finnishwahine

Yeah...Im done!!!!

2011-11-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

I am finally done with my radiation treatments for squamous cell skin cancer on my face :-) I had 31 treatments, 5 days a week. It was absolutely grueling and the right side of mouth/cheek is so sore, red and swollen but I am happy that the treatments are over. I have several big owies in my mouth but hopefully within the next week they will finally heal. I cannot believe how tired it has made me but today I forced myself to do some stuff.
I finally planted a half pound of garlic yesterday...do you realize how many cloves are in a half pound of garlic? Alot! The other night I separated all the cloves and got ready for planting. Then yesterday I added compost to soil, turned (ugh) and then planted. Today I used some gauze I had and laid down on top of area planted...dumped lots and lots of dried leaves and then covered with gauze and laid down a bunch of wooden stakes on top so it all doesn't get blown away. I am stoked to have this chore done. I love fresh garlic, bulbs smaller than in store but so much more flavorful and alot of oil....sooooooooooo good.
Today I spent hours in the raspberry patch...pruning the plants to about 3-4' and then cutting out all the dead wood. Last year I somehow forgot to cut out all the dead wood and it was a nightmare. So............this year I got it done. Got most of debris out of yard, but Mark bailed, so wheel barrow full, needs to be dumped and then I can get rest of stuff out of yard.
These where two big jobs I needed to get done. I am feeling wiped out but very satisfied I completed these two chores :-)
Now, tomorrow would be great if I spend some time in my sewing room which I have been neglecting lately...all I did was get treatment and come home and crawl into bed. I still need to be careful and take care of myself but I want to hang out in my sewing room. I am not happy with the head I did for my mermaid doll. She is being made out of some hand dyed lite green fabric and I feel I use too dark of colors when I did her face...like I was using white or off white fabric. I think the colors should be more subtle and maybe use greens........doesn't look natural. Will see how it goes. If I can sew head and get it stuffed and sculpted tomorrow I would be happy.
The last two days have been beautiful....sunny but about 45. It gets down to the 20s at night, need to get my concord grapes into house, basement for now. We are hoping to insulate and heat front porch area. It will be like a big green house for me...Mark doesnt realize it yet but that is what I want to use the area for, lots of plants. He is going to put a 10=12" ledge below all the windows. Will be a great place to start the veggies this spring.
Well, that's it for now

Aloha

2011-08-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

My latest projects...I buy really nice t-shirts from St. Vinnie's and then put Hawaiian applique designs on them. Today they had their "bag" sale; anything you can fit into a brown shopping bag for $2...I scored!!!! Got 25 t-shirts; two pieces of really nice fabric, possibly for dolls; two very small pyrex cooking dishes and found two round lids to fit them. Plus, I found metal hangers...I use them to unplug bathtub and the like, maybe even use for doll armatures, who knows, but they are so hard to come by, so I got a bunch for thirty cents. All in all a very good hall. Plus on the way to Vinnies, the Masons were setting up for a rummage sale tomarrow, got to go in check out. Bought two boxes of pint jars for only two bucks each; some very nice picture frames and two very kool pieces of velvet. One is red devore...I'm stoked.

Here is a close up of the "hibiscus" design. I think I have enough t-shirts to make one of each design. I am using my hand dyed fabric, maybe I will use a couple of batiks to do a few. Plus, Victoria request a long sleeve black t-shirt and a no sleeve black t-shirt. Found one on sale at WM for only $3; got her the short sleeve at Vinnie's today, but no long sleeves out yet and to find a solid black one without a design on it will be a challenge. But I am still looking. The designs she wants in pink or a mix of pink and blue...both hand dyes by Nana of course :-)
Our garden is going nuts! I already picked all the broccoli; cauliflower; the rutabeggas are done; the cabbage is ready, my snow peas will produce until the fall.....and Mark's pickling cucumbers are starting to produce. It is so soon for harvesting but it was very very hot, long long days and plenty of rain...guess a good combo for up here. The raspberries are almost all picked. I will be canning into the night!
Things are going well, I need to finish quilt in basement on gamil and then start working on some dolls, and finish that kool sock I was working on. When the sun is out, I hate being inside, soon enough won't be able to spend much time outside. The summer has seemed to just zoomed by this year. Maybe cause I missed the spring while on was on Kauai. Still dreaming about that warm pacific...I miss it so much....

Beautiful Kauai

2011-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tori in the pool at neighbor, Pam's. We had so much fun this day. Love my little mermaid.

For the May Day celebration, Tori is playing the "Ipu";a hollow goard that makes a very nice sound when slapped or pounded on ground.

Latest photo of me, 130# gone.Feeling good and looking better everyday. This has been a long hard journey.

Going to give a doll class here on Kauai, the Sat. before I leave hope for 10 students, will see how it goes. More Kauai photos tocome.

Wind.............

2011-05-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Mark thought this was a "kingfisher" and I looked up in our bird book and it is actually a "banded king fisher". Yeah...its road kill but this bird was fresh, must of just happened. Its eyes were still clear and intact. It was sort of a foggie morning and we found it on the bridge that goes over the Paint River on Hiway 69 (which we call the potatoe road cause that's where the potatoe farms are).

It was a beautiful bird, this one is a male by its markings. Poor guy, was probably just up, looking for something to eat, or something for his mate, if he'd found one already. I am sure he was gone very shortly...so many birds of prey here. But kinda sad.

Our birds are very busy. I think they have all paired up by now, building nests, eating like little pigs. The darn grackles are here and starlings, but not in the numbers we have seen in previous years, may be they didnt make it thru all those storm systems. They would have had to fly right thru them. I dont care for the grakles cause they eat everything in sight, not leaving much for the other birds but they do airate the lawn quite well. When there are huge flocks of them, you go outside and it looks like someone dragged one of those metal barrel with spikes to airate your lawn with, but they get the bugs and ticks and other creepy crawlies...not that there are that many here.

One thing I dred about going back to Kauai....the BUGS...not just bugs but really BIG BUGS and centipedes that get ove 7" long and almost an inch wide. CREEPY!!!!!! But! the ocean the ocean the ocean....makes it all worth it. With rising gas prices, last I heard a week or so ago, $4.60/gal on kauai...my son was going to let me use his little Honda, well, I cant really afford the gas to go far, so I told him...I get a bus pass. He told me, he's going to buy me and Victoria a bus pass and we can ride to our hearts content. Weekends I guess we will head for the Northshore, cannot go there during the week cause I have to be back in Kalaheo in time to get Tori from school. My main job on Kauai for the next 6 weeks is to spend time with Victoria and help her out. She is really smart but has the attention span of a knat......

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...about that two piece I was making. I sorely underestimated the mass of my breasts, it was pathetic trying to fit them in :-( But, I think the bottoms will be okay. I think I am just going to rubberband and dye and then overdye an athletic bra I have and use as a top. More fabric there than most bathing suit tops. I wont need to be taking any vitamin D while I am on Kauai that is for sure.

Well, I have so much to do in the next week. For those on Kauai, see you real soon. Everyone else, take care and have a great week. Will post before I leave. Oh! OH! Big news....I fit into two pair of my size 14 jeans...one pair is Ralph Lauren and the other some other fancy brand, these are the really good used jeans I got in Austin. I think I bought about 8 or 9 pair for about $32. But I am in size 14 jeans and a large top....used to be 28 stretch pants and 4X shirts. I will probably cut up my big aloha shirts and make into something, some are kool vintage fabric. Will recycle them into something fun. Again aloha nui loa to all.

Quilts and Cake

2011-04-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

I was thinking...why not use some of those canned peaches we have lots of instead of pineapple. Well, it looks like it worked out great! This is the second time it came out perfect when I turned out onto plate. Mark said, well, I bet it would be good with the fresh raspberries we will be harvesting in July or fresh blueberries....I mean the possibilities are endless. When I go to Kauai, I could try Mango UpsideDown cake...now that sounds really good.

I probably started this quilt about 25 years ago, maybe less. Its a double irish chain with a seminole border. I do know Mike was still alive for many years after I finished piecing the top. The dark green is actually a green on green print of roses and the yellow fabric is roses. The coral is a batik and is the same coral color in the yellow print. I finally quilted it this fall so we wouldn't freeze this winter since all my quilts are plum worn out! Need to quilt another one for next year, we use two quilts. This one has a beautiful 100% washable wool form Dream Cotton. Mark loves that it hangs almost to the floor on all sides...it was originally for a kingsize bed, this one is a queen.

My girlfriend, Candace Tuell, who lives on Dummyline Road in Picayune, Mississippi (no kidding), called me about two weeks ago and asked if I could quilt a quilt for her. She needed by beginning of July for a wedding. Now, she has had this top done for over 20 years. It's all hand appliqued but since it is going to a couple that is not from a "quilting background" you know this puppy is gonna be thrown in the washer and dryer...cringe...she says she is going to make up a detailed description on the care of this quilt...she kept saying how major this was for her, to be giving a quilt like this away, I get it Candace. She wanted something quick but overall, it was a shame to do a loose meandering over the entire top, all that applique but it really turned out great! She forgot to send a backing and low and behold I had a pinkish fabric for the backing...I still have almost three yards leftover. Here it is loaded on the gammil; those boxes on the shelves in the background is part of my stash. The shelves are 20+' long and have three shelves with room on top. Those ar 54qt. boxes! and I left a huge part of stash on Kauai, gave away to sr. cente and friends...that darn 20' container would only hold so much and Mark kept harping about the washer, dryer, bed......

Here it is finished (well, the quilting anyway). Looks pretty good on my bed. It has that extra length for the pillow tuck. I think she is going to bind it with pink. The sides are not long enough for Mark but he thinks it turned out great! He did think it is pretty fem for a guy...yeah...they are a couple but he still thinks kinda a fru fru. But he would sleep under it.

Corner detail......so lovely.

Another shot of pillow tuck and center medalion.
I am now in the process of tracing an old old old Pacifica Pattern for a bikini for myself. Tori says I must wear a two piece. I only meant to trace the top but I did the whole thing. Will make out of some batik fabric I have and line with a hand dye or make out of hand dye and line with batik :-) anyway the bottom comes up almost to belly button, there were two styles, one pretty skimpy and this other view. When I have done I will photograph and post. My time is getting short until I leave. Just realized on Sunday that I am leaving on Mother's day and Mark told me today I get home two days after Father's day. I am going to have so much fun....yipee.....

SNOW SNOW SNOW...AGAIN!!!

2011-04-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here I am on Wednesday at the Crystal Falls Hydroelectric plant, the Paint River is at flood stage and they had to open 3 of the 4 gates and it is pumping over the spillway. The sound is like thunder. We took some really neat photos this day. I am standing here, 125# less than 14 months ago. It has been a really tough road to haul but I am making great progress and my hair is growing back finally. When I brush my hair it is just the usual little bit that always comes out. For a couple months, everytime I brushed my hair, I would have to empty the brush before I did the other half...very depressing. Almost finished with a series of 12 (ugh and ouch!!!) B1 shots. I get the last on Wednesday before I go to Kauai (May 8th) for a little over 6 weeks. I am so excited to see my Tori! She has so much planned for us to do plus she wants me to start teaching her how to sew...exciting!!!

and....it started snowing last night and hasn't stopped all day. You can see how much has accumulated on the deck railing. The birds have cleaned out all the feeders and suet too. Tomarrow even if it is snowing, I will bundle up and go out there and fill the feeders and get them birdies fed. Not only our usual crowd but they've come back in hoardes this spring(?). We have about a dozen Evening Grosbecks, one of the largest finches. I saw this guy on the Michigan program on PBS and he said they were in decline, not this year in our yard :-)

I have started on a new doll, a mermaid, I am making her in two color ways. A very pale pale green and very pale pale blue. I just finished up both heads...I think I prefer the blue. I need to buy lots of beads and different kinds for all the beading on her tail and fins. I think instead of beading her beast cups I am going to use two Sun Rise shells I have had for ages. The perfect use. They are so hard to get these days. Large groups of people comb the beach for these shells on the Na Pali coast and get very aggressive if they find you looking for shells. They sell them individually...a really nice SunRise shell can cost over twenty bucks now a days, could be higher. That really stinks! Have to go see my old girl friend, her trade mark is "aama" which is crab in Hawaiian...because she said she felt like a crab, creeping along the beach looking for Niihau shells and all shells for that matter. She was the first person to combine the Niihau shells and beads, her work is incredible and I own several of her earlier pieces :-)

Well, I am tired and have so much to do before I go to Kauai. One more charity quilt to quilt and am waiting on quilt from girlfriend from Mississippi, need to do that one before I leave. She needs to send from her state to wedding in ? beginning of July. I do not get home until the June 21st (I leave May 8th, a little over six weeks) at around 5a.m. in Chicago...I think Mark will meet me there. My ticket goes on to Green Bay, but he wants to visit his daughter, so, if he does, I will get off in Chicago. Puts about 4 hours on our ride home, but I had a little over 3 hour lay over in Chicago.............so.

Hope everyone's spring is a bit more sunny than mine is right now. I hope my daffodils and crocus don't croak from all this snow.

Angelina

2011-03-06T22:31:00.001-08:00

If you enlarge her, you can rotate her so she is sitting the correct way. (I tried and I couldn't, but maybe you can) The beading took me days but was well worth the effort. From now on, I will do the beading on the body BEFORE I put her together or put on the hair. Her arms and legs are out of a fabric I dyed about a year ago, reds-oranges-yellow. Then I used metalic Seta Color...bronze, gold and pearl. It really turned out great. I just love the way she turned out so far. Of course, I made another 4 heads, and used number 4. I need to get a really nice basket to put all the extra heads in. :-)

The torso is out of a Hoffman bali Batik and I beaded some of the circles. I haven't really beaded before, so it was a learning process. Those are seed beads on her torso. Buggle beads on her arms and a variety of a bit larger flat beads and bigger seed beads. Her hair is this bunch of ribbons I got, they are sold on a plastic ring and are great and very inexpensive. I cannot wait until Kat gets more so I can buy a couple more selections. Now I have to dress her. I am going to use some cheese cloth I died...reds-oranges-yellows...not super bright. I will make leaves out of different colored wool felt I have and maybe do some free motion lace. I have never dressed a doll like this, so it should be a fun adventure.

My next doll project is a mermaid by Patti M Culea. I was going to buy pattern on line and then the other night I was looking for a different pattern, not doll at all, and I came across three really neat patterns I bought at this incredible shop I went to one time I went to California. It is called Material Possessions and it is in Forrest Lawn. My friend, Linda, took me to about three shops that day, the first was in Costa Mesa...Piece Makers; cannot remember the name of the second but when we got to Material Possessions I almost had a stroke. I use Isacord polyester embroidery thread for my machine. It is hard to find, but this place had a wall of it, every single color they carried...it was frightening! You know how you can get in big trouble $wise when it comes to thread, they are such small inocent looking purchases until they start adding them up at the cash register and then it's...."do you know CPR?" :-) They had a room with sample quilts and quilting fabric, a "doll"room with all sorts of doll patterns and samples and stuff to make dolls. They sell Bernina sewing machines and accessories and when you walk in, the quilts that are hanging are incredible. One of my all time favorite quilt shops, that is, after the Kapaia Stichery on Kauai.

I have a small private dye class on Thursday with two gals from Wisconcin. It will take them about an hour and a half to get here. Like me driving to Marquette. I ordered the fabric three weeks ago and by Tuesday they still hadn't sent out...it came Friday by next day air FedEx...I only had to pay for ground since they were the ones who messed up. Then, after I had cut their fabric, it would take too much of class time so I did for them....they canceled the class they were to come to Monday, tomarrow, but will be here Thursday. Works out good for me anyway.

Well, it is late. I should get upstairs and hit the rack. I have now lost 120# and am very happy with it. My hair has finally stopped falling out at that alarming rate, now just the usual when you brush your hair. Lots of white coming in for those new hairs, it will actually be pretty, two long white strips on either side of my head, otherwise it is as dark brown as ever. When I went for my six month check up the dr. kept arguing with me that I had dyed my hair dark brown, she finally went and got my intake photo. I was kinda miffed, cause she was basically calling me a liar. I just had lost a lot of weight. I have never ever colored my hair ever...too much of a hassel as far as I am concerned.

well...........I will post a photo of Angelina(not for Jolie but for the fibers I worked with for the very first time for her wings)...which I will attach last after she is all dressed and stuff.

Take care and happy stiching!

2011-01-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the "Stepping Stones" top. It is now finished. I am just waiting to get the backing from Alley Kat, I think she mailed it today, hopefully. Wonder what she picked.......After I quilt it, I think a very thin black binding would be perfect! By the way, Mark is holding the sides, was too long to hold lengthwise.
I am totally addicted to dried apples. I have been these 3# bags of Macintosh apples. They are smallish and core and peel easily and am using my funky mandolin. I cannot control the wideth, so I put in the insert and they come out paper thin, crunchy and melt in your mouth. They are better than candy and much much better for me.
Still knitting away. Got my box from Knitpics...a ball winder; two packs of small tip protectors; a ball of wonderous fingerling to make me another pair of socks and...ta da...the Harmony wooden interchangeable needles. The only bum deal is, they don't have the sizes on the tips anywhere, so I guess I need to get one of those needle gauge thingies.
They are offering this new class at Alley Kat called Zentangle...I had to look up. Heck! My first husband did this sort of art in the early sixties until he passed...mostly in pen and ink. I have always doodled this way most of my life. I think I will make a small Zentangle wall hanging and send up there before the class so she can have as sample.
Took lots of fabric back down to the basement. It tends to migrate upstairs and needs taking back. I traced and cut out most patterns from the A is for Apron book. I am going to make them out of TROPICALS!!!! They are gonna be so kool....the first one Im going to make is Mango Tango and I have this yellow orchid and uke fabric. Will post photo when done.
Well, its late, gonna hit the rack. Have a great and productive week everybody.

2010-12-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

This photo taken Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010 at about 11 a.m.. you can see how high the snow has drifted against back wall of garage and it is only about three feet below this window. It is mighty cold out there and the wind is howling plus the snow just wont quit!

This is view from floor level so you can see how deep snow is on back deck at about 11 a.m. this morning. I am going to take another one tomarrow a.m. to see how much more has piled up.

Close up of Stepping Stones by Judy Neyemeyer. Bali pops were used for this. She calls for three packages. I am glad I did not have to buy this...doing as sample for the Alley Kat in Marquette.

Tried to get all of the quilt in the photo. Do not have a real desing wall. Our house is 1 1/2 stories so the outside walls are slanted, what a waste of space!!!!! The only hope is to try and fit one down in the basement someplace but all the wall space is pretty tied up with cutting table, built in table for Bernina I use down there, Gammil, walls of fabric......

This is the fourth doll head I have done. It is a trip how they all look so different from each other but kinda alike. Will keep on making them till I am totally happy with results.

This is second head I made. I dont know why the second head did not load up, it is on disk in camera and I can see it on camera. Hmmmmm

Here are all the ladies lines up. First is on the left, last one o the right. I was unable to attend the class on Saturday due to huge snow storm...still storming...not supposed to quit until Wednesday or so. So, looks like I will be getting in a lot of knitting and sewing and maybe go down into the basement and maybe quilt a quilt top I have had done for years. We desparately need new quilts on our bed. The ones we are using now are so fragile and are literally falling apart.

Hope everyone has a good and safe week. Drive carefully if it is snowy where you are.

AUSTIN TEXAS!!!!!!!

2010-11-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

I've been in Austin for days now and I'm lovin' it :-) I haven't been here to visit the kids since September 2002. Things have really built up around here, the trees in the neighborhood have really matured.
On Saturday we hooked up with one of Mary's friends and her 7 year old daughter. We went to this really really expensive yarn shop...boutique...they had some really neat sock yarn but no way Jose on those prices. Then we walked around a bit and then went to this really huge thrift store. I got about 7 pair of jeans in really good condition for $39. Three pair I can wear now and the other four pair I can wear in about a month or so. The ones I can fit in now are 16s!!!!! and the others are 14s!!!!!!!!! I am really jazzed. I got Eddie Bauer; Ralph Lauren; they are all brand name jeans. Oh! and I got this really neat RED corduroy shirt, I have three now...one turquoise, pink and now red. I love these things and the prices have been right on all three.
I don't know what night we are going to circ de sole but I know we are going. I am really jazzed about that too. Me and Mary are going to Fredricksburg which is a major tourist destination but we will go on a week day and hopefully miss big crowds. I think it is based on a time period and has lots of fun shops to look at. I am also working on my second pair of socks out of this really neat bamboo yarn, I love it. I only have less than a half inch on the ribbed cuff and then i start on the heel. I should have them done in the next couple of days. I really love making socks! Mary has this great book on making two pair at a time and we are going to this "half price book store". Hopefully I can find it, I can see how great it would be to make two at a time althou I have not had a problem with the "second sock" syndrome.
Mark spent the weekend at Libby's in Chicago. They really had a nice time together. He just wanted to spend time with his girl and he got that good quality time with her. I am happy for them. It has finally started to snow in earnest up in the UP...it sure has come late this year. I have never flown in the snow so that should be interesting. When I flew down here I knitted the whole way and it really kept my mind off flying...I was pretty mellow instead of being freaked out. I am not sure what I will knit on the way back up. Maybe I will get some more sock yarn.
Mary has given me her old laptop. Her newer one is about half the size of this one. This one weighs about 5# while her new one weighs about 1.5#. It comes with a bog and charger and everything. They gave me some anti virus software for my HP at home and Vista wouldn't take it and it came in real handy for this one....loaded right up. Now this is one current protection. It did take hours for the many Windows updates. But it is working great!
OMG!!!! I just got a call from this place Mark put in an application months ago. Thay just called and have a different position available for him, I hope it works out. He needs a job to feel better about himself and with it comes full benefits. I am praying on this one...pray for us....we need this sooooooooooo bad!
well, lots to do

My First Pair Of Socks!!!!

2010-11-04T18:53:00.001-07:00

I started these socks at the end of Jan 2010 and then I got a call that they had a cancelation and would I like to get my bariatric surgery early...ah...yes. So the socks got put on the back burner.

On October 2nd they had a grand opening for the new fabulously incredible shop and class area at Rainbow Gifts and Alpaca Farm. The place is simply amazing. Full of all sorts of yarn and goodies to temp you, not to mention the gorgeous clothing made out of Alpaca by a "fair trade" company in Peru. A gal there, Maryann, who has been knitting for 50 years helped me with the heel cup and I was on my way from there. The following Wednesday I finished the sock. Yipee!!!

I deligently worked on the second all by myself and finished Saturday night, Oct. 30th 2010.

Ahhhhh....my first pair of Alpaca socks. So koozy and warm. If they get wet in your shoes or boots they will still keep your feet warm. Neat huh. I cannot wait to start on my next pair but I am rather busy at the moment.

I started dyeing fabric for sale today. I dyed 33 (thirty three ) yards today. That is the most I have ever dyed in one day. Tomarrow I start the rinsing out and washing. Those colors I am not completely thrilled with will get over dyed. I am starting a journal on the colors. I number them, 1,2,3, etc. so a customer can reorder the colors she likes. Three pieces of fabric and three different colors are done in one tube together. Even thou they can order the same number, it never ever comes out exactly the same. I have to make a wall hanging out of my hand dyes as a sample. I am hoping to pick up another shop in Wisconcin. So far, I have the Alley Kat in Marquette; hopefully the one in Ironwood...both in the UP. I just need 4 or 5 shops to keep me busy with my fabric dyeing and maybe a class or two here and there.

Well, I am pretty tired and I need to get up fairly early to start the rinse out process. Will post photos of what's goin on down in the basement tomarrow. A lot of work, but so worth it in the end. I hopefully will make some $, the customers seem to love my fabrics and the shop owners make some $ too and have access to some pretty nice fabric to work with. Will also take picture of the sample when it is completed, needs to all be done by next Thursday, when we go up to Ironwood. Sleep well, I am hoping I will.

2010-10-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Looking out living room window, that is snow on garage roof...and my beautiful geraniums that are two years old now. they bloom all year, especially in the winter.

more snow, mark enlarged the garden. he doesnt like to mow so one of these years im gonna go out on the deck and the whole back yard will be garden.

snow on the back deck. i know it isnt much but it was only oct. 20th!!!!!

we pulled the garden and then mark enlarged it, so it is now three times as big as before. it will be great next year. i still need to finish the raspberries. i think i have cut back and taken out the dead wood of half the patch. it is hard going back out there once you stop but i need to get this done before the ground freezes. we also dug up the fairy circle out front. i have bags of iris, they had never been divided before. i think i will plant along the fence. i am going to plant the baby asiatic lillies that wont bloom for a couple more years back where the big ones came from. they are all out front in the fairy circle in the middle cause they are the tallest. i think i got most if not all the weeds...grasses. i could not believe all the roots going thru there. i separated and replanted everything and hopefully will produce beautiful flowers next spring and summer. i am going to plant garlic all around it to keep out the deer plus, i think the ground is soft enough to get a nice crop of garlic from. also a space for beets .the garden is a bit to clay like for stuff like garlic and beets but the broccolli and cauliflower and sugar snap peas and beasn did incredibly well. will plant lots more next year.

need to go upstairs and work on a sample i am doing for Alley Kat, in Marquette. it is "stepping stones" by judy nyemeyer...i know i spelt that wrong. it was tricky at first but am really enjoying it. i was not much of a papaer piecer but i love her pattern. i think it will go together beautifully. she also gave me an original pattern to make with my hand dyes...another sample of her pattern done plus help sell my hand dyes. i am also doing some overdyeing at same cost. i really like the look even thou it takes me an extra day. i am so thankful mark bought me and installed that top loading washing machine in the basement. will try and photograph some of my projects and post them soon. till then....take care

Mark got a new doo

2010-09-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I wish he would of smiled...he has a job interview on Thursday, so today he cut off his braids and tomarrow he shaves everything off except his mustache...and he said if they want him to shave that he will. he has NEVER shaved his mustache before, ever...

It really looks nice, like I said I wish he would of smiled. Luckily the lady that cut his hair, is the one who always has and didnt charge that much...what she charged him before before he moved to hawaii...and that was in 2000. He will need to get it cut at least once a month is not more if he gets this job. Oh please, oh please, oh please let Mark get this job. He has been out of work long enough and needs to go back to work and out of the house for part of the day. I love him very much but he is getting restless and is not used to not working. Makes him cranky to saw the least.

Otherwise, all is well here. They said we might get our first frost tonight or tomarrow night. Not good for my garden. Will have to see what happens.

September is just around the corner!

2010-08-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

We had an empty 10 gallon fish tank on the deck with about 6" of rain water in it with various bugs floating on the surface. This American Gold Finch thought he could swim, obviously he cannot and Mark found him just about dead. With some gentle words and lots of gentle rubbing with clean dry towel, it took him about an hour to rally. He eventually ate from my hand and then we opened the door and he flew off.

My lovely giant full blossoming HollyHocks. I had in a single, paler pink and another full headed white. I am so happy with these. I think we are going to make an area out front on the left side of front porch a small garden. I am transplanting the roses, asiatic lillies, daffodils and plant a bunch of hollyhock seeds in the back. Hope this new little planting works out well. I have to totally dig up my fairy circle and divide all the iris and asiatic lillies. Plus Mark is going to rototil and get rocks out and all the weeds. Kind of a new beginning for the fairy circle.

Just one days picking...he bush beans are about done and the Kentucky Wonder pole beans haven't even flowered yet, well, I think I saw the hints of some. But those sugar snap peas just keep on acomin.....

I know this looks terrible. The third time I had surgery on the same area, they just kept taking more. Basil cell carcinoma rarely is malignant and rarely if ever matastisizes but it is very invasive. I have lost part of my upper lip on the right side. Part of what you see used to be on the inside of my mouth. This photo was taken about two days after surgery, the black eye hasn't even started to show yet. I had the stitches taken out on Thursday. We will wait a year to see what it looks like. Major bummer is that I cannot close mouth totally and have to use a straw to drink. I know this is a no no for bariatic patients but is the only way I can drink without wearing half of what I attempt to swallow. I massage it with very good lotion three times a day to soften the scar tissue so I don't have a hard lump. There is also a bit of excess tissue at bottom of right side of mouth. Oh well, will see what it looks like in a year.

I wish my hair would stop falling out, pretty soon I wont have any at all. Double whammy...surgery and then bariatric at that. Hard to get all the nutrients in the beginning when you don't feel the least bit interested in food. I am taking a biotin supplement for hair and nails, my nails are growing like crazy but I will do what I can for the hair. What is growing back is pure white and very wirey...uh oh......

Well, I just cleaned the kitchen floor after finding wet area behind freezer, smells like mushrooms. I steam cleaned it real well but still smells. Mark will have to check out tomarrow. I baked him some peanut butter cookies as a little surprise for when he gets up in the early a.m. I am going up to take another shower, all sweaty after cleaning and stuff.

Hope you all have a great weekend. I am going to be dyeing lots of fabric...hopefully in fall colors. Kat from the Alley Kat told me she sold all my hand dyes and wants more and is planning on taking some to her booth she will have at the Marquette quild show. I better get with it and send in my entry form...due on the 31st!!! Yikes!!!!!!

July is almost gone.............

2010-07-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I am still loosing weight, weigh less than I have in 20 years! I am feeling good but my hair is falling out...everyone in support group says from about month 3 to 6 it falls out but it all comes back. I cut my hair about six inches again...was way past bottom and had to be careful, hair would get caught in unusual places. :-)

Here's my honeybunny. We are going downstairs to see Alice Cooper. I must say, Mark really enjoyed the show but it was a little loud and violent for me. Notice his "willie" braids. The next day we spent in Escanaba and went to the beach and swam. All in all, we had a great weekend.

Now, isn't this the prettiest pineapple upside down cake you have ever seen? I was so surprised it turned it so perfectly that I had to take a picture of it. Silly, I know, but it looked so good. Mark loved every last bit of it.

I have been dyeing alot of fabric. I am into wet on wet right now. If I had more space I would do yardage instead of smaller pieces. Right now I can manage a full half yard but maybe if I hang on clothes line Mark put up for me and used spray bottles I could pull it off. Will have to try.

Our garden is growing slowly, lots and lots of rain but we could use more sunshine. The other night had "tornado watch". The power never went out but the satalittle keep going down. Rained so hard and the wind blew like crazy. Anyone who survived hurricane Iniki knows the feeling. When the wind howls I cannot sleep. The thunder and lightning was constant and furious. But we survived with no downed trees or damage to property which is far luckier than some.

I picked sugar snap peas, green beans and broccoli. So tomarrow night I am making a chicken stir fry. Wish you were here Tori, to help us eat some of these lucsious veggies. Maybe your daddy will let you come for the summer one of these years. We would have such a good time. The raspberries are finally over...yeah...and am only waiting on the grapes and I will be done with making jam for the year. So far I have made raspberry, blueberrie and strawberry. Yummy.............

another week gone by.....

2010-06-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

well, the garden is growing slowly but it is growing. we are getting so much rain! great for the lakes but not so good for some of the farmers around here. i have most of the raspberries staked up, some are well over 6' tall! and it makes picking so much easier. i have picked twice so far. i made mark a fresh raspberries pound cake and now i have some in the frig. when the bulk of the berries goes off i am going to be pretty busy. the weight is still coming off. i am wearing this really nice fitted blouse i bought on kauai and could never wear...now it is sort of too loose. i am thinking of maybe taking it in so i can wear a bit longer. it is supposed to get up to 100 this weekend, i dont know how well i am going to take that. i think we will be in a lake somewhere, maybe pentoga. gotta get a lifeguard hat to protect face and shoulders.and lots of sunscreen, spf 100! off to a quild meeting. we are starting to work on our next raffle quilt. i think we will start cutting the fabric and picking out the areas we want to work on. hope everyone has a happy fourth!

I cannot believe it!!!!

2010-06-12T14:36:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe this....I know I don't look like a raving beauty but....those are my size 16WP jeans, with zipper and snap. I couldn't believe it this morning when they actually slid on and zipped up. Oh happy day...happy dance. We spent the day in town taking care of business. Mark bought a new frig which we can pick up next weekend. Our old one is 19 1/2 years old, still running but ya never know. I am just so stoked about my jeans...........

A little of this, a little of that......

2010-05-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

These are purple finches, aren't they lovely? This is the view when I look up from my computer. I get to see lots of beautiful birds...all year long...I love it!

Here is my beautiful petunia I kept inside this winter and it has bloomed for my throughout the colder months. In another week or two I think I will let it go outside for the summer and get more green and robust hopefully before I bring in back in before the first frost. Over my kitchen sink.

I cannot tell if I look smaller in this photo, but I have lost almost 60# and those pants are a 2X vs the 4X I was wearing prior to surgery. Same with shirts...from 4X to 2X and the 2Xs are getting pretty baggy. In the background to the right, is our rock garden. Also where I have my hollyhocks and some lupines. Cannot wait for them to bloom. They didn't bloom last year, just grew, this year I start getting the flowers. Yipee! Hope it is a little nicer tomarrow so we can work in the backyard. Need to get the bunny fence up before we can plant garden. Bunny fence already around the blueberries.

May 8th 2010 SNOW!!!!!

2010-05-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

We got 4" of very heavy wet snow last night. My raspberries have suffered a bit, many broken. The sun is out so most of this will be melted by tonight. I have lost a little over 50# in this photo. Those pants are 18/20s down from 26/28s(size 4x) and that is a 2X t-shirt. I have some shirts I will shrink out of that I will be sad about cause I love them so much. Will have to modify and make smaller. Notice the zories and sun glasses? :-)

Detail of Tori's quilt...see the kitty

2010-05-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

Can you see the Kitty? They run around the around the top and bottom in two rows. They are cute. There are also paw prints and all sorts of fun stuff. Mikko really liked the quilting . All done from the front of my gammill. I am trying to do more custome type quilting but without a stitch regulator, I need to slow the machine way down and just be careful. I wanted to just retro fit a stith regulator to my machine but they discontinued the one I wanted. Now it is the Vision and woud cost $5000, something I do not have. One can wish and hope, I suppose.

S's quilt...Prizamatic

2010-05-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is a pattern by Jeri of Jeri's Quilt's in Norway, Michigan. They have viking ships at each end of town. When Tori was here, she wanted to get in them, but it was winter and the snow was deep. Maybe when she comes for the summe one year.....Tori says S doesn't like surprises, well, if she checks out my blog she will not be surprised. I will be mailing next Wednesday. I am also sending her Tori's label for her quilt and Mikko thought S would sew on for her. The day is simply gorgeous...as was yesterday. The whole week is supposed to be hot, up to maybe 78 by Thursday. I am stoked! Have a great week!

Tori's Kitty Quilt

2010-05-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Tori got her quilt in the mail and has told me how much she loves it. Mikko really likes the quilting. It was all done from the front of the machine. I should of taken notes on what I did where cause I forgot, and just chanced it and it all turned out okay. Their and kitty paw prints and Kitty faces and all sorts of fun stuff. I am sorry this one post is spaced out into three but I blogged the photos from picasa and that is the only way I know how. Anyway the quilt was a hit!

one more time

2010-05-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

I abosolutely love this photo of S and V. I am going to print it out at least 5 x 7.

Very nice pic of M and S. I just wish I had a really nice pic of M, S and V together, but somebody has to take the picture :-)

V absolutely loved the kitty quilt I made for her. I really need to make her a queen size for her bed, but I loved this quilt and the fabrics in it. Just a snuggle quilt. It is flannel so she will probably sleep on top of it rather than under it cause it is so warm on Kauai.

I asked M and S what kind of quilt they would like as wedding gift. S didn't care, said anything would be great. M is a bit more specific. The design is up to me but the entire quilt, including back has to be made completely of my hand dyes. I have a top in mind and will dye the fabrics especially for the purpose. After a couple of dye classes I can order some bolts of PFD mercerized bleached cotton and start dyeing. This will be fun!!!!

The lamp in my thermofax has burned out...whahhhhh....$85 just for the bulb. Will have to figure how to put in. Made some screens using my print goco which uses old fashion flash bulbs. We went thru 2 1/2 paks and then found out they are $29.95 per pak to replace. Boy! I hope those screens work out. I tore away the cardboard and put the screens in the small thermofax frames so they would be reuseable. Need to make some fabric paint and try them out. I would prefer using the thermofax for classes.

The birds disappeared when it snowed but they are back full force emptying the feeders as fast as we can fill them. My favs are the robins and the rare northern flicker that visits our yard. I just love the varity of birds here. So many.............

Staples out in one more week!

2010-02-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

Well....it sure hurts more than I thought it would but less than when I had my knees done. On February 15th I had my bariatric surgery. I must say I am getting mighty sick and bored on semi liquid diet but hopefully next Thursday I get the go ahead for the soft...real food.

Ya know what I miss and crave the most?....not chocolate, or ice cream, but raw crisp veggies. Every time I see that Hidden Valley commercail with the raw cauliflower (instead of popcorn) and the kids eating the bid salads.....I have lost almost thirty pounds already. So many more to go but thirty?!!

Must pound the protein so the hair won't fall out plus don't want to damage heart. Need to get creative with protein shakes...whey protein.

I am tired...can hear Mark snoring through the floor. Hope you are all doing well. Will post before surgery photo and then Thursday at the clinic I will have them take one of me with my camera. They take photos and measure and weigh you and all. xo susan

Let it Snow

2010-02-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Aren't these lovely? I bought six of these when we went down to Ohio last year. I think there are two plants in this pot and they are doing great. To the right is a pot with one that is struggling, I am hoping it pulls through. I just love these dark rich colors in the gloom of winter. My rubber plant is doing well, but if I was on Kauai it would be in the ground outside and about 6' tall by now :-) .... but we are not on Kauai so we do what we can to bring some color inside for the winter.

I have yet to quilt any of the quilt tops I made in December...bad me...but I promose to do it soon. I am having my bariatric surgery in March I think so it would be good to get them done beforethat time. I only have a few wall hangings for our bi-annual quilt show so I need to get on the ball plus the quilts on our bed are in such ratty condition I don't know how much longer they can hold out.

V is doing well in school in San Diego but she really misses her daddy and Kauai. I am not sure if she will go next year or what. I am slow in getting her birthday gift done (jan.26th) and I must mail off before surgery also. So much to do and time is getting short.

I havent heard from Aimee or Max in a while. I hope all is well on that front. She doesnt have a phone so I cannot call her or talk to Maxman.
Well, I hope everyone is having a great week. Until next time xo

I am 60?!!!! today!

2010-01-18T13:04:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe that I turned 60 years old today...hard to believe...seems only yesterday my boys were just babies and I was a young woman. Now.......
I really need to photograph and post pictures of projects I have worked on lately. I finished three quilt tops around Christmas, I still need to go into the basement and spend some quality time with my gammil to get them done. I finally finished the "quilt" afgan I started last year. I made Max Batman sheets and jammies and just need to finish his Batman quilt. His mom says she has a hard time getting him out of his jammies and into clothes for school. He is so cute!
My beautiful Victoria will be nine years old on the 26th, I am working on something very special for her... I hope she will love it.
We have been having a wierd winter...lots of sunshine with no snow...Mark says this is the least snow he can remember. But, it is only January and late February and March are the worst around here so we are not out of it completely yet. It sure is cold and damp. I prefer the snow cause if is colder but dry. Damp cold goes thru your bones.
I go for my "multidisiplenary" day for my bariatric surgery. I already have had all my preop labs, xrays and ekg. I wonder when they will actually do the surgery. I know this is not a quick fix but I am excited to get on with it. Really need to get a pool lined up. I miss swimmin on a regular basis. Fresh water cannot compare to the ocean but I must make do with what I can.
I will try and get photos tomarrow if possible. I think I am going to put up a desing wall in the basement so I can hang stuff and photograph better. Until then...............

2009-11-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Picture taken a week before T went to San Diego to go to school. She is now in a charter school, a performing arts scool and has scolarships for the extra classes. She loves her new school but wishes her daddy was with her. Mark built this porch and steps before we left. He also painted the windows and dark trim. He basically did a major overhaul on my house before we left. I didnt want to leave after he was done. He sanded the hardwood floors, the verathane just was dry the day we left. It was like a brand new house.

Max, about 2 years old...I got him this Crystal Falls t-shirt that said "Im a keeper". Which he certainly is. Ben Franklin has the best Crystal Falls stuff around.He is such a cutie...I cannot wait until I can hug him in person.

M and T love to fish...these are mempachi...a super good red fish that you fry and put on grill. They hid in cracks or in caves...M can free dive to about 80+ feet. He has been free diving all his life. I think they had a party with all that fish.

T is tired after her party.

We are waiting for the snow. The hunters are praying for snow...opening day this weekend. It is cold and dry...the ends of my braids fly about with so much static electricity. I hate this time of year, my fingers get sore from getting zapped everytime I touch the car or any other outdoor metal object. yikes!

Almost have my 6" WOW top completed...ran out of black flannel...need more. I will do the scalloped border with some of the handdyed batik look flannels and black. I got a piece of black flannel at Ben Franklin but not sure right black. Its upstairs to see if they match or not and to keep working on the project as far as I can.

SNOW SNOW SNOW

2009-10-12T17:49:00.001-07:00

Well....this is what it was like yesterday. Sunny but only about 40. Mark pulled up two brussel sprout plants and brought them inside...lots of baby sprouts but they are not ready yet. Isn't it pretty? The trees changed really early this year.

This was midmorning...the trees are covered with snow but not sticking to the roofs or alot on grass.

Now it is really getting colder and it is about 6p.m. The ground is covered.

You can see it piled up on edge of deck rails and chairs. Now the snow is sticking to the roof and you can see it is still snowing. Wonder what it is going to look like in the morning. Good thing we went to St.Vinnie's and got Mark some long sleeve t-shirts and a couple short sleeves for layering. He looked like a little bear this a.m. when he left.

Its Monday

2009-10-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

I gave a gradation dye class up in Marquette on Saturday. Was very successful and fun, as usual. I have given them the option for the next class to be just a "Day of Dyeing". I would bring up various equipment and colors and they would spend the day using the techniques they have learned so far but dye more fabric. Alot of them have used most of it up for projects already, I am so proud of these students in da UP. My next big class will be on painting and printing and will cost more but I will have to supply more stuff. I cannot believe how much the price for thermofax screen has gone up...$170 for a roll!!!! Yikes!!!!! I haven't used mine in a while and am praying that it works. Welsh Products doesn't repair them anymore, but if mine doesn't work they will give me name of someone who does. Oh! and the cost of a thermofax has skyrocketed. 3M no longer makes them, but their refurbished ones are like $800 and the brand new ones are over a grand. Oh please..............let my baby work. Kind of chicken to go down there to see if it will burn a screen. My screen is old but has been kept in dark dry place, hopefully that is still good or I may have to rethink the use of thermofax screens in class...but they are so kool and fun to use.

I washing the batman sheets and was very disappointed on the quality and what was printed. I may go on eBay and try and find some better Batman fabric. At this point, I am thinking of taking the pillow apart to use as big applique for his quilt. I still need to take old crib sheet apart so I can make him some for his big boy bed. I also need to start knitting again on his afghan so I can send as Christmas gift.

It is supposed to SNOW this weekend. Can you believe that?!! Hopefully it is just a light dusting and doesn't stick. I really want my brussel sprouts to mature. They are pretty small at the bottom of the branch and very tiny as you work your way to the top. I think they need to be in the ground until November at least.........maybe will cover with thick plastic drop cloth to keep the snow off plants. I do not think the ground will freeze for months to come...hopefully.

Mark got a huge crop of tomatoes, but he had to pull em all up due to a couple nights it froze. Now I have green tomatoes everywhere ripening. As he gets a bunch ripe, he blanches them. He is bothering stewing them yet. I think he might wait until they are all done and just stew a huge pot. Makes more sense to me.

Well, it is late and I want to try and get out of bed early tomorrow to start on some projects, and finish up a small one and continue work on some others. I dyed three sets of colors on Saturday and was very disappointed with the evergreen and leaf green...they are so blue and so close in color. The third was two colors ....from left to right fuchsia and right to left turquoise...in same bags. They turned out absolutely beautiful!!! Oh well.....Maybe I will take some photos and post in the next day or two.

Its here........

2009-09-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

As I went for my walk (short) this a.m. was amazed, no dazzeled by the colors all around me. Fall has come so fast and the leaves are turning and falling way early this year. I forgot to bring my camera but will remember for tomarrow. Wild snap dragons in yellow all along the road side with small thistle and the prettest small blue flower, will have to look that one up. The grackles still havent left and seems like there are thousands of them and they chase off the songbirds and pig all the food...except the thistle seed in the strong nylon bags. Hopefully they will be gone soon. Sunday evening we watched a group of herons flying south and then a little ways past a field covered with canandian geese resting for the night. This is my third fall and it still amazes me with the colors and sounds and sights. The sugar maples are dropping their leaves fast and it is kind of fun watching them swirl around you as you walk down the road. I will be going to quilt group tomarrow in Iron Mountain. Its in the 60s now pretty much all the time and much cooler at night. It is so quiet here at night. I so miss the sound of the pounding waves against the shore. I miss my son, Mikko and my baby girl Victoria. Will try and take some photos tomarrow and then post them.

Quilt Expo Madison

2009-09-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

I wish they would of turned alot more our way so could of gotten better pictures. The real artist in this duo is Natalie...she came up with this technique which Nancy Z latched onto...anyway...her quilts were awesome. This lecture was only one hour, way way too short for so much information. The shortest class she will give is three days. I would like to take a five day studio class with her...landscapes.

I particularly liked this quilt, hand embroidered, medicinal plants of Nebraska. This was part of a couple mini exhibits down this hall way. I was so bummed out, when I went back on Saturday, this was also the day I was to see main show, and camera battery was dead....no...............................

I went with two gals from my guild, Karen and Marilyn. We went down on Thursday and Linda and Joyce made it down Friday afternoon. We all left this morning, Sunday, back up north. Beautiful drive both ways. There were so many vendors it was an overload. I didn't buy very much stuff. But I did take a rust dyeing class from Lois ? and it was great. I cannot wait to open up and rinse out my first piece. I see many more pieces in my future! Also took a simple beading class. Have always wanted to, have some very lovely beads I have purchased over the years. Now I have a starting point on what to do with them and how to get them there.

I am pretty tired. Mark did not have a very good weekend. His good luck girl (me) left for a couple days and he had MAJOR house difficulties that required major plumbing with lots of muck and ick in and all over kitchen and basement. But by the time I got home everything was clean and smelling sweet. Poor baby, had worked in yard Saturday, so he took a relaxing bath. Hes got a towel on and goes downstairs to grab another beer and the kitchen sinks are overflowing with the most godawful stench/black mucky water....hours later...new pipes under kitchen sink and down in basement. But he said he couldn't get the smell off him. He washed the bed sheets, all the pillows, his body many times. I guess by this afternoon he was okay. He was so glad to see me. He even picked some beautiful wild flowers for me and they are in a vase in middle of our rock table. Such a sweetie! Well, can barely keep my eyes open. Night Night

We're home

2009-09-08T18:57:00.001-07:00

Wild morning glories...Mark brought me a bouquet of wild flowers he picked early in the morning on Saturday. He knew these would not make it and asked me what they were...I told him I grew them and he had made a trellis for them...oh.....We left Crystal around 7p.m. and drove about ten miles past the bridge where there is a really beautiful rest area. We slept in the back of the station wagon...not bad. Up early and drove the rest of the way to Dola, Ohio Friday. I cannot tell you how incredibly beautiful it was Thursday night, almost complete full moon with crystal clear sky...the drive was wonderful. The moon reflecting off lake Michigan was amazing. Looked like a view from Kauai...white sand beach the water lapping gently at the shore but it was fresh water and one of the great lakes.

For the past couple of years, whenever we get to real farm country it has always been covered in snow, under water or just dirt. What an amazing site to see mile after mile of corn and soy beans.

Mark is a real tractor nut...he used the telephoto for this shot. I think it was about 6a.m. He tried to drag me out of bed to listen to three different tractors working the fields...no thank you please. Had a real nice visit with Tom and Shawna. The weather was wonderful, sunny and warm. Mark helped Tom with the roof...Tom doing the majority of the work. I just love those old lightning rods with the glass balls. Tom wants to put them back up and Shawna does not but I think they are so kool looking. Its their turn to come up here next..two to zero so far. It started to thunder and lightning and rain Monday morning...time to go. We didn't get back to Crystal until, what almost 8p.m....650 miles in one day. And when I was lying in bed this a.m. I realized I have to climb back into my car on Thursday and drive down to Madison, WI. with two friends for Quilt Expo. Haven't been to a big mainland event since we moved here so should be fun. Looking forward to it but not the drive. Even thou the show is over on Saturday we will come back home Sunday morning I believe. First time away from Mark since I moved here. He asked when I would be home, he is planning on making a special dinner...he is such a good guy.

I teach a class up in Marquette on the 16th and then I don't think I really have to go away from home for awhile.

Made my initial appointment with doctor for bariatric by pass, first availalbe Nov. 19th. I have to go to an evening program either Sept 21 or Oct 19. before initial appointment. This will be a long road but one I am looking forward to. I know I will never get my 18 year old body back but I would like to be good to my heart and my prosthetic knees, hope they last longer if I weigh a lot less. Well, I am still so tired from trip, so up to the old sack. Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

Blueberry waffles

2009-08-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

oh my gosh! i got one of those flip waffle deals from ginny's. i love it. this is the second time i have made waffles in the past week. mark absolutely loves them. the receipe calls for egg whites folded in and i think that adds such a nice lightness. i have never ever been sucessful at making waffles before. i do not know what it is about that thing but it works. i put it oh high and wait until no more steam comes out...forget timing it. mark put my blueberry syrup(was supposed to be jam) on his and i put my newest batch of raspberry jam on mine. i could not eat the second waffle so maybe a treat for later. they say, just heat up the waffle maker, put the waffle back in lining up the square holes, close lid and reheat. i got the receipe online and it is by emeril. way easy. it calls for cake flour but i keep forgetting to buy, regular flour seems to work just fine. anywho.......it didnt get above 55 today. the wind was from the artic i am sure and it rained rained rained. going upstairs to snuggle with my sweetie and watch the tube. happy friday!

wee hours of friday

2009-08-21T00:29:00.000-07:00

went to lambeau field last weekend, well actually, green bay. got to see a bunch of players show up for practice or something. boy! they sure don't care about green house effect, all drove big gross suvs or monster trucks. that t-shirt i have on is great. it reads "im not buying fabric, its a bailout for the textile industry". went to the three quilt shops there and it was a hit at everyone of them. i like the silver thimble the best. i think we had our bit of summer, maybe four days of mid 80s and its getting cold again. the first summer i was here was beautiful, oh well, as long as it is not snowing i am happy.
i will be teaching the WOW top mid september and then a gradation dye class first saturday in october up in marquette. i have to get on the ball and send quilt top and class info this weekend. i hate mailing that top plus info to kat on where she can get the 12" templates.
better get to bed, it is pretty late and got lots to do this weekend.

July 28th 2009

2009-07-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

and if you look real closely you will see Snakey ( I call him Lucky since I almost ran him over with the lawn mower). He has been pretty shy, but let me get close to him today. He was sunning himself. He is a Smooth Green snake and will only get 12-18" long. He is so kool.

I was afraid this was going to happen! While we were away, most the of raspberries ripened, so I was out there for hours yesterday picking what I could. Today I turned them into a gallon of puree divided into four bags which I put in freezer. I will make jam another day. I have to still go out everyday and pick. There is a ton that are only about half way done. But this year, we took out so many plants (still have too many) and I used these really neat tall bamboo stakes to hold them "up". It worked so good. I just need a bit more room between rows for easier picking. But I will resolve this this fall when I cut out the dead canes and widen the rows. It looks scary at first but you know what is left will really fill out. Got more berries cause they had more air and also more room to grow. There are also two heads of brocolli...wish I would of picked those before I left, just starting to try and flower but still so good and tender, better than from the store. Next year our garden is going to be way big and I am planting lots of brocolli, this was my first attempt. In fact, we are having porkchops, pasta and fresh steamed brocolli for dinner tonight.

We went to Train Festival 2009 and got to go on an all day excursion on this beauty...the Nickel Plate #765. Since there were crossing less than a mile apart this baby was on it whistle almost all the time. There is nothing like the sound of a big locomotive in all its glory!

Happy Friday

2009-06-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, another week is ending here in da UP. Aren't my morning glories glorious?!! I was hoping for some blue ones, I bought at a nursery. Mark stapled some chicken wire to the fence so they can climb up the fence more easily, I will plant them much closer to the fence next year. You can barely see the lupins I grabbed...they look very stragely but they will drop their seeds and we will have some nice ones next year. There was a traffic triangle a couple blocks from the house, we had never seen them and now we know why...they decided to only mow once this summer to save money...they mowed them down in full bloom and left all the other wild weeds. I am so angry, they could have let them go to seed...creeps....

Here is my little garden. I have brocolli and red cabbage and brussel sprouts and green beans. They handled the frost way better than the tomatoes but they are coming around too. We have such a short season up here.

Who would of thought a week ago we would have a pet snake...Snakee (but I call him Lucky, cause I ran out of gas in the lawn mower and was just about to refill when I saw this green wiggly thing in the grass). Bought him a 10 gallon fish tank, Jayde dug up a section of lawn just the right size, a few other goodies and he is a happy snake...as happy a snake can be in a big fish tank. He will only get 12 to 20 inches. He is a "smooth green snake" but some people call them grass snakes cause of their color. But there is a real grass snake and he isn't half as cute as Snakee.

Well...we are off to the store. The weather has been glorious and the Pentoga Lake is WARM. I got out year pass so I can go swimming as much as I like. Very nice place. Next time I go I will take pictures. Later..............

June 4th and the sun shined today!

2009-06-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well after many days of cold we have had two warm and beautiful days. It is funny what I now consider warm and wonderful...it was in the 60's today which used to be my winter temps. No longies today! :-)
The above photo was taken by Mark a couple weeks ago. The weather was deary and we had spent the whole weekend indoors so I pried Mark out of the house for a little drive and we ended up at Paint River Boardwalk right here in town. It is very nice and I thought this photo exceptional. I even had it printed to an 8x10 so we can hang on wall.
The garden is in and we are still getting frost here and there, but so far, it look like everything is hanging in there.
I go up to Marquette tomorrow for a dye class I am giving on Saturday. I cannot believe all the junk I have to take. I decided we will mix the gallons of soda ash first thing in class...a bit of exercise for everyone. All the dye will be mixed and in bottles with yorker spouts and extra quarts of the more popular colors. I have to mix the dye first thing tomorrow morning. But I will have everything else ready and packed. I have made myself a list that I can check off as Mark loads the car. We will sent Saturday night so we can noodle around Marquette on Sunday. I will be pooped for sure. Monday I probably won't do much of anything. Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

WOW top finished

2009-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

I am so stoked this top is finally finished. When I got home from Wednesday quilt group two weeks ago, I had laid out all the squares and staked and labeled the piles, i sewed the top together that night...didn't go to bed until about 3:30 a.m. but it was worth it. All the colored fabrics I hand dyed over the years. I am so happy with this top...now I just need to figure out how to quilt the darn thing. I do know I will be using either a wool or alpaca batting.
Still about a foot of snow all over the place but it is melting fast.

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

As you can see it is snowing pretty hard, its supposed to snow all day and night and again tomorrow. We probably have about 6" already! and it is very wet and heavy...the cave your roof in kind. Break branches off your trees kind.....when we were in Ohio, we had three days of 70 and it was lovely. All the trees are covered with blossoms and all the bulbs are up and flowering. i hope this doesn't hurt my daffodils...they are about 6" high now. the robins are freaking out cause all the ground is covered up and they cannot get to the worms and bugs they love to eat!

I am tired from all the driving around we did the last week. We left Dola about 8:30 a.m. and got back home at 6:30 p.m. with just stops to buy gas and hit the rest stops. No sightseeing on the way back up except a few pictures from the moving car.

I am going upstairs to rest and maybe work on my cardinal quilt. Shauna, Mark's best friend in high school (Tom) wife gave me a beautiful crocheted afghan and a pair of socks. Maybe I will give her the cardinal wall quilt since the cardinal is the state bird.

Felted Bags

2009-04-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

This is a close up of my bag...it is 100% wool, I am learning that the alpaca felts much nicer. The gal who took the class with me, Deb, I think...she chose on skein of 100% wool and the other was 50% wool and 50% alpaca and it felted better than mine. I guess that I could re felt it, but I am just going to make a lining a nice big felted button. The icord was fun to make and went quickly.

Here we are pre felt process. When I get back from Ohio, I get to start on my afghan, am really excited about this project. Should take me a while and will learn more stuff doing it too. Hope I am not biting off more than I can chew. I am always up for a challenge. Speaking of challenges, I started another paper piece project...it was on the cover of Quilt Maker years ago, the cardinal wall hanging. My last bird was definitely easier than the first that is for sure. I am getting better at the paper piecing too. I find if I fold the sew line and trim a quarter of an inch, makes placement of the next fabric easier and no trimming again. Something else to work on when I get back from Ohio. Have a great week everybody!

BOM-paper piecing!

2009-04-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not totally 100% happy with this one, some of the points get lost but paper piecing is not my best technique, so I think I did pretty good. In the background is what the finished quilt will look like. It is on the cover of Brenda Henning's book "Mariner's Compass Quilts~Reach for the Stars". If I could do it over, I would only purchase the CD which has the same info as the book but lets you print the blocks and stuff but not the half square triangles, there is another disc for that. I was not impressed with her directions on paper piecing but I do like the top. If you only buy the book you will need to have it spiraled from the TOP so you can use a copier.
I finished all the 12" WOW blocks. Taking to the sr. center to marrow and put some tables together, a sheet on top and lay them out. I cannot wait to see them all together and then i am going to sew like a maniac to get it done. The thought of going back to the 6" ones kind of freaks me out but I wan to finish that top too.
I go to my knitting class to marrow. We just have a little bit to do to finish the bag before we felt it. I have to put the rubber bands on the other scarf I finished today and will felt that also tomorrow. Kool huh.
We are supposed to leave for our little road trip to Ohio Tuesday morning, so I will miss a Wednesday and a whole week without any knitting. Kind of bums me out thinking about it but when I get back I get to start on a really kool afghan. I am taking the pattern with me, just in case we come across a really kool yarn shop.
The weather has been cold and nasty. So windy, makes it seem colder than it is. The wind feels absolutely artic. Just goes right thru your clothes. The snow is almost all melted in the yard. But the ground is still frozen solid. The daffodils are coming up in the front yard around the choke cherry tree. Going to have to put stakes where there are after they fade cause we really need to spread them out this next fall. The two lilac bushes are getting buds, so they made it thru the winter...end of season on super sale from wall mart so wasn't sure they would make it. This will be the first time they blossom. Better get back upstairs.

April Fools.....NOT!

2009-04-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

trying to show how much it snowed last night.

yesterday morning the front yard was pretty much snow free and the little spruce was completely visible.

the snow plow was by this a.m. we have almost 6" already and it is still snowing! oh well, off to quilt group. my knitting class was canceled this a.m. cause she had to take care of her sick grandson. i will finish up my bag next week. i am one third done with another scarf and am waiting for two more skiens of yarn to arrive from ewen. maybe i will photo my two works in progress tomarrow.

Scarf "before" being felted

2009-03-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here it is...after I took this photo we went into MaryLynn's and felted it. I made the baubles too big...now I am going to go back, retie each one smaller and the re felt just the bottom areas. I really like the way the alpaca felted so I do not want to change the main section of the scarf. I am now working on a bag using two colors at the same time on curved needles, boy, are they weird at first but I like them. I stayed up Wednesday night and knitted the 22" I needed for the bag. While we were up in Ewen yesterday, I bought some very pretty yarn...70% wool and 30% soy...sure hope it felts well. It s Patons SWS (soy wool stripes) the color is "natural plum"...will be part of another bag I have in mind....yikes!!!! now I am buying wool and alpaca and different yarns and needles and.....Yikes!!! is all I can say. I am pretty beat, was Mark's sister in laws 49th birthday, we went up to Ewen but they partied hard. Sheri, Richard and Mark left for the bar at 1230 and didn't get home until 5 a.m. ... they went to one of Sheri's friends they met at the bar, sooooooooooooo glad I didn't go with them because I wouldn't have been a very happy camper. Needless to say, Mark feels like dodo today.... big smile. He is up in bed. I am going to take a shower and read a book I bought on different surface design techniques. My dye group wants another class but something different. Oh well, I am a bit pooped out myself but I don't drink, so I am just tired.

Progress in the kitchen

2009-03-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is how the cupboards where(are), the windows were painted shut, this is only one that opens after much scraping. The counter top was from the fifties and the floor, was, well, horrific with a seam in the center that was volcanoing, a real trip factor!

This is a totally new addition, the drawers were where the counter top attaches to the other one. I love these black hinges and handles, we put theses in the house in Kauai. The floor looks like sandstone, beautiful.

This is the new sink and counter top with sanded and repainted cabinets and drawers. Notice the three hinges on the larger doors. These are real hardwood cabs and are heavy and two hinges just don't cut it. They didn't fit properly, so Mark cut them 1/4"

It is hard to tell, but the kitchen is painted a very pretty pale yellow. You can tell it is not white due to white stove and vent. I am so happy with what Mark has done so far. He attacks one side at a time. He has to smooth the walls out with drywall mud before he can really get going. He still has the uppers to deal with. I am lovin' my new kitchen.

We didn't really change that much but that additional counter top and new floor and fixing those old doors makes such a difference. Plus he replaced the door from kitchen to back porch which lets alot more light into the kitchen.

Almost on my last skein on scarf. When I went to class MaryLynn had made one this past week and felted it and it turned out really really nice. I cannot wait to get mine felted. I plan to have it all knitted by Wednesday and then we will felt it at her place. Better get back to work upstairs. I am cutting out more pieces for my black and hand dyed WOW plus I try and do a bit of knitting everyday.

Rainbow Farms

2009-03-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

This about sums it up for these cute critters. They can spit at you if you really really annoy them but they tend mostly to spit at each other.

This guy always has alfalfa on his head...he likes his food. These are the GUYs

Another cutie, one of the girls I think.

Some more of the girls. The yarn I am using to make my shawl is alpaca but is from Peru. I am going to buy some of Mary Lynn's when it comes in. I am going to buy white, then do the "Shibori" scarf again, but after binding with the rubber bands and before felting I will hand dye the scarf. I think it will turn out awesome!!!!!! Mark took these pictures while I was inside talking with Mary Lynn; he thinks they are really kool.

I am really stoked with the knitting I have done so far. I know you are supposed to wrap the yarn around your fingers and then with the index finger wrap around needle, but my fingers will not cooperate, I have found a method that works just fine for me. I will try and photo what I have done so far tomorrow and then post it. We have been enjoying some very nice weather, it was up to 42 today and I was outside without a coat or gloves but Mark says we will still get another two feet of snow. I just hate this part when things are melting and it is all brown and muddy. The gas company really tore up my yard, terrible! I am calling them Monday to complain. I hear they will be back in the spring and they will lay new sod and fix whatever they screwed up...but I am going to call and make sure. It is a real mess out there!

The kitchen is coming along. Mark got the built in cabs done today. He just has to shorten the drawers tomorrow. Then I guess he needs to paint and put down the rubber base along the floor. He can only work on one wall at a time. He has to remove the old wall paper before he can paint. I am very happy with the results so far. Yeah Mark!

February 23 2009

2009-02-23T00:18:00.001-08:00

I will try and upload a better photo tomorrow, but this is what I made in my felt class I took on Saturday, the gal teaching is named Janell and is the receptionist at my Dr's!!! Anyway, it was a fun class and instead of using the expensive roving for the whole thing, she had this great, dense, "raw" wool that we made the bodies out of and then felted the nice pretty roving on the outside. A way better technique and much easier. Now I just need to find a nice fat bag of raw wool somewhere...
We went to Green Bay today, stopped at this neat ol dinner for lunch in Beecher and then back on the road. Cheech and Chong were great! Alot, well mostly, their old stuff but updated. At the end when they had everyone sing "up in smoke", they yelled to the audience, pull out your cell phones, so instead of lighters or candles they were waving over their heads with the music their cell phones open and there were all these little lights...it was so funny.
On Thursday, Sue and I completed the whole Shop Hop in one day...six shops...three in Michigan and three in Wisconsin...by the time we got to the last one I couldn't think straight...today I went back. The owner was there and remembered me from Thursday, so she let me scratch off a card, got 25% off, and bought a "paper piece" pattern for this cardinal wall hanging. Its a kit that has most of the fabric and one set of the papers, I thought you would get enough to do the whole thing but I need to copy more...was a little confused with that one...it did say on the package that you got the papers you needed for the project...anyway....maybe I will work on that this week just for the sheer fun of it. I love cardinals!

February 10th, 2009

2009-02-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

Victoria went to one of my guild quilting Wednesdays and learned how to baste a quilt. She really did a super job!

My friend Sue beside Tori as she takes a stitch.

Tori is still stitchin' away and having good conversation with the other ladies around the frame too.

Tori is holding the frame underneath as they stretch it after it has been rolled. She had such a wonderful time and the ladies really enjoyed her company too. We didn't go the rest of the time she was here, and the ladies who showed up the following week were disappointed Tori wasn't there. But she will return this summer and we will go to at least one gathering.

I am upset with the post office, i sent three boxes on Jan 14. One to Max in SLC and he got it in three days but the box to Mikko and the other to Victoria are still lost in space. I went to the post office and was told tough titties since I didn't buy a delivery confirmation. It is so weird that BOTH packages to Hawaii are missing. One I could maybe understand, but BOTH!!!!!!!! Hopefully they will turn up soon.

It is 42 and rainy and everything is slick as glass. But it is supposed to snow in the next day or two so all this yukky brown slush and ice will get covered up with a pretty new blanket of snow. The new squirrel preventers are working like a charm 4" x 5' sheet metal heating duct material. They cannot get their little fingernails into it and cannot wrap their arms the 4" width...yippee... nothing makes me smile more than a yard of frustrated squirrels.

February 3rd 2009

2009-02-03T17:29:00.001-08:00

We did eat at "Carlos O'Kelly's" this year and the food was excellent. When it said it was hot it was really really hot. Made Mark's eyes water and that is how he likes it...and yes, there is a Carlos O"Kelly.

This is Ken and Joan, he is 70 and she is 60 and they won the dance contest two years in a row. They are such a joy to watch together, they are so cute! We had a wonderful time at the 50th anniversary of the Winter Dance Party, our favorite act for the three days was John Mueller's Winter Dance Party...they were so good! We think we might go to Green Bay next year which is a weekend earlier but closer and shorter. Would like to see Clear Lake/Mason City in the summer!

Found the best quilt shop, Country Threads in Garner, they were the very first shop on the cover of the Quilt Sampler Magazine in 1995, kool huh. Was really a great place and they have quilt camp in the winter time.

Need to get into the sewing room tomorrow. It has taken me two days to get the laundry done and put away and just resting after the grueling weekend.

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

2009-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

Not much going on...stayed home this weekend to get some things done before we go off to Iowa next week. Its the 50th anniversary Winter Dance Party...50 years since Buddy Holly died. Me and Mark have so much fun on our road trips and he is hoping to be layed off when we return. He will collect unemployment and do projects around here...like a complete kitchen remodel with travel sprinkled in there. We are going to be going to Austin to see Bernie and Mary and then up or over to Salt Lake City to see my beautiful Max and Aimee. If I see Elton, I will see him but I am not sure if I will seek him out. I dont want any trauma on my trip. It is still pretty darn cold. -10 all day long but at least the sun was out today and made it more bearable. The birds are very active eating up all the black seed in the feeders. Hope to post more later in the week.

jan 17....birdies....

2009-01-17T08:50:00.001-08:00

It is really snowing this morning and the purple house finches and golden finches are hitting the feeder heavily. This one used to have just bird seed but it just rotted with no takers. We cleaned it out and filled with oily black sun flower seed and these little guys will have this feeder empty by tomorrow. We are going to a Tech hockey game for my birthday. We could by Keweena Bay and stop by Portage quilt shop, where there is a sale OR go thru the village of South Range where they have this really awesome shop, etc. etc..... we are going thru South Range. Its my birthday and we are going to have a great time snow or no snow! Hope everyone has a greatweekend.

Friday January 16th

2009-01-15T22:33:00.000-08:00

Mark sees Tori trying to hand feed the birds one last time, it is like she doesn't want to leave.

She would announce, "we're in the village of Alpha boyzzzzzzz". Don't know why, but it sounded so cute. We would go to the Alpha General Store to buy our milk, I have a milk card and they stamp it every time you buy a 1/2 gallon or more and after 10 you get one free! It is a really pretty drive between my house and Alpha. We would drive it everyday hoping to see deer or birds or turkeys or fox.

Here we are at the air port...Tori is the only one truly happy. This gets her one week closer to going home to daddy! We had so much fun and are really hoping we get her for two weeks this summer. She wants to come in th summer time, she could see the possibilities. She will have so much fun! I miss my Tori so much!

jan 8

2009-01-08T22:03:00.000-08:00

I did it! I made Tori her wizard robe from a crummy little sketch in her wizard book. It is made of two layers...the first a filmy forresty fabric and the slip is a dark forrest green taffeta type satin stuff. I sewed them as one...rightsides together...nightmare...struggle...gasp...but I got it done and she absolutely loves it. The best thing she has gotten since she came to the UP she says. She only has on her wizard robe and socks and is running up and down this long path laughing with her hair flowing in the wind. I couldn't get her to come in. She said the magic in the robe was keeping her warm...I finally got her in the house. I had to draw up a facing for around the neck. I will sketch out a pattern tomattow. I want to make her a soft linen type one I can embroider on with possibly a large hood or a cape with a hood to go along with it. I am so happy I got it done, such little things make her so happy. We leave for Chicago tomattow morning......

January 7th Our trip to Marquette on Jan 2nd

2009-01-07T21:27:00.001-08:00

We are at da Tourist Trap in Ishpaming, it was early yet and the wind was brisk and it was cold, hence the look. But BigGus does run...kool huh?

Later in the day, sun was out and was georgeous. They didnt plow or clear the walk way to or in this little playground but that didn't stop Tori. It was at Cinder Cove Marina in Marquette. She really had a good time. I cannot believe how much she loves the snow!

Sitting on a log at the beach of Lake Superior, she kept calling it the ocean. Couldn't grasp the idea of a lake this big. You can see the storm gathering out on the lake. This was at the beginning of Presq Isle Park. I cannot believe they dont plow the roads thru that park, would have been a very lovely drive. Oh well....

I cannot believe we leave for Chicago early Friday morning. We will stay in a hotel in Kenosha at the border of Wisconcin and Illinois. Less of a drive for her Saturday and she has a 4.5 hour plane ride to Los Angeles and then a 2 hour drive to San Diego. I am really gonna miss my bunnyduck. I started to cry today and am gettng a little bit depressed. I will hang in there and keep it together until after she leaves and then I am gonna have me a good cry. We have had a really good time thou and so thankful for this time together.

Marquette with Tori

2009-01-02T16:42:00.001-08:00

My beautiful Victoria...she has been running around in the snow and she has color in her cheeks. We had a fun day but all three of us are totally pooped out. We were going to go to the "bridge" tomarrow but there is a severe storm watch until Sunday night starting tomarrow evening. We would of probably got caught in some nasty weather on our way back. We will save it for a summer adventure with her on her next visit. Isn't she beautiful?

She kept calling this the ocean and Mark would get all snappy and say, it is Lake Superior, it has nothing to do with the ocean. She was impressed, the wind is blowing and it is very cold at the moment this picture was taken.

This is the largest running chain saw in the world. It was even colder at this moment. But she was a champ and slogged through the snow so Mark could get her picture. I stayed on the plowed area. He took this for her dad, Mikko. We are going to Iron Mountain in the morning to pick up stuff for Mark to put new vanity in bathroom with shelves on both sides.

December 26th

2008-12-26T07:57:00.000-08:00

I did all these photos opposite, oh well. this was in the mail from "daddy". He made Tori this beautiful milo (rare hawaiian hard wood, sells by the pound not board of linerar foot). The hair is absolutely scarry. Spent hours this a.m. brushing out and braiding...she says this does not happen on Kauai...guess it is so dry here or something.

Off to the mail box...wonder if there is any goodie for Tori from her daddy. Snow Snow Snow

Tori collects porcelin dolls, this is her third. I got at a thrift shop for her. She is quite lovely. I will box up all her Christmas stuff and mail back to Hawaii. Doesn't need to go to California and get lost.....ah.....that hair!!!!!!!!!!!

The walk was about a mile in deep snow but was weel worth it. Now we want to go when the spring flood is on. There is a very nice fenced in board walk after you get to parking lot. Needless to say, they didn't plow the road down to the parking lot.....

Here we are at the top of the road at Bond Falls. The first thing Tori did was flop in the snow, she only is wearing jeans, not her snow suit. She is wearing my old sukuluki...she will take back to Kauai with her. She loves it! She loves the snow! Maybe when she gets a little older she will want to come back to ski.

The weather is funky today, about 22 with light misty rain, with more rain to come before it starts to rain sleet and then more snow. We are going to Iron Mountain cause Mark has big messy house project and he wants to get rid of us. Hopefully I can take her to a mantinee or something. More later...........

almost december!!!!!!

2008-11-29T08:19:00.000-08:00

Well here I am, finally...it started to snow a little again Thanksgiving day, just enough for Mark to shovel the walk way and path to garage.

I love the snow...it looks so much better than dead grass don't you think.

Okay, here are a dozen blocks out the 72 needed for our wow bed quilt. Isn't it amazing? I am so glad i decided to float the colors on black, and that is Kaufman kona "premium" black which I have run out of and need to order more of from e-quilter. I have all 36 of the black center ones and 6 of the colored center with a dozen more black petals pinned to color center and that is it for now. I have some other stuff I need to work on anyway. But I have really enjoyed working on this one. I have some neat ideas for the quilting too.

This is a thread painting I started in the summer of 2002 and finished it 2 weeks ago. I am just going to stretch it and frame it. Turned out okay. This is all free motion straight stitch with feed dogs down.

These two wall hangings are from that Love Is book. They were really fun to do. Christmas gifts I think.

This is another hand embroidery I made for a Christmas gift. I just got into this hand embroidery jag. I really enjoyed myself. I want to do more. In fact, I have one I really love but need a bunch of DMC pearl cotton and they don't sell around here. Maybe the Ben Franklin up in Marquette does...more like a really nice quilt/craft shop than any Ben Franklin I have been in. No flat fold at this place.

In two weeks we will be driving down to Chicago to spend the day/night with Libby for her 21st birthday and then the next day........Victoria!!!!! I am so darn excited! I know it is going to be alot of work. I haven't taken care of an 8 year old kid for a very long time but I have been collecting projects and maybe, me and Tori will go to Marquette on our own, they have a Micheal's there...craft heaven...and pick some stuff up. Just looking through that place should tucker both of us out. I have to do all her Christmas shopping (her daddy will send me the money he would of spent on her) I haven't a clue! I haven't been with her for almost two years and she has grown and changed a bit. I think I will tell her we are going "window shopping" so she can help Santa out on what he might be getting her. So much to do and running out of time. Our guild Christmas party is Thursday night (making my turkey enchiladas) I am making some cute pressies for the active members...the ones who totally bust it out for all the charity projects we do. There is this one cute ol gal, i asked if anyone wanted to make Christmas stockings for the troops...i got info from a list I belong to...well, on her own she made 32!!!! Well, I better scoot and get in gear. Have a great weekend everybody!

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2008-11-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

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Okay, Dana at Old Red Barn is giving away, three, I tell you three very lovely quilts. Just go to her blog and make a comment and you could win one of these lovelies.

Monday November 10th

2008-11-10T00:18:00.000-08:00

Well, no photo today, camera is being cleaned and repaired. Should be home in less than a week or so. I sure do miss that thing, I guess I took way more photos than I thought. But, it is snowing, snowing and more snow. I thought it was just going to be a couple more days of light dusting but it hasnt stopped snowing since last night. Only a couple of days of none snow and then more snow. I really wanted to get all the leaves out of the yard....at least they are in big piles.

I have been doing some hand embroidery for Christmas gifts, finishing up old projects. One was a thread painting of a yellow hibiscus I started on Kauai in 2002 and I just finished it Thursday. It was fun, I think I am going to design a new floral one to thread paint. Mark likes them...just straight stitch free motion sewing. I use polyester embroidery thread, can never remember the maker...not the ususal ones you hear about but I really love there product.

Really need to get some quilts done before guests start arriving...cannot have them keeping us awake with their chattering teeth... :-) Looks like winter is here. The hunters will be happy with the snow, opening day is on Saturday.

Will blog latter on in the week. Hope everyone is well and keeping safe. Aloha nui loa....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2008-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is what I woke up to, it is 7:30 a.m.

Little bit later, the backyard off deck.

It is now about 1:00p.m. and there is a bit more snow and you can see the snow flying.

More snow flying. When I came home from guild meeting the most snow was still up here in da tobin, and it is still snowing. At least it is not sticking to the streets yet but there are some scarry icey places out there in the yard...especially the deck.

October 26 2008

2008-10-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

That is a black rug and that is NOT salt it is HAIL!!!! I was out raking leaves and it started to rain and by the time I got into the house it was a bit chunky. We are supposed to get 2-4" of snow tonight and another 1-2" tomarrow. I have a guild meeting tomarrow night, hope it doesn't snow and the roads aren't icey...I am not a very good driver under those kind of conditions.

You have heard me rant about "Wool Pets"...well here are my first two at temps. That is a piece of my hand dye in the background....anyway...the bumblebee turned out great and so did the lady bug. They do take a bit of working, but I found tucking the wool in places and then poke poke poking did alot to help shape. I need to find those rare earth magnets so I can glue on bottom and hide with more wool. Then I can put on my fridge :-) One of my black kitties is here too...the eyes, nose and mouth are needle felted (free hand). I have one totally made and several others tacked to this board waiting for completion.

Glenna of Quilts n Things designs her own patterns and this is "Pansies", the one I did for her shop using two batiks she picked out (the background and large border print) all the rest is my hand dyes. I made two and this is the one Mark liked, so it now hangs in our bedroom. This type of hand dye works great for applique because of the mottled mix of colors and shades. I really like it. I had so much fun I did another one.........

I thought the grapes were appropriate since a picked a bunch of them to make grape jam. Only the brown and purple are my hand dyes but if you enlarge the photo, the green is from the packet of goodies I got from Cinnamongirl93...thanks Barb...when I saw this fabric I just grabbed it, took it upstairs and started cuttin away, it worked out great! This hangs in the hallway just before the bathroom upstairs.

I am finishing up about three months of a nine patch exchange I belong to. I usually do several months at a time. It would be good to do it monthly but I always seem to find something else to do. I was down in the basement looking for something and my gammill was glaring at me. Poor Mark probably wonders why he spent so much money for the upgrade and repair...I know I know, I really need to get quilting. I just have to piece the backing for Libby's quilt and then I will quilt that one. I cannot wait to see it finished. I want to get some thread from Signature...it is called Lava....red and black...the quilt is red and black batiks with a kona cotton black. We will be taking it down to Libby on December 14th when we go and pick up Victoria. We are going down the day before, take Libby out to dinner for her birthday even thou we will be a week early. She turns the big 21!!! She will probably have a drink since she has had a fake id for three years...kids! :-) I better get back to sewing before I poop out. I have to help Mark make the manacotti for dinner. I mix the grated cheese, ricotta and sauce in my kitchen aide and then I got a pastry bag and large tip to fill with...I was using just a cone I made from wax paper. It will be so yummy.......

October 20, 2008

2008-10-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Another week blown by....as you can see, the leaves have blown out of the trees too! Hard to believe that just three weeks ago they were green and just starting to change. We went to Escanaba yesterday, thought maybe they would have more leaves over there but it rained real hard for three days and washed all the leaves off the trees. Did go to Glenna's Quilts n Things, they had a big shop hop but nobody wanted to go with me, so I got Mark to go to Escanaba, a nice Sunday drive. I delivered a wall hanging that I did out of her pattern, two batiks she picked out and the rest was my hand dyes. Turned out really nice. I made two, one for me and one for her, I let Mark pick out the one he liked. Will photo tommarow and post. Glenna was happy with what I had done and she has my hand dyes displayed way better now, looks like she sold about half.

Look what arrived in the mail today from CinnamonGirl!!!! I totally forgot, lucky me, and it was a welcome surprise on this cloudy and cold afternoon. 4 very nice fqs; pretty note cards and yummy......chocolate...dark with blueberry; cherry; and almond ... that is, three different bar flavors. Have to hide from Mark. Will take up to sewing room...ya know...when I need that boost of energy when I am up there slaving away! :-)

Lastly, Mark said he wanted indoor plants this year. I love plants and in Hawaii didn't have to bother to bring them indoors. But it adds a bit of color and warmth. This is just the start I do believe. From left to right...snap dragons, petunias and the two smaller pots are HOT peppers. I dont know what kind, a friend gave to me. They do have pretty little purple flowers though. I am going to get some full spectrum light bulbs for my pole lamp and am going to start to grow another pot of flowers and see what happens. Maybe I will pick up a couple of miniature roses and put in a decorative pot. I absolutely love roses and have always grown them, but I think they would be such a challenge up here, so the small ones will do for now. There are such other beautiful flowers and plants to grow! The sun is out! Of course it is 4:30 and 39 outside....it is supposed to get down to 29 tonight and it has been raining=snow?!! When I looked up the extended forcast for this area, they had the first "scattered snow showers" sometime latter in the week. SNOW!!!!! I need new tires!

I got the greatest book last week, "Wool Pets". I ordered a kit for "Ski Sheep" but do believe I will attempt the bumblee bees and lady bugs first. They are so darn cute and will make killer Christmas ornaments and great gifts. I am addicted to wool pets and I love her blog! Check her out!

October 13, 2008

2008-10-13T10:50:00.001-07:00

Another Monday, another week and with the wind blowing, these leaves will be gone fast! But today and yesterday it is/was in the 70's. Yesterday not a hint of wind and today it is a nice brisk breeze, warm. This will not last, a friend said we are supposed to get snow this week from some big storm. It won't stick, but snow already?!! I am going to have to check out the weather page I use.

I wish I would of taken this photo last evening. With the setting sun shining on this maple it literally vibrated with color. There is this pink/orange the leaves change to...before they turn red. I don't know what color it actually is but I love it!

I made another batch of concord grape jam last night between homemade enchiladas. Yes they were scrumptious! and........I have in the freezer two more dinners. If I am going to make enchiladas, I am making enough for several meals. This jam really turned out great! I gave two jars to a friend of mine, and her son and his girlfriend ate almost an entire jar Saturday morning for breakfast on their toast.

This Thursday there is a shop hop....Gladstone, Escanaba, Minominee, Mareinette, Oconto Falls and Crevitz. I have allotted myself $100...hopefully I will come home with $ and maybe one or two nice things. This year they are giving out 2 first prizes...$50 gift certificate and $50 gas card. Same with second place...but $25. Shows you how they know how hard times are and the gas card would come in handy. The gas prices have really dipped here...yesterday in Iron Mountain $3.24 and down the hill it is $3.39 and $3.37. I am glad my car gets from 33-35 mpg...I love my little Ford Focus wagon...wonder why they quit making them...if it is a bad reason I don't want to know.

Now it is upstairs to sew. Have a great week!

October 6th 2008

2008-10-06T10:55:00.001-07:00

It's another Monday and I cannot believe it! It is about 46 outside right now. We had three really bad frosts this past week...buy buy to Mark's peppers. I had him bring in my pots of snap dragons and green peppers. They are back on the porch for now doing well.

Isn't this pretty...if you enlarge you can really see the fence...just up the road from our house. I think it would make a lovely quilted wall hanging.

Okay, you really have to enlarge this one to see the bald eagle. We were driving along and there were many many eagles in the sky. We saw this dirt road and turned into a sand quarry and yep, dead dear, before this shot there were lots of bald eagles mature and immature; turkey vultures; ravens...as we walked closer this was the only one who held his ground and then we got too close and off he went. I wanted to park in this little side place in the shade of the trees. I believe it was far enough away they wouldnt feel threatened but Mark is so freaking impatient that he just drove away...creep... :-(

Finally made it to Ewen and Richard and Kimberly and SweetPea were home. Sheri was out working like usual...hardly ever see that gal! We did walk down to where she was working before we left for a quick visit. Was very nice to see her, looks like she has lost more weight, she looks great, a little tired but great! After a nice visit, Richard brings out his old gun and since Mark has never fired it, off to a rock quarry for some target shooting. Mark hit the target his second shot...went right through 1/4 steel...pretty scarry. The dog didn't like at all and begged to come into car with me. She sat quietly behind my seat for the rest of the shooting. The guys had a grand time of it!

and finally....I picked some concord grapes at my friend, Rebecca's house on Thursday...about half or more of a large brown paper grocery bad. The first half are in the bowl (that is the largest mixing bowl tupperware makes by the way) and now the sink is over half full with more grapes. It took several hours to pick them all off the stems and disgard the old ones and stuff. I am going to put them through my juicemanII...it gives me the juice, about half the skins and spits the seeds and everything else out the back...works perfect. I think removing the grapes from the stems is the most tiring and time consuming part of the deal. But nothing tastes quite as good as fresh homemade concord grape jam...welshes doesn't even come close!

I have all my blocks cut out for my new WOW quilt. It will be about 72" x 108"...it will acutally be a bit larger since I will add the half blocks all the way around so it will have a scalloped edge. It took all of my hand dyed fqs I had...took one fq for each 12" block...I have a queen size sheet set zippered bag full of scrapes now...which will force me into applique, by machine of course :-) Still working on the 6", that one will take awhile to finish but when it is completed it will be a real stunner for sure. Better get to the juicing of the grapes.

September 29 2008

2008-09-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Another week gone by and the leaves are turning fast! Last Friday was georgous, so we planned a drive up north a bit on Saturday to go to Bond Falls and also to photograph the changing leaves and wham!!! Losey day! and yesterday wasnt much better but at least Mark had planned to watch football all day.

I started a new quilt for our bed using 12" WOW blocks...they sure are big and go alot faster. I am only using my hand dyes from my stash and each block takes about a fq...I have started a scrap bag because some of the left overs were just too big to throw away...now I will have to do an applique or two or three. I have one big pile to iron and then cut out today and then the fun starts. I am just going to slap them together and see what happens. I was concerned about the background maybe not all being the same but Mark has really encourage me on this one. Not so sure if he really believes I can pull it off or just wants that new quilt with a wool batting on the bed real soon.

It is supposed to be pretty darn nippy this week and next week doesnt look that much better. If the sun comes out it makes all the difference in the world. Still cold but somehow the sun makes it seem less ominous :-) Have a great week everyone!

Fall is here

2008-09-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe but here we are again. I will take a photo off my front porch every Monday morning to show you the change. This is a tree tunnel that is about 1/4 mile long. It is also the place where the neighbor parks his trucks and stuff but the path is mostly for walking and maybe an atv or two. I absolutely love this time of year. Alot of people in this neighborhood use wood burning stoves so they are just starting to light them...the smell of that first wood fire up the chimeny. We will be going up north sometime where they have a sort of apple harvest festival and lots of fresh cider and pies...yummm...used to drive up to Julian(in California, was devestated by fires) for the fall apple harvest. You could smell the apple pies a miles or two outside of town. Must of driven the wild critters nuts! :-)

I am on my way back down to the basement to cut the last six yards of fabric...I am only going to dye 6 tubes (18 yards) for my class. I dont think eveyone wants to use hand dyes. I will be taking them up to Marquette tomarrow after my dr. appointment up there. If by chance they want more, will bring with me on Friday. Maybe I will photograph the pressed stash before I take up with me. Then I have a guild meeting tonight. Yikes! This week is just slammed. Well, I better get down there and start dyeing.....

cloudy sunday

2008-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

I know these look huge, but they are actually snapdragons...very pretty. Mark said he liked them, I planted them a little late, from seeds, in large planter and these are the first blossoms. Looks like they will bloom one spike at a time, so we will have snapdragons in the kitchen for awhile.

This is my second batch of home made "suet" althou I made with lard. It is a great receipe and I make from stuff I get for free...base is lard and peanut butter and the birds seem to love it. I have two feeders and they empty them about every other day. As soon as the grackles leave, it will slow down, but with the cost of suet going up like everything else I prefer to make my own.

I cannot believe these babies are still going strong. They get hit with almost freezing temps and die away and then come back. Its a nice splash of color in the yard. I wonder if I brought them in the house if they would survive or are they just short lived.

These are Marks Hungarian Wax Peppers. He thought they would be mild like the banana type but nooooooo....they have quite a nice kick to them. Of course nothing like the little Thai ones. I am already planning out next years garden. It is going to be way bigger. Going to really straighten out the raspberry patch this fall and remove a few rows. It is fun getting to plan ahead for the "spring" planting. Hopefully next spring/summer will be a bit warmer. I did enjoy the cooler summer but it didnt help with the growth of the veggies. Mark made the best spagetti sauce with veggies all from the garden except for the two cans of tomatoe paste. We discovered if we use his tomatoes need extra paste or the sauce is to thin. Anyway, it was excellent!

I am going upstairs to finish up Victoria's outfit...just the little jacket left. I need to shorten the pinafore...I accidently cut the dress a little too short so it is shorter than the pinafore...easy fix. Will photo after I am done. Hope everyone has a great week!

blueberries........

2008-08-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well.....I am done making blueberry jam for this year! Now the anxious wait starts. I know the jam will set, cause it is way thicker than when I took out of hot bath but ya never know. The first batch yielded 7 1/2 pints (half of the berries for this batch came from our little patch in the back yard) and the second 3 pints. I am very pleased. :-)

Now I need to go upstairs and start quilting the sample for the WOW classes I will be teaching up in Marquette the last weekend of September. It is all pin basted and ready to go, so all I need to do is get up there and start quilting. I still need to cut out and do the bias binding. Then on Saturday we will drive up to Marquette, maybe take the long way around through Lanse, along Lake Superior. Have to see how I feel Saturday morning. I also need to put together the supply list for the class.

I got to talk to Victoria yesterday, so sweet. We always talk about what we will do when she comes this winter. We will be making raspberry jam this winter. I am hoping the township decides to flood the ice skating pond at the bottom of Ski Hill Road. Last year they didn't because they said it cost too much. Give me a break...my water bill is only $25/month and I am a water pig. Maybe have to start bugging them and get other people to do so also.

Well.....time to go upstairs. Boy! I sure do miss my camera! That is another thing I will be getting back on Saturday, my camera. I still cannot believe I left it up there. Duh....
Happy Trails

just another Sunday..........

2008-08-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

Took the neatest class yesterday! A friend, Karen from Pembine; and myself drove up to Marquette and took a silk "paper" class. Why they call it paper I don't know since there is only 100% silk fibre used, diluted dish soap and Jones Sonja's...which holds it all together. It was so much fun and I have four beautiful pieces of silk to play with. As I was painting the sonja's on the last piece I was doing yesterday I thought how kool it would be to make a really beautiful piece for Libby (Mark's artist daughter) and sending it to her and seeing what she does with it.

The weather is cold as usual...barely 50 again! Friday night was absolutely miserable, I thought I could not breath it was so warm and stuffy...and then it is cold again, Mark doesn't like an open window above his head and he insists on sleeping on that side of the bed...something has to change :-)

I would of posted a photo but I left my camera at class. I will go back up on Tuesday...a long drive but I will drop off class sample for the Wheels of Mystery classes I will be giving at the end of September...two classes of 6. I made the sample with the 9" block...I decided the 6" might be a bit of a challenge for the first time. I have to quilt today/tomarrow. I also asked Kat if she would mind if I put together fabric pacs to make the top in my hand dyes...she said yes. Yipee! If both classes are full and I sell kits should give me some spending money on our trip to Texas, which we have had to postpone to October. When I get my camera back will post photo of 9" sampler and silk.

Better get back to work. I have lots to do. Hope everyone has a great day and upcoming week! Aloha nui loa............

flowers

2008-08-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

These are the flowers Mark picked for me last week...arent they pretty? It seems more flowers bloom every week. It amazes me all the wild flowers around here and that Mark likes to pick them for me :-)

It's an 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is ... Mark's first Thai pepper...when we bought at Wal-Mart there where red signs all over the pots and display that this was a very hot pepper. Okay.........

As you can see, it is quite small...but as it turns out, this one is not even fully ripe...there are some ripe ones on the bush and they are fire engine red!

He takes the bite and.............

Ah..........is it hot dear? Can you talk dear? Are you okay?

Still no comment, but some sounds are coming from his body. He did dance around a bit too.

Now he is trying to get air in the mix...doesnt oxygen promote fire?!! Needless to say, on the pepper scale of 1-10 (there is one ya know) Mark states this little Thai gem is a full 11! His eyes waters for quite awhile. He can't wait to harvest more the maniac :-)

Wooktick Jamboree and Rainbows too!

2008-08-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Our campsite at the Tick...couple really good bluegrass groups and some pretty terrible stuff too. This is my first time camping in da UP, or anywhere for that matter in a real long time. My little station wagon really can pull the load. We had a good time.

This was actually the biggest brightest rainbow since I've been in da UP. It was almost gone before most people noticed it. As Kauai rainbows go, this one was maybe a 7. It actually doubled! The night before, Friday, sever cloud to ground lightning and thunderstorm warnings and they had a tornado in Escanaba which was only about 20 miles away. It also rained but we kept quite dry in tent. Then it got really clear and very very cold...probably down to low 40s that night.

My Bobanjo and "tubaman". This guy was real cute, gotta be over 70. He would walk around asking to jam with people and then he'd say, okay, let me go to my truck and get my "tuba"?!! a different kind of "bass" instrument to say the least. We had a couple guitars plus this guy for awhile and got quite a crowd. We had a good time at the tick and will probably go next year but it was good to get home.

This week I will be sewing for Victoria. I have several outfits I want to make, of course I will take photos and post. I decided to freeze all the raspberries I harvested this year, and me and Victoria will make jam together this winter. Plus, it is kinda warm to make jam, well, not today but it makes the house pretty hot and humid. Can use both this winter.

Bobanjo and Tubaman at Woodtick

2008-08-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

This old dude was walking around and came up to Mark when he was playing and asked if they could jam, well yeah...let me go get my "tuba" from my truck. Tuba?!! Well, Mark has never jammed with a guy playing a tuba before and it kinda works. They played together for an hour or so, it was great. He is getting a band together...the tuba and about 12 guitars...should be interesting if nothing else. :-) Sorry video is not so sharp but I was "inside" the tent. Enjoy!

acorns

2008-07-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we drove all the way up to the Porkypine (i know i spelt that wrong, my brain is fried) mountains and they had this great boardwalk (300') to the look out for Lake in the Clouds. It was so beautiful and there was an oak tree that had this acorns. Mark says oak dont grow alot up here but it was neat to see one. Anyway, was a very nice day.

Dana is giving away another quilt!!!!!

2008-07-16T04:01:00.001-07:00

Our friend, Dana, at Old Red Barn Company, is giving a way the most incredible quilt! I want it! I want it! But I will share this with you cause I am soooo nice plus I want those extra chances :-) You need to go to her blog....oldredbarnco.blogspot.com and make a comment. She also tells you how you can get more chances to win. Good luck everyone, but I think I need it here up in da cold UP. Summer? what summer?

its 52

2008-07-16T03:37:00.001-07:00

Just a couple shots of another new wild flower in the fairy circle. It continues to change and bloom with new colors all the time. This fall when we divide all the bulbs I think we will make a little bigger and add a bit more color. It is a little after 5a.m. and I am enjoying the quiet. The birds are singing and very pleasant.

I finished up another sample top of WOW. This time I used two batiks, the same but one in red/pink and the other blue...they both had very small white dots. I used the 9" block and it felt strange using such large pieces after doing the 6" block for so long. I did design with scalloped borders. Today at the stitch and bitch group will pin baste to quilt and then I will bind with some wonderful binding I made with a handdye I made recently. I will post photos of the completed 9" WOW and the 6" WOW table runner/wall hanging. Tomarrow diffenately down to the basement and work with me gammill. Big Smile!

its here................

2008-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

My gammill is finally home again! It got serviced, a bigger bobbin, laser pointer for following those pantograms and a new 12' table! On the way out, this bad boy took out our telephone/dsl wire...got everything back by 5.30p.m. (it is about 7:30a.m. in photo)

Here are three crates. The one up front is table top frame, top and rollers. The smallest is actually the gammill head and the crate on the hand truck has the legs and other stuff in it.

It took quite a bit of time and muscle to get this sucker open! Then everything has to be lugged around the house into the back and through the opened panel (remember where the snake was) well, that place. And, then, without any instruction or prior experience he got this baby put together. I will take a photo or two of it installed in the basedment. Happy Dance! Happy Happy Joy Joy Happy Happy Joy Joy

fourth and wild flowers

2008-07-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is the path that Mark mows so I can take a nice walk through the apple orchard, into the wood and to the power line trail. The wild flowers are amazing! Tons of raspberries disbursed from our patch by the birds.

Here are some of the flowers we picked today. There is some Queen Anne's Lace; daisies; Indian Paint Brush; sweet clover; buttercups and some stuff we dont know. I want to get a field quide to Michigan's wild flowers. They are sitting in the center of an old glass radar table I got years ago when Mike (late husband) worked at PMRF (pacific missle range facility). Makes a great table and we always put the Christmas tree up on it too.

We are having a very quiet fourth around here. I talked with Victoria this morning. I miss her so much! She would have had such a great time here this summer. Oh well, have to be happy with the thought she will be spending a month her for her Christmas break. Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!

dyefest :-)

2008-06-29T07:06:00.001-07:00

Gave my firtst dye class on Thursday, June 26th and was very successful and everbody had a great time! Here are Carol and Linda showing off a few first pieces. Mark custom fitted out part of my basement for a dedicated dye area and it worked out great!

Karen is back at the sink lightly rinsing the fabric, this is the first time I let the washer do the bulk of the rinsing before washing. What a huge difference. Carol is on her way to go hang the fabric on the line. I taught "tube dyeing".

Another shot of Karen at the sink...but look at all the fabric in the buckets just waiting to be washed...5 gals dyed 100 yards. I only dyed a few...mainly as demo...I spend the rest of the time teaching and helping out and keeping the dye and soda ash solution flowing.

I love these type of shots, the lines filled with lots of color. We filled the lines twice and dried the rest in the dryer. Everyone left with washed, dried and folded fabric. We had a potluck with grilled hot dogs and brats for lunch and then they went out and got two big pizzas for dinner. It was a great day. I cannot wait to see what they do with the fabric.

Tomarrow I am going to do a bit of dyeing for myself plus finish up a sample I am working on to take to Quilts 'n Stuff in Escanaba on Tuesday. I did a Wheels of Wonder tablerunner/wall hanging. Will take photo when it is done and post. Well, I better get back upstairs and back to work.

Doreen's Quilts at Off Center Studios

2008-06-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just got a message from Megan inviting me to the opening of a show of Doreen's quilts. I am stoked! Megan and Matti will be flying in from San Franciso too. I am happy to be able to see Megan again and excited about finally meeting Matti. It's a four and half hour drive but should be well worth it, plus we can go the distance to Stevensville on Saturday and pick up my gammill. Yipee! I havent discussed this with Mark yet, but I think it is a go! If any of you can rally and go, it should be a wonderful event. Boy! Do I miss Doreen!

YIKES!!!!!!

2008-06-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

I was happily making my way down to the basement, which is now part dye studio. As I grabbed the 2 x 4 for support I heard this "hissing". I looked up from a few steps below and HOLLY GUACAMOLE!!!! it's a freaken snake. I called for Mark, who was in kitchen...Mark, there is a snake. Yeah right! No really, please come look and make it go away...pleaseeeeeeee

Access panel removed so you can get better look of what I had just brushed past.

Here, Mark is preparing to remove this beastie with my kitchen tongs...yuk...he has already pried him out of his snug little space. Be gone snake!

My hero! Destroyer of all things creepy and crawlie. Normally I don't mind snakes...but not on the way to my dye studio! Alas, this snake is now in snake heaven...don't want a pine snake making its home in yours or else you get lots and lots of baby pine snakes who, in turn will make more baby snakes.......

You can bet the ladies who will be arriving at around 9 a.m. tomarrow will be very, very glad this dude (or dudette) is gone! :-)

from my sweetie

2008-06-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Mark got home a little early today and when he pushed the door open, he was carrying these. I have heard about Lupine for years but have never seen them. Aren't they gorgeous?!! and don't you just love the impromtu vase he made out of an empty 40 he had in his car? He says there is a huge field of these growing wild along the back parking lot where he works. I want to dig a bunch up this fall and plant in my yard. I have to go to Iron River on Thursday for my physical therapy evalutation, so I will bring my camera and take a few photos. He told me to put in a "real" vase but I like this one better. :-)

Fence and Flowers

2008-06-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

This is the other fence Mark built this weekend...one more 2x4 to be added underneath the panel closest to house. I am going to buy some lilac bushes Wednesday at HomeDepot...I will keep them smaller bushes to hide gap. I will now have to access the garage via back door but worth keep nosey old guy out of yard...I think he has even been in our house when we are gone, now we lock the door now matter how soon will be back. Plus, I like the idea of a litte privacy from the road and yep...keep them pesky deer out. The weekend was beautiful and warm and today cloudy and down to 50 again...oh well...Oh! I finished these really darling pin cushions Saturday night, I will take photos of them and post them next time. :-)

This is a very cool wreath I got from a friend on Kauai. Carolyn built a house on the lot next door to us years ago. When she got married, she sold it so, if she and her husband got in a fight there wasnt a convient place to run "home" to...big mistake on her part...anyway. This hung on the inside of her kitchen door, I loved it and the bell sound it made whenever you came in. When she was moving I commented once again how much I liked it. She smiled at me and handed it to me and said take it...someone gave to me, now I am giving to you. For years it just hung on the wall in my studio and then here it was in a box. I had Mark hang it on the inside of our gate...I love it!

Another photo from when Max was in Mexico...I think he is so cute!!! Aimee called this "chillin"

I call this my "fairy circle". I thought they were they glads I planted last year, I guess they died but these iris sure did a number underground this past winter. I also love how they multiply in a circle...the circle is complete this year. Last year they were a bit patchy. I planted the marigolds and there are also asiatic lilies plus some other stuff I have no idea what they are until they bloom...always a surprise. In the background, you can see where Mark pulled the fence to the house. You cannot even tell this is not the way the fence was installed. That should keep the deer out!:-)

Talk about cute!!!!

2008-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

I just couldnt help myself here...tell, me you could! I was going to buy this other fabric and when I saw this stuff...well, my boat was sunk. The look on Mark's face was precious when I put this in the back of the car..."more fabric?!!" he asks...yes dear. The sample of the front of the pattern is the original fabrics and I will add this stuff, not this first big one though unless I buy more for one of the borders or something. It is a little too big to go with the rest of fit the pattern pieces. I just love it!

I am still hoping I will get to see Victoria this summer. Maybe I will fl...fl...fl...fly to San Diego to see her. Bet that would surprise everybody. I just cannot wait until next December. I wish they would let her come here. It is so beautiful in the summer and Mark had some really fun things planned. We will see, by the end of the visit her mother may agree to a little visit with nana...one can only hope!

Kool

2008-06-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

You have to admit, Max IS pretty KOOL! I just love the hair! He went to Mexico in May with his mommy, Aimee, and family. He really had a good time but he did not like the "sand" at all. Today was the first day that was nice, was humid but around 80. It is still light out, about quarter to nine and the temp has dropped 20 degrees. We are having lots and lots of wind and major thunderstorms...they say we may get big hail...i hope not. Most of the apple blossoms have been blown off the trees and I don't want my raspberries to get pummeled. It sure has been a wierd year weather wise folks say around here. I've heard we are going form winter to fall...ha ha ha.
We are hoping to get a little gardening in tomarrow. Plant the onion sets, "hot" peppers, and tomatoes. I am awaiting more blueberry plants and garlic from Gurneys. Can't wait!
I went to Jeri's Patchwork today and bought more fqs for a quilt I want to do. She puts together the most amazing 18 fq bundles...they are to dye for :-) Now, they are always on sale for $26, I was just going to buy another bundle of the same but she had packaged up 18 fqs with the pattern stuffed in the cutest felt basket wrapped in cellophane with a pink bow, all for just $30, how could i not get it!...the new fqs will go great with the ones I originally bought for this project. I cannot wait to start, but Mark gives me a rash since I already have a bunch of unfinished projects in various stages in my sewing room...if he only knew the true extent of my ufos.....We have decided I should just go ahead and buy the new metal frame/stand for my gammil. It is more than I can spend at the moment but I am going to the bank on Monday and see what we can do. I will also get the big castors for an additional fee but will make moving it around in the basement way more easy. Well, I gotta go, catch ya later.......

picnic to net lake, 4-29-08

2008-05-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

When we started out this morning the sun was shining and no wind. By the time we got to the Net River the wind was blowing and cold! I wish I had gotten the photos of the chairs by the river and Mark sitting there. We did eat our lunch at the riverside but had to abandon for higher less windy ground.

Here is Mark, all bundled up, notice he is sitting closer to the car that is still putting off a little heat from the engine. In about twenty minutes he started to whine that he was too cold and we left.

Here is a beaver dam right beside the road which I thought was pretty kool. A guy came roaring up in a pickup with Indiana plates, gets out and sets a minnow trap, for bait i guess. We saw some fish that Mark thought were pretty good size. Gee, they wouldnt even be bait fish where I come from. Anyway, I thought the whold think was great. You get to see so much neat animal stuff here. And then this has to be one of the koolest things I saw that day. A box turtle on the side of the

road.Mark doesnt think this is a big deal, but it sure

is to me. Even though it was cold, still a good day.

I am still trying to get the hang of getting the postings and photos in order. They never look the way they do when you preview. So, the photos are switched around at the top a bit. Oh well....it has been cold and rainy all weekend so far. Poor Mark, he works 4 tens, and of course it will be warm and sunny on Monday.

I started making a sample for Quilts n Stuff in Escanaba. She is carrying my hand dyes, so I thought it would be a good idea to make a sample wall hanging with my fabric. I got ten blocks done today and will do the other fifteen tomarrow. I will quilt simply, I dont even think I will bother with a border, will just have to see how it goes. I will post photo when done.

Patiently waiting for the sun to come out and warm up above 50.

our deck

2008-05-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

The photo on the bottom was taken Friday morning...we went to town, Saturday went to town to get rest of deck stuff. Mark finished the deck yesterday early afternoon...this is him this a.m. We are going for a little drive on Rock Crusher Road, to a lake and have a picnic. It is already 60, bad thunder storm last night but clear and beautiful so far today. Hope everyone has a lovely day. I will take photos of our adventure today. Happy Trails...............

Puuleileihua

2008-05-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Puuleileihua (pooh-uh-lay-lay-who-ah) is butterfly in Hawaiian. I still need to cut the other two borders and sew them on. They will in turn get scalloped and after the quilting is done, cut and bound. I have been working on this since 1991! I took a class, sewed all the antennae on the blocks and I think completed one block, sewed and turned the wing and body parts for nine blocks and didn't touch till a couple months ago. Cut three more blocks and more body parts and this is where I am so far. Was going to give to Victoria, but the red clay on Kauai...not such a good idea plus it wouldn't really be big enough for her. So, like I posted below, she gets a light blue background. The scarry thing is her dad, Mikko, he just uses the heck out of the quilts I make him...he says, well mom, just "whip out another one". I am a bit slower these days, my days of just whipping out a quilt, or a couple pair of walk shorts or a few aloha shirts in a day are long gone. Every hand dye and print is different. They are delicate oriental prints and I wish I had bought more. It is hard to find small oriental or tropical prints. Maybe it is time to put in a call to the Kapaia Stitchery on Kauai....

AND THE WINNER IS

2008-05-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

...AND THE WINNER IS.....LIZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have won the 6 fat quarters of hand dyed fabric! Congradulations! Ah.......the butterfly block is for our guild monthy block exchange. It was my turn to come up with a block. It is on a sky blue mottled hand dye I did a long time ago. In fact, I have lots of this stuff and am going to make Victoria (Nana's girl) a bed size quilt with these blocks.
This has been fun and will probably do again, maybe with a different type of dyeing or printing...so keep checking me out :-)

I am off to Iron Mountain today to get some stuff for the deck Mark is going to build this weekend and some craft stuff for me and maybe a stop by my favorite garden center. I am bummed...I think I put out my fuchsias too soon. It is almost ten o'clock and it is only 38. It snowed Sunday morning for a couple hours...geez...am hoping I didnt kill them after all the pampering I gave them this winter. Only time will tell.

Okay Liz, I need your address info so I can send you your fabric. Everyone have a great day!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr

2008-05-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Just to let you all know I am fine...we had two lovely days of 60 and now it is 32...very light sprinkle, lucky it is not snow! Going to be wrapping up the give away shortly... you will be getting all six of the fqs whoever the lucky winner is! :-)

Mark is finishing up the basement today. He got the old oil tank out yesterday, had a major spill in the basement which he cleaned up with kitty litter and dawn. no bad smell or anything, yeah! Today finishing up the shelving and extending the countertop of sink area. I am so stoked to get my dyeing area done. Will put my fabric to be dyed in large plastic box for safe keeping down there too.

The daffodils are almost done, put my fuchsias outside, the raspberries are all leafed out...soon I must plant those hollyhocks!

Hand Dyed Fabric Give Away

2008-05-07T12:48:00.001-07:00

Here are the two fq packs I am giving away. Leave your comment here to be entered. If you mention this give away on you blog you get another chance and if you put me on your sidebar that earns you two...so, you can earn a total of 4 chances to win these lovely fabrics. They are color fast on 100% mercerized cotton and completely "hand" dyed. The group on the left is "violet to blue" and the other is "gold, magenta, purple". Good luck!

enchilada receipe

2008-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

by request, my chicken enchilada receipe. i usually do not measure so bare with me

i used:
2 8oz bricks of cojack cheese-grated
2 bunches of green onions-entire onion, thinly sliced
1 4.25 oz chopped olives-drained well
chicken...i used 2 thighs, 2 legs and about half a breast...small cubes
1 19 oz can of old el paso enchilada sauce
1 10 oz can of the above
1 dozen corn tortillas...fresh is best, refrigerated, i never use frozen ones
peanut oil

-combine first four ingredients in large bowl and mix well, set aside

-in small frying pan pour some peanut oil, heat till hot
with tongs, dip tortilla in hot oil, turning over...remove immediately and place on paper towels
*the idea here is to make tortilla pliable for when you roll it later, do not fry!!!!!
-from right to left arrange as follows:
cookie sheet of drained(ing) tortillas
shallow bowl with some enchilada sauce (use 10 oz can for this)
plate (bowl of sauce behind plate if possible)
bowl of enchilada filling
greased or buttered baking dish...i use glass
now the fun begins
*dip tortilla in sauce, lightly coating both sides, place on plate
*grab handful of filling, place on tortilla and roll...now you will learn how much you can put on tortilla and roll without it all falling out, takes a little practice
*placed filled, rolled tortilla seam side down in baking dish
*repeat until all tortillas are filled or pan is full
*i poke fingers "gently" between each enchilada before i poor 19 oz can of sauce onto enchiladas
-if you have any filling left over you can put on top...i pour sauce on enchiladas, poke with fingers between each one so sauce gets between each one. then i sprinkle remaining filling on top, drizzle a little sauce on top, cover with tin foil and place in 350 degree preheated oven and bake for about an hour...uncover for about 20 minutes...remove from oven and let rest for about 30-45 minutes to firm up...they will be way to hot to eat right out of the oven. enjoy!!!

i hope this works for you. it is very tasty and once you have made them a time or two you will adjust receipe as needed. sometimes i make 3 or 4 dozen so i just up the ingredients. usually i just make a big bowl of filling and just make as many as it makes. i have to go back and heat tortillas in oil as i run out of them, no big deal. \

if anyone tries this, let me know how it went.

enchaladas anyone

2008-05-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

I baked two chickens last night so I could make these for tonight...chicken enchaladas...made with two bunches of green onions ( I use the entire onion), chopped olives, chicken and cojack cheese. there are one dozen of those babies in this dish and are kooling off so we can dig in with a dollop of sour cream on the side :-) yummy! and there will be leftovers...like lagsana, it is always better the next day, although, they arent that bad right out of the oven.

Tomarrow we are off to Iron Mountain to buy stuff so Mark can plumb in the washer for the basement and the sink. I will be able to give dyeing classes down there. I am stoked to have my dye area almost complete. I am going to have him put up a shelf the length of the vanity, 8', to put all my dyes and stuff on. It is going to be great! I have 5 classes just itching to learn to dye fabric...5 students per class and I am sure I will get more classes. I love to teach people how to dye/print/paint fabric (different classes of course). I have a thermofax so in the printing class students can make their own screens...way kool. Now, I just need to get my gammil back from Missiouri.

On a serious note...I read the most heart renching article today. About an incredible brave young marine who was burned over 97% of his body in February 2005. After over a year of inpatient care, many many surgeries, he lost his life on April 11th. I cannot begin to explain how touched I have been by this young man. His name was Merlin German and started a fund for child burn victims called Merlin's Miracles. I have contacted them to see if I can help out...by making quilts of course. If you google his name or his fund you will get info on him and his work. Go ahead, but be warned, have a hankie in hand.

I have decided to climb on the blog wagon and have a give away. If you leave a comment the winner will recieve several fq packs of my hand dyed fabric. If you post give away on your blog you get an additional chance. Sooooooooooooo....let me have it! :-)

monday, monday.....

2008-04-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

besides being a fabric junkie, a piecing nut and all a-round gal...me and my sweetie are train brains. i am a bit picky and prefer live steam locomotives but anything that runs on the tracks makes mark smile. i admit, i love trains of all kinds too but LOVE steam. anywho...i found this kool site today that is giving away an awesome quilt. her name is camille and like she didnt have enough to do raising two young boys, she decided to start her own little pattern company. after her first year of success she is giving away this beautiful little gem called "blossom". go to her site to enter and if you add her url to your blog you get three more entries. kool huh?!! so here it is:
web.mac.com/cjroskelley
i love the hard wood trees here. i have never lived where it was mostly hardwoods...mostly conifers. now wait a minute...koa is a hard wood and so is milo and primavera...have to amend that statement. hardwoods like maple and that kind of stuff. our neighbor, paulie, tapped his maples and made syrup which he gave us some and we put on our french toast on sunday. it was soooooooooo good, had a very slight smokey flavor but not enough to distract you from the shere maple bliss. the trees are getting leaflets...from a distance the forest is evergreen green with patches of grey...i thought the new leaf growth would be green but i guess that is how it is. i hope the snow of the last few days hasnt damaged them. my fuchsias are anxious to get outside but i am going to be darn sure no more FROST before i put those babies out. already had one blossom and the other has three buds. they are straining for the window, let us outside they cry...silly plants, they will go out as soon as it is warm enough and then the humingbirds will have fresh nector (plus the feeders). good luck on the quilt drawing...........

more snow

2008-04-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

i hope the snow doesnt kill my daffodils...those bits of yellow are the blooms. there are other bulbs coming up but i dont know what they are yet. the birds seem a little stuned by the snow but they are on the feeders big time. i guess i will diffenately be sewing tomarrow. until then...i am going to crawl into my nice warm bed and watch some tv and hope it is all gone by morning and the sun is out....

spring?!!

2008-04-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

i know, i know...you are probably tired of seeing my snow pictures but that is SNOW and it is the 26th of april. it is supposed to snow all night and possibly through monday or tuesday. its been snowing all afternoon but it is starting to stick now...and mark wanted to rake the rest of the leaves tomarrow...we will have to see what day light brings us

tulips????????????

2008-04-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

i think these may be tupils, the leaves are sort of ruffled...they look like the tulips i see in pots at the store. this is a pie shaped area that gets lots and lots of sun. he wants to plants onions in here. i am going to commendere the back edge and plant lots of holly hocks in all sorts of colors. they can lean against the house when they get real tall and wont fall over. i am so stoked that spring just appeared so suddenly...what a difference a week makes! :-)

2008-04-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

these i dont know what these are but there are quite a few of them...guess will just have to wait and see. they are also among the roses and found under the leaves. growing stuff here vs kauai is so different but i am slowly learning.

more daffodils i think

2008-04-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

these are more daffodils among some wild roses in another week they should
look and be bigger. this is part of the yard mark racked. i cut the roses way back and this will hopefully make them better. i used to whack the heck out of my tea and florabundas...which i hope to get some planted this year...the ones with "own root" so after the freeze they wont revert to just root stock. i do miss my lovely roses.......

i know, i know

2008-04-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

i know, i know this does not look like much but i racked and racked tons of
leaves to expose this odd shaped patch. i planted gladdiolias here and they seem to have multiplied and there is other stuff coming up to...in a week i will rephotograph and hopefully you will see much better. i am going to put up a fence around this planting cause those jerkhead deer seem to love this patch!

daffodils

2008-04-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

these were here and in bloom when we arrived last may. they did something under the snow and now there a just lots and lots of them. my friend, sue, said this fall i have to did them up, separate and replant...okie dokie. there is just a tiny bit of snow left...that is all in our yard but there is still lots in the woods and along the roads and stuff. but i was wearing shorts!!! while i did some raking in the front yard...obviously not here :-)