ... stay tuned ...

BOO!!!! Here I am ...

2008-08-03T16:18:00.009-05:00

I apologize for disappearing for a few weeks ... I've been busier than a cat in a roomful of rockers ... working hard in the gardens ... nursing hubby after his hip replacement July 15 ... working long, hot summer hours at the university ...

We're just beginning to enter the Dog Days of Summer here in northern Illinois ... it's been so danged HOT and HUMID!!!! Hard to work for very long in the gardens, that's for sure. But look what was waiting for me the other morning!

Isn't it gorgeous????? And the smell is incredible!!!!!

Immediately the song from the Count on Sesame Street bounced into my head ... "One of these things is not like the other ... no, two, yes TWO of these things are not like the others ... no, three, yes THREE of these things are not like the others ..." (could be that I'm showing my age here ... LOL!!!!)

There are actually five of the lilies buried in the coneflower -- with another five big fat buds getting ready to burst open.

The black-eyed susans LOVE this hot and humid weather too!

* * * * * * * * *

NEW TO THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:

Oh my gosh, I LOVE how this little yo-yo dolly quilt turned out! My first attempt at a yo-yo quilt and I loved working on it. I'm sure it won't be my last yo-yo quilt. Completely handsewn using reproduction fabrics, the dolly quilt measures approximately 10" x 12".

Pitch black grubby cupboard candles ...

Primitive hand waxed candle paddles ...

* * * * * * * * *

MY GUYS:

My sons, Quinn and Josh. My heart, my soul, my life. I love you guys!!!

Oh That Penny Rug Adventure ...

2008-07-14T17:45:00.008-05:00

The adventure of the Early Style Penny Rug continues ...

I spent a bit of time this past weekend putzing with it ...

re-arranging and re-arranging until it "spoke" to me ... actually it YELLED at me ... "ENOUGH already -- go get your needle!"

Notice my hand dyed cotton floss ball --- oooooohhhhhh la la, it turned out

wonderfully!!!! My best batch yet I'm thinking ...

As you can see, I listened to my Early Style Penny Rug when it told me to grab my needle ... the first penny is blanket stitched ... and the adventure continues ...

My very first blog award ...

2008-07-13T21:25:00.005-05:00

YIPPEE!!!! I've "arrived"!!! My very first blog award!!!!

I received this lil beauty from my friend, Pam aka GoldieLoo, and you can

find her awesome blog at:

http://goldieloowoodworks.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much, Pam! You're AWESOME!!!!

Once an award is received, the rules are as follows:

Put the logo on your blog.
Add a link to the person who awarded you.
Nominate at least seven other blogs.
Add links to those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message for your nominee on their blogs.

My nominees are:

Kim @ http://kimsprimsandwhimsies.blogspot.com/

Cathy @ http://hazelruthes.blogspot.com/

Jill @ http://thefruitofherhandstudio.blogspot.com/

Sharon @ http://homespunheartprimitives.blogspot.com/

Pam @ http://farmhouseprimitives.blogspot.com/

Judy @ http://thespicecupboard.blogspot.com/

Brenda @ http://myfathershouse4.blogspot.com/

The Early Style Penny Rug adventure begins ...

2008-07-08T19:53:00.012-05:00

Brewing up some hand dyed cotton floss. This will be the only thread used in my Early Style Penny Rug ... and oh my gosh, it turned out GORGEOUS! This was my first attempt at dying cotton floss with this particular "brew" ... and it sure won't be my last!

All the applique pieces are traced on freezer paper ...

and then ironed on the wools dyed right here in the kitchen ...

This step is my favorite part of making penny rugs -- cutting the pieces out with my sharp little scissors (notice the big holes ... perfect for my fat thumb). I'm loving how primitive the animal shapes are and how they seem to come to life once they're cut out ...

Newest offering on the website ...

2008-07-06T21:35:00.004-05:00

From Aunt Polly's wooly worm basket ... a hooked hit or miss mat ... and a one of kind linen thread pocket ...

From the dye pot ...

2008-07-05T22:38:00.009-05:00

I spent a quiet afternoon at the dye pots ... today I actually opened some antique dye powders that I've been saving ... saving for that perfect rug ... today was the day I did it ... I tore that dye open and began dying wools for my Early Style Penny Rug ...

Gorgeous colors in the dye pot ...

My "perfect background" wet ...

My "perfect background" is even MORE perfect dry!!!!!

A good day at the dye pots ... several colors that I will use in my Early Style Penny Rug ...

An old hooked rug project that I began in 2005 ... it's a whopper ... 3' x 2-1/2' ... it weighs a ton ... and it's not finished ...

This is all that remains to be hooked ... WHY can't I just finish it? This rug has been my friend, a constant companion, rolled up and moved from place to place. The time as come to finish it ...

Today I dyed the "perfect border". I LOVE how this red turned out! I'm going to finish this rug!!!

New handworks ...

2008-07-05T15:50:00.007-05:00

A sock doorstop bottle doll ... her name is Cora ... made from a pattern from Stitches in Time by Sweet Liberty Homestead ... all decked out in antique indigo and blue homespun ... and her sock doll kitty friend, Bezzie ... pattern off the cuff of my good friend, Terri ... a little something she just whipped up ...

A farmer's wife pinkeep in grubbied gray/blue and a birdie pinkeep made from special reproduction calicos in pinks and browns ... those pinks and browns just "sing" to me ...

Here kitty, kitty ... another sweet lil' pinkeep pattern from Sweet Liberty's book Stitches in Time ... made from stained flax cloth ...

My first attempt at hooking flowers ... my friends Jackie, Terri, and I hooked up three each and I think they all turned out beautiful ... their leaves are cut from a thick army blanket threaded on to rusty wire ...

I finished it!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so proud of myself!!! My first attempt at binding a round rug and also my first attempt at using rug binding ... I have always whipped the edges of my rugs and mats ... it was all sooooooooooo much easier than I thought it would be ...

Some new garden pics ...

2008-07-04T17:59:00.010-05:00

The lilies are STUNNING this year ...

those wave petunias are doing their "thing" ...

my stepping stone ... made a few years ago from a kit I bought at Michael's ... it has held up unbelieveably well ... I leave it out through the hard northern Illinois winters ... the first year or so, it looked "like a kit", but the last few years, it has aged nicely ... I think I'll buy another kit this year ...

the old-fashioned roses are struggling this year ... does the bush just plain old get old or something? I had to cut away lots of dead branches this spring ... I'm happy to see a few blooms as I thought they were goners ...

the dill (before today's harvest) with orange and yellow lilies in the background ...

the new hostas this year ...

the coneflowers are just beginning to open ...

my poor rose bushes ...

I love, love, LOVE these lilies ... no birds moved in this year ... we DID have a robin build her nest in the bent part of our downspout ... too high to be able to see what happened in there ... the nest has been abandoned for a couple of weeks now ... time to pull it down ...

Harvesting the herbs ...

2008-07-04T17:49:00.003-05:00

Today was the day ... the first harvesting of the Attic's herb gardens.
Today's harvesting included: dill, fennel, lemon balm, lemon mint, lemon verbena, lime mint, orange mint ...

oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and sweet basil ...

The harvesting began last evening with a good watering to wash the herbs. I was up and out the door early today with my morning coffee ... big, floppy gardening hat on my head and an antique wood bowl holding my harvest scissors, kitchen string, paper labels, and permanent marker.

Tomorrow I harvest the last of the lavender, pull the radish remnants, and plant the second harvest of green beans ...

Dumpster divin' ...

2008-07-03T09:18:00.003-05:00

You gotta love a good dumpster dive! Oh yeah!!!! I was walking into work, past the dumpsters, and there it was!!!! A metal sculpture of a tree!!!! A student project left behind ... I was dragging that beauty out of that dumpster in the blink of an eye. It was mine!!! It was MEANT for me!!!! I just knew it was MADE for my shade garden (aka the boys' old sandbox) ... and now it has rusted to perfection. My neighbor wants it ... she can't have it ... it was meant for ME!!!!

A super long weekend ...

2008-07-02T20:54:00.009-05:00

I've just returned from a 4-day trip to Indiana with my good pal and travel mate, Terri. We went to visit another friend, Jackie, and her husband, Benny. We spent the entire time crafting, talking, and laughing and laughing and laughing. What a GREAT getaway! (Jackie, if you're reading this, I love ya!!!) I love Jackie's house -- it's so peaceful and tranquil there. Many times we'd just sit and listen to the different birds twittering and flitting from the branches in the woods that surround Jackie's house. Jackie loves the birds. Her yard and the woods behind her house are filled with birdhouses and birdbaths. Terri and I took a little time on our last day to walk down to the river and take some pictures.

Ouch!!!

2008-06-18T20:11:00.003-05:00

Well, this is how I've spent the past week .... lovely, don't you think? Plantar fasciitis ... YUCK!!!! And now I have a lump on the bottom of my left foot!!!! I sure hope I don't have to try to wear TWO of these things!!!!!!

A new punching ...

2008-06-08T16:58:00.003-05:00

I've had the "itch" oh so bad!!! Ever since my recent trip to Lancaster, PA to meet up with a wild group of internet friends and I found some yummy, hand dyed wool yarns in a couple of quaint little shops. I HAD to have them! I love rug punching! If you have never tried it, you simply must! So fast and easy! This is a pic of the chair mat that I punched up while watching TV last night. It measures 14" round and was punched with a #10 Amy Oxford rug punch on a monks cloth foundation. I've never finished the edge of a round rug or mat. It should be dry from blocking tomorrow. This will be an adventure ...

Collections ...

2008-06-07T18:31:00.004-05:00

A few of the collections here in the Attic ...

Vintage aprons ...

Wooden bowls ...

Antique shoe molds ...

The gardens are in ...

2008-06-03T19:00:00.004-05:00

Whew! As of last evening, the gardens are in here at the Attic. I was so sad to see that my loofa didn't come up. So much for THAT experiment. Not one of those darned seeds germinated. So I've planted the fence row again with small punkin gourds and an assortment of colorful little fall gourds. It will be interesting to see what I get -- hopefully some of these seeds will germinate. The birdhouse gourds are in, as well as the dippers and baby bottles. Hubby just shakes his head and wonders (he knows better than to really ASK - lol!) what I'm going to do with all of these gourds. Why, add them to the pile of last year's and some from a friend down in the basement! Silly man! Seriously though ... if a good portion of the seeds take, I'll be setting up a free table in my front yard to get rid of a few hundred - ha ha. In the vegetable garden this year we have watermelon radishes -- white on the outside and hot pink on the inside ... a "sweet" radish ... ok, they got me there. Now I HAVE to know what a sweet radish tastes like! The first planting is between 2 and 3 inches high already. We have onions -- what ya want, regular ol' onions? Bunching onions? Sweet? White? We've got a few choices. We have tomatoes -- the cherry tomatoes, the good ol' ain't nothing better Beefmasters, and one bush tomato. The bush was a freebie from the greenhouse. Ok, I'll try it. We've got carrots, squash, cukes, and green beans. The POOR green beans! I do believe we have a rabbit problem!!!! My green beans are now green sticks sticking out of the ground. There USED to be leaves. Dang it! We've got potatoes - a one hill wonder. I'm going to try to get as many taters as I can out of that one hill by putting boxes made of 2 x 12's around the plant when it comes up and add more dirt and let it come up and add more dirt and eventually adding another wood box and keep adding more and more dirt. I've read about doing this is old tires but somehow I don't think I want potatoes that were grown in an old tire. Just doesn't sound healthy. I'll use wood. We've got a few varieties of peppers -- jalapeno, sweet cherry, sweet bells, cayenne, chili. We use alot of peppers in our canned salsa and chili mix. And hubby likes to dry strings of the cayennes and chilies to make his crushed red pepper blend. So that's that. The gardens are in ... a nice cool evening after a day of rain ... and I'm blogging ...

Doll quilts ... I LOVE to make them ...

2008-06-02T20:57:00.005-05:00

Quilting is one of my many passions. You'll see pictures from time to time of my dolls quilts ... I absolutely LOVE making them!!

Spent some time in the gardens today ...

2008-06-01T19:42:00.008-05:00

The kitchen herb garden: rosemary, marjoram, thyme, dill, cilantro, oregano, cherry tomato, nasturtiums, lime mint, lemon mint, chocolate mint, sweet basil, chives, and strawberries.

My poor lil angel! She didn't like this past winter one little bit. Her gazing ball has broken and her arm has fall off. I'll have to buy her a new ball and I've propped her arm up. She'll have to be my "make do" garden angel this year.

Hubby and I went antiquing today ...

2008-05-31T21:14:00.004-05:00

And this is what I found! Isn't it gorgeous??? Beautiful hand embroidery and the hand quilting is absolutely exquisite! Such perfect, tiny stitches. There isn't any quilt batting which makes it the perfect summer quilt. And I got it for a song ... oh happy, happy day!!!!

Tomorrow I garden ...