sooner or later

So now she will sit around and be nervous until I take her to the Post Office for her flight to Australia. Her bag is packed, she has a hostess gift, a little money and her passport.

I couldn't sit and hold her hand while she fretted about whether this was a going to be an easy hop or not, so I went shopping.

Picked up a bunch of stuff at the dollar store for prizes for Art Camp. My daughter and I are in charge of the challenge this year. Thrums. You have to use 'em to make something. If you're not a weaver, thrums are the leftover strings when you've finished a project and are cutting it off the loom. There is about a half yard of waste at the end of the warp and it can be quite a big handful - always seems a shame to toss it out, so we are challenging the weavers to make something of it. It's long enough to stitch with, make tassels with, lots of things. You never throw anything away, right? so you know.

The prizes are going to be really neat. We got a bunch of stuff and we're going to.... well, it has to be a surprise. I'll let you know later. Even take photos. But you'll have to wait until March.

The other thing I'm working: ATCs to send out for birthday RAKs. I've already sent two out for the early ones, but these are getting a little more futz on them. Having a good time.



Waited all weekend to post this photo. Trouble in paradise. But it's all right now....

We've been having sunny crisp days lately. Perfect for gardening, but I have no big outdoor planting projects planned for this year. Just waiting for the squirrels to finish tilling the raised beds looking for nuts.

I do want to finish the quarter circle patio, but we still have big tree roots to remove and a decision to be made on the kind of surface to put down. If we wait, the idea will come to us. Or I'll give up and just let the grass grow back.

There is what looks like an opening between my garden and the neighbor's that Peter Rabbit would have made. It is smooth from the belly of some animal who prefers to sneak under fences than run along the top rail. There is a ghostly white cat that creeps behind the garage occasionally when I drive in at night. Perhaps this is her escape route.

I finished some swapping projects this weekend. Struggled with the decorations - still more to put away. I know they multiply while out of the boxes. Every year I have to find more boxes to store them all. Cleaned out a drawer and tossed out some stuff and have to find homes for other things.

This afternoon we will be lunching at Chuck E. Cheese's table by invitation. Short people will be running around in circles, much screaming and giggling to be heard.



My grandson found a frog for me at Chuckie's place.

I can finally show this as we are off to deliver it now. It was a kit with good instructions and quality parts. I made it a little more custom by using polymer clay for the bases of the playing pieces and sticking in pewter charms that were meaningful to Anne. Eiffel Tower, glasses, shoes, cat, drum set, mortar board, flower, cell phone. If I find a trombone charm, I'll make her another one! I also stamped the backs of the Good News and Bad News cards - cause they were too plain. Each of the properties represents a family story or address and has a photo. They're so tiny, it's hard to see anything but it's the thought that counts!

A fun project and hopefully a great gift. I'm not affiliated but I do recommend the product.

I've been spending a lot of time on the computer lately but it's not something you'll notice here. About four years ago, we became the keeper of a box of family photos and I sorted some and scanned some right away and then got distracted. Now we have to take the box back and so I have been madly scanning. Staying up till all hours and my eyes are bleary but I have over 200 scans done. I was picky - only scanning the ones that appealed to me either in quality of photo or importance of the subject. I have come to realize that my husband's grandfather had a wonderful camera and took amazing photos that were printed in a quality lab. His photos are clear, sharp and very high resolution. He framed the shots beautifully. Wish I knew more about him.

This photo is of my father-in-law about 1928 in the Arizona desert.

My big gift this year was a new printer. I sent a link to one I was interested in and the grill king got it at a good price. At least for the initial investment. I've printed less than 50 pages and it has slurped up at least $50 dollars worth of ink. Time to look for deals on ink refills. The quality is wonderful. We will keep the old one on the network for the odd printout of a receipt.

Christmas 1961

While the new printer has been churning out photo album pages, I've been scanning family photos that have been waiting for four or five years to be done. Suddenly that is priority and it's taking me away from other fun stuff. But I'm glad to have most of it done. One or two more nights of the midnight oil and I'll have everything I want and be able to return the box when we drive north next weekend.

Hoping for sunny skies like we've had for past weekend.

Sometimes in a frenzy, sometimes in awe, we opened our presents on Christmas Eve. Many of them handmade with love and thoughtfulness. The store bought ones selected carefully to please the recipient no end.

My English muffins from scratch turned out great. The grill king did his magic in the evening. We toured the neighborhood to see the lights. The travelers are off today on visits to family in other states. The weather here is beautiful and crisp. We are quietly getting to know our new toys today and enjoying the sweet goodies leftover from yesterday. Later I'll try another new recipe, crab cakes with wasabi mayo and we may even go to the movies.

I've been emptying a bobbin every day at the loom and feeling very virtuous about it. Also, finished off the coffee cup cuff that J started yesterday. One last gift for the coffee enthusiast in Fort Worth. I also got a little time at my work table. All in all, I'm enjoying the long weekend and not looking forward to going back in to the office. At least, things are at a stand still because everyone else in the world is taking long vacations and no business other than retailing is taking place. The phones will be quiet. Hopefully, no crisis will occur until 2008.

I'm done with my photo session now, Grandma.

A very good weekend. Holiday parties on both weekend nights and a matinee performance of the Nutcracker at a local small theater. Gifts given and received. Good food consumed. Stories told and retold. Another tooth lost.

Some progress made on several different gifts, some shopping accomplished. Heddles shifted from shaft to shaft on the loom so I can begin threading. Some of this ivory warp may be used to make something to put on a holiday card.... mmm, wonder what it will be?



Pineapple sage. Doesn't smell as sweet in the winter, but it just keeps on blooming when the weather swings from hot and muggy to cold and icy and back again all in the month of December.

I really wish the world weren't so big. I'd like to have more people live in my neighborhood and come for coffee and sewing bees.

I'm on track on a number of projects but I feel like there's a steam engine right on my heels. Running as fast as I can.

I'm in the middle of a big, really big weaving project and I have to go looking for more paper to roll it on with. Mine is wider than my daughter's warp and I really should take my own advice and just get a roll of the right size that is a mile long - just in case.

Then there's the art quilt top I'm just about done with. An online class project. It's coming along nicely and will be a Christmas present for some lucky person who doesn't have time to read blogs.



Yesterday, the grill king and I got a lot of shopping done. Now we need to start wrapping things up and stowing them under the tree. Of course, none of the presents purchased so far are for the out of town crowds so no shipping will be done early.

Still carrying around a box of tissues and cough drops.