My (Our) Girl(s)...

Handsome took the ladies out for their morning run on Sunday, and after they were sufficiently exercised, he came in to get me.

He said that with our yard full of Queen Anne's lace and clover, I should get a few pictures of the girls posing amid the flowers.

As his mom (my dear mother-in-law) called these tongues hanging out, that's a lot of "boiled ham". Frankly, I don't blame them. It was dang hot on Sunday.

I think I got a pretty good shot of them - Bella on the left, and Carly on the right.

Yesterday started out pretty muggy, but we were expecting rain and cooler weather. What we didn't expect were severe weather warnings, torrential rains and high winds. We came through it with only one big branch out of the huge, old maple in our front yard. 

After the storm passed, the temperature had dropped 10-15°, the sun came out, and we had a beautiful breeze to cool everything down. We turned off our floor a/c unit and opened all the windows.

Further north wasn't so fortunate. Menasha, Wisconsin suffered the worst of it. There a citywide proclamation to stay off the streets (and more) from 10 pm - 5 am, except for emergency crews. The city has been devastated, with complete neighborhoods wiped out by what the weather service thinks was an F2 tornado (winds up to 135 mph). The videos and images I've seen are alarming and heartbreaking.

Folks caught on the highway during the storm had losses, too. Semis were pushed across lanes, causing awful accidents, and sections of highway have been closed down. 

My sister, Jan and niece, Stephanie live in towns on either side of Menasha and my nephew, Ethan and his family are a bit further south. I got in touch the both ladies, and E's mom (Stephanie) updated me on him and his family, too. Other than mild tree damage, they're all okay.

Please pray for the people who have suffered losses great and small. It's going to take Menasha and the surrounding areas more than a minute to recover. 

They're Overdue...

I knew from the start what I wanted to do for my "Compass" prompt for the April artist trading card swap. In fact, I was so settled in it that I set my subject...and promptly forgot to do it in April!

I have an appointment this morning, but as soon as I get home, I'm going into the studio and I'm not coming out until the ATCs are finished and ready to mail. I'll share photos tomorrow.

 

Just One More...

My two eldest nieces.

Just one more post about the weekend, that is. It really was wonderful to be able to spend the better portion of two days with my nieces (two of whom are also my Goddaughters). There was so much silliness, happiness, and a few tears, too. 

These two ladies are the daughters of the sister I lost in 2023. It's impossible to spend time together with them and not reminisce about happier times with their mom. In doing so, we keep her memory alive, so I wholeheartedly encourage it.

Goddaughter #1 and #2 - Jen and "Jorj"

We went to the roller rink on Saturday and everyone laced up skates with the obvious except of yours truly. I did take a few short videos to share with the kids, but I wasn't going to put my body at risk. Sister, Jan has always been a great skater, so she brought her own roller skates and hit the rink. She looked great, too!

Aunties with two of Jen's three kids.

Naturally, we took lots of photos, but I've only chosen the ones that are representative of the family members who hung out together for a bit. Although the group gathering continued through Sunday, I let the kids all visit while I stayed home. I knew I'd be working yesterday, today and Friday, so I opted to stay put and get some rest. 

We're all looking forward to doing this again very soon. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on creating a dedicated guest room at the farmhouse for the next time they're in the area!

Goddaughters...

These are my two beautiful nieces, who are also both my Goddaughters. Jen on the right is the elder of the two. Jordan is the other. We had the most wonderful time visiting last night! Of course, I was also visiting with my mum and stepdad, one more niece (Jen's sister, Aimee), my sister Jan, and Jen's two kids. 

Jen and Aimee's stepdad (the man who raised them, not my sister's widow), also joined us for dinner. It's always been good to see him, as we've always continued to consider him family. My great-nephew went home with him afterward to spend an overnight with his granddad - away from the hen parties.

The ladies visited with their nana before I got there, and I love this photograph to commemorate this visit. There was a rousing round of Jeopardy played on the television as we all ate dinner together, followed by jocularity and hugs.

I can't wait to see all of them again today. I'll head back to town after lunch as they decide the what's and where's of our next activity. I think roller skating (for them) is on our agenda. I'll be an enthusiastic bystander. Lord knows what I hurt next if I were foolish enough to participate!

I'll be sure to take more photographs from the sidelines, and share with you on Monday. Here's hoping your weekend will be equally rewarding. 

My March Artist Trading Cards...

This was another project I completed recently. These are in the mail and on their way to the Handmade Treasures group swap partners. There were twelve (plus me) for thirteen total this month.  I'm quite happy with the way they turned out.

 

I decided to go with a non-traditional green over the usual Kelly green, and although there are shamrocks (which were the theme), they're not the main feature. I added French knots to the center of the shamrocks, and the final touch was a small sparkle between the two largest ones. 

I'm already looking forward to finding out what Jan's theme will be for April..."Showers" perhaps? We'll see soon.

I have more projects to share this week, but I'm baking cinnamon rolls today. Our classmate dinner is at 3 pm, and I have a lot to finish in the kitchen before then. Better grab my coffee and get busy!

 

Can You Guess?...

Today is bread baking day, but I'll also be working on the December ATCs I need to send out this month. I pulled the elements I'll be using to create my "Pen and Ink"-themed artist trading cards. I was just tickled to come up with this idea.

So - the first person to figure out what I plan to do with these elements to meet the theme Jan prompted will receive one of the cards. I'll make an extra one if someone figures it out. Leave your guess in the comments.

Oh. One thing. I may switch out the blue fabric for black. Does that help? hee hee Good luck! (Remember, the theme is "pen and ink".)

More ATCs...

Brynwood Needleworks -Jan and Dawn's ATCs

I received two more Artist Trading Cards in the mail yesterday. One was from my sister, Jan and the other from Dawn, who is also participating. These are both mixed media (our theme this month), using paper, findings and some fabric. I'm intrigued by the different techniques used.

I don't work again until Friday, so I'm going to start work on mine. I've been mulling over ideas, and think I now know my direction. I'll share my progress tomorrow. This should be fun!

Bridal Shower...

The weekend got off to a rough start with my sister's daughters coming in from out of state to try to deal with her personal effects to clean out her home. Her husband is having an understandably difficult time, and going through my sister's things was difficult for everyone. My remaining two sisters and I did what we could to help, but there were a lot of tears amidst moments of happy memories and laughter. 

Our nieces went back home yesterday, and will return in a couple months to put together an estate sale, but many boxes went for donation, and some items of sentimental value were given to family members. 

Before the ladies left yesterday, I was able to meet up with them for a light lunch. Hugs were exchanged, and then we parted ways. My eldest niece was driving six hours to get home, while the other was heading to the airport to fly home. I got in my trusty Explorer and drove an hour north to the wedding shower for my great-nephew, Ethan's fiancee's wedding shower. I knew my two remaining sisters would both be there, so we were looking forward to celebrating for a couple hours.

The bride is in white, and she's surrounded by her sister, who is the Maid of Honor (in pink), her two other bridesmaids, and her daughter.

My niece (her future mother-in-law) threw a wonderful party. She's a great party planner, and there was tasty food, and a few fun quiz games to play for prizes. 

When the bride-to-be opened the gift from Handsome and me, she looked at me and smiled. She told me more than once that she loved her new brooch, and would absolutely wear it for their ceremony. I am delighted that she is happy with what I created for their wedding.

Before we all parted ways, I made sure there were photos taken of me with my two sisters, Di and Jan. We did the best we could to help our nieces over the weekend, then attend this celebration, but I know all three of us were tired by the end of yesterday. 

Jan will be working today and tomorrow; Di will spend a little time with her son's family before leaving to drive six hours north to go home. She lives near my eldest niece, so she has nearly the identical drive. I'm going to get some things done with Handsome today, but I'll be able to rest a bit, too. This weekend was a good time to spend with family, but under the circumstances, it was exhausting, so we'll recuperate as we're able. 

We all miss the sister who wasn't there, and it will always be this way for us. We were four and now we're three, but Lyn will always be in our hearts, and we'll do our best for her daughters, grandchildren, and husband.

Healing...

 

I'm not sure there's ever a good time for a surgery, but right now I'm looking at a garden, filled with ripening tomatoes and squash blossoms and I have to wonder what I was thinking? My blog has been on auto-pilot for the past few days, so that's why you haven't had responses to your comments since Monday.

Handsome and I left home on Tuesday morning at 5 am for a 6:45 check-in time at the hospital in Green Bay, and I had Surgery #8 related to what Handsome refers to as The Troubles. My doctor said everything went perfectly, and now we wait to see how I heal. You see, he recently called me "an enigma" because any one of Surgeries #3-7 (not all performed by him) should have worked and didn't. I did everything I was told to do by the professionals, yet my body said, "Wait a sec. I have a different idea." I'm praying that this time will be the last time, and that my body will heal as it should, and The Troubles will be over.

 

We're both grateful to my little sister, Jan, who came down on Monday to spend the night and next day tending dogs and cats so we needn't worry about how long they were kenneled, or if they'd get fed. She took care of all that for us, and really eased our minds. Thanks, JJ. xoxo

It's been a long three years since this began and I'm ready to move on from it. Right now, I'm sore with a long incision across my "bikini line" (something I haven't actually worn in decades) and a line of stitches and staples to hold things in place until they can be removed in a couple weeks. I have a five pound lifting restriction for the next twelve weeks, and I'm going to follow that to the letter. Handsome is currently bagging tomatoes for the freezer, and I'll get to them when I get to them. It looks like I'll have to cancel my booth for the September show, and possibly the one in November as well. I'm really bummed about that development.

For now, I'm sore whether I stand, sit or am prone. Coughing can send me into fits of pain, and I spend a lot of time being coddled. I don't mind that, but you must know by now that it's not my usual modus operandi.

I promise to share the facts of how I got to this point at a later date, but for now, I'm going to beg your indulgence and head back to bed. I've been reading your comments, but it's impossible to respond from my phone, so I'll sit at my computer tomorrow and answer as many as I can from this week. I have read them all, so I apologize for leaving you hanging. I love and miss you and will be back soon.

Happy At Home…

Yesterday, as I sat drinking morning coffee with my little sister, she gave this gift to me. Isn't it beautiful? It's a Mason Cash tray made in England. You may remember that one of my dear blog friends gifted me with a woodland scene (owls) mixing bowl last year, and this piece coordinates with it!

Right now, my biggest decision is whether or not to keep it in my studio or in the kitchen. Of course, I'll see it daily whether it's in one place or the other. 

Another thing that immediately occurred to me is that this design would make a beautiful piece of needlework, wouldn't it? 

I have a list of tasks to accomplish today, but just had to take a moment to share my latest lovely piece - a gift of heart from my dear sister. Thank, JJ. xoxo

Making Art…

 

I’m at my youngest sister, Jan’s as I write my post. I’ve been here since Wednesday after leaving Larsen and the Sewcial Sisters. 

I’m leaving later this morning to go back home, but I wanted you to see what I created when we played in her studio yesterday. 

The prompt for this project was to paint bubbles. I decided to (try to) make mine look like they were in water. I called this one “Seafoam”.

Jan’s prompt for my second piece was “Invisible Friend”. She came up with this fun faerie idea looking into a secret world. This was my version. I named my piece “Nebula”. (Yes. I’m a Guardians of the Galaxy fan.)  

We’ve had a great time together, and we’re already planning to do this again soon. I enjoyed my wee vacation, but I’m looking forward to being back home. Time to drive. See you tomorrow. 

Jan's Beach Blouse...

 

Jan arrived around 11:30 yesterday morning, and as you can see by the clock, sewing ended around 9:30 pm. Jan chose a fun pattern, but as a non-seamstress, she picked fabric she liked. Unfortunately, this was not beginner friendly fabric, so...Donna to the rescue. 

Let me begin by saying that while this fabric is beautiful and I'm not unfamiliar with sheer fabrics, this one really tried my patience. It was a long day wrestling what could have been a two hour project had it been linen or cotton. 

Jan is thrilled with the outcome and plans to wear it as a swimsuit coverup once she and her husband arrive at their vacation destination in another week. I'm hoping she'll send photos of her wearing it on the beach.

I think today will be spent completely with Handsome. No sewing. No needlework. No kitchen tasks. I'm looking forward to it. Happy Weekend!

The Lost Day...

 

 

I never did post yesterday. I admit, I was gassed. Sewcial Sisters was yesterday, and as I learned Handsome would beat me home if I went, I decided to stay at the farmhouse and watch for him. As it turned out, he was home by 1 pm or so, and I was right. He would have come home to dogs in crates and no wife. I'm glad I stayed here.

By the time I completed my ambitious baking plan for Wednesday, I pretty much sat down and stared at the wall, cup of tea in hand. I never got the planned chocolate chip cookies done at the end, but I did complete the following...

 

I'm very happy with how the focaccia turned out. One was topped with bacon, caramelized onions, Romano cheese, garlic and green olives. The other was more plain with bacon, caramelized onions and Romano cheese.

 

Once the focaccia was baked off, I could form the farmhouse dough into loaves, leaving enough aside to make hoagie rolls. Those I brushed with egg wash and then sprinkled with King Arthur "The Works" topping. It's a favorite around here. Bread and focaccia were delivered to Andy and Shelly, and the rest stayed here. Some went in to the freezer, with enough for making sandwiches left in the kitchen.

Once Handsome got home, he and I caught up on a lot of missed conversation, took needed naps, and then finished the day with a nice dinner of warm soup and fresh bread. Before dinner I made palmier cookies, so we had a light dessert to finish our meal. 

Lest I forget, Carly was pretty happy to be home again, too. We let Bella and Tag outside so the three of them could run around together, and they all settled into their old outside routine. We're glad to have the whole pack - people and pets - back together again. All is right with my world.

Claudette and Crystal are another story. They're a little confused about their abrupt change in accommodations, but I made sure there were things from the house that they'd have in their barn room. I moved their inside beds out there, as well as the litter box they're used to using inside. Even so, Claudette tried to push her way in late last night, and it was all I could do to make her stay outside. Handsome put his foot down. No cats in the house. I went outside and sat with them for about twenty minutes, trying to explain, but they let me know they were not happy with their old accommodations. I could completely empathize. I was sad, too. I'm just hoping that the weather gets nicer quickly, so I don't have to worry about them. They'll be fine. I'm not sure about me.

Today, Jan is coming back down and we'll sew up her pretty vacation swimsuit coverup. She and "Big" (her nickname for Handsome) will get a chance to visit, too, and I always enjoy listening to them. Once that's done, I think I'll do nothing for the rest of the weekend. Time to take care of the critters and make a little breakfast for my sweetheart before Jan arrives. 

PS. Sorry Tag and I haven't answered comments for a couple of days. I promise we'll sit down over the weekend to catch up with everyone. Thanks for understanding. xo

A Little More Watercolor Play...

Saturday, I joined another watercolor class my sister was teaching, and I really had fun. I have no intention of jumping in to a new hobby. I'll never finish all the sewing, needlework, quilting projects I have now, but she asked me to be her first student for a paying course, and I'm glad I took her up on the invitation.

I think she was afraid no one else would sign up as she's kind of new to the teaching thing, but she need not have worried, as she had a quite nice size class. She's a really good teacher, too! This was my finished product.

Are there things I'd change? Sure! But now that I know how to do this, I can keep this as my first effort and create a second. I can play with paint when my hands are sore because handling brushes is easier than holding a needle. The temperature outside is jumping around again, and I can always feel the shift in my hands. This will be a good creative outlet when I can't stitch.

I'm working on homekeeping projects today so the house will be ship-shape when Handsome rolls in this week. Tag will be with you tomorrow, and I'll be back on Wednesday to share my latest activity. 

Happy May Day!

Strawberry Moon Art Magazine...

 

I'm so proud of my little sister, Jan. Strawberry Moon Art Magazine landed in my mailbox yesterday and as I recently told you, she's officially a published, contributing artist!

The magazine is filled with submissions from many talented artists, but of course, I'm partial to one in particular.

This is the two-page layout of her article in an issue dedicated to how creating art is a form of self-care. We all know it is, whether it's in the kitchen or a studio. Jan writes about how it fulfills her, personally, and it was an interesting read. They also showcased all the artwork she submitted, along with her pretty face at the bottom of the page.

If you are interested in a magazine dedicated to paper crafts, art journaling, and other creative outlets for mixed media, you can order your own copy HERE. 

I originally had plans to spend today with the Sewcial Sisters, but many of the ladies have been participating in a mini-retreat for our group since Sunday, and Kathy D. let me know they're all heading home around noon, and decided to cancel our date. I'll have to wait to see them until next month. I think I'm going to do a little pressure canning today instead. I found a deal on chicken, so I need to get it processed into jars. Morning coffee, deal with the critters and then I'll be in the kitchen if you're looking for me.

Sissy's Studio...

 

I promised I share photos from my visit with my youngest sister with you, so here goes. She's an artist in mixed media, which definitely shines through in a tour of her studio. Jan's business is on Facebook and Instagram as Handmade Treasures by Jan, which you can find HERE.

 

Entering into her studio is a bit like mine...a trip down the rabbit hole, but you can definitely tell the difference in the types of treasures you'll find inside. I love all her antique and reclaimed furniture pieces, too!

Work tables are placed back to back in the center of the room, and the perimeter is brimming with ephemera. paints, pens and other media onto which she plies her craft. It may look overwhelming to some, but to her, everything has a place and everything is in its place.

You'll find pullouts holding a wide variety (but not all) of her paints and sprays, drawers with packaging and inspiration, and notes of things on her To Do list.

 

This is her Unity shelf containing most of her stamps, and cutters from Unity Stamp Company. She's one of their creators, as she does weekly mini classes using their products. Most classes are free, with the option to purchase supplies from her, or her larger projects are held in private, online groups accessible after paying your class and/or kit fee.

 

This area of her studio is the table where she usually sets up for her demos. She has places for her cameras, lamps and pens. She brings all her class materials here to have conveniently at hand as she teaches.

There was so much more to see. She creates handcrafted journals, and has regular drawings to give away her artwork to group members, so if you'd like to check her out, click on the link in my first paragraph. She also has a self-improvement/inspiration group called Treasure Trove of Gratitude which offers a daily inspiration via a live video on Facebook every morning. You can check out that group HERE. Seriously, it's a great way to start your day, and I'm frequently there to hear what she has to say.

She is - as of this month - a published contributor to Strawberry Moon magazine, and as soon as my copy arrives, I'll definitely share it with you. Her article shares how art can be a vehicle for self-care. It's not really enough for me to say how proud I am of her. I love that we can share our love of all things handcrafted, and I enjoy the time we can spend together working on our creations. She's just now beginning to teach herself to sew, but she knows I'm here to lend a hand when she needs it. I'm really enjoying watching her grow her business, and sharing her gifts with others. Did I mention she's my sister?

I hope you've enjoyed this quick tour of Jan's studio, and I hope you'll visit (and maybe join) her Facebook groups. On top of all her talent, she's a beautiful soul and I think you'd enjoy the time you spend with her. I sure do!

We've got weather (again) today, so I'm going to have my morning cuppa and get some things done indoors. Happy Friday, friends!

Turning Back The Hands Of Time...

Here I am with my youngest sister, Jan. There's a thirteen year age difference between us. When I was a young woman out in the working world, she was in junior high school. In those days, Taco Bell was also a young company, and they finally had a restaurant in our home town.

After I finished my work day, Jan would just be finishing her track practice so I would pick her up from school in my VW Beetle and we'd head to Taco Bell for our favorite enchiritos. When Taco Bell first introduced them, they were 99 cents and came in a promotional Corning Ware™ French white mini oval casserole dish. (I still have two of the originals from those days!)

My sister, Diana and youngest brother, Chris also loved them, and once they were discontinued, all three of us were upset. We even managed to find a copycat recipe a while back and I know Di and Chris made them at home.

Over the weekend, someone posted on social media that Taco Bell took a poll to see which "oldie but goodie" they should bring back for a limited time. The Enchirito won! Word spread from sibling to sibling like wildfire, and I told Jan I'd make a trip up the Valley, pick her up and we'd go for an enchirito lunch.(She can't drive right now because she had a recent foot surgery, so I would be designated driver.) She was all in, so we set a time, and I drove to Appleton yesterday to pick her up.

In no time at all, we were seated in a booth with our enchirito lunches, and took our first bites. MMmmmmm...tasted just as we remembered. We finished our lunches, ran another errand and then went back to her home for the rest of the afternoon. We promised to do it again soon. Now, if only they'd also brought back the caramel apple empanadas for dessert... sigh  Ahhhh, yes. Just like the good old days.

PS. If you didn't know yet, I'm having a Cyber Week Sale in my Etsy Shop. Everything is 20% off - no coupon required!