Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Well...

I still have no end table, but I do have a lovely new basket. See?

And here's another sneak peak at a new project in progress.


...I suppose it's a good thing that none of us will ever start all our inspirations. Having them to dream about can be just as beautiful, after all.

Monday, March 26, 2007

I've Got the Urge

To go antique and used furniture shopping. I might make it to a store or two tomorrow but will be rushed. Unfortunately I don't know where to shop for used furniture out here. It seems there were several places in the area where I grew up. I'm just looking for a nice little end table to compliment our new sofa and chair. I still haven't replaced those curtains either... or the lamp. We put things on hold for our house hunt, but my urges are back. There are so many things I want to do. I don't need to spend a lot of money. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't go into some sort of design career - or at least attempt to. I create images of exactly what I'm looking for, and then I can't ever find anything to match those perfect pictures in my head (especially for the price I'm willing to pay). At times I wish I had a studio and knew just how to fashion that perfect table out of wood and paint or stain it - and to make curtains out of expensive fabrics that I'm currently afraid to touch for fear of tearing them apart.

I'm the same way when I go clothes shopping - more so, in fact. If only I knew how to make clothes or where to buy the best fabric maybe I could design my ideal wardrobe. Of course then I would want to search out every detail -bead by bead for a hand-made bracelet, flats versus heels in the right color combo -even a little bag to match. I'm a terrible shopper because it takes me hours to find something acceptably close to what I had in mind - or to stumble upon something different and surprising, that I really like. I'm always looking for something that is so elegant and beautiful that it is striking. Or cute and fun. Or sweet and loving. Or classic and simple. Or even chic. It just has to fit together like magic and make me say "wow, I like that a lot," especially if it's something so simple that, were it not part of the entire ensemble, it would probably go unnoticed.

I guess I did become pretty girlie in time. I still don't like spending money though. I'd rather create things from scratch. Food. Clothes. Furniture. Dishes. Toys. Quilts. Flower gardens. You name it. I want to make it. I think if I were home by myself during the day, I would create new things all the time, not that I don't create stuff now. I just can't keep up with my own inspirations.

But now I'm just babbling endlessly. Is it odd that I find thinking of these things comforting? That I like browsing through flickr photos for sunny interiors and reflective corners? Well I do.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Staying Afloat

It has been a rough week, and I'm glad the weekend is here, though I will probably end up back at work on Sunday anyway. We thought we had just reached the end of a horrible run with Tommy's bad stomach bug on Monday -until I proceeded to get sick throughout the night. Yesterday was the only day this week that BOTH Brian and I were at work at the same time, and we were called out early due to Tommy getting sick yet again. Of course Brian's car was possessed and wouldn't start, so we both had to leave. Well, it would start... but then the engine wouldn't turn over, so it wasn't really starting up. This comes after a problem a couple of weeks ago with the high beams randomly deciding to stay on even after the car had been turned off. Brian took the fuses out because we just didn't have time to deal with it right away, and we have been avoiding the use of his car at night since. It's still sitting at work now, and we're not quite sure what we're going to do with it. We have been on edge about whether to put an offer on the most recent house we saw, but if we need to replace Brian's car, depending on the problem, we will want deal with that before we are sure just how much we want to spend on a house. Now we just don't really know what we're going to do about much of anything. Of course, I know I could have MUCH bigger problems than all of this and am really just thankful that Tommy seems to have finally kicked his virus. After all, when we had to postpone his party last Saturday, I only pushed it back two weeks. It sounds like Brian is about to get the stomach virus now too, and as much as I don't want him to get it, if he is going to I sure hope he gets it soon so we don't have to miss any more time from work next week, and so we have time to wipe out every last germ before we invite guests in for a party!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Sneak Peek

I was going to save this until I had finished the collection, but I haven't shown you much lately, so here is a sneak peek. (I'm at a stand-still anyway, at least until I buy more pens.... )

Oh, and the corned beef was a success. We will be making it again for sure.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I love green. Maybe I should keep these colors... Hmm....

An Old Irish Blessing


May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Found here.
Might I recommend some Irish toasts as well?

Brian is planning to make corned beef and cabbage today for the first time. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Ask a five year old

what he wants for his birthday dinner, and what might you get for an answer?

Don't forget the ketchup. =)

Monday, March 12, 2007

Somebody's Birthday

The cupcakes are done. I did also find some pretty perfect gifts, like this toy - and Peter Pan on DVD. We let Thomas open his presents early due to our schedule this week, and he played with the truck for most of the night. ...He'll bring the cupcakes to school tomorrow. (Yes, those cupcake cups do have Lightning McQueen on them. How cool is that?)

Oh, and this might not concern you until you look a bit closer...


...You know the stuff you are feeding your children is just terrific when it "will remain fresh indefinitely." Hmm...

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Aching to Make

These are just a few of the BEST CRAFT IDEAS EVER. I really have to learn how to make these things:

A little, and I mean little snowman - and so many other too-cute yet seemingly impossible mini-knits by knit_purr, like this mini paintbrush...
An origami ball - I like the idea of using newspaper or sheet music...
Toy balls...
Paper globes - for when I need something super simple and have the urge to specially select some beautiful papers...
What I really dream of doing when I start playing with fabric - Really...
Something useful, for which I already purchased the toile...
Something festive and partially in progress already - I have my own version in mind...
Another something super cute for Easter - Just about the only thing cuter is a baby's smile, and even that might be a close call...
Paper garland -this was store bought, but I would like to create my own...
I don't know why I love this so much. I just do...
Just the thing for your sweeter side (or mine)...
I might never make a porcelain doll, but if I do, I hope she looks like this...
Marzipan looks like such a fun medium.

Oh, I almost forgot this Race Track Quilt. (Now I'm just dreaming.)

Can you tell where I find most of my inspiration?

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Uno

Somebody's birthday is coming up. There was a time when I could hardly imagine what it would be like when he would turn five. It's hard to believe that day is right around the corner and that he now enjoys games like tic tac toe and Uno.

In the car this afternoon we listened to an old Wiggles CD, and they sang, "Roll out the barrel (of fun)." At home Tommy pulled out his pirate ship and took out all the barrels he could find. He then handed one each to Brian and I and told us to roll them to let out all the fun. After we had rolled them sufficiently he informed us that the barrels were all empty and that there was no more fun. I suggested that they might be magic barrels so that they would never have to run out of fun. (Why not play along?)

Honestly, I am not quite sure I know what to buy him this year; so many of his favorite activities don't involve much. In fact, some of the barrels are really just old wine corks, and one thing he plays with almost every day is a paper pulled from a pile full of self-designed rolled up pirate treasure maps (or some times just maps). We might just be stocking up on markers and seeking out a new game or two. I guess we'll have to get creative (fast)!

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

A Little Crochet

It was time for something different. I still haven't finished, only because I ran out of yarn just a row or two from the end (plus the border). It was a bit too repetitive to enjoy as much as some of my other projects, but the blanket itself grew on me as I worked on it. That may be because the second skein of yarn still had some shine to it. The first skein had faded before I even brought it out. Oh well. I really just did it to keep my hands busy, so it doesn't really matter.

I may not have much more time for yarn-play or fabric crafts this month, as I need to start preparing for Tommy's pirate party. I have some ideas, but I'm not quite sure how to execute them. I don't want to give away my thoughts until after the party, but I would appreciate any general ideas you might have to offer!

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Gathering Moments

I've been going through the past few months, absorbing all the warmth and comfort around me, trying not to miss one moment. This week, however, has been mentally and emotionally draining, and since the beginning of my blog I have made a point to limit my more serious and depressing posts, so I have written very little over the past few days. Here I try, not only to spread a morsel of hope or peace or beauty -or simple sweetness, but also to provide for myself a tiny little corner of refuge, where I can go back every once in a while and follow my links to peruse all the beautiful little things I have found on flickr and in other blogs. It's good to have a place like this. I highly recommend if you ever consider starting a journal as a path toward emotional well-being that you make time for at least one place where you can and must focus on those glimpses of light that grace each of your days-especially those that you might otherwise forget.

So in the spirit of peace and silence, and beauty, I won't begin now to explain how I have felt these past few days. Instead I will offer a single photo for thought. It's one that I took last week, on the same day that I took my most recently posted photo. (Sometimes I think in order to fully appreciate the depth of the photographer's (a term used very loosely in this case) vision, it's best to enjoy just one photo at a time.)


I like to look beyond the snow-covered branches. To me, the soft white shadows almost seem to swallow the trees with snow, yet they somehow seem so comforting-even inviting. I feel as though I want to wrap myself up in the white, and even though it is so cold I will be warm. ...The perfect place for quiet solitude, though it can't quite decide whether it wants to protect its untarnished surface, or whether it would be better loved by a silent path of footprints...

Or maybe it's just a photo I took from my porch before rushing off to work, trying to squeeze in a peek at the season before it's gone and my eyes start to shift toward dew drops and daffodils. Either way.