Monday, June 29, 2009

The Mom Celebrity Translator



(If the video is not working for you, click HERE for the website to watch it.)


My two daughers love to tease me ... well, tease isn't really right ... they just outright boldly make fun of me. A lot


Watch that video above and then come back to read.


Did you watch that?


Right after that aired on Saturday Night Live, my daughter Rachel made sure that it was recorded so that I could watch it later with her. I have to admit, that's exactly what I do. I never remember names of actors/actresses or movie titles.


She laughed and laughed.


So the ridicule passes as the days go by and it's forgotten. Until one day, not too long ago .... I was in the car with Rachel and telling her that I wanted to rent that one movie. I didn't remember the name of it so I told her ...."it won a lot of awards" "Even the music won awards"


She didn't know what movie and started suggesting names ... I told her no to each of her suggestions.


"it has an odd name and it takes place in another country", I said.


At that point, she loses control and pretty much collapses in fits of laughter right there in her seat. Thankfully, she wasn't the one driving.


She reminded me of the Mom Celebrity Translator and told me she needed one to figure that movie out for us.


I admit, I laughed too. A lot.


We never did figure out what that movie was until ....


One evening, not too long after that event, my other daughter Jen, Rach, me and my sweet husband were all together for dinner.


I told Jen how Rach made fun of me for not knowing the name of the movie. Rachel told her about the SNL Mom translator and how I'm exactly like the moms in that clip.


I knew Jen had seen the movie because I remember her telling me about it and how good it was. SHE would know what movie it was!


So, like a fool, I pretty much repeated what I had told Rachel about the movie. Like Rachel, she tried to name movies that it might be.


Like Rachel, Jen had no idea. And then ridicule, multiplied by TWO, began.


I admitted once again, I needed that SNL translator. I think I said something about the movie taking place in another country, perhaps Korea or somewhere over "there".


More laughter....


THEN, my sweet husband, who had been sitting quietly, listening, very calmly said "Slumdog Millionaire".


And I screamed, "THAT'S IT!"


Forget about that SNL translator. I have Jimmy, the translator.



So this brings us to last night. My sister Carol and her husband Mark, were visiting ... actually they were just being nice because they wanted black raspberries :) ... but anyway, Carol apparently does the same thing, only probably worse than me because after all, she is a year older.


I told her about the Mom Translator and assured her that help is out there.


So, Carol and Mark, this post is for both of you. Carol, make sure to share it with your two kids. I know Greg and Steph well enough to know that they both will enjoy making fun of you it too.



Oh, and Mark was really complaining that after I wrote THIS post about Carols Curtain Casserole recipe, no one will accept dinner invitations at their house anymore.


I have to say, after seeing Mark stroking and salivating over my couch fabric, he better settle down or no one will invite Carol and Mark to their homes either.


I did make sure to check around the house after they left to make sure all my curtains were hanging. Carol mentioned something about making black raspberry cobbler and i just KNOW she wants to chop up my kitchen curtains to put in it because they have cherries printed on them.


Ok, I'm done now. :)

Happy Day Everyone!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

It's Black Raspberry Time!

No, I'm not making black raspberries out of wool this time. I wanted to show our abundant crop this year. Rach loves the black raspberries that grow wild on our property. She considers them hers because she's the raspberry picker and the raspberry eater.
For the past week, since they started turning ripe, she goes out every single day to pick a bowl full . She eats them as she picks and throughout the day, she eats from the bowlful that she's picked, only to start new the next day.
Well, she missed a day. She wasn't home the entire day on Friday. Yesterday, she was overwhelmed with the crop, easily picking 3 quarts full.
I've given some to the neighbors earlier in the week, but now, there's so many out there that I need to do something with them. I probably will freeze them but in the meantime, I started looking for some recipes.
Black raspberry muffins! I made them last night and we ate them hot out of the oven.
Soooo good!

It's kinda funny because Rachel's favorite picking spot is right next to the cherry tree.
I didn't get a single cherry this year because the birds discovered them. Before they were ripe, they gone. The birds were so busy stealing our cherries, they didn't notice all the ripe, juicy black raspberries!
They tasted really good with my coffee this morning too!
There's still lots to pick so I'll start giving them away to friends and relatives now.
And speaking of GIVE AWAYS! .........
Every once in a while, I do a give away on Ebay, just for my customers, to show my appreciation for their business. I haven't done once since Christmas, so it's really past time.
Since I have a blog now, I thought it would be fun to combine the two and offer a super nice giveaway that will be open to both my blogging friends and to my Ebay customers.
That picture above is the pattern for my all time favorite penny rugs.
In July, I'll do a give-away for the finished wool Gourd Penny rug.
In the meantime, I'll blog step by step the entire making of it. Actually, I'm thinking of making two of them at the same time so that I can keep one for myself.
I used to have one ... loved it so much that I kept it out all year! I sold it to a begging customer though. I regretted it instantly and I still regret it just because it was so incredibly nice.
I've lost count of how many of these I have made and sold, but it's at least 12-15 of them.
I love making it and unlike most patterns, I don't ever get bored with making it. It's probably one of the most difficult things that I make too.
Do you see in the picture how there's very little open black space? Everything, all the vines and leaves and pumpkins, have to be place just perfectly, otherwise the pieces won't fit. I have a way to do it so that it all fits.
I have a few orders to finish up and a few things to finish making to list on Ebay , so hopefully by the end of next week, I can get started with selecting and dyeing the wool.
Happy weekend everyone!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

PRiMiTiVe Exploding Watermelons - A Sneak Peak!

I finally finished up the mat and pinkeep last night. I didn't meet my set deadline to list it last night though, which is disappointing, but I hope to have it EBAY LISTED tonight.
The "Exploding Watermelons" name was a suggestion from my wonderful Ebay customer, Darla. I like Colleens suggestions of "Flowering Watermelons" too, but with all the stars bursting out, I decided on Exploding Watermelons. Thank you both for the help!

I cut all those little stars out, individually, by hand. It took forever. So I cut 48 little stars, started sewing them on and discovered I didn't have enough. In my messy work area, they disappeared! Like the dryer eating socks, something on my work table was eating stars!

After searching and finding a few, I decided to take a break and clean up the area so that perhaps I could find the rest of the missing ones. Never did find those missing ones, so I think I must have miscounted the number of stars that I drew. I "miscounted" by 18 ... a huge miscount and I still doubt I miscounted by that much.

10 blue ones and 8 red ones. I have no other explaination for it ... but I was angry with those tiny blue and red stars!

A big giant welcome to those from Lisa, over at Pupylov who have come over to visit me. Lisa named me her "Artist of the Week". I'm honored at the recognition. Lisa is such a wonderful, enthusiastic customer of mine. Even before we both started blogging she was a regular Ebay customer. We just happened to start blogging about the same time so she was my first friend and "follower" She is also the very first and only person that has shown me pictures of my work in her home. It just thrills me to see something that I've made on display in her home!

Anyway, thank you so much Lisa. You are a joy!

And I'm off to get some much needed work done around the house. A very busy day for me.

Happy day everyone!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

"Mom, Flowers Can't Grow Out Of Watermelons!"

Haha, I'm so happy with how this one is looking now. It's turning out exactly how I imagined it in my head. I still have to add some stars and if there's room, I'll add some leaves. I want to take out those basting stitches but I need to keep them in at least until I get the stars placed so that everything stays equal in each section.

I'm still hoping to have it finished so that I can Ebay list it tomorrow night.
I need to think of what to name it now too ... For now it's just "the watermelon mat" but that's too general, so if anyone has any suggestions for a name, please help me out!

My Rachel, :) I have to smile as I type this because she's just so unhappy with those coneflowers growing out of the watermelon. It bothers her. She liked the mat up until I added the flowers. Just the watermelon and nothing else? That bothers ME! I don't like empty spaces ... I have to take advantage of every space on that mat, so just watermelon looks too bare.

But even my husband, in his own quiet way, told me that he thinks the flower growing out of the watermelon just isn't right!

:)
I don't care. I'll just smile and keep sewing. I'll prove them wrong once it's all done and in the mail to someone who will love it.

So, if any of you readers have a problem with the flowers growing out of these watermelons, I think you need to look again. Their not actually growing out of the watermelon. They are in a vase BEHIND the watermelon, giving the impression that they are growing out of the watermelon. Ok with it now?!?! Impressionist art, yeah!

Happy Day everyone! Oh and PLEASE help me name this mat!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Watermelons and Giant Eagle

I gave the link
yesterday for a Giant Eagle $15 grocery credit. For those of you who don't know what Giant Eagle is, it's a large chain grocery store in our area.
Anyway, go to that linked site,
watch the video, then type in your advantage card number and you'll get a $15 credit put into your advantage card account. So for your next 3 visits/purchases, you will get $5 off your total.
It's a terrific offer, but ... it's so new that most of the check-out clerks don't know about it yet, so if you don't get the $ off your total, make sure to ask about it. My clerk yesterday had to get the manager over to show her how to get it added in.

So here's the progress so far on the watermelon candle mat. Ignore the white basted stitches on there. Those are just for me to use while sewing so that I stay in the borders with each of the 8 watermelons.
I'll add the coneflowers and stars today, hopefully. Rachel, my biggest helpful critic, isn't happy with the design, "mom, flowers don't grow out of watermelons". I always listen to her critiques and most of the time I find it helpful, but in this case, YES, flowers will be growing out of watermelons. :)
We like watermelon here at the Wagner home, but my family is spoiled. If I buy watermelon, it will stay in the fridge, uneaten until it rots unless I cut it up. Once it's cut, with the rind off, it gets devoured. I have to do that with grapes too ... I wash them and pulled them off the stem. If the bowl of grapes is sitting out on the counter, they are usually gone by the end of the day.
Yes, indeed, my family is a bit spoiled. I wish I had someone to do that for me!
I'm off to go fetch the grandson. He will be visiting us today so that Jen can get some free time to herself.
Happy day everyone!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

First Day of Summer / Father's Day !

Oh, what a great day today is! The rain has finally stopped and it's sunny and beautiful!
I took my hubby out for breakfast this morning....give the guy a sausage and cheese omelet with some homefries and hot coffee, and he's happy. It doesn't take much to make him happy.
We don't really have anything planned today but I'll make him a special meal of bbq baby back ribs with baked sweet potatoes, cornbread and his favorite homemade-from-scratch butter sponge cake.
Happy Father's day to all the terrific Fathers out there!

This is a little pinkeep that I've started to try out a design. I still have to tack on the stars and stuff it, but you get the idea. I'll be making this into a candle mat within the next few days and hopefully have both the pinkeep and the candle mat Ebay listed on Wednesday. It's a sunny day and it was by a window, so it looks a lot brighter in the picture than it really is.

For those of you in the Pittsburgh area that shop at the Giant Eagle, here's a way to get an additional $15 off your shopping order. Just watch this video and then type in your advantage card # and you'll get $5 off the next 3 purchases of $5 or more!
It's for a limited time, so hurry up and take advantage of it!

GIANT EAGLE $15 FOOD CREDIT, CLICK HERE!

Happy Day Y'all!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Fruit Candle Mat Finished!

Whew, that was a lot of sewing to be done in just two days. My goal was to get this candle mat listed last night (Tuesday) so I really had to rush to get it completed.

This fruit candle mat along with several matching fruit pinkeeps are now Ebay listed HERE.


Although time consuming, these blackberries were actually fun to make. I usually don't like making so many french knots but just seeing how realistic they make the blackberry, gave me the incentive to do it.
I needle injured my finger while making these knots and to make it worse, the needle kept hitting that same little spot over and over and over again. It's really sore, so I think I'll take a sewing break today to let it heal a bit.
I find thimbles and band-aids to be cumbersome, so I try not to use them, but in this case, I guess I should have submitted to a bandaid.
I saved making these grapes on the candle mat until last because I don't like making them ... at all!
When I made the pinkeep, it took so much time to attach each one of the berries together, it became frustrating. It ended up looking really nice and just the perfect effect that I wanted, but it sure wasn't fun. So the grapes were a little easier this time, but it still wasn't fun. I like grapes, really I do, and the blueberries and the blackberries probably took just as much time, it's just something about those darn grapes that give me problems each time.
Needless to say, I probably won't be making very many grape items in the future, unless of course someone offers to pay me a couple thousand dollars for it! :)



Questions, I get questions! Yes, the fencing is finished! It's looking really good and I'll take a picture once all the landscaping is done, with the tree stumps taken out and grass growing. I kinda want to put some stain on the fence wood to darken it up a bit because it's looking really bright and new but hubby says the wood needs to dry a bit before that's done. I don't know if that's right or not, but I'll listen to him.



Where do I get my ideas for designs? Hmm... I get them everywhere! Craft shows are a good way to get inspiring ideas. I see designs on plates or hanging art that I like and then try to figure a way to create it with wool. The fruit designs came from an embroidery pattern. I did a violet candle mat and pinkeep and that idea came from the wallpaper border that is in our bedroom.
The pansy and viola items, of course, came from my own pansies and violas growing outside.
A get a lot of ideas from other candle mat designs too. The shapes, the stitches, the colors can all inspire ideas for me.
Prescription drugs gave me some really wonderful ideas last year when I was sick with bronchitis. I was taking prednisone and wow! The ideas came so fast that I kept a drawing pad with me so that I could sketch things out right away.
It was almost worth gettting sick for that benefit!



From my Ebay watchers, I get quite a few questions about why I don't use wool felt and "what's wrong with wool felt?"
In my Ebay item descriptions, I always note that I only use 100% wool and I never use wool felt. I guess that gives the impression that I don't like wool felt. Nothing is wrong with wool felt, I just want to keep my customers informed and let them know that there is a big difference between 100% wool and wool felt.
I think maybe I will write about that later when I've a bit more time. Wool Felt Vs Felted Wool.
Big difference.



Rachel wants me to quit typing so that I can go Kohl's shopping with her. We've a take an additional 30% off coupon that absolutley has to be used!



Happy day everyone, even though it's rainy here!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Wool Candle Mat ... A Preview of Fruit!

I love waking up to beautiful mornings like this. It's sunny and at about 62 degrees, there's just a bit of chill in the air. The birds are chirping happily .... and I see them feasting on MY cherries in the tree and I want to get a BB gun .... no, wait, I love birds. They need to eat too. It's a shame that it has to be MY cherries though.
It really is a beautiful morning though!
I spent this weekend working on pinkeeps and this fruit candle mat .....

I still have to add the grapes and lots of other embellishments, but I'm aiming to get it done so that I can Ebay list it tomorrow night. I dunno if that's going to be possible but I'll try.

I spent quite a bit of time on Friday and Saturday, making the blackberry pinkeep. I don't know if the picture shows it well enough, but each of those berries has a whole lot of french knots. I used almost an entire skein of #5 DMC thread to make the 6 berries; 3 berries on the pinkeep and 3 on the candle mat. I really like the results, so it was well worth all the time it took.
We have a lot of wild blackberry and black raspberry bushes growing all around our property so on Friday, I collected a branch so that I could get the leaf and berry pattern from it.
The cherry and the blackberry pinkeeps will be
EBAY listed tonight. (I hope)

Hubby is on vacation this week. This is a work-at-home vacation week for him. He has a whole list of things that need to be done, one of which is to put up a decorative white picket fence in front of the house. Usually, when he's on vacation, I spend most of my time helping him with whatever project he's working on, so I really don't expect to get a whole lot of sewing done.

Happy Day everyone!

Friday, June 12, 2009

More Pinkeeps (LET'S GO PENS!)

Ok, tonight is the final playoff game between the Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Pens. Those who read might be weary of my Pen cheers so the end is in sight!
Gosh, I hope the Pens win!

I've been busy the last few days, finishing up some pinkeep orders. All are sold now except that lavender pansy and the violet. I have the violet one listed now on Ebay. The lavender pansy will probably be listed as a Buy It Now.

Many thanks to my wonderful customers. Your purchases are so much appreciated!

I hope to have another cherry pinkeep made to list within the next few days and then I'll focus on making a few candle mats. I've been so busy with the pinkeeps that I haven't had a chance to work out the designs I have in mind for the candle mats, so I've put aside my pinkeep patterns for now so that I can get those candle mats made.

This is one of the designs I intend to make. Click on the pic to see it bigger. It's a watermelon with a coneflower and stars. I need to draw out those coneflower petals and leaves a little better before I cut the pattern for it, but you can get the general idea of it. I have to sew eight of these designs all around the candle mat, so I have to restrain myself from drawing in too many details. Let's just say, it's pretty detailed already and I ALWAYS add more details to it once I'm actually making it. So this one is going to be really time consuming.

Before I make this one though, I have to make a fruit one with all the assorted fruits that I've already done in the pinkeeps. There will be blueberries, cherries, strawberries and grapes and I think blackberries, if I can get the design that's in my head to draw out right on paper.

And speaking of Blueberries ......
Last fall, I planted two little blueberry bushes that I got on sale for $2 each. I just went out to check on them this morning and LOOK! The one plant already has a little bunch of blueberries on it! The other one isn't doing as well, but it's at least twice the size that it was from last fall.
Looks like I need to do a little weeding around it to give it some room to grow. I love blueberries!
Especially blueberry pie!

Ugh, the Cherry tree that I bragged about in a post from a few days ago, has been discovered by the birds. I'm finding seed pits everywhere around the house ... in my flower gardens, in the two birdbaths and on the sidewalks. It's just not fair that they get to eat them before they're ripe. I'm afraid that this year the birds will get most of them now.

Do you love Giveaways? I never win giveaways ... I mean NEVER! I still like to try for them though and
Farmhouse Primitives is generously giving away a wonderful gift basket. Visit her blog HERE

Happy Day everyone! GO PENS!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

It's New Recipe Day: CURTAIN CASSEROLE

I had a dream last night that my entire family was gathered at my sister's place for a holiday meal. She served up something so unusual and different for us to enjoy, when I woke up, I thought, "wow, that's such a good idea". So in my head, I tried to recreate that delightful recipe to share with those readers who enjoy experimenting with flavors and textures in your foods.
This recipe is eco-friendly and very green because we can now recycle those old, used drapes that would otherwise go into the garbage.

If anyone tries this, please let me know how it tastes!

So here, I offer:

CURTAIN CASSEROLE

*1 drapery panel, (preferrably an old, used panel. Please, rather than buying a new one for this recipe, Recycle, Reduce and Reuse by getting one from your local thrift store) cut the panel in 9" x 13"casserole pan sized pieces and let soak in warm water for 30 minutes.

*your favorite mac and cheese sauce recipe.

* 1 cup cheddar shredded cheddar cheese

While your drapery panel is soaking in water, prepare your mac and cheese sauce.

Rinse and drain your drapery panel and place one cut piece in a 9" x 13" baking dish.

Pour enough of the cheese sauce mixture over the curtain panel to cover.

Spread the sauce evenly.

Place another curtain layer over the top and continue with this layering until the casserole pan is filled.

Top with the shredded cheddar cheese.

Cover with some foil.

Bake at ... I dunno ... maybe 350 for ... I dunno ... 30 minutes or so or until you smell drapes baking.

Now, in my dream, the baking process supposedly broke down the fibers of the drapes, making it tender and moist.

Also in my dream, when I tasted it, it tasted gamey ... a lot like cheesy drapes but I think maybe it just needed to bake a little longer.

Someone try this recipe out for me!

Remember: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse.

Happy Day everyone!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Cherry Trees, Cherry Pie and Cherry Pinkeep!

Yesterday was the first day in a long time that I had completely free and to myself. Jimmy went out on a Sunday motorcycle road trip with some of his friends and Rach was over in Somerset, Pa, with her boyfriend and his family so I didn't even have to cook dinner!
I did a little cleaning up after the big curtain making week, I did a little sewing, I did a little gardening and I did a little baking. It was a very relaxing and quiet day.
Mmmmm .... cherries!

We have a sour cherry tree in our back yard and the crop was so abundant last year, that we actually got tired of cherries. I've had these frozen since last year and figured it was time to get them out and make a pie because by the end of the month, by the looks of the cherry tree this year, we're going to have another big crop.
The cherries turned into a 10 inch deep dish crumb-topped pie. By the time everyone was home last night, it had cooled enough to cut into ... served up with some vanilla ice cream. It was yummy.
In honor of the cherries, here's the pinkeep I made up. The little straight pins with tiny cherries are so cute. I have other ideas for cherries, but just need to get the time to draw it out.
Anyway, I hope to have these cherries listed on Ebay this evening.
Here's a close-up look at our cherry tree. They're still tiny and green but by the end of the month, they'll be ready for picking.
This tree is right outside my kitchen window so I can keep track of how many birds are stealing the berries while I wash dishes.
I love birds but sheesh, I wish they'd leave my cherries alone! Thankfully it looks like there will be enough to share.

Ok, I've so much to do today ... it's another beautiful day and the tree service guys are coming back today. We've a large dead tree in the woods of our property that is about 10 feet away from a neighbor's house so it must be removed before it falls and we get sued. Wow, we've had some really bad luck with trees this year so far. Hopefully, once this is done, no more tree problems, ever.
Happy Day everyone!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Genie, the Singer (sewing machine)

10 yards of Poly-cotton white fabric, 8 yards of red gingham fabric, 4 spools of white thread and 3 days of sewing ... I'm just about done with Linda's kitchen curtains! I just have to make a door panel and should be able to finish that up tomorrow.
Thanks to my Genie sewing machine ... I couldn't have done it without her!

This is my sewing machine. She's pretty old. I bought this sewing machine right after I graduated from high school. It's just a basic machine and it's really all I need. I do have a really nice machine with bells and whistles that I inherited from my husband's aunt Ethel, but I prefer the simpleness of this one.
It's portable, so I can use it anywhere. I usually set it up on the dining room table when there's a big job to be done, like Linda's curtains, but otherwise it's upstairs in the spare bedroom/sewing room.

It has never let me down. I know how it sounds when it's running properly and the slightest variance in sound tells me that my genie is not happy and needs attention ..whether it be that the tension isn't right or the needle isn't sharp or it's threaded wrong, I can always find the cause of the problem almost right away.
Anyway, lots of time and work went into making the curtains, and I don't ever want to look at red gingham ruffles ever again, but they did turn out nice.
I'll take some "after" pictures once they are all hung.
Because of all the sewing I had to do, I babysat the kid in the afternoons at our house instead of his.
Rachel set up a "tent" for him in the play corner of our living room. In this picture, he's in his tent for a picnic of peaches and cream oatmeal and apple juice. The kid loves oatmeal and requests it every time he visits.

So I'd stop sewing for a while, play a bit with him and then go back to sewing while he played. He was so good and understanding about my sewing and sometimes patiently waited at the dining room table, keeping me company, until I was able to take a break to get back to playing with him again.
He's talking well now and always chattering about something or other so it was really a pleasant few afternoons, working while also enjoying the grandson.

I'll finish up the last door curtain panel tomorrow and probably start back with wool on Sunday.
I have a fruit candle mat that I will be starting on once I get a cherry pincushion made.
Happy weekend everyone!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Concord Grapes!

I finally finished the Grape pinkeep. It was a struggle and the grapes put up a battle but I concord! :)
(Oh, I can't wait to hear the groan that comes from the upstairs spawn's bedroom when she reads this)

It really was difficult to make this one. I made each individual grape just like I made the blueberries except they're about twice the size. That part wasn't difficult, just time consuming.
The problem came when I attached them. They were too wobbly and wouldn't stay in a bunch. So I went back and stitched each grape to the grapes that surround it and that worked eventually. Thankfully no one will ever see the back of this ... it's like a bird's nest of threads.
Otherwise, it turn out GRAPE! .... I mean GREAT!

This one will go for sale on Ebay tonight.

Next up ... CHERRIES! Well, cherry pinkeeps will be delayed for a bit because of these curtains ....
This is a picture that I took yesterday of my neighbor and good friend Linda's kitchen curtains. There are two other windows on the other corner of the kitchen with these curtains too.
I made these curtains for her about ... hmmm ... 25 years ago?
Yes, she still has them hanging because 1. she loves them. and 2. because her windows are an odd size and she can't buy storebought ones that will fit.
They really are still in excellent condition though, considering how old they are. The red is just a bit faded but the white is really soft and lovely.

So the story goes ... way back, 25 some years ago, she asked me to make curtains for her to replace the ones that were hanging when they bought the house about 7 years before. Who knows how old those curtains were, but they were obviously handmade too.
Now, for me, I like to change things up a bit with my curtains and I would think that she would want something new that looked different.
Surprisingly, because she loved them so much, she wanted the new ones to look exactly like the old ones.
It was easy enough to do. I just used the old ones as a pattern to make the new ones. It was really time consuming though because of all the ruffles. Eight panels of ruffles that go all the way around each panel took a LOT of time to make.
So about 5 years ago, she asked me to make new ones again and yes, you guessed it ... she wanted them to look exactly the same.
At the time, I was so busy with penny rug orders that I just couldn't fit that huge sewing job into my schedule so I wasn't able to do it.
I felt bad telling her no, but intended on eventually making them when I had the time.
So now, about 5 years later, my good friend Linda, is in the hospital, recovering from the quadruple bypass surgery that she had done yesterday. I love my neighbor Linda and her husband Ben. They've been just the best friends and neighbors that anyone could want. They've done so much for us over the years, so I'm trying to find things to do for the both of them that will make this difficult time a little easier for them.
I thought that now would be the perfect time to make those curtains.
She's expecting to come home on Saturday, so I'm hoping that if I put my old sewing machine on "super fast" mode, I'll get those ruffles made and attached to the panels and hung on her windows so that she'll be surprised when she walks in the door.

The only thing that would be a problem is that they might not be noticed right away ... because they'll look exactly the same!
Happy day to all ... I'm going to dust off my sewing machine!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Up early and outta coffee

Good grief, I woke up at 5:30 this morning and then just couldn't get back to sleep. I forgot to buy coffee yesterday, so now it's decaf or nothing ... I'm thinking I should go up to the little corner store and buy a brewed cup just to get me going until I make it to the store....I'm really dragging without my morning cup.
Buying coffee is something new for me. You see, I haven't really had to buy coffee for almost 8 years now because my darling daughter, Jen, worked at Starbucks for that many years.
Starbucks gives their employees 1 lb of coffee or the equivalent in tea, FREE, each week. Needless to say, when she started there, we had a surplus that I kept stored in the freezer, but now that she's married, I've had to share with her and her husband, Jason. That was still plenty of coffee for us so we spent almost 8 years, enjoying the best coffee everyday.
Jen just recently turned in her resignation. She's moved on to work in the field of her education degree, which is history and teaching. She just couldn't manage to squeeze enough time out of her schedule to continue working at Starbucks too, so she's had to quit.
Starbucks has been good to her. They've allowed her to work whenever she wanted, adjusting to her schedule throughout college. When she did an internship teaching job across the state in Philly, she was able to work at a Starbucks in the city there. Until recently, she's loved her job there and the benefits and perks were pretty good too. Recently though, the company has made some changes that Jen hasn't been exactly happy with and isn't in keeping with what she feels should be company standards.
But regardless, she left on good terms and she'll be able to pick up a Starbucks job anywhere in the country, if she ever needs to. Even though I selfishly wish she still worked there so that I can get the free coffee and 30% discounts off my frappuccinos when I visit her at work, I know that she's extremely happy with her teaching job and her new summer job that she's starting now.
But darn it! .... I have to BUY coffee!

This is a picture of some current things and future things that are/will be listed on Ebay.

Here's the fence progress! Jimmy got a lot done yesterday. He is putting each wooden slat on individually so that the fence line follows the slope of the hill. If we had purchased the already assembled fence sections, it wouldn't look as nice because it would have to be stepped.
When he's done with the fence, we'll rent a stump grinder to get rid of all those tree stumps. Then he's going to get his Bobcat running and get the ground a little more level so it won't jar me while cutting grass on the tractor.
After that's done, it will be my turn to work down there with plantings!
Off to get coffee!
happy day everyone!