How many embroidery projects can one girl have going at one time? ALOT! Sadly, this is not even all of them. sigh. Through all the sick down-time, this is pretty much all i have had the energy for.  My sewing machine is feeling abandoned and i still have naked dollies lolling about, wondering if they will ever be dressed. Presents to finish, commission to work on….i have been a bad and negligent  crafter lately. Even worse, i am leaving early tomorrow morning for a few days camping. I am hoping that the ocean air will make us all feel better and make the congestion go away!

*IF* i survive the packing/preparing process that is.  I have not been camping in many many years, and never with two kids. I am grateful that my very experienced dad is taking care of the big stuff like tents and gear and such.  You’d think the rest would be easy. I am ashamed to report that thus far it has not been! Buying camping-friendly food that my ridiculously picky kiddos will eat….what a chore THAT was. And now packing clothes and sheets and towels and all the 100000 other things we “NEED”….what the hell! There is now a mountain of crap to somehow fit in the car and i am not not even done getting it all together. I don’t remember having to take so much. It boggles my mind.

Also, i am having epic battles with my agoraphobia and general irrational craziness. My little one has never been camping before, and i am insanely paranoid about every detail, including, but no limited to, getting into a wreck on the WAY to the beach, losing one of the kids once we get there, rip tides, drowning, jellyfish and sharks. I did not realize how looney and unreasonably overprotective i have truly gotten because i have not gone anywhere in so long. I am a master at finding reasons to stay home, in my comfort zone. And i have never taken the kids anywhere without the Mister to support me and reassure me. Alas, he will be staying home while i go on my Big Adventure. (No doubt having a relaxing and lovely week flying his planes, watching rated R movies and enjoying a peaceful house without us driving him nuts like we tend to do.) Meanwhile, i am having visions of every. single. thing. that an go wrong. It’s a problem. My crazy is beginning to get out of control and it disturbs me greatly. I had no idea i had gotten so bad.

If i survive this trip, i will have conquered a thousand fears, which is a GOOD thing. I just have to hold it together. Wish me luck! Hopefully i will return with many tales and photos of our trip. We will be back on friday…until then, i leave you with the current Queen of the buttonbox Garden….the datura! The blossom is HUGE,  beautiful, and smells incredible.

See you next weekend, all!

xoxoxoxoxo

We are a big  bunch of sickies this week It started with beastie getting a cold which lead to an ear infection complete with a trip to the doc. He is feeling lots better, but now the REST of us have this horrible icky thing with sore throat and sneezy stuffy nose….misery for all! blah. So that’s where i have been, taking care of my sick kiddos and my sick self. On the up side, i finished the Deathly Hallows, which was amazing, and finally saw The Last Mimzy…i loved the story and want to read the book! i have gotten loads of embroidery done, too.

We have to hurry up and get better because we are going camping on Hunting Island with my dad next week! YAY! I am so excited to be getting away. Also, i have to get my butt back to the skating rink because i have decided to join the roller derby when i grow up. Won’t that be the awesomest of all awesome things??? I have lots of practicing to do. Hahahahaha!

Well it’s back to couch for me. Hope everyone is having a good week. I hope i will be back soon with finsihed crafty-bits show ya’ll.

xoxox

I added a tiny handful of odds and ends to the shop! Please do stop in for a peek

Other than updating, i am suddenly finding myself madly busy…i am working on another gypsy-style apron on commission for a wonderfully sweet and understanding lady, as well as making a birthday present for a certain Leo-ish Savannah dweller. I still have two poor naked dollies who are crying for their frocks! Suzie Sunflower was the lucky one, the other two are still waiting, somewhat impatiently, i think!

And here is my soundtrack for today….

No New Tale to Tell

You cannot go against nature
Because when you do
Go against nature
It’s part of nature too

Our little lives get complicated
It’s a simple thing
Simple as a flower
And that’s a complicated thing

No new tale to tell

Hoping everyone is having a lovely Thursday!

xoxo

There was silly TV, Rebirth Of Mothra 3…..

There was play…..

We have had this toy for nearly three years now, and beastie STILL likes to play with it….i suppose creating weird creatures never get old

There was art…

Found this fabulous book at he thrift store…the monster mouth (which apparently had a super cool pencil sharpener built in) had been removed, but almost NONE of the pages had been drawn on. So fun!

There was large scale cooking, as i baked the largest pan of ziti that i have even made before to take over to my friends… i am southern, i can’t help it….when someone passes on you just have to cook. It’s in our blood i guess. There was also some eating….

This melon was a bit of a surprise….I cut it, expecting the usual pink, and was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful  yellow.

Left-over pasta premavera … it just looked so pretty in the bowl. Whole wheat pasta, sauted chicken, red bell pepper, vidalia onion and broccoli with grated parmesan and a sprinkle of lemon pepper……mmmmmmmmm

Then there were surprises!

The mister handed me this little box when he got home from work,

I could melt into a puddle of spoiled goo….it’s a dozen handmade truffles specailly ordered for me! Six dark Chocolate Grand Marnier and six Milk Chocolate Kahlua. My hub is  the most wonderful man in the universe, and i am a spoiled, lucky girl indeed.

i intend to spend the rest of my evening, embroidering and relaxing drinking some bad cheap vino and indulging in a  truffle or two. Releasing things that are beyond my control and focusing on the good and lovely things that i am blessed with in my life.  What else can one do?

xoxo

Suzie Sunflower

following the sun across the sky

sunflower eyes tracking the light

til it drops, falling under dusk’s shadow

ever trusting in it’s bright morning return

standing tall through the dark time,

stretching out to greet the light.

All flowers in time bend toward the sun

A beautiful song (originally performed by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser, incredibly difficult to find it, sadly, as it is one of the most beautiful song i have ever heard in my life) that partly inspired this dolly….enjoy

xoxox

What a weekend it has been…ranging from attending the memorial service of a dear old friend all the way to seeing the new Harry Potter movie. My emotions are just all over the place, and i feel like a bit of a mess and full of bittersweetness.

The only really good thing i can say about the passing of MG is that it brought our old circle back together for the first time in more years than i want to admit. It’s so tragic that it took this awfulness to make it happen, but we all promised never to let the distance grow so much ever again. It was so amazing to see everyone again, like coming home.

Today is rainy and sort of “anti-climatic” for my little one…while i was away at the memorial, Big Daddy and beastie went to my niece’s roller skating birthday party. I am happy to report that beastie does just fine on wheels and had a grand old time. Once we all got home, Darin and i went to see Harry Potter while my MIL took beastie to Ratatouille. He had a much more activity filled day than usual, and today is suffering from major boredom. Maybe that is a good thing, because trying to entertain him without the help of the evil TV is keeping my mind off melancholy.

Cooties…a timeless diversion! Beastie won this round, but NEXT TIME i will prevail!

Check out these disgusting creatures!! Beastie got them in his treat bag from the party…they started out very small, but grew to nasty, clammy soggily huge monsters when soaked in a bowl of water. So gross! (It reminds me of one of the radio shows i listened to the other day…check it out here!)

in his treat bag, Beastie also received a bunch of new little plastic monsters to add to his ever growing collection. Here we see them assembling, getting ready for some serious mayhem!

Oooh, those poor little monsters did not stand a chance when the BIG BOYS got in on the action! Godzilla, King Ghidora and Space Godzilla join in for the battle Royale (with cheese).

Anyway, that’s my weekend. I hope everyone is having a lovely one, and that you are all hugging your lovies tight.

xoxoxo

In Memory of MG

i walked a around my garden and picked flowers in his honor, remember the times i spent in his company, hanging out with the Rabon family who always embraced me as one of their clan. Remembering the great time we had sitting in the fire circle with the smell of sage filling the air, and that feeling of “connectedness”  feeling regret that i never told him how much i admired him. He grew the finest collards  i have seen, and was such a kind, gentle spirit.  An amazing father to a very large rowdy and wonderful family.  Hoping he is at peace. My heart aches for those he’s left behind.

You never know how much you miss someone til they are gone. Make sure to take time to tell those you care for how much they mean to you, for they can be gone forever in one unexpected moment. All those friendships and connection that so often drift apart are worth the effort it takes to to bridge those distances. As for me, i plan to be doing ALOT of work on my own bridge-building.
To all my beloved blog-peeps….please know today, that you are loved and cherished.
xoxox

I can’t find the link now, but recently i was lucky enough to stumble over a website that had a collection of about a million old horror/suspense/sci-fi radio dramas….Such wonderful old shows like “The Hermit’s Cave”, “Weird Circle”, “Quiet Please” and “The Halls of Fantasy” and much much more. Of course i downloaded every single one, and now have countless hours of these audio gems. i am hopelessly addicted. I have been listening to such great tales as “The Creeping Thing”, a horribly terrifying tale (giggle) of a science experiment gone (Of course)  very wrong, producing a GIANT RAMPAGING SPIDER (Will those scientist EVER learn not to play God???! teehee), “Dance of the Devil Dolls” (all about voodoo dolls! Would you have guessed?) and “The Dunwich Horror”, a good old tried and true HP Lovecraft tale, among many many many many others. Most of it is corny and COMPLETELY un-scary in any way, but i just never tire of it. It’s my new favorite pastime. I accomplish amazing feats of marathon laundry-doing and other dreadfully dull housewife-y stuff while i listen. It makes me want to toss my TV right out. I love how radio dramas stimulate my imagination, and draw me into the stories so much more than TV ever does. (With a few notable exceptions…there IS some very good TV happening, i have to admit)

Anyway, my beloved radio dramas are pulling me out of my own head and allowing me to use my brain for the powers of good….like for imagination and daydreaming,  rather than the dark powers of evil navelgazing and overall bummed-outery. I like it! And when the housework is all done, it is perfect to sit down with my limoncello and my embroidery and get lost in the old-time radio goodness….

Remember this old thing? I ashamed to say i had not worked on the poor neglected tree for quite some time. i have pulled it out and gotten busy on it again, as well as the huge sugar skull embroidery. Working on big pieces is so good when you have a head full of not-so-great stuff…..i can just get lost in the stitching and feel so peaceful. So these are my mental health tools….some good old cheesy horror tales, a cold glass of lemony wonderfulness and miles of thread and a needle to stitch with. Everything is gonna be fine.

xoxoxoxo

Some things about this weekend have been very good…..

Limoncello, my new best friend!

Going outside to play with toys

Things that are growing all around me

trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to photograph birds

re-vamping old projects and diligently stitching new ones too.

Hoping everyone out there is seeing the good stuff around them, too

xoxo

Even tho’ this has been a CRAZY day, i did accomplish ONE goal that i have been putting off for far too long…I finally got some of the  new goodies listed in the long-neglected shop! Do please have a look should you feel so inclined!

MY email notifications are still not working, so bear with me while we work through bloggish technical difficulites. And thank you thank you thank you for your comments I do read and appreciate each and every one even though i can’t reply properly just yet. We’re workin’ on it!