the year of the water bottle sling

turns out that's what everyone is getting from us/me. if you're on the list, please pretend to be surprised!

end of the year teacher gifts

For our teachers this year I made water bottle slings, except for Birdie's 3 male teachers. For them, she made chocolate chip cookies.

This year brought new things into our lives:

Children in two different schools; one in jr. high, three in elementary.

All kids gone all day.

Our baby learned to read.

Our oldest earned a national math award.

And became a teenager.

Also some not new, but still exciting things:

State projects

County projects

Art projects

Field trips

Spelling tests

Math tests

And always, of course:

Teachers who give of themselves with their motive being making better the lives of children.

Perhaps my favorite moment of the school year was about a month ago when I picked Birdie up one day and asked, "What was your favorite thing you did today?"

Her answer came thoughtfully, "Probably the test we took in algebra."

We've been blessed.

shelves, after

Remember my $4 thrift store shelves before? If not, I'll remind you:

Ugly, no?

How about now? ...

We started by removing the back, then we washed and sanded everything. I bought the paint at Walmart. The shelves are Mediterranean Teal and the back is Jalapeno (though I've never seen a real jalapeno this color, it looks more like a banana pepper to me).

I love the arches and poles (columns? sticks? what would you call those?)

another shoulder bag

I made another bag for a girl we know and love who is turning eleven.

I crocheted the bag using yarn I had on hand. Trying to cut down the stash a little before buying more, you know. Some of it is TLC, I think - another is Caron. The last one, I have no idea!

I lined this bag like my other one, using a remnant piece I bought at Hobby Lobby.

(my Birdie)

from my front yard

he wanted cupcakes

Today my husband said he wanted cupcakes, so I made these:

I Thought I'd Died and Gone to Chocolate Heaven Cake

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups raw (turbinado) sugar

2 eggs

1 cup butter milk (I use 1 c. milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)

1/2 cup + 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups unbleached flour

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flower

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup water, boiling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. If using layers, grease and line pans with parchment paper. If using a 9x13 pan, grease and dust with cocoa powder. Sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Add boiling water and beat for one full minute.

3. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes (20 mins for cupcakes, 10-15 mins for mini cupcakes), or until toothpick inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool, frost with chocolate butter cream frosting.

(this is based on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com under a different name. I changed it to within an inch of it's life.)

church doll

My mom made dolls like this for all of us little girls at least (not sure if she made them for my two older sisters ... Anchely?). We played with them a lot but most especially at church, while we were supposed to be sitting quietly on the bench like the little angels that we were. The dolls are made with a white handkerchief and have our names embroidered on the bottom corner. I had my friends who are framers put her in a shadow box for me and she hangs in my room.

(another church secret, my mom used to bring masking tape in her purse. apparently we would beg her for pieces and tape our own mouths closed. had we known that was part of her master plan, i'm not sure we would have been so happy about it but i do remember loving that tape.)

thrift store shelves before...

I paid $4 for these, which I think was a steal. The guy who priced my lovely shelves (the very morning I bought them) said he almost threw them in the dumpster. Their future home will be in my craft room on a lovely, orange wall and most likely under my mod podged letters.

Oh while my friend and I were at the thrift store we were talking about 70's style (my favorite!) with one of the adorable, young, male employees when he said, "The 70's were great! I wish I could have been alive during that decade!" We felt old but laughed anyway.

a question and some other stuff

I've mentioned my love of remnants. Several times. I suspect it's incurable and I'm ok with that. I recently found a couple of pieces that I adore. They seem to be calling to me, but I can't quite make out what they are saying.

Any suggestions about what to do with them? Of the black there is 7/8 of a yard and 1/2 a yard of the white.

***

I'm making another flower, but this one is bigger and has no stem. It is intended to be a gift for my friend's daughter's birthday. I thought it would be cute on her bed.

I hope I have enough of the pink yarn.

***

and just for fun, a couple of future strawberries...

does this mean it's really spring?

a new puppet friend

This puppet is named for another nephew of mine, Elliot.

Tessa is a little sad that he will be moving on, unlike Porter who ended up under the Christmas tree with a tag for her.

But I'm sure Elliot will be able to find a little friend who will love him as much as Tess loves Porter.

PS, he's much cuter in person. I promise.

Bonnie

l-r: me, my sister, my mama

On Monday we went to a taping of The Bonnie Hunt Show.

We made friends.

We ate hot dogs.

We sang Happy Birthday to Carol Burnett.

We ate birthday cake.

Trisha Yearwood made carrot cake.

We ate more cake.

I got a free t-shirt.

Some of the most fun I've ever had

a crocheted bunny

My second oldest brother took it upon himself to give all of his younger siblings nicknames that ended up following most of us into adulthood. I, myself, am the family's Baby Rabbit. It can be, and most often is, shortened. Rabbit, Rab and even Rabbi. That's me! As you can maybe imagine, rabbits have always had a special place in my heart, even though I didn't ever really like the part of being "set free". That involved my brother grabbing me and shouting "BE FREE, RABBIT!" while he carried me to the porch and proceeded to lock me out of the house. How many ten-year-olds do you know who can break into their own home? I knew.

For the recent sweater set I made, I also crocheted a little rabbit to go along for the ride. The colors just seemed to scream "Baby Rabbit" to me. And so a rabbit I made and sent as a surprise to the friend who ordered the set.

My mom likes to tell the story of a very young Marcia who approached her with a long face shortly before Easter and with tears in her eyes held her pony-tails straight up above her head and asked, "How can I be the Easter Bunny if I can't get my ears to stay up?"

a contest

Occasionally I enter contests. I rarely win, but that's ok. I'm entering one at esbe chic to win a super cute reusable, reversible shopping bag. If I win, I may give it to my mama for Mothers Day. Or I may keep it for myself.

go, enter.

painting, again.

Oh how I love to paint. Walls, not pictures. Thanks to my BFF Michelle for showing me that I do, indeed, possess the ability to choose paint and apply it to my walls, my house looks a little like a dumped out box of crayolas. It started with my living room and has progressed from there. The final room - my craft room. I'm still getting headaches, but I've decided to just start painting anyway. I prefer to brush anyhow and this way I can go at it a little at a time. I picked a yummy, pumpkin-y orange. I love it.

Here's what we have:

living room: mustard-y tan

kitchen: red

bathroom: greenish blue

office: green

stairs/hall: green & brown

big girls' room: peachy pink

little girls' room: sunny yellow (with a garden painted on the walls)

my room: brown & tan

my bathroom: white (how boring, huh? I may have to change that before too long but in my defense there is a white crayon)

I plead the 5th

I am considering asking no, begging my sister's mother-in-law to adopt my husband and become my mother-in-law too. Because of her I acquired a lovely (to only me, apparently) set of salad spoons. Why nobody else likes them, I'll never know. And contrary to what she says, they were a gift. Oh wait ... she was the one who said they were a gift! That's all I can say about it for now and in fact, I may just invoke my 5th amendment rights.

I love them:

In One Hour

In one hour, it will be Lucy's birthday.

I imagine we would have told her at lunch today to enjoy her last day of being five.

I imagine she'd be giddy with excitement, pigtails dancing as she skipped up Nanny's walk.

In one hour, my sister will face the 6th anniversary of her only daughter's birth.

It will be the 6th time she's done it without Lucy.

No candles will be blown out by our little girl.

No wishes made.

No "Heavy, heavy hangs over..."

There will be no Lucy.

It breaks my heart.

So much time has gone on since Lucy came and left.

So many babies born.

Cousins, brothers.

But still we miss her.

We'll always miss her.

Our Ladybug.

(Megan, June 2009)

Arches

All of my life I've wanted to go to Arches National Park in Utah. Last Friday I finally made it. My dream is the Delicate Arch hike, but unfortunately I had neither my good shoes nor my inhailer. We had to take an easier hike. Next time, Delicate!

North and South Windows

My family sitting under the North Window

Looking up at the North Window from behind and below.

My daughter & husband walking towards Turret Arch

The six of us sitting under Turret Arch with North & South Windows in the background.

flower

When the Aprils of my childhood would roll around, the kids (mostly boys) in my school class would usually begin chanting:

Spring has sprung

The grass has risen

Two more months

Till we're out of prison!

I made this flower on a request and wonder why I never thought of them before. I love it and am nearly finished with a second, purple one. Yay flowers! Yay spring!

crocheting again

Yesterday I felt well enough to crochet again! Yay! So I made a shoulder bag. And! another use for remnants. My supply is getting low. I might need to go get some more.

My head still hurts some, but I think I'll survive.

lil rabbit

This afternoon I made this little bunny for my mom out of flannel,

fluff, a couple buttons, some cotton yarn and a little bit of felt.

We had an enjoyable dinner with family.