Michelle Baker

Uplifting

2009-02-22T07:49:00.002-09:00

The past week has been filled with more friends and family than I can count. New friends, old family. And everything inbetween. It's been incredibly good for my soul. I've tried not to focus on why we were together, but instead just cherish every hug and kindness and laugh that we shared. And to look forward to more of those things under happy circumstances.

If you're on Facebook, send a friend request to michellescraps@yahoo.com. I've shared pictures from the memorial service there. There are just too many to post here. It was beautiful and touching and sad and funny. And really good for me. My brother was so loved by so many friends who I didn't know. I feel much more at peace knowing that.

A family update...Maggie gets her cast off this Thursday, as long as the x-rays show that it's healed properly. I am praying for a full recovery there...she's so ready to walk on two feet again!

Our birds are about to become parents again! In about a week, eggs will begin to hatch. They have seven this time (last time it was 5, and 2 of them survived) and we're so excited to have baby birds again!

Sage is wrapping up volleyball season this week with a tourney Thursday and Friday. She's really come a long way since the beginning of the season and we're very proud of her!

Sam is "addicted" to wrestling practice (his words!). He goes two nights a week to the girls' school and is learning freestyle wrestling. His tourneys start next month. I can't wait! I'm going to be the loudest mat mom there!

I've starting running! OK, pick yourself up off the floor. Yes, I said running. I can't believe it myself. I run on the track while Sam's in practice. I can do almost a mile before I have to walk a lap to catch my breath. It's been a fantastic stress reliever.

I don't have any pics to share since I'm posting from hubby's laptop. Next time! Have a great week.

Richard Brett Ryan

2009-02-17T07:39:00.001-09:00

September 15, 1972-February 13, 2009

On Friday, my little brother took his life.
He leaves behind his son Tavis and daughter Kieran.

Words cannot describe my sorrow.

Rest peacefully, little brother.

Memorial service will be at Rabbit Creek Community Church
Rabbit Creek Road, Anchorage
Thursday, February 19th, 5pm

Broken

2009-01-29T07:02:00.003-09:00

The day after I posted my last blog entry, all heck broke loose here. The short of it is, Maggie was thrown from the horse at her riding lesson and broke her right ankle. She had surgery the following Saturday and they inserted two screws to hold the ankle together. She'll be in a cast for about 6 weeks, then they'll remove the screws.

Can I just say, I've had enough emergencies for a lifetime now? Back-to-back injuries is just about more than I can stomach. My poor babies!!

She's doing OK with it, and is off the strong pain meds and just takes advil when she needs it. She's going to try half days at school starting Monday.

I have pictures to share, but I'm posting from Paul's computer, so I'll have to post them next time.

Nothing crafty or fun to share...sorry. I've been pretty much consumed with taking care of Magster. Needless to say, I haven't stepped foot in the craft room to start gutting it. Maybe next week when kiddos are all in school.

Take care!

In the past couple weeks....

2009-01-20T06:50:00.003-09:00

Sam's mastered the guitar....

I've become a rock and roll diva....

Sage had her first volleyball game (that's her in the middle)...

Sam's policed all hugs between Sage and Caleb....(good job, Sam!)....

Maggie turned 12....

And I *think* I'm closer to getting a job! Fingers crossed. I got two good leads in one day (go figure!) and I have an interview today.

Needless to say, after our freakish weather and school closure for most of last week, I didn't even step foot in the craft room to start clearing it out. Thank goodness there's school today!

OK, gotta go get dressed for my interview. Have a great day!

Brrrrrrr

2009-01-13T05:35:00.004-09:00

Hey...I've found Facebook! Stop by and say hi. Because I don't spend enough time on the computer already. ;)

It's been a rough week here. The record cold snap really took its toll on Kiska. She's old for a llama at 21, and just didn't have the strength and body fat to stay insulated against the -35° temps for weeks on end...so I made a very tough decision and let her previous owner take her back to her farm, where she could be inside a heated building. I won't go into all the mixed emotions I have. Just know it's like giving up a part of myself, seeing her go.

Tyea and Yentna have dealt just fine with the insane cold, thank goodness, and it looks like it's finally warming up a little.

Yesterday I took the kids to see Marely and Me. Oh. My. Goodness. It's a wonderful movie, but take some tissues. Ginger was never naughty like Marely was, but at the end, as Marley aged, I saw Ginger all over again. She started sleeping downstairs when she couldn't make it up the staircase any more. She slowed way down on our walks. The fur on her face turned snow white. Needless to say, I cried and cried.

This week is going to be all about clearing out the craft room. It's become a dumping ground for all the stuff that's accumulated from the past year. It's time to purge! I need to at least be able to find the floor so we can start tearing out the carpet and get the hickory flooring installed. There will be some serious giveaways involved....

2009-01-05T07:00:00.002-09:00

Happy Back to School Day!!

:)

The holidays were amazing, fun, exhausting. We hung out with friends, met some new friends, played entirely too much Rock Band and of course, ate more than my share of Christmas goodies. It was gooooooood.

I feel like I can jump into the new year with a smile on my face. Love that!

Last year on 1/6/08 I blogged this:

I've made my annual list of goals (I don't like to call them "resolutions") to include the usual: work out more, create a financial budget, make weekly meal plans; and a few new ones: enroll the kids in a summer camp, find some new llama trails to hike, make a summer reading plan for Sam.

I can't remember if I've blogged about Sam, but last month he was tested for learning disabilities, and we found out he qualifies for help in both reading and writing. I've been concerned about his reading skills for the last two years, but chalked it up to the myth that boys are "slower learners" than girls at his age. And his writing skills were, in my opinion, ever further behind than his reading. He all but refused to even pick up a pencil at school. Unfortunately, I thought it was a behavior problem, and not a learning problem.

The testing gave me a ton of valuable information and insight into his strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing and math. And I learned just what qualifies as a "learning disability". The short version is, through testing, they look for a certain level of discrepancy between cognitive ability and actual performance. In other words, they measure his IQ, then measure his actual current level of abilities in those three areas, and if there's a large enough "gap", then it's labeled as a disability.

I learned he has "average intelligence". His IQ falls pretty much in the middle of the "normal" range. This was GOOD news. His performance in reading and writing, though, fall in the "low average" to "very low" range. He reads at an early first grade level (he's halfway through second grade now) and writes at a Kindergarten level, with a few writing skills falling in the pre-K level. Most of his math skills are in the "average" level.

They test for dozens of specific areas of ability, and Sam's scores were everywhere from pre-K to mid-eighth grade level. His strengths are: he has an amazing memory for detail, and when he hears a story read, his comprehension and re-telling abilities are 7th to 8th grade level. When he reads a story, though, comprehension falls to the Kindergarten level. Knowing this, we'll focus on giving him oral instruction rather than written, letting him take his spelling tests orally, things like that. I'm really excited about using these new techniques to help him!

So he has started going to the resource room twice a day, 4 days a week for reading and writing help. One of my main goals for this year is to focus on educating myself on dyslexia, and multi-sensory education methods so I can do everything in my power to help him improve his reading and writing skills.

What I learned from this? Follow my instincts and don't listen to myths or people who tell me what's "normal" when my gut tells me it's wrong. Then don't waste time worrying about time lost, just focus on moving forward and making progress. :)

So...that's going to be my theme for 2008: PROGRESS. Count the progress made. And be HAPPY for it!

So how'd I do? Well, I certainly didn't make weekly meal plans. Ha! Not even close.

Budgeting? I did do a little better with planning ahead, saving up and making do. Not a budget, per se, but progress in that direction.

Work out more? Yep. The summer was full of bike trips, kayaking, walking dogs, yardwork. Fall slowed down a little, but I still walk the dogs several times a week, weather permitting, and I don't miss a day hauling hay out to the llamas, carrying buckets of water and keeping the hutch swept and shoveled. Progress.

A summer reading plan for Sam? Nope. In fact, I don't think we cracked a book all summer. And it certainly showed when he was tested at the beginning of the school year. His reading regressed quite a bit, but he was able to catch right back up in a matter of a couple weeks.

So, all in all, I feel like progress was made. And I am grateful for it. So I met my goals!

I have to give some thought to this year's word and goals. I need to take today to think, while the house is quiet and the kids are in school.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T05:35:00.004-09:00

I think today might be my favorite day of the holidays. The anticipation, the friends and family over, the cooking and flurry of wrapping last-minute gifts. I love it all! I'm sitting here in the living room and it's 5:45 am. The house is completely silent except for the hum of the furnace. Sam got up earlier, but climbed back in his bed and fell asleep thinking about Santa. I knew he was lying there thinking about tomorrow morning. I went in to check on him and he said "I can't wait for Santa to come." Next thing I knew, he was sound asleep.

So I'm enjoying the calm before the storm. We're having friends over for a poker game today, and lots of food, I'm sure. Then later we'll light some fireworks, and hopefully the kids will play outside and wear themselves out so they'll sleep tonight. Paul and I will stay up late wrapping gifts, as usual, then we'll all get up at the crack of dawn (or before) Christmas morning, because I just can't sleep any longer.

I just love the energy in the air today. I wish I could bottle it!

A few pictures to share....

Maggie got her hair cut this week...she has the most gorgeous color. I think she looks a lot like her daddy in this picture.

I'm not even sure who took this picture of Sage. I never know what I'm going to find on my camera.

Sam treated us to cinnamon Christmas Tree biscuits yesterday, hot from the oven. I hope he never outgrows his love of cooking. It'll make some lucky woman very happy one day.

Check him out. Real men wear aprons!

Time for another cup of coffee. My God bless you this Christmas and all through the year!

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!

2008-12-18T06:55:00.003-09:00

I didn't get all the decorating finished this year that I wanted to...I always have more plans than time, it seems....but I'm calling it done. I made these paper pretties and decked out the chandelier in the bathroom...

and the shower curtain got gussied up for the holidays, too.

Thanks for the well wishes for Sam. He's doing so much better than I expected. I'd have been a big baby about the whole thing. He is dealing with the stitches in his mouth like a trooper. Thank goodness he loves mashed potatoes, because he's been living on that and pudding for a week! On the up side, I've lost a few pounds from the stress of it all. :)

I made some Mint Oreo Truffles and Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles for the kids' teachers and bus drivers (all 17 of them!). I still have lots of baking to do, but it'll have to wait until this weekend when I can breathe again. One more gift to buy and my shopping is finished! Yippee!

I'm off to make some peppermint hot chocolate...borderline obsessed with it!

God is good.

2008-12-12T07:22:00.001-09:00

I know I don't say that enough. Unfortunately it usually takes a crisis to make me realize how heavily I rely on the Lord for strength and comfort, and that it's always there for me, not just in the tough times. Talk about good.

Yesterday at 3:30 the school nurse called to say she had Sam in her office, that a pencil had poked the roof of his mouth. She said he was fine, but that since it was bleeding, they couldn't put him on the bus. I was totally unprepared for what I saw when I got to the school.

He was leaning over a sink, terrified, with blood coming out of the mouth and nose. I knew right away he needed to go to the ER, even though they downplayed the seriousness of it. I peeked at it and almost fainted. The gash ran from just behind the teeth all the way to the soft palette at the back of the throat, where it ended in a Y shaped tear, with a large flap of skin hanging down.

Still thinking it might just look worse than it actually was, I was completely blindsided when the ER nurse warned me we were probably looking at surgery. Surgery. The word made my stomach seize up. Then the ER doctor confirmed the repair was beyond his ability, and said we were lucky that an ear, nose and throat doctor was performing a surgery and would be available in just a few minutes. We'd wait for his opinion on the repair.

The ENT doc agreed that it needed repair, and was fairly certain the hole went all the way into the sinus cavity. He called for an operating room.

Up to this point, Sam had a wad of gauze in his mouth to stop the bleeding, so we couldn't get many details on what exactly happened, and we weren't sure if the pencil had broken off in his mouth. When he was able to talk, I was stunned to find out it was the eraser end of the pencil that pierced his palette, which meant a larger hole that we first thought. But thankfully that meant it hadn't broken off inside his mouth. They were on the bus at the school, getting ready to go home for the day when a boy told Sam to get out of his way and shoved him into a seat, causing the pencil Sam was holding to puncture his palette.

The surgery went well, but took much longer than anticipated. Sam has seven stitches in the soft palette, and would have had more, but some of the skin couldn't be sewn back together, and will just have to heal as-is. Through the whole evening, I prayed, alone and with Sam, and felt very calm and protected, and never doubted for a second that the Lord held us in his loving arms.

He's resting this morning, and says it just feels like a bad sore throat. He couldn't have handled it any better. I'm so proud of him.

Sleep is Overrated.

2008-12-08T04:18:00.002-09:00

If this post seems a little random, it's because I composed it at 3am, figuring I'd bore myself back to sleep with my rambling. It didn't work. Winnie was crying to go outside, and I made the mistake of thinking "I'll just check my email while I'm waiting for her to come back in." One email led to another and here I am posting about nothing.

So if you're interested in the mundane details of my life the past week....

Here's Maggie putting the angel on top of the tree. It was her turn this year. And trust me, they remember whose turn it is year to year.

And if you don't believe me, here's Maggie throwing down a gang sign when I tried to argue with her about whose turn it was this year. "Yo, Mom. You best step OFF the tree topper, yo." How'd you like my attempt at speaking gang-ese? OK, I promise never to do that again.

Sending this pic out to my honey. Hurry up and get home. Your chair's getting cold. And Winnie misses you.

On a completely different topic, I'm on the hunt for employment. And can I just say, it ain't as easy as it used to be to land a job. There is a TON of competition for very the few decent paying jobs out there. That, and I'd rather have ten root canals than to go on an interview. Ugh. I should be good at selling myself by now, but it still is as painfully awkward as a first date. I mean, how do you answer "what's your biggest weakness" without giving them something to misconstrue? I am always tempted to answer with "chocolate", but you never can tell if someone actually has a sense of humor or not.

So wish me luck! And if anyone has any interview tips, I'd be ever so grateful.

OK, I think I've dragged you through my discombobulated thoughts for long enough. Thanks for keeping me company this morning.

Are you tired of flooring yet??

2008-12-01T06:54:00.003-09:00

This was the scene in my living room Tuesday morning. Nevermind the fact that I am hosting Thanksgiving in just two short days. But...he did it! Paul got the entire floor down in just two days. And it's a big room with funky angles.

Here's a peek at the end result (and Sage's cutie boyfriend!). We still need to do the trim all the way around, but we're just going to wait and do all three rooms at once.

I LOVE IT!! I walk around grinning just thinking about how wonderful it is to be rid of the carpet, to warm the room up and give it a little shine. LOVE it!

Paul is now an expert laminate installer! I'm so lucky to have him. :) Lots to be thankful for this year.

Thrifted Sparklies

2008-11-30T07:51:00.005-09:00

When's the last time you built a snowman? For me, it's been too many years! Sam and I built a snowbear (see his cute little ears?) yesterday and talk about bringing back memories. Rolling out the snowballs on your knees around the yard, pushing in the carrot nose. If you want to feel like a kid again, I guarantee this works!

Normally I'm home washing Thanksgiving dishes Black Friday morning, but I got brave this year and decided to try a little shopping. I picked up the pine garland, gold wood garland, silver goblet, white and gold glass balls at Treasure Loft in Wasilla....all for under $5. Score! I'm still adding goodies to the garland to spruce it up (no pun intended!) as I unpack my 5,600, 232 Rubbermaid totes from the attic. Good grief. I think they multiply up there over the summer. I stayed away from the big stores after I saw how packed the parking lots were.

The living room floor is finished and it looks amazing!! I'll share some pictures once the Christmas decorating is finished. Right now the room is littered with totes, bows and partially finished garlands. Yikes.

I'm coming up on my 300th post...I'm thinking a giveaway is in order!

Moving Right Along

2008-11-25T07:12:00.003-09:00

After I took down the Halloween stuff, I was left with a blank slate on top of this dresser. I just love this little spot in the living room. The possibilities are endless! I had the photos printed out at Target after uploading them to Photobucket, to see how I'd like the service (we just got a Target!) and I'm pleased with how they turned out. Mostly I was happy I didn't get to the store only to find out the one-hour service takes more like 4-5 hours (Wal Mart).

I picked some of my favorite pics from this summer, washed out most of the color (desat 80%) and came up with an almost-black and white look, with a hint of color.

This week we're putting the new Hickory flooring (fingers crossed we're finished before we host Thanksgiving!) and hanging new curtains in the living room. I designed a funky, industrial rod that I'm not sure will work, so I won't post it just yet. Stay tuned!

Anyone else putting Christmas decorations up early this year? I started last week, I am so into the spirit! This year, I'm keeping it simple, simple, simple. Lots of white satin ribbon and natural elements. Today I plan on hitting the thrift stores to see whose old stuff I can reconstruct. :)

I Miss Summer!

2008-11-15T06:39:00.001-09:00

Compassion and Passion

2008-11-13T07:20:00.008-09:00

So I figured something out about myself yesterday. I LOVE to take pictures of animals. Maybe because they don't fuss at me when I want "just one more" shot. They don't give me that cheesey grin (most of the time). And they're always camera ready...no outfit changes necessary.

Yesterday while Maggie had her riding lesson, I used the time to take some pictures of her instructor's menagerie of animals. She has five cats, four dogs and two horses. I think there are some rabbits around, too. Of course, who am I to talk?

Anyway, I have a passion for animals, that's apparent.

As for Compassion? With the holidays coming up, I've been thinking a lot about giving, especially to those who aren't as blessed as we are. So the kids and I started tossing around ideas of ways to help out, to share our blessings. We talked about checking with the local churches to see if they had ways to volunteer, or maybe to sponsor a soldier oversees through the holidays. Then one day I was reading Pioneer Woman's blog and she posted about how her kids each sponsor a child through Compassion, and they were actually going to the Dominican Republic to visit two of them. We checked out the website and decided that they'd each choose a child to sponsor.

I let them do their own searches, decide what part of the world they wanted to help, and choose whomever spoke to their heart. Sam selected a boy named Steven from Honduras, who's eight. It turns out, Stevan's birthday is also in September, like Sam's.

Maggie knew she wanted to look for a girl in Peru (llamas, of course) and found Caroline, who's 11, and has a birthday in January, just two weeks after Maggie's.

Sage wanted to sponsor a girl in Asia, so she chose Kedsarin, who is 12 and lives in a center because her parents can't afford to send her to school. Hopefully our sponsorship will help the process of getting her back home. And would you believe Kesdarin's birthday is just a week before Sage's?

I can't help but think that must be God's hand at work. Out of thousands of children that they could have sponsored, they all ended up sharing birth months.

They've already written their first letters to their sponsored kids online. I know it will be a great experience for them to give from their hearts. To help offset the monthly sponsorship cost, I've decided to give up my coffee cart habit.

Confession time...I have a BAD addiction to coffee stands. It's almost a compulsion. Whenever I leave the house, no matter where I'm going, I drive through a coffee stand for a mocha or go to the gas station for a big coffee. Then sometimes on the way home, I'll grab another cup to sip while I read emails. When I add up what I'm spending on this habit, I can easily sponsor three kids a month. Yikes. So it's been a week, and you know what? I don't even miss it! I just bring a cup of coffee from home when I hit the road so I don't need to stop anywhere. And it may sound corny, but if I get a mocha craving, I just think about the faces of Steven, Caroline and Kedsarin and it's easy to say NO to the mocha!

Snow Dogs

2008-11-12T13:28:00.002-09:00

Ah, sisterly love. Isn't it sweet? They truly aren't trying to kill each other, they're just comparing dental work.

They're pretty evenly matched for speed, but Lizzy is definitely more manueverable. That's the Border Collie in her.

Now, Lizzy, don't be a poor sport!

Winnie says "That's OK, I'm Dad's favorite."

"Hmph, think I'll go eat some snow."

Changes!

2008-11-09T08:34:00.003-09:00

My dining, kitchen and hall floor is finished! I'm not going to say it was easy, but it went surprisingly smooth. Of course, Paul did do most of the work. :) He did all the cutting and figured out the many, MANY tricky angles. You see, our house has a sort of prow which means there isn't a square corner to be found. And, to make it more interesting, the kitchen is triangle shaped, because the bank of cabinets that houses the oven/stove is set on an angle. Anyway, we got it done and I LOVE it! The flooring is Shaw Versalock that we found on clearance for $1.99 sq. ft., originally $4.99 sq. ft. It feels so good under my feet!

Next up, the living room and the wood laminate!

Out with the old!

2008-10-20T06:44:00.003-08:00

Sam and I got started yesterday tearing out the old flooring in the kitchen, dining room and hallway, and I can already envision the laminate making the rooms look so fresh and new!

The blue (yes, I said BLUE) wood laminte in the kitchen is GONE! Yippee!

And the equally offensive blue carpet in the dining room and hallway is GONE!

This shot is looking into the dining room from the living room, where there used to be a wroght iron railing. I'd love to replace it with a wood railing...maybe a rustic birch? Hear that, honey? :) Put on your thinking cap!

Sam was a HUGE help, gathering up the tools we needed then schooling me in the ways of the pry bar. :)

Then last night after dinner we had a staple-pulling party. Fun times, I tell ya! I'm no flooring expert, but do you really need a bazillion staples to hold down the carpet pad? Sheesh. And don't even get me started on tack strip.

More pics to come!

Say Hello to Winchester "Winnie" Pearl

2008-10-17T07:34:00.002-08:00

Hi, Ya'll! My name is Winchester Pearl, but ya'll can call me Winnie. ;) A fine family adopted me this week from the ASPCA in Palmer, and I just loooooove my new home.

I've got a new little sister to play with, lots of humans to walk me and throw the ball (they learnd that trick real quick) and all the yummy treats I want...all I have to do is sit.

If ya'll know of any humans wanting a new pup like me, I know some real cute ones are waiting at the shelter for a new family to love. My human wanted to bring them all home, but her alpha male mate only gave her the OK for one. Boy, did I feel lucky she chose me!
I'm sure ya'll will be seein' lots more of me on this here blog, but for now I've gotta skidaddle. I'm fixin' to go outside and have a sniff around. I smell somethin' mighty peeeculiar in the backyard. Smells kinda like a sheep, only taller. Gotta investigate. Bye, Ya'll!

Oooooooooooooh.......

2008-10-13T07:08:00.002-08:00

I've been having fun with Halloween decorating this year. Quite a few of what you see I found at thrift stores for next to nothing. The tree and skulls are from JoAnns, the mask was thrifted for 25cents. Stick it under a cloche and cover with cheesecloth and it looks pretty spooky, huh?

The wax hand is a candle that drips red wax "blood" (thrifted for $2! new in the box). Every year I get one new Halloween lantern, but they're getting harder to find. Keep your eyes peeled and leave me a comment if you see one!

More Halloween pics to come...

Lizzy in the Hizzy, Yo!

2008-10-12T06:14:00.004-08:00

First off, Happy 45th Birthday to Paul! I love you, honey!

(I was laughing so hard taking this picture, that it's a little out of focus...)

Betcha didn't know my dawg could break dance. Check it. heehee OK, I'll stop. Seriously, whenever Lizzy sees a shadow move, she goes into hip-hop mode and does this crazy dance routine.

First she eyes up the shadow to get a feel for the rhythm.

Then she plants her head firmly on the floor.

Then she scratches furiously while spinning in a circle. Really, you'd need video to get the full effect, but she's afraid of the camera. Maybe I'll try to catch her with my phone.

It's entertaining, for sure, but it's gonna come to a screeching halt very soon. And this is why:

We're replacing all the carpet with laminate!!

I'm BEYOND excited to get this done. I hate, no, that's not a strong enough word, DETEST carpet. It never feels clean. It hold smells. I just can't stand it! So we got aged hickory for the living room and craft room and a gorgeous tile laminate that looks like limestone for the dining room and kitchen. My installer (Paul) isn't available for a couple of weeks. He's in pretty high demand at his "day job". ;) So next time he's home we're going to rip out this stinky old carpet in put in the nice shiny new laminate!

The llamas are doing great. Yentna has found her place in the herd as the #2 girl. Kiska is happy to be at the bottom of the list. She's such a sweetheart. There was some back and forth between Tyea and Yetti for awhile, but they've got it figured out now. Age and wisdom won out over sass and youth. ;)

I'll wrap up this recap with some very sad news. We had to put Ginger down this week. She was 11 (or so) and had a wonderful life with us for the past 9 years. She was by far the best dog I've ever had. Always a great friend. We miss you, Ginger.
So that's been my life over the past month or so. Kids are doing great in school. Sage was a cheerleader, and captain of her squad, for about 5 minutes before she decided it really wasn't for her.

Maggie's taking English riding lessons once a week. She looks like she was born to sit on a horse.

Sam switched schools, so he's no longer in the charter school. His reading and spelling are coming along. He's much more willing to pick up a book and read for fun. Now if we can just get him to pick up a pencil for fun. :)

Me, I'm doing the mom thing. Lots of picking up and dropping off and keeping schedules straight. It makes me happy. :)

Go enter!

2008-08-30T08:10:00.002-08:00

Dena, over at Sugar Shop blog, is giving away a $75 fabric store gift card! Yippee! So go enter, but don't win. ;) I want that gift card!

Whittling Away

2008-08-28T13:24:00.003-08:00

This poor, lonely, neglected bag has been sitting on my sewing table in pieces since this Spring, waiting patiently for me to finish it. Finally got around to it today, in an effort to whittle away at my to-do list.

Can you tell I'm happy the kids are back in school? Mine aren't little anymore and are perfectly capable of keeping themselves busy during the summer, but I just couldn't seem to get motivated to sit down and sew, and I used them being home as my excuse. So it's time to kick it back into gear and start crankin' out the projects! No more excuses. :)

Here's a peek at the lining, a pretty buttery yellow with tiny flower print.

And the other side of the bag. I am digging the funky floral print! It has a Velcro closure and measures about 17" wide at the bottom. I got a steal on the fabric, so I'm selling this one for only $35. Email me if you're interested in purchasing.

So, how are you occupying your time now that school's back in session?

Creative Procrastination

2008-08-27T14:58:00.004-08:00

I have 9,457 projects I should be working on, give or take 9 or 10, so naturally what did I get accomplished this afternoon? Something that was definitely not on my to-do list...a new tote bag. Why not, right? I mean, it's the furthest thing from what I should be doing, so it only makes sense that's the one thing I'd get done today.

The concept for this bag has been rattling around in my head for awhile now, and it came out even better than I'd hoped! I just love it. It's the right balance of vintage and modern, texture and pattern, to suit my need for a little bit 'o funky.

It's big, and I'd planned on using it for a library bag, but I like it too much to leave it sitting in my closet till library day. I'm going to use it for a purse!

So...what do you do when you're procrastinating?

This is where they get the Swiss Mushrooms for the Swiss Mushroom burgers.

2008-08-24T07:59:00.003-08:00

I know, I know, enough with the mushrooms already. But I couldn't resist this cool specimen I found in the flowerbed while I was waiting for the girls to get off the bus this week.

The girls are both going to *gasp* middle school this year. Sage is in 8th and Maggie's in 6th. It's been a pretty smooth transition so far. I'm excited to meet all their teachers and see just how this whole middle school thing works.

Sam's still at the Charter School, in 3rd grade this year. If I learned anything about dyslexia and learning disabilities thus far, it'd be PUT YOUR KID IN SUMMER SCHOOL. I was floored by just how much he lost over the summer, when we compared his test results this week with the ones from the end of last year. Live and learn, I guess. I'm sure he'll be back up to speed soon.

Anyway, I snapped this pic of the girls coming home one day this week. Look how excited Ginger is to see them. :)

Resourceful

2008-08-23T07:31:00.004-08:00

Yesterday Sam went to the Alaska State Fair with his class, and he came home with a Hobo Jim autograph. Most kids his age would probably have stuffed it in the bottom of their backpack, where it would be forgotten and eventually thrown out with all the other wadded up papers.

But Sam, being of the entrepreneurial spirit, carefully brought it home, framed it, photographed it, and promptly listed it for sale on eBay. Not bad for an 8 year old, huh?

It was a learning experience for both of us, since I've never sold anything on eBay before. He made the entire listing, start to finish, on his own, with me sitting next to him, coaching him on spelling. You'll have to forgive the lack of capitalization, since it took all he had just to get through that much typing. lol

He's hoping for $100, and I didn't have the heart to discourage him. Hey, it could happen, right? :) It was worth a million bucks just to see him follow through with his idea! Good luck, Sam!

Thrifted Side Table

2008-08-17T10:02:00.002-08:00

I picked up this little side table for $5 at Bishop's Attic in Palmer, not really knowing where I'd put it, but I couldn't pass it up. I love the shape and the legs.

I found the perfect spot for it, right next to the dining room table. Remember the thrifted bowl and rooster plate? Oh, and the bowl on the bottom, too. The ball jar came home with me from Iowa. Have I mentioned how much I love a good junk store? ;)

All that's missing are the gnomes.

2008-08-13T08:45:00.002-08:00

With all the wet weather, the mushrooms are taking over my yard. I can't get over how many different kinds grow just in my side yard alone.

This one looks like mushroom condominiums.

I love this blue ornamental grass.

Ordinary leaf lettuce, but what a pretty shade of green.

I'm not sure what this is called, but it's in my perennial bed. The tiny yellow flowers are ready to pop at any minute.

The combination of colors on this one is just stunning. I just wish the flowers lasted longer.

A pretty white mushroom...

Can you see the tiny fairy who lives under this one?

Yummy color!

These remind me of creme brulee.

Looks like a pin cushion.

This concludes the fungii tour. I hope you enjoyed it!

This makes me happy!

2008-08-12T09:00:00.002-08:00

Yikes. These pictures don't do these justice. I found some very cool linens at Earthly Treasures yesterday. Just look at this tablecloth...the colors and print are gorgeous. And the roll of wallpaper is destined for some fun projects. (Click on the pic to see the pattern close-up)

I think I'll make some comfy pj pants out of this sheet. Have you ever noticed the difference in quality between old, vintage sheets and the newer ones you buy now? There isn't a single pill on this sheet. They just don't make them like they used to.

I love the colors on this tablecloth. I can see it as a fun summer bag.

And I scored three of these pillow covers with the great wood buttons for just $1 each.

The file box is going to sit on my desk and hold all my works-in-progress, after a good scrubbing. I love the color!

Have you thrifted any happiness lately?

Yummy Summer Treat

2008-08-11T07:55:00.003-08:00

So Maggie and I had a craving for a sweet treat yesterday, and this is what came of it. We whipped up a lemon meringue pie. It was delish! Notice I said was. That sucker didn't last to the end of the day. I cheated a little and used canned pie filling...but the meringue is from scratch, I promise! Maggie did that part...not bad, huh?

I had some leftover pie filling from the second can, so I improvised and made a second dessert with a graham cracker/Ritz crust and toasted coconut topping. To make the crust:

2-3 crushed graham crackers

4-6 crushed Ritz crackers

1 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. melted butter

Combine in the bottom of a glass pie or tart pan, press firmly with bottom of glass.

Smear on the lemon pie filling, and top with toasted coconut. Voila! A totally made-up dessert! lol

PS: That one's totally gone, too. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone!

Cowgirl Up!

2008-08-09T06:10:00.002-08:00

This summer, the kids each had the chance to go to horse camp for a week in Sterling, at Solid Rock Bible Camp. I wish I had camp like this when I was a kid! They stayed in covered wagons, went on trail rides, got some great horsemanship instruction, and competed in a big rodeo at the end of the week.

The week that Maggie went, I decided to drive down to pick her up instead of having her ride the bus back to Anchorage, since it was one of the rare sunny days this summer. I'm so glad I did, or I'd never have understood just how cool the camp is.

Each camper chooses two events to participate in for the rodeo. Maggie's were Poles and Barrels. For poles, you have to turn a tight figure-8, then cross the finish line, all on a stopwatch. I was so impressed with her riding skills, considering she's done very little riding at all.

The barrels was a little more challenging for her, since she was put on a horse that did NOT want to be there. She tried as hard as she could, but Maggie just couldn't get that old nag to trot...until she turned the last barrel, that is. Then she kicked it into gear when she saw the finish line ahead. Judging by the look on Maggie's face, she was none too pleased with this horse's performance. ;)

What an awesome experience for the kids to have. Now more than ever, though, Maggie desperately wants a horse of her own. What is it about 11 year old girls and horses?

Little Su

2008-08-07T09:26:00.002-08:00

Yesterday was so gorgeous out that we jumped into the van and headed up the highway. Our first stop was Millers Market for ice cream cones, then we headed to the Little Su to play by the river. This is the best I could do for a family shot...I'm the one with the big hair. haha!

This shot was Maggie's idea. I almost didn't get her in the frame, she jumped so high. I love the light under the bridge.

There was a lot of rock skipping going on.

Don't drop your ice cream, Sage!

And naturally, Sam stripped down to his skivvies so he could splash in the river. He found a cool salmon lure to bring home.

Bananas Baker

2008-08-06T09:01:00.002-08:00

We took a little stay-cation in our backyard last night, and Paul treated us to his very own recipe of Bananas Baker. Oh, Grilled Banana, where have you been all my life? Ooey, gooey deliciousness on a stick.

Cut a banana into about 2" pieces, dunk them in brandy (we used Peach), roll them in brown sugar and stab with a skewer.

Roast slowly over hot coals (stay away from the flames!) until sugar caramelizes.

Come to Mama!

So yummy!!

The fire was so relaxing. What a fun way to spend an evening with kiddos. :)

Coolest Mom on the Block

2008-07-31T05:38:00.003-08:00

For today, at least. ;) Take $2.50 worth of PVC pipe and fittings and a $1.50 bag of mini-marshmallows and it adds up to hours of manic outdoor fun!

While I was surfing yesterday, I ended up on You Tube watching Marshmallow Gun videos and decided that was just what we needed to beat the crappy weather blues. These were super easy.

You need:

36" of 1/2" PVC (Lowes sells 5' sections)
2 slip-on "T" fittings
2 slip-on elbow fittings
2 slip-on caps

Cut the pipe into these lengths, using a handsaw:

1-8"
2-6"
4-4"

Fit them together so it looks like the picture below. Be sure to cut one of the 4" sections from the finished end of the pipe, so you'll have a nice, smooth piece for the mouthpiece. You can sand off any rough edges using sandpaper or a file.

Now it's ready for plastic spray paint, tape, stickers, markers...whatever you want to use to doll it up.

Gently push one or two mini marshmallows into the mouthpiece and BLOW HARD! You'll be surprised just how far these little guys fly! The dogs were having a blast chasing down the flying treats.

Don't glue the joints together, so you can take it apart to free up any jams.

If the barrel gets gummed up, just drop a little cornstarch into it, reassemble, and blow it out.

The kids and I each made one and seriously played outside forever with them last night. I'm sure the neighbors think we're nuts.

I did a little thrifting yesterday and scored this cabinet and sink for the girls' bathroom! So excited to pick this up, NEW, for $45! It needs a little cleanup, but other than that, it's in perfect condition. I'll be so happy to get rid of their FUGLY brown 80's sink.

In kitty news, all the kittens have been adopted! Ruger went to live with a friend of Paul's, and Daisy and Smith went together to live with a family of eight. I was SO happy they stayed together. Sage took these pics of them the day we delivered them to their new family.

I'll miss the little fuzzballs!

Betcha didn't think...

2008-07-28T16:18:00.002-08:00

I was scrappin' anymore, huh? ;) A few weeks ago, I got together with Heather to do a few pages, and here's what I accomplished: (click on the pics to see closer up)

Boo and Tilly are my sister Carol's dogs (from my Iowa trip in March). Love this paper!

Another from Iowa...Carol and Bruce run several hog farms. Cute, huh?

And my sister Sandra, in southern Iowa, farms cattle. Since it was spring, babies were being born all over the place!

It was fun to get together...let's not wait so long next time, Heather!

Friday Fling

2008-07-27T06:54:00.003-08:00

Maggie and I spent Friday afternoon in Palmer checking out Friday Fling, walking around the Museum Garden and driving the countryside looking for horses to photograph (Maggie's idea, not mine). It was such a nice day that I didn't mind a bit. I handed over the camera to Mag for the day, and once again she proved to me that she's a far better photographer than me. These are straight out of the camera, no cropping or other edits. And they're by no means technically perfect, but check out her composition.

She knows how to frame a shot...
and capture the focal point.

If her mom knew how to do photo editing and adjust colors and such, they would be stunning.

She leaves for horse camp today...I can't wait to see the pictures she comes home with!

Done any dumpster diving lately?

2008-07-25T08:46:00.003-08:00

Why yes, as a matter of fact, I have. As I was leaving Bishop's Attic in Palmer yesterday (with a cart load of treasures!) I saw this cool old coat rack thingy leaning against the back of the building. At first I decided to just pass it by, since I spent my junk budget for the week already, but something told me to go back and ask about it. I knocked on the back door and asked the people sorting donations how much it was, and they said "take it, it's yours!"! Score! The old, pitted mirror is duct taped to the back and there's a serious crack in the top that'll need wood glue and some time in clamps, but I love the whole "feel" of it. It reminds me of something you'd see in a farmhouse. Stay tuned for the transformation pics!
I won't bore everyone with the mundane details of just how $hitty our summer has been, or how cold it's been, or just how much the deluge of rain has taken its toll on my poor gardens. Wait, I think I just did. Apologies. But it's all anyone can talk about lately here in Alaska. That and the insane price for a gallon of gas.
A few of my perennials have managed a meager couple of blooms, despite the conditions. My poor blue poppies. If a flower could frown, this is what it would look like.
I was very surprised to see a bloom on my Gardenia. After reading how they are pretty darn "fussy", I resigned myself to just appreciate it for it's gorgeous, glossy foliage. And it blessed me with a single, super-fragrant blossom!
And after 3 years in this spot, my Goat's Beard finally decided to show me it's namesake. Love that spikey, feathery thingy. Sorry these pictures are so dark, but we haven't seen the sun in ages.

Hang in there, Alaska! I think I see the sun peeking out!

4th Recap and Kitten Update

2008-07-13T09:38:00.002-08:00

Yep, I'm still around. Summer is flying by, as usual, and we're doing our best to soak up every second of sunshine (they're few and far between this year). We spent the 4th at my friend Cath's house on the lake, kayaking, eating and just having fun in general.

I asked Maggie to get a picture of me in the kayak, because Paul would never believe I actually did it (I'm SO not a water person) and Cath's husband Paul totally soaked me with the jet ski about 2 seconds after this was snapped. He is the ultimate prankster. ;)
I just love this shot of the flag against the night sky (it was taken at about 11pm and there's still sunshine!). The day was a blast. I love her house in the summertime. And in the winter, we skate and snowmachine out there.

Kittens are 6 weeks old now and ready for adoption. This one's Ruger, and he's spoken for. So handsome! His eyes are turning a beautiful jade green.
And this silly girl is Daisy Red Ryder. She's the only one who still needs a family. She has the sweetest, most gentle personality, and is a real snuggler. (If anyone is interested, please email me!)

Besides playing at the lake, I've been working on my perennial beds, walking the llamas and chasing Lizzy around, trying to keep up with her. And I've been on a mission to get in shape! I'm walking everyday, sometimes doing interval training (walk, run intervals) about 4 miles. And yesterday Sage and I biked 21 miles. My hiney is hurting! And I found that I love to kayak, so I'm doing that for upper body training. First thing in the morning, when the lake is quiet, it's better than therapy to paddle across and back, with nothing but my thoughts.

The stinkin' scale has barely budged, but I feel amazing and that's a pretty big payoff.

OK, I'll try to be a better blogger and not go so long between posts. Have a great weekend!

Up and Running...

2008-06-19T03:13:00.000-08:00

The kittens turn 3 weeks old today, and they're already walking around, getting teeth and taking tiny bites of soft kitten food. I am on record as NOT being a cat person, but these things are soooo irresistable!
See Ruger's tiny choppers on the bottom?
Here's another one of Ruger. I didn't get any of Daisy Red Ryder this time around. He was nursing when I took these, and since he's the runt, I try not to interrupt his feeding time.

I'm amazed how fast they put on weight, and how wonderful a mother Hazel is to them. She still freaks out a little when anybody holds them, and will come running to carry them back to her nest box if she's hears them crying. Can you tell I've never had furry babies in the house before? What a cool journey to experience!

Nancy Lake

2008-06-13T06:40:00.000-08:00

Just a few highlights from our weekend at Nancy Lake. We rented a cabin, and brought our canoe. The kids fished non-stop for two days. Lizzy was Lizzy. Silly dog.

Sage and Sam each caught a Pike, and they actually taste pretty good.

Where's our sunshine, Alaska? I'm ready for it!

Thursday Randomocity

2008-06-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

Sage is looking very thirteen these days. Slow down, girly! You're making me look old. She got a fresh new 'do for summer yesterday. Something about this picture...I can finally see myself in her. And I can see my mom.

Summer skies...there's nothing better! (click on the pictures to see them full size) I took this on my nightly walk with the dogs yesterday evening.
Meet Smith Kitty. She's the noisiest of the kittens (I should mention that tiny little Wesson didn't survive. After being unable to nurse enough to sustain herself, she passed away two days ago.) Ruger and Red Ryder are definitely boys. I adore Smith's "beauty mark" next to her nose. Sweet! Oh my goodness, these little furballs are so much fun to watch.

Two of my favorite summer plants: Devil's Club...

and fern. We are crowded with these on the trail behind our house. Paul wanted to know why I'd take a picture of Devil's Club. Most people hate the stuff. I say you have to respect anything that wears a coat of thorns!

Told ya this was a random post. I wanted to add a few more pics, but stinkin' Blogger isn't letting me. I guess you're off the hook...for now.

I planted a new bed of perennials this week that I'm super excited about! Two gorgeous Peonies, some ornamental grasses, some spurge, rock cress, spirea and a couple of annuals to fill in with until the new ones mature. I added a couple of herbs (dill and tarragon) for height in the back. I've never had good luck with them for some reason, though, so not holding out too much hope.

Almost everything I started from seed this year looks like crap, including the veggies, so I had to finally give up on them and go buy some decent plants at the nursery. Bummer. I went ahead and planted the tiny veggie seedlings in the raised bed, but I'm not expecting much from them. So much for fresh salads this summer. :(

I'll share some pics of the new perennial bed in the next post. Does anyone know if Peonies need special care? Someone in line at the nursery mentioned they needed ants to pollenate the blooms. Is that true?

Busted.

2008-06-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

"Hmmm? What's that, Mom? Hole? What hole? In your flowerbed? I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oh, that hole. It's pretty impressive, isn't it? I mean....Ooops. I'm busted, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'll never, ever, ever dig in your flowerbeds again. Pinky promise."

"Psssst. Hey, you. Is she gone?"

"I wonder if they have Milkbones in China....."

The Circle of Life

2008-06-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning as I was putting on my boots to go feed the llamas, I saw sweet Salcha lying on her side, obviously in distress. She'd been having trouble with digesting hay recently, and had given us a few scares, but this time was different. I could see right away she was losing the fight to live. For the second time in just a few months, I had to make the heartwrenching decision to end the suffering of one of my precious animals. I hate this part of owning pets. There just isn't anything good about it. Part of me wonders if God sent Hazel kitty to us with her sweet, tiny babies to help ease some of the sadness that was coming. Each of the kids dealt with losing Salcha by cuddling the new kittens for awhile.

Salcha was a good llama. She was small, and had a lame back leg, so she didn't pack or go on many walks. But she had a wonderful disposition, the most beautiful dark chocolate eyes, and eyelashes to die for. I knew she'd always be the first one up in the morning, and took the longest to eat. Long after the other girls were full, she'd still be nibbling on her hay. I'll miss her.

When it rains, it purrs, I mean, pours.

2008-05-31T05:54:00.001-08:00

Have you ever seen a cartoon where someone goes to turn on the faucet, and the handle shoots strait up in the air under a gusher of spraying water? And the poor, unsuspecting person tries their best to stop it, but it only makes the water shoot out in all directions, causing massive flooding and lots of wet clothes? Well, that was the scene in my kitchen last night. After a long day of shoveling dirt and birthing kittens (we'll get to that part in a bit), I'd chased all the kids off to bed and was about to make a nice cup of tea and sit down to rest, when it happened. It was like Old Faithful spouting off. A real guyser. And just my luck, it was the HOT water. I yelled for Sam to come and help, not really knowing what I was going to do, I just knew I couldn't do it alone. So I jammed the faucet handle back down into the spraying water and told Sam to reach under the sink and shut off the water. Well, he couldn't get the knob to turn, and all the while very hot water was dripping down on his head, poor kid. So we quick switched spots and he held the faucet handle down with a kitchen towel and I got the shut off knob turned. Lordy, it was a mess. The entire counter top was flooded, and luckily sometime in the whole fiasco I had the wherewithall to unplug the toaster. Yikes.

And of course, Paul's out of town. So no kitchen sink for the next few days. No big deal, right? Well, it dawned on me this morning that it also means no dishwasher.

Whaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

OK, I'm better.

On to the other exciting story. Hazel is a mama! Morning before last, she was outside at the door begging to come inside. This isn't normal for her. She sleeps in a basket on the porch, and is content with her freedom to roam. And I'm content with not having to change a litter box. So I reluctantly let her in, telling myself it was just for awhile. After she inspected the house from top to bottom, she decided that my bra drawer looked like the perfect place for a nap. Did you know cats can open dresser drawers all by themselves? So she snuggled up and went right to sleep. But it wasn't a peaceful sleep. It was a restless, eyerolling, leg stretching, heavy breathing sleep. It was labor. After about four hours, she hopped down from the drawer and went outside. I thought it must have been a false alarm. So as she did everyday, she disappeared to wherever it is cats go when they wander outside, and didn't come home that night. We were all a little worried, so we searched our yard, the neighbors' yards and up and down the road, but couldn't find her. We went to bed that night thinking she was probably just hiding under the house, chasing mice.

When I got up yesterday morning, and she wasn't on the porch, I started calling for her again. After walking all around our house, I came in through the back door to see Lizzy standing on full alert, facing the closet where Paul keeps his guns. Then I heard the purring. I grabbed Lizzy, threw her in her kennel and yelled for Sage to wake up.

Now, this is how much of a wimp I am. I couldn't bring myself to look in the closet, for fear there might be babies that didn't make it. I asked Sage to look. So I stood behind her while she kneeled down and counted four brand new, healthy kittens, nursing furiously while Hazel purred contently. After we both freaked out for a minute, we started moving some of the guns out of the closet so that we could get a good look. It looked like Hazel had everything under control, no mess, no kittens that didn't make it. So we got a sheet under them, brought her some food and water and set up a litter box. She's been there ever since, tending to her babies.

It's hard not to keep going in there to stare at them, and she's been very gracious about all the attention, but we're trying to keep it as quiet as possible for her and the kittens. So I'll have lots more pictures to share in the next few weeks, while we host the babies until we can find homes for them.

Their names are Smith, Wesson, Ruger and Daisy Red Ryder.

Take a Hike!

2008-05-29T05:34:00.002-08:00

If you're looking for an easy, beautiful hike to do with kids, dogs, strollers or all of the above, I recommend Thunderbird Falls, near Eklutna Lake. It's about 20 minutes to the top, if you count stopping a couple time to do pooper duty. At the end of the trail, there's a nice viewing platform with benches, perfect for having lunch. We always take the side trail on the way down that goes to the stream coming off the falls (not sure of the name?), and splash in the water a little. Brrrr! It's cold!

On a sunny day, it's a busy trail, so I don't worry about bears. They don't like tourists all that much. ;)
The dogs were good little hikers...
(You HAVE to click on this picture!)

until we headed back down the trail. When Lizzy stopped and laid down, I knew she was too pooped to go on. So Sage loaded her into her backpack, and Lizzy was totally content to be carried to the bottom.

It was a great day!

"I'm Pregnant"...

2008-05-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

said Hazel Kitty to her unsuspecting owner. Yikes.

I'm fairly certain pretty girl is in the family way, knocked up, preggers. Boy, did I get more than I bargained for when I brought her home. It was Maggie who first speculated about kitty's delicate condition. She noticed her sides were quickly becoming more pronounced, and her teats were swelling and changing in color. Yesterday when I held her and rubbed her belly, I actually felt a couple tiny rolling movements, not too unlike what I felt outside my own pregnant tummy.

I've never owned a cat before, or any other pregnant animal, for that matter (besides the birds). Help! Does she need special food? How can I be sure she's pregnant, and not just getting chunky? And most importantly, anybody want a kitty?? Or two?

I dig dirt!

2008-05-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

Do all Border Collies love to dig like Lizzy does? She spent most of her time at the park Tuesday digging furiously (see the dirt and grass stuck to her muzzle?). I know I shouldn't encourage that habit, but it's so darn cute to watch. Maybe we'll train her to be a rescue dog, and she can dig in the snow to her heart's content.

And I know at this point you're probably all thinking to yourselves "does she blog about anything but puppies anymore?"

Shall we talk about aprons?
I'm taking custom orders for the wrap-style aprons now, as well as the ruffled hostess and full aprons. Maybelle has a extra-wide tie that can be worn in back or wrapped to the front. Super cute and very flattering. This style is only available in a half-apron, or hostess apron style.

A Day of Surprises

2008-05-21T05:09:00.002-08:00

Ever have one of those days when you are going in a million different directions, can't even remember what day it is, let alone where you're going next? That was me yesterday. Sprinkle in a few very unexpected bits of news, and it made for an interesting day, to say the least.

On the happier side of things, I got an email from Rebecca Sower telling me I'd won a giveaway at her blog. So fun! And she even commented on how cute my aprons are. *blush* That woman is a classy lady all the way around. And she does vintage like nobody's business! So I'm totally excited to get that little ditty in the mail.

And speaking of mail, surprise #2 was opening my mail box to find my apron swap package from Jen at Lipstick and Laundry (cutest blog name ever!). She made a sweet little apron from a pillowcase! I just love that she repurposed something like that. She also sent a recipe and some fun blank recipe cards that she made, and a flexible cutting mat. Talk about fun mail! Thanks, Jen!!

Now I need to get on the J.O.B. and get my apron done and sent to my swap buddy. :)

On the not-so-happy side of surprises, I took Lizzy back to the vet to recheck her paw and tummy, where she had an infection. After antibiotics and ointment, the paw is only slightly better, and the tummy is worse. So now they're talking about doing a biopsy. I was crushed. I really need to think about how I want to handle it. I just can't see putting her through what might be endless courses of treatment, trying to figure out what's causing it. I'm going to sleep on it for a few days.

Throw in the fact that it was the last day of school and I somehow got roped into swimming at the girls' pool party....well, let's just say last night was a straight tequilla night. Only kidding. Sort of.

So today's a new day!

I promise I'll post pics of my sweet new apron soon. Just need to get my poop in a pile, so to speak, and regroup.

Breathe.

Hazelnut Latte

2008-05-19T21:06:00.003-08:00

I must be certifiable. Lock me up and throw away the key.

Last night I brought home this beautiful stray kitty I found. Actually, she found me. I was visiting a friend and she came strolling across the deck of my friend's house, begging to come inside. Luckily, my friend is a cat owner and offered Hazel a small dish of food, which she devoured. She was so hungry! We're asking around, trying to find her owners, and if no one claims her, we'll add her to our family. The dogs think she's pretty cool. She is sleeping in a basket on our deck, just like she's always lived here.

Maggie chose her name, and I think it fits her perfectly.

Am I crazy?

How's that for gratitude?

2008-05-19T05:19:00.001-08:00

I should have known by the look on her face. I mean, could she be any more underwhelmed with her new bed? The only thing keeping her there is the promise of a treat if she'll just sit still....Sit, Lizzy.....SIT, Lizzy....SIT LIZZY!! GOOD GIRL!! GOOD GIRL!!!!
And I think that's what did it. Something in her little brain equated "Good Girl!" with squat-and-pee. Maybe it's the potty training. All those little happy dances I do in the yard with her every time she's goes pee outside, accompanied by a chorus of "Good Girl, Lizzy"'s.
Whatever the reason, as soon as we got the shot of her sitting on her bed we all shouted "Good Girl, Lizzy!" and she promptly squatted and wizzed all over it. Nice. I don't see dog training in my future.

I think it's pretty clear what she thinks of the bed.

If you'd like to make a bed for your ungrateful little monster, I found the tutorial here. It's a fun little blog to visit. The whole project took less than an hour. I made a few modifications-I made it oval so I could use a down pillow for stuffing, instead of fiberfill. And for the bumpers on the sides, I cut a pillow in half lengthwise, making two long "tubes", and stuffed those in.

When I wasn't wasting my time sewing for the devil-in-a-puppy suit yesterday, I was outside planting rose bushes. This is my first stab at growing roses, and have really no idea what I'm doing, but I have a space to fill and wanted something that'd be substantial. I took out some raspberry bushes that we getting really scraggly and not producing very well, from along our deck.

I also put in a bed of four varieties of Iris, Paul's favorite flower. I hope they do well!

And now I sit here this morning with ice on my back, paying for all the digging I did yesterday. Holy man, I must be getting old.

Etsy Shop Update

2008-05-17T08:09:00.002-08:00

I've updated my Etsy shop to include custom apron orders. That way you can order 'em just the way you want 'em. Full aprons are $45 and half aprons are $35. Just let me know your color preference, style preference (funky, country, classic, sexy...anything goes!) and I'll put together the perfect apron for you.

As always, if there's a handbag style you'd like to see, just drop me an email for a custom order.

It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous weekend! I may take a chance and go ahead and plant my new rose bushes a couple weeks early. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that we don't have a late frost.

Next up: Dog Bed for Lizzy

Comes with AM/FM satellite radio

2008-05-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

I call this "The Sexy Farmwife" (the apron, not me!). This one's actually sold, but I loved how it turned out and wanted to share. It's going to a newlywed...here's to a long, happy marriage!
So when I got Lizzy, she had a pretty substantial boo-boo on her front paw that needed attention. After taking her to see the vet, they decided it was a bacterial infection and prescribed antibiotics and an Elizabethan collar, to keep her from licking it anymore. Well, that lasted all of two days. She tore the collar to shreds trying to keep herself entertained in her kennel.
Sewing skills to the rescue! I pulled out some leftover "pleather" from an old Halloween project and traced the torn-up collar for a pattern. It's a little Cruella D'ville-ish, but I love it!
Maggie asked if she picked up any radio signals with it.

Sewing Again!

2008-05-15T07:18:00.003-08:00

The sewing bug big me hard again, and I'm up at o'dark thirty with ideas swirling around my noggin, keeping me awake.

This swank little handbag is for sale...black and while polka dot lining, magnetic closure, and petite zippered pouch with velvet wrist strap. So sweet! (click the pic to view larger) Just send me an email if you'd like to make a purchase. (This is only for sale here on my Blog)

There's another in the works in a Summer-y brown, coral and yellow floral. Coming soon!

Random Tuesday Morning

2008-05-13T04:54:00.003-08:00

So I've had a few people email to ask if I'm still scrapbooking. Yup. I am. But it gets put on the back burner in spring to make time for my other passion, which is gardening. I'm telling you, raking is almost as good as sex to me....almost. There's something about working in the dirt that is wholly satisfying to me. It just puts me at peace with my world.

Not to mention the black hole in my time-space continuum, otherwise known as puppy training. It's no wonder I've felt like I'm just spinning my wheels lately. Every time I turn around I'm either taking Lizzy out or I'm on the floor playing ball with her. She's got this irresistable pull that I just can't seem to break away from. I mean, come on. Who could resist that sweet face?

(click on the picture for a full view of her wrath, I mean, smile)

I think Ginger sensed that I was growing weary of Lizzy's many bathroom breaks, and offered to take her off my hands this morning. Granted, it was 4:30 am, and it really was just a ploy to take her outside and play frisbee, but her heart was in the right place. Seriously, the two of them ran to the door and whined to go outside, and I thought "wow, she's really getting this training thing down!" And instead of walking Lizzy out on her leash, like I normally do, I just let Ginger keep an eye on her. They must have realized they were unsupervised, because instead of heading to the potty spot, they took off for the lawn, grabbed the frisbee, and proceeded to chase each other around like maniacs. Did I mention it was 4:30 am?

See what I mean? I started off talking about scrapbooking, and now I'm rambling on about the puppy.

The llamas are good. Yentna's training is coming along. Her instinct to follow on halter is amazing. She's really comfortable on trails, but is super skittish on roads around traffic. And when she decides she's scared, it's all I can do to keep hold of her lead rope. She's a BIG girl and very strong. When she hikes with one of the other llamas, though, she's completely at ease. We've had some issues with her trying to establish her place in the herd...a couple scuffles with the other girls. So far, I've been able to get between them and break up the fights. I've been told it's all normal behviour, and not to worry, that they'd get it straightened out eventually.

Which brings me to the topic of poop. Llama poop, to be specific. The compost I started last fall is turning into the richest, blackest soil I've ever seen! I'm so stoked to plant some flowers in it and see how they do. I'm thinking of bagging up the surplus poop to sell, if anyone's interested. Just drop me an email. It can be added right into the garden soil or flower beds, or steeped in water, like tea, to spray directly on plants. It works like a natural herbicide, pesticide and fertilizer, all in one. I've been spraying my seed starts with it and they're growing like crazy!

I joined an apron swap over at A Feathered Nest, and have about a million different designs I want to try. Can I fit them all into one apron? heehee The theme is summer. I have a couple of apron orders to do, so maybe I'll get back into the sewing groove here pretty soon. It's just so hard to be inside when the weather is nice. Maybe I can park my sewing machine in the back yard? ;)

PSA: Go check out Farmer Julie's blog. She's a potter and makes the sweetest little vases to sell on Etsy. I'm going to get one of the white ones, I just can't decide which one.

OK, how's that for random? Have a terrific week!

Mama's got a brand new bag ;P

2008-05-08T05:25:00.002-08:00

OK, so it's a little cliche. But I couldn't help myself! This is the Amy Butler Uptown Bag, part of the Madison Bags collection. I'll do a pattern review, for anyone thinking about trying it.

(Click on the picture for a larger view)
By the way, I got the fabric and pattern from Sylvia's Quilt Depot in Wasilla (across from WalMart)

First of all, I love that it takes so little fabric. 1/2 yd for the outside, 1/2 yard for the lining. And there is virtually none left over, so no waste.

The instructions are clear and concise, and written using layman's terms whenever possible. No big glossary of sewing terms to learn.

I would have liked a pocket on the inside (and being as impatient as I am, rather than modify it and put one in, I just hurried up and finished it.)

I'm not crazy about the Velcro closure, so next time I'll replace it with a magnetic clasp.

Love, love, love the shape of the bag, but it is a little tricky to sew the lining to the outside. Take your time and be as precise with the corners as you can.

It took me about 1.5 hrs to complete, including cutting everything out.

As far as the road test: I love it! Love the shape, it sits upright on its own, and it's easy to find what I need. The only drawback is it isn't quite deep enough to hold my datebook.

I ended up making a zippered wristlet to hold all my "necesseties" (tutorial here). The striped fabric is a rem I picked up at JoAnns that worked perfectly with the floral.

More Gratuitous Puppy Pics

2008-05-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Doesn't Ginger look more than a little guilty here? Or maybe not guilty enough? Either way, I busted her licking on a puppy-sicle yesterday morning, and she hasn't spoken to me since. These two are killing me with cuteness, I tell ya.
Lizzy couldn't ask for a better role model than Ginger. We'd talked about getting another dog after Ginger passed, since she's getting up there in age. But I'm so glad we didn't wait until then. Lizzy can learn a lot from her, and if she turns into half as good a dog as Ginger has been, then we'll be really lucky. :)

I made a super cute new purse that I'm going to share tomorrow, using the Amy Butler Uptown Handbag pattern. It's so sweet!

HELLLLLLLLLLLP MEEEEEEEEEE!

2008-05-06T15:04:00.001-08:00

Thrift Store Score!

2008-05-04T05:42:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late posting this, but I promise I have a good reason. I picked up this funky vintage train case for $2. Score!
I threw all my ribbon odds and ends into it. I love being able to see what I have, and to dig for stuff. And it makes putting stuff away tons easier, too.
Here's that reason I mentioned. Her name is Lizzy, and she's a Border Collie/Beagle mix. I call this picture "What do you mean, you're staying?" ;)

Man, it's so much harder to photograph a black dog than a blonde one. She's going to be a challenge. She's about 9 weeks old, and has the sweetest disposition. And she only woke me up three times last night to go outside and make sure the grass smelled the same as it did the last time she walked around and sniffed it. Afterall, isn't that what every good puppy does at 2,3 and 4 am? Because they certainly aren't out there to go potty. No sir.

Science Geeks, Springtime and Me at 40 :)

2008-05-02T08:39:00.001-08:00

I'm so proud of my girls! They both love science so much, but especially Maggie. They entered projects in the science fair at their school last week, which means giving an oral presentation to a panel of judges. Maggie told me afterward she wasn't even nervous. This is HUGE for her. I'm SO proud. :) Her experiment was to compare two different homemade bubble recipes and find out which one produced longer lasting bubbles. Her hypothesis was the recipe that used more glycerin would make better bubbles, and she was right.

Sage's experiment compared two different brands of antibiotic ointment, and their germ-killing power. She used Neosporin, Equate brand and a "control" that had no ointment. Surprisingly, the control and the Equate looked like they had the same amount of germs, and the Neosporin had a lot fewer germs. So, spend the extra buck and buy the name brand!

Sage took the Grand Champion award in her age class for the school. Way to go, Sage!!
This week I cleaned up our shed and made a potting area for myself. I have always wanted one of those super-cool potting sheds like the "real" gardeners have. :) But this'll have to do. The whole thing started when I tried to fight my way through all the crap out there to find my potting soil from last year. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, I'd reorganized the whole mess and uncovered the old cabinets that we salvaged from my mom's house.
We're storing them there until we get our cabin built, where they'll be perfect in the kitchen. Until then, I'll be using them as a potting bench. After I took the picture, I scrounged around the garage and found the perfect sized scrap of plywood for a counter top.
The shelves are an upper cabinet turned so the doors are facing the back. It's perfect for my pots. Of course, since I took these pictures, I've used up all those pots planting some flower, herb and veggie seeds. 135 plants, to be exact. Fingers crossed they'll all sprout!

I thought I'd share a pic that Maggie took of me last month, around my 40th bday. I did it! I grew my hair out in time to turn 40. :) I sure wish I had photoshop so I could whiten my teeth and smooth out those forehead lines. lol Oh, well. Just keepin' it real.

I have some thrifty goodness to share tomorrow. :)

Bringing Yentna Home

2008-04-14T08:01:00.001-08:00

Just as I expected, there was a lot of head tossing...
Height checking (Salcha loses this one every time)....
Gender inspecting...
And lip pursing. But all in all, the girls are really warming up to our newest family member. Yentna is so curious and friendly, it's hard not to love her. The girls all got extra treats, to smooth the transition and any ruffled feathers.
Salcha says "Ppthhhhh. He fed me first!"

I've been glued to the window for two days now, watching them interact with each other and establish the new pecking order. Expect lots of pictures of her in the near future!

Introducing...

2008-04-09T10:55:00.002-08:00

Yentna! She's on the right, and her baby brother is on the left. We're adopting Yentna, and will pick her up the weekend. Isn't she gorgeous?! She has a very curious, friendly nature. She's turning 4 this Spring, so we'll have lots of wonderful years ahead with her. We intend to train her to pack, so she can come along with Tyea on hikes this summer. I've never trained a llama before, so it'll be an adventure for both of us! And the fact that she's named after an Alaskan river, just like Tyea, Salcha and Kiska, means she was meant to live with us. :)
Remember a few weeks ago when I posted the sneak of the new project I was working on? The black bookcases? Well, they're still black. heehee Thanks in part to my being sick for a week, going on my birthday vacation, and to little sidetrack projects, like finally painting some housenumbers. We've been in our house for 9 years now...think it's about time I put some up? ;) It's hard to see in the picture, but I used some crackle medium with red underneath the antique white. It's a cool, antique look.
Maggie and I had fun building some little nests yesterday. Mag went outside and gathered moss, pussy willows, and some leafy things, and we added Spanish moss and a tiny birdie. Cute. Maggie put hers in the teapot on a cool pewter plate I found in Iowa, and mine's under the cloche.
I finally found a use for the Wedgewood china plate I picked up at a thrift store! The antique silver creamer was a gift from my mother-in-law.
And another sidetracked project...a new shower curtain and window curtain in the bathroom. I found the red and white gingham valance at a thrift store, and just sewed a white sheet behind it, for an instant shower curtain. :)

So, as you can see, I've been pretty sidetracked lately. But totally in a good way. :)

Moving like a herd of turtles.

2008-04-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

That's how I feel. Progress on the home front is slower than slow. But it's progress, right? That's my "word" for the year. Progress.

I put up some new shelves in my laundry room yesterday for some much-needed storage. You know a man designed my home, because it is seriously lacking in closet space. Big on room size, but no place to hide anything. So I've been trying to remedy that with some organization.

How do you like my cute little window treatment? It's an apron I picked up on my junking expedition across Iowa. It needs a little something...I'm going to work on that later.

I have some exciting news on the home front to share....tomorrow!

So much cuteness!

2008-04-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

My sister's dogs, Boo and Tilly, we really good about sharing their house with me for the week. I slipped them an extra treat now and then, just to make sure.

This girl practically BEGGED to have her picture taken.

Sandra, Carol and I went to the country club for dinner and drinks on my last night there. We found out that none of us likes the "Pink Squirrel". It tasted like cough syrup! Blech.

Turning 40.

2008-04-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Carol fell in love with this little Stetson at The Brass Armadillo.

Isn't she pretty?

This little calf was just minutes old.

I just got home from a trip to Iowa to celebrate my 40th birthday. Vegas got put on hold, and I am actually glad. Instead, we junked our way from one end of Iowa to the other. Check out this thrift store! We could only dream about what was inside, though, since they were closed. But we made up for it by hitting every other junk shop in a 100 mile radius. Not really, but my feet sure thought so!

Mint Truffle Pops

2008-03-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

A little chocolatey goodness for St. Paddy's Day. I originally found the recipe on Bakerella's Blog. This is my chocolate-fied version of her yummy, minty creation. Wow, are these delish! And they're the easiest thing going. No baking whatsoever. I promise!

You basically crush mint oreos in a food processer, smash 'em up with some cream cheese, roll them in balls and dip them in chocolate. The flavor and texture is divine! Now the wheels are turning, and I'm wondering what other cookie-coating combos I can try.

While you're at Bakerella's blog, be sure and check out her Red Velvet cake balls. These do require some baking, but hear me when I tell ya, your efforts will be rewarded. To die for!

PS: Paul came up with the foam ball stand idea. Just cut a styrofoam ball in half and poke your dipped treats in for the perfect place to let them set up.

PPS: I bought the popsicle sticks at JoAnns.

PPPS: To make the green dots and stripes, I added a few drops of green food coloring to melted white chocolate. I do NOT recommend this, though. My velvety smooth chocolate turned to a thick, lumpy mess after I added the food coloring, resulting in the globby look of the green decorations. A better way to go would be to melt green candy discs, made expressly for that purpose. Live and learn.

PPPPS: Be sure and scroll down. I posted twice today!

OK, I'm officially out of P's. Time to sign off.

Husband v 2.0 or: My Husband, The Geek

2008-03-17T05:27:00.001-08:00

I'm finding things out about my husband that I never knew. Never thought possible. Since he started his new job a few months ago, new words are creeping into his vocabulary. He's throwing around phrases like "external hard drive" and "thumb drive", "let's network" and "is that a USB port, or are you just happy to see me?". Not really, on that last one, but seriously, he's gone techie on me.

In the last week, he's wirelessly networked out home computers, bought a little zip-drive thingy to transfer music from his computer to his phone, got an external hard drive for my computer to store the thousands of digi files that have been slowing me down, and installed webcams for both of us to video-chat while he's at work. Hello? When did this happen? When did he suddenly become a GEEK? Don't get me wrong. I love it. But I must admit I'm feeling a tad behind the learning curve, here.

Last night we actually chatted to each other on our webcams FROM THE NEXT ROOM. Yes, it was an exciting Saturday night at the Baker house.

It's been a lot of fun seeing this new side of my husband unfold. I guess you'd have to really know him to appreciate what a stretch this is for him. Let's just say his idea of a hard drive? Well, it's not something you get at Best Buy.

Iditarod Fever!

2008-03-14T08:49:00.002-08:00

We just love this time of year in my house...Iditarod time. And it was doubley exciting this time around, because we had two favorites to cheer for. Martin Buser is always our favorite musher, because, of course, his wife is Sam's teacher. :) Not only that, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Always smiling, always taking time to talk with the kids in Sam's class.

Martin ran a great race this year, coming in 5th place, in a wild sprint to the finish from Safety to Nome. Go Martin! Martin is tied for the highest number of first-place Iditarod finishes, with 4 championships under his belt.
This year was truly special, because Martin's 18 year old son Rohn (named after the Iditarod checkpoint) was running the race for the first time. The picture above is Rohn crossing the finish line in Nome last night at about 10 pm, and the crazy lady hugging him is his mom. How cool is that? I get all teary-eyed just thinking about how proud his family must be. Rohn finished in 37th place, out of a field of 95+ mushers. Way to go, Rohn!

And here's the whole family, just after Rohn's finish. Martin, Cathy (Mrs. C, to Sam), Rohn and his older brother Nikoli, who's also named after an Iditarod checkpoint.

All photos are courtesy of Jeff Schultz, Iditarod.com website.

There are still quite a few mushers on the course, and we're cheering them on, all the way to the finish.

One of these days, I'd love to fly to Nome for the finish...I bet the excitement is just overwhelming! The race is 1,150 miles long, with the fastest mushers finishing in just over 9 days. That's DAYS. Wow. Impressive when you think about spending that amount of time, on your feet, behind a dogteam, over some of the most grueling terrain in the world.

So my congrats to anyone brave enough to harness 16 dogs and attempt one of the greatest races the world has ever seen!

Good Morning from The Girls!

2008-03-09T09:48:00.003-08:00

The girls enjoyed the sunny morning yesterday, even though we had a dusting of fresh snow. Can I just say how much I enjoy these guys? It's so much fun to watch them from the window of the living room, and even more fun to be outside, working in their pen and watching them interact with each other. Their personalities are a riot. Kiska is every bit as sweet and loving as she looks. She's just a doll. She always waits to eat until the other two have their hay. She rarely gets into spitting matches over grain, and puts on the saddest little pouty face if she thinks one of the other girls is miffed at her.

Salcha is a happy-go-lucky girl and always has a smile when I walk up to the gate. She's a morning girl, like me...always the first one up and out of the hutch, looking for breakfast. I snapped this picture of her coming to the gate to greet me.

And Ty-Ty. Regal, snooty, gorgeous Ty-Ty. Every herd needs a leader, right? That's Tyea's job. And she's very good at it. She eats first. She gets her pick of the feeders. She leads the way on hikes. I love her attitude. She's one hard working gal!

Thanks for letting me gush about my cuties. I just love these girls!

Thing One

2008-03-05T06:34:00.003-09:00

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!

Just some random things today.

My GG (Paul's grandma) fell and broke her hip last week. Prayers for a speedy recovery for her. At 89, she's such a trooper. She actually walked around on it for a week before they finally diagnosed it last night in the ER. It was her third trip there in as many days, with excruciating pain, before they finally figured out what was wrong with her.

The sickies are finally leaving my house! Good riddance, I say.

Who else is ready for Spring? Can I get an Amen? I want to dig in the dirt, and plant seeds and watch them grow! It's actually been warm enough to work outside a little, and since I am finally feeling better, I spent some time yesterday mucking out the llama pen and hutch. There's the little matter of what to do with all the accumulating, well, matter. Manure. Poop, to be exact. For the first several months, I wheelbarrowed it out to our yard and spread it in the new flower beds I'm planning for this spring. The llamas obliged me by continuing to poop (aren't they sweet?) until the beds were filled to bursting with rich, fertile manure. But being the overachievers they are, they didn't stop there. No siree. They've pooped out enough of the "brown gold", as I like to call it, to fill in along the entire back perimeter of their enclosure. Even though I tried to convince them that I had quite enough poop, they wouldn't hear of it. Nope. In fact, I think they're planning on adding an addition to their pen, because I just can't imagine where they think I'm going to put all the stuff? Ahhh, the joys of owning large animals. :)

P Dub in the House

2008-03-02T19:21:00.004-09:00

Pioneer Woman was kind enough to share some of her prints for free, via download (see her website for link), so I printed out Beatrice (above) for my desk, to remind me to "keep it real". :)

And below is "Two Bulls" by Marlboro Man, which hangs in my living room. So fun to have a little bit 'o pioneer in our home. :)

A fun, funky little retro chair I found for my desk.
And the fabrics I chose for a couple of pillows to make it comfy, cozy.
I've been sick. Super, duper, awful, icky sick. And Paul's gone, so the kids are having to fend for themselves. Sam's been SO good about entertaining himself. For example:
Strawberry Man. Found in the kitchen, after I dragged myself off the floor from a brief nap. I couldn't resist snapping a picture.

Good Golly, I'm miserable.

The Wee Hours

2008-03-01T00:33:00.003-09:00

I hope no one is holding their breath for the pictures of my bathroom remodel. If you are....exhale! It's still not finished. It seems like the little details are the ones that take me the longest to decide on. I'm still shower curtain-less, because I can't seem to make up my mind on which style of plain white curtain I want. For now, here's another little peek: How sweet is this vintage jacket I picked up at Salvation Army yesterday? I can't wait to wear it this Spring with a long white cami underneath, and some trouser jeans. Not bad for three bucks! Good tailoring never goes out of style.

I have so many projects in progress right now (and when I say "in progress", what I really mean to say is I've thought about doing them) that my brain is on creative overload. Last week I started tearing into my craft room, but got sidelined by a nasty flu bug. It's really cramping my style, man. I don't have time to be sick! The girls and I are coughing, sneezing, aching and just generally miserable. It obviously didn't stop me from doing a little thrifting yesterday, though. ;)

Anyway, I have a cabinet to paint, a shower curtain to sew, a pillow cover to design and sew, a little table to refinish, and a room to reorganize. And I have a plan for my kitchen island, but that might have to wait until April. My goal is to have those things finished before I leave for Vegas.

Oh, did I mention I'm going to Vegas????!!!! I'm SO excited!! My sister Carol called me last week with the crazy idea to get together with all our siblings and have a group birthday celebration in Vegas next month. I'm turning 40 at the end of the month, and was wanting to do something special, so her suggestion was perfect! It was either that, or get a tattoo. I think a little va-ca is much more appropriate for a woman of my age. ;)

Alrighty, well, the Codeine cough medicine doesn't seem to be kicking in just yet, so I guess I'll go see what trouble I can get into over on Craig's List. Night, everyone!

Palmer Places

2008-02-27T07:10:00.003-09:00

A little peek at what I'm working on this week. This is the "before", so don't be scared off by the hideous black paint job. I decided to move some things around in my craft room, and found the perfect spot to make a workstation for me. I scored the deal of the year on this piece...more about that later!

I wanted to share one of my favorite indulgences with you-Gladheart Acres products. When I had my scrapbook store, their children's consignment store was next door to me. They make soaps, lotions, candles and other smell-goods, and are just a wonderful, happy family. They've been in a couple locations since then, and run a booth at Saturday Market. Well, when I was in Palmer yesterday getting my hair done, I was thrilled to find out they have a storefront again, right on Main Street. I'm not actually sure it's called Main Street, I'm not all that familiar with Palmer, since the only time I go there is on hair day. Anyway, go into Palmer, turn left at the 4-way and they're on the left, a couple blocks down, just before the Country Cuts building. How's that for vague? hehe I was disappointed to hear they no longer make Sweet Mama, my favorite scent of all time, but fell in love with a new smell-Rise and Shine. Yummy!! It's so fresh and soft and sweet. I got a bottle of Body and Linen spray, and a lotion stick, which I think is such a smart way to apply fragrance.

So next time you're in Palmer, be sure to stop by Gladheart Acres.

There's a fun consignment store in the same building, called Anything Goes, Runway 49. She has some cute, trendy clothes and some fun vintage stuff, too. Prices are very reasonable, and the decor is really funky and fun.

Lastly, Valley Winery just opened a store at that location. They weren't open when I stopped, but I'm looking forward to next time. You can make your own wine, and they'll bottle it, age it, and even make custom labels for you.

Be sure and hit Bishop's Attic on Bailey, and B&G Thrift (on Main in the opposite direction, past all the bars) for good thrifting places, too. :)

Happy Wednesday!

In Her Element

2008-02-26T06:12:00.002-09:00

A recent layout that I did of Sage and Paul at Hatcher Pass. I made the little owl journal card with clip art and my Urban Camo alphabet rub-ons. The felt lace ribbon is Queen and Company. Love that stuff! Journal cards slip into a pocket for them to write their "field notes" on.

Sage really is right at home outdoors. She must get that from her dad. ;)

New Beginnings

2008-02-21T05:55:00.004-09:00

One of my favorite kinds of junk is architectural salvage. I wish we had more if it here in Alaska! The finial came from eBay, and is now keeping my chunky chicken company in the living room.

The husband and the son are sick, sick, sick. Poor guys, they have have the whole nine yards; fever, aches, chills, sneezing, coughing. Yikes. Send any healing vibes our way, please!

I found the cutest store yesterday! It's called Younique Boutique Consignment, on Bogard & Seldon in the shopping center with Extreme Tan. She's got some very cool clothing, and it's SO reasonably priced! I picked up a pretty kiwi green sweater for $11, and something for each of the girls. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she's got it decorated to die for...just the right amount of vintage, with a dash of funky, and a touch of sparkle. I felt right at home. Go check it out!

And lastly for this morning, I want to post about The Scrap Shack. Many of you may already know, Heather will be closing the store on March 1st. I am being completely selfish when I say I'm sad to see her close. I will miss so many things about the store; the crops, the classes, the fun new stuff, and mostly just the way I always knew it was a place I could stop for company, no matter who was working that day.

I'm so incredibly blessed to call Heather my friend. I can't wait to see what new things life has in store for her!

Junk Market Style

2008-02-18T06:42:00.003-09:00

One of my all-time favorite decorating books is "Junk Market Style" by Ki and Sue. I picked it up when it first came out a couple years ago, and still love to browse it to soak up the eye candy and get decorating inspiration.

This bottled flower art is their idea, and fits in pretty well with my living room style. I found the bottle and frame at two different thrift stores, the chain in the junk drawer in my kitchen, and the silk peony at Walmart. Instead of installing a wood backing on the frame, I screwed the broom clip (you can find these in any hardware aisle) directly to the wall. The frame was originally gold gilt, so I shabbied it up with some acrylic paint, leaving some of the gilting showing through, and finished it off with a coat of gloss Mod Podge. The chain is attached to the back with two small screws. Right now it's hanging from a nail, but I'd like to find an old crystal knob or maybe even an old hose faucet to hang it from.

I'm still putting some finishing touches on the bathroom, like the shower and window curtains, and I have a small vanity mirror to refinish. So pictures will be coming soon!

Oh, and I wanted to mention that I watched The Painted Veil last night, and boy was that ever a good movie! It's a period romance, so kind of a "chick flick", and lost Paul'l interest after about the first 1/2 hour. But I loved it. It has a very powerful message about marriage, set in the time of the cholera epidemic in China. Naomi Watts is just oustanding in it.

OK, coffee time. Have a great Monday!

No Peeking, Paul!

2008-02-15T07:35:00.004-09:00

Honey, if you're reading, STOP. Please? It'll give away part of the surprise!

Don't peek!

Pretty Please??

Is he gone?

OK, here we go. Remember how ugly the floor in my bathroom looked? Well, here's how it looks now!

Ta Da! I painted 12" black and white "faux" tiles on it! I LOVE it! For $15, I have a totally new bathroom floor, and it only took 7,000 coats of paint! Only kidding, sort of.

I'll give a brief how-to, for anyone interested in making over their own linoleum floor.

The first step is to clean the floor. I used Shower Power, which is my favorite cleaner EVER. That stuff is powerful! Spray it on, let it sit five minutes or so, then wipe off. No need to rinse. And it smells pepperminty. Yum.

Once your floor is dry, you can prime it. I highly recommend Zinsser 123. It's a bonding primer, made especially for slick surfaces (we used it to prime the paneling in our living room). It is a little stinky, so make sure and have an open window.

I cut in around the perimeter first with a brush, taping off around the toilet, tub, cabinets and walls. Then I used a low-nap, 4" roller (I experimented with different ones, and this worked the best for getting behind the toilet, etc.) to roll on the first coat. You will be able to see the old flooring through the first coat. Let it dry (only takes about an hour) and continue to apply coats until it's opaque. I applied three. I only cut in for the first coat. It only took about 10 minutes to roll on each subsequent coat.

Now it's ready for your base color. I used Dutch Boy "Baby's Tooth" in semi-gloss (same as the walls). It's a standard interior, water-base paint. I let this coat dry overnight.

You can stop here, and have a beautiful, sparkling clean white floor, or....

You can totally go crazy and opt for a black and white checkboard pattern, like I did. Be prepared for this to take some time. Lots of time.

But so worth it!

OK, here we go:

You'll need a roll of blue painter's tape, 12x12 and 10x12 sheets of cardstock, a quart of black floor paint and lots of patience!

Starting in a corner, tape 12" out from the wall to the opposite wall. I used the sheet of 12x12 cardstock as a spacer, moving it and taping in one long, continuous strip.

NOTE: If your linoleum has texture, like mine, press that tape down hard. Now press it harder. And again. Do you have a blister yet? Then you haven't pressed hard enough. OK... I'll let you in on a little secret. If you want to bypass the whole throbbing, bulbous white blister nonsense, use a dry cloth to smooth down your tape. Or if you have an ink brayer? Even better. It only took me 2 days to figure that out. I'll spare you the gorey details.

Your next strip will be parallel to the first, but spaced 10" this time. Continue parallel strips, alternating 10" and 12" each time, until you reach your stopping point.

Starting in the same first corner, begin taping perpendicular, alternating 12" and 10" spacing. Once you're done, this is what it'll look like:

Next, I placed a small piece of tape in each square that did NOT get painted black in this first step. (You will skip every other row in the first step)
Now you can start painting black squares! I started with the first square I taped off, using a 3" low-nap roller (Rubbermaid brand is very nice). Go light with the first coat. Floor paint is thinner than regular paint, and it'll seep under that tape if you apply it too heavily.

Once that's semi-dry (about 1/2 hour), apply a slightly heavier second coat. Give it about 15 minutes to set up, then remove all the tape. (It's really important to take the tape off while the paint is still wet, to prevent pulling off dry paint)

Let the first set of squares dry overnight, since in the next step, you'll be taping over part of your freshly painted black squares.

Now you can tape off the second set of squares on those rows you skipped the first time around. (I forgot to get a picture of them taped off before I painted, but you can see from the next picture that they're taped individually.)

Then, voila! A brand new, sparkly clean, almost perfectly painted floor! You will have some touch-up to do. Don't sweat it.
Edited: OK, after saving this post as a draft for a couple days, and sitting down this morning to finish it up, I realized that the smarter thing to do would be to paint the BLACK as your base coat, and fill in with WHITE squares, since that paint is a little thicker and would less likely to bleed. Live and learn. :)

I love my "new" floor!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me. I'd be happy to help!

Object of my obsession...

2008-02-13T07:04:00.002-09:00

This will give you an idea of what I've been totally consumed with lately: my bathroom. (Honey, if you're reading, I promise I'm not tearing any plumbing out...yet ;)

Just a tiny sneak peek at what I've been up to. I got the plain, stained lampshade at Salvation Army for $1.50, and a remnant of zebra fabric at JoAnns for $3. Voila! Super funky lamp for the bathroom! Now I just need to figure out how the heck to install the hanging cord thingamajiggy, and I'm all set.

See that really ugly flooring? Stay tuned for its transformation. :) And I have big plans for the little end table. ;)

Fun Finds

2008-02-10T04:28:00.000-09:00

Do you ever get your sleep schedule completely out of whack? That's where I am right now. I've been going to bed earlier and earlier (last night it was 7:40, and waking up in the wee hours, because I just can't stay asleep any longer. I actually got up at 3 am today. Ack! So my plan is to stay up as long as I can today, take a late nap, then hopefully I can make it to at least 10 tonight before crashing. There are a few perks to getting up so early...I have lots of "alone" time before the kids wake up. But it really bites when I'm dozing off at the dinner table.

Anyway, since I have lots of time on my hands this morning, and I've browsed for every possible thing I could ever want on eBay already, I thought I go ahead and share a few of the fun things I found thrifting this week.

The green bowl is a Robinson Ransbottom 10" crock. It's hefty, and the color is gorgeous. The pillar I grabbed right away, and lugged it around the store with me...I knew if I didn't, someone would nab it before I did. The thing weighs a ton!

I absolutely love this candle holder. It's big...22" across and 14" tall. I'm sure I'll pay way more for the candles than I did for the piece.
It's not easy to find these old jars with the glass lid intact, so I scooped this up right away.
And the pink teapot? Well, why not? :)

A little birdie told me I need to start sewing again. Actually, more like a flock of birdies. I know, I know. My poor Etsy shop is empty, and I only have one item left at Scrap Shack. I know I have blogged about this before, but I have a terrible habit of hot and cold hobbies. I like to do so many things, but only one at a time. Does that make sense? Maybe I'm a little OCD? Anyway, I have made of note of the requests and will start sewing again soon. I just have a couple small projects that need my attention before I go on another sewing bender. :)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Photo Collages

2008-02-09T06:23:00.000-09:00

I discovered a fun, new way to scrap a bunch of pictures on a single page, without cluttering the design. I designed photo collages using Microsoft Publisher, and it's as easy as pie! (Click on any of the collages to view them full-size)

To start, open a blank, full-size page in Publisher. Next, simply insert the photos you want to include in your collage, not worrying about placement at first. I found it easier to drag them off to the side of the page, on the workspace, until I'd found all the pictures I liked.
Now, decide which photo(s) you'd like to be your focal point, and place that on the page. To resize, you just click on a corner and drag. Publisher automatically resizes, keeping the ratios correct so your photos don't "squish" and get out of proportion.

You won't need to worry about cropping, because you can layer your photos to hide any unwanted space. Just select the photo, choose "order" and send it to the back, to layer it beneath another photo.

Once you have all your photos placed (it'll take some fiddling with size, etc.) then choose edit, select all, then right click your collage and choose "group". This makes the photos one item, so you can't accidentally move something or delete a single item.

You'll want your photos to stay within the margin that shows around the blank page, otherwise they may not print correctly. If you end up with a blank space, you can insert text (like in the kitchen collage), clipart or pretty much any other graphics you can think of. Oh, the possibilities!

I uploaded my collages to walmart photo online, had them printed in 8x10, and sent right to the store to pick up. They can be done same day for a great price.

I can't wait to scrap these!

If you have any questions about these, just drop me an email or leave a comment.

"Throw me some beads, Mister!"

2008-02-06T16:52:00.000-09:00

Check out Sam's cool Mardi Gras costume! His class goes all out with the festivities, so of course we had to hit the thrift stores to come up with a good costume. I made his red cape from a velvet skirt, and the faux fur collar came from a coat. Total cost: $1.25 His "sceptor" is an old shower curtain rod with some hot-glued beads, streamers and gold tassel.

How pretty is this mama moose? She has twins that look like they're from last year, but unfortunately by the time I grabbed the camera, mama shooed them away out of sight. They've been hanging around our neighborhood this week. Don't you just want to smooch that big fuzzy nose of hers?
And for no particular reason, other than I love him. :)

It's a mystery...

2008-02-01T10:12:00.000-09:00

I wanted to share a few more of my thrift store finds today. This is the so-called "garden" window (and I use that term VERY loosely) in my kitchen. I have a real love/hate relationship with this particular window. Why, you ask? (Because I know you'll lie awake tonight wondering why I'm plagued by this nagging problem) Whoever installed this window kind of missed the whole point of having a garden window, when they chose to put an upper story deck directly above it, blocking any direct sunlight whatsover from entering in the summertime. Now, since this is Alaska, and we all know the sun shines sideways in the winter, I am blessed with the occasional blinding glare on cold, snowy days. But I don't exactly need the sun to grow anything then. So the only thing growing in my garden window is a nice collection of thrift store goodies. And don't even get me started on the dust. Where does it come from in the winter? That's one of life's greatest mysteries.

Anyway, here's my "garden" (picture me doing air quotes with my fingers) window.

The fluted silver pan, dove, wine decanter and glass cake plate are all thrift store finds. I actually made the cake stand by caulking together a glass plate and upside-down glass.
The water mister is second hand, and I actually went junking right in my own garage to find the green glass Ball jar. It's a bicentennial commemorative edition that my husband has been dragging around with him for 30-some years. Sometimes I'm glad he's a packrat!
The cream and sugar set I picked up along with the bowl in the background, two teacups and 4 saucers for $5! I love roosters, but I try not to get too carried away with them, since I'm not a big "theme" decorator. But I couldn't pass these up. And last time I was in Anchorage at a huge antiques co-op called "Packrat", I saw a cup and saucer from the same set that was tagged for $20. So I scored quite a deal!
The little white dove was only 25cents. How could I pass that up?

The rooster bowl, metal stand, winter house under glass, square vase and glass domes are all recent finds. The big rooster is from JoAnns garden collection a few years ago.
Some of these things are old, most are not, but I love that I'm giving them a second home. I always wonder who owned them before me. I'm always giving things to charity, and think about where they are now. Weird, I know. :)

You can click on the pictures to view them larger, just don't look too closely at how dusty my window is. Yikes.

Have a happy Friday!

A case of mistaken identity

2008-01-31T14:29:00.000-09:00

So the living room paint project is coming al0ng! Here's what it looked like when we started:

And after one coat of primer:
Two more coats of primer, and one coat of Sherwin Williams Super Paint later, we have a beautiful vanilla color!

I couldn't be happier with the result! I only wish it photographed better. I'll try again on a day when we actually have some sun. The color is the exact shade of melted vanilla ice cream. So warm and creamy and PERFECT. Choosing an off-white is actually harder than it sounds. We still have lots of finish work to do. We are going to install a gloss-white molding strip between the top of the wall and the ceiling, which is still wood. And we're going to trim out all the windows in gloss white. It's amazing how all the "stuff" in the room stands out so much more against the lighter walls.
And a little funny for today. As I was uploading pictures to the computer from the camera, one caught my eye. As I squinted at the teeny little thumbnail, I thought to myself "Who are those guys? I don't remember taking a picture of any men. And what are they doing in my living room?" Imagine how I giggled when I enlarged the picture to see this:

Obviously Sam got ahold of the camera. lol! By the way, these handsome gents are a recent thrift store find. For 1.99 ea., I scooped these guys right up! I've priced them on eBay, and they aren't cheap!

Have a super Thursday. :)

BIG NEWS!

2008-01-30T06:31:00.000-09:00

I'm painting my living room!

heehee

Those of you who know me, know what a procrastinator I am. I've been talking about painting for several years now, but the day has finally come. Granted, it's not finished. But it WILL get finished. I'm on the third coat of primer, and I think today I can actually apply the color.

I'm painting over a dark paneling, so it's pretty labor intense. All the grooves have to be painted seperately, I have 5 big windows, the front door and two BIG openings to cut in...so it's going SLOWLY. But it already looks terrific, and that's just the primer! I'm also painting the brick wall behind the woodstove...another tedious spot, but so worth it.

I'll post some before and after shots when it's finished. I'm SO excited! Of course, now I want new furniture and flooring. ha!

So that's what's happening in my world this week.

Oh, I wanted to pass along a link to a really fun clothing line I found recently. Odd Molly. Have you seen it? So, so cute! A little vintage, a little funky.

Happy Wednesday!

I'm in Love!

2008-01-26T06:04:00.000-09:00

Yesterday, Heather and I spent the day thrifting and junking from one end of Anchorage to the other. I'm spent. I'm exhausted. I'm in love!

We found THE hippest, most stylish consignment store EVAH! Holy moly. I didn't want to leave! It's called "Plain Jane" and it's on Northern Lights. GO THERE NOW!

Even someone who's not much of a label whore, like me, can appreciate the quality of apparel they have. I picked up this silk brocade jacket from Banana Republic for $43!

Heather schooled me on some of the "hipper" labels. She knows her brands, man. I felt so out of the loop, but I didn't even care. I was like a kid in a candy store. Can you tell I don't get out of the Valley much? ;)
Look at her cash register stand. Um, hello? I love you.
She had the sweetest lighting fixtures, too. I was so enamoured with decor, that at one point Heather turned to me and said "Um, did you know they sell clothing here?" hee hee Yeah, yeah, I'm getting around to that. Let me take in all this vintage goodness first.
~Insert choirs of angels here~ Look at this couch!! I almost fainted.
Hello, gorgeous. I've never owned a designer handbag before, but I was -this close- to selling one of my children for this puppy.

I picked up quite a few goodies at Value Village and Bishop's Attic, but I'll save those for another post.

Oh, and if you go to Boston's for lunch, try the Buffalo Chicken pizza. Yummy!

Crafty Goodness

2008-01-20T10:25:00.000-09:00

I spent yesterday hanging out with my favorite crafty girls. I didn't get nearly enough accomplished in the 8 hours I was there, but made up for it by having a blast and getting a good dose of crafting therapy.

I wish this layout photographed better. There's a cute little silver skull on the acrylic flower. We say all the time that Ty-Ty is the "Queen" of the herd. She's such a snooty girl. :)
I found this navy blue fabric journal at the thrift store for about a buck, I think, and knew right away I wanted to make a "Design Inspiration" journal out of it. The journal cards are from Little Pretty Studio by Jennifer Pebbles. They're part of a digital download called "Little Birdie Book".

Of course I couldn't use them for their intended purpose...do I ever?...which is to make her cute little envelope album with them. I used them as page tabs to divide my journal into home, garden, create, MBS (my Etsy stuff) and misc.

The inside will be mainly journaling, some photos and lots of magazine clippings and sketches.

I just hauled all my stuff back inside and unpacked, so I might as well go scrap some more!

Thrifty Goodness

2008-01-18T12:11:00.000-09:00

I found this 2-tiered fruit stand and can't quite decide where to put it. I'm thinking it'll work in my craft room to hold odds and ends.
I just love this old white dresser! It needs a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware, but for now it's doing a great job holding DVDs, magazines and books in the living room.
Two funky color-blocked plates for 50cents each. I picked up one larger one to match, too.
Here's the green and white striped crock-for a buck! Kori, do you recognize the flowers?
And my favorite find--these ceramic canisters. All three for $8! They hold coffee, tea bags and sugar on my kitchen counter.

It's so much fun to bring home a van full of treasures for around $20!

Random

2008-01-18T06:31:00.000-09:00

Sage with "Ty-Ty" Tyea

I logged onto Bloglines this morning to find that almost every one of my 90-something subscriptions had new posts. It was like getting a stack of cards and letters from friends in the mail. :) I'm telling you, if you don't use Bloglines, you should! The convenience alone makes it worth taking a little time to set up, and as I find new blogs I like, I just add them to my list, so it's always fresh.

So that got me to thinking that the 4 happy souls who sub to my blog (Bloglines keeps you private, so I don't know who they are) probably would appreciate a "fresh" post now and then from me, since I've posted so scarcely lately.

It's gonna be random, I'm warning you. :)

We looking for another pack llama. Bandito and Tyea were the only two who packed, so now we need a companion for Ty-Ty to go on hikes with. It's so exciting to add another member to the herd! Wish us luck in finding a happy, healthy animal.

I culled my pants closet last night, after finally accepting the fact that I'll never be a size 6 again. The good thing? Sage can wear them now. Hard to believe I was that tiny just two short years ago.

I went thrifting yesterday and scored some totally fun thrifty goodness! Some gorgeous white ceramic canisters, 3 pairs of jeans-Abercrombie & Fitch, Lucky and Hurley, a green and white stoneware crock, a phonics set for Sam, 4 packs of math, time and money flashcards, and I picked up a glass plate and cup to make my own cake plate with. I'll post some pics later. I love, love, love to take a whole day and hit the thrift stores looking for "treasures".

On the scrappy front, I cleared out my "leftovers" bin and cleaned off my desk and am feeling very inspired to make something! I love that clean desk feeling. :)

Told ya it was gonna be random!

Have a great Friday. :)

Design Inspiration

2008-01-11T09:37:00.000-09:00

It seems like every year around this time I get the overwhelming urge to lighten and brighten things in my home. I think it's the long, dark days and lack of lighting inside. I've fallen in love with several Swedish blogs that focus on home design. I can't read a word of what's written...lol...but the pictures really are worth a thousand words.

http://blomsterverkstad.blogspot.com/

http://spetsochsnor.blogspot.com/

http://angelattable.blogspot.com/

http://lovethecountry.blogspot.com/

That's just a taste! Follow the list of links on some of those blogs for tons more inspiration. :)

Bandito

2008-01-08T07:37:00.000-09:00

I'm so incredibly sad to have to write that Bandito has to be put down. I've grown so attached to him in the short five months he's lived with us. I've always had a soft spot for him, because he's just so thin and frail, but such a character. He's the friendliest of the four llamas, always ready to have his neck rubbed or get a scratch behind the ears. He's the easiest to halter, and he is a great leader on our hikes. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he's completely lost the use of his hind legs, and that's no way for a llama to live. He's been in our garage since Saturday, and has shown no improvement, so I had to make a very tough decision. Today will be our last day with him, and I plan to spend it feeding him all the grain he wants (his favorite thing in the world!) and scratching that silky soft fur behind his gigantic banana ears.

Holiday recap

2008-01-06T10:27:00.000-09:00

Our Christmas and New Year's Eve was was so much fun! I had a friend take some pictures for our Christmas cards that turned out really cute. They should be hitting mailboxes any day now (late, as usual!)

Sam and his cheesy grin! heehee
Ginger has her cousin Sophie as a houseguest for a few weeks while my in-laws are in Scotland. The girls are getting along like BFF's. So cute!
Sage scored a snowboard for Christmas! Since we don't have any hills close to the house, Paul pulled her behind the snowmachine for a practice run. She's a natural!
We're going to try out Hatcher Pass this winter. Wish us luck! Poor girl has to teach herself how to use it, since none of us know bubkiss about snowboarding.
The girl llamas are doing wonderfully. Bandito, however, isn't handling winter so well. For the past week, he's had trouble getting up from the cush position, and yesterday he couldn't stand at all. He was getting hypothermic outside on the ground, so the kids and I got him onto a tarp (no easy feat) and pulled him on the snow into the garage, where he's been since then. The vet seems to think that getting his core temp back up will help him to get moving again. Poor guy is just cold to the bone.
I've been spending lots of time in the garage give him extra attention, food treats, and shoulder rubs and wrapping him in blankets warmed in the dryer. Keep him in your thoughts, please. If he can't walk by tomorrow, we need to make a hard decision.

I've made my annual list of goals (I don't like to call them "resolutions") to include the usual: work out more, create a financial budget, make weekly meal plans; and a few new ones: enroll the kids in a summer camp, find some new llama trails to hike, make a summer reading plan for Sam.

I can't remember if I've blogged about Sam, but last month he was tested for learning disabilities, and we found out he qualifies for help in both reading and writing. I've been concerned about his reading skills for the last two years, but chalked it up to the myth that boys are "slower learners" than girls at his age. And his writing skills were, in my opinion, ever further behind than his reading. He all but refused to even pick up a pencil at school. Unfortunately, I thought it was a behavior problem, and not a learning problem.

The testing gave me a ton of valuable information and insight into his strengths and weaknesses in reading, writing and math. And I learned just what qualifies as a "learning disability". The short version is, through testing, they look for a certain level of discrepancy between cognitive ability and actual performance. In other words, they measure his IQ, then measure his actual current level of abilities in those three areas, and if there's a large enough "gap", then it's labeled as a disability.

I learned he has "average intelligence". His IQ falls pretty much in the middle of the "normal" range. This was GOOD news. His performance in reading and writing, though, fall in the "low average" to "very low" range. He reads at an early first grade level (he's halfway through second grade now) and writes at a Kindergarten level, with a few writing skills falling in the pre-K level. Most of his math skills are in the "average" level.

They test for dozens of specific areas of ability, and Sam's scores were everywhere from pre-K to mid-eighth grade level. His strengths are: he has an amazing memory for detail, and when he hears a story read, his comprehension and re-telling abilities are 7th to 8th grade level. When he reads a story, though, comprehension falls to the Kindergarten level. Knowing this, we'll focus on giving him oral instruction rather than written, letting him take his spelling tests orally, things like that. I'm really excited about using these new techniques to help him!

So he has started going to the resource room twice a day, 4 days a week for reading and writing help. One of my main goals for this year is to focus on educating myself on dyslexia, and multi-sensory education methods so I can do everything in my power to help him improve his reading and writing skills.

What I learned from this? Follow my instincts and don't listen to myths or people who tell me what's "normal" when my gut tells me it's wrong. Then don't waste time worrying about time lost, just focus on moving forward and making progress. :)

So...that's going to be my theme for 2008: PROGRESS. Count the progress made. And be HAPPY for it!

Christmas crafts!

2007-12-08T09:30:00.000-09:00

I love this time of year! And I've been so inspired by all the fun holiday projects I've been seeing online, I've had to try my hand at a few.

I loved Kelli Crowe's advent calendar using baby socks that she posted last year, so I decided to do my own version making mini-stockings out of old sweaters. I cut them out and Sage sewed them all together.

After I finished making the stockings, I had a big pile of cut-up sweaters left over that I couldn't bear to throw away, so I made a cute holiday throw blanket out of them! I backed it with polar fleece so it's super comfy and soft. I like how this turned out so much, I'm making one for my in-laws for Christmas! One of my favorite thrift stores is having a $5 bag sale, so I stocked up on sweaters and wool shirts for the next quilt. :)

I got the idea for this Christmas card wreath from Martha Stewart's website. Very quick and easy. I just bought a huge embroidery hoop, hot-glued some wood clothespins on, and tied a big bow to hang it from. I put up some favorite pictures that I'll replace once we get some Christmas cards in the mail. :)
I dressed up my kitchen window with lots of glass balls, velvet bows and pinecones.
This is one of my favorite vingettes (nevermind the paint swatches on the wall...still trying to decide on a color!). The marble-topped cabinets were my mom's, the moose antler is a drop that Paul found while on a sheep hunt, and the fox is his first taxidermy project.

I definitely lean toward the country/rustic decorating style this time of year!

Alrighty, I am going to go work on that next quilt. More pictures to come!

Random Update

2007-11-15T07:31:00.000-09:00

OK, here's an update. Hold onto your seats, it's gonna be a thriller!

Seriously, there is NOTHING fun or exciting going on in my life these last few weeks. We're kind of in a rhythm of school, homework, errands, and lazy weekends. Oh, and a whole lot of being sick.

It has afforded me lots of extra time to read, though. Kabul Beauty School really got me interested in the lives of Muslim women, which led to Infidel, a much more in-depth account of what it's like growing up a Muslim girl. I'm reading parts of it for a second time, after finding the author's blog. Warning, her blog takes forEVER to load, but it's worth the wait. I'm looking for more books on this topic, and would appreciate any suggestions!

If you're looking for handmade Christmas gift ideas, go to Sew Mama Sew. Holy cow, they have some cute projects! The wheels are turning! All I need is about 4 more months on the calendar before Christmas to get them all done.

Jamie Waters, one of my favorite scrapbookers, has started a photography blog called {J A C} . Check it out if you're looking for some photographic inspriation. Visit her blog for all kinds of scrapping goodness.

Speaking of Photographic Inspiration...anybody planning on taking a family picture for Christmas cards? I'm thinking of having Darjon do ours this year...something fun, with the llamas maybe. :) I'll need a llama wrangler, though. Wonder if Shelly would be game?

Anywho, that's my update. A real yawn, I know. Just keepin' it real. ;)

Halloween

2007-11-06T07:08:00.000-09:00

I'm a little late with my Halloween post. :) We carved pumpkins the night before...left to right: Sage's bat flying under the moon, Maggie's Bart the Barfing Pumpkin, and Sam's Grim Reaper.
Sage was an elf...or some sort of magical creature. She's really into reading fantasy books lately. And I'm now out of black eyeliner.
Yes, they're real, and they're fabulous! Her eyelashes, that is. Wow. She was a dead bride, but a very cute one.
I don't know how I managed to forget to take pictures of Sam in his mask, so this'll have to do. He was a zombie guy in a sugar-induced coma. ;)
One more of Sage. :)

We lucked out with perfect weather...a warm Chinook wind came through and melted the early snow, and made for a balmy night. We visited GG and trick or treated around the senior center.

It didn't occur to me until after Halloween that we could have dressed up the llamas and brought them along! But now the wheels are turning for Christmas....a llama-drawn sleigh? Antler-topped halters? Maybe a red nose for Bandito?

Snow Monster!

2007-10-25T09:25:00.001-08:00

How cute is this guy?! We got out first "sticking" snow last night, and Sam made a snow monster out of nails and some stolen cherry tomatoes. heehee Love the stick arms!

Soup Weather

2007-10-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

Mmm, I love this time of year! I get to pull out all my yummy, fuzzy sweaters, curl up inside with a book, sip hot chocolate and make huge pots of steamy soup. I'm just getting over a raging sinus infection. You know the kind that makes you want to chop off your own head with an axe. Sam had a tooth pulled yesterday that had a nasty abscess underneath, poor guy. So we're sipping soup together, and boy is it yummy. I know everyone probably has a southwestern soup recipe, but I'll go ahead and share my version. Be sure to pour yourself an extra shot of tequilla if it's been a particularly bad week. ;)

Mom’s Tequila Lime Chicken Soup
Recipe by Michelle Baker, 2006

2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 chicken breasts, diced small
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
6 baby carrots, sliced diagonally
2 ribs celery, sliced diagonally
2 cans chicken broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can green chile enchilada sauce
1-2 shots tequila
1 tsp. lime zest
Juice of ½ lime
1 C. frozen corn
1 tsp. cumin
1 C. small pasta ( I used bow tie)
Salt and pepper
Colby Jack cheese, shredded
Sour Cream
Green onions, sliced

Saute chicken in olive oil until white. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery and sauté 3-4 minutes, until veggies soften. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, chile sauce, tequila, lime juice and zest, corn and cumin and bring to a soft boil. Add pasta and simmer according to package directions (usually about 8 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded Colby-jack cheese, sour cream and sliced green onions.

I did some sewing over the weekend! A special order apron, and a purse/tote for Maggie. I finally figured out how to use the ruffler foot on my machine, after breaking 3 needles. Yikes! But it sure makes nice ruffles. :)

The Red Martini

2007-10-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -Stoney Town & Country
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) -Caramel Sutra Snickerdoodle
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) M Bak
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) -Artichoke Llama
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Michelle Anchorage
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -Bakmi
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) -The Red Martini
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) -Tarquin Joseph
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) -Sweet Mama Dove
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) -LaVon Eugene
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) -Bailey Big Bend
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) -Autumn Peony
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) -Kiwi Robie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) -Coffee White Birch
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) -The Scrapbooking Thunderstorm Tour

Too much fun! I grabbed these from Jennifer's blog. Go do this and link it here for me. They crack me up!!

Tuesday morning...

2007-10-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

I love how easy this mini book is! And cute. It's 4x6...perfect for a little brag book or a small theme album. I might make a modified version of it for Christmas cards this year. :) I want to wrap myself up in this Amy Butler paper. Yumm!!
Sometimes you just want a quickie. KISS...keep it simple, sister! I like this one of the fossil dig Sam's class went on last year.
And here's a few more pics from hiking with the llamas. Love this white pen!! It makes the best "doodles". :) I had fun with a little paint on this one (nevermind the black smudge...that's a rub-on gone wrong).
So that's what I've been up to lately. I'm in the process of gutting and reorganizing my craft room so I can get back to sewing for an upcoming craft fair, so no new projects from me for awhile. I'll post about the craft fair when I have the specifics.

Have a great day!

Happy Sunday

2007-10-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

Friday morning sunrise, taken by Sage from our front porch.

Have you guys heard about Bloglines? It's a blog subscription service that bookmarks all your favorite blogs, then shows you which ones have been updated, all on one easy page. You can bookmark the subscription page, then as you visit your favorite blogs, click on the "sub" page in your bookmarks and add that blog to your list. Once you've built your list, you won't have to visit those blogs individually from your favorites/bookmarks anymore. You'll just go to your Bloglines Feeds page, and it'll show you all the blogs you bookmarked, and which have been updated since you last visited.

If you visit a lot of blogs, like me, this is a huge timesaver! I don't have to go through my bookmarks anymore, one by one, to see who has a new post up.

I just realized I said I would post those new layouts I did, and never got around to it. Oops! I put together a cute little mini book yesterday, so I'll put that on the list to post, too. : ) I usually think about things like that early in the morning, when it's still dark, and by the time the sun is up, I'm knee-deep in kid stuff and have forgotten all about it.

Alrighty, time for coffee. I just wanted to share that tip about Bloglines with you today. It's so handy!

What Fall means...

2007-10-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Maggie.

Photo courtesy of Dad.

Fall in my house means bird hunting, and lots of it. I can't bring myself to eat it, though. The boys love it, thankfully. I just can't get past the thought of it. Oh, well. More for them. :) Sam gets such pure joy from being able to "feed his family", even at the tender age of 8. He'll make a great husband and daddy one day.

Maggie's been sneaking her dad's camera oustide to get some shots of the Fall colors. I'm going to encourage her to enter some pictures in next year's State Fair exhibit.

So I've been thinking a lot lately about the huge number of kit clubs out there, and what makes them so popular. Besides the obvious factor, a true sense of style and design, what makes a great kit? Is it having exclusive items only available in that kit? Or non-traditional finds? Is it sheer quantity of products? Is it just the convienence of having coordinating supplies come to your door, like having a personal shopper?

Or do you not care for kits at all?

The kit clubs must be doing something right, because there are a million of them, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Having only ever bought one scrapbook kit, it just makes me curious.

I scrapped a few more layouts...I'll post them next time. For now, I'll share a few more of my favorite "scrappy" blogs. These girls rock!

Jennifer Pebbles, The Good Life

Ruth Akers, Learn to Swerve

Martha Bonneau, Mugsy Boo

Go get your scrap on!

Correction

2007-09-29T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yikes. I made a mistake on the date of the open house at The Scrap Shack. So sorry for any confusion!

It's actually October 13th, NOT today, as I posted earlier.

Wishful thinking, I guess. heehee