Nana's Toy Box

A New Year

2012-01-03T10:45:00.002-08:00

How rude of me to not have posted on my blog for an entire year. And a year it was! My youngest daughter got married, my mother died, my grand babies continued to amaze me, we traveled and enjoyed California, and I created. What was there to not blog about? A new year, new goals, one being to blog frequently and share my journey! A year of organization, creativity, blossoming as a person, a human, a writer, an artist, and a healthy soul! Follow me, I promise a journey of adventure!

Slacker!

2011-11-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

I will update my blog this week, that is a promise!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T10:10:00.006-08:00

To say I have neglected my blog would be an understatement! It's not that I haven't wanted to, or planned to, but I have struggled to manage my time appropriately to include all the things I would like. I work 6 nights in a row every other week and while I have a wonderful 7 day stretch off in between, I quickly fill those days with tasks, projects, travels, and chores! Enough excuses for one day? Yea, lets move on to more pleasant things!

I survived Christmas orders, both customs and 'in stock', managed to Christmas shop and actually mail packages to family in a timely fashion. No more last minute, have to overnight and pay exorbitant fees for me! Thankfully, my honey pulls his share and we tackled the task as a well oiled machine. Matching jammie sets were the in thing this year and I may just add them to the store. I also created a felt tool set as a custom order, Pops building an awesome wooden tool box, and we loved the end result so much, it, too, will get added this year! And! We actually decorated the house and put up a tree even after this Grinch said, bah hum bug early in the season. Christmas music certainly helped.

On top of everything else I normally do, I signed up for online writing classes this year, hoping to recapture my muse. I really would love to finish my novel this year and my brain cells needed a jump start. It worked, slightly, I do write again. I also started writing some occasional 'ramblings' to a small but faithful group of family and friends. Sometimes stories of work, sometimes a rant, sometimes just rambling. Thank you to those who tolerate these emails and a special thanks to those who provide feedback!

I also decided that I would like to learn how to decorate cookies. I don't mean throwing some frosting on cookies, I mean really decorating them. I tried and tweaked many a recipe and found a sugar cookie I was happy with and plan on making beach themed cookies for Adrian's wedding in May! I did a trial transport at Thanksgiving and was quite happy with the way the treats arrived.

We planned a last minute trip to FL over Thanksgiving and I'm so happy my aunt planned a mini family reunion. I saw family I haven't seen in years and it was wonderful to reconnect. I was also happy to spend the day with my mom and some time with Adrian, Brian and his family. Laughs are always abundant in my family and this trip was no exception.

Of course we saw the grandbabies as much as possible and enjoyed keeping them for a weekend while Tabetha and Jeremy celebrated their anniversary away and childless! I got my McDonald's fix for the year! Hope we have as much time or more this coming year with them. I know Mark wants to make a trip so we can ski at least once.

Adrian is training to run a half marathon and I would encourage everyone to donate to her cause!

I spent two days cleaning and organizing my sewing room, affectionately called the Toy Box, and now am craving the feel of fabric. I may spend this first day of 2011 sewing. It was a total disaster after Christmas production and needed some serious organizing. I still have a box of pattern pieces to sort and put away, but I think I need to feed my soul by sewing for fun first. Maybe some outfits for the babies.

Here's wishing you peace, love, and good health throughout the new year and here's wishing me better time management skills, a creative mind, and a peaceful year!

A Busy Spring

2010-07-05T19:10:00.008-07:00

We've had a wonderful spring and I was very productive even if I neglected my poor blog! We're looking forward to the summer months and I'm anxious to tackle more projects. The highlight of the past months was the visit by all the children, 10 people crammed into our small California home, but we had a blast and I hope it becomes an annual event. We rented a 15 passenger van and it was a stroke of brilliance, if I do say so myself! We visited the usual tourist spots, ate, laughed, shopped, ate, and laughed some more. The kids hiked the John Muir woods while Mark and I stretched out in the van and napped, we're getting old and the kids flat wore us out!

Pier 39, love the family Picture!

All the girls!

Load em up!
In between keeping up with orders from the store, I volunteered to sew and donate two outfits for a great fundraiser. They were fun to make and I do love sewing for little girls!

A cute little monkey top!

With matching shorts

An infant size dress, love the pull through ties!

A friend's little one insisted she had a loose tooth so Nana had to make a tooth fairy pillow for her!

I have sewed outfits for the girls, tried my hand at bathing suits for them and they came out cute, I think anyway!

A paramedic in Virginia, who helped Jenna and I on numerous occasions is having a baby girl in a few days, how could I resist?

The matching bloomers are ruffled on the back!

Mark decided Nana's Toy Box deserved a real sewing center and first put up the 20 feet of counter space. He custom built the cabinets this weekend and I can just stand in middle of the room and be inspired! Now keep in mind, the sewing center is in what is supposed to be the house's living room so it's what greets people when they come in the front door! On a side note, it is NOT y craft room, only my sewing room! I still have a table of fabric that is "in progress" that we hid for pictures because it is so typical me, messy, LOL!

I have set a list of personal goals for myself this year and 1.) is to get fit and healthy, I hope to run a 5K and ride a 25 mile bike race by the end of the year. I found I actually enjoy running, doing a core workout, and riding my bicycle. I alternate between speed and endurance when I ride but I fail miserably at controlling my pace when running, I'm a sprinter and while I can run 2 miles, I'm half dead when I finish because my pace is so fast. Everyone kind of laughed at this old Nana when I casually mentioned I thought I could run to the stop sign....200 yards? Not only did I run to the stop sign that first day, I sprinted home. Every day I went further and now I stride with confidence, if too fast! Adrian worked up a core fitness workout for me and her and Brian answer my fitness questions, Jeremy answers my bike questions and now has me looking at racing bikes, and Jacqueline has been one of my biggest cheerleaders, eating healthy with me, picking me back up when I take a few steps backwards, and has turned me into a fruit and veggie person! Tabetha is there to advise on the health aspects, nutrients, vitamins, etc and we enjoy swapping our "Jillian stories". I have completely changed my eating habits, laugh when I splurge and have "a can of high fructose corn syrup", ie Sprite, gave up my 4AM biscuits of greasy bacon and eggs, and being so little, I watch my intake carefully. I have gained 9 lbs of muscle and an inch to my thighs! I proved my increased upper body strength this weekend when Mark asked if I thought I could help carry the cabinets in from the garage.... piece of cake!
I also decided it was time to find the muse that deserted me and finish my novel. To exercise my brain and help shake the cobwebs out, I started writing daily ramblings which I am fortunate to have an email loop of friends and family read for me. No perfection, no editing, just writing.... and boy does it feel good!

To Tide you Over

2010-06-18T16:23:00.004-07:00

Tabetha, creative designer and owner of Pisces Knits is getting to release this adorable tank pattern. You can also check her out on Ravelry.

Coming Soon! June 21, 2010 is the planned release date.

This sweet little tank was designed with my charming daughters in mind, two happy sisters who love playing together in the bright sun of summer. “Suore Felice” is pronounced ‘soiree feh-lee-chay,’ which is Italian for… you guessed it, Happy Sisters.

SKILL LEVEL: Adventurous Beginner to Intermediate

SIZES
Child’s 18mo (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12)yr – Instructions are given in the smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses. When only one number is given, it applies to all sizes.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
This is a close-fitting tank, so choose the chest size that is ¾ to 1 inch larger than actual body measurement.
Chest: 19 ¾ (21 ¾, 23 ¾, 25 ¾, 27 ¾, 28 ¾, 30 ¾) inches
Length: 12 ¾ (13 ½, 14 ¼, 14 ¾, 17, 18 ½, 19 ½) inches

YARN
MC Green Strings by Sugarbubbie Invigorate Superwash Merino DK (100% superwash merino; 280yd/256m per 4oz/56g skein) in Chrysalis; 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2) skeins
CC Green Strings by Sugarbubbie Invigorate Superwash Merino DK (100% superwash merino; 140yd/128m per 2oz/113g skein) in Pink; 1 skein

NEEDLES & NOTIONS
24 length-inch length US 5 (3.75mm) circular needle
US F (3.75mm) crochet hook
Tapestry Needle

GAUGE
24 ¼ sts and 32 rows in stockinette stitch = 4 inches/10 cm
26 sts and 28 rows in twisted rib pattern = 4 inches/10cm
Take time to block and measure gauge swatch to ensure a perfect fit.

Please be aware that the licensing for ‘Suore Felice’ is for personal, private use only. A seller (commercial) pattern will soon be forthcoming, so keep a look out.

So Far Behind

2010-04-08T10:52:00.010-07:00

Boy, have I been missing in action! No lame excuses, just my apologies for neglecting my blog. I'm not sure if it's my work schedule, staying busy, or simply poor time management. Whatever, I promised myself to pay closer attention to the length of time between posts! The last few months have whirled by, jammed pack with activities, projects, and work. I did complete some custom orders including but not limited to a personalized apron (for which I felt was incomplete without a chef's hat so I whipped one of those up to include in the little guy's package), a set consisting of a little girls dress and a matching one for her American Girl doll. I love the fabric so much, I bought some more to make the grandbabies some summer outfits! I also made some lion finger puppets for Ayla's birthday invitations and then crayon portfolio's for her to use as party favors, both a big hit amongst parents and kids!

I flew to Denver to surprise Tabetha for her 30th birthday and while I can't understand how my daughter could possibly be THIRTY, we had a blast and I enjoyed her surprise as much as she did! I did get a lot of Nana loving in too. Jeremy treated her to a semi-surprise dinner at one of the local Indian resturants and I know everyone had a wonderful time.

While in Denver, Tabetha taught me how to knit and while I simply do not have time for another hobby, how can I resist being able to throw a work in progress in my bag to take out when I have a few minutes? I do have a dish cloth finished and while I don't understand how I added so many stitches when I started, it is perfect in my proud mind! Tabetha laughed when I told her I thought I was ready to knit a sweater now! LOL! NOT!

We flew to Denver for Ayla's 5th birthday on 4/1/10 and spent 4 glorious days loving on the kids!

Before we left for Denver, I was priveleged to pin Marks new anchor on for his promotion! I went straight to the station from work so forgive my attire! At least I wasn't covered with bodily fluids, for a change, LOL! While I am incredibly proud of him, I am saddened by the thought that it will mean another transfer, too soon for me since I love where we live and I love my hospital!

Haiti Relief Auction goes live tomorrow

2010-01-19T13:21:00.002-08:00

Baby Maddie will go up for auction tomorrow! Please help us help Haiti, one stitch at a time!

Help for Haiti from my Daughter

2010-01-16T20:34:00.002-08:00

I thought I'd post an email from my daughter that I thought might interest the knitters out there or those who know knitters. We can all help the people of Haiti one stitch at a time!

Those of us who are knitters are Knitters without Borders. That said, for the remaining month of January, 50% of all profits from my sock patterns will be donated to MSF (Doctors without Borders) to aid in emergency relief efforts and medical services. I know some of you aren't knitters, so please pass this email down the line to any knitter friends you might know. I've also included a link to Ravelry, where MANY more designers are offering similar efforts. If you have already donated... Thank You.

For My Socks Patterns (includes instant download) - Pisces Knits
Ravelry "Help for Haiti" Search (please note that you have to register to log in - )

Hugs,
Tabetha Hedrick
www.piscesknits.blogspot.com
Creative Design & Custom Knits

2010-01-01T18:56:00.002-08:00

Happy New Years, my friends!

As I review the past year and look towards the new one, I'm reminded of how important friends and family are to me. We traveled 3000 miles to a new home, leaving behind many wonderful friends as well as moving farther away from our extended families. However, since our relocation, we have met new people, started new jobs we love, and established our new home in Northern California. We have enjoyed our many outings, some with visiting friends, welcomed daugher Jacqueline and her husband Jeff into our home, visited Tabetha, Jeremy and the grandchildren several times, and quite frankly, fell in love with our new locale.
Some goals were accomplished, some not, and some I'll continue to work on in 2010. I want to stay connected to family and friends, reconnect with lost ones, and build new friendships in the upcoming year. We stay on our path to become debtfree, living and loving the life of frugality. We look forward to continuing plans for Adrian's wedding in 2011, continuing to nurture our relationship with the grandbabies, and continuing to explore our area.
I have a long list of projects I want to complete this year and perhaps will keep a running tally in a sidebar. I want to not only continue to build my business but to work on marketing. I'm my own worse enemy and a terrible business woman. I miss many opportunities to promote myself and I seldom even carry business cards or brochures! Thats my main goal this year, promote, build, market!
I hope your new year is filled with love and happiness, health and hope, and more than anything, I hope you use the year to chase your dreams.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-27T18:02:00.008-08:00

I have been swamped with work, orders, and holiday preparations and I'm glad to have this chance to catch my breath! I almost completed all my projects and those that still need completion with be an after holiday treat for the recipients! As per our norm, we were paying out the butt for last minute shipping and vowed to have packages shipped EARLY next year! Mark joked that everyone was getting gift cards next year after we gasped at the price to mail a Kitchen Aid mixer to Florida and a homemade dollhouse to Denver! Granted, it would have helped to educate ourselves on the acceptable sizes for shipping before making the dollhouse 2" larger than the allowed weight, throwing it into freight category --and PRICE. Ugh. In our haste, several things didn't get included in the appropriate boxes, but again, after holiday treats for some!

Pops made this dollhouse for Ayla, he was busy in the wood shop this year! Perfect for a four year old.

A wooden doll stroller for Sophie, also Pops made!

A quilted table runner I made for Adrian, attempt 2 since I wasn't crazy how the first one was coming out.

A Bohemian style skirt for Tabetha. I absolutely love the blues, greens, and purple batiks!

Mark has a mission to wow me every Christmas with very well thought out gifts. He spends a considerable amount of time assembling each one and this year was one of the best yet. I think he judges their impact on how much I cry and admittedly, this year I bawled. The collage is of my gramma who had an incredible influence on my personal, my emotional, and my professional life. I know I've mentioned it before, but she is the reason I am a nurse.

Random Ramblings

2009-11-14T09:30:00.003-08:00

It's been too long since I posted last. My work schedule has left me very little "non-working, non-sleeping time and so I've been trying to use those precious moments to craft. We also had friends from the East Coast here for a week and we spent the entire time playing, laughing, touring, and eating!
I worked with Linda and Ed at Shore Memorial and when they called and said they were planning a trip, I was thrilled! Made me miss my friends on the ESVA more though. We put over a thousand miles on Marks vehicle and more on our feet! We did the usual China Town, Fishermans Wharf, the Pacific Coast, shopping, eating, and playing. We found the fortune cookie factory in a dark, scary alley in China Town and I can't wait to share it with more visitors! We celebrated Linda's birthday by Hot Air Ballooning over wine country, wrapping up the adventure with a bunch at a winery. We also toured the Robert Mondovi winery one day. A shame Mark and I aren't wine people!

Don't jump Ed, we won't let Linda shop anymore, I promise!

The Golden Gate Bridge behind us

Ed at the entrance to China Town, our legs ached from walking up and down the hills!

Damn, I love the city! What a view.

Mark and I in the hot air balloon, it was amazingly peaceful and a wonderful place to "just be"

I've been trying to balance Christmas projects with inventory projects and the squeeze has been tight, for sure. I have completed ONE, count em ONE project, with several in various stages of completion. On top of building my stores Christmas inventory, I accepted a guest spot for a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale with a group of other Hyena Cart folks! I wanted something special to put up and think I have nailed my own expectations! What little tot wouldn't love a wool felt baking set of gingerbread men cookies, dough, etc, oh yea, complete with apron! Sneak preview pics next week, I promise!
I completed a beautiful batik skirt for Tabetha, my one ready to wrap gift so far. No pics though, while she knows I was making it, I would at least like her to have some surprise! LOL.
I got an order for three twirly skirts, bought the fabric but they are on the back burner until I get this Black Friday coop completed. I also have been shipping out orders, making monsters, working on some new items for my store, and I hope to completely revamp the inventory soon. Big sale coming up while I replace stock with new ideas. Keep watching for updates!

Too Long

2009-10-09T11:15:00.008-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted, well, actually I can. We've had a lot going on this past month including a trip to Denver, strange work schedules, the kids moving in (a saga in itself) and a visitor this week! I have accomplished some projects, although not near as many as I would have liked.
Mark and I flew to Denver to perform our babysitting duty and it was so wonderful to have both kids recognize us with excitement as we came down the terminal! Sophie has changed so much, talks well and we understood about 90% of what she said; Ayla translated the other 10%! Nana, Pops, Ayla, Sophie, and their parents all survived the adventure! We had no blood, no police, and we actually remembered to feed them correctly and on time! During our visit to Denver, Jacqueline and Jeff started their journey to CA and started it with a bang. A phone call at 1:30 in the morning from a hysterical Jeff informed us that they had rolled their truck in Louisiana. Jacqueline and Jeff faired better than the truck did although Jacq was transported to the ER for stitches in both her head and her elbow. Arranging the logistics of their continued trip proved easier than we thought and we appreciate Jeff's parents stepping up to the plate to help. They are in CA, safe and sound, their belongings arrived this past week via freight. Jacqueline has already landed two part time jobs and continues to look for full time work. She was always such a hard worker! I love having my daughter home! Jeff continues to look for work and hopefully he will find something soon. I've been sewing on my days off, intent on making the girls some outfits for Halloween. I ended up making more twirly skirts than just theirs and hopefully will get some orders for Christmas! I absolutely love the candy corn outfit I made Ayla and apparently, she does too! I had some custom orders to do and got those finished and shipped. I know I have to concentrate on building my inventory before the Christmas crunch hits!
Mark's stepmom, Nancy stopped to see us on her way to New Zealand and will fly to LA this evening to continue her journey. We loved having her here, I tried to glean some wine education from her and at least I now know what shaped glasses are for what color wine! We drove to Bodega Bay one day and enjoyed the view of the Pacific Ocean with her and then yesterday we took a trip to the City, enjoying lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and a walk through China Town.

Mark and Nancy with the Golden Gate bridge behind them.

Wow, is this a large number of crtters or what?!

Jacqueline and I at Bodega Bay

One of the twirly skirts I made

Ayla's candy corn outfit. Notice the display Mark made for me! It's still lacking the "hat ball" but he has it and will put it on soon!

Slow but Sure

2009-09-09T10:00:00.007-07:00

I'm plugging along on my projects between strange work schedules. It seems to take me so long to recuperate from three nights in a row but worse to recover from one on one off, ugh. The next schedule looks better for sure! Anyway, I saw the most beautiful little jacket on one of the sewing forums I read and decided I had to make some for the grand daughters. The first one was definitely trial and error, that translates to several errors, but I love it anyway. It really was fun to do and I have the second one started. Both in shades of pinks. The first was done in small blocks and the second is being made in the crazy patch style.

I got a custom order for two babies done and mailed finally but they are adorable, in my most humble opinion! Hope the little girls enjoy them!

The shirt I made Ayla's outfit was a tad short in the torso, forgot she had such a long body, so I added a ruffle and sent it back! I kinda like the ruffle added!

No sewing yesterday since I spent the day cleaning, shopping, haircut, etc. And no nap either, whats up with that?? I go back to work tonight, will work three and then Saturday we fly to Denver to see the babysit the grand babies while their mom and day have an anniversary getaway! Mark and I are hoping we don't screw it up since this is the first time they have left the girls! HA!

I forgot...

2009-08-25T13:34:00.002-07:00

I forgot that I wanted to share a story so will add it now. First let me preface this by saying I have thought of my gramma many times in the past few weeks, remembering all the things she did for me. Gram was always my hero, the reason I became a nurse. I can't articulate the incredible impact she had on my life. I was fortunate this week that one of my relatives shared a memorial slide show of Gram. I sat and sobbed as I watched it. Sadness yes, but what joy and memories it brought back. Yesterday, I ran to Joanns fabric to pick up some zippers, a quick trip, get what you need and get out. That's what the plan was anyway. I picked out my handful of zippers and headed to the checkout and came to a screeching halt behind a young (maybe 19-20 yr old) girl who was guiding an older (maybe 80?) lady to the cash register. I waited 30 minutes for them to complete their checkout process. I heard grumbling behind me, people shuffling feet with impatience. All I could do was cry as I watched this young girl encourage her gramma to continue to live a life. Instead of snatching the wallet out of Gramma's hands, the young girl quietly and patiently directed Gram to get her card out. Instead of just signing the sales slip, the young girl guided gramma's hand to the paper, sign here, Gramma. Not once did a hint of frustration show in this girls actions or words. When they were done, I quickly paid for my purchase, and out the door I went. The young thing was still leading the shuffling white haired lady across the parking lot by the arm. Not at a 19 year old pace, but at an 80 year old pace. I could see the girl chattering the entire time, Gramma smiling. I couldn't resist. I waited until Gramma was safely in the car and the young thing came around to the drivers side. I touched her arm, smiled, and said, I am so proud of you. Please enjoy every moment you can with your Gramma. She blushed a deep crimson, told me she spends several days a week with her grandmother who had alzheimers and their outings were the bright spot in her grandmothers day. By now, tears streamed down both our cheeks. I was so touched by the love and compassion this young girl had for her grandmother and knew that while the generation may have it's fair share of selfish people, somewhere there is a grandmother who can still go to the fabric store, can still laugh, can still live life because of the love of a granddaughter.

Wow, It's been a month!

2009-08-25T11:20:00.004-07:00

I can't believe I have allowed a month to slide by without posting on my blog! It hasn't been laziness; it's been adjusting to being back on night shift and then trying to cram a million things into my time off. I hope Mark doesn't feel as neglected as the blog! I worked Wednesday, Thursday, Friday nights for so long, I've really had to adjust to changing schedules every week, Saturday nights, and goodness knows what else! I love my new job, enjoy the people I work with, and am slowly, but surely learning the way they do things. Somethings are similar, somethings quite different. Anyway, enough excuses...
I have several projects in the works, a farm tote for Sophie for Christmas that played havoc with my sewing machine. Okay, so some operator error played into the problems, but isn't that always the case? Once I put the right needle in, we moved along pretty quickly. All the pieces are complete, now to just finish the assembly, wrap it, and stow it away for Christmas. The tote is a fold out barn where Sophie will be able to play with the "paper doll" type animals and farmer. Complete with tractor! I hopefully will finish it this week and will post pictures!
Also have a "purse" project going for Ayla. It too is a labor of love. That really means VERY time consuming! The purse consists of 7 or 8 pages, each has pockets to hold the various accessories! I don't foresee it's completion for awhile!
I picked up some orange bags at Michael's and decided they'd be perfect for Trick or Treat bags. At least that project is done!

Ayla started preschool this past week and I decided to make her a tissue pouch to throw in her bookbag. It turned out to be a quick and easy project, oh yea, and fun, and have made several since! I think they'd be perfect for stocking stuffers!

Tabetha listed her felted purse that I lined for her (see previous post) and it sold within minutes of being listed. I told her not to make the same color again since that was the end of that fabric! HA!
Jacqueline and her hubby have decided to move to California and will be staying with us until they get on their feet. Mark and I were concerned about giving up our spare room so we moved my sewing room into the unused living room and wow, do I have space now! The kids will be able to use the spare room for their bedroom and then use my old sewing room as a sitting room, for TV, privacy, computer time, etc. We plan on getting a futon for that room and it will serve as our spare room too! I'm so brilliant sometimes it scares me.
Til next time...

A Busy Week

2009-07-26T21:22:00.006-07:00

Well... I attended hospital orientation this past week for two days and I have to tell you, I am very impressed with my very community minded hospital. It spends an incredible amount of money on community outreach programs and it treats all patients with dignity whether they are a CEO or homeless. I am so in the right hospital! I found out Tuesday after orientation that I was actually scheduled to orient in the ER on Thursday and Friday; so much for getting some projects completed before I started work! I had planned on using the rest of the week to accomplish quite a but I have on my to do list, but that was not to be the case. Instead, I worked two 12 hour shifts, learned as much as I could, and dragged by butt out of bed at 0530 in the morning to report to work on time. I am a night shift person, mornings are not my thing, ugh. I have to do one more week (three 12 hour shifts) on days and then will go to nights, thank goodness! I have to say, I love my new ER and my new hospital, oh dark thirty or not! Yesterday I spent the better part of the day in my jammies, I played on the sewing machine, read, piddled around, and refreshed myself. I did line the felted purse Tabetha made and asked me to do something with. My machine had a fit trying to sew through two layers of knitting so I ended up sewing her side pockets on by hand but the lining (complete with a split pocket) came out quite good. I love the fabric I chose, the green in it is perfect and the glittery stitching adds just the right something!

Mark was given two VIP tickets to the county fair so we went today. VIP parking, lunch with the Board of Directors, and box seats to the horse races. Another free day of wonderful entertainment in sunny northern California! We spent not a dime today. We walked the fair and I was so thrilled to find it was a real county fair, livestock, jams and jellies, quilts, entertainment, crafts, and ribbons, lots of winners! There was a baby cow born just before we arrived at the livestock barn and mama was still cleaning the little one off when we saw it. We watched one horse race, something I have never seen before, and of course, it was the one race a horse got hurt on the back stretch. I was so busy worrying about the horse and jockey, I missed the entire rest of the race!

While we were at the fair, we did a toy drop for the Toy Society and we were like mother hens watching to see if anyone picked it up. We laughed at the people who were so totally oblivious to their surroundings that they walked past the stuffie, sometimes several times, without seeing it. One man picked it up, read the very clear TAKE ME HOME tag and put it back on the bench. A letter is included in the bag clearing explaining the concept, but maybe in these days and times, not everyone is trusting enough to accept a random act of kindness in the form of a cute stuffie! We're still deciding where the next drop will happen, but I know some will find their way into various parts of the hospital!

Transition Time

2009-07-18T16:40:00.009-07:00

Well, its official, I got offered the job I wanted and now I need to transition into going back to work, and back to work at night! I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 3 1/2 months of not working but it's time and I found a hospital and ER that I believe will fit me perfectly. I start hospital orientation tomorrow and it will run for three days this week. Then it will be time to orient in the ER and get back to what I love, ER nursing.
I spent the week sewing; two custom babies are in the works, a dress for Sophie completed, an outfit for Ayla completed, and a custom order for a dress completed, packaged and ready to mail. I also have been working on baby gifts since Mark will have 4 coasties having (or wives having in some cases) babies, (one was born Friday morning, 3 more to go). I decided to make each a set of embroidered personalized blanket, an embroidered onsie, and a burp pad, of course, embroidered!

Sophie's Dress. A tweaked "pillowcase dress". One, its not made from a pillowcase, and two, I didn't like the standard ribbon straps nor the way the arm holes are normally done on them, so I reinvented it to suit my needs.

Ayla's outfit. The top buttons in the back, capri's for the bottoms!

The custom order dress I completed this week. Someone saw pictures of the grandbabies in their frog dresses and asked Tabetha where she got them, the rest if history. Yep, same fabric I used for Ayla's outfit!

Friday night music at the waterfront was once again incredibly fun! The band played cajun blues and man, that fiddler was totally awesome! Sorry about the video being sideways... I'm learning!

We went to San Fransisco yesterday to attend the Renegade Fair, 200 crafters from all over the country had booths. Too many booths of jewelry and of TShirts for me, but we did see some nice stuff! It was a thrill seeing some of the craft bloggers that I follow religiously, one of my favorites: Inside a Black Apple . We went to the movies last night, complete with popcorn! A splurge for sure during our self imposed year of frugality! But it was a nice way to end the day.

Catch Up

2009-07-11T20:33:00.007-07:00

Another wonderful week in northern California ends and I have to admit, I do love this place! I love our town, I love the weather, I love the scenery, the fruit, the people, I guess just about everything! I had my job interview this week and it went well enough the nurse manager asked me to come back the next morning to interview with the night crew, since that's the slot I want. I dealt with severe panic but all went well and I came out of the morning interview deciding I was correct, this was the hospital for me. The nurse recruiter called me later in the day and told me if I was interested in the job, she would start on the background check, checking my work experience, etc. When that is done, she will call with an official offer. Once I shared the news with my east coast friends, their initial question was HOW MUCH IS THE PAY THERE? I'm sure it varies from hospital to hospital, some are union and some aren't and from area to area, but overall, my opinion is the west coast values their nurses more than the east coast, or so that's my experience. But, you say, the cost of living is so much greater on the west coast. I disagree. I suppose it, again, depends on the area you choose to live and the lifestyle you choose to participate in. Housing on the eastern shore of Virginia was so out of reach for the working folks, they aren't losing homes to foreclosure, they couldn't afford them to start with! Yes, gas is much more expensive here but I don't have to drive 30 minutes to the grocery store, or an hour to Walmart, or an hour and a half to the movies! Everything I could ever want or need is within a 15 minute drive! And we have mass transit! Some food items are more, some are less, the choices are greater, and the produce is out of this world! Enough of that!
We braved the heat and the crowd of 750,000 people to attend the Pride Parade in San Francisco a couple weekends ago, and it was a blast, sunburn aside. Last weekend we went to the waterfront in Suisun for their July 4th festival and chuckled at the people staking their claim to plots of land early in the morning to ensure their seating for the fireworks that night! Made me kind of worried that it would be a madhouse and it was! Oh it was wonderful! We went at the last possible minute, parked a few blocks away and hoofed it to the waterfront. We found a patch of grass, spread our blanket and discovered we had front row seats to one of the best firework displays I've ever seen! The crowd was unbelievable and everyone ooo'd and ahhh'd to my delight!

Last night we ventured back to the waterfront and watched an awesome Salsa Band. I might mention that the event was free! Next Friday I'm packing dinner in the cooler and we'll enjoy a different type of band. I think Mark enjoyed people watching as much as he did the music. Sunday afternoons, the town sponsors a Jazz series on the waterfront and while neither of us know anything about Jazz, we'll check them out tomorrow.
Have I mentioned that I love our town? LOL! I went to the library Friday and had a wonderful conversation with another patron. The lady was surfing the shelf I needed a book from and I couldn't help but glance at what she was looking at. Ok, I admit, I'm just flat out nosey. I commented that I had read the book she was considering and that led to a lengthy discusion of our favorite authors, types of books, the area, and why I had a southern accent, ugh. I call North Carolina home and I guess after 20+ years of living there, a southern accent is inevitable but I didnt realize that it was so, well, noticiable! I guess it is. Feeling self conscious about my accent aside, it was great talking to this lady; maybe I didnt realize that I might actually be lonely when Mark is at work!
Today we went to a Home and Garden and Craft show at the Senior Center in our neighbor town of Fairfield and while we strolled through the crafts, no babies (add to the consider for next year if we're here list) my intention was to visit the master gardeners who were set up. They were awesome answering my questions about planting an herb garden and I can't wait to start. I even left with some free cuttings of plants they were giving away, a jade plant that they assured me would "grow like crazy", some iris's for the yard, and a little chicken or hen or something like that, again, that I could not kill! Okay, so they too, commented on my southern accent!
When we first filled out our wishlist last year, I picked Vallejo and Mark picked Tahoe. Obviously, I won! We soon discovered that Vallejo's claim to fame was the Zodiac Killer, well, that and the city filing bankruptcy. We made the right decision staying out of that area and living in Suisun, I think. I really do love our town!

Gotta Love these Babies!

2009-07-11T20:18:00.001-07:00

超可愛BB - Roller Babies @ Yahoo! Video

These little tots remind me of the dancing baby that was made popular by Allie McBeal!

A Baby Making Week

2009-07-02T20:12:00.005-07:00

I spent a considerable amount of time this week filling out applications online; although I do have an interview next week at the hospital I feel I would like the best. Hopefully, the interview will go well and I will be able to report that I am once again employed.
I also have been making babies all week, and am ready for Tabetha to stock them in the store. Hopefully, she will get them uploaded this weekend! She has been pretty busy designing knitting patterns; she has a book in mind for them and I am incredibly proud of her.
While I did quite a few custom orders for Christmas, we decided it was a good idea to offer some custom slots in the store. Deciding that, I made an assortment of babies so people can get an idea of hair color, sizes, etc. They sure do come to life as they get completed and I enjoy their personalities!

Baby Lily. You can't see them, but she has bloomers on too!

A closeup of that sweet face. Gotta love her pigtails!

Baby Emma, complete with cloth diaper

Closeup of Baby Kya. Her hair is incredibly soft!

She sure is one of my favorites!

More Fun

2009-06-23T18:36:00.014-07:00

I'm slacking on my blog, maybe my brain is going in too many directions this week, nah, I think it was just laziness! I finally got my temporary California nursing license so I am starting my job hunt. Not the best economic time to seek employment but I spent 8 hours yesterday filling out online applications at the local hospitals. I found a smaller hospital in Napa that seems to fit me best and they do have a night shift ER opening, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We continue to enjoy the area, spending Sunday's riding the motorcycle to various areas. Saturday we attended the Pirate Festival in Vallejo and OH MY GOODNESS! It was a blast! Even the attendees were dressed in appropriate pirate garb and we enjoyed the entertainment, the sights, the sounds, the fun everyone was having. No one told me we needed costumes and if we're here next year, Mark and I will have knock your sock off costumes to wear!

Sunday we rode to Lake Berryessa which is on the other side of Napa. The ride itself was awesome and the beauty of the lake was outstanding! Lots of people were in the many park area's enjoying their families, Barbecuing, and swimming in the lake. We might have to picnic there ourselves one day soon!

I've been sewing and have a pile of babies in the works to put in our store. Some need stuffing, some need hair, some need sculpting, and all need clothes! They make Mark chuckle every time he walks by the assortment!

A Great Weekend

2009-06-08T10:18:00.005-07:00

We were so happy to have Tabetha, Ayla, and Sophie here for a few days even if it meant I had to drive to the airport in Oakland by myself to pick them up! White knuckle driving, Mark calls it, and boy was that accurate on Thursday. We all went to Marks Change of Command Ceremony on Friday morning, enjoyed lunch there and spent time being introduced to people I will never remember their names! Mark finally, once again, has "a home." Saturday morning we went to China Town and had a good time; Tabetha created her Christmas list there too, LOL! We drove along the coast on the way home, longer than we expected, but the beauty made the time worth it. Saturday evening, two of Tabetha's online mom friends came with their children. Meet and greet, laughter and chaos, smiles and sisterhood over a huge pot of spaghetti, salad, freshly baked bread, and dessert! It was so nice to pull out a bowl of freshly picked cherries to snack on as well!

The girls rode together, Mark and Tabetha took turns pushing the stroller up and down the hills.

They had to touch everything, wow, lots to see!

Tabetha doing the modeling thing!

Can't beat this beauty!

Lots of kids!

Serving up dinner.

Settling In

2009-06-01T08:43:00.004-07:00

We finally got home last Wednesday and I have to say, the northern trip was not nearly as scenic as the first and southern route was. We did, however, catch our breath over the beauty of Wyoming, declaring it "a close second to New Mexico". We enjoyed the animal life perched in the near distance, wondering what kind they were. We chuckled over a camel farm, not what we expected in Wyoming for sure! Utah was beautiful as well!

We stopped to see Tabetha, Jeremy, Ayla, and Sophie on the way, enough time to have dinner and play a bit before bed, and then we hit the road again the next morning.

We spent the few days we had piddling around the house, running errands, unpacking the last of the belongings we brought from Virginia, finding a nicer route for Mark to take to work, and just relaxing. My love started his relief week at the station, preparing for change of command on Friday and the house is quiet without him. I will seriously look for a job instead of looking AT jobs now that we're home and settled. Admittedly, I have enjoyed the break from work and just being home playing with fabric, cooking, and nesting.
Tabetha and the girls fly in Thursday morning to attend the Change of Command Ceremony and we'll enjoy their short stay with us.

On the Road Again

2009-05-23T15:59:00.008-07:00

Well, we're on the road again; heading back home to California. I intentionally flew into Virginia on the 15th to attend the pinning ceremony on the 16th of a nursing student I was so privileged to precept and an LPN, Kevin, who bridged to RN. Crystal was an absolute pleasure to teach, she was a sponge who wanted to soak up everything and I am so incredibly proud of her. She was hired in the ER and I have no doubt she will be an awesome nurse. Kevin, whom I call my son, spent many hours in the ER with us, learning, helping, visiting, and eating! We laughed about my being his Jewish mama who always wanted to feed him.

Me, Crystal, and my best friend and work partner, Jenna

Me and Kevin

After an emotionally exhausting week of good byes, we enjoyed Mark's Change of Command Ceremony yesterday and hit the road later that evening. Mark worked all week, I spent most of the day each day in my jammies and piddled around the empty house, playing on my iPod or on the computer, reading, doing some hand sewing and just relaxing. We spent the evenings visiting with friends, out to dinner with some, just spending time with others. The fire dept had a dinner for us on Thursday night and we were so glad to have the time with the people we spent so much time with over the past four years.

Sista Brains
Saying goodbye to my best friend, Jenna, was the hardest thing to do. She and I are truly connected, sharing a brain cell, and we flowed as one at work. I am so looking forward to her and her son Ty coming to visit in August!!

The Change of Command was wonderful! After a week of cold temperatures, the sun came out and we had a beautiful sunny day for the ceremony. Mark was so handsome and it was great watching him with "his kids". The interaction was so indicative of how he leads and it was so obvious that he means a great deal to his crew. He choked up a few times during his speech but recovered well and continued on. He received a Coast Guard Commendation medal from his sector commander and I have to tell you, I know my husband well, and even I was impressed. Maybe it is because I am so used to him wonderful things, that we take it as just part of normal life! I teased him about being "homeless" until he assumes command in Vallejo and he quickly reminded me that I am homeless too until I find a job! Smart alack!

We are in Kentucky tonight, a short travel day to due to the time we put in last night. No pets on this trip, but we are in a UHaul and towing a car so mountains are slow and gas is expensive! We are taking the more northern route this trip and will travel through 12 states, including Colorado where we will spend the night with Tabetha, Jeremy, and the grand babies!

Goodbye Parksley, Virginia! It's been a great 4 years!

Spring Time Sewing

2009-05-12T21:39:00.006-07:00

I have only a few days before I fly to Virginia to meet up with Mark, will spend a week and then we'll rent a UHaul to tote the rest of our belongings to our new home in California. I can't wait to see my honey, for sure. I have had the sewing machine humming this week, trying to get some things done because I know once I come home, it will be job hunting and then working. I made sundresses for the girls, same pattern, coordinating fabric and I think they will look adorable in them! I have some more fabric to make Ayla another outfit since Nana wants her to have some new outfits to start preschool in August.

I finally made a practive block to try my hand at free motion machine quilting and after a half dozen broken needles, I finally got my hand speed to coordinate with the speed of the machine and I don't think this first try is too shabby.

I'm not one to waste time practicing, I like to walk the edge and jump headlong into things. Sometimes I fall flat on my face, but not always! I decided to make myself a new bag before I leave Friday morning and had these beautiful spring like charm packs. Okay, so I jumped head first into quilting it, pondering the fact that I may make a total mess of it and waste this beautiful fabric. I am certainly not a quilter by any stretch of the imagination but I have to tell you, I have discovered the love of "drawing on fabric with a needle" and I know once I get some more practice in, it will add an awesome addition to my creations! This panel is just the front of the bag and admittedly, I impressed myself with the quilting! I hope to finish the back tomorrow and get it assembled.

A Long Week

2009-05-05T20:10:00.004-07:00

OK, as much as I love California, our new hometown, the convenience of everything, I have to admit, I'm lonely without Mark and my friends. While the Internet and phones allow me to touch base with everyone, it would be nice to turn around and share a moment with my honey. But, I fly back to Virginia in 9 days and then we'll make the long haul back home again, this time we will both stay here. I am incredibly proud of the way I have learned the area; I no longer have to depend on map quest or Bertha, our GPS. I've even found shortcuts to some of the places I travel. The dead battery issue in the truck finally forced me to buy a new one. Of course, I couldn't even lift the old one out, never mind put a new one in so I talked some toothless old man in the auto parts store into doing it for me. I tried to pay him but he just laughed and said welcome to California. Yes, I do believe in paying it forward.
I have finished our bedroom and the room is larger now that it's not stacked with boxes. The living room/dining room is pretty finished, although I still have some things to do in there. I've been feeling down in the dumps the last day or two, feeling sorry for myself really, and decided to fore go working on the house and doing something for myself so I have spent the last two days sewing. I have completed a baby doll sling and a carrier, did the parts for some stuffies (still waiting to be assembled, and am working on some wool felt peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, although I think they need a carton of milk and maybe some carrot sticks to make a complete and balanced lunch!
We've had rain for several days but today the sun poked it's marvelous head out and the weather was beautiful. A wonderful breeze prompted me to open windows and it was GREAT! A pet sitter came by yesterday and she will tend to the animals while I'm in VA. I found myself babbling and had to apologize to her and explain the only real conversation I've had in the past two weeks was "do you want paper or plastic" at the grocery store! She is a very nice lady and I'm comfortable with her caring for the critters. We laughed about the illegal ferret that we own and I told her we had to plead ignorance. We would never have thought that they were illegal in CA. Mark discovered this bit of trivia on his flight to VA and since then, I've done some research. Apparently, they ARE illegal to own here and there are a large number of underground groups that provide rescue, resources, ferret friendly vets, and info. I guess we were lucky to not him confiscated at the border agriculture stop and had the inspector asked the right questions, we would have told him we had a ferret, ignorant as we were. There is a major push to have the law changed, lobbyists, fundraisers, motorcycle runs to Legalize Ferrets. Unbelievable to me, and actually I find it quite comical. Bandit is no longer a ferret, he is mutant rabbit. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

A Baby sling holding a baby naked sans a cloth diaper!

I really need a new model for baby doll accessories because Mr Snowman, while quite willing to model things, just isn't cutting it! My goodness, I should have brushed the little one's hair!

Nana's Toy Box is Back in Business

2009-04-27T21:09:00.004-07:00

Mark flew out to Virginia last Wednesday to finish up his time there and I have been busy putting our home together. OK, so tell me my priorities are skewed but I was determined to unpack and organize my craft and sewing rooms first. The dining room and master bedroom remain piled high with boxes and unpacked things waiting to be put away but I am happy to say the craft room and the sewing room are both done. Two rooms you ask? Well, it's like this. One room held both but sewing supplies spilled over into other rooms. We also had a separate shipping center that needed to be melded into my new space. The extra bedrooms in our new house are small, so it only made sense to use two of them for crafts and sewing. The spare room was stacked to the ceiling with boxes so as I unpacked them, it was easy to place them in the correct rooms. It was so wonderful hearing my sewing machine hum today and I was able to make some cloth doll diapers I had an order for. I also have a lady wanting to collaborate with me in her Hyena Store. She will use my Chinese dinner to help market her Chinese print smocks and I am happy to say, my inventory is all unpacked and organized so I can send her the dinner on time.

My craft room. Everything has a place!

My sewing room. Holds the computer I use for my embroidery machine and also holds my stock of fabric and inventory. I will put my cutting table in when its cleared off of things waiting to be put away!

I have a huge void in my life while apart from Mark but I'm trying to use my time productively. I've not ventured out much except to run to Joanns Fabric, the library, and the grocery store. I did have a dead battery issue with Marks truck, but after struggling to open the hood (note to self, do not park the front of the truck so close to the wall) and hooking it up to his battery charger, I was able to start the darn thing and run my errands. Rewarded myself with a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks after the greasy ordeal, lol. Any excuse, right?
I am so in love with the area and have enjoyed the trips to the grocery store and examining and trying the large variety of food available here. I want to try everything! I found the most delicious bread and think it's a keeper. It's french bread but shaped and sliced like a regular loaf of bread and I eat it constantly. I know, I know, this is nothing new to those of you who live in cities, but I have lived in the rural south for 20+ years and I am so thrilled to have the many conveniences you all probably take for granted. Tomorrow I will start our bedroom and hopefully clean out a lot of the stuff we no longer want, need, or use.

Spring at our New Home

2009-04-19T19:29:00.004-07:00

We are anxiously awaiting the movers arrival tomorrow; the delivery of our belongings! It will be like Christmas, I'm sure. The weather this weekend is HOT HOT HOT, in the 90's today. We spent yesterday driving to Petaluma to judge how long it will take to take Mark to the airport shuttle on Wednesday and it was about an hour ride...through Napa, beautiful wine country. It's a shame we're not wine drinkers because every winery has tour and tasting. We did agree that we will go to one during our tour here though. Mark's family drinks wine, so we hope they come and take advantage of the area. From Petaluma, we drove to the airport in San Fransisco to see if it was a trip I wanted to take by myself. We drove through the city and the temp was a good 20 degrees cooler on the coast. We came home via the Oakland bridge and even on Saturday the traffic bottlenecks on it. I said I would take him to either and he decided Petaluma would be easier, if not a longer day for him.
We went to the movies last night, something we seldom did before due to the distance. Here, the theater is only 10 minutes away! A wonderful date with the love of my life! We saw State of Play and both of us enjoyed the conspiracy movie.
The owner of our house apparently likes roses because there are at least a half dozen rose bushes in the yard. The flowers are huge and gorgeous! We're confused as to growing seasons here, the grass is brown in the summer and the nut trees in the yard (please, please, be pistachio trees!) are full of fruit that look like they are ending their cycle. I guess the agriculture will take some getting used to and I'm anxious to learn when things are planted and then harvested. The grapevines we saw yesterday looked like they were just sprouting, so who knows!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-17T19:03:00.002-07:00

We are in our new home; no household goods since the movers are...let me put on my surprised face...delayed until Monday. We got in Tuesday night to discover our surprise house was pretty decent and we'll do well here for the next two years. The houses are right on top of each other and our backyard is the size of a postage stamp but it's enough for the dogs and they are quite content. Peanut, the cat, also uses the new doggie door and lays around in the sun as well. We have spent the last few days exploring the area, marking my map for all the things I need, and I have to say, I have become pretty good at finding our way around. We are so not used to having anything close by, the once a month trip "into town" (Salisbury, MD) was an hour and a half trip and then our choices were still limited. Everything is within 15-20 minutes away and I love the fact that there is a Joann's Fabrics, Michael's Craft store, a fairly large mall, Staples, etc close by. We have a Joann's Superstore about 45 minutes away and it won't be bad to make that trip once in awhile. I got a CA drivers license my first day and they issue a temporary paper one and mail the real deal, eventually, I guess! I also got a library card and am thrilled it's a nice library and only a few blocks away. A nice change for sure! We bought a new couch so we're no longer sitting on the floor, and our new frig arrived today so we shopped for sandwich fixin's and frozen dinners we can cook in the microwave until our pots and pans arrive! Will be nice to eat in tonight. We've picked up some basics at Walmart, a 5 minute ride down the highway. We explored a wonderful quilt shop today and I enjoyed talking to the ladies. They immediately asked me to join a quilt guild and I insisted I was not a quilter, just a sewer who likes to piece fabric together, they laughed and said...uh huh. Seems to be a common theme amongst quilters! We got a tour of Mark's new station and it's certainly bigger than his old. I think he will be quite happy there! He borrowed a TV from one of the crew and he is less stir crazy now. I'm fine with a book or playing on the laptop but he sure does miss his TV and X Box! HA! The cable guy came today so we have more than 4 channels and real computer connections! I haven't started looking for a job yet, but Mark leaves on Wednesday to go back to VA for a month and I will explore the job opportunities after he leaves. I will be heading back to VA for his change of command and we're driving back across the country a 2nd time so starting a job and requesting 2 weeks off doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'll use the time to set up house, explore the area some more, and prepare for my husband to join me permanently in a month. I am certain we will enjoy the next two years! Life is good...

We Are Home!

2009-04-15T08:05:00.004-07:00

Well, we made it. 5 days, 3000+ miles, tired and sore, but we are home. We finished up AZ in the morning, entered Southern California and spent the day traveling north. The views were spectacular, as they have been on most of our trip.
Since we found our house online, we really had no idea of what or where we were moving but the town looks good so far and our house will be doable for the next year or two! The yard needs some work but it is small and the pups loved exploring every inch of it. There is some kind of nut tree in the back yard and considering the massive orchards of pistachio and almond trees we passed(not to mention the many roadside farm stands selling the same!), I'm hoping it is one of the two! We found our that our household goods have been delayed (let me put on my surprised face) and might not be here until Monday. Won't give Mark a lot of time to assemble things but we'll make do. We always do! We found Walmart last night and got a coffee pot and a few odds and ends to tie us over, loved having it only 3 miles up the highway. I might add, the Jelly Belly Factory is right next to the Walmart which is hidden away, out of sight, and by itself! The library is right down the road and looked fairly decent. It will be nice to have a good library near me again! We plan on checking out Mark's new station today, exploring the area, and maybe finding a new couch! Mark bought us each a map of the area and I have already scribbled on mine. I am afraid I will get lost getting out of the neighborhood! LOL.

What A breathtaking day

2009-04-13T18:07:00.003-07:00

We definitely had beauty overload today as we drove through New Mexico. Every time we thought we had seen the most beautiful thing, we saw more. The whole eastern part of the state belongs to various Native American Nations and the view is almost overwhelming. Albuquerque was a great city to drive through, the buildings blend into the landscape; even the Lowes and Walmart were southwestern architecture. The highways are trimmed in turquoise color and the symbolism of the southwest is etched everywhere. A definite add to the "I could retire here" list!

Arizona was flat, filled with nothing but tumbleweed for miles and then we entered the mountain ranges! A mere 7335 feet elevation, patches of snow still covered parts of the area. Too far to visit the Grand Canyon, but one day we will!

We weren't really impressed with the scenery of Texas, but we have to admit, Texas knows how to do steak! We ate the most delicious meal at a steakhouse last night and we felt bad complaining about TX being nothing but cattle ranches!
We have laughed our way across America, my photography skills being the butt of many jokes. My intent was to take a picture of each state welcome sign and I have messed up everyone! If I managed to get the whole name in, it was too far away to see!

60% to our New Home

2009-04-12T17:10:00.004-07:00

We left Little Rock, Arkansas this morning and traveled through Oklahoma in torrential downpours all day. The rain slowed to a slow drizzle while we walked the OK City Memorial. The experience was very touching and I am still in awe of the impact it left. The field of empty chairs was chilling and we walked the fences and saw the many gifts of memorials left by visitors. We swore we could see across the entire state of Texas, nothing but cows and fields for miles and miles. Flat, flat land! The wind fields were incredible and I can't imagine anyone (listen up Delaware) would oppose the gentle turning of the giant windmills. What an incredible source of power! We're trying to acclimate our bodies to the time changes and hope by the time we reach CA we are used to the 3 hour time difference. Tomorrow we drive across New Mexico and stop in Flagstaff, AZ for the night. We're looking forward to seeing the new sights!

The massive windfields

The field of empty chairs. Each chair is in memory of a victim, the 19 children have smaller chairs...overpowering

The Reflection Pool

The gate we walked through to enter the memorial. There is a gate on the other side of the plaza. Three times are marked on the gates. 9:01--the moment before the bombing, 9:02--the time of the bombing and 9:03--when America was changed forever...

The Journey Begins

2009-04-10T17:02:00.003-07:00

Loading day was long, we were tired, crabby, and hungry as we watched the loading crew argue with the driver and our stuff sat in the same spot for what seemed like forever. The driver wanted to puzzle piece every box and piece of furniture and spent an hour finding just the right spot for each tier. The boys finally quit at 5PM and we pondered how much the moving company was going to pay us to load the rest of our stuff in the truck! Mark called the dispatcher and they promised to send another crew and that we would be loaded TODAY. Three hours later another crew finally showed and they loaded the last of our belongings at 1145 PM. It had to set a record for the slowest loading of a household! Now, I know we have a lot of 'stuff' but this was ridiculous! Okay, they had a good 6 inches to spare when they were done.

Mark thought we should just have a yard sale and say forget it as we watched our stuff sitting in the front yard and the road, unmoved, for hours.

We got some sleep, woke early, and we were on the road at 9AM. Peanut cried for a long while and then settled down in his carrier. The pups knew a road trip was coming when collars were put on and Roscoe immediately went to the car. They rode great, cooperated at stops, did their 'duty' when given the chance and loaded right back up. Not sure if they will be so enthusiastic on days 4 and 5! I guess I put my bag of stuffing too close to Bandit, the ferrets, cage because we found his cage filled with stuffing when we made our first stop.
The pups just enjoying the ride, they were awesome the first day!

Best Western, a pet friendly motel in Knoxville, TN, was a welcome sight after a long day in the car. We weren't sure about dragging the animals through the lobby and up the elevator but no one gasped and the dogs were just happy to be out of the car! Peanut and the pups have explored every corner of the room and are thrilled to be walking around as we wait for pizza to be delivered. We look forward to seeing our beautiful country....until next time...

Relaxation time after a 10 hour drive.

The Journey Has Begun

2009-04-07T09:32:00.002-07:00

The packers arrived this morning, 7 of them to pack up our household. I'm sure they cringed when they saw all our stuff, but boy do they have this down to a science! The poor girl in my craft room said she can't see her progress, but believe me, I can. I am quite emotional today, torn between excitement over the new adventure and incredible sadness at leaving my friends and the home we have built over the past four years. We spent a wonderful and relaxing weekend in Cape Cod with Nancy, dragging one of my best friends, Jenna, with us and it was so great having our last time together at the Cape. Of course, my computer is already packed and that's where the photo's are from the trip but will post them when we settle in our new home. We spent the weekend laughing and just enjoying being together.

Catching Up

2009-03-29T19:01:00.010-07:00

We had a wonderful time in Colorado with Tabetha, Jeremy, Ayla, and Sophie although we realized how much we are missing of their growing up. It also hit home how much I miss just hanging out with Tabetha, always one of my bestest friends even if she is my daughter. We celebrated Ayla's 4th birthday while we were there, a few weeks early, but she didn't seem to care. She talked all year of having a hot dog party and so her mom and I made her a hotdog cake and I have to admit, we impressed ourselves! Ayla announced the morning of her party that she wanted a pink cake so the hot dog was very pink! I had enough cake to make Ayla her very own hotdog and she loved that too! The weather was absolutely beautiful and so we took the party to the park and it was a perfect day. It was also so nice to have Jeremy's sister and her son, Vincent celebrate with us!

Mark went skiing with Jeremy and Jennifer and he had a great time. Fortunately, he came home in one piece!

Ayla loved the puppet theater I made her for her birthday and we laughed hysterically as everyone had to take turns putting on shows. Ayla also packed her new purse with her goodies every time we went out and I'm so glad she liked it. Tabetha used hers as well and that made me happy.

Sophie is not very vocal but she sure lets you know exactly what she wants! What a great smile she has.

Ayla had to wear Pop's ski helmet and goggles, of course, she certainly is his girl! She is holding a little puppy stuffie I made her.

Tabetha and I came up with another one of our "brilliant ideas" while we gallivanted about and now we have to put it into practice. Mums the word until our prototype is finished, but knitters will love it and we hope to have a lot of sales!

A Great Weekend for Productivity!

2009-03-16T18:05:00.005-07:00

I will not start quilting, I will not start quilting. I will not quilt anything bigger than a table runner. That's my mantra since I quilted my table runner and enjoyed it so much I decided to make some for Christmas presents. Utilizing my new time management skills, I spend an equal amount of time on both Christmas gift making and my store inventory, more or less. I started Tabetha's table runner today; I just couldn't stand that beautiful fabric sitting in my project to tackle crate! The first major step is completed and it will have an outer border of rectangles and then to quilt, back and bind it. I think it's absolutely beautiful so far! I sure hope she loves it!

I decided to make Ayla an apron since it seems every time I talk to her on the phone she is cooking at the stove and frig Pops made her. I like the spring fabric of this reversible apron and plan on putting it in her Easter basket, with some new felt food maybe!

I made Tabetha a wallet to go in the purse I made her for her birthday and I don't know what it is, but I love making bags and their accessories! This wallet has an inner zippered pocket, 6 card holders, and an inner pocket big enough for a check book. All from two fat quarters (I'm starting to wonder why I love quilting fabric so much!)

Mark gave me my birthday present early, an iPod touch, and I haven't enjoyed a birthday gift more in a very long time. Not only does it do everything my old palm pilot did, but I have listened to music non-stop since I got it. I loaded a bunch of my CD's on it today and listened to music I love but haven't listened to in years! Of course, we loaded some of my new favorites and I have to say, it made an incredible amount of impact on my productivity today! I worked non-stop all to the beat of some great tunes! Every time I play with it, we discover something new and I doubt it will be long before Mark wants his own. I have worked up two prototype ipod cases and this is my latest. I decided I need to hang it like a pouch around my neck so the next one will have a strap. This one will be great to throw in my bag. All again from um, quilting fat quarters! The first one wasn't practical because of the head phone plug, so I put a button hole on the bottom of this one to accommodate the plug. Pretty cool!

Tuesday Tidbits

2009-03-10T17:06:00.003-07:00

Not a creative week, but a productive one, none the less. After spending hours tearing apart my craft room looking for a pattern, I decided to forgo sewing and sort out the two full banker boxes full of patterns. A stack of notebooks, a paper punch, my label maker my wonderful husband bought me several years ago when he tried to encourage my quest for organization, and two full afternoons and I am proud to say, everyone of my patterns is filed, labeled and neatly put away! Small victories make me happy!
Baby Lizzie will make her way to Walla Walla, Washington next week, a custom order from a Hyena Cart customer. She has a cloth diaper and while I still have the snaps to put on her sundress and a blanket to wrap her to still make, I wanted to share her sweet face.

I loved the fabric I used for the puppet theater so much, I wanted to use up the large scraps I had left over. I made a friends grand daughter a personalized purse which her Gram decided to fill for Easter instead of an Easter Basket. I was pleased with the end result and in my excitement to give it to my friend, I forgot to take a picture! She was gracious enough to take one (staged with flowers no less) and email it to me!

A long day of sewing

2009-03-02T15:42:00.003-08:00

It literally took all day and my neck is killing me from standing over the sewing machine, but I am quite impressed with the completed puppet theater. A birthday gift for Ayla who loves her puppets and certainly needed a theater for her imaginative shows! The theater hangs with a tension rod, has dowels for stablization, curtains that tie back, and it all rolls up to be stored in its matching case.

I couldn't Resist

2009-02-25T06:06:00.002-08:00

I figured since I had the fabric out, I might as well sew up the matching purses for the babies! I'm quite pleased with how they turned out!

Tuesday Tidbits

2009-02-24T09:36:00.002-08:00

We're in the final planning stages for our cross country move to California. It looks like the pets and I will be moving out first to meet the movers and then I'll fly back for Mark's change of command and we'll bring the second vehicle and the last of our household goods. The timing is dependent on the movers but we should know by this week what our timeline is. We're excited to say the least!
I've been busy getting ready for our store stocking but found time to make a purse for Tabetha for her birthday. I have enough fabric to make matching miniature versions for the babies!

Getting ready for a store stocking

2009-02-24T09:22:00.003-08:00

Ellie the Elephant

Dilly the Dragon, hope he doesn't fly away with those wings!

Jack the Cat, comes with his own fishbone!

Just things

2009-02-16T16:59:00.004-08:00

I had a horrible week at work this week and was emotionally drained. I am fortunate to have the support of two good friends, some awesome daughters, and a loving husband, but sometimes... just sometimes it takes something more to lift one's spirit. For me, creativity, the touch and smell of fabric, the sound of my dream machine humming is just the spark I need. Saturday, after a deep sleep, I cut and sewed quilt blocks and the Sunday I spent the day assembling a table runner for my dining room table. I have to admit, sometimes I impress even myself. I'm not a quilter at all, I think the one quilt I have made in the past is mediocre at its best, but I have recently discovered fabric charm packs and knew I had to find some way to justify the purchase. I talked to a coworker who quilts, she assured me that binding a quilt was "a piece of cake". After the first few hourglass squares came out, well...square, I figured I would keep going. Three attempts to call my coworker, attempts meaning I never got to talk to her so I knew I was on my own. Me and the world wide web! I found instructions for binding a quilt that sounded pretty close to what my coworker had described and I figured, let's go for broke. I didn't understand how to end it, but found a way to make the join look pretty darn good, if I do say so my humble self! I figured it was for me, a treat to lift my sagging spirit, and since 1. I seldom sew for myself, and 2. no one was going to care but me how it ended up, I plunged ahead. I am so happy with the result, I have decided to make the girls each one for Christmas! Mark humors me, as usual, mentioning that he just had to walk through the dining room to admire the new table runner but I don't care, I do it as well!

I ordered a embroidery design for a magic princess wand and when it unsuccessfully downloaded, I emailed the owner who answered quite promptly, resent the design and then included an untested Birthday Girl wand that she asked me to test! I immediately put aside my to do list and made both the birthday and the princess and somehow figured out how to add Ayla's name to it! I'm on a roll with impressing myself with small victories so far this week! Ayla's is just a practice one, not sure I like the color, but I will finish it up and see how it looks. I just used leftover Valentine ribbon on the test Birthday Girl wand, in fact, the ribbon is just taped to the dowel I use to make korker ribbons. (translation....very curly grosgrain ribbon like you find on barrettes, etc)so I'm not sure how it will end up when finished. She passed the test though!

2009-02-08T18:13:00.005-08:00

Clearance Rack jammies personalized for the grandbabies. Packed in their Valentines Day box, ready to mail tomorrow!

Bye Bye Baby Boy Blue, leaving for PA this week, dressed in a cloth diaper, crocheted sweater and crocheted hat

Bye Bye Toby, he's off to Walla Walla, Washington

Gizmo, the first in a new line of fleece robots, he became a thank you gift for a buyer

The machine has been humming this weekend, robots coming alive, waiting for arms/legs; planned for this weeks stocking of inventory. I finished the wallet to got with Jacq's purse and still want to make her a zippered pouch for misc makeup or whatever. The instructions weren't very clear, however, I suppose since they were free I won't complain. The next one I will make some small changes and perhaps embroider the front since I now know what IS the front!

Just a side note about a hero on the Eastern Shore. One of my favorite troopers risked his life Friday night to pull three critically injured babies from an overturned car that was fully engulfed with flames. He shrugged off the praise as "part of his job" which in my mind and heart is what is indicative of a true hero. My own rescue squad (Mark leading the charge) brought the babies to my partner and I at the ER and the entire three crews stayed until they were sure we had it under control...and I mean they stayed for hours! Another true bunch of hero's.

Busy Busy Busy

2009-02-02T17:25:00.009-08:00

I have so many projects I'm dying to work on, I don't know where to start. I have the most adorable fabric to make Ayla and Sophie coordinating outfits but they're for summer so that's low on my list. I have all the stuff to make Ayla a puppet theater, but that's for her birthday in April, so move that down. I have the richest fabric to make totes for the mom's for mothers day, and the lining fabric arrived the other day, but...that's not til May. Jacqueline's birthday is in February so I decided that project should be first. I've actually had the fabric for awhile but today I put it to work. I made her an Amy Butler (if you're a sewer, you'll know who Amy Butler is, if not, don't worry about it! lol) purse. Colors in the photo aren't very vivid but its a wonderful chocolate brown and turquoise pattern. The inside is a coordinating polka dot! The purse is lacking the wood button on the front because I haven't found the ones I bought for this specific project! I'll make her a matching wallet and zipper bag to go along with the purse and of course wallets don't arrive empty, bad luck you know.

I made the girls dish towels to include in their Valentines Day package and one for me too.

I had made Ayla a sock monkey shirt and decided to make an appliqued onsie for Sophie. It was an adventure to say the least. This was onsie #2 since the first one was eaten by the dreaded embroidery machine!

Don't look at the next picture if nudity offends you! This little baby has male parts, which I refer to as "boy bits". A friend is expecting a little boy and her two year old daughter will have a baby boy of her own when he arrives! Complete!

A small taste of our new stock

2009-01-28T10:31:00.006-08:00

Valentine Love Bug, limited time!

Monster Puppets for those great imaginations

A soft and cuddly bumble bee

A great set of pocket monsters, small enough to hmm, fit in a pocket! Complete with their own drawstring storage bag!

I've been busy working on stock for this weeks stocking and we have some new things in store this month and the upcoming months! New stuffies, new monsters, puppets, and more. Look for some great Easter Basket stuffers too!

No Cabin Fever for Me

2009-01-21T07:09:00.005-08:00

I've stayed out of the cabin fever syndrome by staying productive. Keeping motivated to maintain my goals for the year I've started a Christmas Countdown calendar for the girls. I wanted to make one this past year but as usual, my time management problems prevented that from happening! This calendar is made in steps so you can use one or several parts if the entire project doesn't get finished. I, however, WILL get it finished in time! It consists of two wall hanging sections, one with pockets to hold the ornaments and the other a tree to hang them on each day. I'm happy to announce the pockets are completely embroidered and ready to put on the first hanging. A lady at work who quilts has graciously offered to show me how to bind it since I want to use batting and a backing, and it's easy she says!

I've also made several burp cloths for my expecting friends, as well as one a Baltimore Ravens onsie since she is a big fan, even if they aren't going to the Super Bowl. I also ordered some Ravens fabric to make her a diaper bag since she was so thrilled with the onsie! I'll probably make her a set of burp pad and bib too.

I got some great ribbon and made some key fobs. I want to make a batch for my coworkers for Nurses Week and the ones I've made so far are quick and a lot of fun.

I also have been working on Valentines gifts. I love the sock monkey on this shirt for Ayla!

I found just the right fabric to make a puppet theater for Ayla for her birthday and that will be on my to do list shortly. The theater will hang from a tension rod in a doorway and have a matching storage bag to store it away. I also filled a rather large order recently; fortunately, I had a quiet night at work and got quite a lot done. Also have some monsters almost finished to replenish the store inventory. Monsters go fast! I have my take along bag ready to go since I start my work week tonight. Hopefully, I'll get a few more things finished today before I lay down.
Keep busy, get some sunshine, and see you all soon!

A new year, expanding my horizons

2009-01-06T17:49:00.009-08:00

We survived the month of December, barely. Between the wedding, Christmas, Christmas orders (some very last minute to ship), and strange work shifts, I was exhausted. I am refreshed though, ready to tackle the new year. I set a lot of personal and professional goals for myself including the old standby to get organized. Maybe this will be the year for that! Probably not, but I strive for it anyway. Time management issues (I have no sense of time management being the issue, lol) have forced me to aim higher this year. I want holidays prepared for in advance and maybe I won't be so stressed. Anyone who knows me knows how complicated I make things for myself and this goal was no exception. I have to do ALL holidays and not just Christmas in advance, lol. I have made a good start, Easter basket stuffers for the grandkids are already in the works and will be stowed in a "gift box" in the office. These cute little bunny and buntings are an example of what will be in their baskets.

I decided to expand my sewing and embroidery horizons this year and I can envision complete outfits for the girls, complete with matching socks. These are my first attempt at embroidering socks on the machine, not too bad for practice. I'll send them to Sophie and see if she likes them!

Two friends of mine are expecting babies this year, both boys, so I decided to try my hand at something different for them as gifts. This onsie is also a first attempt and one I really like! I can see a whole set for the new little babies!

I also want to put lots of effort into building our business this year. We were very pleased with how well we did during the holidays and want to be better prepared. I plan to expand our inventory and will be diligent about keeping existing inventory stocked so I'm not rushing to complete orders. Tabetha loved the pocket monster set I made for Sophie, so we'll stock those this year as well as the monster puppet set. The pocket monsters are great for using up scraps and I have the first set started; I make them as time fillers. I have made the first bag though, I absolutely love the method for lined drawstring bags I mentioned in an earlier post. The casing for the drawstring has to fall in just the right place and I am either mathimatically gifted or just plain lucky because I had to revamp the measurements for the size I wanted and it worked!

I'll keep you updated on how well I maintain my resolve to stay on the right path! Wishing you and yours a kick butt New Years full of new ideas, wonderful adventures, and creativity!

Bowling Over for Elves

2008-12-31T06:55:00.001-08:00

An Elf bowling set for Sophie

Mark was helping me tape off the paint lines and decided our grandbaby needed more than just boring horizontal stripes. His creativity left "open" areas at the neck line so I added some homespun scarves and I love how this set turned out. Hope she loves it too!

Help Handmade Toy Makers

2008-12-26T09:15:00.003-08:00

A new law from the CPSIA was proposed to protect our children from the toxic toys our countries large toy manufacturers have produced in China and other developing countries. Unfortunately, they have excluded the small companies that have already earned the peoples trust by producing healthy, non-toxic toys for our children. Homemade or handcrafted toys are NOT excluded from the law and it will force those of use who can't afford the independent and expensive testing to either break the law or to close our doors. We already know our toys are safe and the choice for parents, we know our toys don't contain or produce toxins. Our customers have given us their approval. Please help us! The Handmade Toy Alliance offers information and a sample letter you can send to your representatives. You can also click the Icon on my sidebar for a site that provides resources to help. I, personally, began my business because our country was NOT regulating the safety of the toys sold in our country and I applaud the effort to force large toy companies to manufacture safe toys. However, those of us who provide safe handcrafted products (not because its the law, but because its the right thing to do) need to be excluded from the regulations targeting the large manufacturers!

2008-12-24T10:03:00.002-08:00

Just a quick entry to post Ayla's Finger puppet set. I made a lined zippered pouch to hold them all. I hate putting zippers in, to the point that if a zipper needs to be replaced, the piece goes in the trash. However, I found a number of tutorials that made it look fairly easy and I couldn't resist trying one of their methods. Wow, it was easy and quick!

Baby Callie and this litle girl monkey named Jingles were delivered this morning. Two grand daughters to receive them tomorrow. Bye bye babies!

I love these!

2008-12-22T16:00:00.002-08:00

OK, yesterday I vented, today I'm giving cheers. By the way, I got a package mailed express to the grand babies, so I feel better. Anyway... we stopped at a Joann's on the way home from FL since we didn't get to make it to the superstore in Tampa and I had a 50% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket. I picked up some fabric for doll clothes (finding a small enough pattern in fabric is not always easy) but the cheers for the day go to my new gadget. I have picked the box up and looked at it a dozen times in the past, always the tightwad, I hated spending the money to encourage my own laziness. Well, 50% off and stressed about time, how could I resist! I bought the sidewinder bobbin winder! While the cost is about 10 less at Walmart, the 50% coupon made it a better deal at Joann's. This handy dandy little gadget winds bobbins OFF of the sewing machine. Now, now, it is not all about being too lazy to take the empty bobbin out, wind it, re thread it, yadda yadda, but I have to tell you, I hate it! I sew alot of assembly line style and running out of bobbin thread and having to rewind and then re thread the machine really cuts into my productivity. This puppy rocks!
Another cheers... today I was sewing a drawstring bag to hold Ayla's puppets and since I was using some left over cotton fabric, I wanted it lined. Not a big thing, I make lined bags all the time, but I had run across a tutorial online and thought the easy peasy way was worth a try. Now granted, I had to tweak it to work the size bag I wanted and how to do that wasn't really clear, but I must have been close because the method rocks!You have to try the tutorial from Happythings. I'm certainly going to make more!

Catching Up

2008-12-21T18:45:00.007-08:00

Pocket Monsters

After two months of working many extra shifts, planning and attending an out of state wedding, keeping up with our store and custom orders, and a craft fair, I was somehow under the impression that Christmas would be delayed for my benefit. It didn't work out that way! Mark, thankfully, shopped, stuffed stockings, and prepared packages for mailing. The girls and their men are getting VISA gift cards but I was determined to handcraft the grand babies presents. What is done will go, the rest will be late! Maybe the 12 days of Christmas AFTER Christmas should be a new tradition. Every time I thought I mailed "the last order", more came in. While I'm not complaining about having a profitable Christmas season, I'm venting because as usual, my time management skills suck. I don't think I realized how well we'd do selling our toys and didn't take into account my own grand babies needed the same non-toxic toys! LOL. Anyway, I finished a few, others are in progress, and some only visions in my mind! BUT, on a positive note...every one of my custom orders went out in a timely fashion and the feedback is good! Monsters were a big hit and I've had requests to restock so some may purchase "the entire set". Chuckling to myself because they were totally "winged" and now I'll have to try to replicate them so people have "complete sets". I finished Sophie's pocket monster set, tiny little guys that will fit in her chubby little hands, complete with a drawstring bag, embroidered with monsters, of course. Ayla will start with a set of finger puppets, also in their own bag. Maybe my grand babies will be more organized than I. I have a few more of the finger puppets to make, they're rather time consuming but so darn cute. Mark delivered two babies for me yesterday and I have one more to deliver, but it's done! I made Ayla a super hero cape and mask and Sophie has a set of Elf Skittles (bowling set). Just for the record, NERF balls are made in the USA! We decided a soft NERF ball was a better choice than a wooden ball, thinking it will do less damage when thrown instead of rolled.

Bye Bye Baby Lucas

Bye Bye Babies
Noel and Holly

Jacquelines Big Day

2008-12-16T14:52:00.004-08:00

Well, we survived Jacqueline and Jeff's wedding this past weekend and it was a beautiful day. She was a gorgeous bride and he the handsome groom. Jacq and her dad rode in on horseback and then the bride and groom rode off on the horses. The ceremoney was chilly but things certainly heated up at the reception hall. Lots of food, drink, love and laughter. The DJ was awesome and everyone appeared to have a great time.

Wedding Time

2008-12-10T04:23:00.005-08:00

We are off the Florida this morning for Jacqs wedding on Saturday and the last few days have been packed with activity. I struggled to get orders out in the mail before we left but made my deadline. I made Mark stay up until 11:30 last night while I cut, sewed, and stuffed two special order babies to take with me to work on. I can sculpt and assemble them on the way. I haven't finished the wedding favors, but the pieces are also ready to assemble en route. I worked 5 shifts last week so spare time was at a minimum and I sure don't want to do that again anytime soon. Mark also had a kitchen combo order to fill this past week, and he also got it done on time. The lady requested no door under the sink so she could hang a curtain and she wanted to put her own handle on the frig. He was disappointed about the latter since he loves the oak handles he designed! Oh well! When we get home, I will concentrate on the grand daughters Christmas presents, finger puppets and a few pocket monsters are the only things completed thus far! I'll be busy for certain! These are the donuts that were included in the baked goods order that went out this week. she also ordered a cake, cookies and cupcakes!

Bye Bye Baby Faith

2008-12-07T19:55:00.002-08:00

Baby Faith heads to San Antonio tomorrow and I'm sure her new mommy will take good care of her!

Reggie Reindeer

2008-12-02T19:34:00.003-08:00

Poor Reggie has been in pieces for several weeks and when I got tired of sewing baked goods today, assembling him was a treat. His arms and legs are jointed so he sits or stands, and the tops of his boots even have a fur trim, too cute!
I'm working on an order for enough desserts to fill a small bakery; perhaps that's what Santa intends the tots who receive them to do! Hopefully, I'll get the last of the sweets finished tomorrow and in the mail by the end of the week. I'll get the next order ready for the hand sewing and hopefully my nights at work will allow me the opportunity to work on them. I swear, juggling a paying job with my dream job of making toys is a struggle, LOL!

Pheobe is going to Alaska

2008-11-30T09:49:00.002-08:00

Pheobe is headed for Alaska and Nana was afraid she would be cold in just her little dress. I decided to make her a little fleece jacket to help keep her warm! I know she will love her new mommy.

Alexis

2008-11-24T13:00:00.003-08:00

Alexis is jointed, a large baby. She sits about 10 inches high and is about 18 inches when laying down. Her wonderful pinkalicious hair makes her perfect! I'm going to crochet a diaper cover to match the hat and booties I crocheted and will have an incredibly hard time adopting her out. Mark told me I could keep her but she really needs a little girl to love her forever....

A Busy Week

2008-11-23T06:27:00.004-08:00

Admittedly, I wasn't thrilled to lose two days of precraft show production, however, I couldn't be prouder of the love of my life. The ceremonies (one at Coast Guard Headquarters and one at Constitutional Hall) were nice and Mark was pleased to meet the Secretary of Homeland Security. He was also given a coin by the Vice Commandant/Chief of Staff of the USCG;a big thing in military circles.

Nana's Nursery filled with babies waiting for adoption. I had to laugh when people commented on how it was "just like a hospital nursery" and Mark admitted that he hadn't realized that's what I intended. He figured I described a simple display for him to build.

Kayla, certainly one of my favorite babies and I will miss her when she goes to her new home next week. She needs a bunny suit and hopefully, I'll get that made along with the other special order babies I have to do. Someday I'm going to watch what I say and not blurt out "absolutely"when asked if I do custom orders, LOL!

A Week of Ups and Downs

2008-11-12T08:52:00.003-08:00

I got hurt, by a doctor having a temper tantrum, last week and have been battling severe back pain and the pain of having to deal with administrators. Sitting or standing for any length of time increases the pain but I was still able to be semi-productive. We stocked the store on time, I have this weeks store stocking ready, and have worked building my craft show inventory.

We also found out Mark was awarded the Homeland Security Volunteer Service Award(The Coast Guard is now a part of Homeland Security) and we have to make a 2 day trip to Washington DC for the ceremony. His dedication to his community and his extensive volunteer work was a sure bet to me! The bad news is that the trip is also the week of our craft show so we're adjusting productivity around the trip! I'll have a HUGE take along bag and at least be able to hand sew on the way.

Chicken Nuggets?

Bunny Suit for Emma

Eco Friendly "Paper Dolls" all machine embroidered and made to withstand years of play. We have an Asian girl, a Caucasian girl and an African American girl. The pink envelope is a prototype of a carry case. I'm not sure if it's what I want yet.

Yummy!

2008-11-05T10:19:00.003-08:00

I've been working on building the inventory for the next store stocking and just love these two latest additioins!

Artichokes!

Pig in the Blanket, add some chips and you have a great lunch!

Monster Mash

2008-11-02T15:31:00.003-08:00

I was on a monster mission this week and love these puppets! There is one more to the set and I hope the kids love them!

This beautiful lady isn't finished but aint she sweet?

I am making Ayla a set of finger puppets for Christmas and decided Sophie would love these little pocket monsters. I have giggled more while making them than while doing anything else!

A good Tuesday

2008-10-28T19:20:00.003-07:00

Callie, in gown, diaper and blanket. I love her pinkalicious hair!

Salad anyone?

A banana for Kong

2008-10-20T05:59:00.003-07:00

Actually, the banana was for a special wool felt food order but I couldn't resist letting Kong try it out. I think he needs one to keep for himself! Tabetha updated the store, new stock uploaded too! Lots more goodies coming in the following weeks so keep an eye out! A giveaway this week and next so be sure to sign up.

Terrific Tuesday, and productive too!

2008-10-14T18:02:00.005-07:00

I really do enjoy Tuesdays, it's my only day to just play with fabric, tackle new projects, and to build my inventory. I even squeeze in a nap occasionally. I decided my craft booth was going to need some color and what better way than to include these red headed cuties sitting on the tables!

I have a store stocking this week, Here come the monsters. I do have to make some for the craft fair, but I love working on them so it's a pleasure instead of a chore. Admittedly, I crack myself up as they come to life.

I've also been working on these Sidewalk Game bags for the craft show and decided to stock a few in the store. They are drawstring bags, include 3 sidewalk chalks, 4 beanbags, and laminated cards with instructions for 4 sidewalk games. Sure reminds me of when kids were kids and playing outdoors was what we did!

Ok, so a dumplin Fish wasn't on my to do list today

2008-10-07T18:03:00.003-07:00

I planned a long and productive work day today and as per my norm, I got sidetracked! I planned on spending time just cutting fabric, to put in the Work In Progress box. Well, long story short, I needed to clean the orange velour off my cutting board and decided that it was THE perfect color for a dumplin fish. By the time I perfected the mouth, the fins, the tail...most of the day was over! But, come on, is this little 4"velour fishie the cutest thing? I have two more orange balls and while they were intended for dumplin pumpkins, I think at least one will be another fish. I did, actually, get several projects cut out and hopefully will get some more done tomorrow before I start my work week.

Puppet has Clothes

2008-10-06T18:47:00.002-07:00

The puppet has clothes and will be heading to Ayla tomorrow.

Velour Dumplin'Pumpkin

2008-10-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

I've had these cut for several days but haven't sewn them up until today. Only one totally done, the others are lacking faces and stems, but wanted to share this little 4"pumpkin!

Naked Puppet

2008-10-05T17:39:00.002-07:00

I guess it's pretty evident that I don't particularly like making doll clothes because babies stay naked a long time. Actually, I just ran out of time today, or this puppet would be dressed! I decided to try my hand at puppets today, and am pleased with how this little girl turned out. She is child size so she looks pretty funky perched on Mark's big hand! The opening for this stuffed puppet is in the back and she will look adorable perched on a puppet theater. Hmmm, maybe one of those is in the planning stage. My plan is to send this little girl to Ayla to try out and perhaps her mama will take some pictures so I can post future ones in our Hyena Cart store!

We're Moving!

2008-10-03T14:57:00.002-07:00

We got our next duty assignment yesterday and I'm thrilled to be heading west; Vallejo, CA will be our new home. 32 miles northeast of San Fransisco, Vallejo has much to offer. Ok, so I'm looking forward to touring the Jelly Belly Factory and am excited about the 12 Joann Fabric stores within a 30 mile radius! Two local hospitals that offer me job opportunities, but close enough to several other large cities to open the career door wider. When we went to San Fransisco in June, I was awed by the beautiful rolling hills in the country side and I can envision Mark setting up a woodshop in an outbuilding on a piece of God's country. Out move will be sometime at the end of Mayor beginning of June depending on the rotation schedule and while I'm not looking forward to a cross country move, I know we will enjoy the tour across America!

I woke early enough to cut out a batch of velour pumpkins, using my dumpling frog pattern and I look forward to sewing them up tomorrow and getting some faces on them! For now, I'm off to my last night of work, settling contented in the happy place in my brain, dreaming of the west coast and the doors it will open for my love and I.

Preemie Carrier

2008-10-01T10:02:00.003-07:00

I made a small baby carrier for the teeny preemie. I hope to get some larger ones done to put out for sale at the craft fair and for Christmas. I think Allison looks incredibly cute in her carrier!

Productive Tuesday

2008-09-30T18:49:00.003-07:00

As per my norm, Tuesday is my productive day. Little Bo Peep has her pants and her lamb has his ears. Two more frogs cut, sewn, and ready to be assembled. This baby got sculpted hair sewn on, and dressed, well...kinda dressed. Her outfit is a onsie that will actually be cut in half and made into a two piece and no diaper yet! She does have a pink headband to hold her curly brown hair in place, lol. I also sketched more animals like the frog, I envision a whole menagerie. Not sure what the dumpling gang will be called! I hopefully will have some finger puppets cut for my take along bag tomorrow before I start my work week.

Wedding plans are coming together and the bumps in the road have easily been handled and moved past. I was hunting down my wedding cake pans today until I realized Tabetha has them. She'll pop them in the mail so I can make the wedding cake for the kids. I've also been brainstorming their favors and have a few in mind and will work some up to see how I like them next week.

Frivolous Froggie

2008-09-28T18:43:00.003-07:00

This little guy was not on my to do list today but he sure turned out cute. He was just a frivolous way to spend my afternoon. He sits about 5"tall and has a 7"leg span. After completing him. of course, I realized I forgot, once again, to put a tag in him but was able to slide one in when I hand sewed his legs on. I haven't decided if the next one will have a stick out tag or one sewn on the bottom of his foot. Mark was much more productive than I today, completing two child size Adirondack chairs and a matching table to sell as a set. They sure turned out awesome!

She found her sheep!

2008-09-24T09:59:00.003-07:00

She found the little lamb but the fuzzy little thing just has his ears pinned on and a stuffing hole still in his tummy, lol

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep!

2008-09-23T17:36:00.005-07:00

My newest project is Little Bo Peep and while she is still lacking her panties and her shoes, I am very pleased with her! I love her simplicity and of course, thrilled with how her hair style came out. Mark thinks she's "adorable". I think perhaps I can find at least one sheep for her tomorrow before I go to work. I still have a pile of babies to finish, all need hair and clothes and some need their sculpting done. I am so behind schedule, ugh. I decided to make some sets of finger puppets and will get them cut and thrown into my take along bag since they will be all hand sewn. Mark chuckles because the bag comes along everywhere. Considering it takes 30 minutes to get to anywhere around here, I can accomplish a lot of sewing in otherwise wasted moments. I'm thinking of making drawstring bags for the finger puppet sets but haven't decided if they'll be simple or embroidered! The latest joke in our house is Mark asking where the tag is on each new project and I think I have two babies with tags. The rest I have forgotten which really ticks me off. I'll probably have him design me some rectangle sew on tags and I'll sew them on the babies butts when I forget to pop one in a seam!

Buzzing with Wedding Plans

2008-09-22T09:37:00.003-07:00

We are busy putting together Jacqueline's wedding and I have to say, that planning long distance is NOT a piece of cake! Fortunately, Jacq has been able to visit florists, wedding sites, and caterers! I just have to delegate from afar, lol. I did find a VFW hall to rent for the reception and am planning her favors and decorations. In between wedding plans, Mark and I are working on our craft show plans and we've been productively building our inventory! He informed me last night that I need to make more monsters, so that will be on my agenda next week. This week I am finishing babies, trying out a Little Bo Peep and her sheep set! My order of safety eyes arrived today and I'm looking forward to finishing my squid and seeing how he looks. I'm picking up some extra work hours today, and while I'm not looking forward to the extra time, this one day will pay for Jacq's flowers! I ordered some "micro preemie" diapers and they too, arrived today. Boy, are they little! However, they are the perfect size for the little preemie and smaller babies! Now to make some diaper bags for the new mommies.

No hair or clothes, but she does have a diaper!

Wedding Planning!

2008-09-16T16:57:00.002-07:00

Daughter #2, Jacqueline, and her honey, Jeff, announced their engagement this week! While they initially planned on eloping, I convinced them that they should at least have a small wedding to help make the day special. So, we are in wedding planning mode for the next 2 1/2 months and I have faith they will have wonderful memories of their wedding day! We love Jeff and are thrilled to have him as part of our family. We are in the midst of craft show preparations, not only as vendors, but as the organizers so the next few months will be packed full!

Works in Progress

2008-09-16T16:23:00.003-07:00

It was baby making week and while only one, Lucas, is completely finished, I feel I accomplished something! Another one is ready to embroider and assemble and hopefully, I will get her done tomorrow before I start my work week. I've picked up an extra 4 hour shift each Monday afternoon and I'm hoping it will only cut into my nap time and not my production time!

I know the person who invented the space bag seen in infomercials once opened a bulk box of stuffing! It cracks me up everytime I walk by and realize how much more it has expanded!

Lucas has clothes

2008-09-09T16:25:00.002-07:00

Naked Baby Lucas

2008-09-09T07:13:00.004-07:00

Lucas is about 16" tall and I think his carrot top is absolutely fitting! I bet he will be a handful for his new mama!

It was a dark and stormy weekend, LOL

2008-09-07T19:46:00.005-07:00

Tropical Storm Hanna rolled over us Saturday and I slept until the fire dept decided to brave the minor winds to cut a tree down across the street from us. After my last night of work, I wasn't real happy to waken to the sounds of barking dogs and chainsaws! But, considering they are my firefighter brothers, I'll let them slide! The rain and tide expected never materalized and Mark and I were able to make it to the local eatery to have our usual Saturday night breakfast!

I tore the crab apart this weekend, shortened the legs and while I still have some tweaking to do, curve the front claws and move their placement a tad, I'm quite happy with the little guy!

After much thought, I decided that the squid didnt need longer legs, he needed a smaller body! Duh! The work in progress has a new face, the eyes will sit partially under the scalloped edge, hopefully creating an eye lid implication. PLEASE notice the new tag. This is the first creature to sport a sewn in tag with our name! Thank you Mark!

It was a crabby day

2008-09-03T10:07:00.002-07:00

Only the morning to play on Wednesdays and then it's nap time and off to work for the night. This guy was the result today. Another prototype, tweaking left to do and then he'll go into production with Sammy Squid! I think shorter legs/claws, LOL. He doesn't have eyes yet, just pins to check placement and I think embroidered eyes is the ticket on him. I also cut out some elf clogs, trying to get ready for craft show season where I've learned that small ticket items sell best. These clogs will be adorable with a baggie of candy, personalized of course, tucked inside! Once cut, they go in the take along bag and can be finished anywhere, including work if time permits.

Prototype Squid

2008-09-02T18:21:00.003-07:00

I played with a prototype squid today; we think his legs should be longer and wider but he isn't bad for a practice squid. I sketched a crab today and will work him up tomorrow if I have time.

Abi's Buggy

2008-09-01T15:17:00.004-07:00

We custom made a buggy for a little one and had the privilege of delivering it in person. Abi hasn't quite gotten the idea that the buggy is for her baby and not for her!

I used the drive to make this little 8 inch preemie and blanket. I think she is adorable, but then most moms are biased!

The little one loves her paci!

Kitty has a little friend

2008-08-27T16:11:00.002-07:00

While a miniature kitty wasn't on my to do list today, I decided use up the little scraps of velour instead of throwing them away when I cleaned off my cutting table (read dining room table, lol)! I sketched a smaller version of the big kitty pattern that came from a japanese craft book and poof, a little friend for him! Fortunately, I had a nap today and lots of coffee so I can stay up to the wee hours of the morning actually finishing my to do list! Ha!

Kitty Stuffie

2008-08-26T14:23:00.003-07:00

Mark is leaving this evening for a conference and will be home on Thursday. A year ago, we made plans to go away this weekend and somehow we forgot about it but I ended up being off the next three days anyway. Our timing seems to be off! I told Mark that I would just stay up all night sewing like I did when he was in California and he teased me that I would have a 48 hour stuffie sewing marathon. Lets see what I accomplish! This cute little kitty was a good start. He's purple velour as I was using up some scraps left over from the octopus! Kitty sits about 8 inches high and I can already see him "miniaturized".

A Change of Pace....a cuppa tea anyone?

2008-08-25T10:50:00.004-07:00

In Florida, when we went out to dinner with my mom, I noticed she pulled her own teabag out of her pocket book. My mom carrying her teabags in a Ziploc bag just won't do so I made her this tea wallet for her to carry her stash in. Worked up quickly and was a great opportunity to try one out. I think I will do some for our November craft fair! I have some teacher/apple fabric and since I always sell out on items labeled "teacher" I figure these might be quick and inexpensive gifts for people to buy.

It's beginning to look like a zoo!

2008-08-24T15:04:00.005-07:00

I've had so much fun with the fleece I bought in FL and just love the animals produced! I still have quite a wish list of creatures to make but here is a taste of the menagerie!

Harry Hedgehog

Sandy Seal

What a trio!

Home Again, home again

2008-08-18T17:52:00.015-07:00

We are finally home after a long but wonderful week. We left August 8th and headed to Asheville to help Sophie celebrate her 1st birthday. Sister Ayla was more than happy to help open presents, help make the cake, and help blow out the candle on the sandcastle cake!

It was wonderful spending time with them, Ayla amazed us, as usual with her conversations, what a smart little girl she is! We won't see them again before their move to Colorado but hopefully it won't be too long before we spend time together again. Sophie loved helping Nana cut out piggie parts too!

We headed to Florida and spent two days with my mom and helped celebrate her 70th birthday. Dinner at Red Lobster with her, her friend Lu, Jacqueline and her honey Jeff, Adrian, and her honey Brian. Lots of laughing for sure!

While at my mom's, I found a sweet lady named Yuki. Yuki helped translate some Japanese Craft books that I have and her help was incredibly helpful and greatly appreciated. Adrian, Mark and I did our yearly splurge at Joanns Super Store and I couldn't wait to get home to use some of my new fabric! Waldo Walrus is made from some of the half priced fleece we picked up!

Sophie and I cut out parts for some little piggies before I left Asheville and I sewed the entire trip to FL and the entire trip home. the result was four little piggies. Only three arrived back in Virginia since my mom adopted one little guy.

Aren't their little hineys cute!

Out of town enjoying the FL rain!

2008-08-14T13:37:00.002-07:00

We are out of town this week, having spent the weekend in Asheville, NC celebrating Sophies 1st birthday and heading to FL on Monday morning. So far it has rained all day every day we've been in FL and we hope the sun pokes it head out when we spend Saturday at Busch Gardens. We will be home on Monday, August 18th and I will post details of our journey then!

When all else fails, ask nana

2008-08-05T11:06:00.006-07:00

Ayla had a special request for a hippo and of course this Nana couldn't say no. The pattern is from a Japanese craft book and while I don't read Japanese, the illustrations are pretty explicit. Umm, I won't mention that it was very obvious I put the head on upside down on the first one and he'll go in the craft show "play with me basket". OK, i have to confess, the head is on upside down on this one too, its just not so obvious! I decided perhaps hippo's aren't *my thing*. I also made Sophie an elephant, no confusion about up and down there! LOL

Birthday Octopus

2008-08-03T18:01:00.005-07:00

I had to have a birthday present for a little boy and had a vision of an octopus in my head. I sketched it, Mark drafted the pattern, and voila! A purple velour octopus!

He is "gently stuffed" so his body is cuddly soft and he is able to either stand or sit on his tentacles! or, as see, he can hop on someones head!

Perhaps he needs a birthday hat on his head before I send him on his way.

A Reward for Hard Work

2008-07-29T11:05:00.012-07:00

I decided to put my to do list aside for a short period today while I created something just for me. granted, it certainly isnt lavish or inspiring, but none the less. It was unbelievable how many pins I found on the floor yesterday during my cleaning spurt so I decided to sew up pincushions to keep by my machine. Again, nothing fancy but it was a nice change to make something for no one else but ME! I used some scraps that didnt make it into the scrap box and used a tutorial I found online.
I also figured that since I was in the cleaning and organizing mode, I'd keep on going into other parts of the house! hoping the spirit moves me long enough to finish a room or two, lol

The Craft Room Fairy Finally Came.... and her name is Nana!

2008-07-28T18:40:00.015-07:00

I decided it was time to clean my craft room after I had to start walking over things to get to one of the sewing machines. The pathways dwindled to one narrow one, full of obstacles and I felt if i didn't do something quickly, i would lose more than my creativity, I would also my sanity. I happened upon a craft Room Disasters thread on a craft board and I was surprised to find that everyone posting was as disorganized and messy as I was. They had the nerve to post before and after pictures and I thought, wow, they have guts sharing their chaos! Then I made the decision to share my own because now that I've spent the day cleaning, sorting, and purging, purging, and more purging, I'm quite proud of my accomplishment. I had spent Sunday sorting, boxing, labeling, and shelving fabric, deciding that my craft room wasn't the place to store it. A set of shelves were put up in my office and the banker boxes house each type of fabric marvelously!
BEFORE

AFTER

Fabric
One set of shelves house my fabric, the other my inventory.

Even my rubberstamps are organized in pizza boxes, perfect size! The closet holds mostly misc stuff that I don't use everyday.

I'm ashamed that I let my beautiful room get so out of hand since lack of storage certainly isn't an excuse I could use. 21 days make a habit and i sure do need to practice putting things away when I am done with them. i removed the table since it served more as a dumping ground than a work surface, i have a In Progress box that can temporarily store projects in the works. i also have a bankers box for patterns and instructions waiting to be filed in notebooks. i may take awhile to file them, but at least they are consolidated and not scattered through the house. All in all, I am incredibly proud of my efforts today and look forward to using the room tomorrow to create!

Kya, one of my favorites yet

2008-07-22T18:54:00.002-07:00

Prototype Monster

2008-07-22T14:16:00.001-07:00

This guy was a practice, get the pattern and method right kinda guy and will end up in the "play with me basket" at craft fairs. Ready to roll on the next one

Newborn baby

2008-07-22T13:04:00.001-07:00

This sweet little thing is waiting to be adopted.

A monster of a Bag

2008-07-21T16:31:00.004-07:00

I cracked myself up today, determined to make a monster bag. This lined tote has a square bottom so it will sit flat and measures approximately 10 1/2 X 10 1/2. Open the flap to reveal its ferocious teeth!

Making Babies

2008-07-16T07:03:00.003-07:00

I've spent the week making babies and have to chuckle at the pile of little naked things. Also made a diaper cake for a coworker and delivered that yesterday. I'm struggling to build my inventory for fall craft shows and hopefully, will have a decent stock when the time arrives. I guess I'll do babies and then spend a week making clothes and accessories for them. Will break up the monotony although I love making these little squishy faced things! I want to make up a few sets, baby, diapers, carrier, diaper bag to put up for sale and I'm hoping they sell well come Christmas time! I think my monkeys, all sizes, will do well, too!

More Monkeys

2008-07-08T11:25:00.002-07:00

Kong and Little Kong