Musings from Mt. Vernon St

Moving to a New House & a New Blog

2010-05-19T09:48:00.000-04:00

While it's been nearly a year since my last post, life kinda just happened and I didn't take the time to blog. I've missed it greatly and have decided that it's time to move back to it...only it won't be from Mt. Vernon St. After 34 years of living in this house off and on, I'm moving to a new house...my own house.

Musings from Mt. Vernon St. has served me well (401 posts and several years), but since I'm starting fresh in a new place, I thought that it would be a good time to start fresh with a new blog.

So I must say goodbye to Mt. Vernon St. and hello to the country. You can find the ramblings of a new homeowner over here at Home...where my thoughts escaping.

Resurrecting the Friday 5

2009-08-07T06:32:00.000-04:00

So I went back to the beginning, 2006 - the first year of Musings from Mt. Vernon St. - and looked up the posts for this week. One of them was the Friday Five. I totally forgot about the Friday Five and thought that now would be the time to bring it back...so here goes:

Hearing: the quiet sounds of morning...birdsong outside, the gurgling of the coffee maker, the cat eating breakfast, the occassional car
Seeing: piles of yard sale stuff, newly priced and ready to go
Smelling: coffee - luscious, glorious, nectar of the gods, motivator of my day...and cinnamon buns
Tasting: cinnamon buns started in my NEW bread machine, as the old one crapped out on me and baked in the oven
Feeling: ready to sell stuff and make a little extra cash to pay for the repairs to my truck

Bring on the yard salers - come buy my stuff!

I hope it's sunny where you are - enjoy the day!

Boothbay Harbor Maine

2009-08-06T07:20:00.000-04:00

During vacation, we took a quick trip back to the harbor where I worked for 5 summers.

Maine Quilts 2009

2009-08-05T11:53:00.004-04:00

Alas, the quilt show has come and gone, but a fun time was had by all. Well, I don't know about my cousin Kelly. She kinda got dragged to it and she's not a quilter.

There were soooo many beautiful quilts on display and as always, it got the creative juices flowing! Here are just a few awe inspiring quilts:

Ursula by Michele Scott

Transitions by Carol Taylor
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by Karen Veiga

Luminous Trees by Mary McFarland

Darwin's Diamonds and Flowers by Rhonda Kay Beyer

The rest are over on my flickr page: FaeryTreeCreations

a tisket, a tasket

2009-08-04T17:05:00.000-04:00

So much going on every day - the quilt show has come and gone (and I'm still trying to get my photos of that cleaned up and posted); my family from Maryland came for a visit; a trip to Boothbay Harbor ensued; and a quilt room has been made over. All pictures will be posted...as soon as I can get them posted.

Until then, here is a fabric basket that I have started making to sell once I update my Etsy shop and get my Bonanzle shop up and running. Have you heard of Bonanzle yet? It's kinda neat, but not as clean as Etsy - I'm still going to try it out.

8th Grade Promotion

2009-06-18T07:32:00.000-04:00

And to think, it seems like only yesterday my neice was two and coloring her legs with a red marker, "cause Elmo's red!" like that was most obvious explanation...now she'll be a freshman!

I feel old.

Driving pictures

2009-06-13T17:36:00.002-04:00

Last night of session::18 1/2 hour work day::coming home in the fog at 2:30 am

Brain slowly ceasing to function

Need more sleep

Night Session

2009-06-11T21:31:00.000-04:00

Wish I was sitting here right now, on a sunny day...rather than at my computer, still at work at 9:31 pm.

It's been a very long day (13 1/2 and counting). Getting tired and though we all know that they aren't going to finish their work tonight, they persist!

Praying for 10:00 pm to be "going home" time!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T07:32:00.002-04:00

Ah, a sunny Memorial Day weekend (save for an incredible thunderstorm overnight on Saturday).

I managed to rip up the kitchen floor (so gross, 40 year old +/- linoleum...now I have figure out how to get the blue paper off the subfloor).

Weeded, mulched and planted here: and here:

and here:

noticed that I have strawberries starting to form on the tower:

and I went to see this:
soooooo very good!!

Now we start "Hell Week" at work...or rather "Hell Weeks" - as the next few weeks will be fast paced and crazy!

NEW FAVORITE SONGS

2009-05-22T07:20:00.000-04:00

Around the Bend by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

I love this song! I even downloaded it as a ringtone.

Okay, so my favorite new song isn’t new (which I was aware of), but I guess it was in an iPod touch commercial, too. I don’t remember it. I just randomly found it on iTunes. I like a few of their other songs too, but I don’t think I could listen to them nonstop…except for this one song.

The other is Teddybears featuring Mad Cobra: Cobra Style

This song just makes me move!

Long weekend ahead - looking to get some gardening done and a few indoor projects, hopefully take some pictures and a bike ride!

Okay, so I suck

2009-05-20T07:32:00.002-04:00

Keeping up with my blog apparently hasn’t been a priority. It’s been a long while since I’ve been here (FEBRUARY!). I’m trying to remedy that.

Since before Christmas, I’ve been feeling very out of touch with my creativity. It’s been so long since I’ve been inspired to take out the camera. I haven’t really played much with fabric. I have started getting back into a painting mood, but even that is sporadic.

I long for a life that allows me to be creative when the mood strikes, not just when I can fit it in. Where I am debt free and with a substantial, steady income from a career that doesn’t require me to leave my house everyday and spend 9 or 10 hours running like a crazy woman, doing work for someone else. I’m not saying I don’t like my job, but I’ve become increasingly distant from doing the things that make me happy.

I know that come June this craziness will all be over and I’ll have more than enough time on my hands to enjoy my artistic endeavors, but right now I think I have cabin fever and the spring itch (sounds like an indie-folk-rock band).

Though things are sporadic right now, I still have done a few things, started a new quilt and painted a mini picture.

I’ve also been craving different music…like Al Green. Why? I don’t know, but I’ve been groovin’ it to the man for the past month and I just can’t get enough!

I’ve taken to writing unstructured journal entries as well…it’s rather freeing. No dates, times, names, places, just random thoughts. I found a great little journal with the artwork of Susie Ghahremani. LOVE!

Anyhoo, I leave you with the mini Easter basket that I made for my mother (made another one for my aunt) and a link to pictures that I took at Easter while visiting the
Fish Ladder in Damariscotta…it was cold and rainy, I was bored at my folks and decided to take a drive.

Cheers and hopefully I’ll be back here soon with another update before the month is out!

A real post

2009-02-12T15:42:00.004-05:00

Holy cow, it's been forever since I really, actually posted! I blame the job - after running around for every day or being glued to the computer, writing newspaper columns, doing research, writing letters, answering emails and a million other things...by the end of the day, my brain is moosh and the thought of getting on the computer at home is torture.

But I have pictures and video and projects that I just haven't had a moment to share...and unfortunately, can't do it now because I dumped them from my camera yet! I know, I'm a slacker!

I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things with posting and pictures, but it will depend on how the work days go and how much energy I have at the end of the day.

Anyhoo, for now this is just a quick hi...so "hi"

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:01:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T08:12:00.001-05:00

One more day! Yippeee!!

I'm excited...if you couldn't tell. We have a half day today and Friday off (Christmas gifts from our fearless leaders, the wonderfulwonderfulwonderful leaders that they are)! I have one gift left to buy (online), 3 gifts left to make (super simple) and a teensy tiny bit of wrapping left. And then, I will sit and do NOTHING! Nothing but relax and enjoy the evening with family. And tomorrow, I will dig into presents and breakfast with my folks and my brother, then presents and dinner with the whole family, then presents and munchies with my other family (my friends - Fran, Juli, John and Maddie).

It will be present and food mayhem!!

And on the 26th - I will again resort to doing NOTHING! I love it!

Here are some pictures of how I decorated for Christmas this year:

The dining room

The tree, all lit up

The tree, all unlit up

The little tree in the upstairs hallway (someday, I will have a tree in every room - well, maybe not the bathroom)

The kitchen

And my newly completed...uh, I don't know what to call it. It's not a table runner, it's more of a table pad. The center is a panel that my mother gave me and then I added numerous borders to it in coordinating fabric. My curtains, that I made...um...last year...maybe the year before? Not sure.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-23T12:07:00.001-05:00

Snow

Snow
Snow

Snow

And more snow!

Now it's beginning to feel like Christmas!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-12-17T12:20:00.002-05:00

Oh, how I love snow...well, not when it's 10 below zero with a wind chill of -15˚F...but when it's gentle and pretty, like this morning.

It really makes it feel like Christmas!

A few things

2008-12-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

A have a brief moment to share....

Gone is Blue Beard the Pirate Tree Topper, replaced with this:

My little cutie playing on the stairs:
And an almost finished birthday present for a friend: (created this using Triangulations, soooo easy to use)

That's it for me...man, I hope every Friday is this quiet from now on!

4 vs. 1

2008-12-04T11:57:00.004-05:00

Holy crud - busy busy busy, let me tell you!

Yesterday was officially day one of my new job (technically its day 5 as I moved to the new office last Tuesday and Thursday and Friday were considered a holiday), and I’m already wiped out. Before, I worked for one person; one easy going, super, never demanding woman. In my new job, it’s 4 men; 4 completely different men with 4 completely different view points, 4 completely different areas of interest and 4 completely different writing styles/voices.

OH. MY. GOD! I feel like I'm being pulled in so many different directions that my head is spinning. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into with this job. I mean, come on - how hard could it be? Wasn't I already a legislative aide?

TOTALLY. NOT. THE. SAME. JOB!

Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I've come to realize just how much I took my old job for granted; how many others were there supporting me and I, them. Now it's all on me, times 4. And all I can say is, "gulp."

I know it will get better, it always does.

But for the moment, it's just crazy and when I go home at night, I can't even think about a computer, let alone get on it to read blogs or write in my own. So I may be running a little silent here again, at least until I get into the swing of things and learn how to organize my time properly so I'm not exhausted when I get home at night.

(though hopefully soon I will be able to post pictures of the holiday decorating that's been happening at my house, and of the quilt I've been working on...soon, very soon!)

Peacock Tree

2008-11-25T08:07:00.006-05:00

Two years ago, as I was perusing Bloggedy Blog Blog, I stumbled upon one of Saucy's theme trees and inspiration struck!

"A peacock tree - what a fantastic idea! I'm going to make one! I have mardi gras lights and...nothing else." - of course, Saucy's post was Dec. 19th and there was no way in hell I was going to pull together the decorations for this tree. So I got it into my head to start scouting out peacock themed decorations (I even had my mother looking). I hit the craft stores after Christmas that year and found 4 peacocks! Perfect, I was on my way. I found some glittery fern looking things...not exactly peacock, but they might work. Then I found some light blue and purple ball things that looked like grapes but not really...ah hell, they're only 25 cents, get them anyway.

So little by little, I found this and that and packed them away for the future peacock tree. Last year, I opened up the box that I had them in and..."ugh...what the hell is that god awful stench...oh, wait...it's...no, it couldn't be...IT IS! IT'S THE PEACOCK TREE STUFF! I can't put that stuff on a tree...it smells like the cat had diarrhea in this bag!"

It was the combination of plastic bags and plastic ornaments (the cat really didn't have diarrhea in the bad, don't worry...but it really did smell that way). I was tempted to just throw everything away, how was I ever going to get rid of that smell?

But I couldn't bring myself to chuck the lot, so I packed it in a new box, threw a dozen cinnamon sticks into it and prayed. On Sunday, I opened up the box and did a little dance - the cinnamon sticks worked! Everything smells like it just came out of the oven!

So without further ado (because I've spouted on long enough), here is my peacock tree inspired by that creative genius Saucy!

(my camera doesn't take the best night shots -forgive)

(oh, if you click on the pictures, you'll make them bigger and see everything close up!)

My mother found me this fabric when she went to Maryland this summer
I'm not so enamoured with the mask - it's the fuzzy blue thing...it looks like Blue Beard the Pirate went to Mardi Gras...I may have to adjust that.
Thank you so much, Saucy for your wonderous idea about a peacock tree. I've turned my little tree on every night since Sunday and it sparkles and the cat hasn't tried to eat or scale it (bonus)!! I love it!

Doing the Snoopy Dance of Joy

2008-11-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

Can you guess why?

I GOT THE JOB!

The job that I interviewed for last week; the one that will allow me to slide into the other office seamlessly...yeah, that one!

You want to talk about breathing a sigh of relief...it's like I've been holding my breath underwater, but I've finally broken the surface, and I can take great big gulps of air, because I'm safe again. Safe for another two years. Okay, so I guess that bout of calmness that I felt was covering my fear (and might I say it did a very good job in doing so, because I didn't lose a single night's sleep).

Out of the 30 applicants and the 20 people that they interviewed, they chose me based on my knowledge and experience.

I'm so relieved - I'm no longer in limbo; I can start planning again, start really shopping for Christmas, pay off my truck without worry. I feel like I could run a marathon right now, I feel so good!

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-11-21T11:36:00.003-05:00

1st Major Snow - Tree
Originally uploaded by faerytreecreations

"How much of human life is lost in waiting" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Waiting seems to be the buzz word around here. How do you pass the time when you're so anxious to hear news, any news, good or bad...just to stop the waiting...and the worrying...and the wondering.

(the photo is from 2 years ago. I've been in a snow mood the last few days...to which many other Mainers are saying "Bite your tongue!" - I can't help it, I love snow!)

33 Things

2008-11-20T07:03:00.001-05:00

So my birthday was on Sunday – 32. It was quiet, a little ordinary, but I was okay with it…actually I was rather preoccupied, having had my interview the day before, so it really came and went without fanfare in my mind (though my wonderful friends did give me a little party that was perfect and my friend, who just learned to knit, made me this awesome hat and scarf combo that is supersuper soft and FANTASTICALLY warm).

But I was thinking about the past year and the things that I have done, the things that I wanted but didn’t do and then, in my reacquainting myself with my favorite blogs, I was reminded of Andrea’s list. What an inspiration! And what a great idea; it gives you something to look forward to, and if something doesn’t happen, add it to next year’s list!

This is what I have come up with for ideas, most of which are do-able and won’t take loads of money.

33 things

1. visit a foreign country (even if it’s only Canada to visit friends, but shoot for Ireland)
2. create a studio
3. buy a new sofa and chair…and maybe a recliner, too!
4. paint with abandon
5. take all of my fabric scraps and make a scrap quilt
6. read a book a month
7. go on at least one art walk
8. plant bulbs in the spring
9. pay off as many credit cards/loans/etc. in a year as possible
10. create guerilla art
11. learn to knit
12. stick with WW and be adamant about it
13. take yoga
14. write a short children’s story
15. illustrate said short children’s story
16. spend at least one Saturday or Sunday a month having b’fast in a café, or diner, or little bitty outta the way place, alone.
17. learn a foreign language (French, Spanish, Italian?)
18. go whitewater rafting
19. go camping at least once
20. meditate on a daily basis (because it really does make you feel better)
21. take vitamins EVERYDAY!
22. grow a more successful garden
23. learn to play darts again…or rather bone up on your rather rusty skills
24. make new friends
25. have at least three parties and invite everyone, whether they get along or not, just for the heck of it!
26. dance…often…even if people are looking
27. slide down the banister at work, if only once
28. hike up a mountain, even if it’s only a small one
29. write more (stories, journal entries, whatever)
30. make more interesting dinners, rather than the same old same old
31. pay more attention to my creative voice and run with it (even if there is dirt on the floor, dishes in the sink and laundry threatening to take over the bedroom)
32. cross off at the very least half of these things by November 16, 2009
33. turn 33 on November 16, 2009

The funny thing is, when I first started my list, I was having a hard time coming up with ideas. I mean really, what did I want? But then it just started flowing and now I’m thinking, “oooh, I could add a #34. Make at least one snowman in the yard and #35. Plan more road trips, even if they’re only day trips and #36. Buy a new china pattern and retire the old one and #37…”

Hmmm…I could start the never-ending list and just keep adding to it and adding to it…but for now, I’ll leave it where it is.

(okay, so I lied and posted a list...but I love lists...I love crossing things off lists...it's just a part of who I am!)

FRIG*ID or How I Wish I’d Brought a Hat or How Sometimes a Break is Good

2008-11-19T13:32:00.004-05:00

All working titles for this post…couldn’t decide which to use.

I spent some time catching up on blogs that used to be daily reads for me and realized just how much time has passed and how much I’ve missed. Not just in the lives of the bloggers I read, but in the little I’ve had to say in my two month sporadic hiatus here on Mt. Vernon Street. I’m trying to wrap my brain around just where the last two months went. I mean, between campaign stuff and job stuff, yeah, I kinda know where my last two months went, but thinking back on it…it’s all a little fuzzy.
As I read about others creative endeavors, I realized that though I’ve made a few things, the crafty side of my brain hasn’t been in it – things in my creative world have felt mechanical. There was no passion; there was only assembly line production. When I picked up my camera only moments ago and saw the last pictures I took, I realized just when the last time I used my camera was (has it really been a month?). How could I have let myself get so swept up in non-crafty things – I succumbed to the demons of politics and the evil spirits of jobless thoughts. And when I went calm…I also went blank. I didn’t feel the fear, but at the same time, I didn’t feel anything. As I read those blogs, I began to feel the itch to create slide up my spine, down my arms and into my fingers. A gauze of fabric palettes has been pulled down over my eyes making me see patterns wherever I look. And when I became overwhelmed with the need to get back to creating, I stepped outside, where a sharp blast of frigid air slapped me in the face and made me wish I’d grabbed a hat. But that wind cleared the cobwebs and made me see that, indeed, winter is coming. The leaves are gone. Snow is coming. And its time to stop sleep walking through my days in calm-masked fear of being without a job…waiting…waiting to make plans (I’m still holding off on Christmas shopping until I know what my finances look like). There is nothing stopping me from planning my next quilt, finding the joy in finishing that quilt that I started making unpassionately; there is nothing stopping me from drawing and painting and cooking and creating! (On that note, I need peacock feathers, don't ask why - as soon as it's complete, I'll do a show and tell - but I must remember to pick up peacock feathers...and glue...and glitter).
Maybe this break from the norm was necessary…to jump start me…to make me realize that I cannot take for granted all those things that I’ve relied upon, gotten comfortable with, because everything is transient and sometimes I forget that.

Still Waiting

2008-11-18T07:25:00.000-05:00

I know that patience is a virtue, but there is nothing worse than waiting when your job is on the line.

It's pretty much guaranteed that my current job (with my semi-private office, wide windowsill for my plants, couch, TV and lots of space) is going to someone else – it’s anyone’s guess when my last day in this office is, though, because no one can talk about it…technically things are still in transition and will be until December 3rd, when it’s all finalized.

I’ve come to terms with this, the knowing that my current job in this office is over. And really, I can’t complain; I’ve had a good 3 year run in this office, with great co-workers that I count as friends. I don’t feel scared…I’m still fairly calm. I know I will find something, but the waiting is the worst

I did have an interview with the office where the person who is taking my job is from…an interview for his job. Apparently, I ROCKED IT OUT! I went in there and knew what I was talking about when it came to a constituent services database, clearly stated how my current position fits well with their office (since it’s essentially the same job, only my tasks here varied more) and caught some smiles as they reviewed my résumé! I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because he and I could switch jobs seamlessly, transitioning us from one office over to another, no fuss no muss.

Yesterday, I was told by the President-elect that she had heard good things about my interview and then I was stopped on the stairs by someone who was a part of the trio that interviewed me. He said that I did awesome in my interview! I have a good feeling about this job, but I’m not taking anything for granted and have covered my bases by sending my résumé to a few other offices.

The only thing that sucks is that I won’t find out about this job until the end of this week/beginning of next week and yes, I know it’s not that long, but I’ve been in limbo since the election, not knowing if I should be scrimping and saving (since I don’t know if I’ve got a job to go to after this month)…and I’d like to get a start on Christmas! Normally, by now, I’ve almost finished my Christmas shopping…this year, I’ve barely begun! I have a grand total of 5 gifts (three of which are fillers) and 11 people on my list. I do have a list of all the things that I want to pick up for each person, but until I find out that I have a job, I really can’t shop. And much as I love Christmas, I hate actually having to go to stores during the Christmas season, because most people become rude and stupid…I say blessed be to internet shopping! Unfortunately, grocery shopping via the internet really isn’t an option ‘round here and I need to start stockpiling baking supplies, if I want to make the tons of goodies that I keep eyeing in different magazines and books!

Okay, I’ve blathered randomly for long enough…must get to work!

Releasing the fear and uncertainty, because in the end, it will all work out...

2008-11-13T15:42:00.003-05:00

or so I keep telling myself.

The only bad thing about working in the political arena is that every two years, there is the potential for a complete and major shake up. I survived the last one (happening only a year after I came to work in my current office) because my boss wasn't termed out as a Senator. This year, she is. And now that new Leadership has been elected, the questions begin, the rumors fly and fear and uncertainty set in.

Last week, I had so many people say, "Oh don't worry. They'd be crazy not to keep you on in this office" (refering to new leadership). By Friday, I became increasingly aware that my position in this office was going to go to someone else. For the entire weekend, I slept horribly; everytime I thought about not having a job, I felt sick and on Monday, I spent the day with a boulder of terror in the pit of my stomach.

Tuesday, thankfully, was a day off (Veteran's Day) and a strange sensation of calm started settling in. It was a weird feeling, but at the same time, a very welcome feeling. For a while, my mantra had been "My job is secure, my job is secure, my job is secure"...intent upon staying in this office. But now, new possibilities are presenting themselves and the dawning realization of just how many people are looking out for my well being as I hear "I put in a good word for you with this person," "I overheard so and so telling that person what a great job you did in this office and how they should seriously consider you." So far I've heard that several people have given the right people glowing reviews of my work...you can't imagine the appreciation I feel having these people in my life, for going to the links that they're going to to make sure that I have a place here when the new Legislative session begins.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Change is gonna come...

2008-11-05T14:12:00.003-05:00

It's done! It's over! We have a Democratic President, a Democratic Majority in Congress and a Democratic majority in the Maine State House! Whoo-hoo!!! Time for the Snoopy Dance of Joy!!

Okay, I'm tired now...wake me when it's time to swear in the new Senators.

Happy Hallowe'en!!

2008-10-31T08:10:00.000-04:00

Beware the goblins, ghosts and ghoulies tonight!!

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (my favorite halloween story) in cartoon form

2008-10-30T08:01:00.001-04:00

(there are few missing moments of the movie - mainly between the first and second one...unfortunately, youtube didn't have all of it)

Portsmouth, NH

2008-10-28T08:35:00.005-04:00

Before heading to Salem, we stopped in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for lunch and a bit of wandering. I love the houses around here. I want to come down at Christmas time and see them decorated. Hmmmm...maybe a morning in Portsmouth with an afternoon at the outlets in Kittery in December is in order!

Salem!

2008-10-27T11:30:00.004-04:00

Spent a great Saturday in Salem, MA with my friend Nicky - we had sooooo much fun! We participated in a spell casting, wandered through many shops, ate at a fantastic pub called The Old Spot where we had the Sweet Potato Sizzler (sweet potato fries, covered in cheese, bacon and sour cream with scallions!). There was so much, we couldn't finish it!

More pictures on Flickr

Counting Down the Days...

2008-10-21T12:28:00.004-04:00

til the bus trip to Massachusetts for:

til I carve this sucker (wish me luck!)
And well, just enjoying this sight
and this one (she's a climber)

In and Out

2008-10-16T12:13:00.003-04:00

I'll be in and out of this space for the next month or so. We're down to crunch time with only 19 days left until the election, until we know who will be our President, until we know who has control of the Senate. And if all goes well (keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer for me), in roughly 25 days, I will know if I get to keep my job! I'm staying positive!

But for now, I wanted to share a few pictures from my cousin Stephanie's wedding this past weekend in Massachusetts. It was beautiful, she was beautiful and we had so much fun!

Look at that dress! Gorgeous!
The Father-Daughter dance
Holy Family Catholic Church, Rockland, MA
Dancin' the night away
The music didn't stop until midnight and then the party moved to my aunt and uncle's. We didn't get to bed before 3 AM! It was a blast!

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-10-10T07:34:00.000-04:00

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~ George Eliot

Self induced and unannounced blogging break...

2008-10-09T16:21:00.003-04:00

I didn't mean to be away as long as I was, but I just didn't have anything to say...or rather, I had plenty to say and share, but just didn't have the umph to write. But lets get right to the sharing...

This is the quilt that I'm working on for my boss. She will be finishing her term in the next month (and her birthday is at the end of the month) and I wanted to give her something special, something that she would use and something that she would think of our office when she used it.

Its only a lap quilt (12 inch squares, log cabin, 3 across/4 down with white sashing and backing and I may combine the left over strips to create the binding).

These aren't the colors I necessarily think of when I think of her, but they jumped out of my stash closet and said "Use me and me and me and me!!" Of course, I was sick at the time, so that may have been a hallucination. Anyhoo, now when she is sitting at home on a cold, snowy night, reading a book with this quilt on her lap, she will think of all of us stuck here listening to the Senate until some ungodly hour and thank her lucky stars that she doesn't have to do that anymore (and then drive 30 minutes home with people still calling her!)

Well, the day is almost done, tomorrow is wood day (Mum, Dad, Derek and I load up trucks and trailers and bring 4 cord of wood to the Lake) and Saturday, my cousin is getting married ♥ in Massachusetts! Still so much to do before then!

Have a wonderful weekend, anyone and everyone. Until next week!

The Common Ground Fair

2008-09-23T16:55:00.000-04:00

Saturday at the Common Ground Fair

Forgive the shakiness, but it was cold and windy in the morning.

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-09-19T07:40:00.001-04:00

Ocean Point, E. Boothbay, Maine

(taken Dec. 24, 2006)

One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson

Mother Nature Loves to Mess with Your Head

2008-09-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

I’m convinced of this. One day you’re dragging out the long sleeves, the woolies and the mittens…the next you’re back to tee’s & capri’s. It’s starting to be that time of year when you have to plan your wardrobe for both summer and autumn to simultaneously occur in one day – so today it’s a short sleeve top with a cardigan, jeans and ballet shoes (no socks) and I’m fully aware that at some point today, one part of my body will freeze while a different one sweats to death.

Now that the mornings are more on the chilly side, I find myself dreaming of digging out those toasty sweaters, starting the woodstove and making French onion soup…which I had the worst craving for last night, but didn’t have the ingredients.

And speaking of food – I’ve come to realize that I haven’t been very creative with my meals lately and really need to remedy this. Even though I’m only cooking for myself, there’s no reason to eat the same-old same old, boring, blah food all the time. I’ve started looking for recipes for things that are out of the ordinary (for me) but can be created whilst still sticking to the budget. And in my travels through internet recipe sites, I found this recipe that sounds like complete yumminess:

Boursin Cheese and Caramelized Onion Phyllo Packages

2 Tbsp. Butter
2 cups sliced onion
6 sheets phyllo dough
4 Tbsp. Butter, melted
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 packages (5.2 oz.) Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese
Chives, for garnish

In large, non-stick skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. Butter over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Lay one sheet of phyllo on a clean flat surface and lightly brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Cover with a second sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Cover with a third sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Cut phyllo stack down center crosswise and lengthwise to form 4 equal rectangles. Repeat process with remaining phyllo sheets.

Quarter each cheese round and flatten slightly to form eight 2 ½-inch-wide disks. Place one disk in center of each rectangle and top with about 1 round tablespoon caramelized onions. Fold the long sides up and over the middle to cover the cheese and onions. Fold the two remaining sides over to create rectangle shaped package.

Place seam side down on a non-stick baking pan lightly coated with cooking spray and brush each package with melted butter. Refrigerate 1 hour. Bake at 425 degrees Farenheit for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

I will have to cut this in half (so I’m not eating Boursin Cheese and Caramelized Onion Phyllo Packages for lunch and dinner for a week!), but doesn’t that sound fantastic? I can’t wait to try it! I better add Boursin to my grocery list…and phyllo…and chives…and parmesan, maybe onions too – man it really has been a while since I last grocery shopped; about the only thing I have is butter. Sad, so very very sad.

Anyhoo, have a lovely, lovely day. I am off tomorrow for a 3 day weekend filled with shed cleaning, dump running, a visit here on Saturday with my friend Nicky and a visit here to celebrate a very special person on Sunday.

ONE!

2008-09-16T13:32:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that this sweet itty bitty thing

has become this sweet big goofball!

My Nymbus is officially ONE!

Must Be Something About September...

2008-09-15T08:57:00.004-04:00

That makes me want to paint. Remember these ugly things? They're my kitchen cabinets that I painted last September
They ended up looking like this - all pretty and white and yellow. Only, this photo is deceptive...you can't see how streaky and icky looking the lower cabinets really are. I got so sick of painting by that time that I gave up and dealt with streaky, poorly painted (despite the 5 coats of paint on them) lower cabinets for the past year...until yesterday.
Out came the paint and paint brushes
and now, after 2 coats of white and 3 coats of yellow,
my lower cabinets are pretty, too!
Now I just have to finish the handles (the ones on the right have been baked, the ones on the left need to be and I still have 5 more to clay...and I have to buy some clear spray varnish)
The best part about the kitchen cabinets being done...the floor's next. Oh how I feel giddy at the thought of RIPPING UP THAT DAMN UGLY FLOOR! (seriously, go back to the pictures and look at that god awful floor - ewwwww!)

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-09-12T12:43:00.003-04:00

Sunflower picture taken by Cathy Leonard

"Some pursue happiness; you create it"

~ inside a fortune cookie

(oh, and your lucky numbers are 1, 2, 8, 17, 40, 43)

Brrrrr....it's cold out there!

2008-09-11T13:00:00.000-04:00

It was a brisk 36°F this chilly Maine morning! I double layered when I walked Sadie, but wished that I had a hat and mittens on. I guess I've been denying that seasonal change for long enough; time to stop clinging to those remnants of summer.

I'm a little weirded out, right now, though. You see, normally by mid-august I start having these "Oh my god summer is over and I didn't do anything and what am I doing with my life and why am I still here in this state when there are a million opportunities out there for me somewhere esle, what's keeping me here?" (only jam the words together and say them really fast without stopping for a breath) thoughts; it's that Autumn Expectation feeling - the feeling that I need to go somewhere and do something different and start over. But, so far, that feeling hasn't come...which is so weird because that feeling ALWAYS comes. Rather than that feeling of change and upheaval, though, there is this calm sense of...smooth sailing, I guess; it's like on a subconscious level, I know that everything is working itself out properly and falling into place at just the right moment for me. I'm not used to that feeling this time of year; it's wonderful!

It all started in January when I started a better paying job, doing something that I enjoy and everything else just seemed to follow:

my brother moved in, so I'm not feeling strapped for cash
I've had plenty of time off to enjoy this summer
I got to hang out with friends and wander around Portland, Rockland and Damariscotta
Saw a musical with my mother
hit the farmer's market often
started making bread regularly
learned how to make preserves and can dilly beans
camped outside on Ambajejus Lake, hung out with my office peeps, went to Baxter State Park, saw a moose, turtles, foxes, and learned about birds from my boss' husband
hung out with my sister & her friends, took a hike to a spectacular waterfall and saw people white water rafting
went swimming
joined Weight Watchers and lost 25 lbs!
cut my long hair short and dyed it for the first time in 5 years
planted my garden (and built a fence around it by myself)
cleared out my backyard with the help of my sister, my nephew and a lot of help from my brother (who really has done more than his fair share!)
did all the tax requirements to make Faery Tree Creations a real business entity and started working on stuff to sell
saw and hung out with family that I hadn't seen in over 4 years
enjoyed many evenings reading on the porch
bought a new camera

I feel like I've done so much already this year and it seems that any issues that arise, quickly resolve themselves...like:

the issue we had about not getting firewood in time to dry out before winter (because of some jerk who was taking advantage of the rising wood prices and didn't deliver the 10 cord of wood that Mum ordered at the beginning of July at $180 a cord). It was resolved last night - 3 cord are on their way in the next week or so (at a higher price unfortunately, but oh well) and my brother just found some guy giving away wood for FREE! (about 3 cord, trees and thick branches, 4 foot lengths)...so now we will have more than I orginally planned for!
the thought that I wasn't going to be able to afford the trip to Massachusetts for my cousin's wedding in October based on hotel room prices, gas prices, etc. etc. but I talked to my sister last night and she, my niece and I are going to ride down together, share a room and split the costs! Score!
my worry about the rising cost of...well...everything, has now been countered with the realization that next month is a 3 paycheck month and I will have enough money to pay off my truck loan, thus reducing my monthly bills! WHOO-HOO!! Which means that there will be even more "extra" money each month (aside from what I am saving having my brother live at the house)

See - everything is falling into place at the right moment. Now I just need the worry about retaining my job after elections to resolve itself positively and in my favor (as in, leadership is impressed with my job performance, keeps me in this job and gives me a raise on top of that)!

Alright, enough with the ridiculously long post - I'm cutting out of work early on some firewood related business, so enjoy your Thursday folks!

Good Morning, Morning Glory

2008-09-10T13:16:00.003-04:00

I love how morning glories will spring up in places where you didn't plant them!

Comic Relief at My House

2008-09-09T07:35:00.000-04:00

When my sister comes over, most of her visit is spent talking and watching scenes similar to this...for the ENTIRE time she is there!

I hope you laugh as much as we do!

Been out of commission

2008-09-08T10:55:00.003-04:00

Don't ask me what I did, but whatever it was, it did a number on my lower back!

I've been pretty much in pain since last Tuesday. I went to the doctor on Wednesday (my chiropractor was off) and she gave me pills...which didn't do much for the pain and one of them I was allergic to - not a pretty sight! On Thursday, I went to my chiropractor and she adjusted me. By 6:00 that night, I was able to walk better - I'm not sure why I bother with the doctor anymore...really, I always end up with pills that don't do much and half the time I have a reaction!

I'm still a little gimpy today, but I'm getting better and better!

What's in Your Backyard?....again

2008-09-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

Remember this picture from way back in April...when I started cleaning out and reclaiming my backyard?

Well, since my brother moved in, he's been cleaning up in earnest! Out came the fence and all the left over junk; the sand (we used to have a pool in this spot when I was a kid) has been dug down and raked...
and he's even building up a rock retaining wall!
It's just so clean and starting to look so pretty!
Next year, I need a better plan for the garden. I didn't utilize my space wisely, didn't plant the potatoes properly, my beans got mold towards the end, my carrots could have been thinned better and I think my tomatoes are diseased. But my cucumbers did well and I do have one little pumpkin and three zucchinis that are doing wonderfully. Ah, every year with a garden is a learning experience!

Fruits (and vegetables) of My Labor (day weekend)

2008-09-01T20:02:00.005-04:00

I wish I could go back to August of 1997 and have a good long conversation with my 20 year old self before I embarked upon the adventure that was my first apartment. In that conversation I would have given myself three vital pieces of advice: 1) alcohol is not your friend and the money that you would save by not drinking could be used as a down payment on your first car, 2) buy a bread machine and stock up on the ingredients to make bread and 3) learn to make jam!

If I had had these three useful bits of info (and actually listened to it), not only would I have saved some money, but I wouldn't have spent the last month of my 3rd year at University eating canned soup for lunch and dinner (I would have had bread and jam to go along with that soup!)!

I never realized just how easy it is to make jam - why on earth did it take me this long to learn?

Saturday, Mum and I put up Strawberry, Raspberry and Pear-Apple Jam (the pear-apple was a complete experiment that turned out amazing!)
Then I snapped 5 pounds of green beans and learned how to use
the water bath canner
to make Dilly Beans!
I'm hooked now - I will never be jamless (or dilly bean less) in the winter again!

The Bride - finished

2008-08-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

I actually finished this last week, but didn't upload the photos till today. My cousin's bridal shower was Sunday and my aunt was nice enough to bring it down for me, so I didn't have to risk it getting beat up in the mail!

I was so happy to find the glass topped box frame (the lid is on hinges). It was the only thing resembling a shadow box that I could find (I went to 4 stores) and it was the only one left. It was too perfect! Then I found this poem by Susan Polis Schutz.
I whipped together a little fake flower bridal bouquet and it all just came together perfectly!
I wish I could have been there to see her open it, but maybe someone took pictures.

Getting Abused by the Starbucks Oracle...

2008-08-23T12:02:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Marni for posting the link to this...it cracked me up!
My "4 Bucks" drink: Venti Chai Tea Latte

What the Oracle revealed:

Personality type: Pseudo-intellectual

You're liberal and consider yourself to be laid back and open minded. Everyone else just thinks you're clueless. Your friends hate you because you always email them virus warnings and chain letters "just in case it's true." All people who drink Venti Chai Tea Latte are potheads.

Also drinks: Sparkling water
Can also be found at: Designer grocery stores

God, I love it!

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-08-22T16:59:00.002-04:00

“There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same”

~Chinese Proverb

Tales from Ambajejus Lake - Sunset

2008-08-22T07:04:00.001-04:00

And so ends another relaxing time on Ambajejus Lake

This was a bittersweet trip...you see, this is my office's last year together. My boss is termed out and will go back to her other job; our Chief of Staff, our policy analyst and our communications director will probably go on to new jobs in the private sector; our secretary will no doubt stay (new leadership would be foolish to ever get rid of her - she's been in her position for more than 20 years. She's a wealth of knowledge!) and who knows what office I will be in...if I'm lucky! Once the elections are over and new leadership is chosen, it will be a whole new ball game.

It makes me very sad; I've never worked with such a close-knit group before! We enjoy working together in the office, but we also enjoy doing things together outside of work. There was never any animosity, no one ever got snappy when stressed, even when things were difficult and chaotic! And everyone is generally interested in what's going on in the others lives. Our relationship as an office isn't just a work relationship...it's a friendship!

We've decided to continue with our yearly trek to Ambajejus Lake, but instead of a Staff Retreat, it will be a reunion. :^)

Tales from Ambajejus Lake - Baxter State Park

2008-08-21T07:14:00.003-04:00

From a short trail walk into Baxter with the express purpose of moose watching...not a one graced us with their presence. :^(

We had our own personal bird expert with us, calling birds in.

The Cedar Wax Wings were spectacular, though! They put on quite the show.

Tales from Ambajejus Lake - around the fire

2008-08-20T08:04:00.002-04:00

Once again, my office took the 150+ mile trek up to Millinocket, Maine for our Staff Retreat on Ambajejus Lake. On the drive up, Deb and I saw a fox and a turtle crossing the road (not together). And that first night, when Marcia and I were heading down the Golden Road toward town, a moose crossed the road in front of us! That was only the 3rd time that I've seen a moose that close (despite having lived in this state all my life).

Here are some great picts from around the campfire...

Stay tuned, more pictures to come!

The Forks

2008-08-19T10:35:00.004-04:00

I meant to post the details from the trip to The Forks last week, but time got away from me.

We didn't get to go rafting. Both the Kennebec and the Dead were running too fast and too high. My sister's friend said that we'd end up spending our trip down the river bailing (his raft wasn't a self-bailer) and because there was sooooo much water (they were releasing 10,600 cubic feet of water on the Kennebec), we wouldn't have much in the way of rapids.
Many of the rafting companies were still taking people down and I did get to watch this group launch on Sunday morning.

We did get to go on a hike into Grand Falls (45 minutes down a logging road, then a mile hike into the woods)
And that was well worth the trip!

Check out the video below...

Grand Falls, The Forks, Maine

2008-08-19T10:31:00.002-04:00

Live from Grand Falls!
Originally uploaded by faerytreecreations

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-08-08T08:08:00.000-04:00

"Morning Dew" - photo by Cathy Leonard

~:: Aurora musis amica ::~
(dawn is friend of the muses)

(happy day of 8's)

Upta Camp

2008-08-07T07:58:00.000-04:00

Guess who gets to go rafting for the first time in her life?

My sister's friends are rafting guides and she invited me to go with them. I've always wanted to do this (and skydive - which is ironic since I have a fear of falling). We'll be going somewhere up near The Forks.

Can't wait can't wait can't wait!

Today's business report brought to you by Faery Tree Creations...

2008-08-05T12:05:00.001-04:00

I know I've said it before, but I am a firm believer that everything that happens, happens for a reason. Like how I buy books years before I ever get around to reading them because obviously, my subconscious knows I need this book even if I'm not ready for it...someday, I will be.

I also believe that until you are meant to do something, the Universe will prevent you from actually doing it...then suddenly *poof* it's time to do that something and there are absolutely no obstacles in your way and you wonder, "Why didn't I do this before?" - uh...'cause you weren't supposed to.

I know you've seen these guys before:

but I've always wanted to sell them at craft shows...like the big ones put on by the United Craftsmen of Maine - such as this weekend's 39th Annual Cumberland Arts & Crafts Show (which I will be missing, unfortunately). Only you have be a member of UCM and in order to do that you have to have a state tax ID number. So I looked into this a few years ago and how to start a business in Maine and can I tell you, I was in CONFUSION CENTRAL! I didn't know what flippin' form to use? I didn't understand what some of the terminology meant and I didn't have the patience to deal with people at Maine Revenue. So I tried selling these guys on Etsy and Ebay and at one rinky dink craft show that was poorly attended. And now I know why there seemed to be so many obstacles in my way...because it wasn't time. I wasn't ready.

Yesterday, I filed for an EIN with the federal gov't...ONLINE! Easy-peasy! And then, I found all the answers to my questions about filing for a state tax ID number...AND FAXED THAT OUT! Now I just have to wait for the State to send me back my info and I'll be sending in my membership application to the United Maine Craftsmen, so that next year, I can rent my space at the various craft shows and get some creations out there!

So Faery Tree Creations will be a real business entity very very soon! How cool is that? And if anyone is saying, "I can't believe you didn't know how to do this earlier" - hush your face, I get frustrated easily! Me and patience...we have a tendency to be like oil and water.

"Luck Be A Lady Tonight..."

2008-08-04T14:38:00.006-04:00

"Call it dumb, call it clever

Ah, but you can get odds forever

That the guy's only doing it for some doll"

Yesterday, Mum and I went to see the Lincoln County Community Theater's version of "Guys and Dolls". We decided to make an afternoon of it and hit the Salt Bay Cafe for lunch beforehand - I love this little cafe, but it gets mixed reviews, because they're a small restaurant and they get busy very quickly. Yes, service can be a bit slow at times, but the food is worth the wait. I had pecan encrusted chicken salad - a whole chicken breast, encrusted with pecans on top of a garden salad with their house dressing, which I am currently in love with (it's just a combo of lemon juice, lime juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper...very yummy, esp. with the chicken!!).

I was delightfully surprised at how good the play was! Don Carrigan (a local tv reporter) was a fantastic Nathan Detriot and his co-star Nancy Durgin, who played Ms. Adelaide, was a riot! The kid playing Sky Masterson was adorable and the kid playing Benny the Bookie Southstreet was superb (his write-up said that he would be majoring in musical theater in college...and he should, he was excellent!)

The theater itself is huge on the inside, but tiny out in the concession/ticket area. Thankfully they allowed food and drink in the theatre, which is a nice change from some of the other small theater's I've been to, so I didn't have to endure the press of a full house in the concession area (all at once) at intermission for very long.

Well, until tomorrow, when I have business news to report!

Quiet Friday Joy on a Saturday

2008-08-02T07:35:00.000-04:00

Reality is not what your eyes show your mind, but what your mind creates for your eyes to see. ~ The Universe

Hail August, Keeper of the Sun

2008-08-01T06:30:00.003-04:00

"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."
~ Elizabeth Maua Taylor

It's only the 1st and I'm already feeling like the days are piling up, so much is happening, so much is planned and there's no time to take a breath, to just sit and enjoy.

I know there is time and I know that I have had many moments of sitting and enjoying this summer, but it's August now. Suddenly there is so much to do; there are trips to be made to camps and shower gifts to be finished and plays to attend and...and there's still so much on that summer wish list!

I still want to steal a Friday and wander around Portland with Juli, I still want to make summery treats and go to the beach just once and create that fire pit in the yard that I probably won't use until fall and really get that backyard in shape (though my brother is all over that - he's done so much out there. I'll have to take some pictures!)...oh and I want to fix the screens on my porch so I can sleep out there on those unbearably hot August nights (I'm terribly jealous of Cathy and my boss & her husband with their outdoor/porch beds).

Here's to making time to do all those things I want to do, spending time with friends and really enjoying myself. I want to look back at this summer and say, "Wow - what a great summer", not "Oh, I wish I'd done this or this or that."

Happy weekend, all!

WiP - The Bride

2008-07-30T08:04:00.001-04:00

My cousin is getting married in October and I wanted to come up with something for her bridal shower that is a little more personal, a little more individual, little more creative and a lot less "standard gift registry". And of course, since I'm going through post-quilt show "NEED TO CREATE!!!" mania, I started this...

The Bride

What I actually started was based on a Robin Wood drawing in an old copy of Scott Cunningham's Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic (which is frought with Wood's amazing art - check the link and you'll see a few examples as you scroll through).

As I worked, though, she developed into this playful bride, complete with 3 dimensional skirt (bedecked with tulle underlay) and a lacey ribbon at her waist.

I fussy cut flowers from a funky fabric and played with variegated green thread for grass

Her top is painted in white with a hint of grey to simulate folds and her hair is a brown fabric base with browns, reds, golds and black painted over it (it needs to be touched up)

I'm very pleased with how she is turning out...considering she went in a completely different direction than originally planned. I still need to paint in some clouds, paint her skirt so it flows with the bodice and quilt around her with invisible thread.

My plan is to cut it down to size, fit it into a shadowbox, then to the bottom of the shadowbox, add a mini bouquet of fake flowers tied with ribbon, some mini wedding rings, a little poem about weddings or brides or something and her wedding invitation (or save the date card as it has a picture of her and her fiancé) reduced down to mini and propped up. I hope she likes it!

Maine Quilts 2008

2008-07-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Just a smattering of quilts from the show, click on the mosaic to bring you to the rest.

Maine Quilts 2008 was...as always...amazing, awe-inspiring, creatively inspiring and just plain old fantastic! Mum and I got there just a little after 9 on opening day and immediately hit the vendors! I found some really great fabric...

and then spent 3 hours wandering through the quilts (though the last 4 rows we skimmed through in 15 minutes because it was getting on to lunch time and I was starved! Next year, I'll bring snacks).

Every year, I am in awe of the talent and the creativity and the effort that these people put into their quilts. So many go beyond the traditional, but even the traditional are so well done, so intricate in pattern...I just can't get over it! There were so many three dimensional quilts...it made me itch to do a picture quilt again (something I haven't done in a while!), something with lots of detail and embellishments (and yes, I've already started something! No pictures yet, but soon).

After the quilt show, we headed out for some crazy-inspired fabric shopping. At first, I went after batiks...like always, but I put them back. They really weren't saying much to me. But then...then I found these and I just had to get a yard of each.

Not sure what I'll use them for, but there's definitely an apron in there!

Can Bread Be Beautiful?

2008-07-24T13:04:00.003-04:00

Just look at that bread! Isn't it beautiful? I made it yesterday...

after I tried using a non-bread machine recipe with the bread machine. I think I nearly burned the motor out of it - it was smelling funny and my brother saw a bit of smoke! Oops! So I went with a classic white bread (machine) recipe and man did it come out good.

I'm on a quest to find the perfect recipe to mimic the white bread my Gram used to make. I don't think any of the women in my family have ever been able to duplicate her bread. I don't know what she did to make it as yummy as it was, to rise as high as it did or cook as thoroughly, maybe it was the pans...or the oven...more than likely it was the recipe, but it sure was the best bread! It sucked in gravy for open faced turkey sandwiches like there was no tomorrow and nothing tasted better the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas than that first turkey sandwich: two slabs of Gram's bread slathered in mayo and cranberry sauce, heaped with stuffing, carrots and turkey (maybe a boiled onion or two and a little sweet potato). Man, I'm drooling! Unfortunately, Gram took her Newfie bread secrets with her when she passed.

Who knows, maybe one day I will track down a recipe that will work. Until then, I'll just have to enjoy the trial and error! :^)

Nym's favorite way to be carried - what a weirdo!

2 more days

2008-07-23T06:38:00.005-04:00

Just 2 more days until the start of...

2008

3 days and over 650 quilts in all shapes, sizes, colors, textures and creative imaginings!

Here are just a few amazing and awe inspiring works that appeared at the last two quilt shows...

More can be seen here:

Maine Quilts 2007

Maine Quilts 2006

I can't wait to use the new camera at the show and see just what I get for colors and detail! And as always, a fabric shopping trip to follow to fuel the creative fires that the quilt show always inspires (I know, it rhymes...poet...didn't know...yeah yeah, whatever).

Did I tell you about my bread machine?

2008-07-22T12:18:00.006-04:00

Okay, so I have maintained a traditionalist's attitude for making bread for ohhhh...at least ten years now. My Ma taught me to make it the old fashioned way and I poo-pooed my sister for succombing to the bread machine fad when she bought hers. I was convinced that homemade the traditional way was soooooo much better. Well, I'm here today to tell you...I was wrong. There, I said it (and yes, I apologized to my sister). I don't think I've ever been so wrong about something in all my life.

What made me get a bread machine in the first place? Uh...I don't know. For some weird reason I got it into my head one day that I needed a bread machine, like a little voice saying, "Trust me on this one, you need a bread machine" and being someone who is beginning to really follow her gut instincts (and apparently the voices in her head), I mentioned to my uncle in Maryland (who is terribly addicted to auctions) that if he ever found a new bread machine in his auction travels, and it was reasonably priced, to pick it up and I would pay him for it. Within a week, he found one - FOR $5!!! Can you believe it? Oh, I was so psyched! I was hooked after the first loaf; never again would I take that über-long traditional route again (...unless something happened to the world and we were left completely without power, plunging us back into the dark ages).

Saturday morning, I made cinnamon roll dough (recipe below - try it, you'll love it!) at 5:30 and in an hour and 30 minutes, I had the best looking dough, ready to be rolled out and spread w/ cinnamon roll topping goodness (otherwise known as butter, cinnamon and brown sugar). By 8:00, I had ooey, gooey, warm and tasty cinnamon rolls. It's the fact that the machine does all the work and I don't get super messy that makes me the happiest!

BREAD MACHINE CINNAMON ROLLS

INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
* * * * * * * *
(to spread inside before the dough is rolled)
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
* * * * * * * *
(for frosting)
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture (Side-note: make sure you really coat the ends of the dough with the brown sugar/butter/cinnamon mixture, as I kinda overlooked that and ended up with two rolls that didn't have a lot of cinnamon roll flavor, so I coated them with extra frosting). Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes (side-note: depending on your oven...if it's old like mine, it may be more like 20 or 25 minutes). While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Next on the list of things to bake:
* Cheesy Beer Bread
* Focaccia
* Dinner Rolls
* Pizza Dough
* Banana Bread

And the survey says...

2008-07-20T16:47:00.003-04:00

I DO NOT HAVE DIABETES, NOR DO I HAVE AN INTOLERANCE OF GLUCOSE!!!

I got my test results on Friday. Guess who's doing the happy happy dance of joy right now? And in celebration, I went to Old Hallowell Day yesterday and left my camera at home. Can we say, "DUH!" I kicked myself all afternoon, especially in the morning after getting coffee at Slate's Bakery to go with the MARVELOUS "Clone of a Cinnabon" cinnamon rolls that I made using my handy dandy new bread machine (must remember to take a picture next time and share the recipe - you want to talk about heavenly! YUM!!). My friend Nicky came along and we ended up sitting outside, out back between the bakery store and the actual bakery itself. There's a little garden area (where they had the Slate's Rising Grill before the renovations were complete). It's so sweet and pretty and there is this monsterous tree out there that I really wanted to get a picture of...but being the twit that I obviously was yesterday, I didn't have my camera. So my mission this week is to take a moment out of my day, head to Slate's bakery...WITH MY CAMERA...get something yummy to enjoy it out back in the garden and TAKE SOME FLIPPIN' PICTURES!

And Today is Tuesday...

2008-07-15T17:30:00.001-04:00

Okay, that glucose drink that I had to take yesterday...SUCKED! After a half hour, I felt light headed and dizzy and had major heartburn. By the time I got home (3 hours later), I couldn't keep my eyes open! I had intended to go to work after the test, but I was just so tired that I decided to take a nap before heading in, and ended up sleeping for hours! And really, to describe it as "sleep" doesn't do it justice - it was more like dropping out of existence for a few hours, sleeping the sleep of the comatose, DEAD. TO. THE. WORLD!

Marcia called me just after 1:00 to see if I was coming in. I rolled over to look at the clock and couldn't believe what time it was! Marcia thinks I had a sugar crash. It was sooooo weird!

But I'm good today and even went to Cardio Kickboxing, something I never thought I would enjoy, but really do! It's part of my "Get Your Ass to the Gym and Suck It Up!" program (self-administered and applying solely to myself and my gym partner, Tabetha). The goal is to tone up and get healthier, now that she and I are losing weight. I never thought I would say this about the gym, but I look forward to it...the cardio kick, the elliptical machine and we're going to try a full body workout class, too. I know it's going to kick my ass - cardio did after the first class; it took me 4 days to recover - but it will be worth it!

Oh, and no test results yet from the Glucose Tolerance Test...but I do have some lovely bruises on my inner elbow where they had to root around to find a vein. I try not to extend my arm, so as not to show off what look like junky track marks! You would think that lab techs at a hospital who do this day in and day out would be able to find a vein zip bang boom, take it and you're done with no fuss, no muss...kinda like the lab tech at my local doctor's office - she rocks; she leaves no bruises and takes the blood so quickly that you don't even realize she's taken it till she says "Okay, we're done!"...but no and I have the bruises to show for it!

Well that's all from my little world - hope all is well in your little world!

Monday Yuck

2008-07-14T06:30:00.001-04:00

Road to Nowhere, Maine

Can I just say "ugh!"? I have to go to the hospital for tests this morning.

During my physical last week, I mentioned to the doctor how thirsty I had been despite drinking TONS of water, how my lips felt chapped and dry constantly (even though they don't look it) and how I was getting up more often in the middle of the night. So of course, she looks at my family history of diabetes and orders a GTT (glucose tolerance test) for this morning. Just how I wanted to spend my Monday morning, giving blood and peeing in a cup for 2 hours!

Everyone that I have spoken with, who has taken this, assures me that the glucose drink tastes like flat orange soda and it's not that bad, but I'm getting mixed reviews on the sickness afterward. Some people say they didn't get sick and others say that they did because you have to fast for 10 hours and then drink the stuff over the course of 2 hours, so 12 hours of nothing but water and flat orange soda in your stomach has the potential for a queasiness factor.

I'm not giving it much thought until the tests are done, the results are in and I've spoken to my doctor, though she didn't seem too worried - she said that even if I did have diabetes, I'm already on my way to controlling it because I've lost weight (since joining Weight Watchers in March), started exercising on a regular basis and am eating healthy. My Gram had it, controlled it with diet and lived to be 82...and she was still living in her own house until she passed and she mowed her lawn on a regular basis, aaaaand she didn't die because of a diabetes related issue, it was her heart...but her sister died in a diabetic coma...and my uncle has Type 2.

So I guess at the moment, since I'm trying not to give it any thought, I'm of the mindset that if I have diabetes, I'll deal with it. If I don't, guess who will be doing the happy happy dance of joy?

Wish me luck!

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-07-11T08:06:00.000-04:00

In summer, the song sings itself ~William Carlos Williams

What've You Read Lately?

2008-07-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

Cathy over at Homestretching blogged about the National Endowment for the Arts "The Big Read" and how of the top 100 books, most adults have only read 6!

The top 100 list is a bit speculative, but interesting, nevertheless. These are Cathy's directions:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you started but did not finish.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve read 6 and force books upon them. :^)

The List:
1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (well maybe not the complete works but quite a few)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha- Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones- ALice Sebold
65. The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

It's funny, when you start thinking back to what you read in high school and college and on your own just for fun...I'm kind of suprised by how many I have read and by how many I haven't! I was very very pleased that A.S. Byatt's Possession was in there - god, I devoured that book! 3 TIMES! It was assigned reading for a Modern Lit. class in University and I loved every minute we discussed this book! Of course, on the flip side there was Ulysses, which I had to read for my Irish Lit. class - oh dear god this book dragged on and on and on! I liked Joyce...I read Portrait, and Dubliners, and enjoyed them both, but Ulysses...ugh!

One thing about this list, it made me realize that I don't read as much now as I used to. I was a readin' fiend - had to be, I was working on a degree in literature. I think it's time to renew my library card, make time to actually go down there (they don't have the best of hours for anyone who works 8 to 5!) and start picking up some of these books that I've never heard of. A Town Like Alice? Could be interesting! Who knows?

Windy Sunny Day on Damariscotta Lake

2008-07-10T08:02:00.001-04:00

Just a snippet from my vacation - thought you might enjoy a bit of the waves, a bit of the sun on the lake...

Happy Thursday!

Inside a Glass Gazing Ball

2008-07-09T08:00:00.004-04:00

What happens when you're sitting outside on your vacation on a particularly lazy day with your camera in your hand and a blue/green glass gazing ball beside your chair...

Jack's Quilt

2008-07-08T06:39:00.000-04:00

A friend just adopted a baby from Ethiopia and Thursday is her baby shower This is my contribution to Baby Jack - entitled "Welcome Jack", done in super soft cottons in a rail fence pattern...just one more thing I did while lazin' the days away on my vacation. :^)

Ho-hum, back to work...

2008-07-07T09:29:00.004-04:00

So it's back to work I go, my vacation has come and gone. But I really can't complain; I just spent the last 10 days doing only what I wanted, when I wanted!

I:
* spent time at the Lake
* made a baby quilt
* hung out with my sister and her family and friends at Lake Pemaquid Campground
* puttered in the garden
* rearranged my bedroom
* went to a farmer's market (found fingerling potatoes, squash, homemade donuts and splurged on some Maine maple syrup - won't eat anything but the real stuff now!)
* read
* walked
* relaxed
aaaaaaaand....I went strawberry picking, on the perfect day, where the berries were so big and bountiful that it only took Mum & I a half hour to pick over 20lbs!

These beauties went right into strawberry rhubarb tarts last night (with fresh cut rhubarb from my garden!) - I used this recipe that I shared last year just before strawberry pickin' time. If you click on the pictures, they should open up to a larger picture where you can actually read the recipe - oh, if you do use it, in the plain pastry recipe where it says to cut the butter and the lard together (I use butter flavored crisco and I add two pinches of sugar to make the dough less floury), melt the butter ever so slightly to soften it and you really won't need the ice water (AND the crust comes out super flaky)!

Okay, there's my baking tip for the week...er...year? Hmmm, I almost never add baking tips here, do I? I may just have to start! I'm thinking of making some of SouleMama's strawberry rhubarb jam soon and who knows what else!

Enjoy your day all, it's back to work I go, hi ho hi ho! :^)

Did I mention that I'm on vacation this week?

2008-07-01T18:08:00.001-04:00

sunset rays
Originally uploaded by faerytreecreations

So I'm really not around much...obviously. No great plans, just playing it by ear.

Oh how I love my new camera...let me count the ways

2008-06-25T08:02:00.001-04:00

Still playing with the new camera (obviously). I don't think I've put it down! Oh, the functions - I wish you could see the happy happy dance of joy I do with every new setting I learn!

Here is a smattering of the photos I took yesterday at my friend's house, in her wonderful garden - you can see the rest here.

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!

2008-06-24T09:49:00.005-04:00

My new camera arrived yesterday! So of course, I've been playing...

spiderweb between the birdnetting of the pea/bean trellis

Sadie in macro

Spider trail in crabapple branches

Web-strewn clothes pins

Stellas in a neighbor's yard

Tallulah in mid-lick

Foggy Mt. Vernon St.

I'm very pleased with this camera's capabilities, so far...and I haven't even read the book yet to find out what else it can do! The fact that it picked up the spiderwebs and the cat's tongue in mid-lick, that's something my old camera never did! And that was my greatest disappointment with my old camera; it just never picked up the subtle details of a shot.

I bet you know what I'll be doing on my lunch break today...

Friday Night Stroll

2008-06-21T09:03:00.004-04:00

Dinner by the river with the best friend. A stop at a vintage clothing store to find the perfect little apron. Peeking in shop windows. And an ice cream cone to end the evening.

A photographed stroll around Hallowell, Maine.

1. Rusty, 2. Glow, 3. Haunted, 4. Juliana, 5. Watcher, 6. Amid the Clutter, Nature Prevails, 7. Art?, 8. Here Kitty Kitty, 9. Looking Down, 10. By the Stars Above, 11. Wild, 12. Tenant Parking, 13. Reflection, 14. Rose Among the Thorns, 15. Spiral

More photo's here.

Quiet Friday Joy

2008-06-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Being perfect is the work of being yourself ~ Susan Reimer-Torn

Snap Happy

2008-06-19T13:15:00.000-04:00

I know I already posted today, but I’m doing the digital camera happy dance of joy right now and I have to share.

This past weekend the battery door on my camera broke. I was forced to tape it shut, lest the batteries come flying out. At first I was kind of surprised by my lack of emotion for this happening. I mean for someone who carries a camera with her everywhere, I wasn't heart broken. Now I am in no way anything more than an amatuer dabbler in the field of photography, pretty much a point and shoot kinda gal, but for a while now I've been feeling like I just wasn't getting the pictures I wanted from my Olympus, so that coupled with the lack of emotion led me to realize that maybe it was time for an upgrade.

Now my little Olympus still works, so I wasn't really seriously considering buying a new camera right away, but I thought I'd just check out some: price them, compare them, read reviews, check out who was using what on Flickr and how their photos turned out. I’m not sure what led me to the Canon Powershot a580, but once I read the specs on it (8 megapixel resolution and 4x optical zoom lens, 2.5" LCD screen, 16 shooting modes, face detection system, video with sound and on and on) and this review, then saw this picture taken with the same camera and compared all of it to what I was getting out of my little camera, I knew that this was the next step for me.

I went from website to website, comparing prices to find something that would fit my budget, seeing who had deals, the good reputation and the better shipping. And after several sites and the lowest price being about $135, I thought, "Hmmm...I wonder if Dell carries it?" (after the purchases I've made through them, at least I know I can trust them). So onto the Dell website I went and what did I find? The a580...ON SALE...for cheaper!! Hey, any savings is good...AND they had free shipping. I also splurged and got a 4 GB SDHC memory card, which will hold like 2,000 high-res picts! Sooooooo PSYCHED!

It's still just a little camera, I know, without a ton of bells and whistles, but I think it will be just what I want and it fits my budget, so I'm happy. :^) Now I just can't wait for it to arrive so I can play!!

A Break in the Clouds

2008-06-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Finally, we're getting some sun! It's been so bleak and dreary (yet muggy) around here, so even thinking about taking pictures was futile! Here's looking up the driveway to where the fence used to be (you can see it at the very back of the picture - it's going to a burn pile along with a few other things soon!)Ah, to be fenceless...I forgot just how spacious my backyard is when there isn't a bunch of crap cluttering it!
My poor peonies have been getting beat by the rain

And the veggie garden is flourishing (though it needs desperately to be weeded). Here are the cukes and radish.

the peas and beans climbing for all they're worth
pumpkins
Tomatoes (lets hope they do better than last year!)
and Zucchini with some morning glories growing in the corner.
I really need to get in there and clean up, maybe tonight after work...maybe. Who's to say that I'll be in the mood?

Tilly and the Wall - new to me music

2008-06-18T10:17:00.004-04:00

So I'm really digging the band Tilly and the Wall. They've been around since 2001, but they're new to me and I highly recommend them!

Give a listen...

TO THE JELLYFISH FIELDS!

2008-06-17T15:10:00.007-04:00

I spent the weekend at my folks house with my brother and my cousin and Saturday night, we went lookin' for jellies and horseshoe crabs on the Damariscotta River...then we headed to the store for steak, shrimp and all the fixings for a yummy BBQ meal (that we ate at like 8:00/9:00 at night!)

Mini-Quilt Monday x3

2008-06-16T21:32:00.002-04:00

Here I am, continuing to play catch up on the mini quilts. God only knows what I have left - being sick left my memory completely junked! But now that the double ear infection, the almost sinus infection, the throat issues and the allergic reaction to Zyrtec D out of my system...I'm feeling much better now!

But...for your viewing pleasure are the 3 latest:

Title: "Stitch and Bitch" (mini-quilts week 15)

Materials and Techniques: cotton fabrics completely handstiched...a technique that I despise! I have nothing but awe and respect for those quilters who sit there handstitching full sized quilts...I think they're absolutely insane...but it takes a tough constitution to work on something like that!

From Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Apr. 2007 issue

Title: "Country Kitsch" (mini-quilts week 16)

Materials and Techniques: cotton fabrics in a nine patch and solid formation. I'll be honest, I really don't like country florals...I'm not sure what it is about them that makes me cringe, but they do. I tried them, because they were in my scrap bucket, but I still find them hideous!

Title: "Flutterby" (mini-quilts week 17)

Materials and Techniques: pieced solid cotton fabric with a floral print (not country floral mind you!), embroidered with flowers and butterflies, and one little bee. I love to embroider! I don't often do it, but I love the way it always comes out. Even when it's bad, it looks good...well, sometimes.

As soon as we get a not-so-dreary day, I'll have to take pictures of the garden...it's growing by leaps and bounds! AND...my brother took down that horrible fence in the back yard! Being sick, I lost 2 weeks of working on his bedroom, so the poor guy is sleeping on the couch. I feel bad, I wanted to have the last of the sheetrock up, but it just hasn't happened. Soon, hopefully.

What to do when you're sick...

2008-06-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

Quilt and paint! It doesn't require a whole lot of effort if you really take it easy, or if you have most of the quilt top finished and only need to do the center block. I started this one about 3 years ago, but never finished it. It's definitely different...well for me. And there's that one purple block that just doesn't belong; I just don't know what was up with that. If I'd been smart, I would have taken it out and replaced it before I started stitching rows together.
I also made a slip cover for one of my couch pillows - I love this fabric...I think it's a Kaufman. Mum bought it for me.
Finishing the coffee table was easy - I sat on the floor the whole time.
And when the coffee table was done, I moved onto canvas...'cause I was bored.
Now I'm just waiting for the Doctor's office phone to stop being busy, so I can see if I can get in and find out why I haven't been able to hear well out of either ear for the last three days, why the cough persists and why my nasal passages feel like they're going to explode! Then I have to take the dog to the vet...again...for shots.

**Update** I have a double ear infection to go with my throat....ugh!

Where's My Night-time Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching...Put You In A Coma Medicine?

2008-06-04T10:42:00.002-04:00

Spring colds SUCK!

The Game

2008-06-02T15:20:00.003-04:00

Thanks to dear Shula for posting the instructions to this game...I had so much fun searching Flickr for the answers to these questions about myself.

*************************************

The Way to Play

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name

The Result

A photo mosaic that sums you up...here's mine:

1. Tiffany & Mike, 2. cupcake swap, BEFORE photo, 3. gardiner at night, 4. Verde no Aquarius, 5. 03_07_01, 6. The Cup Of LOVE.., 7. Cliffs of Moher, Ireland, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. stretched fabric wall art, 10. "The Price Of Freedom", 11. *garden*, 12. Celestial Blue Fairy 9

Friday

2008-05-30T12:36:00.001-04:00

A happy life is just a string of happy moments.
But most people don't allow the happy moment, because they're so busy trying to get a happy life.

~Abraham-Hicks~

Enjoy your weekend all, I'm off to the Convention!

A Week of Mondays: Mini-Quilt Week 14

2008-05-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Title: "Fold & Tuck"

Materials and Techniques: Dupioni Silk, Cotton, Batiks and Beads done in a pleat (unfortunately I haven't found a good tutorial for this and I didn't photograph my own foray into the world of pleats...but I can say that it's fairly easy!)

From Quilter's Newsletter Magazine, Sept. 2007 issue

A Week of Mondays: Mini-Quilt Week 13

2008-05-29T08:01:00.002-04:00

Title: "Harvest"

Materials and Techniques: 4 Patch on Point (for a not quite but very similar how to, click here)

From American Patchwork & Quilting, June 2007 issue

A Week of Mondays: Mini-Quilt Week 12

2008-05-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

Title: "Diamond in the Rough"

Materials and Techniques: stitch & flip (this is a super easy technique, it's just squares! Go here to learn how)

From Quiltmaker, Oct. 2007 issue

A Week of Mondays: Mini-Quilts Week 11

2008-05-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Title: "Yertle"

Materials and Techniques: papercut applique, fabric paint and fusible web.

found in Quilter's Newsletter, May 2007 issue

A Week of Mondays: Mini-Quilts Week 10

2008-05-26T19:35:00.009-04:00

Welcome to another week of Mondays!

Yes, I'm still catching up on my mini quilts, but I'm only behind by two (whoo-hoo!!!)

As I've been playing catch up, I realized that they really aren't "mini" quilts so much as just quilt "blocks". They will be going into a larger quilted wallhanging...but technically, I guess they could stand alone as an individual quilt in small form...and since I've been calling them mini quilts all along, that's how they will stay.

Title: "Triangular Garden"

Materials and Techniques: made using fabric strips cut into triangles and stitched into a square.

"Roses for Mom" pattern from McCall's Quick Quilts, May 2007 issue

****************************************************

You may notice that I did some fairly traditional blocks this time around. That's because, well, I never really like traditional quilting - I liked looking at traditional quilts, but actually doing them...no thanks, I'd rather do funky arty quilts. But something has changed. I'm not sure when it changed, but now when I look at quilts, I've begun to really notice the blocks themselves...the technique, how they are pieced, the use of color coordination and contrast, the use of thread as an embellishment rather than just a way to keep things together.

I started going through my quilt magazines (a good quilter NEVER tosses her mags, since they're such a handy reference). I marked the techniques that I wanted to try and this week you'll see the results. I was surprised at how easy many of these were and how gratifying it was to look at the final product and be able to say, "Wow, I made that and it actually looks right!"

I'm going to stick with trying out the traditional blocks for a while; I'll throw in an arty mini here and there, as the mood strikes, but for now, the traditional blocks are really striking a cord.

Enjoy another week of mondays! :^)

Stumble Upon

2008-05-23T14:33:00.001-04:00

A great stumble upon book, found after it was mentioned in an article I read on organic fertilizers...so I had to get it, right? Right!

I've only had it a few days and I've already found it useful, especially the section on companion planting. And like most books I tend to pick up these days, it was used and budget friendly!

Budget friendly is the way I think we're all going these days: alternative modes of transportation, growing our own food, reusing/recycling/precycling. I'm even getting a roommate...well, my brother is moving in with me, but we're sharing costs, which will help the budget GREATLY! We'll see how it works out. We haven't lived together in 17 years and have both grown accustomed to living alone...it'll be interesting to say the very least. But I'm looking on the positive side - when I get a major attack of the "girlies" and can't face spider central (my cellar), I'll make him go down there! :^)

Here's to a 3 day weekend of sheet rocking and trying to get that bedroom looking less like a pit, so my brother can move into it!

SCORE!!!

2008-05-19T13:30:00.001-04:00

The plants sale was fantastic! I bought two daylilies (one is red, the other is a pale orange/yellow), french tarragon, horseradish, catnip and my fav of all the purchases...a flowering quince!!

And my day just got better...after brunch, we skipped over to JoAnn's Fabrics and in the sale bin, I found this little beauty! 2.75 yards of funky tapestry at $6 per yard. I brought it to the cutting table, told the girl I wanted it all and she filled out a slip for me (her electronic gun thingy wasn't working...to my benefit) and when I checked out, my total came to $10.50. I was expecting around $17, but I thought "Oh, maybe they were taking a percentage off the sale stuff." When I got home, I noticed on my slip that the woman rang it up at 1.67 yards! BONUS!
I'm going to bind the edges and it will be a floor cloth in my living room. In this picture, it kinda looks like crap against the floor...but the couch didn't have it's slipcover. In person it looks much better (the colors of the slipcovers are within this fabric, blending them all together).
I need to pull one of the colors out of the hexagons for the binding, but I'm not sure which one yet. I was thinking yellow, then I thought black to really make it pop, but I don't like either. It'll come to me.

That Time of Year Again – Yippee!!!

2008-05-17T07:55:00.001-04:00

It’s a celebratory time here on Mt. Vernon St. Not only is it the annual Bowdoinham Library Plant Sale, it’s also Musings from Mt. Vernon St.’s anniversary! Two years ago this very day, I posted my first entry…a quick little thing with a picture taken at Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine and then went on to introduce you to critters, my friend’s chickens, my home and my first visit to the Bowdoinham Library Plant Sale.

I feel like I’ve learned so much from that first year of attending the sale, like the fact that you need to go an hour early to get a good parking spot and…

* you need to have a plan of attack (do you go inside first or outside?)
* you need to bring heavy duty bags with you if you plan to get a lot of stuff (remember your arms can only hold so much)
* always bring cash and tuck it into a pocket (a purse will only weigh you down)
* if you travel with more than one other person, bring a truck (you’ll need the space for all the finds)
* always bring a wagon to cart your plants back to your vehicle (‘cause it doesn’t seem like a long walk down that hill to the main road until you’ve got your arms full of small trees and potted plants)!

I’m really looking forward to this year’s plant sale finds – everything I get down there always grows well! But unlike the last two years where I planned what I needed, this year I’m whim purchasing…if I like it and I can think of a spot for it, I’m buying it! And since it’s such a short trek to Topsham, we may end up going to the Fairground Café at the Topsham Fair Mall (it’s only a little hole in the wall, but the food is good and the servings are generous).

Well, I have to skedaddle if I want a good parking spot for the plant sale. I’ll be sure to share my finds soon!

Happy Saturday!

In the Ground

2008-05-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Mt. Vernon St. is greening up, so be prepared for many posts dedicated to the green space outside my house (the backyard, the veggie garden, the flower gardens). I’ll throw in a few crafty posts too, here and there, but with the sun and warm weather we’re having, all the crafty stuff has been relegated to rainy days! I do owe you another “Week of Mondays”…as soon as I finish the mini-quilts. I have two done, but am still behind by 4. This may be on the agenda for the weekend…if it rains like the weatherman is predicting.

But I digress…last night saw me and my little helper (wish I’d grabbed my camera while she was out there rolling in the dirt, all glassy eyed and in 7th heaven…she's an indoor cat who is too fat to jump over the garden fence) planting the cucumbers…

the peas... (beans to the left)
and the pumpkins.
The rhubarb has popped. In another month it will be time for more of this, so I can make another few of these :^)
And...any day now, those lilacs will be bursting through (maybe even today!). I can't wait for that lovely lovely smell...mmmm.
Everything is so green,
I just don't want to be indoors! I want to be out, playing in the dirt and strolling amid the flowers (despite it being black fly season). Every moment I'm forced to be indoors, I feel like I'm missing what's growing!
I noticed just this morning that in one week, the clematis practically exploded! It's already a foot high!
Well, back to work - happy gardening!

The Garden that Tiff Built

2008-05-12T10:15:00.001-04:00

It may not be as nice as the house that Jack built, but it'll keep the critters out!

I know it looks so empty...soon it will be a lush little jungle of veggies! I can't wait for cucumbers and lettuce, tomatoes and carrots, potatoes, onions, green beans and sweet little pea pods....yum!
On Saturday, I tilled and raked it twice, set the posts and wrapped the fence. The bean trellis is made from posts, a 2x4, cup hooks and bird netting (it'll be easier for the beans and peas to climb).
I even got the beans planted yesterday morning. I had to get them off the porch, they were already a foot tall and falling over! I wish I had had more time to plant the peas, as they're getting HUGE (maybe tonight)! The potatoes and pumpkins can go out anytime since they're rather hearty, but cukes and zucchini and...well...everything else, will have to wait until the ground starts to warm up and the frost potential is over (another month? I hope they can hold out on the porch that long!). As it is, the peas and beans will have to be covered any night when there is a frost warning. I'm thinking of starting the lettuce this weekend. Oh...and I need to get onions! I completely forgot!
I had to share my funky orange tulips...they look fake, I know. The funny thing is, they weren't there last year - do you think that the red and the yellow tulips cross bred? Is that even possible? I know irises can do it, but I'm not so sure about tulips.
The backyard will be an on-going project, but it's already halfway to being reclaimed, so I'm okay with not having it done - right now (which is what my immediate gratification side normally wants).

Fabric Paint vs. Fabric Pens

2008-05-06T10:49:00.000-04:00

The Mother's Day t-shirt is done - what do you think? I took a little creative license on the earth (I think I tucked in a few more continents than I should have - eh, it's close enough)

The tree tee below is one that I did strictly with fabric pens. I'm not as impressed compared to the fabric paint...which I have come to LOVE! The pens are great for outlining and small details (like the eyes of the woman on the red tee), but not as strong for filling in. The paint can take a few coats, but it blends PERFECTLY (and it goes a long way)! For the redhead's hair I did a coat of red, a coat of orange, a coat of yellow and then highlighted and tipped with each color here there and everywhere. Her face is white, orange and yellow blended. I'm just very impressed with this paint.

I have another tee ready to go - pink this time and for me - but I haven't figured out what to draw on it, yet. I've put it in a place that I have to walk past continuously, knowing that one of those passings will generate an idea. Until then, it's just a pink t-shirt taped to foam core board, looking silly.