February Christmas Through the Year…

Here is my February finish for Allie’s Christmas-a-long:

It’s a mug rug for my Christmas present box.  I got the pattern from Nickles Pickles. Just click on the translate button on the right and then on the mug rug tutorial. Didn’t it turn out cute!!! I’m going to have t make more mug rugs!

I have been AWOL because I have been sick with bronchitis for a couple of weeks.  I put off going to the doctor for 11 days before finally giving in and going.  I kept hoping that it would just go away on it’s own since we don’t have any real insurance to speak of and I didn’t want to spend the money on an office visit.  When the coughing got to be too much for me I gave up and hacked, wheezed, sniffled my way to the local clinic.  After a shot in each hip, steroids and antibiotics I am finally feeling a bit more like myself. 

I don’t really have much else to show for the month except for a bunch of “started” things.  Here are a few pictures of the components to a few projects I will finish soon:

I’m sensing that I may have a circle or dot theme going…hmm…

Once Upon A Time…

…there was a boy child born unto a family. This boy was the third child of four and was a delight to all who loved him. This boy child was an amazing being. Whilst still just a tot, before going off to school, he taught himself to read so that he wouldst know what the words scrolling across the magic box said as his older brothers did play their video games. Whence he was but still very young, in his first grade, his teacher did have him tested and he was made to go higher in mathematics than his grade would suggest (he skipped a grade in math). And then, in his sixth grade, he did decide to play upon a musical instrument. This instrument was called saxophone.

One day, in his 11th grade, in his 16th year of his life, he did compete in a competition most fierce. The name of the competition was called District Band Festival. He did play a composition, solo, that was much difficult and challenging and it went thus:

And he did well. His playing did please the judge and the boy’s family much.

Later, in that same day, he did compete with others of some talent, in what was called an ensemble and it went thus:

As with the solo he preformed, it did please the judge and the boy’s family much.

Verily, it pleased the judge so well, that the boy, both on his own as a soloist and together with his ensemble will be moving on to a more difficult and perilous competition called State Band Festival.

To be continued…

Congratulations to my wonderful third born child on his accomplishment!

TUSAL ORT Update…

One (wo)Man’s Junk…

…is my treasure!

I went to my Mom & Dad’s last night, as I often do, when Baby Girl has her dance classes as they live right around the corner from the dance studio. My Mom has been going through some boxes filled with “stuff.” You know the “stuff” I mean. Treasures that you don’t know what to do with. You don’t really want them anymore, but for one reason or another, you just can’t get rid of it. I am a firm believer in the fact that one of the reasons we have children is so that we can give them the “stuff” we don’t know what to do with anymore. That way, we can feel better about not just getting rid of our “stuff!”

There were actually quite a few things that I really wanted and I was smart enough not to take anything I really didn’t want! Here are a few of the things I did want:

Some beautiful laces and trims

An embroidery hoop that belonged to my Grandmother’s favorite Aunt. It was used in the late 1800’s. It still has the twill wrapping intact and the patina on the wood from use is lovely. The metal “disk” in the center was actually an ashtray that belonged to my Great Grandfather and apparently was a set of undetermined amount, but we only have this one left. It also is from the late 1800’s.

Two fans that had been mine as a girl. For any of you in the know, the front fan is from a place called “Boblo Island” that was an amusement park on an island near Detroit, Michigan. It was open from 1898 through 1993. I got the fan there in the 1970’s.

These glass squirrels. Yes, I’m aware that they are ugly. Yes, I am aware they are an awful shade of green. Yes, I am aware that they are chipped. The thing is, my Grandmother received them as a gift around 1960 and she loved them! She also used to let me play with them when I was a very little girl. I used to love the sound they made when I would tap them together, hence the chips! Truth be told…I still do like the sound they make!

This last thing was in a very special box. My Grandmother’s jewelry box. It is actually the catalyst for me bringing some of the other things home. Yesterday, while brushing my hair looking in the bathroom mirror, I had a stray thought. I would love to have one of my Grandmother’s watches…this watch, in fact. It may be that something about my movements, which I usually pay no attention to, may have reminded me of the way my Grandmother used to move her arm and it made me think of her watch. So, when I got to my my Mom & Dad’s, I asked for it! It’s a wind up Helbros watch, I have no idea of the age, but it was meant for me! It still works and fit’s my wrist perfectly! Definitely a treasure!

So what “stuff” have YOU run across lately?

Snow Dogs…

So, we got a lot of snow.  A. Lot. Of. Snow.  Yesterday in anticipation, our school district closed school for today.  My two oldest son’s colleges cancelled classes in anticipation of the snow storm too.  Good thing.

After listening to the wind whistle and batter against the windows all night, plus hearing one of the loudest crashes of thunder ever, when I woke up this morning (really woke up, not that first “have to get up and stumble to the bathroom” kind of wake up), I decided to let the dogs out to do their “business.”  The dogs, of course didn’t want to go off the porch…not that you could discern the difference between the porch and the sidewalk and the yard!  I could tell, once I got them off the porch, they were going to do their business on the sidewalk. *sigh* I ran to the closet, threw my boots and coat on, grabbed the camera and ran outside.  After cleaning up the snow-walk, I took this picture of my boots to show how deep the snow is (mind you, my feet are not actually touching the cement of the sidewalk):

Next I wanted to take a picture of our “snowmobile.”

My puppies wanted to go in the house, but I wanted to torture them a bit…after all I had to clean up their “business” off my “snow-walk!”  Here they are with snow beards:

At this point, both the dogs decided they were done…

I’m not sure exactly how much snow we have gotten so far, but I’m guessing about 7” at this point.  Who knows how much we will end up with, it’s still snowing and it’s 2 in the afternoon!  I just know…I’m not going anywhere!!!